STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS | FAMILY MOVIE REVIEW INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND KIDS

"STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS"
(2015) (Daisy Ridley, John Boyega) (PG-13)

QUICK TAKE:: Sci-Fi: A young woman and man find themselves in a battle with sinister and militaristic forces in this continuation of the "Star Wars" saga.

PLOT:

Long after the events of "Return of the Jedi" in a galaxy a long time ago and far away, the formerly defeated Empire has become the First Order, a force run by Supreme Leader Snoke (ANDY SERKIS). He desires to destroy the Republic and the resistance fighters they support, and not only uses the Empire's stormtroopers and militarized ships and fighters to do his bidding, but also Kylo Ren (ADAM DRIVER). He's a young man who Snoke has taught in the ways of the dark side of the force, and he's using that in hopes of finding a secretive map that supposedly will point them in the direction of the last Jedi master standing, Luke Skywalker.

He's been missing for a long time, and thus his sister and former princess, General Leia (CARRIE FISHER), has sent her best pilot, Poe Dameron (OSCAR ISAAC), to the desert-covered planet of Jakku in hopes of finding that map and thus Luke as well. He gets his hands on that and puts it into his small droid, BB8, for safekeeping when Ren's forces attack. Among them is a stormtrooper, Finn (JOHN BOYEGA), who's on his first mission and has had his conscience override his training. When Ren takes Poe back aboard his spaceship for questioning, Finn helps him escape, but not before they get shot down and crash-land back on Jakku.

Unbeknownst to them, a young adult scavenger by the name of Rey (DAISY RIDLEY) has come across BB8, unaware of the secret map inside him. When others come after that droid, Rey easily fends them off, and then ends up going on the run with Finn who's just stumbled into their desert encampment. The two end up escaping in a spaceship they don't realize is the Millennium Falcon, a point they learn when they're captured by none other than Han Solo (HARRISON FORD) and his hairy companion, Chewbacca (PETER MAYHEW), who've been looking for their beloved ship for years.

When they learn of what the two youngsters have stumbled across, and that it might lead to Luke, Han agrees to help them. As they proceed, they, the Republic and the resistance fighters must contend not only with Ren and his forces, but also a giant, planet killing weapon the First Order intends to use on Leia's planet.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: Um, yeah.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13: For sci-fi action violence.

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