Star Wars (1977)

“The Force, it’s calling to you. Just let it in.”

Join Ian, Liam & Kev for our 329th episode as we celebrate our annual Star Wars Day release by jumping to lightspeed into J.J. Abrams’ galaxy-reviving blockbuster Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). Megs? She's not with us this week — She's been recruited by the Resistance after showing a worrying amount of lightsaber proficiency.

This week we discuss:

• The revival question — how The Force Awakens brought Star Wars back to life after a decade away. Nostalgia, safety, or smart recalibration?
• Daisy Ridley’s Rey — mysterious, capable, and instantly central. Is she the perfect modern Star Wars protagonist? Why is her best work done when she's not talking?
• John Boyega’s Finn — defector, comic relief, emotional anchor. Does the film fully realise his potential?
• Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren — volatile, conflicted, and deliberately unfinished. One of the saga’s most interesting villains?
• Ian breaks down the film’s structure — echoes of A New Hope. Homage, remix, or outright repetition?
• Kev dives into the spectacle — practical effects, sound design, and what it's like to watch your first Star Wars Film
• The legacy characters — Han, Leia, and Luke. How well does the film balance past and future?
• The humour — lighter, faster, more modern. Does it fit the Star Wars tone?
• The “show vs tell” balance — does the film rely too heavily on familiarity, or does it earn its emotional beats?
• The ending — powerful, quiet, and iconic. Does it stick the landing?
• And finally, whether Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the Best Film Ever — or simply the most important reboot of the modern blockbuster era.

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Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/