IT’S three decades since the good guys defeated the Galactic Empire. What’s Lucas Films going to do for kicks without its big cash cow?

Breed anotherie, that’s what! Bigger, yes. Better? The jury is out. This juror isn’t sure whether “Star Wars VII” is better than any of its predecessors.

No argument about the energy of its publicists. Nobody who watched TV or read a newspaper in the last month would not have been aware of its arrival. Such media saturation suggests that its creators were scared the public might read between the lines and discover that they didn’t want the public to know.

Yes, boys and girls. “Star Wars VII” is just another expensive (reported $US200 million for the producers to recover) outer-space, cowboy movie.

The last surviving Jedi, Luke Skywalker, went into hiding several earth decades ago. First Order, the new team of bad guys, wants to get hold of the map showing where in the galaxy Luke now calls home. Who knows who’s got it? Well, not long into the film, we do. It’s quite the cutest little droid so far in the series. And only one human understands its language.

That is Rey (Daisy Ridley) who roams the desert scavenging saleable parts from wrecked spacecraft. Before too long, it becomes apparent that she, more than any other human character, will sustain the film to almost the last frame.

Finn (John Boyega), a First Order storm trooper who’s seen the error of his ways and deserted, finds it in his interest to accompany her. Romance seems probable. But the film has more important matters to canvas.

Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca, still roaming the galaxy in the Millennium Falcon, drop into a bar where they learn about what’s going on. And that’s where nostalgia rears its lively head.

Lawrence Kasdan’s screenplay is long on action, less so on dialogue, simple in themes and issues. Director JJ Abrams gets plenty of scope to fill out the film’s 135 minutes with special effects, out-of-this-world creatures, which are among the film’s most endearing participants, and explosions that light up the sky with lurid power.

Some would call “Star Wars” science fiction. Wars? Certainly. Without them, the series would not exist. Fiction? Nothing else is an option. Science? Nah, the film has nothing reflecting research, experiment, proof of theory and peer evaluation. Entertainment? There are better examples in the genre, which in some ways is a pity.

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