I finally saw this yesterday and to be honest I'm still not sure if I have my feelings on it sorted out 100%, but after digesting it for a day I have a good enough idea and I'll attempt to express my thoughts on it in a comprehensive manner.
I'll start with the bad and could-have-been-better.
First, the non-stop action. It throws one action set piece after another at us, and while they're all well done I thought it was maybe a bit too much by the end. If it was up to me, I'd trim the action down a bit and add one or two more "quiet", dialogue-driven scenes.
[Show spoiler]After finding out about a deleted scene showing a representative of the Resistance appearing before the new Republic Senate, I'm a bit disappointed that wasn't included in the final cut because I feel it would serve the film well, both as another "breather" scene and also because it would provide some helpful exposition in regards to the political workings of the new Republic and their relationship to the Resistance, clarification that the planet being destroyed isn't Coruscant (for the fans who consider the prequels part of the saga, anyway) and make us feel a bit more for the people getting blown up.
Secondly, the two villains I was most excited to see - Captain Phasma and Supreme Leader Snoke - were pretty underwhelming.
[Show spoiler]I love that we have a proper female villain in Phasma, but she does nothing of importance aside from looking cool. I get that they were going for a Boba Fett type character, but at least Boba got a cool moment in tracking the heroes to Bespin, and the way other characters talked about him clued us in on the fact that this was a bounty hunter with a fearsome reputation. Phasma doesn't even get that, she's just there. Then there's Snoke, who has a cool voice but that's about the extent of my praise for him. The CG is a bit iffy (though this may have been intentional due to him only appearing as a hologram and possibly even being an illusion - that's for Episode VIII/IX to reveal) and while there were so many potentially interesting directions they could have taken his design, they ended up going for the more generic "bald, pale, disfigured/sickly looking villain" look that we've seen so many times before - including in this very franchise.
To be fair I should add that my problems with these two characters are mostly specific to this movie; they've only just been introduced and will obviously return in the sequel so there's still a lot that can be done to make them more captivating.
Thankfully the positives outnumber the negatives. The overall execution is very good. The writing and acting is good across the board, the cinematography and effects are well-done, action choreography and editing is good; it's never difficult to follow what's going on.
I really liked our new heroes. Rey, Finn and Poe were all easy to like and I'm looking forward to seeing what Episodes VIII and IX have in store for them, especially Rey who it seems will be the central character of this trilogy. Daisy Ridley turns in a fine performance and I appreciate that our latest protagonist is a woman. Some complain that she's a bit too good at everything she does, from her piloting skills to
[Show spoiler]her handling of a lightsaber, but I think it's obvious enough that this is because she's exceptionally strong with the force, like Luke and Anakin before her.
BB-8 is adorable and I want one. It was great (and I won't lie, very emotional) to see the old characters again, some of them appear briefly but we will surely see more of them in VIII and IX. Harrison
Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill all did a great job with the parts they were given.
While Snoke and Phasma failed to live up to my expectations, the two most prominently featured villains, Kylo Ren and General Hux, were both pleasant surprises. Kylo is a pretty intriguing character with a strong presence. While I initially expected him to be more of a badass he's actually very flawed, in fact he's similar to Anakin in that he's very conflicted and impulsive. The difference is that unlike Anakin he's consistently well-written and well-acted by Adam Driver, who effectively conveys both the more confused, vulnerable side of the character and his menacing intensity. Hux is similarly intense, except in a more cold, determined manner. I especially loved his speech where he gave me the Nazi vibes I've come to expect from these Imperial/First Order officer types.
The biggest criticism leveled against The Force Awakens is its strong similarities to A New Hope. It's definitely made in the same "mold" as that film, it hits many of the same story beats and has some similar scenes. I can understand how this could bother some, but it wasn't a problem for me personally. It throws in enough different elements (some borrowed from the sequels and even the prequels, many new to the franchise) and mixes it all up in a way that sets it apart. It's not much more derivative of the original film than Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace were, in fact it's very similar to those two movies in that it feels like a kind of "greatest hits" remix of elements taken from earlier installments while putting its own unique spin on things.
The climax is a bit of a mixed bag.
[Show spoiler]The Resistance's attack on Starkiller Base was the only time the films' callbacks to the past bothered me. The X-Wings swooping down over the surface of the planet, bombing it, dodging cannon fire and such feels strangely devoid of the proper dramatic heft. It feels like it's just going through the motions, rehashing the "heroes taking out the villains' base/superweapon" climax we've seen three times before more out of a devotion to tradition than because the filmmakers truly felt it was the best narrative choice.
Thankfully this less thrilling battle is intercut with a pretty banging lightsaber duel that's easily the highlight of the film action-wise. Goosebump-inducing in parts.
[Show spoiler]Some complain that Kylo is too easily dominated by Rey, but again, I think this is just to highlight how innately powerful Rey is and how rough around the edges and relatively weak Kylo still is (this is even clarified by Snoke who promises to "complete his training"). We have to remember this is the first part of a trilogy and we will obviously see these characters, both heroes and villains, grow and change throughout the next two movies.
All in all, I'd say The Force Awakens is a very good movie with some flaws. For me it's so well made that whatever problems it has become pretty insignificant. Very enjoyable, a solid 4/5 from me.
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