Ach, I'm not going to kid anyone with this. I liked The Force Awakens, probably more than a lot of the Star Wars movies (Empire will always be best in my opinion). It was fun, it appealed to the wanna-be film critic inside of me, and it was very much Star Wars.
I went into the theater with the fear that TFA was going to be essentially a nostaglia-sinkhole. I mean, the Millennium Falcon, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and X-Wings flying over the water were like the selling points of the trailer (besides Ren's lightsaber). It was a perfect set up to make a movie for all the 30-50 year-olds in the audience to sit up and shout "I remember that thing".
But the old characters come back in a way that feels like they have become another part of the Star Wars universe. Han Solo has taken of Obi Wan's role of wise old man. Luke has become a Yoda style of legend, R2-D2 and C-3P0 show up just enough to assure us they exist, Leia has become a general of the resistance. All of the old character's retain their personalities without hijacking the story from our new protagonists. Perhaps more importantly, they are given a backstory to explain why they are where they are now, as opposed to elsewhere.
So, our new characters. BB-8 is a good droid, runs around, makes beeps and boops, provides us a alternate view on the action. Finn is a decent unlikely hero, though perhaps a bit dramatic (Ironic for me to say, given what I think of the villain).
Rey reminds me too much of every fan-fiction protagonist ever. Stronger than she thinks, everyone likes her, and she's mysteriously integral to the plot. However, the way she is portrayed and acted gives me a feeling that there may be a bit more to her, so I'm willing to withhold judgement until after the next movie.
Conversely, Kylo Ren reminds me of every fan-fiction antagonist ever, and I love it. He's over the top, dramatic, short-sighted, and willing to sacrifice everything to get what he perceives he needs. He's Anakin Skywalker without all the horrible lines or stupid plot.
As for the rest of The Force Awakens, I don't want to say too much. In some ways the plot was confusing, not because I couldn't understand what was going on I just couldn't always understand
why it was going on. However, the story as far as the characters are concerned was quite solid and I think I would enjoy watching it a second time. And the scenes, the filmography, the sounds, the colors, they were all very enjoyable. (I am definitely not an expert on any of this)
So, I enjoyed The Force Awakens, and I think that most people would(or did) as well.
If my review is weak, it's because this is literally my first. I am certainly willing to discuss any part of the movie with anyone.
