Definitely didn't disappoint, though there still was some potential for improvement

Rating: 8/10 (18 December 2015)

In this review I want to purely focus on the aspects that are not relevant to the story in any way, so this is going to be SPOILER FREE.
From the beginning until the end of the movie several motifs and situations can be found that just remind too much of Episode IV. The more you think about it, the more you notice the movie "borrows" from its predecessor. This doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing, as when I was watching the movie I couldn't tell what the precise outcome would be solely by having seen Episode IV. Further, especially the older Star Wars fans might feel some nostalgia due to these slight parallels. Nevertheless, the ending is predictable to some extent, by modern movie standards.
There was a lot of critique regarding the prequel trilogy having made too extensive and intensive use of CGI. While watching the movie I noticed it was somehow strange and familiar at the same time, because Episode VII makes use of CGI when it's appropriate and not more. Remember those awful scenes on Kamino, Geonosis etc. ? You won't see anything like that in Episode VII. Most sets make use of natural terrain and tangible requisites. The movie takes place in a many natural environments, which has this old-school-feeling to it.
The only thing I wished for the movie to do is to explain one minor plot-hole and the background of one of the more central characters, but we still have two more movies to expect.
All in all the movie was very entertaining, even funny at times.
May the Force be with you.