Disappointing

Rating: 4/10 (22 December 2015)

Yes, it's better than the prequels. But this film is still not what Star Wars fans have been waiting 30+ years for. Did we really wait 3 decades to see a remake of A New Hope? Because make no mistake, that is what this movie is. Episode VII? Hardly. It's Episode IV 2.0. There's barely a single original plot line in this movie.
Ah, the plot. There is next to no explanation for what happened during the 30 year gap, but somehow the Empire is back and the Rebels are back to being the underdogs. It just seems like a clumsy attempt to reset everything back to the original Star Wars...which it is. The climax is nothing but a rip-off of the original Death Star battle, just with updated 2015 visual effects which somehow makes it much less interesting.
On the positive side I liked the new characters, the performances and the humour, something sorely missing from the prequels. The practical special effects are nice to see, but there are still some boring and unconvincing CGI characters.
In summary, this is almost what I expected from Jar Jar Abrams, a safe, take no chances remake of the original Star Wars, that is competently made and entertaining enough for the masses. Go into it with low expectations and you'll like it. But if you've actually been expecting a worthy follow up to the OT that takes the story in new directions, you'll be sorely disappointed.