Very good, but with a few minor flaws

Rating: 9/10 (16 December 2015)

SPOILER FREE I was extremely hyped for this movie, and I REALLY wanted it to be good. Fortunately, it was! There are a few problems though, but nothing major really. Overall this film was a great experience from start to finish.
So, what was good? First of all the characters. All of the new characters are well-written, and feel completely real. No more wooden cardboard characters. Rey is perfect as the heroine of the film and she's easily one of the strong points of this movie. The acting is superb, with a few exceptions, but that's just nitpicking really. Daisy Ridley is phenomenal, and the original cast does a pretty good job to. Adam Driver also does a good job, managing to portray a villain with both depth and character. There's a lot of playfulness amongst the characters, something I really missed in the prequels, and the banter between the old and new characters is at times hilarious to watch.
The special effects, sound design, music, cinematography, directing - all great. I was not disappointed. This is probably J.J. s best film to date, and the love and work he put into it really shows. It's fast paced, but not too fast, and the balance between humor and action is great.
Like I said, there are a few flaws though, which I'll get to in a minute but first I'd like to talk about the "repetetiveness" that people apparently have with this film. The story is good, but it also reminds you a lot of the original films in plot and theme. Let me just say this first: That is NOT necessarily a bad thing. For me, it simply makes it feel like a star wars movie, and honestly, if the story was brand new with no mirroring themes or anything, it probably wouldn't feel like a star wars movie. Yes, the look would be there, but the heart and soul of the film would not be star wars, and that is where this movie really succeeds for me. It oozes star wars. I had a few problems with the third act, and I feel like a few plot points could have been introduced more smoothly, but that's only minor issues I have.
Most importantly, this film leaves you wanting more. There's a ton of questions left to be answered, and I love the "mystery" this film manages to capture. We're not told everything via clunky expositional dialogue, but rather via clever story that leaves us with even more questions than before. That for me is good writing.
I'd rate Star Wars: The Force Awakens 8.5 after one viewing, better than Jedi, but not better than Empire or Hope. This is after only one viewing though, and I'm watching it again on Friday. I'm interested to see if it still holds up after a second viewing (after the fan boy within me has calmed down).
Fans will not be disappointed!