It's a Reboot...but that's OK

Rating: 7/10 (4 January 2016)

Nostalgia-fest. Similar plot and scenes as the original trilogy, particularly A New Hope. The torch gets passed from the old characters to the new...but in the end, that's OK imo. Kind of how comic book sagas reboot with slightly different origin stories.
Basically, JJ and Disney hit the reset button, modernized the whole concept, and are now poised to continue the Star Wars saga with new and compelling characters. I found it infinitely more enjoyable than any movie from the middle trilogy (even if the plot is not nearly as ambitious as the flawed hero saga of Lucas' failed prequels). On the plus side, it also has better special fx and acting overall than any of the other movies, including the originals.
All that said, if the next movies also rehash the same plots, I will be terribly disappointed (and lower my ranking of the The Force Awakens to 6 stars.) Playing it safe was wise for this one, but after its huge success, the only way to top it is to embark on a totally fresh story arc. And surely, there is plenty of quality fodder from the novels of the expanded Star Wars universe!