Great .. but not Amazing

Rating: 9/10 (23 January 2016)

I went to watch this film with very high anticipation, maybe it was because of this I was a little disappointed. While it is a great film, with things such as, particle effects, fantastic direction, brilliant visuals and outstanding performances from all members of the cast. However there are things that this film suffers from, that stops it from being the best that it could have been.
1. The overuse of reused plot points: This was a major disadvantage to the film, as it felt way too much like Episode 4, and not just a little. Nearly every single story aspect has been taken straight from A New Hope, and it clearly shows.
2. The Fast Pace: If there is one thing that Episodes 1-3, do incredibly well, is balance its pace out very well. This one is too much. There is almost no time to sit and talk about things, to let us viewers understand what is going on. They don't explore or inform us of anything that it is going on. Like why is that there? or who is he? They don't explain anything, which makes it confusing and because of its fast pace, it draws you out of the characters and the story.
3. The Villains: Kylo Ren is a great villain, however the others, Hux, Snoke, and even more so Captain Phasma, are all let downs. They bring nothing to the story, other than standing there looking good. When they are on screen, they have almost nothing to do.
4. The Soundtrack: Yes, I know, weird that a John Williams Soundtrack can possibly be a letdown. The soundtracks for every other Star Wars movie is fantastic, but this one, it does not have that many memorable themes, aside from a few.
This movie is good, and a great entry into the Star Wars saga, but it was not as good as it could have been. Other than that, it is a Star Wars movie, and even having that title gives it a boost.
9/10 for overall score, it could have been a 10, if they slowed things down and thought of a more newer story.