A lazy shallow and cynical movie

Rating: 2/10 (2 January 2016)

There are a few things to like about this movie. Most of the first act, on Jakku, and a few shots and sequences after our two leads, Rey and Finn, leave Jakku. The acting of the whole cast is generally good - Harrison Ford, in particular, carries the movie through the middle section. It was also, as a long time Star Wars fan, just nice to see Han and Chewie and Leia (and finally) Luke in the movie. It was like seeing old friends.
However, much of that is counteracted by the derivative plot which is mainly a rehash of the plot lines of Ep 4 with elements of Ep 5 and Ep 6. Worse, in trying to bundle it all together into one movie, much background and context is left unexplained. For example, the political situation and the context within which the Resistance, the New Republic, and the First Order are operating. Loose ends are left hanging through the movie too, so you don't know why Poe left Jakku and his mission to retrieve BB-8 or if Maz lived or if Hux lived or if Kylo lived at the end of the movie. These are just some of many instances of the unexplained in this movie.
The movie asks you to take a lot on faith. Too much, in fact. And that isn't good enough.
I watched the movie twice. The first time I really did not know what to make of it. Other than a feeling of disappointment and then anger at the fact that the ending of ROTJ had been thrown in the rubbish bin with all of our core heroes (Luke, Leia, Han) seemingly regressing to their Ep 4 selves and being failures. The main example being Luke, who we are told is in hiding. I cannot imagine the Luke Skywalker of Ep 6 running away from his friends, his responsibility and duty when he was needed. It does not fit his story arc and, in my view, dishonours the source material in doing so. Now, this is not to say that bad things can't happen. But, I think it should be explained and be consistent with the character arcs established for these heroes at the end of ROTJ. Neither was done.
The second time I watched it, I took the movie on board for its own sake. And that made it a better watch. However, I found I was quite bored after the latter part of the First Act (the Jakku sequence) all the way to the end. The movie is predictable and has little or no real tension or excitement. Toward the end it became dull and tedious. I will not be watching it again.
As a long time Star Wars fan, I do not consider this a genuine Star Wars movie. Merely a caricature of one.