There has been an awakening... for the franchise!

Rating: 9/10 (6 August 2016)

"You must unlearn what you have learned."
There were many surprises in this film. There were also some earth-shattering shocks.
I loved both Finn and Rey (especially Rey). They were a great duo. Of course, another great duo truly led this film to greatness as Han and Chewie stepped onto the Millennium Falcon, the theater audience clapped and cheered. And the two really stepped up their game. They were hilarious in their banter and charming in their camaraderie throughout the movie.
Ace pilot Poe Dameron did not make much of an impression on me. He had some attitude, and his wit when confronting Kylo played well. I can tell he'll be featured more as the story progresses, but for this film, he was totally outshone by his other half of this third duo: Poe & BB-8.
BB-8: Wow. My favorite part of the film was BB-8 giving a thumbs up. Hilarious! It's amazing how a character that speaks no English is easily understood just by the tilt of the head or the energy behind their mechanical beeps.
I think Phasma and Hux were two characters that should have been combined into one. I found Hux to be a worthless character who whined and held almost no significance to the plot line. He gave an order. Yippee. He made a speech. Not impressive. We're not talking Grand Moff Tarkin here who oozed power and malevolence in Episode IV. He carried no significance and just felt like wasted space.
Speaking of Kylo when you have a new character kill a beloved original, there is no redemption. While Darth Vader killed off the Jedi (a feat Kylo is hoping to complete), including children in training, as well as Obi-Wan, his motivation initially was to save the woman he loved. He truly believed he was doing what was necessary to save Padme from death. You could see in Anakin's eyes that it hurt him to do these things, but he did it with the belief it would help him save Padme. Anakin was not able to save his mother in time. For Padme, he would do whatever was in his power to do. Kylo comes off as a spoiled child who throws tantrums when he does not get his way. The audience has not been told of his motivations thus its impossible to relate.
But the moment I had been waiting for was Princess Leia. I was also hoping that Leia would be an active force user. Luke said in ROJ that she would learn to use her power as he did. Sure, she'd still lead the resistance as their general, but she could wield with a light saber now versus a gun, right? Unfortunately, none of this really came to fruition.
Rey is the best addition to the SW canon since Mara Jade. After seeing the film, everyone in my family agreed that Rey was the best character of the movie. What's great about her is that she's tough, independent, loyal, and still vulnerable. She goes through quite the journey in "The Force Awakens." Her battle with Kylo Ren is definitely the perfect climax to the film.
There was a lot of hype around another female character in the film, Captain Phasma. Unfortunately, her role was rather underutilized. I hope her role finds substance in the next film. Perhaps she can shove Hux down a trash compactor.
Han and Chewie steal the show with their team performance. But Rey and Finn are close by and lead the plot along through many great character moments. Both have to closely evaluate who they are and how they want to live their lives. There are also those "moments of awesome" that help to define the Star Wars movies. My favorite part was definitely near the end when Rey called Anakin's light saber. There is great power in this moment. First, Anakin's life was not only darkness. The legacy he would have wanted when he returned to the Force would be one that Rey was following and not Kylo. Secondly, Kylo spent a few moments during the movie talking with the remains of Vader's helmet and asked for guidance. All Kylo's training was nothing compared to Rey's strength of character. And his anger towards her only seems to weaken him. This is a subtle point that I think is easily missed: Kylo wants to find strength, but his anger has not been enough to gain him victory.
Overall, there were a few other standout disappointments for me with this film: (1) John William's score was less than impressive. It's the same music as the past films, but that's also the drawback. There was nothing new and fresh for this film. "Empire Strikes Back" introduced the world to "The Imperial March." "The Phantom Menace" had "Duel of Fates" which blew your mind. We're back once more for "Star Wars," and the music did not feel as if it captured many moments. There were a few times when it played up a scene or two, but overall, the music did little to enhance the overall film. (2) The Dark Lord "Gollum." What. The. Hell was up with this character? Snoke was such a disappointment visually.
"Try not. Do or do not, there is no try."
In the end, the movie was great. I cannot rank it over the original movies; however, it definitely stands out as a great film in the franchise. As Yoda indicates in this above great quote (which I use often), "try" assumes a level of uncertainty in a task. I believe J.J. Abrams is definitely "doing" great work. I know there is more to come that's going to be fantastic. I think characters and relationships are going to make the story lines even better going forward.
Full review posted in 12/2015 at: http://teasippinnerdymom.blogspot.com