Not a sequel, but a reboot

Rating: 9/10 (28 December 2015)

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the film. Used to Abrams' horrid bastardizing style, I expected something fit for children and devoid of soul. But since I am not a Star Wars fan and Abrams probably is, I found it acceptable and he probably made more of an effort than when he mauled Star Trek, where the situation is clearly reversed.
But what is important to understand right away is that this is not really a sequel. They spend as little time as possible tying the other six films with the story, instead focusing on specific nostalgia bringing moments and catchphrases. Other than that they just rehash Episode IV, the original first movie. It starts on a desert planet, the main character is strong with the force and is good with mechanics, the villain wears a mask and is the apprentice of an evil and ugly looking a-hole, it has a Death Star kind of thing, it is destroyed in the last moment, there are a lot of familial ties that are either pushed down your throat for no good reason of hidden away for a big reveal later on. The only thing missing is an Obi-Wan Kenobi type of guy, dispensing with the training or any kind of explanation of what is going on and replacing it with battle and explosions.
Therefore, this is a clear reboot. After all Abrams does the same thing, only better because he probably care about Star Wars a little (sorry, still bitter): he takes a franchise, lists all the good and/or nostalgic points that fans love and shoves them all in his new movie, tying it all with duct tape and special effects.
I thought the actors were good, including the new Vader, which some thought was too whiny. Excuse me, have you seen Anakin? Anyway, Adam Driver does a very good job of displaying flaring uncontrolled emotion while behaving in a clear psychotic way. He is not just a misguided soul torn by pain and seduced by dark power, he is clearly deranged and he portrays that very well. The new Luke is quite hot and credible, as much as the plot lets her.
A disappointment is the character of Finn, who seems to jump from one personality to another with glee, his only role seemingly to bring the plot in the direction wanted, with no consideration to character consistency. I have nothing with the acting, but the character was almost JarJarish in its randomness. Also Luke...
Special effects were top notch, including the battles. Gone are the incompetent stormtroopers who can't hit a target sitting in front of them. They are not competent either, but still. The 3D is also done well and didn't just jump on my face for no reason. Also Luke... (you'll get it when you see the ending of the movie)
Bottom line: Abrams reboots Star Wars, trying to take credit for the good stuff others invented before him and brush under the rug the bad things that people hated. He does a reasonable enough job, but while trying to bring realism and technology to the table, he loses part of the magic that the fans were so addicted too. For Star Wars' sake, I hope the sequel will be as good as Empire Strikes back was for Star Wars, otherwise people will just be left with a childish special effect filled clone of the movie that awed their parents.