The Force Awakens a smile I could not put down. *spoiler free*

Rating: 9/10 (30 December 2015)

*Spoiler Free Review*
The Force Awakens, the seventh movie in the Star Wars saga is beautiful, well acted and worth seeing more than once.
Seeing it in IMAX certainly made for a loud affair, but the feeling of being in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon, the X-Wing and TIE Fighter make it all worth it.
The special effects are fantastic and there were times when I couldn't tell if an effect was CG or practical. Believe me, that's a good thing these days! The surround sound was used properly and in one scene in particular made me extremely glad I made the trip to see it in IMAX at the best theater in my area.
The story, while not as original as I had hoped, was good and was the only reason a star was taken away (IMDB = 9/10). There are a couple of twists that left me reeling and exhausted, but in a good way. The addition of new characters with the old was done tastefully and with flair.
The music was absolutely fantastic. It brought me right back to the feeling when I was younger and watching Star Wars for the first time. The placement was perfect, the ominous in all the right spots, the light hearted & neutral music was done so well that I felt as if I was actually IN the movie. Kudos again goes to John Williams, a man earning his paycheck well.
This is a movie that you should not be tempted by spoilers. Somehow I managed to keep my ears free from any type of spoiler 2 weeks after release and it paid off.
In conclusion, this movie is a must see in 3D (and IMAX is recommended) as you can tell it was made to be watched this way. This movie makes the fear of piracy ruining the movie experience a far lesser worry than I previously thought. Seeing this on a ripped version NOT in the theater would be a complete let-down and any reviews on this site that were made from watching that way should not be trusted.
SFX: 10 (Absolutely incredible) Story: 9 (-1 for lack of originality) Music: 10 (John Williams does it again)
Overall: 9/10
p.s. The previews for The Force Awakens are aplenty so get to your seat early enough to catch them!