A starting point for an epic new trilogy!

Rating: 10/10 (25 December 2015)

Bottom line up front...The Force Awakens is a great movie!
It did not change my life as I suspect some were expecting, but rather captured my imagination and my attention just as episodes 4,5, and 6 did when I was a kid. There are some haters out there saying "this movie was awful, too predictable, and or a rip off of A New Hope! Well I guarantee you those same people hating on the movie were nonetheless entertained for the 2 hrs and 15 min. I imagine they had such high expectations and anticipations that it would have been impossible to satisfy their Star Wars desires even if they watched the movie in cargo hold of the Millennium Falcon with their choice of cast joining them in a special premier.I also predict those people will be in line when episode 8 premiers probably wearing some sort of Jedi robe or storm trooper attire. This much I know... I, nor any one I know, would not dare take on the difficult burden of creating and adding to the epic story that is Star Wars. It's a daunting task! JJ put his name on the line and created a work of art that took years! People hate on the movie in a review that takes them 5 minutes to write.
In my opinion, everything was excellent! The production team, the cast and acting, the score, directing were all great! I really appreciated the fact that real sets were built, and CGI was put to good use when needed. The cast of the original trilogy add that sense of history to the story which works to transition to the new characters introduced in the Force Awakens. The battles scenes are great, storm troopers and tie fighters got an upgrade. The forced is used in ways we have not seen before and the lightsaber scenes are intense. Throughout the movie there is a perfect blend of excitement, wonder, humor, and emotional feelings of nostalgia.
Some critics say it's a rip off of episode 4 A NEW HOPE. I would agree. THE FORCE AWAKENS does mirror the story line of A NEW HOPE but with a creative twist. Additionally, if you take a closer look at what JJ set in play you will see he is telling a story that shows history repeats itself especially in a world where the force controls destiny. We also have to keep in mind that this movie is the launching pad for two more (at least) movie that have the potential to go many different directions given the facts in THE FORCE AWAKENS. People also say Kylo Ren is unimpressive and insignificant compared to Vader. Well that's the point! It will be interesting to see how his character develops and all the characters for that matter. My only complaint character wise is the fact that capt Phasma's character is portrayed as weak and is not developed in the least bit. That could have been more interesting, but hopefully in the next movie we will see a more experienced and devastating storm trooper commander.
I give this movie a 10 because the standards were set so high for it and it managed to pull it off as far as telling a good story, setting the premise for a continued story, satisfying for the most part fans world wide, ( not everyone can be totally pleased) and it kept my wife and I throughly entertained. Go see for yourself!