There has been an awakening

Rating: 9/10 (23 December 2015)

Let's face it. There was no way JJ could have made a new Star Wars film that people wouldn't over hype and end up being disappointed about because it wasn't exactly how they imagined it. No matter what, fans would have been angry. But let me tell you that some of the reviews I have read on IMDb are incredibly unfair, untrue, and just downright disrespectful to an incredible movie.
This wasn't just a great Star Wars film. It was a great film, and will hopefully be seen as an ideal for other films to follow. Dare I say it, this movie was almost perfect. On par with movies like Citizen Kane and Shashank for sure. Not as good as Empire or A New Hope, but significantly better than Return and embarrassingly better than the prequels. Here's why:
1. The new characters were written beautifully. Rey is the best protagonist in film history. (I have a million reasons why if anyone wants to debate). Kylo Ren must be one of the best villains in movie history. It's hard to compete with Heath's Joker and Emperor Palpatine, but I do think he is a better villain than Darth Vader. (Again, don't kill me, I'm happy to back this up). Finn, Po, and BB8 also exceeded my expectations. Ma Kanata was fine, I didn't have any problems with her. The silver stormtrooper lady was the only character I didn't really like, just because she didn't seem that important to me. Maybe she'll come into play more in the future installments though. The best part about the characters in this film is that they can't be summed up in a handful of words. Their personalities are complex, they feel like real, actual, living, breathing people who are out there somewhere in a galaxy far far away.
2. JJ did a fantastic job incorporating old characters. None of them seemed squeezed in, they were all actually important to the story (other than C3P0, but when has he ever been important?). It's hard to get my point across without spoiling, so I'll leave it at that.
3. The acting was freaking amazing. I've actually seen some reviews saying the acting was bad, even worse than the prequels. I'm sorry, but if you honestly think that, you need to watch the sand speech again. Even comparing the acting in TFA to the sand speech is unspeakable. TFA's acting was phenomenal. The returning actors reprised their roles with passion and zest, breathing new life into characters I never thought I'd get to see again. Han Solo, Chewbacca, Leia, they're back! Meanwhile, the new actors were insanely good. I couldn't have been more impressed, particularly with Rey, Finn, Kylo Ren, and Po. I found myself forgetting that these four were acting, because they felt real. Honestly some of the best acting I've ever seen, and I have seen A LOT of movies.
4. Let's talk about the plot. THIS PART WILL HAVE SOME SPOILERS BECAUSE I DON'T SEE ANY WAY AROUND IT. TURN BACK NOW. A lot of people have been complaining that the plot was just taken from A New Hope and Empire, and it's hard to deny that there are a lot of similarities. However, upon closer examination, these similarities really make sense. Kylo Ren is obsessed with Darth Vader. He wants to "finish what he started" and make him proud, right? So of course he would build a new death star! He's trying to complete Vader's legacy, which includes leading the Empire to take of the galaxy with the help of a weapon of mass destruction. This isn't lazy writing, it's actually very, very good writing. This tells us a lot about Kylo's personality. The more I think about Kylo Ren the more I realize how unstable and complex he really is, and how many layers this character has. I'm so excited to find out where the whole Vader fanboy thing will go, because I can see it becoming a major element in his ultimate fate, and that of our protagonists. Other points of the plot that fans have addressed as being ripped off are the cantina scene/the smuggler bar place (this is just stupid, can Star Wars never feature any taverns/bars/cantinas/etc. just because of one scene in the first film?) and Han's death/Rey's rescue being too similar to Obi-Wan's death/Leia's rescue. Well, the rescue isn't really similar at all. Rey isn't even rescued, she escapes on her own in a beautifully written plot twist that shows us just how strong she is with the force and makes us like her even more. What were fans expecting, for the good guys to just not try to rescue her? To just sit back and watch? Of course they had to go rescue her, so at least JJ made gave it a very different outcome. And there's the scene between Han and Kylo in which Kylo slays Han while the others watch. Yes. It is a lot like Obi-Wan's death with Vader. It's called an homage. Look it up. And not only is it an homage, it's a very good homage. As a matter of fact, it's one of the best handled homages I can recall.
5. The film had great themes, it demonstrated a great use of practical effects, and had some very intelligent writing. Fantastic in almost any way one could think of. English teachers and critics will all love it. Fans should love it, and if they don't, the only one to blame is themselves.
TO CONCLUDE: If you don't like the film, fine, but know that you're only ruining it for yourself. It's an amazing movie, like it or not, and you're missing out by choosing to hate it just because there was no way it could have lived up to the hype. I mean, it is literally the most anticipated movie of all time. OF ALL TIME. Of course people will be disappointed.