"The Most Overrated Movie I Have Ever Seen"

Rating: 6/10 (18 June 2016)

The fact that this movie has even broken into the top 250 astounds me, but its current comfortable placement at no. 138 (and an 82 rating) stupefies me.
The movie's biggest criticism is its plot as it is almost entirely unoriginal and is largely derivative of "A New Hope". I remember turning to my friend 5 minutes into the movie in utter disbelief as it followed "A New Hope's" opening LITERALLY note by note. The movie tries to be a sequel and a reboot at the same time- which makes little sense at all. It takes me out of the film when the same events transpire and the original trilogy characters don't just stop in their tracks and say "we've done this before". Its a real shame because it was the rare pieces of original content in the film that I really liked which could have made for a really good movie. Hopefully these aspects will be fleshed out more for the sequel.
Aside from the plot the characters were quite one dimensional. Rey essentially shares the same backstory as Luke and is the dictionary definition of a Mary Sue. Whatever the plot required of her and any skill which ought to be outwith her abilities (at this point in time) she achieved with relative ease and little struggle. Finn's character was more layered but was largely a comedic presence in the film and I felt that he was there largely to accentuate the strengths of Rey's character. Poe was a fighter pilot- and that was the sum of his character. Carrie Fisher also gave a pretty uninspiring performance as Princess Leia.
With all this negativity its good to highlight the movie's strengths. The effects, cinematography and direction of the film are all top notch. The acting of the leads are also able to transcend the limitations of their roles and is the only reason the characters can be deemed likable. Harrison Ford returns successfully as Han Solo (picking himself back up from his poor return as Indiana Jones). Kylo Ren is an interesting character and, although I feel the character dipped a bit halfway through is probably a highlight of the film.
The film is certainly not below average as there is still a lot to enjoy and appreciate in this film to earn its 6/10 rating from myself. This film needs to be put into perspective by disappointed fans and overly optimistic fans alike. That being said I was extremely disappointed with the final product as a major Star Wars fan and expected far better things. It was well polished for what it was and I'll give it credit for that, but they did play things very safe. I believe it has its inflated rating purely due to the fact it wasn't abysmal like the prequels (even then I'd say Revenge of the Sith is superior to this film). It does ignite some excitement, but for me it was just allowing me to reminisce about the original trilogy.
For me the Force was not Awakened. This film showed me that Star Wars has a past, but not a future.