A quality edition to the Star Wars franchise

Rating: 9/10 (18 December 2015)

I, like many others, was filled with excitement and anticipation for this movie. Even if the last few films were bad, it's Star Wars for god sakes! One of the largest movie franchises makes it's long awaited return, it's bound to spark a lot of attention. But as for the actual movie, was it good? Yeah. Was it fantastic? No. Was it an instant classic like episodes 4-6? Maybe for some, but not for me.
Let's start with the acting, it's so-so. Not to give anything away but the original cast members that return do their job. Harrison Ford returns as Han Solo, which is just so cool. Carrie Fisher (Leia), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) return and have to perform roles they haven't played in almost 40 years, which can't be easy. But they all do such great jobs and are a blast to watch. I absolutely need to mention Andy Serkis in this movie. He once again does an awesome job, bringing something that clearly doesn't exist to life. Adam Driver plays Kylo Ren (My favorite character in the movie), who is this movie's equivalent of Darth Vader. This character is awesome, he has the Darth Vader-esque feel of an intelligent, intimidating strategist, but with his own twist. Part of this character's appeal is his voice. Every time this character talks, I can't help but be sucked into everything he says.
Another great thing about this movie is its visuals. One huge problem with episodes 1-3 is the effects. Half of things looked fake and it really took audiences out of the film. But in this one, wow! Special effect and computer generation have come a long way since the days of Phantom Menace and it really shows in this production. The landscapes are beautiful and some of the shots in this movie gave me chill just off of atmosphere alone Daniel Mindel who was also the cinematographer for the two new Star Trek movies, Mission Impossible, and The Amazing Spider Man 2, does an awesome job and deserves props for really taking the look of this movie above and beyond.
The dialogue in this film is a little hokey at times. But this, for me, is very passable. The silly lines are quickly overshadowed and none of them really made me cringe, which has happened before in Star Wars movies. This movie is also oddly funny. I find that people were drawn more to the gaggy laughs in this movie but there's also some subtle humor that finds it's way to the top. J.J. Abrams, who directed and co- wrote this movie, has been known to try to add elements of humor in his action epics (Super 8) and he does a really good job of it here. Making you laugh without taking away from the quality action.
The reveals are great. The movie theatre was erupting with applause in almost every scene. If you're a big fan of episodes 4-6 you'll definitely love this movie. But without giving too much away the reveals, at the same time, are also a slight weakness of the film. Some of them are blatantly predictable and can be scene from a mile away.
That's what brings me to my biggest problem with the film, it borrows too much from the originals. I know this sounds ridiculous as it is, after all, a follow up to the original. But when you see this movie you'll lose count of how many times you see a plot element from the first one copied onto this one. It's not bad necessarily, as these plot elements worked well in the originals. But it just makes the movie predictable, and it sucks a lot of the action and suspense away from this movie as a whole.
In conclusion, I'd highly recommend it. Even with it's flaws it's still a really fun time and can bring forth a ton of nostalgic feeling. A good ride and a blast to sit through, just don't expect it to completely blow your mind.