Zips by at light speed.

Rating: 5/10 (27 December 2015)

A lot of people have pointed out the similarities between this movie and Ep. IV, so I won't go into those. What really robbed me of the enjoyment of this film was the terrible pacing. There was no time to get to know the characters (although they were quite likable), to feel pleasure at seeing all the old icons return or take in the significance of certain scenes. Scenes which followed each other without much connecting logic or build-up. One moment, Rey is trying to talk Finn out of leaving, then all at once she is hearing voices and going to investigate, finds Luke's light saber and has a confusing vision. One action scene follows another without a breather. Say what you want about Lucas, but he knows how to build to a climax. Here, every scene has the same sense of urgency.
In Ep. IV the plot involved getting the Death Star plans to the rebellion and ends with a desperate last-ditch attack to destroy the super-weapon. In Ep. VII, the plot involves finding Luke Skywalker and destroying the new and improved Death Star is just a kind of side trip that has no bearing on the central plot. I don't think it was even mentioned until the middle of the film. Neither was the Republic, leaving me wondering what had happened to it and what relation it had to the Resistance. And I know I'm not the only one who thought the First Order had destroyed the entire Republic with their Death Star 3.0 until someone mentioned that it was only one system.
People have complained that Rey is able to use the Force too quickly and without any training and I agree, but far worse than the inconsistency is that this robs her of an interesting character arc. The protagonist is supposed to fail before she succeeds.
The prequels, for all their faults, had the majestic sweep and visual inventiveness of the original trilogy. No matter how silly they got, I left each film looking forward to the next one. I left this movie thinking that, when the next one comes out, I'll probably wait and see it on DVD.