Not quite there...

Rating: 5/10 (16 December 2015)

OK, here is the deal. I am kind of tired of seeing all these biased reviews in IMDb only consisting of 10/10 or 1/10 ratings so it's my time to give it a go. Having said that, I try to be as objective as I can, yet I am not. Because I- like many others- am a big Star Wars fan (IV-VI).
So is this movie best ever 10/10 or worst ever 1/10? No, it's not either. I can admit I had optimistic expectations about this movie and now after seeing this, I am mainly disappointed. Yeah sure, the CGI looks solid, there is a lot of action, old characters (but no Gungans) and kind of familiar feeling to all of it but that is also part of the problem. I mean this feels like they have tried too much to please the audience of the first movie(s). The plot in itself is pretty much the same as the first Star Wars movie for crying out loud.
As we all know this takes place 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, but it also feels nothing has progressed in this world during that 30 years. As I recall it, the totalitarian empire was destroyed at the end of the Return of the Jedi and yet they are back again, how? The free people of the galaxy just let it happen again, why? They even built a another death star (planet) for Christ's sake and everybody was OK with that? "That thing looks awfully similar to the ones empire used to destroy planets with in the past, yet this one is only ten times bigger. I wonder what it will do?" What have the "rebels" been doing all this time? I thought they would have been able to establish a solid government or council or whatever democratic institution to the galaxy to prevent the empire rise again, but no. Rebel scum is a rebel scum I guess. And how did the Sith rise again? Kylo Ren is Kylo Ren but who is this other guy? Where did he emerge?
It feels like the rebels and all the other good guys have not reacted in these issues in any way during the past 30 years. So when the movie starts and s**t hits the fan, it all seems to happen way too fast. Everything just comes together in a seemingly random fashion and here we are again saving the galaxy from tyranny. I know there needs to be action and I don't mind the fast pace but it just doesn't feel right. There is a lot happening on the screen but that lot ain't just the right kind of stuff. It lacks purpose, logic and timing. All the fighting and shooting feels meaningless without a proper build up. And yeah, there are some other major disappointments too but I don't want to give away too much of the plot.
So when the end credits rolled I was mainly perplexed, "this was it"? Yeah sure, there are a lot more Star Wars movies coming but I still feel kind of deceived. Like the makers of this movie just tried to avoid all the big main themes going on here. Just give the audience the same old stuff in a different package. Sure they succeeded to clear the path for upcoming movies but come on now, grow a pair of balls Mr. JJ Abrams. You had the richest material ever to toy with and this is all you can come up with? Or maybe this really is what people wanted to see and I'm just too old for this s**t. Anyways 7/10, you have the ball now Rian Johnson, may the force be with you.