I cannot understand why there are so many negative reviews

Rating: 9/10 (2 January 2016)

Star Wars The Force Awakens is a beautiful film. It's the Star Wars film that we've been waiting for for 30 years, the film that the prequels failed to deliver. It is full of gorgeous visuals, memorable characters, and genuinely funny lines but above all, it truly felt like how a Star Wars movie should feel. Wildly entertaining, at no point during the film did I feel removed from the action, or that I was waiting for the next scene to happen. The movie is very fast paced, with very few slow moments. That being said, the action flows together perfectly and somehow manages to never feel rushed.
For me, by far the best part of The Force Awakens were the characters. And I don't mean Han, Luke, and Leia. While it was great to see the original three back in action, and Harrison Ford gave another brilliant performance as Han Solo, the ones that really stole the show were the new characters.
The story centers around Rey, an independent, resourceful scavenger on the planet Jakku. Rey has clearly endured many hardships throughout her life and yet somehow, she remains hopeful about her future and maintains a strong optimistic attitude. As the movie progresses, we see Rey begin to discover her powers with the force and how to use them. But only towards the end of the film do we realize how powerful she truly is, and I am very excited to see what's in store for her in episodes 8 and 9. Part of what made Rey such a believable, effective character was the spectacular acting performance by Daisy Ridley. No other actor could have done a better job.
The majority of the comic relief in this film comes from Finn, an ex storm trooper who encounters Rey in the desert after he crashes while trying to escape the First Order. It was fascinating to see a little inside the life of a storm trooper, something we never really saw in any of the previous films. Finn is equally as believable a character as Rey, and John Boyega's performance was spot on as well. Part of what made these two characters so great was the on screen chemistry between them, something that the prequels failed to deliver with Anakin and Padme.
As for Kylo Ren, aka Ben Solo, it was awesome to see such a complex character that has so many layers as the villain. We learn more about Kylo Ren's back story and personality in this one film than we do about Darth Vader in almost all of the original trilogy. The light saber temper tantrums, the side punching, the conversations with Darth Vader's helmet, Kylo Ren is the perfect balance of emotional kid and pure bad-ass.
While I was thoroughly entertained by Star Wars The Force Awakens and it is a very well made film, no movie is perfect, and this is no exception. The biggest issue I had with this film was how strikingly similar the plot is to that of Episode lV: A New Hope. While the characters are brand new, there are massive plot points that are practically the same. I was especially disappointed with the decision to add what is basically another Death Star to the story, and felt that much of the final battle at the end of the movie was a near copy of that of Episode lV. I was also disappointed with the story arc of Captain Phasma, who I expected to be somewhat of a bad-ass Boba Fett-like character, but turned out to have nearly no character development and very little impact on the story. Despite these issues, I am confident that now that Star Wars has been successfully brought back, the screenwriters will feel free to stray further away from the plot of the original trilogy, and take the story in more unexpected directions in the remaining films.
Star Wars The Force Awakens has brought back everything that I loved about the original Star Wars while at the same time, adding an element of mystery that didn't exist in the originals. The movie is pure fun to watch and is so entertaining that I didn't notice any of the issues until my second viewing. If a massive grin didn't spread across your face when Han and Chewy burst through the doors of the millennium falcon, or if you didn't get goosebumps when Finn ignited Anakins light saber for the first time, then you either have no soul, or were never a true Star Wars fan.