Disappointingly derivative

Rating: 7/10 (25 December 2015)

I went with my 8 year-old son, who was super excited beforehand, and wasn't disappointed.
But I was.
I imagine the writing team sat around a table and said "what are the iconic scenes from the previous films?", and then rehashed those into the script for The Force Awakens. That said, it was much better than episodes I through III, but that's not really saying a lot.
It was a very entertaining film, but it felt like a lazy / nostalgic reboot rather than a continuation of a classic series.
I hope the screenwriters can be a bit more original in the next film.