Gorgeous immersive visuals, uncharismatic characters, predictable tedious plot

Rating: 7/10 (18 December 2015)

The first thing I was struck by going in was how beautifully shot this movie was. I could tell that everything was crafted with great care and skill, and it felt really immersive.
Unfortunately I was unmoved for three reasons: shallow characterization, little to no tension, weak villain. I only liked 3CPO and Han Solo. Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher were splendid and they had much more on screen charisma than the younger main characters did. I couldn't feel much for Daisy's character at all because she felt so one dimensional and shallow, and so did John. His interpretation of the character never made me believe that he was really a stormtrooper and he was just so predictable and uninteresting. There is some really lost potential there because their characters are actually quite interesting, the actors just never made me believe in them on screen. The characters get out of sticky situations so easily there's barely any feeling of tension or conflict, which got tedious after a while, the battles just felt like something they had to get through and I was just waiting for them to be over. I could remember feeling something in maybe just 2 scenes. Driver felt like an ill fit for Kylo Ren, I could really never take him seriously or believe in him when his mask was off.
The cinematography, vfx, all the art, direction and choreography were superb and there are some truly beautiful shots in there, and it truly was a pleasure to see the Star Wars world come to life here. However visual excitement alone doesn't carry a movie and they really need to stop relying on that. I'm craving for more substance, and I hope the future installments will give us that.