If only the prequels were executed like this one...

Rating: Null/10 (19 December 2015)

I can only imagine how incredibly difficult it must have felt for the writers and visioners of this film to meet the expectations of that stunning amount of Star Wars fans that have emerged during the last decades. Of course, this would be an impossible task, and reading some of the prior comments here on IMDb only confirms that. One reviewer moans about too much resemblance to the original trilogy, apparently thinking that resemblances between the destruction of the death star and the starkiller base justifies a rating below the infamous holiday special. Another reviewer thinks that it's just another Hollywood mass-production and desires more elements found in the trilogy. One wants the sequel to focus on the old characters, others want it to be new and fresh. At least everyone agrees that this film is a remarkable, fresh improvement from the prequel trilogy!
Taking this into account, I think the film was carried out remarkably well. Everyone got what they wanted: the film is clearly starting a new era by focusing on the new characters, while still retaining the link to the old movies strong. Many of the "old mistakes" of the prequel trilogy were not repeated: all of the characters were very likable somehow, the fights were sufficiently slow and unmessy, the story itself was in focus rather than just prolonged battle scenes, acting was superb and the humour well-placed and witty. When I entered the movie theatre, I had very specific expectations and despite them not being met (of course), I walked out with that wonderful blend of satisfaction, excitement and a little melancholy that a unique movie experience offers you.
Of course, at this stage, the plot and the setting are still full of question marks, which is why I was reluctant to rate this a "perfect" movie just yet (additionally I was really looking forward to a more powerful score by John Williams). But don't be distracted by that - this film is a truly beautiful masterpiece.