Poorly written but somewhat entertaining

Rating: 7/10 (20 December 2015)

The seventh installment of Star Wars is very fast-paced and entertaining to an extent. The events move quickly, the battles are generally over shortly and the characters are fun. That is the most positive I can be about this film.
One of the largest glaring issues is the messy writing. There are lots of unexplained events, predictable parts and terribly handled plot points. It tries to cover it up by adding slapstick comedy and gorgeous scenery but that still doesn't excuse it.
And then there's the main villain. Unlike Darth Vader, he didn't foreshadow his face. Lame! But seriously, he was very confusing and his motives were unclear. He even had a weak personality and felt more flat and evil than interesting. Even the main characters were rather lame, sometimes reduced to cheap plot devices. Whenever a character was focused briefly it was interrupted with the need to further the plot.
The comedy is decent but I personally didn't like how excessive it was. The characters were fun and their interactions are entertaining but that is all I can say. This is more of a personal bias than a flaw.
Aesthetically, there is nothing to complain about. It looks and sounds good.
I half-enjoyed it. If it were more serious and had less comedy then I would've enjoyed it more. All I can do is shrug and pass this off as another average film. Abrams, I know you can do better!