The force Awakens did what it had set out to do (MEGA Spoiler Alert!!)

Rating: 8/10 (27 December 2015)

There seems to be a polarizing consensus on IMDb regarding Star Wars the Force Awakens. One one hand, we have the average rating of 8.6 based of 262,316 reviews this far (28/12/2015). On the other hand we have IMDb's own users mostly writing reviews where they are negatively criticizing the film's overall tone, targeted age group, story-line decisions and the borrowed story elements from IV. In this review I would like counter the in my opinion unfair criticism to bring balance back to the force on IMDb, this film deserves it.
The film-crew of this film had one mission: Maintain the great things about what made the old Star Wars movies great( IV-VI ) so the old fans would love it, while also introducing enough new elements to a new generation of fans. I have to admit that they took a risk by widening the target audience, making the characters emotions and dialogue not as complex or philosophical as the complex philosophical viewers would like. But one has to remember that this film is the first part of a trilogy. They wanted to show the old characters and old elements, but also new planets and locations and enough new interesting characters that will star in the next two films. I believe this leaves little room for complex explanations and refined character emotions. But again, this is not the job of the first film in the trilogy. The interest of the viewer needs to be grabbed, and enough questions need to be raised so you want to see the second movie immediately after viewing the first one. This film does this so well, that I bet you that Star Wars will have a fan-base of a size like never before.
Rey is the mystery girl of this film. Old force tricks are simply not as hard to learn for the new chosen one, as they were for Anakin or Luke. The spirit of the Light-side(good) versus the Dark-side(bad) is explained very well in this film. Maz (Yoda's spiritual successor) does most of the explaining, when she holds dialogue with Rey. The physical light is also used symbolically. When the last light of the sun being absorbed disappears on both Han and Ben, leaving them into physical darkness, the Ben whom wanted to side with Han then struggles with his emotions once more and turns into Kylo once more. This is the perfect example of how the force is symbolically linked to the physical realm. While the dialogue might seem simplified, there are enough little moments that need to be puzzled together in order for them to be fully understood. How does the movie does this? This film has many, many perspectives and fast scenes, and it is a challenge to keep up with the fast editing sometimes. This makes this film highly re-watchable for a second or even a third time, like I did.
The Millennium-Falcon is introduced as a piece of junk but boy can she still fly. The chase sequences in the Falcon have extraordinary camera movements and are choreographed excellently by the VFX artists. The other aerial scenes are incredibly well animated and all have memorable perspectives (like the killing spree Poe went on in a 20 second shootout). Boy that's one helluva good Pilot, Finn screams. I also want to salute the VFX team for creating authentic looking VFX that are as artistic as visually stunning. This movie has many, many little iconic star wars perspectives and moments. From the camera pans, to the background activity of characters, to general screenplay moments which all scream positive Nostalgia. The old cast are individually revealed, and these moments are spread out enough throughout the film, so the new characters get enough time to be developed as additional new main characters.
Lastly, the acting is phenomenal. There is something to love about all the new main characters. Finn and Poe for their strong willpower, high energy and comical moments. Rey for her mysteriousness and her epic ability to learn new skill-sets. Maz for her calming deep emotion(she did need more screen time though, just like Phasma). Kylo for his frightening dark side acts(excellent sound design with his force actions by the way, just amazing) yet the conflicted state he portrays without his helmet(great facial expression from Adam Diver). General Hux is also interesting as he and Kylo rival each other with their dark choices, and the speech Hux delivers before all the stormtroopers is every bit as epic as it can be. BB8 is my favorite new Droid. It is truly a main character as it is presented in all scenes, at all times(where it is present) and makes this film all the more perfect for all age-groups. My mother was laughing throughout this film because of the droid. All the other characters with minor appearances all carry the Star Wars theme people have come to love of the previous films. The acting is always delivered passionately while still being realistic. This is not the perfect film for everyone, but is a fantastic film for anyone, if you allow it to be. My favorite films mostly consist out of deep films like Waking Life, The Prestige, Mr. Nobody and the Tree of life for example, but the complex viewer should not watch this film to fuel all their philosophical needs like those movies did. And the hardcore Star Wars fans decoding the story elements, have to come to terms with the fact that this is a new Star Wars Trilogy with many new elements to the force and to the universe of Star Wars that have yet to be introduced in the upcoming two films. Let go of what this film not is, because it is exactly the film it should be. THIS IS Star Wars at its best. This is the fantasy film from a galaxy long ago and far far a way that both the old and new fans deserve. The force has been Awoken.