In short, A New Hope patch 2.0

Rating: 6/10 (5 January 2016)

Disney decided to tread safely, and financially, it makes absolute sense. The problem is, art always suffers from "safe". Then again, if you want art, don't seek it in a blockbuster. On the other hand, the reason Star Wars is so popular is because one guy decided to risk, mixing art with pop culture and risked again years later, introducing Shakespearean moral themes, deliberately strange dialogue reflecting Homer's techniques used in his epics to convey "hidden" messages to further emphasize the passive precognition of the Jedi. Not all the risks pay off or are noticed. Still, an artist takes those risks, and for that I am grateful they were taken by Lucas. Disney's approach on the other hand, while does have good elements in it, ultimately feels shallow.
The pacing of the movie is perfect. It never drags; it always holds you interested, even if you have no prior knowledge of the universe. No fight scene takes too long or feels too short and the movie takes its time to describe locations, providing a well-developed atmosphere.
For the first time ever I see a lead female character in this genre to be interesting because of what she does and how she develops as a character, not because of how archetypically feminine she should be.
I like that the antagonist is of the "same level" as the protagonists. The movie creates an antithesis, pondering "what if the bad guy was just another "Joe", seemingly powerful, yet growing simultaneously with the good guys", showing us what is to make a conscious decision to follow the dark side, much similar to Luke's decisions to follow the path of the Jedi. He is powerful but has no control of himself and is emotionally unstable, all traits that are very welcome.
The "interrogation scene" is absolutely brilliant and has one of the best displays of Force powers in any Star Wars film. The pacing, the dialog, the emotions, the atmosphere, everything about this scene is really magnificent.
I always viewed the droids as filler characters, homage to Akira Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress. This time, the new droid is something I enjoyed. Just a simple moving ball, but manages to carry a pet-like emotional quality, in contrast to the two original droids which were there because we just had to put them in.
Finn is a much welcome character. He never does anything spectacular, and that is the point. His role is to be surpassed by all the others, yet choose the right things to do, time and again, despite his odds being not that great. It shows strength to decide the difficult, albeit moral path, knowing that everything around you points to the fundamentally opposite decision.
Battles don't feel sterile, choreographed, but interesting and intense. The lightsabre duels look raw, the participants untrained, lacking skill, which works brilliantly in the movie.
I understand that Disney wants to milk the original trilogy cow, but that went a little too far. I don't need A New Hope patch 2.0. I've seen that already. You want certain elements to return? Fine, do you have to literally return to exactly the same things we saw back then just because "they look cool"?
"Looking cool" is my biggest problem with this movie. Showing us the same but different ruins all the good elements mentioned above. You weren't afraid to risk showing us a troubled "kid" behind a mask, yet thought it would be great for us to see another rendition of the "Death Star" trench run?
The only reason Han, Leia, Luke, Chewie, the whole "Empire vs Rebels 2.0" are in this movie is for pure fan service; unnecessary to a plot, which would have been otherwise very fine with the new characters alone. Some new characters suffer from being forced to remind us the old, like Poe (a bloke with no development that shoots at stuff with precision) and captain Phasma (the only skill she displays, other than looking menacing in a chrome armour, is remembering Finn's number correctly. Seriously, that is all she does).
We most certainly don't need a family tie-in for the sake of there being one, especially as bluntly delivered as it was, halfway through the movie with no emotional weight, supposedly to show "deliberate choice".
For the cinematography versed, Star Wars has a signature camera movement in all six films: passive and slow. This is deliberate to show us the movies from the "point of view" of the Force, to emphasize at the antithesis between the intensity of the events and the serene, almost indifferent flow of the Force that is ever-present, yet non interfering. Abrams did not respect that in favour of an action-oriented shaky-cam style over substance.
The true disappointment comes from the film's music. Not a single memorable theme. That was a big let-down.
In the end, is it any good? It depends on your definition of "good". Would you buy vinyl because you have a good audio system and want to listen to high fidelity analogue music; or would you buy digitally recorded, compressed audio on vinyl to play on a system that "looks retro" but is made for mp3? In other words, if you want to see "hipster" Star Wars, yes, it is very good. I can, with certainty say it is exactly the movie all the "Lucas-bashing, original trilogy worshipers for the wrong reasons" deserve to see.
My wife enjoyed it, and I don't see why she shouldn't have. My wife, however, is not a Star Wars fan and couldn't care less, she just wanted to have a good time, so take what you want from this statement. If "having a good time" is your primary reason for seeing it, yes, you will have a good time. Just don't expect anything deep, you will be "scuba diving in a kiddie pool"; Not a very rewarding experience.