'Star Wars' is finally restored to its former glory.

Rating: 7/10 (21 December 2015)

For those of you who have doubts about the ratings that are being given to this film - keep doubting them. Let the fanboys give their 10/10s, and let the haters give their 1/10s. But let me say this - having rewatched all the episodes, 'The Force Awakens' stands as the third best 'Star Wars' film in the franchise - just behind the original 1977 'Star Wars' and 'The Empire Strikes Back'.
There are a lot of similarities between this film and the Original Trilogy - both in terms of characters and plot points. I'm not going to go into much detail about it, but all I can say is that I was reminded a lot of what took place in that trilogy. I personally love the fact that Abrams and Kasdan took the story in a familiar direction, yet also added just enough new elements to keep the film from going stale. It's been a long time since we've seen a PROPER 'Star Wars' film, so anything that felt too new might have just have been harder to accept.
Once I got over my hype of seeing this film, I also realized that the story contains quite a few of problems - mainly plot conveniences. Some of the major events that propel the plot forward just kind of 'happen'. In addition, I felt that the plot reveals certain details a little too early - thus killing the suspense of some of the more dramatic parts of the film. I also had some issues with the pacing of the action sequences (especially during the dogfights); the editing jumps to different characters more times than necessary. It's not disorienting, but those scenes certainly could have been tightened up a bit more.
Every actor tries their best to bring life to their characters - and the overall effect is amazing. This is, by far, the best acted 'Star Wars' film since 'Episode V'. Many of the major players in the new cast - including Ridley, Boyega, and Issac - are not only convincing in their roles, but have rightfully earned their places in the existing pantheon of 'Star Wars' actors. I am sure that their characters will eventually be as famous as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia.
All of the technical factors in this film are done to near perfection. Both the VFX and SFX departments deserve to be commended as usual (possibly with Oscars). The cinematography is reminiscent to that of the Original trilogy (with plenty of awe-inspiring wide shots thrown into the mix). The editing is consistent and helps this epic adventure feel more accessible. And the score by John Williams is... what more do I have to say about this godly composer!?
In my opinion, Disney could not have picked a better director than J.J. Abrams (okay, maybe Ridley Scott) to bring us 'The Force Awakens'. Everything he did with this film just felt 'right'. Sure, he made some mistakes here and there, but the experience that he crafted for all of us to enjoy just drowns those mistakes out.
I personally had a great experience watching 'The Force Awakens' (and I'm not that big of a fan either), and I'm sure anyone who even remotely likes 'Star Wars' can have a great experience watching this epic film.