Great Film - remember its aimed at KIDS!!

Rating: 9/10 (19 December 2015)

**SPOILER FREE**
I have never reviewed anything on IMDb before but felt compelled to for this film to counter the disturbingly high number of really quite aggressively negative reviews. This film is GREAT.
To put this review in context I'm a massive Star Wars fan, not prepared to dress up but at that level where I was welling up with the recent trailers (and I'm a 43 year old man).
I was 5 when Episode IV came out and obviously neither myself or my parents had seen anything like it. Now fast forward to 2015 and of course CGI has made almost anything possible and my own child has grown up on it.
The prequels were bogged down by too much plot and too much CGI (which had a knock on effect with the acting). Where the original trilogy was successful was that we had not seen anything like it, it was a simple story and that it was spread over 3 films, coupled with merchandising that allowed KIDS to really get invested in the story over a period of many years.
Some of the criticism thrown at The Force Awakens is that it borrows too much plot from the original trilogy and there is not enough back story.
Consider Episode IV, a New Hope. We all love that film right? How much back story was skated over in that film (to the point they had to make 3 more films to tell the story!)? How many jokes were there in that film? How 'rushed' was that film? How easy was it for the 'goodies' to overcome huge armies and super weapons etc, etc, etc.
You see how most of the bad reviews here are by ADULTS looking at the new film and comparing to the old films, seen through rose coloured glasses, not to mention a CHILD's eye.
They complain that the new film is a bit repetitive, then boast how they have seen A New Hope 50 times !! I don't remember all this flack when Return of the Jedi came out with a rather similar story to a New Hope!
JJ Abrams was incredibly brave to take this job on. He was on a 'hiding to nothing' as we say here as NO ONE could take on the expectations of 32 years of super fandom. As George Lucas is often quoted, he made films for CHILDREN, and it was not his fault that adults liked them too. JJ Abrams has taken the safe path here and listened to the fans and has tied to appease everyone, a rather difficult task frankly. I think he has done very well. AND IT IS ONLY THE FIRST OF THREE!
The bad reviews here are all from ADULTS who, and lets be honest, I'm one of them, have turned the original star wars trilogy into more than it ever actually was.
Take a step back and imagine you are a kid again going to see this film. Its deliberately not too complicated (only part one of a trilogy remember), it feels just like the original trilogy. It reiterates a story arch that is tried and tested and popular with kids. You'll come out happy but wanting more.
Take my son (12) for example. He has seen the original and prequel trilogies. He liked them all but found the prequels difficult to follow. He then got really into Star Wars Rebels and The Clone Wars - where each episode is pretty similar to the last - did not stop him watching over 100 of them at least twice each and cannot wait for the next one each week!
The new characters and situations in the Force Awakens parallel the old in the originals quite a lot, for the older fans perhaps too much, but for the new fans, the children WHO THIS FILMED IS PRIMARILY AIMED AT, it is the correct way to go and they will find them much easier to associate with. They can start to take it in new directions in Episode 8, as they did with Episode 5.
Again, people on here have complained that John Williams music is not up there for the new film , no 'Dual of the Fates' etc. Well I just bought the soundtrack after watching the Force Awakens and I can tell you its subtle but its there - you just haven't listened to it over and over for 30 years yet to get used to it!!!
In summary,
It for the KIDS and they will LOVE IT.
Its very nostalgic for the adults/ parents - Abrams has tried hard here and he has to be given credit. It feels like the original trilogy with all the real props etc. The new characters are very likable and well acted. Its entertaining and if it were any other film franchise most of these bad reviews would not be here. Wait for Episode 8 to build on the background story. Remember the original trilogy was flawed as well but we still loved it - there is a lot of hypocrisy out there regarding the criticism of this film.
You know what, just go and see it and make your own mind up :-)