Child in me was like PEW PEW. Adult in me whined a lot.

Rating: 8/10 (19 December 2015)

Just got back from watching it in 3D and bursting at the seams. The discussion on the drive home with friends was very animated to say the least, but the majority of this review draws upon a lot of things we were in agreement with. The movie is visually stunning. The effects are the best I've seen to date. The landscapes are incredible, you feel size and depth. It really helps with the immersion because of the realism of everything.
The first half hour is a thrill ride. There were goosebumps from the opening credits as the nostalgia seeped in. The first act really did its job correctly setting things up and matched the hype of the film perfectly! The amount of energy in this first half hour is something only J. J. Abrams could accomplish and accomplish it he did. The score delivers in every way. John Williams' role in directing this film is just as important as Mr. Abrams. A lot of people underestimate the power of music in film. Here is an example of how music is used to supplement and progress the film through tension and release.
The action sequences are the strongest point in this film. I felt as though the emphasis on the action was a fan service in itself to remedy the problems of the prequels. There are a lot of wow moments that left me trying to figure out how certain sequences were done. Now onto the nit-picky, adult stuff: There are moments in this film that broke my suspension of disbelief. The child in me did not care one bit. It really only affected the adult in me.. which kind of says it all now that I think about it. Please note that the rest of this review will contain ******SPOILERS*****.
While the first half hour of the film got my blood pumping and created insane hype, I did feel as though the hype was lost right around the time we were introduced to Snoke.. I'm sorry to say it, but he looked like a CGI abomination. His presence felt artificial to me. In the first half hour, I lent myself completely to this universe because it felt real.. but seeing Snoke 'sobered me up' if you will. It became a video game. I felt as though he did not fit into this universe at all and belonged instead in something like Lord Of The Rings.. perhaps a cave troll with dialogue. He was hardly menacing, nor did he appear as wretched or demonic as say Emperor Palpatine. I found the 'wink wink nudge nudge' quips at the end of every action sequence kind of excessive. It got to a point where characters would pause on the battlefield after every kill to commend another character on their "nice shot". It did not feel believable.. just that everyone was trying to outwit Han Solo all the time.. who ironically was the most mature and melancholic of all the characters in the ensemble (which I thought was a great take on the character).
I personally felt there was too much fan service in the film. It was great seeing Han, Chewy and Leia again. It was very emotional seeing the guys that started this whole thing once more.. but they didn't go away- they became the center of the film which personally did not resound with me. This broke my suspension of disbelief because it was as though I was constantly being told "Look! You're watching a Star Wars film.. these guys were in the original films.. this is a Star Wars film". A cameo was all that was needed. Was Kylo Ren a worthy successor to the likes of Darth Vader? Absolutely!... up until he took his mask off. It was at this point he ceased to be the intimidating, god-like, relentless force that devastated the first half hour. Instead, he became the Anakin Skywalker from Episode III.
Kylo Ren did not have to be such a disposable villain. Why did we have to learn so much about him and have him die... especially in a film where the original protagonist doesn't show up until the very end clearly suggesting that there are future films on the way? There are incredible performances from the main cast but I did not care for any of them. I found it very hard to feel invested in who they were at all. There was never a moment that I feared for their safety and this greatly influenced my whole experience of the film. You can act the crap out of a role, but if you're not right for the role to begin with I'm not going to care about you. Sadly, I felt this was true for Episode 7. Now a quick jab at Rey's self discovery of the force. It felt rushed and very 'Harry Potter-esque'. Part of the magic I attribute to the force was lost by how easily she acquired it.. it was almost undeserved. Again, the ending suggests future films, so why not have the film focus on her journey of learning the force akin to the original? I shared similar feelings towards Finn's instant master dueling ability during the film's climax. What the first three films taught us about discipline, patience and refinement regarding becoming a Jedi was somewhat undone.
The child in me had an absolute blast with this movie. What you get for the price of admission extends far, far beyond just a seat in a theater. You get J. J. Abrams' incredible action packed direction. You get John Williams' emotionally captivating score. You get to see Han Solo, Chewy, Luke & Leia back on the big screen! You get cool light saber duels and action sequences that are going to inspire filmmakers for the next 40 years. The adult in me found the film a little vacuous; almost a rehash of A New Hope. It looked pretty sure, but..