The Force may be awakened, but its still in a daze.

Rating: 8/10 (31 December 2015)

The Force Awakens is fun and action-packed, if derivative, entertainment. It pays several homages to the original trilogy and introduces new characters, most of which are interesting. The story, as many have mentioned, is a rehash of Ep. IV, V, VI, to varying degrees, but I won't be stressing on that in this review since it's been validly stressed upon already. The CGI of course is great, and while it isn't used to add any new landscapes or settings, it does justice to the pre-established worlds of star wars. The background score is competent. I believe the acting has never been a forte of the Star Wars trilogy. Barring, Luke Skywalker there isn't really much in the way of brilliant 'acting' as opposed to mere 'reacting' to various situations and dangers. This is not to say that Darth Vader wasn't a villain of epic proportions, nor does it take away anything from the charismatic hero that was Han Solo, the only point being, that these characters were brought to life by brilliantly engaging story arcs, intelligent dialogue and individual peculiarities; Darth Vader's ominous voice, and Han Solo's rebellious charm. Yet, these have less to do with the more conventional sense of great acting; in the potent expression of emotions and thoughts, as wide as they may be. Heath Ledger's terrific performance in The Dark Knight is universally lauded, just as Jack Nicholson's in The Shining; that is the acting that levels great. And that is why, the acting in TFA does not specifically surprise me, it is only more of the same. The acting is good enough to serve the purpose.
I don't think anyone has to be convinced to watch this movie, because all nostalgic fans of old will definitely flock to the theatre to relive their childhoods and younger generations will be attracted to this simply due to the overwhelming hype around the film, so instead of writing a review of why one should or shouldn't watch this film, I'd rather discuss what this film IS. I believe this movie is the bait, by which Disney is sizing up the audience that will stay loyal to it in the sequels sure to come. It adopts the role of passing on the baton, so to speak. Eclipsing the prequels, this movie is the first real visit to Star Wars in over 30 years and hence admittedly, there must be adequate portions of remembrance both in visuals and in sentiment, of what made the first trilogy so great while pleasantly setting up new story arcs and characters. This movie gives us a taste of the breadth of stories and character arcs that are inevitable in the movies to come.
SPOILERS SPOILERS- I say this because the movie does not really have any exposition for particulars like- WHAT happened to the happy ending that was 'Return of the Jedi'? HOW and when did the 'First Order' come into existence? WHAT were the circumstances under which Rey was left abandoned on a desert planet? WHAT specifically led to Kylo Ren being seduced by the Dark side? WHY does the map to Luke even exist, if his location was after all supposed to be undisclosed?? WHAT Force after all, has been awakened?WHY did a hibernating R2D2 suddenly spring to life and save the day after years of being inactive? HOW did Rey, while being prisoner at Kylo's ship brainwash a guard to set her free, without the least bit of training? And for that matter, why would Kylo leave a single guard to watch over his most valued prisoner, and also, after she is set free, how is it that the stormtroopers are unable to locate her via cameras aboard the ship? Do they really NOT have any cameras on board despite all the amazing technology they have? HOW is Rey able to battle and defeat a Sith Lord mere hours after learning that she might have the Force within her?
It is questions such as these, that are left unanswered, and while it does provide much fodder for the sequels, it leaves the movie itself achingly short of depth and clarity.
END OF SPOILER
Kylo Ren was an intriguing villain upto the point at which he takes off his mask for no real reason. Finn was occasionally funny but not too real. Poe seemed like a great lead character but he was under used. Han Solo was good. Rey, however was the best of the crew in that she seemed to have an interesting backstory while also playing an important role in the progression of the movie itself. The action sequences are reminiscent of the those from the OT, and are well done.
All in all, TFA is great nostalgia-fun for hardcore fans and laidback-fun for the rest. If only it brought some closure to even a couple of the questions that it leaves unanswered, it would have benefited gravely. And had it dared to venture new plot lines, of course.