Not a masterpiece as the originals, but far better than the prequels

Rating: 8/10 (18 December 2015)

I was quite disappointed when I heard that J.J. Abrahams would be directing episode VII of this epic saga after what he did with Star Trek, which even though average as an action sci-fi, was a pretty bad Star Trek; as it had nothing to do with the franchise created by Gene Rodenberry. Therefore, I was expecting the exact same with this movie, but to my surprise what I found was the complete opposite: he kept this movie so faithful to the original trilogy that many of the complaints from the people that didn't like it come from this angle. I personally like that he kept this movie so close to the originals, but I have to admit that the storyline –without getting into spoilers- is almost a remake and the rolls of the 4 main characters can be easily extrapolated to Han, Luke, Solo and Vader. Apart from that, and as well as with the originals, you are going to get a lot of action and fun, likable characters –new and old- and a lot of nostalgic elements and scenes from the original universe; but without being forced down your throat as part of the plot.
I also really liked the special effects on this movie... and thank you J.J. for not adding lens flares on every other scene!!!... It had a pretty good mixture of CGI and practical effects; using each appropriately without abusing CGI, which lately everyone seems to dislike. If you have the chance, go to see it in 3D; you're going to appreciate the effects a lot more (i.g. the Millennium Falcon entering and exiting light speed is something else in 3D). And I have to admit that I'm one of those who get's dizzy with some 3D movies; but nothing of the sort happen in this one. The only complaint I have regarding the 3D version are the CGI particle systems –as water splashes and explosion- which don't look completely realistic in 3D. It's pretty difficult to explain exactly what's wrong in words, but they just don't feel right; it kind of looks like a 2D section moved closer rather than a realistic effect of individual 3D particles.
The actors were all pretty good, especially Ridley and Boyega. Actually, if I had to complain about the acting, I would only complain about the old ones; e.g. one of them (not saying who) was not as good as the rest of the cast (they probably waited too long to film this movie); I also felt cheated with Mark Hamill's role; and I felt like C3-PO's and R2-D2's presence were unnecessary. As a matter of fact, R2-D2 is responsible for probably one of the biggest plot holes in the movie; as he suddenly comes up with something -out of the blue and without explanation as to how- which everyone had been looking for since the beginning of the movie.
I also felt a bit empty throughout the movie. I mean there was no intrigue or build up to a determined resolution. The movie lacked a lot in that aspect, even though it was kind of filled up by the multiple action scenes, but I would have preferred a build up into a climax at the end. Luke Skywalker was the only thing I looked forward to throughout the whole movie -you'll know what I mean when you see it.
So, as you can see, even though the movie was not perfect -probably no one is- I had a great time watching it and I really liked it, both as an action sci-fi movie and as a Star Wars sequel. I'm looking forward to the next one.