Amazing? Not quite, but it is VERY good.

Rating: 8/10 (21 December 2015)

First of all, there's a lot of whiny, know-nothing, 'think-they're-fan-boy' nonsense written on here, that is to the word 'Review' what Bieber is to 'Music'. Take the hostile responses and the gleeful 'Its amazing!!' gush out of here, and what you're left with is probably quite accurate.. Overall, Id give it a solid 8/10. The introduction of the new characters is very good. They're rounded characters; Finn came across as funny, but not entirely likable, which was interesting. Not your indentikit 'hero'. Rey on the other hand is likable, and it was quite easy to find yourself rooting for her in much the same way you did for Luke Skywalker originally. By the end of the film, enough of her story is missing to suggest that the next couple of films will reveal a lot more of interest about her. Kylo Ren proved to be different kind of bad guy - some will criticise him for being tantrum -prone, but this is no Anakin of the prequels - he is plenty ruthless and sinister when he wants to be. It would also have been too easy to make him a facsimile of an iconic villain like Vader. Some media have suggested he could be more iconic than Vader - I wouldn't go that far, but he's definitely promising, and certainly a worthy villain to rank alongside Maul, Dooku, and the rest.
The whole film is stolen by Harrison Ford. Don't be fooled by the trailer, his role isn't just to provide 'nostalgia'. He's a major player, and he brings humour, tetchiness, intelligence and pathos to the role all at once. You always get the impression in interviews that Ford really doesn't enjoy playing the part; if that's true, you'd never know it.
Happily, Carrie Fisher was much better than I was expecting, given that she's not exactly a prolific actress. The partnership with Ford seemed to click instantly into gear. Oscar Isaac is enjoyable as Poe Dameron, although I felt of all the characters, his was the one that went slightly underdeveloped.
The cinematography is excellent - the Millennium Falcon, Tie Fighters, X-Wings, etc. never looked so crisp and vivid - the 3D was also well done, and the effects, as ever are excellent. Aliens looked real, battle scenes looked epic, nothing looked digital - except perhaps Snoke, but that is because he appears as a hologram.
If I had some criticisms, it would be that the story perhaps followed that of A New Hope a little too closely - some elements have been turned on their head, but essentially, its a similar film. I can see why it was written this way, but at times it felt just a little too familiar to the previous stories.
I was also a bit disappointed with John Williams score. The music that was composed for the trailers is superior by a long distance. For the film, there are the familiar thematic cues for the force, and Han and Leia, but other than that nothing stood out. Neither Finn, Rey nor Ren are given a particularly strong or memorable musical cue, and even the music accompanying the battle scenes is average. I was somewhat disappointed and I'd go as far as saying its the weakest soundtrack of all the Star Wars films.
One thing I noticed that I did think was interesting though... well, I thought so anyway... is that I'm pretty sure its the first Star Wars film that explicitly shows blood. Further evidence of the new direction, perhaps.
So in summary, very good, a really enjoyable return to form for Star Wars - bit it doesn't knock The Empire Strikes Back off its perch!