The Best Star Wars Film since Empire Strikes Back

Rating: 10/10 (1 January 2016)

I don't write a lot of reviews because it seems like a waste of time if I agree with the consensus with nothing new to add. But in this case there seem to be a lot of negative reviews that I totally disagree with.
The cast in this film is excellent. I was worried when I heard they would work in some of the old cast, that they would have lame token appearances and wouldn't contribute to the film. But on the contrary, Harrison Ford had a major role, which he played brilliantly, as always. I was also quite impressed with the new cast members. I liked how new characters were slowly introduced and their roles evolved through the film, as they gradually became resistance fighters with a purpose. I very much liked Ridley, Boyega and Isaac - all talented actors who turned in excellent performances. Both old cast and new cast meld well together.
The story line was the same epic good-vs-evil battle as in all Star Wars films. If you think that's a boring theme then don't watch Force Awakens. The plot was indeed an all-new plot, and one that engages the viewer throughout the film. I mean it's never boring. There's plenty of action, suspense and drama to keep you on the edge of your seat for two hours. There are exciting battle scenes in space and on different planets that are all well orchestrated.
In this "reboot" they tried to stay true to Star Wars tradition in many ways, so there are no exotic new special effects, the space ships all look the same, the droids have evolved a bit, the weapons are similar, etc. The aerial battle scenes and light saber fight scenes were not too different from the earlier films, so there is clear continuity across all 7 films. I'm glad they preserved these similarities rather than making a huge leap forward in technology so it no longer feels like Star Wars. Now with each successive film they can introduce subtle new technology and effects that will gradually modernize the franchise. Some people have accused it of being too retro, but I think they took pains NOT to overdo it on graphics and effects so the focus would still be on the characters and the story, and so it maintains the same look and feel of the other 6.
Overall I rated it 10/10. There's not much I didn't like in it; maybe they could have chosen a more menacing looking villain than Adam Driver, or maybe droids could have had a smaller part. I'm not sure what the negative reviewers expected to see; I hoped to see an awesome new Star Wars film, and that's exactly what I saw. I liked it so much that I'm already looking forward to #VIII (after a few re-watchings of #VII).