A fantastic mesh of old and new to provide a great movie

Rating: 7/10 (28 December 2015)

Boy oh boy this movie is good. I came in with no expectations what so ever, unlike many of the fans, and came out exhilarated. For a Star Wars movie, this is definitely one of the franchise's finest.
Granted, the story in itself borrows a few elements from Episode IV, but then again people need to remember than this movie is a reboot to the entire franchise that was dying slowly for years thanks to George Lucas's negligence. Also to be considered is how the story was told, among with who the characters are, which both were done phenomenally.
Let's start off with saying that the characters of this movie are its strongest point. Nearly each and every character in this movie has some sort of story behind them, and are actually quite dynamic. I'd actually go as far as they are the most dynamic characters in the whole franchise, because before then we either got black and white representations of good and evil, or just bleh. Combined with how they are written, the acting is Star Wars's best. We actually feel the emotions of the characters on screen, and it feels genuine. (Yes, the OT had some good acting, but they really didn't get their game on until episode V). Among the newbies, we have a conflicted Finn who ditches the First Order when he realizes just how malicious they are. Rey, who we know very little about, is a scavenger on Jakku waiting for something to happen. Poe Dameron is the crack-shot pilot with some great wit, and his droid BB-8 is a lovely counterpart. Kylo Renn, the big bad guy, is as divisive but arguably one of the more dynamic villains Star Wars has brought to the table. While not as bad-ass as Vader, he definitely can catch some people emotionally in terms of appearing more human rather than cold and calculating, and also somewhat tragic. Then we have the original cast come in. Han Solo was perhaps the most prominent, and for good reason. His moments with chewie really brought me back, but also gave me new reasons to love him. If anything, this movie brought his character full circle. As for Leia, she still looks like she's done coke, but it looks like she brought her A. Game to the movie. Luke, finally, we only see i the last minute of the movie, so we can't exactly judge him, despite the entire plot revolving around finding him.
This movie also delivers immensely in the technical department. As expected, the visuals are stunning, but what's even more surprising is how good the cinematography and scenery is. In some places, the movie lets the scene actually tell the story rather than through exposition, which may throw some people off. What's also fantastic is how real it feels again. There isn't any shoddy CGI here anymore folks, this feels like real places. Soundwise, we all knew it would deliver as well, down the every blaster bolt and light saber swoosh. The music itself is great, albeit somewhat tame compared to its predecessors, but I can attribute that to a different style. It seems John Williams and Abrams wanted to let the scenes speak for itself rather than the music set the tone, which is fine by me. Still, some pieces (torn apart particularly) really got me emotionally.
Now, let's judge the story. Like I said, I think we all expected some familiar elements if we watched the trailers, and that's not a bad thing if it's done correctly. Let's remember that the original Star Wars isn't original itself, as it draws on both mythology and other films that came before it to tell its story ( not to mention that it hasn't aged as well as say ESB or ROTJ ). While, yes, the super-weapon plot has now run its course for me and I'd like to see something new, it didn't detract from me enjoying the movie. I personally can't wait to see what is in store for the following movies, because it definitely leaves some things vague on purpose to give us questions. questions that probably will be answered in Episode 8 Of course, you can expect IMDb boards to be loaded with trolls, and as you can see there are multiple topics trying to peg this movie down a notch. Don't listen to them, go watch the movie and judge it for yourself. If you liked it, great. If you didn't, I'm sorry that you didn't. All in all, this definitely washes away the bad taste that the prequels left (though IMO Episode III was pretty good despite some scenes) and leaves you wanting for more! May the force be with you!