Had its fun moments but otherwise nothing new.

Rating: 6/10 (17 January 2016)

While it was good to see a new Star Wars movie on the big screen I strongly felt that despite some fun scenes overall it was not that memorable. To sum up my experience, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was nothing new. I feel conflicted here. Yes it was a good time filler. Yes it was good to see a new entry into the Star Wars franchise. But the movie just felt like it was going over old ground, and it's nothing that hasn't been done before.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens takes place 30 years after the destruction of the second Death Star which occurred in Return of the Jedi (1983). Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), the last Jedi, has disappeared. The First Order led by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) has risen from the fallen Galactic Empire and seeks to eliminate Luke and the Republic. The Resistance, backed by the Republic and led by Luke's twin sister, General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), opposes them while searching for Luke to enlist his aid.
Resistance pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) is captured and interrogated by Kylo Ren following an unsuccessful operation to capture Poe's droid BB-8 which is carrying vital information on the whereabouts of Luke Skywalker. A storm trooper who wants to leave his past behind named Finn (John Boyega) helps Poe escape and crash lands onto planet Jakku where he runs into BB-8 and Rey (Daisy Ridley), a resourceful scavenger. After escaping in the iconic Millennium Falcon following an air strike Rey, Finn and BB-8 encounter Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca where they embark on a quest to locate Luke Skywalker as well as evading Kylo Ren and the First Order.
It was a trip down nostalgic lane catching up with Han Solo, Leia, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-P30. The franchise receives a welcome injection of new blood with Rey, Finn, Poe, and Kylo Ren. Out of the new characters I liked Rey the most, and I hope to see her again in the franchise should there be a sequel. She's resourceful, adventurous, and appealing. I liked Finn but I must have missed why he grew tired of becoming a storm trooper. Kylo Ren was just another version of Darth Vader and Darth Maul but I thought his lightsaber looked more intimidating that the character itself.
The plot was just like the same old path that has been taken before. It was good to see JJ Abrams take on the Star Wars franchise but I missed George Lucas' midas touch that he gave the previous Star Wars movies. John Williams returns as the composer and his musical score gave the movie an energetic feel.
There was a large amount of hype surrounding the movie and rightfully so. Most people have raved about how good it was and there is a small minority that dislike the movie. I'm sitting firmly in the category of people who thought it was good but not great. While Star Wars The Force Awakens was worth a watch overall I felt as if it was rehashing old ground with a touch of nostalgia thrown in with the characters from the original movies. But nonetheless, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was a decent time filler.
6/10.