Great Movie, Period.

Rating: 9/10 (5 January 2016)

First off, all the people giving this film low ratings just because their particular idea of what Star Wars 'should' be wasn't followed are all crazy. Crazy and wrong. There are legitimate criticisms to be made about The Force Awakens, but any reasonable analysis should see it for what it is -- a damn good Star Wars movie.
Yes, Rey is a Mary Sue. She just is, and all the people arguing against that point are just as wrong as the people who think the movie sucked. There's no real way to argue that she's not a perfect character who picked up on her skills a bit too fast to make sense. Rey is indeed a Mary Sue. It doesn't matter.
Yes, the film follows the same template as A New Hope. Same beats, same general storyline, same overall goals. Definitely. It doesn't matter.
Yes, the leads were chosen mostly because of a politically correct desire to get a woman and two minorities into the hero roles. This is also pretty obviously true. It doesn't matter.
What this film has going for is are characters that are genuinely likable, a story that is interesting while also being fun and whimsical, and cinematography, set design, and special effects that are absolutely brilliant which build a universe that you have no problem buying into. This -- above all -- is a fun movie, and it's true to the original Star Wars narrative a hundred percent.
The fact that the overall plot echoes so closely to A New Hope is actually a strength, I believe. It shows that history always repeats itself, and children are destined to walk in the footprints of their parents. It's a powerful message and I think it's one that is totally consistent with the entire story of Star Wars, with it's focus on the inescapable father/son/family dynamic and how there's really no escaping your destiny. I have no complaints there.
Rey being a Mary Sue was frankly only something I picked up on after I left the theater and gave it some thought. The fact that I didn't think of it during the movie is a testament to how great the writing was, but even now that I've come to the realization I just don't care. She was a very likable character, and frankly I can see explanations for most of her skills. It was established early in the film that she was resourceful and could handle herself in a fight, that she was good with machines, and that she could easily climb and scale the walls of massive starships. And I think her force powers came to her when Kylo Ren was attempting to enter her mind -- himself nowhere near as skilled or disciplined as a true Jedi master, and it backfired on him. Instead of Kylo entering her mind, she entered his and learned all about the force in that one instant. I can buy that, I just wish it was made a little more clear on screen.
J.J. Abrams had ONE overall job here -- to make Star Wars fun again. And he accomplished that beautifully. After the dreadful prequels, we needed a group of characters that everyone could enjoy and care about and a story that actually took you for a magical ride. We got that here. It was fantastic and I look forward to the next films.