J.J.Abrams brought back the excitement!

Rating: 10/10 (31 December 2015)

This is the first time since Return of the Jedi that I have been this excited about a Star Wars movie. I realize episodes I, II, and III were necessary to explain the origins of the story. But they just seemed to lack the enthusiasm of the original trilogy. Of course for me part of the lack of luster was Jar Jar "Stepin Fetchit" Binks and Hayden Christensen's wooden portrayal of Anakin. But all that has been forgotten with this newest installment. The new characters are great. It's wonderful to see the old favorites again as well.
Since I haven't kept up with the novels, I really didn't know anything about events that have taken place between episodes VI and VII. But that's okay. We really didn't know anything about the back-story when the first movie came out 38 years ago either. It's nice to have some things come as a bit of a surprise.
I do have one recommendation. It's well worth seeing this movie in IMAX 3-D. It really heightens the experience.