Maybe not the most original story, but a lot of fun!

Rating: 9/10 (18 December 2015)

After many years of enjoying the merits of IMDb as a mere visitor, I finally decided to register and write my first review after being shocked by some of the negative reviews for The Force Awakens.
I've been a Star Wars fan for almost 20 years, although I must admit that it's been a bit dormant for the last 8 years or so. However, the fire has been awakened after seeing the first trailers for TFA. Eventually, I was able to get premiere tickets for last Wednesday, and I am going again tomorrow.
First of all, I will admit that the story isn't overly original, which was to be expected after watching all trailers and TV spots. However, there was plenty of new stuff to enjoy, and the first two acts (droid has essential information, is hunted down by bad guys, main person stuck on desert planet, finds help etc.) didn't really feel like a remake to me because of this. The only thing that really struck me too ANH-esque was the Starkillerbase-Death Star thing. That's the main reason why I won't give this movie a 10/10.
Also, some reviewers here state that the humor fell flat. I remember one joke that I really didn't like (a particular conversation between Han and Finn towards the end), but otherwise I really enjoyed the (more mature) humor of the movie. Most of the audience seemed to enjoyed it, judging from the laughter surrounding me. Of course, humor is a matter of taste, but you must have been really sour if you couldn't appreciate it at all.
Finally, there are some complaints about the acting, which I really don't understand. Both newcomers and oldies (except maybe Leia, who's struggling a bit with her return to acting after some bad years) show more than solid performances. Of course, this is no Daniel Day-Lewis, Meryl Streep or Philip Seymour Hoffman, but the acting has never been a strong point for Star Wars. Especially the prequels were toe-curling, but the acting in ANH was also mediocre at best.
Overall, this movie is really a lot of fun, which is most important for a Star Wars movie. The use of practical effects and suits instead of SFX is to be praised. (In fact, I found the 2 CGI characters to be the weakest of the bunch). The action sequences are exciting. The main bad guy is raw and interesting. Chewbacca is bad ass. And there are many loose ends in the story that make me curious about the directions they are going to take in VIII and IX.
I feel really sorry for all my fellow fan-boys who've been looking forward to this movie for many months or even years and are now extremely disappointed, but I am inclined to say that your own expectations were to blame, rather than JJ Abrams.
I would give this movie a 8.5/10.