Better than the Prequels

Rating: 7/10 (23 December 2015)

I went into this movie expecting another mindless action film that would closer fit into the trend of a Marvel movie rather than a Star Wars. While not devoid of action, I was pleasantly surprised to find there is a healthy balance between plot and mind blowing spectacle.
One thing that stood out for me was the comedic elements thrown in. When compared to "A New Hope", this movie seems a lot more light hearted as opposed to the more serious tone of episode 4. Having said that, there are a couple of spots where Fin does some comedic rambling, I found those bits to be more annoying than funny. Over all I think the comedic elements are a nice touch and makes you appreciate the characters that much more.
The only major thing that I had a problem with was the entire story in general. Again when comparing this movie to "A New Hope" you will notice a lot of similarities. Similar settings, similar characters, similar actions, hell, the entire plot is almost exactly the same. The fact that this movie is just "A New Hope" with new characters and updated visuals doesn't bother me that much when I think about how poor the prequels are. Why fix what ain't broke, right? while I think this was a step in the right direction, I would have like to have seen a little bit more uniqueness.
All in all, this was a great movie. If you are a Star Wars fan, it doesn't matter what I say because you are going to see it anyways, but if you have never seen a Star Wars film, this is a good one to jump into the series.