Disappointing rehash / nostalgia exploit with some good stuff

Rating: 1/10 (5 January 2016)

Everyone had high expectations for the "new" Star Wars. As a fan of SciFi in general, of space exploration and fantasy, I was excited to read spoiler free reviews that praised this film. I actually enjoyed the prequels, so I went with an open mind. The end result left me with a bitter taste of disappointment. Of course it is not a 1/10 as many other user reviews suggest, but I really cannot believe I saw the same film as all those who praise this as one of the best films ever. Adding everything up it is average at best.
Before I get into stuff that could spoil the plot, I just felt treated like an idiot by the film makers. It just seemed as a cash- grab, a huge depth-less nostalgia exploit. I was sad to realize that this type of easy to digest and forgettable flashy movie making is what most like and want.
*** Warning! Spoilers Ahead ***
Some good stuff: Despite the obvious excessive political correctness, I quite enjoyed the new characters. They have a lot of development potential, unfortunately this is a chapter in which the movie falls short. More on this later. A visual treat, good production value. Action is well paced. Luke reveal is done right.
The bad: Where to begin... The story itself, or lack thereof. A complete rehash of Episode 4. But what really struck me was the way in which things evolved since return of the Jedi. Apart from massive plot holes (and no, I am not going to start reading some books to understand a movie) some things were simply without logic. While the prequels were excessive in explaining the political context, here nothing makes sense. So the rebels won, saving the Republic. How is it possible in just 30 years to regress so much ??? How did the first order become such a dominant force? Where did this "Supreme leader" come from in just 30 years? I thought the Sith were gone. Whatever...
Why recreate the same force equilibrium where the dark side is dominant and the light must prevail?? Why not show how the evil side gains momentum and becomes a threat?
Han and Leia. 30 years and no character progression. Sure they lifted the movie, but as characters they were clearly failures. Han regressed to a smuggler and Leia to the workaholic she was, and together had a failure of a son. Not what I expected of them.
Character development has no depth. Before you learn anything meaningful, you are interrupted by some explosion. Also, we get that it is called the "force awakening" but the rate at which Rey is progressing is simply ridiculous. Also, how Kylo Ren shifts from a total bad-ass to this unskilled teenager. Inconsistent, although I think the cast is not bad.
The musical score is simply forgettable.
Everything is just a suite of very convenient coincidences and events. Also, it appears to be extremely easy to find someone on a planet / galaxy.
Don't even get me started on the Starkiller Death Star thing. Absolutely ridiculous. A few planets are destroyed without stirring any emotions, not to mention the absurdity of the planet alignment. All were conveniently placed to be destroyed with one shot.
Anyway, I'll stop here. What did they think? "Og that worked, let's just put some of the same only more, and bigger". Only time will tell just how forgettable this movie actually is.