After my second viewing, the flaws become much more apparent... Great characters but not enough plot or development.

Rating: 6/10 (8 January 2016)

First of all, I have to say like mostly everyone I loved the new characters especially Rey and Finn. I think they'll be a great addition to the SW universe and I'm looking forward to where future films take them. After the first time I watched this movie on opening night, I was ecstatic. I left the theater with a huge grin on my face because I knew that JJ Abrams made a movie that was better than any of the Lucas-directed prequels. Unfortunately after seeing it a second time, I noticed the flaws A LOT more because now I could focus more on the plot and pick up on anything I may have missed the first time.
As many have already pointed out, at times this film is very similar to Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope. Sometimes it feels TOO similar to the point where it just gets distracting and you can't help but feel the writers/director just wanted to play on the audience's nostalgia. I would compare it to a used car salesman trying to sweet talk me into buying a car he knows is in bad shape but plays on my emotions to get me to buy it. Similarly, JJ tries to play on the audience's love of the original trilogy to somehow make us forget that really nothing much happens in this movie. By the end of it I was left wanting more and not in a good way but more of a "that's it?" kind of way.
This movie's primary purpose was to introduce us to this new group of characters and get us to love them so that we buy tickets to see the next films. It succeeds in doing so, but fans of Star Wars deserve a lot more than that.