I am totally torn about this movie. . .

Rating: 9/10 (19 December 2017)

So I've been a fan of Star Wars movies all my life. Can't tell you how many times I've seen the Original Trilogy, and I'm even a fan of (certain aspects of) the Prequels.
I came into this movie, unlike so many of people my age, without any predetermined opinions of this film. I take things how they come and base them on face value. That being said, I'm incredibly torn about this movie. Part of me really likes it. . . Part of me just was "hmmmm."
For starters, the Plot. This is the smallest Star Wars move of all the films. There's only 3 worlds and the vastness of space. In fact, this movie nearly feels claustrophobic, and I really liked that. Everything was intimate and enclosed. Being enclosed on an island, being enclosed in the dark of space, and being surrounded by the First Order, all of these things made me feel secluded like a "12 Angry Men" Vibe.
In fact, there are a lot of vibes from different films in different genres throughout this film. There's a 12 Angry Men vibe, the start of the film was reminiscent of "Memphis Belle," many films with the reluctant teacher trope, and many others. There are some Empire and Jedi vibes, but there wasn't anything that made me stand up and scream "this is just a reboot of Empire."
The movie definitely takes some risks. Won't go into Spoiler territory, but there are some moments where you feel like this is the 3rd movie in a trilogy and the scenes just don't feel like they are in order at times, but as a second film, this is just serves to make me more excited about the final film. There are quite a few jokes in this film - some will hit, some will miss, some will feel out of place.
Characters: This movie has some great characters and character progressions. Finn and Poe especially stand out in this area. Kylo Ren is pretty great as well. I love the connection between Rey and Kylo. There's a true intimacy there. And I simply loved Rose and her connection to the Star Wars world. She truly belongs here. There were some disappointments however. Phasma specifically was underutilized, AGAIN, and Maz Kanata served no purpose at all whatsoever other than serve as a video game advertisement. Everyone else served their purpose extremely well save for BB8, who actually was a little annoying in parts. It's strange, cuz I loved him in The Force Awakens.
Settings: Like I said earlier, this is a very claustrophobic film in a good way. Perhaps intimate is a better word choice. You're on an island. You're on a Spaceship, you're in a Casino, or you're in a Rebel Base. That's it. That being said, they work well for the film. You feel like you're there, not on a set, not anywhere but in the Star Wars Universe.
Ultimately, I think this is a film that I'll have to watch a few more times to truly appreciate.