Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
Alright, I'll just break it down.
Direction - JJ at his most mature. He prefers to forego some of the quieter moments and offer them mid-action, but he knows how to do it and it works well. It's clearly a movie by JJ done in 2015 and that's a good thing. He's at the top of his game.
Music - Worst soundtrack of the 7. John was sleepwalking or just tired. Nothing too memorable outside of Rey's theme and MAYBE the Scherzo for X-Wings. Snoke's theme is bleh.
Acting - Best acting of the sage. Weak link was Andy as Snoke. But, frankly, he couldn't have done much more with what he was given. Daisy/Rey is a natural. John/Finn; perfect comic timing. Oscar/Poe, I have a man crush, goodbye Cavill. Adam/Kylo steals the show with the depth he adds to a slightly underwritten role. Gwen/Phasma is there. Gleeson/Hux was perfect for what they were going for. Lupita/Maz elevated the role. Max/Lor he's fine for the 4' he has. Carrie/Leia, I'm amazed at how they made her look like not-Carrie and like wide eyed Leia that's aged 32 years. She also acts the part and brings a lot of heart! And finally, Ford/Han: Han Solo is back and better than ever. It's the ANH/ESB Han only older and wiser. And funnier! JJ smartly relied on the actors and their amazing chemistry to hide the screenplay's flaws. In the end, it's what will make the movie hold up.
Writing - That's the biggest problem of TFA, but at the same time it works so much on so many levels. It does almost every character justice, does a proper job setting up the new state of the galaxy without it being convoluted (a trait way too common with blockbusters the past 5 years) and blends old with new. It's a requel of ANH, no doubting that, but I gotta admit it didn't bother me in the end. Starkiller was an afterthought and, ironically, that helped the movie eventually. To those who said 6 months is plenty... THAT'S what happens when you have 6 months. It's fair enough. TFA is a bridge film, leaving the heavy lifting to Rian and I'm more than ok with that.
Cinematography - Stunning. Absolutely beautiful. It's 2015 OT, that's the best way I can describe it. It's the most beautiful movie alongside ESB.
Lightsaber fights - Perfect blend between OT/PT. They do twirls and acrobatics but keep the OT weight of the sabers in mind. I have to watch again to fully process it, but I loved it.
Space fights - They were fine. Something was off. They're worse than RotS' opening one and RotJ's climax, but on par with ANH.
Mythos - Adds nothing other than: There's a faction called Knights of Ren.
Villains - Phasma was serviceable. Don't let real life hype fool you, she's a glorified cameo that doesn NOT count as a pro or a con for TFA. She's there and she's ok. Hux, like Kylo, are wannabes of they Tarkin/Vader counterparts. That REALLY works cos it gives you the feeling that it's the First Order that are the underdogs now. Hux is power hungry in a rash way, unlike Tarkin's cold tyrant, and Kylo... well, I'm SO glad I love Kylo. He's complex, he's troubled, to many he'll be Anakin done right, he's the anti-Luke in terms of him having him be tempted to fall... to the Light Side! I can't begin to tell you how relieved I was! Snoke is an Emperor stand-in. Even if the look had impressed me, I wouldn't have cared about him. He's generic, clearly awaiting exploration in 8-9.
Heroes - Wow. Just wow. I'm in love with Poe. Finn is the viewer's eyes into the ST. Rey is... undisputed. TFA Rey > ANH Luke. If her arc is half as interesting as Luke's was in the OT, then we're SO DAMN LUCKY we got her. Kudos. Leia brought unexpected warmth and heart in this. Han is more Han than ever. Chewie.... I never liked Chewie, to be honest. TFA changed that. I see now what people did in 1977-1983. They've done a good job making him and Han an old married-ish couple.
Humor - Funniest SW movie alongside ESB, in terms of quantity and quality. Bravo.
Droids - I was never fond of the droids. I love BB8. He's feisty and cute, but not a c**t like I always found R2. I don't even like 3PO. Anyway, BB8 is an actual character. 3PO is barely in it and does his schtick a couple of scenes. R2 is even less in it than 3PO and is related to a big plot hole regarding the main story. Too bad, cos it was easily fixable.
Dat Star Wars feel - It's there. It's familiar, but it's also new. I love the PT and the OT and I love what TFA had to offer. The lightsaber duels marries elements from both trilogies, and the music's overall feel was as PT-ish as it was OT-ish (dare I say, even more so). All this, along with the JJ touch and Larry's input, gave me a unique tone for the film; perfect for a new generation of characters and viewers.
Overall, I immensely enjoyed it. It delivered big time, even if it didn't go the direction I had hoped for (that's 8, I think). Great characters, emotions, moments, action... really, what else is there to hope for? For those that dislike the PT... SW IS back after 32 years. For the others... SW is back after 10 years. But it's here and it's SW and it's great!
Ranking - Without the PT, my first viewing makes me feel this is about right: ESB - TFA - ANH - RotJ.