[cheebacheeba]

I liked it.

Without considering the prequels which I don't hate...they just didn't "feel" like Star Wars to me, focusing on the Jedi side of things rather than the rebellion just, didn't work for me personally.
Some nice swordfights acknowledged, and probably one of the better musical scores, for me did not really bring these home.
I just feel like I...could have done without them to be honest, Vader served well enough as a parable anyways, I didn't really need to be handheld through his fall.

Anyhow.
The Force Awakens.
Still, it's not even going to measure up is something that I realise, but for the first time since I was a child - I feel like I went to the cinema and watched an actual Star Wars movie. JJA may be the new kid, but I think he showed a great deal of respect to the Trek universe - and has moved on to giving a film experience that felt much more at home in the original Star Wars universe.
I feel like I watched STAR WARS.
I didn't feel like I was watching something *trying to be*.

So, as above, without counting the prequels my preference for the original trilogy went like this.

5, 4, 6.
This one...probably someplace between 4 and 6 at this stage.

Loved the idea of a programmed Storm trooper going rogue...even if he was a touch too comedy-relief-y at times, he was a solid character and I think the massacre scene at the beginning was very powerful.

The rest of the new cast. Not unlikable. Not remarkably awesome or anything, though I think the pilot guy will be an interesting one to follow.
The "old" cast did feel somewhat secondary but not to the point that it made it suck or anything. They were there, though the new cast with a side of Solo carried most of the film.

Great sets. The vehicles made me feel back at home. Cool space battles, and some gunfights that were done on a style that while I was unaccustomed to, worked very well.
Loved that the new order seems to be more full of bastards than the empire.
Also, anti Sabre weapons? Cool.

All in all 7.5/10
Derivative or not...it gave me Star Wars in the cinema again.

Also here's a repost of a theory I had...if we wanna talk shop some more...

I think Kylo was a rebel plant into the new order to eventually destroy it from within, and has since (both to maintain his cover and due to exposure) gone dark.
I feel like we're going to see more of what happened when he initially went in.

I think Han was there to say Goodbye.
Kylo "Knew what he had to do but didn't know if he was strong enough", asked for help.
I figure there was nothing duplicitous about that conversation...whether or not some telepathic type communication took place between them...At this point it became integral to maintain his cover and to continue his mission.
He was asking Han to either kill him and end his mission or to be killed by his hand so he could continue it and overcome the doubt the new order/Hux had shown.

He attacked Rey because again, maintaining his cover - and to add to that he had daddy issues. Perhaps he was made to feel like he NEEDED to infiltrate the new order by either Luke and/or Han.

He didn't speak to Vader with the helmet, he spoke to Anakin.
Vader started nothing.
Anakin started everything when it came to the fall of the empire.
What needed to be "finished" that he had started was said fall - eg, new order needs to be taken down.

So Han, was there to say goodbye.
Leia was...sadly deluded.
Even if he completes his mission, chances of him "coming home" are very low.

What happened at the end?
"He's now ready to enter his next level of training".
More trust. Further up the ranks.
Plan intact.