Just saw this last night with my wife (sod off, MWF, I'm a true fan, just been working nearly
every single day since the movie was released
), so my thoughts:
[rant]Boy, some of you are a tough lot. And you go a long way to prove just how unfair expectations of this movie were before its release (if they went for a more inventive feel, as many if not more people would be crying foul). I bet you folks also complain after sex that even if it felt good, it was too similar to the last time. Lighten up![/rant]
All I care about is, I was six years old when I saw Return of the Jedi in the theatre, enraptured with all of the majesty and awe that being that young can bring to such a fantastical experience. I saw Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back the following year on VHS. I saw the remakes of these movies in the theatres when they came out in the late 90s (remember them?), and of course the travesty that was the prequels (which in my opinion, could have been great were it not for Lucas' failed attempts at spoon feeding us to the conclusion from the off in EP 1, and of course Hayden worstactorintheworldsen).
The Force Awakens, to me, is better than everything that came out since the originals because unlike the remakes and prequels, the whole time I was in the theatre and afterwards, I
was six years old again. And that's worth something.
As to Cellos's good point about "what happened?" between EP 6 and 7, I have faith that JJ Abrams gave us this movie to set us up for the next 2, which will still pay some homage to what came before, but will also undoubtedly be more inventive than this one, all the while slowly filling in the major plot holes. Again, I feel six years old. I'm excited.
EDIT: oh, and as a warm blooded 39 year old male with a pulse? Daisy Ridley... wow. You have vaulted past Emma Watson on my list.