It was definitely a pretty good movie – I saw it the day before New Year’s Eve. A lot that was derivative – or, as one important critic (George Lucas!) said, ‘retro’. Definitely a boy movie, where fight scenes were way too complex, too techy, and just plain too long.
But it was fun to see Harrison Ford, and I’ve always been crazy about Chewbacca. BB8 is also a real winner – who, as a male Millennial friend of mine said, brought a lot of feminine quality to the bot role. I thought the two new stars were fun, and thought Po was a real throwback, in a good way, to Top Gun. Hearing the Irish guy talk was fun – played his small role well. The ultra baddy looked and acted a lot like Voldemort. I wish Princess / General Leila had more gumption / toughness and just plain rowdy character in her role. Then we would not have cared what she looked like, or whether or not she aged well. (Let’s just get over that, shall we?)
Definitely a fun and interesting movie, and worth seeing. Though not four times, as a number of fans I know have done. And, of course, I’ve always been a strong believer in (and teacher of) using The Force. And the scene where the new girl kid used it was tedious – why did she keep fighting in such a standard way? Why not cut his feet out from under him with it? I would say May the Force Be With You – but it always is!