We have seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens and this is what we think (spoiler free review)

​Star Wars: The Force Awakens is finally out! We have seen it and we like it. It is a Star Wars movie. J. J. Abrams did a good job of making us feel like we were actually watching the continuation of the saga and not just a movie named Star Wars that doesn’t resemble any similarities with the original.
If you want a number We give an 8/10. The movie is really good. The action scenes are amazing, the characters are convincing and well developed but (as we suspected) it relies heavily on nostalgia, which is a double edged sword. People clapped when they saw the Falcon, Han, Leia, C-3PO, R2-D2, etc. we were happy to see them in action again. But on the other hand, the movie resembles A New Hope way too much, with scenes and phrases that mirror those that made the movie famous.

​​The Plot
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It is simple but works perfectly. It is not forced like having a 10 year old kid saving the day by winning a pod race and then by destroying a spaceship by accident. All the pieces fall into place smoothly. There are no ridiculous characters, although BB-8 is a bit too cute for a droid. As mentioned above, the main characters are well developed, but the supportive ones are underutilized. Also, for one of the characters, things seem to happen too fast and too easy. Overall, the story develops in a way that is interesting, and manages to have some fun parts. But, it lacks the dramatic impact that Revenge Of The Sith had, but a couple of scenes do deliver that punch in the gut that makes us say WHY?

At the beginning of the movie, there is a scene that has a Star Trek vibe. I was afraid that Abrams had repeated the same formula modernizing the franchise to the point that is no longer recognizable. But it is just that first part of the movie. The rest is true to the original trilogy, including the special effects.

By the way, there is a plot twist. it is actually an interesting one that adds to the story telling and how our characters grow from maybe heroes and villains to actual ones. 

The Characters

Kylo Ren
Adam driver does a good job of representing two different sides of the same villain. With the helmet on he is this ruthless, merciless darksider that stops at nothing to obtain what he wants. Without the helmet he is more human. A rebellious youngster in search for his own place in the galaxy.

Rey
She is a girl waiting for something to happen. She knows she can do much better than her current situation. Daisy Ridley does a magnificent job convincing us that Rey is a strong, self-sufficient woman with an objective: survive until her family comes back for her. She is confident in her skills, and that works for her and her friends. It also does a good job of impressing Han Solo.

Finn
Finn is a good hearted, goofy character. John Boyega makes a very funny Finn, although it gets to be a little too much in a couple of scenes. He and Ridley make an excellent duo. Their acting compliments each others and the characters play together really well.

Han Solo
Han is Han. If you liked him in the original trilogy, you will love him in this movie. Harrison Ford is good at what he does, and this movie feels like it was designed for him to show off.
 
Poe Dameron
We don’t see Oscar Issac much, but he plays the Ace pilot with an A type personality really well. It was time that an X-Wing pilot got more screen time.

General Leia Organa
She has very little screen time. The character is underutilized, but it is probably for the best. Cramming all of the new characters together with the old ones would have seemed contrived and pointless. But still, it was good to see the fan favorite Carrie Fisher playing Leia one more time, and it was even better seeing Leia as the leader she is.

Supreme Leader Snoke
I don’t want to spoil this one so I’m just going to say that he is evil and scary. The Emperor was a bit imposing, this one is just pure evil.


Luke Skywalker
I wont spoil that one for you.

One more thing, don’t expect all the dialogue you heard in the teasers and TV spots to be in the movie. And yes, some of the fan theories turn out to be true.