Episode VII (spoilers)

[Iroscato]

Why I loved this film:

While there are the obvious callbacks and familiar beats, the film makes an effort to be more layered with its references than simply retreading old ground all the time - the Darth Vader wannabe is written as a Darth Vader wannabe. Hux may fill a somewhat similar role to Tarkin, but his personality and mannerisms are quite different, and they strongly manifest during his speech to the FO troops. There is a self-awareness in almost every reference in the movie that shows they have approached the film with more thought than many people are willing to admit. Surface similarities are undercut by clear differences in approach and manifestation.

The characters are all fucking cool, in their own way. Kylo Ren is probably my favourite due to his unstable, fragile, cult -memberesque persona, and the obviously powerful internal struggle.

The lightsaber fight was precisely what I wanted to see in the film - brutal, unvarnished, aggressive. Two people who are actively trying to slice each other up with energy swords rather than engaging in a twirly dance-off.

There were hints of a far larger backdrop throughout the film, but the focus was kept tightly on the characters and the story, effectively grounding the narrative and focusing on what actually mattered.

The action was superb in pretty much every way you care to mention.

There were some brilliant moments of comedy, the best ones delivered by BB-8, who is a great addition to the franchise.

I'm not claiming for a moment this was perfect - it certainly had its flaws. So did the OT, but that didn't stop me loving those films, and it won't stop me loving this one.