I saw the movie over the weekend and enjoyed it thoroughly. I felt that a lot of the comments about it being a remake of A New Hope were unwarranted, though. Sure, there some call back to the film, but they always seemed to take it into a different place that made it stand out from the older movies.
The introduction was one of the best in the series, if I'm being honest. I like that this iteration of the Empire is seemingly ruthless. This notion is only further solidified as we get to know Kylo Ren and how he's so very unhinged. He was a very different sort of villain, much better than we've had in the past I'd say. While he was infatuated with Darth Vader, he certainly didn't live his life in his shadow. Vader, for the most part, was pretty calm. Kylo, on the other hand, seemed to be arrogant, but also insecure about his powers and place int he universe. He was overly aggressive, and ultimately that was his downfall. I'm curious to see how his character grows in the next film, as I think he's going to be even more of a loose trigger.
On the subject of Finn, who was my favorite character in the movie. I'm starting to think he may also have the Force, based on his actions. He's definitely no Luke or Anakin, but he showed great resolve when he overcame the brainwashing of The First Order and saved Poe from interrogation. These aren't people that volunteered to be infantrymen for the Empire, they were brainwashed and forced to do it. The fact that he overcame that treatment and held on to his true self, a self he never knew, speaks volumes to me. The Jedi were quite a large group of people in old days, so it's not unfair to say that the lineage could have resurfaced in their current times.
The part that I took issue with was Poe Dameron. He was a great character, but if they would have just shown the scene where he escaped the Tie Fighter, then it wouldn't have been as jarring to see him later on in the film. It could have been a shot where he was ejected, and landed, passed out, face first in the sand. The audience would have believed him to be dead, and his subsequent appearance would've been more meaningful.
Also, I do see Rey being the daughter of Luke. What we know about her doesn't match up, at least not in my eyes.
