Have just seen it and wasn't expecting much as soon as I got done reading the yellow writing.
As a stand alone movie it's 'good' but as sequel to return of the Jedi it is completely awful.
For something like an organisation such as the order and knights of wren, to just pop out of no where and also have a super Death Star that nobody knew about it just lol. Is this halo 4 where you're supposed to read up on the lore that's hidden?
I know Disney are there to make bank but is this the best they could come up with to continue the story? I haven't read any of the eu but I'm sure there is a wealth of content they could have used that was better than this.
It makes no sense in the Star Wars universe that the empire would have survived like it has in TFA.
Why are the rebels still called the resistance? They won and a new republic was founded, the emperor and Vader were dead along with most of the empire officers. If this is the route they are going they need to explain those 30 years or whatever it is better.
And Kylo wren come the fuck on, when he takes that mask off he became abit of a joke, voice was cool with it on though. Has skywalker force power and years of training, but manages to get hurt by a tiny storm trooper who has never used a sabre before. Then gets beat by someone who has never used a sabre before to.
Maybe it's me getting older, however when I see nonsensical things in films they don't ruin it for me but makes me hold a low opinion.
Ray was good though
You must not have gone into much of the EU then, specifically the stuff 25 - 30+ after ROTJ. The Empire continued to exist for quite a while after Endor. In fact they never truly went away and just did their thing in their own part of the galaxy. Coruscant didn't fall for sometime after Endor and remained in the hands of the Empire (years iirc).
So the First Order is certainly in keeping with the Star Wars Universe. Going back as far as some of the first EU novels.
Starkiller base was mostly a way to eliminate the Republic quickly and put our heroes in a precarious position. The First Order couldn't be the underdog going forward.
Keep in mind, the Galaxy is fucking big and that base was disguised as a planet, so hiding it wouldn't be that hard. Especially if the Republic succumbs to it own hubris and bureaucracy, which it did. Is it a bit cheap? Yes, but not out of left field.
TFA was a quick run through of the OT in the safest possible way. Its a safe vehicle for introducing the new characters. That was the entire point, they didn't want the plot getting in the way of the characters which is why the left it open. Its by no means perfect, but the goal was achieved.
Once again my favorite part of the movie has been brought up. Kylo Ren taking his mask off. One simple act and it hits the audience hard. They didn't need some deep explanation of the character, they just need him to simply take off his helmet to tell you all you need to know. So many reacted to it too and in the same way, which is kind of funny. Only difference is the personal feelings of it.
At first he is Vader-esq but then the "heavy" helmet comes off and all expectations are thrown out the window. The character I love most are the ones the inspire real emotional reactions to. I want to hate and love them. Vader was a machine and he looked cool. He was more metaphor than character, and in that way he worked. But Kylo isn't Vader, he's a person, he's Anti Vader. Maul was the same way, but more of a throw away baddie. Kylo Ren is a bad guy Star Wars that has complexity and room to grew, rather than a cool looking plot device. He just not that good at Jedi-ing, look at his jalopy-saber. Its essentially fan-gear. Kylo is a fan boy with the fucking force and an army at his back, that's pretty scary actually.