I expected/wanted more. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a good movie; but with great power hype, comes great responsibility. Dan Mindel's cinematography is terrific; but what we see isn't very original. Where's the magic of Episodes 1-6? Driver's Kylo Ren certainly doesn't have it (Darth Vader, we miss you) and Abrams seems reluctant to try anything new. That leaves us with Ford (superb) and strong debuts from Ridley & Boyega + stellar special effects. For any other franchise, that might be enough; but this is Star Wars... and slapping a new label over an old product, just won't do.
Grade: B-
Upon Further Review: Time (two weeks) heals allsome wounds. As a stand-alone movie, The Force Awakens is pretty amazing (fun characters, great action, non-stop pace.) Abrams did what he had to (pay homage) which is probably a lot better than the alternative (drastic changes to the most beloved film franchise in history.) It's still far from perfect, but my initial review was a tad harsh/knee-jerk.
