It's a better franchise set-up than it is a movie. The performances and characters are so strong that they carry the pretty standard (some may say too familiar, and I may not disagree) story.

Better than the prequels, but that's not saying much-- the prequels had no interesting characters whatsoever. Not convinced this movie reaches some of the action heights from the prequels though-- but I'd rather have characters I care about. Rey, Finn, and Kylo all absolutely rule.

People with super-deep nostalgia for the original series will love it, I'm sure. I'm not terribly passionate about the franchise, so I found it to be a pleasant, earnest diversion.

The most exciting thing to me are the racial and gender dynamics really-- seeing black and Hispanic heroes, seeing women who actively do the rescuing. Hopefully this encourages more big franchises to do the same.