characters propelled it and the casting was nearly perfect*. necessary step forward to see female and black leads after the whitewashed (as with most things beloved by nerds) heydays.

first 45 minutes are *fantastic*, the middle part is solid, and the end drags because it's telegraphed (the Death...Planet! with the nearly same weakness it had 40 years ago!). overall enjoyable though.

*except for Adam Driver. Kylo Ren is an interesting character, but Driver is completely ill-suited for the role (sans mask).