The plot is defined by the things that happen to the characters. The situations.
So a young restless person, living in a wilderness meets an older mentor figure and a separate possible love interest on a quest to deliver information to an underdog resistance movement. They enter a hub of illegal activity, a bar and get into trouble. A planet is destroyed by the antagonists with a super-weapon that becomes the final test for the plucky rebels. The main characters launch a rescue mission to save a female character being tortured by the antagonist for the information. The mentor is killed by the antagonist who has a close connection to him while the protagonist and his/her allies are unable to assist because of a large chasm obstacle. The weapon is destroyed but the principle antagonists have done damage and survived. The protagonist has been pointed onto a path where they will receive further instruction from another stronger tutor.
These are plot points.
The characters in TFA are new and interesting and played well and directed well but they are doing the same thing as the other characters in first film. It’s just too similar to be engaging to me.
Other plots could be used with these characters and set up two more films and be enjoying but new, that didn’t happen.
So while I wasn’t furious with the film as I was with TPM and while it’s a much better constructed film than any of the prequels I was indifferent to the finer qualities of the piece because the plot was just too familiar.