I may not agree with most of your points, I found it interesting that you recognize it as a homage. I’ve seen/read comments of TFA being a homage is a good thing rather than a bad thing. I’m just saying I’m surprised you didn’t call it a ripoff or a ANH clone.
When people say homage as a good thing, they might mean the tones, the dialog, the visual designs… and in those things, creating a continuity with the original trilogy is a great thing.
But the homage which I think makes TFA an inequal SW film is so many of its setups, like Han and Chewie still being smugglers, Leia still being a general princess leading a resistance against a nefarious ruling hegemony, a force-wielding villain who wears a voice-shifting mask and black suit, a new single super-weapon threatening the rebel alliance, etc.