But seriously, I saw the film a third time this afternoon and finally feel ready to offer an informed opinion.
I really enjoyed it. The problems I had with it did not bother me upon repeat viewings. In this and other ways, it’s similar to Return of the Jedi. Both ape ANH somewhat, and I would have preferred them not to. But, TFA carries its flaws and holds up despite them, and its emotional beats resonated very well. Star Wars Episode VII is now a thing that exists, rather than a hypothetical full of infinite potential, and that reality bothered me a little at first. Seeing it for what it is, I think it’s a success. And more importantly, it’s executed well enough that it worked its way into my heart despite the direction being something I would have resisted on paper. JJ’s own style was apparent, but compared with his Trek films, I appreciate his perceived effort to reign in his own style and maintain visual continuity with the legacy left from the old films.
The film feels authentic. The humor had me lightly shaking my head at certain points, with a simultaneous smile I couldn’t suppress. The characters felt legitimate, and I found myself emoting and empathizing with them without knowing exactly why. I suppose a better way to say that was they felt three dimensional.
I feel like this is a bonafide continuation of the story we got from ANH, ESB, and ROTJ. Since I’ve done Star Wars edits over the years, I can’t help but pose the question to myself of working with this one. But the reality is that I don’t want to; it’s solid, and does not need fan help. Perhaps an extended edition could be fun, but it doesn’t need fan fixes IMHO. Once I was able to get the initial viewing out of the way, and all of my projected hopes with it, I was able to sincerely enjoy the film for what it is.