[LonghornDub]

I'm a pretty middling Star Wars fan, but I liked it quite a bit as a movie, and I actually would put it in the category of "great." Not great all time, but one of the ten or so best movies in 2015.

To UD's point, personally, it doesn't bother me at all that the story wasn't original. In fact, I think it makes perfect sense to hew this first one closely to formula. If 8 and 9 are carbon copies, I'll reconsider how I feel about this.

Also, I think the notion of "originality" in movie plots (and stories in general aside from medium) is overhyped. Some of the best stories ever told are completely unoriginal. If you can be original and great, that's terrific. But that's a rare feat, and I don't think originality is a necessary or a sufficient condition for quality.

Negatives: Pacing was awkward (though I understand why), and though Daisy Ridley did a good job, Rey was a huge Mary Sue. Had no problem with the other characters, and I actually thought it was an outstanding choice to make the villain a young, teenage-angst type. That's much more interesting and leaves much more room for character arc than a ready-made villain (not that the latter is bad).