-agreed with first half > second half. The new superweapon was just like "oh, hmm, the bad guys have a new mega weapon. Where's it's weak spot, Let's go destroy it, lolz"
-agreed with stilted Leia delivery, but it worked for what they gave her to do.
-Lovvved the new characters. Finn and Rey had great chemistry. Poe is my main man, a Wedge for the next generation. I even really liked Kylo Ren. He's not Vader. He's a scared kid living in the shadow of the galaxy's greatest villain, wanting to measure up to that legacy, but he just can't. Until he kills Han.
-I am both frustrated and impressed with how they handled Luke. I wanted to see him show up and have more to do, but as a story I liked that they had "where is Luke Skywalker, and what happened to him" set up as a mystery for the characters themselves. Though he could have been hanging in a cooler locale than just some ocean cliffs.
-At first, I was really put off by Rey being able to kick so much ass with a lightsaber the first time she touches one, even if she is strong in the Force. But then I remembered at the start of the film they set her up as having some ass kicking skills with her bo staff thingy, so I'm more willing to give that a bit of leeway, especially as Kylo had just taken a Chewbacca blast to the gut.
-Han was great, though I think they towed the line of him being too goofy at times, such as when the pirate gangs board his ship, or he's quipping when they are planning their big attack on the base. But overall, Han was great.