Gleeson was laughable, the whole British Empire cliche is old hat...
I didn't rate it at all. It was entertaining, but by far from what I was expecting... Some of the dialogue is shocking and I kind of felt like I was watching Comic Relief... Waiting for the classic bits, whilst padded with patter.
I think it's had a very easy ride indeed because it gets some - less tangible, I suppose - things right for its intended audience. It made them feel like kids again, and achieved that not only by never straying from the original's general template (disappointingly at times, in terms of effectively diminishing this episode's lasting artistic worth right from the start), but also by treating them essentially as kids. And most have obliged, by forgetting the less good bits and only gleefully holding onto the parts they loved, just like kids do with films that excite them.
I'm in that odd position where I can say I really quite enjoyed it in the flix (twice: IMAX 3D & IMAX D-Box [daft bucking themepark chairs, decent fun] - makes all the difference, trust me), but don't really
rate it.
Gleeson would have certainly benefitted from bringing it down a few notches, but I think Abrams actually directed him to turn it up. The British (Galactic) Empire is a
beloved old cliche; old hat maybe, but fans would have appreciated the nod to Cushing and Glover et al. Would have been an outrage if the Imperial officers were anything but cut-glass tightarse Englishmen!
The problem is that they took the fascistic element well over the top with Gleeson, with the parodic stiffness and perma-sneer, and the screaming Hitlerian passion of that Nuremburg Rally bit, which was a bit too much. I think Hux could be a pretty good character in the classic Imperial tradition if next time he has more of a cold reserved thing going on, just a quiet icy detachment - going panto with it all just spoils the striking look he already has for the role by virtue of his genes.
For me, the highlights mainly orbited around Kylo Ren. The most memorable big set pieces; the most interesting dialogue; the deepest, heaviest moments of cinematic atmosphere - most if not all of it involved him. Ridley, Boyega and Isaac all bring a lot of charm to their roles, but Driver hit all the notes just right. I like how clearly deeply conflicted and confused under the surface he makes Ren in pretty much every scene, and how he's somehow simultaneously cool and uncool. Just as a teenage(?) angsty darkside loner should be!!
I could probably fill a page or two with issues with it as a film, but I won't because it's a general step back in the right direction, Star Warsy-wise, and so people are in very charitable spirit. Everyone has essentially conceded that its main task was to re-establish that nostalgic old feel and setting, wash the prequels away, and cram in the fan service so we all felt warm and fuzzy and catered-to again, and that the next one needs to deliver far, far more. In fact, the sheer level of eager fan service above all other concerns is in itself one of the problems the film has for me... but eh, whatcha gona do?