Interesting point about the timing of the pro-Prequel articles

Don't feed the pretentious over-intellectualizing flakey film-studies majoring trolls

RLM once led from the front, now bringing up the rear

Agree about the puritanical sexless SW universe. Most PG13 franchises these days have been scrubbed clean of anything risque as most new emerging cinema markets are (at least) a century behind the times. Either that or it was hinted that showing sexiness is now deemed sexist (PC gone mad), so that we've gone full circle back to Victorian England values.

He got what he wished for (JJ doing Ep7) so he can hardly shit on it too much. He almost went full-circle himself and wished for Lucas again!

Good point about Soft Reboots

But once Han Solo is introduced, it seems to veer off course a bit. And speaking of Han, the movie waits 17 whole minutes to acknowledge why Han is even in the movie. Like he comes on board the Falcon and we get no clue as to why he's there, how he found them, or why the story is now about escaping the CGI tentacle monsters. It's only after landing on Maz's planet that the movie thinks we deserve some explanation. Once on Maz's planet, the movie really seems to lose focus. What happened to the urgency in finding Luke? And it also seemed to bit odd to me that Maz just randomly had Luke's old lightsaber. It just seemed like the movie was telling us to not think about it too much and just accept what was happening.

Things pick up again towards the end on Starkiller base but again, the Luke storyline is nowhere to be found. But this part is still interesting due to all the character stuff with Han, Kylo, Rey, and Finn. Overall, I think the film's biggest success was setting up interesting characters that we want to see more of and learn more about. Like I wanted to learn more about Rey's backstory, Kylo's backstory, and what made Luke disappear. But as a film on its own, I just wish it had more focus, less random occurrences, and better pacing. So I still enjoyed it, but I'm hoping Episode 8 is a more intimate and focused film where we can explore the characters more, kind of like TESB but with a completely different plot.

As for Finn's turn, I personally found it very interesting, from a character point of view. Speaking to the psychology, there are many soldiers, doctors, and other professionals who demonstrate outstanding classroom skills, knowledge and proficiency and absolutely crumble in the face of the real thing.

I will agree on the pacing of the film though. I think that is a lot more of Abrams' style than anything else, though I see it more and more in line with contemporary film making style.  There are so many moments that I wish would just be given a few more beats for the emotions to come through.

Rey: Where do you come from?
BB-8: Bleep bloop bleep.
Rey: Classified? Me too. Big secret.

Ha.

I don't see Finn's desertion to be much of a stretch at all. At the start when he tells Poe 'because it's the right thing to do', he's basically bluffing and Poe sees through it right away.

Finn's subsequent turn isn't instanteous if you remember, and I wouldn't call it based on a superficial whim, first he's merely running, then he meets someone that he likes enough to want to impress, and his going along to Starkiller base is part wanting to save that someone. I think the key points of his arc are all on-screen and well done, without needing to bring too much of your own concrete.

The Force Awakened and moved him to compassion

Believe it or not, I like this one ^ the best.

@Squig & DarthP, I guess from an in-film perspective it is handled just fine. We see him struggle in the village, we get that he's about to get busted by Phasma, he quits. However, and this was my thought on the first-watch, how does this guy ever get into a squad? If the FO is really as ruthless as we are led to believe, Finn should have been executed in the field for cowardice.

Anyhoo, in the spirit of curiosity and fair-shake giving, I bought Greg Rucka's "Before the Awakening." The Finn backstory in there tells us that he is a highly successful (the best in his class, even) cadet, but his 'flaw' is that he cares about his fellow cadets, and presumably people in general. He gets reprimanded //by Phasma// repeatedly for not being ruthless enough, for helping his fellow cadets when they are weak. What is never addressed is how someone raised from infancy in that culture can't deal with it, and rebels against it...or why he was still allowed to be a part of it.

Does this foreshadow some great expository flashback or fireside confession in upcoming episodes? What is in his past that made him want to be 'good'? Why was he not happy like the other stormtroopers? That is what I'm dying to know. A writer someplace spitballed the character: a stormtrooper who changes sides. I want to know how they justified the backstory that leads to that, such that it's more than that superficial whim.