What did people ever see in this movie?

Harrison Ford back in SW .

thats it

I spent all my time since the prequels reading through the extensive EU lore so I was thoroughly main lining Star Wars the entire time. But I suppose for the common fan of just the films, who couldn't even stomach Clone Wars, that they were seriously starved for some Star Wars action. I suppose TFA somewhat fit the needs they were after. I can't really put myself in their shoes about it.

Most people were just happy that it resembled the original trilogy. That mindset of "the prequels are the worst films ever!!!1!" were still firmly planted in everyone's heads, so ANYTHING would've been better. Look up YouTuber I Hate Everything's initial 2015 video on Episode 7 vs his retrospective look from 2020. It's very interesting how he pretty much admits he was blinded by the nostalgia and didn't notice any of the basic filmmaking errors Episode 7 displayed.

For me, it was the first enjoyable thing to come out of this franchise since The Empire Strikes Back. I havent had any desire to watch Force Awakens again since I saw it in December 2015, but it was lively and fun and I had a good time watching it. It helped that I watched with a mixed bunch of friends (one super-fan, one casual fan and one who had never seen a Star Wars movie). It was a fun night out.

The subsequent films haven’t matched up, but that doesn’t diminish the happy memories I have of watching this. It’s fluff, of course - I mean, it’s Star Wars, after all - but it’s pleasant fluff. I can’t imagine anybody considers it any kind of timeless classic.

Force Awakens had lots of Original Trilogy porn to convince the viewers that "the good old Star Wars is back again". The wreck of a star destroyer, stormtroopers that look very similar to the original stormtroopers, THE MILLENNIUM FALCON, and let's not forget, Luke, Han and Leia. Even though Luke wasn't really in this movie. But it was all fluff, and I'm surprised so many people failed to see right through it.

I saw it at the theatres with my brother and sister. My brother is not really a Star Wars fan at all, but he likes a good adventure movie. My sister and myself are... moderate SW fans, I guess - certainly not die-hard. The original trilogy was part of our childhoods, however.

My sister was really excited about this movie, and had in fact already seen it in the theatres before she went a second time with me. She really hyped it up for me, and I had no particular reservations. I only had a hope that there'd be nothing as annoying as Jar Jar in the movie, and at least that hope was met.

But when the movie ended, it was all just... meh. My sister was still very excited and was all "well? What'd you think?" All I could reply was, "it was ok, I guess". I wasn't bored, and I wasn't annoyed. But that really is the best I can say for this movie.

As for my brother, he fell asleep half-way through.

An attempt to oversaturate the market with more OT-only Star Wars merchandise and sell more toys and action figures to dumb kids who will eat up anything with the "Star Wars" name on it, even though kids haven't been buying the new Star Wars toys and merchandise because as it turns out...kids aren't as dumb as Di$ney thought.

felt like it brought back the magic i felt as a kid in the first 3. magic that wasnt there in the prequels

All three "Star Wars" sequels were middling. Whenever you make films as a money decision instead of as a creative decision, that's what you are going to get.