I thought Daisy Ridley was by far the best thing about The Force Awakens.
I would never have classed myself as a Star Wars 'fan' - the prequel trilogy rank among the worst films I've ever had the misfortune of watching and, while I do really like Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back, I've never thought they were the masterpieces that some people regard them as. The Force Awakens is easily their equal, if not superior. If you said to me back in January that Star Wars would be in my end of year top 10 I would have laughed at you. It manages to retread the main themes of the original while simultaneously developing them, and it also helps that Ridley and Boyega are far better performers than the original trio except for Ford.
It's a solid B+ from me. Also saw Carol the other day - simply exquisite. A.
I could see Hateful Eight, but it seems wrong to see a film shot on 70mm on anything but the big screen.