Saw TFA for the fourth time last night, continuing my streak of liking the movie more every time I see it. KNOWING the characters instead of needing to be introduced to them, I think, is the biggest factor.
There is a major fun factor in knowing who Rey IS going in and knowing what everyone in in for as they continually underestimate and expect so little of her.
Oh, couple of random things want to wrestle Rey down and take BB-8? Good luck with that.
Oh, Kylo, you want to mind rip the map out of Rey? Let's see how that works out for you...
Kylo, you just beat down a non force user who had granddad's saber, why don't you just Force snap that up for yourself? Oh, guess not...
And the final Han scene, again, was a brilliant master class in writing, acting, an dramatic lighting. Could be top ten best single scenes in SW history (and I know that's a big statement). Loved it. ALL of it.