Yeah it was somewhat confusing (why did the Senate not restore order after the last movie? Why are the Senate's own troops called 'the resistance' and not 'the army' or some such?)

Then, after a spectacular job of building character in the first few minutes, they all drop back into one-dimensional fantasy characters so the big special-effects show can start.

Finally, the weight of the fan-service sort of dragged things down. Sure its neat to see the old characters and themes - but the magic of this franchise was its breadth of vision. To recapitulate every significant scene from the original movies was lazy.

Disappointment is the perfect word.