They wanted a wannabe Empire, thats the purpose of the First Order. I get that. Theyd did good designing the stormtroopers. But they should have used more TIE fighter variations or a completely newly designed one.

But, they blew it with the Starkiller Base. I think its cool, designed well like most of the film's visuals. But they should not have used it as an oversized Death Star, at least not in the first movie. I think it would have served better as large base and manufacturing center like the Star Forge. Or, if they absolutely wanted it to be like the Death Star... save it for the second or third movie. Make it mean something, not just be a one-off in the first movie.

Its a a good movie for new fans just starting off with Star Wars, but it couldve been waaay better (as a returning fan). I wish I could be part of making it xD