I figured out the magic formula for the success of Star Wars. The music. Watch any Star Wars film without the John Williams score, and you have a whole different experience without the dopamine rush you get from his perfectly orchestrated music. Also, notice how much of the time in Force Awakens that there is barely audible music being played in the background. The movie is almost a music video with the swells at the perfect time like when Rey pulls the light saber from the snow or R2 comes to life.
John Williams has the magic touch which also worked in Indiana Jones and Superman.
I realized that his music was in some bad movies, i.e. Prequels and Indiana Jones 4, but you can only put so much lipstick on a pig. The music and familiar faces (R2 and 3-peo) were the biggest saving graces of those CGI cartoons.
The "Chosen One" epic Storyline with the mystical force and cloaked evil villains gets a lot of points in movies like this. Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Matrix, etc., but only Star Wars had the right music at the right time.