I see a lot of people complaining that this is a repackaged ANH, and I get the talking point, but let's look at this rationally for a second.

Is the story exactly the same? No, not even close; they wanted to make a new story.

Are there parallels that are very similar? Yes, of course, and they are intentional.

With that being said, I cannot help but be reminded of two of the greatest movies ever, The Godfather I & II. Are they the same story? No. Are there parallels that are very similar? Yes, of course, and they are intentional. Both movies start out with big familial events, while the boss is holding meetings. Both movies feature a Corleone and their rise to power. Both movies have betrayals from close family/friends. There are tons of these, and yet, these are two of the greatest movies ever.

The parallels are a way of respecting the original material, while being able to create a new story with new characters. Sure, sometimes the overlap hits you in the face and can be construed as unoriginal, but I think the callbacks and similarities are a nice and familiar touch.

The plots are different, but have familiar elements and parallels. Instead of calling this "lazy writing", I think people need to get over their preconceived notions of what this movie should be, and enjoy it for what it is. TFA is a origin story; these can only ever be so original, especially in the context of the Star Wars universe. If they implemented a complicated plot at the same time as having the story continuation and introduction of new characters, we would have been presented with an overly convoluted story that took away from the characters themselves. They needed to get the new characters in and settled, while staying true to Star Wars, while not getting too clever for their own good. This was a great setup for the new Star Wars trilogy.