Star Wars VII - The Force Awakens is a bad movie

Note: This debate will be probably filled with spoilers from the new movie, so beware. While it is DDO Custom for the 1st round being for acceptance, considering that Pro has already made arguments, I will simply begin. Quick Observation: Pro has the sole BOP. He must prove that Star Wars: The Force Awakens (hereafter TFA) is a bad movie, while all I must do is debunk his arguments. Without further adieu, let's begin. Contentions: 1. Critical and Commercial Acclaim: This is a simple point: TFA is being overwhelmingly acclaimed both from viewers across the world and critics. On IMDB, the movie has a aggregate score of 8.6 from 276,651 users, taking the 42nd spot on the Top 250 list (as of December 28th, 2015) [1]. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 81 out of 100, based on 51 critics, indicating "universal acclaim" [2]. On Rotten Tomatoes, it is "Certified Fresh" with a 94% approval rating, based on 305 reviews, with a rating average of 8.2 out of 10 [3]. Many critics of the Star Wars prequels have also given this film acclaim. The people behind the infamous Plinkett reviews [4], RedLetterMedia, have given the film great praise and strongly recommend it [5]. The YouTube reviewer Chris Stuckmann gave it an "A" rating, and also said it was his favorite film of the year [6]. The YouTube reviewer YMS gave the film 7/10, which is incredibly high praise from him specifically [7]. If this film truly was a, "bad movie,with nothing new and original, that just copies the classic Star Wars movies," it would have been recognized by now and not received any of the acclaim it did. Star Wars fans aren't people who are afraid to criticize something just because it has "Star Wars" on it; the prequel films were heavily scrutinized and attacked by many; if it was truly a bad film, it would have been recognized. 2. Nothing New/Original? : Pro states, "[TFA is] a bad movie,with nothing new and original, that just copies the classic Star Wars movies. " There are many issues with this claim: Pro extends no justification or evidence showing that it's stealing/copying and bringing nothing new. His entire assertion is irrelevant to his case. There are plenty of brand new, orginal characters: Rey, Finn, Poe, Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader Snoke, General Hux, Captain Phasma, and BB-8, just to name a few. Not to mention that there are many brand new plot lines made and to come from this movie. How can Proclaim there is nothing new or original when there clearly is? The basis for most of Pro's claims spawns from many claiming that TFA has too many similarities to A New Hope. However, it's important to note how different the plots actually are. As Mark Hamill explains:"I think [TFA] could be every bit as exciting for the audience, [but] it’s not going to be like it was then, when we’re rattling around in the Death Star, and exchanging quips, and jockeying for the affections of the princess. It’s going to be age appropriate. The story has moved on, and our purpose in the story is different than it was then" [8]. Essentially, TFA is different from A New Hope in that it's passing the torch from the Original Trilogy to the new trilogy. It's more of an introduction of new characters and stories rather than a rehashing of the original movies. Paying Homage =/= Nothing New/Original. There is a significant difference between copying and paying homage. How can Pro justify his claim that TFA is stealing these ideas rather than paying homage to the Original Trilogy? Pro proposes no answer to this question apart from his own bare assertion, which fails. When Star Wars completely didn't copy from the original trilogy, audiences were treated to Episodes 1-3, which were wretched and generally devoid of quality [4] [9] [10]. Paying homage is not a crime. Simply because something copies and steals from a original film does not make it a bad film. Many remakes and sequels do just that. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo from director David Fincher is a great film, even though it is the exact same film as the original Swedish film [11]. Simply because something is a remake of an original does not make it a bad film. 3. The Rest is Irrelevant: The rest of Pro’s arguments is the following: “I knew this movie was gonna be bad when they picked JJ Abrams as director. He's terrible, his movies have no soul and no heart, like his weak Star Trek reboots. Abrams doesn't know what he is doing. ” This is completely irrelevant to the quality of TFA. All Pro does here is bash the director, JJ Abrams. SImply because Pro seems to irrationally despise the director does not justify claiming TFA as a bad movie; Pro never talks about substance or anything even related to the content of the movie. Hence, this argument is completely irrelevant. 4. Characters: This is, in part, my own argument; while I don’t have to make it, I will and I will push further back against Pro’s claims. Rey: As I see it, Rey is a combination of the Luke, Han, and Leia from the Original Trilogy. She has the independence and toughness of Leia, often not needing anyone but herself to handle most issues. She has the renegade and rebellious spirit of Han, not being afraid to fight against coercion and by despots and the First Order. She also has the origins and force of Luke, an average person with nothing behind their name who discovers their great powers throughout the movie. While some claim she is a “Mary Sue” [12], she clearly isn’t; she struggles with new things just as much as the characters of the Original Trilogy do. She has a hard time initially flying the Falcon, she struggles with the force at first, and she is still discovering all of her abilities. She is as much of a “Mary Sue” as Luke, Leia and Han are, or as much of one as Furiosa is in Mad Max: Fury Road. She is skilled and a fun, great character with much depth. Finn and Poe: Finn and Poe are incredibly fun characters; they are renegades and dissenters from the fascist First Order. They stand up and fight and work with their respective teams throughout the film. They are enjoyable, and certainly original and generally likable. Kylo Ren: Kylo Ren is the new villain, and carries a great amount of depth. He constantly feels a pull from the light side of the force, but knows that he can’t go back and betray Snoke. He is, in many way, spoiled and a rebellious kid, and strives to be as powerful as Vader once was. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian sums it up well: "He is gorgeously cruel, spiteful and capricious – and unlike the Vader of old, he is given to petulant temper tantrums, with his lightsaber drawn. " Conclusion: Pro has completely and utterly failed to show that TFA is a bad movie. All of his arguments are bare assertions and completely neglectful of the content and quality of the film. I have extended sourced and logically backed claims throughout my arguments, and debunked every word of Pro’s case. The resolution is negated. Vote Con. Sources in comments.