The wait is over, and Star Wars Episode Four marks its debut on the big screen...again!

Rating: 5/10 (22 December 2015)

So, after years of waiting, many people have been eagerly anticipating some sort of fix to the Star Wars universe. Sure, the prequels weren't the best, so whatever is to come should be better. The prequels didn't feel like Star Wars to some, or there was too much CGI, or too much politics, or Yoda was butchered or something along those lines...
After years of complaining fans who desperately want something that feels like Star Wars, we get this:
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope: Remix: The Force Awakens
That's right. The Force Awakens, is unfortunately THE EXACT SAME MOVIE as Star Wars Episode IV. Okay, I'm being a little dramatic, but it is almost plot-point per plot-point the same movie as Star Wars Episode IV with a little touch of Episode V thrown in there. I just don't get it. I was never a HUGE Star Wars fan, so I didn't go into the movie expecting good or bad. I intentionally did not read any review of this movie and I avoided watching trailers. I wanted to objectively watch this movie, without getting distracted by other people's opinions... and yeah, this is Star Wars Episode IV.
What is the plot? Get this, rebels have secret plans that can't fall into the Empir *whoops* I mean the First Order's hands. So, the First Order sends troops into a rebel outpost which is lead by a dark hooded sith that wears a mask. The plans are then put onto R2D2 (whoops, BB-8) where the droid is supposed to run-away and find someone to receive the message.
I kid you not, this is the beginning of the movie. And it gets worse.
Our main girl is a character who lives on a desert planet (Not Tatooine), and finds scraps and sells them to dealers for money. We are later introduced to Han Solo who is (yet again) being chased by people he owes money (not unlike A New Hope) and he has to escape on the Millennium Falcon. And they have to go to a cantina, and there are rebels, and then the bad guys are lead by a giant dark figure in a big chair, and the bad guys decide to use their ultra death star to destroy several planets, but then the rebels (are they really rebels at this point if the First Order isn't an empire?), so the main characters have to infiltrate the Ultra Death Star to find its weak-point and blow it up by flying through trenches, and... and...
Yeah. This is THE SAME PLOT AS A NEW HOPE!!!!
Granted, the tasks and characters are rearranged. Instead of Yoda, we have Luke, instead of Luke, we have Rey, instead of Han Solo we have Han Solo, instead of Obi-Wan, we have have... Han Solo, in place of Vader we have Kylo Ren, instead of the emperor we have Snoke, instead of R2 we have BB-8... heck even Commander Akbar and Porkins are in this movie!
I just don't get why people are liking this. The problem with this movie is that it is essentially taking the easiest route possible. It would be HARD to make an original story, it would be HARD to think up of new concepts, but unfortunately, it gives us the same movie we already liked... That isn't just a little lazy, that is incredibly lazy.
And it is sad, because a lot of time went into producing this moving, shooting it with film, and making sure it feels like a Star Wars film. And it does feel like a Star Wars film, but just not a good one.
The only real redeeming factor this movie has is the chemistry between Sol and his son. That was a unique and interesting aspect (unfortunately, nothing like the Expanded Universe but I don't really care about that at this point haha).
Now, I've ranted about how this movie is similar, but the movie is full of a lot of problems as well: Why is Kylo Ren influenced by Vader even though Vader turned good? Why is the First Order more powerful than the Empire if they are merely the remnants of it. Why in the world did the Republic not destroy or do anything about the First Order who has obviously had a planet destroying planet on their hands for a long time? Did they really blow-up the entire planet by hitting one of its stabilizers? I thought that would merely paralyze it, not blow-up to kingdom come. WHY DO THE BAD GUYS HAVE PLANET SIZED STATIONS THAT DIE FROM ONE HIT IN ONE LOCATION!!!!
And the list doesn't end there, there are so many strange plot issues with the movie and strange conversations. There is this orange lady alien whose voice just sounds... odd. It sounds clean, but she is supposed to be incredibly old. A lot of characters also speak in exposition. Heck, the first character interaction we see in the movie is really forced exposition.
Granted, there is some other good in this movie. For instance, I like how Finn and Rey are both innocent and child-like. The effects are pretty nice as well. Kylo Ren is also kind of neat because he is both weak and boring looking, immature, but also dangerous.
Hopefully, all of the original concepts in this film will be expanded upon in the next entries. As it stands, this movie is far from perfect.