Visionary? More like vision is scary.

Rating: 6/10 (27 December 2015)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is best characterised by the film's impressive desert shot of the grounded Star Destroyers on Jakku. Like the rusting corpses of the once awe-inspiring warships of the Galactic Empire, J. J. Abrams' latest work is a husk of the original trilogy, relying on a near-fanatical fan base and some spectacular special effects to prop up an embarrassingly familiar plot through a two-hour runtime.
Indeed, the image that comes to mind is that of Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, salvaging the spaceships for parts—namely, recycling. In his debut as the director of what is likely to be the most anticipated film of the 2010s, Abrams breaks no new ground and instead, takes a comfortable, safe route to introduce Star Wars to a new generation of viewers.
I strongly suspect, however, that this is what Abrams sought to accomplish in the first place, and if that indeed is the case, hats off to you, sir. You've done so remarkably well. With applause-worthy entrances of old characters and an apt amount of screen time for the new, surprisingly likable ones, this film is entertaining and captivating in its own way.
It does not, however, span the decades-long hiatus as it should.
I watched A New Hope for the first time only a few years ago and I was deeply impressed. Impressed not by its cinematography (hardly artistic), its special effects (the destruction of Alderaan had me rolling on the floor), or its performances, but the power of its narrative.
It was a space opera as it should be—a fun, creative adventure that transports the audience to another time and place for a few hours and captures the imagination of every child (and adult) watching.
This was not the experience I had with The Force Awakens, and when I came out of the theatre, the word that came to mind was not "sequel", but "reboot".
Really, for someone who has never watched Star Wars before, this movie is excellent. It captures the spirit of George Lucas' brainchild and sets the stage for a slew of new films. Yet to me, it was disappointing, and I hope that the unprecedented commercial success of Disney's latest acquisition emboldens the creative team behind Star Wars to take some risks in the coming releases and depart from the traditional "rebels battle an evil empire possessing planetary weapons" plot line.