Star Wars, Episode "7": The creativity force choked to death

Rating: 1/10 (27 February 2016)

***Nothing really spoiled in my review if you've seen Ep. 4***
This movie is in many ways a joke becoming true. A joke that I never wanted to see.
While the prequels had issues with the writing, directing and acting, I always joked/thought that some people didn't like them simply because those movies did not have X-wings, TIEs and Falcon flying around and that some people just needed those ships flying across the screen and some lightsabers to rate a movie a great SW story. Well this movie sadly proves that point since many seem to rate this movie as good. But to me the Star Wars movies should always introduce new designs, ships, locations/ planets and story lines... That is what makes it an epic, vast space adventure.
That's why I could not get how people got so hyped on this. If you followed the production, since the first info about shooting in Abu Dhabi we knew they would recycle the desert environment like we didn't have enough of that in previous movies. Then the first teaser hit. It had all the elements of a fan film made by OT fan boy and come off as a checkbox list: Desert planet, loner on it, cute droid, Falcon, TIEs, X-wings! But only one new speeder design. Didn't do anything for me.
I got a little more intrigued with next trailer but not much. It was really starting to look like a rehash of EP 4. JJ Abrams' track record didn't help either. He aped Spielberg with Super 8, Star Trek (09) was basically a New Hope in Star Trek world although a liked it, and Star Trek Into Darkness was a lame retread of Wrath of Khan. But surely even Abrams wouldn't make Ep 7 exactly like Ep 4? I mean it would be completely utterly shameless and in bad taste to put something so unimaginative as a third death star in the movie, right? And then came the poster. In the background you saw it. A planet with a big round "opening". I tried to think that might be the planet's exhaust system and engines so it's constantly moving. But considering it's a Jar Jar Abrams movie it probably is a new freaking death star. And then he basically confirmed it in the interview (not a DS but next step forward blah blah). He also talked about how his favorite SW movie always was the first over ESB. This sealed my fears that we would just be getting EP 4 remake.
After all of this I almost skipped seeing the movie but it was such an event and we had a pre party with a lot of friends so I though at least I get something out of the night. And with rock bottom expectations I did feel it was OK after seeing it, but the more I have though about it, the more I can't stand it.
It seems no one in the production had balls to say "Why are we remaking Ep 4 instead of continuing the story". On top of it being a completely lazy rehash, the plot and happenings in it don't have any weight in them. In addition the planets and environments in this are so basic the movie is lacking any sense of scale except one speech scene on death star 3. Most of it's "other worlds" could be shot by fan film makers near their homes. And yes, prequels had better story, scale and sense of wonder. I did like the laser blast stopping and the new alien designs, because they at least were something new.
So I am very disappointed but not surprised. I have some hope for Rogue One and Ep8 because of their directors. Unfortunately like Jar Jar Binks getting to be a senator somehow, Jar Jar Abrams is looking over Ep8 as a producer. I hope he doesn't get to say too much which scenes should be more like ESB. I will probably boycott any other Ambrams productions from now on.
Star wars has an effect toward people like no other movie series and it distorts the reviews for this POS movie. People raving about this are teenagers, people numbed by general substandard movie making and the hard Kool-aid drinkers.