You upset my wife

Rating: 2/10 (27 December 2015)

I am not someone who would normally post on a site such as this. If I don't like a movie/TV show/restaurant whatever I tend to vote with my feet next time. The Force Awakens is a special case. Many of the generation my wife and I grew up with were raised on these films. I believe the centre of their appeal is the strength of the storytelling. The special effects were important but secondary to the overall "feel". We went to the midnight screening. We did not display quite the same level of devotion as those who turned up on a hot Australian summer night in full Chewbacca suits, but the allure of continuing the "feel" of 1983 was enough to get us our well past our usual bedtimes. I think it fair to say the criticisms of this movie, in particular the weakness of the story, have been extensively explored on these pages and I don't need to repeat them here. I understand the need for Disney and its partners to make money from this The Force Awakens, be it through ticket sales and associated marketing, and that ultimately this drives the agenda. Disney is an extraordinarily successful company and has partnered with extraordinarily successful people in the making of this film. What perplexes me most is that anyone with even a passing interest in Star Wars can see the gaping flaws, and the obvious pitch at a teen market. Given that my generation are now likely to be the ones with the most disposable income to put towards this, it staggers me that such little thought appears to have been directed towards what I assumed would be its "cash cow". I suspect the guys in the Chewbacca suits needing IV rehydration would agree with me. We will be voting with our feet next time.