The Force Mistaken

Rating: 4/10 (20 December 2015)

4/10
Dear oh dear: Abrams botched it. This is basically a copycat film, with only a few inspired moments. It's not so much that there are problems with the directing, although there were issues with that at times. Mainly, it's that the film's script should never have been passed for production. The initial flurry of good reviews, and nostalgia based denial from film critics (similar to the Phantom Menace) should hopefully be repealed soon, as painful reality sets in.
The highs:
1. Han Solo having a large part in this film. Harrison Ford's acting certainly made watching this more bearable at times.
2. Maz Kanata's character. Even with her dubious CGI, she was probably the only speaking new character I found wholly interesting. Hopefully, she'll be in future films.
3. BB-8. Very cute, and threw in a number of laughs that were definitely needed at times.
4. Use of 3D threw up certain nice visual moments at times. If seeing it in 3D, watch out for seeing a Star Destroyer in 3D. This was an unexpected highlight and wonderful :)
Lows (where do we begin??):
1. Recycling of plot, almost ENTIRELY from the other films: mostly, from Episode 4, but also bits of the other films at times. Example: we've seen Death Stars destroyed done before, twice. Anticipating something similar destroyed, for the THIRD time, was actually boring. No doubts whatsoever as to what was going to happen. Can't believe in a way that the writing was that lazy, given the previous pedigree of the writers - but incredibly, it was.
2. Amazingly, given the plot is almost entirely recycled in the first place, plot holes still abound in this. There's too many to list here in a short review, but the biggest clanger of them all was Rey inexplicably behaving like an experienced Jedi master: defeating a well-trained young Sith lord, when she hadn't even handled a lit lightsaber before that moment. Laughable, considering the premium that the previous episodes had set for how important a Jedi's training is.
3. Little to no exploration of character origins, or development. Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Adam Driver do what they can with script characterisation that let them down badly. In what were prominently advertised roles, it was hugely disappointing that Oscar Isaac and Gwendoline Christie in particular have little more than extended cameos in the actual film.
Maybe character development is being left for future episodes. That's a shame if it is, because it was desperately needed here. It's hard to care about characters without background context to their lives. Only a certain type of character can get away with this (e.g. the Joker in "The Dark Knight"). That's because imagining the unspoken horrors of their past appeals to the audience's forbidden imagination and fantasies. A lack of history and context usually doesn't work well with relating to characters that aren't sociopathic or demonic.
4. Mark Hamill was truly relegated, enjoying only a 10 second cameo at the end of the film. I was hoping beyond hope we might get some Yoda – Luke like dialogue scenes between him and Rey at the end, which might have partly salvaged the film at the close. Instead, they cut the film at this point. This summed up the whole thing bitterly I felt.
I'm sure Hamill will then be due for more action in Episode 8. Sadly, I'm not sure I care so much after this film.
A guy sat next to me started playing with his mobile phone thirty minutes in. I was ashamed to admit I felt a little like joining him. Nobody watching with me clapped or cheered at the end of the film. Nor was the theatre sold out either. Perhaps word is getting round.
My biggest resentment: my local theatre charging the price of several DVDs, or even a quality Blu Ray or two, to see this. I should have waited for it on TV. If you have a choice, I recommend you do so.