Star Wars Reboot

Rating: 7/10 (23 December 2015)

**MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS**
THE SHORT STORY
I'm not a super fan, but a fan nonetheless, having seen the first films as a child, which at the time were ground breaking and exciting. You will get none of that here. The film was good nostalgic entertainment, not great. There will be no awards for acting or special effects. 7/10
THE LONG STORY CONS: I can see why so many viewers were disappointed. With the bar for CGI and production quality set so high which excellent shows produced for TV, one would expect a whole new universe of mind blowing effects/ scenes to be presented, especially with the deep pockets of Disney and the film production behind it. Sadly, the production was just ordinary and average from the costuming, sets and locations to CGI. Even individuals have produced better YouTube videos with equivalent settings and CGI effects. You would expect so much more from Hollywood.
The bad guys seem weak in fight scenes and the characters poorly developed. So unlike the ultimate villain Darth Vader, the audience won't really care about their agenda or outcome.
The plot involves rehashing the same old story lines again, using familiar elements and settings. No risk or ingenuity there. Comedic lines are few and far between and awkwardly placed in the dialogue. I've honestly seen better writing (e.g. witty bad guys) from Lego Star Wars- Droid tales.
PROS: The execution of the film was tight with story lines neatly woven together to connect the present to the past. All the major characters from previous films were introduced, and the new characters were obviously set up to present the opportunity for further films. However, there was no depth to the characters to make us really care about them or any explanation of why/how the Resistance is still fighting and why they haven't prevailed yet.
The new characters are likable- BB8, Finn, Rey. There is modern dialogue and a hint of romance, just enough to titillate. The relationship between Han Solo and Princess Leia seems strangely forced and dry not what you'd expect. The new baddie Kylo Ren would have benefited from being better looking and more wicked. Somehow, nothing about his character works. The other baddie, First Order General Hux, despite limited screen time, makes an impact. The CGI character 'Supreme Leader' does not.
CONCLUSION I think this film is deliberately 'middle of the road' and not a die-hard fan reboot in order to introduce Star wars to a new generation who may not have seen or been invested in the earlier films. Case in point, a friend's teenage daughter saw this movie and it was her first ever Star Wars film. She had no idea who Darth Vader was sacrilege! But she enjoyed it. Now she'll go back and watch the earlier films to get some perspective. I guess that's what the producers have achieved with this film ...to bridge the gap between old and new for a new young fan base.