Worst of SW series with exception of Jar-Jar Binks

Rating: 4/10 (5 April 2016)

Having been one who waited in long lines to see the original Star Wars in 1977, seen the growth of Empire Strikes Back (best of the series) and Return of the Jedi (Starting to show some odd signs of digression, like Ewoks, but still powerful) then suffering through Episode I, which minus Jar-Jar (and midichlorians) might have been a tolerable movie, I was thoroughly thrilled to hear that Lucas was NOT going to be involved in the writing of future SW movies. Well, I was not disappointed with the editing, special effects or the acting in general, what I was VERY unhappy with was to see Episode VII as basically a typographical repeat (reboot) of Star Wars (now called 'A New Hope'):
1. Start with bad guys landing on planet looking for 'rebel(s)';
2. Hero(ine) is a young restless person wasting time 'recycling' things on a desert type planet with no parent they are aware of;
3. A robot wandering aimlessly with secret coded information in its electronics also on this desert planet looking for its owner;
4. Mid-level antagonist wearing all black with a mask (here Kylo is wearing the mask for no apparent reason, unlike Vader) who exhibits extraordinary powers of the Force in the opening scene;
5. A Death Star type contraption as the enemies' threat;
6. A rescue sequence put into place by the rebels on the 'Death Star' to rescue members of their party while on another mission;
7. A sequence to lower the shields of the 'Death Star' to that the protagonists may complete their mission;
8. A Super-Ace fighter pilot to mirror Wedge Antilles, Poe, who never misses, loses or fails;
9. The hero(ine) is unexpectedly given a light saber;
10. The hero(ine) is suddenly revealed to have super Force capabilities;
11. Casual meeting of the protagonists in a cantina with lots of strange characters;
12. The hero(ine) is capable of 'talking' with and communicating with droids who only make sounds.
One of my biggest complaints of this film is with the bi-polar method in which the primary antagonist is portrayed and used: At the beginning of the film, Kylo makes his appearance ominously at the end of a battle/massacre, and while interrogating a prisoner, senses with the Force a skilled shot firing a laser weapon at him from hiding 50+ yards away, and not only 'holds' the perpetrator (Poe) in place while guards apprehend him, but is able to 'freeze' the laser blast in place as we see a new, and very powerful skill yet revealed in the SW universe. Impressive.
Later, in combat with Rey, unlike the match between Luke and Darth Vader, where we had to wait to the end of Episode V to see Luke even try dueling Vader and getting his hand handed to him, pun intended, and Episode VI where Luke is actually capable enough to actually fight Vader on a relatively even field.
Here, Rey has already handed Kylo his figurative back-side! Yes, the rookie with NO training in the force, NO training with a light-saber beats down on the baddie with years of training, a long line of strong Force heritage and who previously was able to freeze laser blasts, toss humans around using the force like rag dolls, but now, nothing, he was beat down and saved by the destruction of the base and arrival of Rey's partners.
On a side note, it is worth mentioning that Rey seems to use anger as her guide when completing her humiliation of Kylo, so for the future, she is probably one who is subject to being lured to the Dark Side quite easily.
What I'm wondering now, is what is there for us to watch for? Kylo is now just a punk, and hold no awe in the minds of the audience; he has been defeated. Unlike Vader who took to the end of the 3rd movie, Kylo is KO'd early. There is nothing for an antagonist to do once defeated, move over for the next bad guy, and in this case, that would be Snoke, I suppose.
Another issue that has bothered me throughout the movie is seeing Kylo's quick thinking, photographic memory capability and corrosive temper: How did he ever allow Stormtrooper FN-2187 to ever leave Jakku alive after knowing that he failed to follow orders to kill those civilians? He thought enough about it to stop and look at him. Risking leaving such a soldier within the ranks would not be advisable.
Oh, then there is the Captain Phasma! A tough, no nonsense officer in the First Order who is coerced into giving up a shield code to Finn and company to allow her base to be attacked. I suggest that an officer of such rank would NEVER do so, as they would forever after be seen as a traitor and dealt with as such – something I'm sure she would do, ever – period.
Bah, so disappointed. I actually went and watched this a second time a few weeks later to see if I might relent, but no, it only affirmed and strengthened my dislike for this film. Just a retread of the original wonder that Lucas gave us 40 years ago.