Disappointed

Rating: 7/10 (18 December 2015)

This? This is what Disney jettisoned Michael Arndt and Lucas's story treatments for? So they could do a retread of EP 4? With elements of EP 5 and 6 thrown in? Nearly every single scene harked back to the original trilogy like one big exercise in fan service. It was exactly what I feared it would be after watching all the trailers and TV spots. I was hoping for something new, and not yet ANOTHER Death Star. Holy god, couldn't they come up with something different? I thought Abrams and Kasdan said they had worked really hard on coming up with a good story. Doesn't take that much hard work to reboot A New Hope.
I left the theater with a heavy heart. Really disappointing. There was a lot of potential for something great, but instead I felt Prometheused. A lot of big questions, some really interesting moments, but almost no payoff. Who was the old guy in the beginning? Why were there Star Destroyers and AT-AT walkers buried on Jakku? And what the hell did Mark Hamill have to get in shape for? So he could stand on a cliff in a robe looking at the water for 30 seconds?
Now I'm curious to know what Lucas's original story was. People like to beat up on the prequels, and they certainly leave a lot to be desired, but they had their moments. And despite their flaws, they still felt like Star Wars. The Force Awakens, on the other hand... felt a little hollow and soulless. It needed George Lucas's touch. He's a great ideas man and has quite an imagination, but IMO his Star Wars films fared better when he came up with the story and someone else wrote and directed. But it is what it is. I will say that I think EP 7 planted the seeds for a great EP 8, and with Rian Johnson at the helm of that one I feel a little more confident in him than with JJ.