Deja Vu?

Rating: 6/10 (7 January 2016)

After much waiting and fanfare I finally got to see The Force Awakens. Yay! As the movie played out, I got the eerie sensation that I'd been here before. Same plot, villains, heroes, action, ships, props, story line and scenarios. Like a case of deja vu, it was as if I'd seen all of this before: somewhere - sometime - somehow... Apparently 1977 called and wanted their blockbuster back. Sure, many of the faces and planets were different, and of course the special effects, especially in digital 3D were staggering, however like too many remakes in Hollywood these days, there was no originality whatsoever and it was very predictable. Like repainting the same old house a different shade of pastel and then sitting to watch it dry.
The reason I graciously have rated it a full six stars is because it is after-all; Star Wars and George Lucas' ingenious brainchild, regardless of how it's been re-shaped by the Disney Empire, Abrams and others is still an awesome movie experience. Also the execution of these rehashed themes was good. Real good! In fact, if you're one of the 79 people on Earth who've never seen Episode IV, this movie will truly knock your socks off! So even though this is at best another unoriginal hack designed to lure bored lemmings over the cliff and generate billions in licensing royalties, the question remains, should you see it? The answer is: "Yes!" Not because it's great, but because it's there. And like so many cheesy murder mysteries, you keep watching because you have to know...