Star Wars Redone

Rating: 8/10 (18 December 2015)

In 'Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens', director J.J. Abrams gives us what he's best at - a good but not great sci-fi film that is entertaining and breaks zero new ground.
First of all the entertaining part - the film is definitely that. It limits the CGI overload by including at least a fair amount of practical effects, wisely forgets about all the characters introduced in the horrendous prequels and has a lot of homages to the original series and a few homages to other films (a light saber duel modeled after the bamboo forest samurai duel of 'Shogun Assassin' for example are some of the highlights.
Unfortunately it is The. Exact. Same. Story. As. The. Original. 'Star Wars' (now known as 'Episode IV').
R2D2 is rounder, Han Solo is blacker, and Darth Vader is younger, but the "Resistance" looks exactly like the "Rebel Alliance", the Empire 2.0, "The First Order" looks exactly like the Empire. There's a creepy bald-headed Emperor, the stormtroopers are the same, and the new Vader-like character dresses in black and wears a mask that changes his voice (for no apparent reason).
The plot involves secret plans put into the round R2D2 who is then dropped on a desert planet that looks EXACTLY like Tattooine, where it's found by a female Luke Skywalker type character (probably the daughter of Luke, as it's strongly hinted). When the Empire First Order finds them they have to flee the planet in the Millennium Falcon. They of course visit a cantina just like the Mos Eisley one, and eventually have to get the plans to the Resistance so they can blow up the newer bigger Death Star 2.0.
Anyway, you get the idea - the exact same movie remade.
Sadly, Abrams is equally as bad at directing deep emotional scenes as Lucas, so the few of those in the film are pretty cringe-worthy. But, at least there are no horrible Jewish or African-American pidgin-speaking stereotypes or obnoxious kids in the film.
So basically the legacy of Episode VII is that it helps wash the bad taste of the Prequels away. Shame it has nothing else to offer.