Imitation of life and film

Rating: 6/10 (13 July 2016)

"The Force Awakens" meets the burden of rebooting one of the most successful and beloved franchises in film history by largely playing it safe and copying the principle beats of the original. This approach is considerably more satisfying and considerably less daring than the approach George Lucas took with episodes 1-3, which tried to fill in the universe's back story with a lot of dramatically inert detail no one really cared about. Director J. J. Abrams and his vast army of helpers can be forgiven, and perhaps applauded, for going back to basics and giving the people what they want -- a rollicking good story that reminds us why we liked "Star Wars" in the first place -- even if that means sacrificing the element of surprise.
The filmmakers definitely should be applauded for bringing some much needed diversity to the Star Wars universe and casting actors good enough to make these choices feel natural and not shoehorned in. The new additions hold their own against the considerable joy at getting to spend more time with Han Solo and General (nee Princess) Leia. The overall look is nicely executed, inspired as it is by the original with the benefit of a lot more money to spend.
Still, it lacks the sense of wonder and excitement that the original generated. "Star Wars" managed to pull viewers into what seemed like an on-going story by emphasizing the original in a context that was deliberately familiar. "The Force Awakens" mostly drops the originality. Once you figure out where it's going, which doesn't take very long, the pleasure is in watching it play out, which it does well enough to be entertaining, exactly like you know it is going to.