Disappointment

Rating: 2/10 (8 January 2016)

Before I saw the movie, I'd already read some bad reviews. I'm a huge SW fan so I decided to go see it. I couldn't believe how poorly made this film was. Acting was mediocre to say the least with the exception of the droids and Chewbacca. The old cast trio acted very little in the film, especially Mark Hamil who appears only a couple of minutes. The light saber fighting scenes were poor and uninspired. I don't want to go into EU, non-canon issues as that's a personal opinion. For me it was a bad mistake not to follow the EU with all the epic material out there. I mean there is material right there, served on a golden platter. The villains were weak as it's usually the case with Disney's movies, all talk but no backbone. To have the main villain, the leader of the "First Order", be defeated by a girl who never touched a light saber before in her life... that spells disaster in my books. Where is the ominous presence of Darth Vader, Count Dooku, Darth Sidious, Obi Wan etc.? Where is the epic atmosphere of the previous films? What of this "Supreme Leader Snoke"? He looks like Gollum! Where on the galaxy did they find Luke's/Anakin's light saber and stored it in a chest in a basement?? That light saber was cut off Luke's hand and dropped in the chasm of Bespin's bottom (probably down in the ocean) in episode V. How did Kylo Ren find Darth Vader's mask? That was burned on the moon of Endor some 30 years ago. Finally the story. Ah the story, it seemed to me I was watching a remake of Episode IV... come on! Another bigger, badder Death "Planet"... No background, no nothing. I really do hope, George Lucas buys back the franchise, disavows this film, and makes a proper one.
I give it a 2/10 grade, 1 for the SW logo and 1 for the past films. No more.