Hazel says...2.5 stars

Rating: 3/10 (27 May 2016)

As taken from: http://www.beyondvalwood.com/#!A-review-of-the-movie- Star-Wars-The-Force-Awakens/c218b/572157900cf26b6d6844ddbf
Star Wars the Force Awakens
Insert obligatory spoiler warning here.
Alright guys, since it seems like my last review was pretty popular (and I put it on Rotten Tomatoes), I've decided to do a movie review for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Now I, like just about every other person on this planet, went into this movie with very high expectations. How was this movie going to top the earlier triumphs (and if you haven't seen them yet, go crawl back under your cave where you belong!) while still staying true to itself? Well on the latter, I'm happy to say The Force Awakens, did not disappoint. On the former? Unfortunately Hazel and I were left wanting, and my score for this movie is a mere 2 stars.
One of the things that we all loved about the original trilogy was the sense of adventure, and I am happy to say that this movie delivered that in spades. When the pods were released into the sky at lightspeed, the audience, and me were riveted. We felt like we were shooting into space, and happy to go along for the ride, even when we were being shot at with lasers. I'll admit, I was a bit fearful that with the advances of movie technology, that the raw, gritty feel of the original star wars movies would be lost in translation. Luckily that ended up being one of this movie's great strengths, and the return of Han Solo, Leia and Chewbacca, was a welcome sense of familiarity that bonded this movie nicely with its predecessors.
But unfortunately the movie soon starts to lose its spark. An excessive, if not unbelievable, performance by Adam Driver pales in comparison to the leading duo of Daisy Ridley and John Boyega. Not to mention, his distinctive features and pale skin make him an interesting casting choice as the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia.
Furthermore, Han Solo's death at his son comes as no surprise, but it is the weak and alright, stupid, way that it happens that pulled me out of the story. It reminds you of the dumb chick who runs UPSTAIRS in the horror film that has the audience collectively screaming "No you dumb ass, outside! OUTSIDE!" Shaking my head.
Daisy's performance in the climax manages to put the movie back on the right track, but only for a short time. Soon we find out that R2D2 has been conveniently waiting until the movie's end to wake up as if nothing ever happened and solve all the character's problems, ending with an extremely rushed journey to the missing Luke. Hopefully they resolve this doozy in the sequel.
Overall, while this movie certainly had its fun parts, it unfortunately did not manage to live up to its hype, and although it would have been a tall order, it honestly seems as if this movie did not even try. If we add up Hazel's input, 2.5 stars, the adjusted score for The Force Awakens is a mere 2.2 stars out of 4.0. I'm thinking George Lucas would have done better, guys.
Disagree? Comment and let me know! Agree? Comment anyways :P
-Jessica, author of Beyond the Veil