The old hope reawakens

Rating: 6/10 (3 January 2016)

I will not say the movie was bad, it wasn't, it fulfilled its purpose, it kept me interested in what I was watching
So, had this been a standalone movie, it would've scored 8 to me But it wasn't, it's a sequel to a longstanding franchise Unfortunately, a sequel that feels more like a retelling of Episode IV. Is that what they were really gunning for? Because it is a retelling. Maybe they thought it worked all those decades ago, just tweak the same story and it might work again
Only now is not even half as captivating, nor does it have a truly menacing, commanding villain, do you remember someone mocking Darth Maul? Whiny Kylo Ren is taunted like thrice in this movie and almost equaled by the janitor stormtrooper
You again have a droid with a hidden message, sent to an arid planet to be located by a loner with no family to keep her in Only difference now is that she never had a family to begin with, didn't lose it to stormtroopers, so she didn't cry before she left, big deal
Then, again, you have the couple of heroes on the run who are saved by Han and Chewbacca and granted flight, in the Millennium Falcon, into a supposedly secure location Only difference now is... nope, no difference at all, same stuff, just older Han and Chewbacca, further broken down MF and new pair of heroes
You witness the destruction of life by the Starkiller Base only differences between the Death Star is that this base is bigger, wow, and can destroy planets, not just a planet, from one shot Fantastic, guess they didn't want to get their hands tired from having to pull the switch more than once
Same base, only bigger, same weakness you contemplate how they carry out the same plan to bring about its destruction, probably devised from a napkin Leia produced with base- destroying notes taken over 30 years ago, did you gobble up your popcorn in excitement at this point?
And finally... once again you see the death of a beloved character by lightsaber, only difference now is that the character that cries "No!" this time after the killing blow is Chewbacca, in a language you can't understand
Not a remake, just a retelling Despite how criticized the prequels were, at least they told an original story This one is just... there
But also... no medals for the remaining heroes at the end? Damn Just place one over comatose Finn, old Han's or at least a pin or something, some appreciation
Jaime A. De la Garza