Make Sure You See It A Second Time...Trust Me

Rating: 9/10 (28 February 2017)

Seeing a new Star Wars movie is a big deal. It should be filled with great special effects, a compelling story, and intriguing characters. "The Force Awakens" hits all of those marks, providing a very entertaining viewing experience. However, as Old Biff might say in Back To The Future 2: "There's something very familiar about all of this".
For a basic plot summary, "The Force Awakens" introduces a number of new characters to the Star Wars universe and has multiple plot threads interacting with each other simultaneously. It is set roughly 30 years after the events of "Return of the Jedi". I want to talk about the characters more specifically, so suffice it to say that the main plot lines center on these two ideas: -Springing from the ruins of the Galactic Empire, the New Order is consolidating power once again in a era where the Jedi are not a force to be reckoned with. In this film, the New Order is nearing completion of a solar-powered weapon that take take out multiple planets in a single burst. On the brunt end of that force? The Resistance, led by General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), a similar offshoot of the Rebel Alliance doing everything in their power to avoid the First Order getting any stronger. -While the battles wage on in the air, a more personal quest is undertaken by many to find the map to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), a Jedi who has not been heard from in quite some time.
There are many things that "Force Awakens" does right. I could write pages and pages of character description and highlights, but for the sake of brevity and spoilers, I'll just hit the highlights: -It "feels like a Star Wars movie" in its epic scale. I was entertained pretty much from beginning to end. -It introduces new characters expertly. Solitary orphan Rey (Daisy Ridley), storm-trooper- turned-Resistance-sympathizer Finn (John Boyega), and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) are all intriguing and immediately have a sense of gravitas about them. Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) is also introduced, but he plays a much smaller role (with the potential to grow). The same can be said for the mysterious Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong'o) and Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) -The "winks and nods" to the IV-VI trilogy are all over the place. From the return of Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) aboard the Millennium Falcon, to some old droid friends, and even a lightsaber steeped in mythological significance, this film isn't shy in the least about hearkening back to the "good old days" of the original trilogy.
No doubt about it, this is a very entertaining, dramatic, and visually appealing Star Wars film.
Here's the problem, though, and the reason I can't give it the full star complement: To me, at least, it seemed a bit too derivative of "A New Hope" in terms of plot. "Large evil force builds unstoppable weapon that can only be defeated by a band of X-Wings by targeting a single location". Where have we heard that before? Even Rey being introduced out in the desert is very reminiscent of Luke's original family at the beginning of Episode IV. For a movie that does so well about developing new characters, re-introducing old ones, and continuing the important story lines, one has to wonder why certain parts are so derivative of what came before.
If I had to guess, I would say that hearkening so heavily back to the original trilogy was a way of establishing that this one was going to distance itself as far as possible from the controversial prequels. I find the prequels to have value, but many (most?) Star Wars fans don't share that point of view. So, perhaps this return to the conventions of the original trilogy is the greatest possible scenario for many fans. I was just a bit disappointed that a mind as creative as JJ Abrams' is couldn't think of something a little more original to represent the New Order/Resistance conflict.
Of course, there is also very much a sense of "delayed gratification" aspect of this film, as it is primarily setup. Many new ideas are thrown around and very few of them are expounded upon. There is a tantalizing teaser of a final scene that hopefully sets up a dynamite Episode VIII, but as I sit right now there are many unanswered questions. That's probably a good thing for the first third of a trilogy, but it just pushes "final judgment" out further to see if this setup will really payoff. I hope so.
Overall, "The Force Awakens" was a very entertaining movie that will enthrall Star Wars diehards and make millions of new, young fans too. I had fun watching it. I just can't give it that "classic" stamp of approval because of that lingering sensation that so many plot devices were taken from "A New Hope". Perhaps a second viewing will change my perspective (update: it did...for the better!).