A New Hope, but Not A New Movie

Rating: 7/10 (19 December 2015)

The direction the writers took the plot of this film is... well, safe. It will draw upon the nostalgia of the countless people who have seen the old star wars trilogy and considered them good films, but do not necessarily count themselves as big fans. This movie will continue to sell tickets, and we will continue to hear many moviegoers sing its praises.
****spoiler inside stars***************** Many of us who do consider ourselves loyal fans are met with an underwhelming homage to Episode IV A New Hope. I'll not go into any detail regarding character development, or holes in the plot, but I'm pretty sure if a giant weapon the size of a planet were to absorb the very star it was orbiting, there would be immediate and catastrophic consequences in that solar system. I know this fantasy, but come on........... ******************************************
The film isn't all bad. It had some very cool aerospace combat scenes, and on the whole was visually appealing. I gave this one a 7/10 because despite my disappointment, it's still Star Wars. The film succeeded in the sense that it will make money and keep the franchise alive under its new Disney umbrella, but it fails in even coming close generating the same kind of cult-following-inspiring, magical experience the old films did because it simply takes no risks whatsoever.