A beautiful setup for a new story.

Rating: 9/10 (18 December 2015)

Some people seem to think this is nothing more than a nostalgia fest, and pure fan service. That Disney and JJ Abrams played it too safe. I don't think people understand what this movie is. The references and call backs were not about fan service. Well maybe they were a little about fan service, but what it actually is, is a farewell to the old and a greetings to the new. The reason for all the reference and nostalgia was to make sure that the Original Trilogy had its proper send off. Did they go a little overboard? Yes, but it does not take away from the new story. Some people also keep saying that this new story is too similar to the old one. That the characters and story mirror each other to closely. I don't see that as the case. Yes the conflict is the same, but the conflict is always the same, even in the real world. History repeats itself. The individual stories and conflicts seem very different to me. In the original trilogy it was Luke's destiny from birth that he must face his father and defeat him to bring balance to the force. This new movie starts with the force pretty much balanced Kylo Ren is not yet strong enough to cause such an imbalance. Rey's purpose in this movie, as the new champion of the light side, is not to bring balance to the force, but simply to fight a war against the dark side. I don't think people completely understand what the force is. The force is an entity, but the light and dark side are not separate philosophies of this entity. They are themselves entities that control the galaxy. They are almost like brother and sister in the fact that they are constantly fighting each other. This film, and I believe this new trilogy, is going to be about a war between the light and the dark. In which each has chosen their champion. This is not a story of balance and redemption, like the OT was, it is a story of war. Also for those complaining about how Rey, who had zero Jedi training, could so easily take on Kylo Ren it's simple. In episode four the force was described, by Obi-Wan, as something that both controls your actions and obeys your command. The reason Rey was able to take on Kylo Ren was because the light side of the force was using her to fight its war against the dark.