Star Wars: The Force is for Everyone Apparently

Rating: 2/10 (19 February 2016)

Context: I grew up on these films. I didn't think the first trilogy was the "best thing ever made," but the story was gripping, the material was fresh, and I couldn't get enough of it. Hell, I can still remember playing the pod racer game on N64 after episode 1 came out and every time I would race, would relive the stories in my mind.
It has become abundantly clear after sitting through this cash-cow that one can ascertain from fairly obvious decision-making for this film the following notions:
1) There was NO intention of contributing to an amazing story. Instead the saga ripped-off general focal points from the previous films...
Just to name a few: a larger Death Star, the same weapon/laser-beam on this larger Death Star, the only weakness of said giant Death Star, the only villain wearing a Vader-like mask.
2) Success of the film largely will be based on (A) appealing to small children who cannot look away from bright shiny light and CGI effects, (B) loyal fans of the first trilogy who managed to hang in there for the 2nd trilogy (somewhat of a train-wreck) through introducing original cast-mates strategically over a 2-hour period forcing us to sit tight to the end.
They made things even more apparent by recreated Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina on Tatooine. Throughout the entire film, I simply could not stop thinking that I was being tricked into paying just because they took advantage of my appreciation for the earlier movies.
3) I briefly mentioned this, but it bears repeating: THE STORY WAS AWFUL!!! Little more could have been done to show how J.J. Abrams felt about this one... Sure, I'll credit him with a great rendition of Star Trek, but in Ep-7 I found it extremely difficult not to feel like during the development phase, he would often write a bit and then get bored with it whereby taking a huge bowel movement on that particular piece and proceeding on to the next scene.
For example, when Han Solo finally reunited with Leia (aka Princess Leia) after 30 years... boy oh boy was that one of the most poorly designed representations of long-lost love between two people: upon seeing one another they put on a sad face whereby Chewbacca walks by and pats her on the back in such a casual way as if to say "Whats up Laya."
This one gets two stars!
I cannot help but feel some attachment to seeing Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher in their original roles just one last time.
Ultimately, what made this entire experience a failure, was how the following two items were depicted: (1)The Force, (2)the Lightsabre.
(1)THE FORCE: The fabric which lines this fantastically designed mythical world which has so much history. The Force was offered up as little more than a "trick" which may be learned with little training or dedication to having a greater understanding. Remember how long Luke spent trying to uncover all the different ways which the force encapsulates his world? He would duel blindfolded with a drone, gain incites into future events, connect with his sister through feeling the force, fetching the lightsaber out of snow while tied up in a cave about to be eaten by a yeti... you get the idea. Yet Rey spends about 2 minutes repeating a few words to a guard, thereby forcing him to release her, having completely harnessed something Luke doesn't manage for a greater portion of his time as a Jedi, well past the point where his training is announced as complete by Yoda. It felt as if the writers simply were instructed to skip addressing this aspect of Rey because it would take away from all the cheap, effortless ways by which to garner more paying viewers.
(2)LIGHTSABER: How many different people were going to casually whip out Luke's lightsaber during tight situations? It was ridiculous how often this would occur...
But I digress... I shan't keep you away any longer...
If you're a small child or never cared for any of the originals, then this film is for you. But for everyone else out there who grew up on the first trilogy, it has been despicable to see how these people have taken advantage of such an amazing story in exchange for ticket sales...
Having said all that, I am beginning to question the ratings. At one point this site was the most reliable source for film reviews (Rotten Tomatoes always seemed to be the biased place), however after seeing the overall rating and many of the initial reviews (of which I AM CERTAIN the consensus for this film is not in the 80% range), this site is losing the usefulness it once had.
And a "Top 250", no less? Yea right... The review system is losing its validity. Now I notice a pattern immediately after release whereby numerous fake accounts are created which then give raving 10-star reviews. It's so clear what is happening there, but IMDb seems not to have a solution nor want to fix the problem.
----- 2/10 STARS -------- Review by Searsino -----