Should one 'kill the father'? I've got a mixed feeling about this

Rating: 7/10 (17 December 2015)

This was never going to be an easy task. We left our heroes 30 years ago, forever frozen in a state of happy ending. Any re-opening of the story, after such a long time, was going to clash with the fond memories and 'what happens next' fantasies we each had. Especially if that involved killing off characters we grew up thinking 'would live happily ever after'. Therefore, if one excludes cynical considerations (money to be made), JJ Abrams and the teams involved must be congratulated for their courage in taking on the challenge.
And on many levels, they deliver. First, the movie is downright FUN. New characters Rey, Finn, BB-8 and Poe work greatly, their initial interactions are very enjoyable to watch, with just the right amount of character development, one-liners and smart novelties. It seldom feels forced or self-aware (unlike Guardians of the Galaxy, for instance). Secondly, the interaction between that new generation and Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2 is also great fun. On that front, there is near-perfect balance between nostalgia/respect for the past and the fun and impetus of the new generation. The heavy winks to the past by Han Solo are easily forgiven, if not actually appreciated. This all makes for a solid start for the new generation.
Because that part is fun, we initially overlook the fact that pretty much 80% of the situations and plot devices are directly copy/pasted from episode 4 (and 5/6/1). In fact, the déjà-vu situations, culminating with yet another Death Star(!), suggest that JJ Abrams, aware of the difficulties inherent to re-booting such a monument, understandably felt the need to "play it safe" to a large extent.
Things become a bit more difficult to accept as we are introduced to the villains of the First Order. The father-son relationship between Solo and Ben/Kylo Ren could have been a clever mirror to - and variation on - the Luke/Anakin relationship. Sadly, the character of Kylo Ren is not introduced as well the other new main characters. As a result, the death of Han Solo is not as rewarding as it should have been. This is my biggest beef with the film. Killing off Solo was already going to be a tough thing to stomach for the above-mentioned audience who grew up with the memories of the first trilogy. But doing so in a somewhat rushed way feels unfair to the audience. Don't get me wrong, the scene makes sense plot-wise, but because Ben/Ren is essentially still a 'nobody' to us the audience, the death of Solo is simply frustrating.
Was JJ Abrams symbolically killing father Lucas? Was this the only way he could find to mark the transition between old and new? It is also frustrating because the first half of the film seemed to leave the door open for a smooth, peaceful yet fun transition between old and new. Did he 'dare' the wrong things to make up for an otherwise very safe plot? Did he cram too much in one movie? If they were going for the death of Solo, I believe it could have taken place in a second episode, after some more character development. Notably out of respect for the old fans but maybe that is precisely where my vision is clouded! :)