The Force Awakens, and the Haters Keep Hating

Rating: 10/10 (28 December 2015)

*** CONTAINS SPOILERS *** I am beginning to think with all the shade being thrown at this movie that Star Wars fans have become the new Star Trek fans, working hard to find fault with just about anything that doesn't fit their pre-conceived imaginations. Have we not forgotten the utter betrayal that began in 1999, the year that essentially split fandom straight down the middle with the release of ::shudders:: 'The Phantom Menace'?? I've read some things that straight up made me laugh, like how TFA is somehow WORSE than the prequels, that Finn is the new Jar Jar Binks, and that this movie was somehow boring.
Some people say Force Awakens straight plagiarizes Star Wars (1977) (I refuse to call it A New Hope, nor do I lend any credence to the so-called Special Editions). And if you only look at the surface, like Starkiller Base is a super-sized Death Star, a bad guy (who used to be a good guy?) in a mask (Vader/Kylo Ren), Luke Skywalker is a hermit, an untrained Jedi grows up on a desert planet, Starkiller Base is attacked by X-Wings... I think I hit about everything.
Boy, sounds like a straight up remake doesn't it? WRONG. Consider these following points: Starkiller Base enables The First Order to simply level the playing field, by blowing up all the Republic planets at once, thereby taking away the Resistance's main source of power and influence over the galaxy. This enables The First Order to now become a formidable enemy. In STAR WARS, the galaxy was already controlled by the Empire, and the Death Star was used to eliminate the need for a centralized government to control the systems. So really, how else could they make such a balance possible? Now we have what will appear to be an even fight, which never existed before in the Classic Trilogy.
Kylo Ren is "family", but unlike the prior trilogy, his lineage isn't kept secret for long, and for good reason: because fan boys would invariably call it an EMPIRE rip off. So they do it right here, the facts come out matter-of-fact, keeping just enough mystery long enough to keep the audience engaged in the possibilities. Further, Kylo Ren was once Ben Solo, who, after a short time training under Luke turns against the new Jedi order, and is swayed by Snoke. We don't know much about Snoke yet, but the idea of a good guy switching sides isn't new even in the Prequel Trilogy (Count Dooku anyone?). Either way, Kylo Ren is far from an established figure, unlike Skywalker. Also, Vader required his mask at all time, whereas Kylo Ren chooses to wear the mask.
Luke Skywalker's hermitage is far removed from the position that Obi-Wan took. Obi-Wan was assigned the duty of watching over Luke. Luke has no charge, his exile self-imposed. And Rey comes to HIM, not the other way around. Rey's upbringing on Jakku makes Luke's upbringing on Tatooine look like Leia's upbringing on Alderaan. Seriously, she's scavenging for scraps and lives inside a crashed AT-AT. Luke had the support of his family, who looked successful enough to own a farm and buy droids. Rey works all day for half portions of food. And just because the film leads you to think that she may be Luke's daughter doesn't mean she is, give the next movie a chance to go deeper into that. But, oh yeah, these haters know everything don't they? The film had two jobs: be entertaining and introduce a new generation of characters. If Disney did not use familiar terrain to tell its story, the film and its characters would be disregarded as non-Star Wars. The use of familiar terrain is also important in introducing the aforementioned GREY AREAS BETWEEN THE BLACK AND WHITE. How could they do that without reintroducing so many elements to this generation? You see, Disney did use elements from the Expanded Universe, and internet trolls are bitching about it. Well, if Disney did NOT use any of those elements, those same trolls will come out saying how Disney SHOULD have used the EU.
The first time I saw the film, I did have my worries. I felt the film did not satisfy my imagination, that it was a bit of a remake, because I was trying so hard during my first viewing to find what I wanted to find out of it. I saw the film a second time, and all those concerns went right out the window. The film is fast, at point relentless in action, but the point is every scene with any form of exposition is told using creativity, not "shot-reverse shot" methods of sitting on a couch we've come to associate with the prequels. The humor in this film is excellent, relationships flow naturally, and we can see why they are together by the end. And, MOST IMPORTANTLY, The Force is not ruined, and lightsabers are overused. The fights are not overly choreographed, but they seem and feel real. Be wary of people who like to share their thoughts so quickly. I decided to simply give it a second shot before making up my mind, and I wasn't disappointed.
Now, I suppose this film doesn't really deserve a 10/10. I think it should be 8/10, but thanks to the existence of the prequels, and how the film managed to avoid all the mistakes the prequels made, it deserves the two bonus stars for FINALLY give the world a FOURTH Star Wars picture. Looking forward to the next two.