A familiar successor

Rating: 8/10 (27 October 2018)

This review contains spoilers.
Star Wars Episode VII - The Force Awakens is the sequel to Star Wars Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. The Force Awakens is the first entry to the Star Wars sequel trilogy. The movie is directed by J.J. Abrams and written by Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams, and Michael Arndt. The movie has Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, and Peter Mayhew reprising their roles of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, C-3PO, and Chewbacca respectively. The new cast is composed of Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn, and Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron. The story follows the rise of the First Order as they seek a missing Luke Skywalker.
The Force Awakens is a rehash of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. The plot and story structure is incredibly similar. Both movies start with a droid having an important object that wanters and encounters the character that will become a Jedi. The villains build a superweapon that destroys a planet. The movie ends with the characters destroying the superweapon. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens played it too safe. There is not much originality in this Star Wars episode. I am hard pressed to think of what story or plot that this movie does differently. The only things that are different are its environment, characters, and technology.
The environment looks the same and is named differently. Jakku and Tatooine function the same way with regards to its plot. Likewise, the movie explored different planets that are pretty to look at but are vapid. The characters in this movie are different. The highlight here is John Boyega as Finn. I enjoyed his character arc where he goes from a First Order trooper to a Resistance fighter. Poe Dameron does not get as much screen time but he does well in the movie. Daisy Ridley as Rey is the star in this movie and she does well in her role. What is not good is Rey as a character.
Rey is a bland character. I had hoped there would be more of a character arc with her, but this mostly involves her use of Force powers instead of interesting character interactions. The only good character interactions she had is with Han Solo. Even with her interaction it was all to show how adept she is at every skill she employs. This is the main difference and why I thought Finn is a better character. He had his shortcomings but still had a conflict. By the end of the movie, he had tried overcoming them and had more involved character interactions across the movie.
Even with the flaws above, the movie does a good job with everything else. The movie uses its action and effects well. Every action moment plays an important event in the story. The action is also well-shot and directed. J.J. Abrams can make an exciting science-fiction movie. The main scene that is well done is the X-Wing fight on Takodana.
Overall, I would recommend Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
Grade: B