Disappointing: repetitive and shallow

Rating: 4/10 (20 January 2016)

Having seen the original Star wars movies in theatres as an adult I am always cautious of sequels or prequels, which, statistically rarely live up to expectations. I do keep an open mind because there are exceptions, so I went into the Force Awakens with no preconceptions. So I was at first happy to see many of the features from the earlier films: the rolling yellow credits to the familiar spacecraft and actors. But it soon became clear JJ Abrams was going to play it safe by choosing all the 'choice bits' from the early movies and recycling them in a mechanical or predictable way.
Unfortunately The Force Awakens has no new stories to tell, interesting new characters or fresh plot... the same things happen here that were first presented in the first three movies.
Of course many of us knew the JJ Abrams was going to stamp his style of directing on this movie after showing us what he felt living in space would be like with his take on Star Trek. Unfortunately in my opinion he should have stuck with sitcom dramas. He doesn't have the scope, vision and adherence to authenticity that made Star Wars, Alien, 2001, and other classics so successful. He spins action and effects and has a shallow cookie cutter approach to characters.
Casting also weakens the movie. John Boyega was a poor choice. This potentially pivotal character lacks an awareness of his surroundings; his character acts funny or vulnerable but never shows depth. This is not about skin color; it's about believability. With Harrison Ford bowing out, I could never see him as credible in this role. Daisy Ridley does a fine job but again we never really see what she can do. It's as if Abrams is waiting to hear feedback on their performances and decide if he wants them back. They might as well of cast Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Rock in the roles. At least in Star Trek the choices for Shatner, Nimoy, Kelley were very believable both in appearance and acting.
As this movie has an IMDb eight plus rating (at this time), clearly many people, no doubt mostly younger viewers that didn't grow with the franchise, were impressed with the three pivotal returning characters and special; effects/action. But if you're still reading this, and you are of the age where script writing and on-screen relationship building are as, or more important than whizz-bang, you will be treated to an evening out that will leave you hungry.