The strongest of the new trilogy.

Rating: Null/10 (17 May 2020)

A new empire rose. A young man fell to the Dark Side. A Stormtrooper rebelled. The Force awakened in a young hero. Lightsabers ignited. An old Jedi Master removed his hood.
In 2015, these images were enthralling to see. A sweet summer child I was back then, and visions danced through my head of what wonders the new generation of Star Wars would bring us next.
Alas, I am writing this from 2020. I am a man now. A man who has witnessed the horrors that this new generation of Star Wars actually wrought. It's genuinely hard for me to revisit "The Force Awakens" now, for the express purpose that I actually really enjoy it. It's certainly the strongest movie of the sequel trilogy. There's a certain irony to this, as it is brazenly and unabashedly the same movie as "Star Wars: A New Hope" with a new coat of paint.
Back in 2015, this was somehow its strongest suit and its greatest flaw simultaneously. It was just so exhilarating to be back in this universe, and for the forefront of the universe to once again be its wild adventures and scrappy underdog sensibilities. It was fun to see a new cast of likable characters come together and learn about the universe as they learned about themselves.
The beat-for-beat aping of a previous story in the same franchise was excusable at the time, because director JJ Abrams sprinkled in just enough seeds of intrigue to promise us that the direction would start to veer into its own unique story. Now that the promise has turned up empty, the derivativeness certainly doesn't do itself any favors anymore.
So how is one meant to judge something that's only part of a whole? How is one meant to view an enjoyable movie when that movie only tells part of the story, and the rest of the story doesn't live up? I don't know the answers to these questions. I just know I'll be watching the original trilogy instead.