The Abrams Awakens

Rating: 9/10 (16 December 2015)

In 2005 I was in a massive, packed theater on opening day for "Revenge of the Sith", convinced it would be the final "Star Wars" movie. The mood was electric, the audience was buzzing with excitement and there were massive cheers and applause every time a new character appeared on screen. It was an incredible moment and one I was sure I'd never experience again.
In 2015 I was in a massive, packed theater on opening day for "The Force Awakens". There was a smattering of applause at the beginning and end of the film and when the Falcon, Han Solo and Chewbacca first appear. There were also a few laughs for a couple of scenes. Other than that, silence. Walking out of the theater, surrounded by hundreds of moviegoers, no one uttered a word. Everyone just shuffled out in a deathly quiet.
Now don't get me wrong, "The Force Awakens" is a fantastic movie and the best thing JJ Abrams has ever done. However it also underwhelmed me in a way Episodes I to III never did. There is enough good, even great in it, and I have enough good will towards the series to name it my favorite film of the year, but I also have major problems with it, which range from the outer packaging all the way to the creamy center.
Everything you feared since hearing JJ Abrams was directing has come to pass (lens flares aside). His obsession with the first three films as well as "real sets, practical effects" is taken much too far. You can see everything coming from a mile away, none of the mysteries and twists work and there is zero emotional weight to the film. The endeavor also suffers from a major case of telling rather than showing and as such we are pleadingly being asked to love our new heroes rather than liking them of our own volition.
Of the new characters, Snoke and Hux are great, Kylo Ren is the weakest villain the series has ever had, Captain Phasma is useless, Rey and Finn are fine, Poe Dameron makes no impression whatsoever and BB-8 is pretty cool but very redundant.
Again it's a great film, and I'll see it again in theaters. Just be careful to keep your hype in check.