Star Wars returns, the force disappears

Rating: 4/10 (1 January 2016)

blockbuster franchise is back, and no matter how anyone feels after watching Episode VII, the box office returns are guaranteed. Major differences from Episode VI, being the director is J J Abrams (director of rival 'Star Trek' movies) and with minimum contribution from the original creator George Lucas.
Let's start with the good, especially the new characters. BB-8 is adorable bouncing around on a football and seeming to understand complex human analogies and deals. Rey as the scavenger from the planet Jakku plays her character most convincingly, except during the last fight (we'll come to that). Poe Damaron is the dashing star fighter pilot, reminiscent of the young Han Solo. Maz Kanata, the spectacled pirate with semi-knowledge about the force and eye-gazing. The other aspects are the special effects focusing on the feeling, the anxiety of stormtroopers going into a battle scene, vastness of the destroyer lying in ruins and flight of the Millennium Falcon (stealing some grace from USS Enterprise). Last, the goosebumps you get seeing masked Kylo Ren as the leader of First Order and a Sith Lord with an astonishing voice, lightsaber and dark force (well, till he takes off the mask).
While the plot tries to set-up another saga by creating an evil force against a clueless scavenger and stormtrooper turned resistance fighter, it goes wrong by completely ignoring the finer aspects of characters staying true. Thus we see FN-2187, a stormtrooper bred specifically to serve the First Order, suddenly changing over to Finn trying to side the resistance for the sake of a scavenger who kicks him down in the first place. And then Poe Damon disappears suddenly only to re-appear and lead fighters in the end. Han Solo (although well-tried by Mr.Ford) seems lost in space searching for his falcon as he's running away from his guilt, but has no trouble returning to fight with the resistance whom he had abandoned. Most appallingly, Kylo Ren embarrassingly reveals his face and identity losing all the magnificence and the power built before. He cowers in front of the scavenger, whom we may learn more of, in the next episode, thus depriving us of a character we have grown to expect through the year long trailers. Only silver lining was of R2-D2 waking up.
Being a movie you just can't skip due to it's franchise, you may want to wizen up before splurging on it's next few episodes. Oh, may the force be with us all.