Another failed attempt to recapture the magic

Rating: 1/10 (31 January 2016)

In 1999 Star Wars creator George Lucas finally began to give us his view on the events that led to Star Wars IV, V and VI. The first Star Wars trilogy was, as we all know, a milestone in cinema history and it's not easy to top something like that. He didn't succeed to top the original trilogy and although successful commercially, fans weren't all to impressed with the prequels. The story was flat, the characters annoying and the special effects too clean. It could be that this even led to his decision to sell off his Lucasfilm and all the rights to the Star Wars imperium. Disney picked up those rights. Maybe because they thought they could do better. Well, commercially they were right. But better films? Their first installment isn't that impressive. It's worse than The Phantom Menace.
Let's get one thing straight: even though it picks up 30 years after Star Wars VI, this is not a sequel. This is a remake. J.J. Abrams tries to get back to the feel of the original trilogy. But essentially copies the storyline of Star Wars IV A New Hope. Okay, so that's disappointing. But let's see where this goes. Abrams then proceeds to give us some awkward comic relief scenes, deep friendships within two minutes of meeting each other and some wooden dialogue. The new bad guy is a spoiled brat who has a tendency for tantrums (and commands the largest army in the galaxy?) and a Supreme Leader who is a hologram. Too make a long story short: I wasn't all too impressed. It's just another failed attempt to recapture the magic of the much loved first three films from the seventies and eighties.
Was it all bad? No, off course not. Abrams knows how to direct action and impress with fine special effects. The casting of John Boyega is a courageous move and commercially smart. Too bad that his character comes off as more annoying than brave. Same goes for the character Kylo Ren. That I am not a fan off Adam Driver does not help either. Newcomer Ridley does hit the right tone and impresses as the new lead character. The familiar faces of Han Solo, Princess Leia and Chewbakka appear, but does that help? They don't bring anything new or fresh. Except for one pivotal scene near the end, which to be fair, was very well done.
It's the first installment, maybe it needs to gain momentum. But The Fellowship of the Ring and Star Wars IV were first installments too and they impressed the hell out of people. There are two other films coming in the next years. But this first one just is not all it's hyped up to be.