12/19/2015 - Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) - 6+/10

JJ has a knack for fanishly absorbing properties, digesting them, and then adequately regurgitating their base elements for a satisfying facsimile. Enjoyable but often a bit inert.

I think the thing that is driving the love for this film and its overwhelming success is it's "old warm blanket" feel. Growing up and indoctrination are the streaming lifeblood of Star Wars. The nostalgia bomb blows up in all of our faces with this film, allowing joyous waves of flame to happily engulf our childhood pleasure centers. This is a celebratory fire that licks at our eyeballs, burning images of what we have already seen in an oh-so-familiar pattern but with a fresh veneer. The issue with this blaze is that it singes the cloak of the new, sacrificing inventiveness and inception "Wicker Man" style.

Maybe I am being too hard on this film. It was much more coherent, focused, sensible, acted, directed, edited, and overall constructed than any of the prequels. It was fun and comfortable. It just lacked exceeding quality, had major plot holes, and clung to nostalgia more than forging its own path. I wanted more than that. I wanted a great film on its own, not an "alright flick for a Star Wars film".

The logical problems and story issues were so bothersome to me. Rey is a Mary Sue, and though I like the idea of the character, she in practice MAKES. NO. SENSE. (In retrospect, I have softened this stance some. She still feels too perfect and amazingly advanced for the what the plot needs at every turn. She is quite likable though). That is a problem. Fin was flat and Poe was underutilized. The oldies felt stuffed in. I like Kylo's emo petulance, but he is not scary. Vader he is not. Snope was a humorous Voldemort dupe. None of the "secret weapon" elements conformed to rationality. Han, Leia, and Luke all seem like awful parents/quitters. These are the same characters we loved? Maz was a worthless throwaway. More, but I grow weary of crapping on a franchise I used to love.

This movie does have some terrific and moving shots. It is hard not to have some modicum of fun and enjoy the sentimentality in what is happening. It is competently handled and the admiration for the trilogy is palpable throughout. But such things can only take you so far and I had hoped that this opportunity to blaze a new trail and deliver something grand would be utilized. Unfortunately, we got the safe and average.