Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

Well, here we are.  Almost 40 years ago, Star Wars Episode IV captivated the nation and created a franchise that's remained a pop culture force (and merchandising gold mine) ever since.  I grew up with the original trilogy (OT)- Episodes IV-VI (released 1977-1983); The prequel trilogy (PT)- Episodes I-III (released 1999-2005)- was not well-received, doomed by horrendous dialogue, poor acting, over-reliance on CG, and oddities epitomized by a character named Jar Jar Binks.  Now, for the first time, we get a story set after Episode VI, and see how Han, Leia and company have fared.  The following review contains no spoilers, and only references things seen in the trailers.

Episode VII: The Force Awakens takes place roughly 30 years after Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.  The Empire, defeated (but not extinguished) in ROTJ, has morphed into the First Order.  The Rebellion has become the Resistance.  A cast of new characters (Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, and the droid BB-8) link up with some familiar faces to take on the evil Kylo Ren and his First Order minions.  Can the Resistance possibly prevail?

This movie left me feeling a range of things.  I can't speak more of the plot without spoiling things, so I'll leave you with a list of pros and cons about other elements:

Pros:
- It has better acting and dialogue (than the prequels).  Much better.  This ain't Shakespeare, but I didn't visibly wince at anything (like I did for Episodes I-III).
- There's more realism (or 'physicality') than the prequels.  Director JJ Abrams did well to return to Star Wars roots, and film as much as possible using 'real' (vs. CG) actors, troopers, etc.
- The film pays homage to the originals without being over the top (most of the time).  Plot, character, and dialogue similarities are incorporated, sometimes in unique ways.
- It blends a good mix of humor, action, and suspense.  There were several laugh-out-loud moments, and some scenes had me on the edge of my seat.
- There are some big reveals and plot twists.  Abrams did a good job avoiding leaks, and I was genuinely surprised in places.

Cons:
- The movie is too fast-paced.  The film has a lot of ground to cover- introducing new characters, integrating old, moving the story forward- and the development was quite rushed (in places, ridiculously so).  In hindsight, the originals probably were, too, but as an adult viewer I'm more aware of things like that.
- It doesn't stand alone.  To fully appreciate this movie- or even understand it- you  have to be familiar with the originals.  This is a problem in general with Marvel (also owned by Disney) and their universe.  Movies are becoming epic TV episodes.  To that end, see the next point.
- Age shows.  Some of the original cast looked like borderline cripples.
- It looks way too much like Episode IV: A New Hope.
- It leaves a lot unexplained.  I definitely wanted more (which is a good thing), but part of the reason was they didn't explain as much as I expected.  In a movie I felt would 'reveal all,' I felt only partially sated.  Again, I sense they're saving more for Episodes VIII, IX, and beyond.  Think "cash cow."

Conclusion
My expectations for this were so high it would be hard to come away completely satisfied, and I'm not.  But I can't say I'm disappointed or outraged, either.  Mark Hamill, when interviewed about the film, said this: "nothing's changed, really.  I mean, everything's changed, but nothing's changed.  That's the way you want it to be."  And it's true here.  Abrams avoided some of the problems in the prequels and returned to the roots of the originals, but retained (or introduced) other flaws that leave me a bit on edge as I look to the future.  He had a hard job, overall, and did reasonably well with it- but let's see how it goes from here.

Rating: B+


December 2019 update: I re-watched this film with my children.  The above still holds, but its similarity to Episode IV grated on me more than previously; the lack of originality is a real disappointment.

New rating: B-