Read Negative User Reviews for Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens

3

abydosMar 25, 2017

The worst Star Wars movie ever. Not give new things only the old one story. "Deathstar" khm... again a planet destroyer super weapon, again weak rebellion and the worst "empire" ever

4 of 5 users found this helpful41

All this user's reviews

3

TitaniumDragonDec 27, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. If this hadn't had "Star Wars" attached to it, it would have been panned. As it is quite bad.

This movie is a rehash of Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope. Star destroyer at start? Check. Attack on rebels resulting in capture of one rebel while droid escapes with important data on it? Check. Droid finds force-sensitive person (who is likely the child of another character) on a desert planet, who shows remarkable piloting ability? Check (heck, hasn't this happened three times now?). Rebel escapes from bad guys with help of reluctant ally? Check. Force sensitive person escapes desert planet on Millenium Falcon just ahead of the Empire? Check.

The list goes on. And none of this is even a spoiler, really, because YOU'VE ALREADY SEEN STAR WARS.

Seriously, that's how bad this movie is. Literally everything in it, from the new not-Death Star to the death of the old mentor, is just a rehash of the original. Yes, there are some differences... but the ways in which it differs actually makes it worse.

The original cast returns, and Han, Leia, and Chewbacca are highlights of the movie. Han and Chewie play a major role and are main characters, even. I was kind of disappointed that Han was randomly off on his own again, as it was very jarring when he showed up and seemed to show little interest in the Resistance, but it made sense after a while. Well, a marginal amount of sense. Chewie was Chewie, and he worked just fine. Leia is okay, but something of a bit part, which is true of C3PO and R2D2 as well, both of whom play very marginal roles but get to show off their character.

However, the new characters essentially all suck.

Finn, the rebel stormtrooper, is inconsistently characterized, and while him being terrified and something of a coward is reasonable, he suggests that the reason he fled was that he wasn't willing to kill people... and then he instantly turns around and kills a ton of his former friends without any hesitation. He alternates between cowardice and killing lots of people for much of the movie, and it is terrible. He has no real depth of character, no particularly interesting speech patterns, nothing. He's just boring.

Rey, the movie's Luke expy, is a worse character than Luke in every way. She more closely resembles Anakin Skywalker from The Phantom Menace, including in her bizarre ability to instantly do a ton of things that it took other characters a lot of training to learn how to do. This sucks and it makes no sense - Luke spent three movies learning how to become a Jedi, and was wary of the light saber, while Rey gets in a lightsaber duel the first time she picks it up (and Finn also uses it effectively, which seems questionable - how did a storm trooper learn how to use a light saber?). She is a whiner who is waiting for her parents to come back, even though it is obvious to everyone that she has been abandoned by her parents, and it seems likely she is Luke’s daughter. She is bland, boring, and often takes actions (like running away on a random planet) which makes no sense and feels redundant with Finn's own status as a reluctant hero.

Poe is a resistance fighter who is the Rebel Alliance’s best pilot and who flies around an x-wing. He disappears for a good chunk of the film and seems very generic – he’s just a generic rebel pilot. I wasn’t surprised when he was killed off, I didn’t even recognize him when he showed back up again because he was so forgettable, and his personality, like the others’, was very bland and generic. He was no reluctant hero, but I am forced to wonder why he wasn’t with the other two characters for most of the movie – he could have served as a logical pilot versus Rey’s sudden ability to fly the Millenium Falcon, he could have gotten more characterization, and he could have served as more of a core to the team. His death didn’t incite any feelings in me, and when he doesn’t die after all, I didn’t care either.

BB-8, the new droid, is, quite sadly, the most well-characterized of the new characters. This is sad because he has no actual ability to speak at all, and has to rely entirely on body language. He serves as comedic relief, but feels redundant when the other droids show up.

And then there is the new villain, Kylo Ren, AKA Ben, a helmeted Darth Vader expy with a red lightsaber (with a hilt of sorts), a deep, menacing voice, and a Jedi who turned to the Dark Side of the Force. In the world’s most shocking moment, he turns out to be related to one of the heroes as well.

Seriously.

While there is some logic here – the character idolizes Darth Vader, and wants to be like him – the sad thing is that greatly damages him as a person. Darth Vader was awesome, but Kylo Ren ends up coming off as a wannabe. He’s violent and deadly, to be sure, but he’s more like a manchild than a cold, dark general. Indeed, the entire First Order comes off this way – a bunch of kids playing at being the Empire, rather than brutal dictators. It robs the film of gravitas.… Expand

40 of 69 users found this helpful4029

All this user's reviews

3

gloukasDec 27, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First off, I am not a Star Wars Fan Boy. I have no Bias. I just watched the entire 6 Star Wars films two years ago and thoroughly enjoyed them all, even the Prequels. Despite some of the Prequels shortfalls, the villains were still great, the Characters great, and the plot and character development excellent and very "Star Wars"

The Force Awakens is not just the worst Star Wars Movie, it is one of the worst and most diluted movies I have ever seen. It is on my top 10 worst movies list (excluding ridiculous no-budget goof movies like CHUD etc).

The villain is an absolute goofball. He is not scary or serious at all. We get no time to get to know the characters. Finn changes personalities way too fast. Not only that, but by the previews he seemed like a serious, emotional character. But it turns out he was just a goofball clown and an unlovable hero. Very disappointed with his Characters lack of power and presence.

The plot. WTF? It jumps all over the place. One minute its on track going to find Luke where it could have taken us on a fun treasure hunt and many different places to find him and gather clues. Instead time was wasted on the most useless scenes that wasted screen time. Like when they find Han Solo and suddenly monsters are loose and that takes like 10-15 minutes.....I kept waiting for it to end so the Journey could start. The rest of the Characters and scenes were forgettable.

Next thing you know suddenly all these planets blow up and there is a new Deathstar and the entire Resistance is about to be annihilated.......where the hell did that come from? WHAT IS GOING ON?? NOW GOLEM IS IN THE MOVIE??!??!?! WHERE ID GOLEM COME FROM?!?!?!

I also have to point out how absolutely awful and outplayed their attempt was to make the Stormtroopers look like Nazis......really. **** ridiculous. It also really ruined the scary unsolved mystery the stormtroopers were. Even though we learned what they were, there was some mystery there.

Han Solos death which should have been a massive massive moment was so predictable. It had no build up. It should have struck so much harder, but it was so rushed. I still wasn't even sure what the hell was going on at that point.

No review got it more right than the Vatican associated newspaper. I am not religious, I am an "Athiest" (I just consider myself born neutral but ok). They tried to paint it out as a joke and religion influenced, but it is the most accurate, credible and unbiased review since Im pretty sure Disney wasnt advertising on their website and publication. If you haven't read it, go check it out.

Too bad. So much could have been done and I LOVED JJ Abrams Star Trek Pictures. But man, What a FLOP this was. Top 10 worst movies I have EVER seen!!! The ONLY good thing in the movie was Rey. Not her Character, but her acting. She stole the show and that very very very last moment with her and Luke did get me to tingle a bit. Other than that, just absolutely awful.

Thanks for reading.… Expand

33 of 57 users found this helpful3324

All this user's reviews

3

goblin6Dec 29, 2015

Visually interesting but poorly written, characters were one dimensional and plot was unimaginative. Making a bigger death star and spending five seconds planning to destroy it with the same idea ripped off from episodes IV and VI wasVisually interesting but poorly written, characters were one dimensional and plot was unimaginative. Making a bigger death star and spending five seconds planning to destroy it with the same idea ripped off from episodes IV and VI was completely asinine. The only good thing about this shiny turd is that episode IV and V keep looking better and better. All three writers deserve the blame for this mindless tripe but I smell more Toy Story than Empire Strikes Back. Hopefully Disney's check will bounce and Lucas can quietly repossess the franchise and prevent any further suffering for the fans.… Expand

82 of 139 users found this helpful8257

All this user's reviews

3

kamgeforceDec 23, 2015

Super safe approach of J.J. Abrams and the need not to anger fans made Force Awakens incredibly boring, predictable and disappointing. It is New hope remake with tons of fanservice and agenda that is as obnoxious as it is obvious.

15 of 36 users found this helpful1521

All this user's reviews

3

3lusiveDec 31, 2016

One of the worst Star Wars films ever. Boring, boring, and boring. In complete contrast to Rogue One, this has nothing that makes the other film great. The story didn't grip me in any shape or form, it has childish drawn-out scenes, theOne of the worst Star Wars films ever. Boring, boring, and boring. In complete contrast to Rogue One, this has nothing that makes the other film great. The story didn't grip me in any shape or form, it has childish drawn-out scenes, the villains are pathetic (one is CGI and the lead villain is a geeky, lanky college student who cannot hold a lightsaber correctly), and there is no tension. The lead female is not particularly likeable either.

Blows my mind how people have rated this so highly when, to me, it's a clearly a poorly balanced and executed film. Avoid the disappointment and watch Rogue One.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

All this user's reviews

3

RexxRacerXDec 18, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Characters:
I’m OK with the 3 new characters on the light side:
Rey was fantastic, I loved Daisy Ridley, she was outstanding in the role.
Poe was equally engaging, I liked his snarky wit and enthusiasm.
BB8 was magic, nice to see an advancement on the droid front since 1977! (And he now takes USB flash drives!)
FiNn was decent as well. I loved John Boyega and the enthusiasm he brought to the role. They all bring their share of great acting moments, lighthearted jokes, and “humanize” the film. I have many, many story related questions about these characters, and I think we’re supposed to after this film, but I enjoyed all of them.
Having Han, Leia, Luke, 3PO, and R2 back feels like a warm sweater, although I have questions on Abrams’ treatment/usage of several characters as it relates to the story. I’ll get to that in a bit, for now let’s just leave it as great to see those old friends.
The neutral characters were largely forgettable, except for Maz, whom I enjoyed. She was a good addition to the second act and added story elements to a very sparse landscape, and I appreciated that. (More on the story to come)
Now onto the dark side:
We’ll start with Supreme Leader Snoke, (or is this JJ’s version of his smoke monster from Lost?) We never see him “in the flesh” and that was annoying to me. There was no character depth for Snoke at all, no reasoning why he was the leader of the First Order, why he seduced Kylo Ren, how, when, etc. He just felt like a cardboard character.
Kylo Ren. AKA, whiniest dark side character ever. Not much story surrounding him, or why he was estranged from his parents. No reason why, how, or when, or heck even “if” he was the Jedi seduced into destroying Luke’s Jedi Academy. I’ll assume he was, having no other indication, coupled with the fact that Luke is his uncle and Leia saying that’s why she wanted Luke to train him. I’m fairly certain he must be the one. I’ll save more for the story part, but this character was the flimsiest bad guy we’ve encountered in Star Wars to date. No story about why he is aligned with the First Order, he’s just a bad guy.
Captain Phasma (Fasma?) I’ll have to be honest right here, I had to go look up her name. That’s how little they spent even showing this character, not to mention developing any story about how or why she is a Captain in the First Order. I found it very puzzling that the only character wearing chrome storm trooper gear was relegated to about 15 lines of dialogue, and apparently a garbage chute.
General Hitler (I don’t remember his name either, and honestly just don’t care) Things are different in JJ’s Star Wars universe, seemingly. I saw several times that this character should have been force choked, and for some reason Kylo Ren seemed to cower to him. Why was he allowed to facetime the Supreme Leader Smoke Monster with “Ben”? No backstory on why he’s a General. No story about his relationship with Snoke, why he’s with the First Order, seeing a pattern here?
Characters are vital to a story. Especially one as grandiose of a Space Opera as Star Wars. Having cardboard cutout characters really cheapens the story for me, and I feel that justice was not done for any character other than FiNn and Rey.

Pacing:
I found the pacing of the film to be horrible. There were no crescendos of emotion invoked at all like previous films. 90% of the movie I imagined that it was what an ADHD person experiences. The other 10% was plodding and unnecessary. For example, we had the scene of Han and Chewy capturing the Falcon adrift, and the ensuing dialogue and cgi monster brawl. It was just all unnecessary. It would have been better to have Han reintroduced playing a card game to win back the Falcon from the person who stole it from the person who stole it from the person who stole it from Han. This gives more time to character development and storytelling rather than another unnecessary throw away action sequence.
I also could have done without one of the three distinct dogfight scenes. The one at Maz’s castle is the one I would remove, it’s also unnecessary. Just have the First Order win the raid fight and retreat as overwhelming resistance is coming in with Rey in captivity, this would have served the same purpose, taken less time, and also opened up much needed dialogue between Han, FiNn, and “Ben”.
The movie just felt like a starter’s gun went off at the start and it was just go, go, go for the whole thing.

Story:
I’ll be brutally honest to start this section. The story of this movie was horrible, in my opinion. I was a fan of the EU Thrawn trilogy, and felt it was a much stronger vehicle than what Lucasfilm and Disney presented to us in The Force Awakens.
The crawl goes by and we learn that Luke is missing. Some people called the First Order, and a resistance led by Leia are looking for him. Leia sends a pilot on a spy mission. Um, OK, what? Why would she send Poe? That makes no sense. Are there no longer any Bothans to die for this information?
Next we meet a character named Lor San Tekka, a seemingly “in the know” character, who refers to Leia as royalty, not a General, and in short order reconfirms he is more than a village leader on a backwater planet by the knowing dialogue between Van Sydow and Kylo Ren. Then he’s brutally murdered by Kylo Ren. WTF? And Kylo Ren can pause/freeze laser blasts in mid air. Which is light, so my BS meter went off for the first time right here.
And there’s a Storm Trooper with bloody fingerprints on his helmet, seeming losing his mind. We meet an ominous Captain of Stormtroopers clad in shiny chrome, and surely this character will be integral to the story as it progresses.
Next we see Rey scavenging, we find out scavenging doesn’t pay very well, and she’s been holed up in that AT-AT for a long time. Or she just really sucks at tic-tac-toe. We learn that a battle must have taken place here by all of the wreckage and debris, but nothing is made of it or explained. OK… so, it’s all just scenery? Oh, and she conveniently rescued BB8 a mere 10 feet from her AT-AT abode, and can apparently speak several languages, including droid beep-boop-bop.
FiNn, the Stormtrooper losing his mind during the opening raid then rescues Poe, because he’s decided he needs to escape the First Order. He quickly learns how to fire guns from a 2 seater TIE fighter, that are apparently swivel-turret mounted now. There are problems with the escape, but I’ll suspend my disbelief about how easily they got out of a hanger full of troopers, as it’s been done before in the Star Wars Universe.
FiNn then finds himself alone back on Jakka, and makes his way to meet Rey and BB8 conveniently. He also knows BB8’s name without being told what it is. A minor plot hole, but important foreshadowing into the rest of the movie. BB8 fashion police’s the jacket he’s now wearing as belonging to Poe, just as a raid begins on the outpost causing them to hide, then flee once an airstrike begins.
So let’s digest these opening scenes for a moment. First, that’s a lot of coincidences. All of these things happen to occur to put these characters together, but it’s a bit forced. I would have had FiNn and Poe somehow escape the first raid in a more believable manner, rather than get back to the ship and escape, but that breaks the vehicle of introducing how powerful Kylo Ren is supposed to be, and him finding out the stolen death star plans are in a droid… er, I mean, the map to Luke Skywalker is in a droid. Which is the second problem with how this opens. Didn’t this all get done before, in a very similar fashion? A New Hope had a droid with secret info that the rebellion needed, and the Empire looking for it. Said droid then conveniently made his way to the protagonist, where they had to flee. AND they fled in the same freaking vehicle!!!
This was the first point in the movie that my mind started seriously yelling REBOOT! And sensing I wouldn’t enjoy this ride.
So, OK we’ve met our heroes, they’re safely away in the Millennium Falcon, and next we get into the first of a few completely unnecessary scenes. Han and Chewy show up, and 15 minutes of needless, non- story progressing banter ensues between the kids and old timers, then Han and some angry creditors. Oh, and Han gave FiNn a blaster. (more on this later) Squidward to the third power is released, another unnecessary monster to show how weird space is, and the whole gang loads up in the Millennium Van to leave. Seriously, this whole scene could have happened way better and was completely unnecessary. It wasn’t good, it contained no meaningful dialogue, and could have been cut to allow more story in to flesh out what happened in the past 10 years.
We also see dialogue with General Hitler and Kylo Ren talking to the Smoke Monster, Supreme Leader Giant. We learn that Kylo Ren is Han Solo’s son. OK, kind of abrupt the way you laid that on us there JJ, but “we ain’t got no time” for developing a story with plot, more ‘splosions and dogfights!
So the Millennium Van goes to visit Maz. I enjoyed Maz’s character and the little bit of story elements we got here, as well as the foreshadowing of Rey touching the lightsaber. Of course the First Order and Resistance BOTH have agents to report them arriving conveniently waiting, and the First Order commences another raid. Kylo Ren captures Rey, and Han continues his bowcaster fetish. FiNn also uses the lightsaber for the first time (after he returned to help from trying to get transport to the outer fringes, where Han told him to keep the blaster – more on the blaster later) in the battle scene, but gets beat up by a crowd control Stormtrooper before Han shoots the trooper with the bowcaster. Oh, and Leia shows up, as well as “one hell of a pilot”. So, I liked this location, the cantina and castle were great visually. I liked Maz, I loved her dialogue with Han, FiNn, and Rey. The battle here however, was completely unnecessary. The only vehicle not accomplished was showing Poe’s flying ability by doing this scene differently. Also, the crowd control trooper should have been Captain Phasma.
So, we’re finally off to see the resistance. FiNn and BB8 learn the pilot from the castle was Poe, and he’s alive and well. Poe gives FiNn his jacket. (remember me mentioning the blaster earlier?)
So, here’s a beef. Why is everyone giving FiNn handouts? I find it ironically juxtaposed to the beginning scenes with Rey scavenging for ¼ ration per item, and it really kind of put me off that there was some sort of underlying tone of a racial sort happening. Probably not intentional, but I found it really suspicious that the movie went out of it’s way to give handouts to the black guy, while going out of it’s way to show the white girl working hard to survive.
Some dialogue that is mostly forgettable happens down in the war bunker after witnessing a physically impossible weapon. You see, the First Order has this super weapon, one that is a magnitude more powerful than the Death Stars. It creates it’s energy by syphoning off energy from the Sun to an otherwise Icy planet. So, it’s apparently far enough away from the sun to have ice, but not far enough to be too far to syphon off of the sun. MmmKay. After charging, it releases this energy as a massive laser. This massive laser then defies the physical properties of light, bends and splits to destroy an entire solar system in one shot. BS meter went haywire about now…
So, OK it’s science fiction, let’s say in this universe physics is different than ours. Fine, I’ll suspend my disbelief. But you know what’s not different, or at least shouldn’t be? BASIC FREAKING LOGIC! The Empire already tried this tactic. TWICE! We already had 2 Death Star super weapons, this is the same thing on a larger scale! Both of those plans/designs were exposed and destroyed. Oh, I know. Let’s do the same thing again, but if it’s on a planet it will be totally different! This is about the time that my BS meter, and the reboot meter told me this movie was utter rehashed crap.
Somewhere in here we also get to see Kylo Ren struggling with his inner demons. He’s drawn to the light, a stark contrast to Luke’s journey and the pull of the dark side. This was another WTF moment for me, however. Did we just throw out Return of the Jedi? Anakin was redeemed by killing the Emperor. We don’t see a ghost of Darth Vader, we see a ghost of Hayden Christensen’s Anakin. (Another pet peeve I’ll spare everyone from reading) Furthermore, the galaxy rejoiced the demise of the Empire, so how is it that the First Order has as much power as they do? More BS alerts going off…
Oh, and Rey is in the interrogation chair back at Super Weapon World. (Or the equally stupid name STARKILLER BASE) She’s restrained and guarded by a single Stormtrooper. She decides to try to Jedi Mind Trick the guard into releasing her.
Wait, what? How does she know about this? How to do this? There is no vehicle introducing this ability to her and is a major plot hole that she even knows about the Jedi Mind Trick!
So, a plan is designed to take out the super weapon, the resistance learns they are the new target, and they have a countdown clock. Hmm, that sounds eerily familiar.
1 Team goes to the planet to disable the shields, and another team takes to just X-Wing fighters to destroy the flaw in the design of the super weapon. Didn’t we do this already?
The ground team, led by Han does their stupid mission. Along the way they decide to plant explosives that they conveniently brought to weaken the target that the X-Wings are ineffective against. Do Y-Wings no longer exist? B-Wings? Han runs into Kylo Ren and confronts him by calling out his name. He calls out…. “BEN!”
Ben? Han and Leia named their kid Ben? Why? Perhaps after Obi-Wan’s alias, but that makes no sense as Leia never met Obi Wan, and Han wasn’t terribly fond of that old wizard. It’s a pretty un-ceremonial name compared to Rey, FiNn, Poe, Leia, Han, et-all. I guess that’s why he goes by Kylo Ren now and hates his family, because his real name sucked! Ben Solo, naw, he didn’t get ridiculed in Star Wars school at all…
I’m fine with killing off Han Solo. Not too fond of it coming at the hands of his son, but his kid is clearly a mental case. And frankly by this point the movie is already a steaming pile to even really care about killing off a beloved rebel alliance family member. I sincerely hope Ford decided to do the movie under the condition he could get killed off to not have to suffer the future of Disney Star Wars.
And finally, we have FiNn and Rey facing off against Darth Crybaby (Kylo Ren) in the forest. He sparks up his ridiculously designed lightsaber and FiNn begins to defend them. FiNn, not at all showing any force sensitivity, or mentioned to have sword training, somehow holds his own against a wounded Kylo Ren, and manages to wound him further before getting severely injured. Then Rey takes up the saber she swore she would never touch, and somehow musters the force to win a lightsaber duel against a wounded Kylo Ren. OK, so 2 kids with no lightsaber training just each survived a lightsaber duel with the new big bad of Star Wars? I don’t care that he was wounded by being shot by Chewy, this was just complete BS.
And then in the span of 3 minutes, Rey goes to find Luke, climbs a bunch of steps, and offers his lightsaber back to him, The End.

The whole map to Luke story was stupid. They ripped everything else off from previous movies, why not plans to the Super Weapon? Or a map to Supreme Giant Snoke? It would have worked better. Luke and R2 both could have just shown up from their sabbatical at the end after sensing the awakening and it would have worked better.

Plot gaps: When/How/why did the First Order start? How do they have as much power as they do? Was “Ben” Han and Leia’s only kid? Why did we only see X-Wing’s? Where are the A, B, and Y wings? When did TIE fighters get a swiveling turret? Why only one model? How did Maz recover the lightsaber from Bespin/Cloud City? Was this where it was recovered even? How did FiNn know BB8’s name/designation? How did Rey know that Jedi Mind Trick was a thing? Or that she could do it?… Expand

102 of 177 users found this helpful10275

All this user's reviews

3

Shion16Dec 24, 2015

It's a fun movie, but really REALLY uninspired.
It's just episode 4 with different characters.
Also there's some out of nowhere moments that really kills the tension, mostly about our resident mary sue main character.

38 of 64 users found this helpful3826

All this user's reviews

3

JamieMadrox85Dec 31, 2015

This movie is a lazy cut and paste of a new hope, i really don't understand how people are giving this movie such high scores. The main characters Rey and Finn weren't likable characters. The villain Kylo Ren was a complete joke, so much soThis movie is a lazy cut and paste of a new hope, i really don't understand how people are giving this movie such high scores. The main characters Rey and Finn weren't likable characters. The villain Kylo Ren was a complete joke, so much so in fact that most of the audience on launch night kept laughing at him and while I'm not against humor in a star wars film this is done to the detriment of the character. He really cannot be taken seriously anymore after a point in the movie. I was even disappointed by the musical score, i was sure there was no way John Williams had anything to do with this one but i was wrong. There certainly wasn't a "duel of the fates" or "battle of the heroes". And i won't even get into the numerous plot holes in the movie simply because i don't feel like writing a review that long. In short this movie is crap and gave me a new appreciation for the prequels. (Yes, I'm an original trilogy fan)… Expand

67 of 114 users found this helpful6747

All this user's reviews

3

euuDec 19, 2015

The Force Awakens could just as well have been a reboot of A New Hope seeing that it has almost the same plot. Fanboys may whine all they want about the prequels, but at least there Lucas failed while trying to do new things and expand theThe Force Awakens could just as well have been a reboot of A New Hope seeing that it has almost the same plot. Fanboys may whine all they want about the prequels, but at least there Lucas failed while trying to do new things and expand the universe. You can see that The Force Awakens has no other reason to exist than make Disney money, that is why they hired Abrams, the "safest" director in Hollywood, who thinks that just by casting a girl and a black guy in major roles means taking chances. And what we ultimmatelly get is another bland, generic action movie, no different than Abram's Star Trek films or most of the superhero crap that comes out these days.

So, as I said, the plot is pretty much the same as A New Hope, only this time Luke is a "stronk, independent womyn who is also vulnerable"(you know, just like 99% of female characters in movies these days), Han Solo is now some bland mexican, the real Han Solo replaced Obi Wan as the mentor/father figure and Darth Vader is now Kylo Ren, an angsty teenager who was seduced by the edgyness of the Dark Side. Ren is by far the worst character in the movie, he whines all the time, he throws tantrums, he seems more like the kind of character that would be in a Twilight fanfic, even Darth Maul was a lot better as an antagonist, let alone Darth Vader. But I guess all those fat teenage girls who like Loki from the Avengers need someone to have wet dreams over in Star Wars as well.

The only new character that is likeble(and also not based on anyone from the OT) is Finn, the stormtrooper with a conscience, his scenes with Harrison Ford are one of the few reasons to watch this. Also, one othar aspect that makes this flick a little more berable is the return of humor. It doesn't always work, but at least now not every character is talking like in a Bible movie.

Overall it's not a horible movie, but also not any better than the average blockbuster that comes every year. Personally, I would take the more flawed, yet more creative and ambitious prequels over this cashgrab any day.… Expand

23 of 45 users found this helpful2322

All this user's reviews

3

TicklefistJan 7, 2016

The movie does little more than take the same formula Disney uses for its Marvel movies and apply Star Wars iconography to it. Stars Wars deserved better.

44 of 74 users found this helpful4430

All this user's reviews

3

subseqJan 2, 2016

I admit I haven't read all the user reviews, but is there ANYONE who has had the insight to point out that this movie is just a re-imaging of the very first episode made, the one from 1977, the one they later called "A New Hope"? Not aI admit I haven't read all the user reviews, but is there ANYONE who has had the insight to point out that this movie is just a re-imaging of the very first episode made, the one from 1977, the one they later called "A New Hope"? Not a sequel, not a prequel, not a remake, just a RE-IMAGING. It is exactly the same story! Only this one has newer special effects and a sort of hipper 21st century vibe. What a disappointment! Thank goodness there are user reviews because enough people accurately saw this as mediocre or truly crappy, while virtually all the paid news-rag reviewers fell over themselves praising it. What a joke these people are. "Force Awakens" gets a "3" from me for being somewhat well-crafted and somewhat briskly paced (except for the mind-f*** scene with Kylo Ren and Rey -- how annoying). But cutting-edge imagination? Novel plot devices? Rich character development? Any kind of compelling dramatic tension? Because you could tell from the first moment it was a complete re-imaging there was nothing left to do but writhe through how they were going to do THAT part of the "New Hope" story again. Errgck.… Expand

42 of 73 users found this helpful4231

All this user's reviews

3

Salient0neFeb 13, 2016

If this was a generic netflix sci-fi film, i'd probably be more generous. But this is Star Wars, and what did they do? Played it super safe and just remade the first film. It's not even as good either, it's layered with JJ's desire to dumpIf this was a generic netflix sci-fi film, i'd probably be more generous. But this is Star Wars, and what did they do? Played it super safe and just remade the first film. It's not even as good either, it's layered with JJ's desire to dump his regressive left politics all over it (him and disney). I'm all for strong female characters, but the main character is a Mary Sue. She has no flaws, hence there will be no growth. She's already a badass that can do everything, even take down sith. Again, a star wars movie made by people who don't understand what made star wars so great in the first place.

The other thing that pisses me off, is the total bait and switch with the trailers. The trailer made this movie look like it was going to be dark and gritty. Instead we got a cheesy adventure film.… Expand

21 of 101 users found this helpful2180

All this user's reviews

3

SpellkingDec 27, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's a welcome visit back to the Star Wars universe, satisfyingly filled with fan-service references. The plot, however, is somewhat weak (see below), and altogether made for an overall juvenile story.

**spoilers**

...

...

You'd think after having two death stars blown up, they'd stop making huge contraptions with fatal weak points. It's also nice to see the protagonist suddenly acquire skills and powers overwhelming, right in the nick of time. Twists feel somewhat overdone--more for edginess then for substance. In any case, I was disappointed, but entertained.

**/spoilers**… Expand

33 of 57 users found this helpful3324

All this user's reviews

3

PleiadesFeb 5, 2016

Disappointing fan-fic with 'celebrity' cameos IMO. Wanted to love it but firmly on the side of those who can see the flaws (won't go into boring detail, it's all there in other reviews). Just wanted to add my tuppence to the mix. Heck, IDisappointing fan-fic with 'celebrity' cameos IMO. Wanted to love it but firmly on the side of those who can see the flaws (won't go into boring detail, it's all there in other reviews). Just wanted to add my tuppence to the mix. Heck, I even agreed with George Lucas for once.... I bet he was bored silly watching his original trilogy being replicated rather than built on.

Pros: Daisy & the impressively haunting giant Star Destroyer & AT-AT relics.

Cons: Everything else.

PS Just adding a few new spacecraft would've help heighten the interest but I guess they want to sell out of the current models first before inventing new stuff for the next movie-cum-merchandising opportunity.

Sure, such a brazen, greedy cash grab was expected, and a lot of flashy uninspirational 'sound & fury, meaning nothing' from JJ was par for the course, but it wasn't the New Hope it aspired to be - which let's face it, wasn't a hugely ambitious target in the first place, considering the time & money expended.

Summed up: 'Meh' & *sigh* :-(… Expand

20 of 109 users found this helpful2089

All this user's reviews

3

SpazeGoatJan 2, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I thought no matter what, there was no way 'The Force Awakens' could be worse than Lucas's prequels of the late '90s. I have a newfound respect for those movies after seeing this one. The Force Awakens starts off strong, but quickly dissolves into obscurity. By the end I was looking around at my clapping and cheering peers as if they were completely insane.

What bothered me most was that within 15 minutes of everyone meeting each other, they formed an emotional connection and became "BFFs". It was so warm and fuzzy at times, I could actually taste sweet and sour care-bear vomit in my mouth. Rey (Daisy Ridley) is essentially the next Luke Skywalker. In a mere 2 hours she puts Han Solo's piloting abilities to complete shame and makes him look like a 2nd year Jiffy Lube mechanic. Rey can seamlessly use the force; mind tricks, telekinesis, and can handle a lightsaber without incident. Skills that took Anakin, Luke, and every other Jedi in history years to obtain.

Finn's (John Boyega) performance was unmemorable on the whole. He was trained and brainwashed by The First Order his entire life, but don't let that fool you. Never mind the fact that he worked on and help construct a flying fortress that can blow up several planets and kill billions of people simultaneously. That wasn't a deal breaker for dear ol' Finn, oh no. It came when he was ordered to kill a dozen or so villagers in the middle of the desert. So he becomes a traitor and later joins "The Resistance". Forget the fact that he was a Storm Trooper his whole life, there's no way he could be a spy, let's trust him and act like we've known him for years! And with his extensive knowledge from being a Storm Trooper/sanitary worker he becomes uh, you know, an essential... integral... asset to the planning and destruction of the new "Death Star". So cool.

Apparently J.J. Abrams and Disney couldn't come up with anything new. True to modern Hollywood form, we'll just do the SAME thing, we'll just make it BIGGER. Enter new Death Star. It's no small moon, it's the size of Jupiter. Quite the feat of engineering actually. Am I to understand that the First Order was able to construct this monstrosity in complete secrecy? That the rebels' intelligence gathering got worse over the past 30 years? None of that matters, however. Despite all, it's blown up by a ground team of 4 and a squadron of X-wings. Didn't see that coming (sarcasm).

The Empire was defeated, the Republic was restored, the Galactic Senate reformed... just long enough to get blown up in mere moments. Who did they have to protect them? Oh, the same band of rebel misfits from 30 years ago. Seriously? After 30 years, the rebel outfit is still operating underground and are more disorganized? Absolutely no new technology, ships, or tactics. Still, they are victorious over the First Order without any assistance from the Republic ...or the rest of the galaxy they helped save in the first place. Even President Obama couldn't decide which side was more "JV".

My next question is a little more sensitive in nature. Is anyone else sick and tired of the strong, independent female protagonist? I love hot, smart, kickass women just as much as the next guy, but it's getting a little ridiculous at this point. These days, every movie has a 110 lb. woman taking down men twice their size. Let's face it, Ronda Rousey is a great fighter, but to think she could take down any of her male counterparts is as far-fetched as the critic reviews for this movie. Sorry ladies.

Which brings me to Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). I thought he was a good antagonist up until the end. He can extract information from your mind and stop a laser blast in mid-air. Completely ruthless; a bit creepy and disturbing when he takes off his helmet. He seemed well-trained and very powerful. Yet he fails to deflect a shot from Chewbacca who was leagues away. Then he gets his ass kicked by 2 kids that have never used a lightsaber before. I guess he should've went home to mommy and daddy. Obviously, Han and Leia were terrible parents. I didn't see that one coming.

All in all Stars Wars: Episode VII - The Force awakens was just another marketing scheme. This movie felt like just another jazzed up re-imagining of a franchise. If George Lucas could sue Disney for plagiarism, he would. Coupled with the popularity of the franchise and the overzealous advertisement effort, Star Wars a huge success. The sheeple continue to enjoy being spoon-fed and they are eating this one up like its Filet Mignon. Then there are idiots like me that knowingly keep paying for the same movie over and over again. The horror.… Expand

79 of 134 users found this helpful7955

All this user's reviews

3

RuegrongFeb 15, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. unoriginal with so many plot holes in this movie. I cant grasp the fact that somebody who has been stuck on a planet scavenging is able to fly the millennium falcon and know how to use a light saber to defeat a trained sith. It makes no sense… Expand

20 of 95 users found this helpful2075

All this user's reviews

3

revilloDec 18, 2015

It's a shame that Abrams was at the helm for this one. He's not the worst producer in the business, but he sure is a lousy storyteller. Just about all the basics of how to weave together a narrative are absent here. You can feel theIt's a shame that Abrams was at the helm for this one. He's not the worst producer in the business, but he sure is a lousy storyteller. Just about all the basics of how to weave together a narrative are absent here. You can feel the insecurity and willingness to compromise in every scene, and no character, conflict or theme really gets enough attention to become compelling, which is a shame because the performers here are all talented and likeable. Lucas wasn't much of a writer, that's for sure, but he pursued his vision with passion and creativity. Abrams is more engineer than artist. He's just checking off boxes.… Expand

93 of 158 users found this helpful9365

All this user's reviews

3

JamesCannonDec 23, 2015

Star Wars Episode VII: My Money Has Been Taken
How do we know the ending....when we haven't..seen the movie..wait stop the movie we have seen this before....unless they know..we were coming...evasive maneuvers regroup to holding sectorStar Wars Episode VII: My Money Has Been Taken
How do we know the ending....when we haven't..seen the movie..wait stop the movie we have seen this before....unless they know..we were coming...evasive maneuvers regroup to holding sector 37..Admiral we have copycats in sector 37....ITS A TRAP!… Expand

65 of 111 users found this helpful6546

All this user's reviews

3

N-LegendJan 3, 2016

Terrible movie was terrible. The storm troopers were always CLONES, but I get it this is a different story supposedly. What I did not like is that the characters felt hollow to me. I didn't really care all that much about most of them. TheTerrible movie was terrible. The storm troopers were always CLONES, but I get it this is a different story supposedly. What I did not like is that the characters felt hollow to me. I didn't really care all that much about most of them. The father and son reunion was EXTREMELY convenient.
Conditioned storm trooper quits, and is reluctant to kill people (leader sees him, walks off...)
Desert girl is an ace pilot and engineer when she pretty much only lived on a desert planet while being very poor...... She also learns the force in 3 seconds and completely wrecks the main villain.
Masked Villain doesn't use the force very much and used it only to freeze people while being able to stop lasers with it. If he can do that he should be able to completely annihilate people with it....
Saber fights - > barely any and all were very lame. (Slow mo saber fights... without slow mo effects. Like the fights were really slow and boring.)
Movie felt super politically correct.
Verdict -> Star Wars Battlefront was better movie.… Expand

55 of 95 users found this helpful5540

All this user's reviews

3

Koog72Apr 25, 2016

A poor remake of Episode IV A New Hope.
How Hollywood to finance this is beyond me.
Tired story, tired characters. The new Darth Vader?? Kylo Ren or summat? He's crap. The main character is good but she becomes a better Jedi than the mainA poor remake of Episode IV A New Hope.
How Hollywood to finance this is beyond me.
Tired story, tired characters. The new Darth Vader?? Kylo Ren or summat? He's crap.
The main character is good but she becomes a better Jedi than the main baddie in about two days.
Laughable tosh.… Expand

13 of 22 users found this helpful139

All this user's reviews

3

raporgiDec 19, 2015

Pathetic. Really. Its disposable, has no ambition. Its SW for the PC/SJW audience. Tons of plotholes and tonally disonant quipping. Worst offender is the heroine who is an ultra Mary Sue. The characters have extremely weak unfleshed outPathetic. Really. Its disposable, has no ambition. Its SW for the PC/SJW audience. Tons of plotholes and tonally disonant quipping. Worst offender is the heroine who is an ultra Mary Sue. The characters have extremely weak unfleshed out motivations for doing what they do in the movie.… Expand

92 of 159 users found this helpful9267

All this user's reviews

3

LynnuxDec 22, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. For someone not knowing the previous Star Wars movies this movie might be ok but for the Star Wars fan who sat 38 years ago in the cinema watching Episode IV this movie is lame.
To make it short: J. J. Abrams and Disney killed the Star Wars of George Lucas. And this totally uninspired.
It was just a compilation of what we saw before, storywise mainly Episode IV with a bit Wall-E and other stuff.
It's not that Han Solo died. All the actors of the first movie won't be available anymore in a few years so they had to find a way to pass on to the young actors. But instead of doing this, they just destroyed what was. Uninspired.
And as sideeffect they have put the death sentence on Kylo Ren/Ben. Killing his father this way he's not allowed to live anymore. And he was even just a confused boy until then, not a psycho.
Coruscant had to die, too. Why ? In critics before this movie was released you could read about "Episode VII" going back to old movies filming in real locations and using less computer animation and more models again. It was said that George Lucas made a mistake by using CGI too much. Why is Episode III the most favorite Episode then ? (And will stay it, btw.)
Now it's clear, Disney wants to save money. With Coruscant destroyed they don't have to render it anymore. Congratulations, misson succeeded by copying the story from Episode IV !

J.J. Abrams made lotsa mistakes, too:
- Rey is a real autodidact learning the force. I wonder now: why did the Jedis need a teacher then ? (and a Sith a master)
- An X-wing is shooting three TIEs in a row. Must be Poe Dameron, hell of a pilot, you think. Of course he is. But why did Finn had to tell that to the audience. Seems like J.J. Abrams didn't find a way to let the pictures and sound act on the audience.
- Lowest level flying of the TIEs, X-Wings and Millennium Falcon was impressive at the beginning but overused
- The camera travelling through the cantina. Yes, nice coustumes. Muppet show - but different. When George Lukas did this, the travelling camera still had another purpose than just showing costumes.
- Kylo Ren is no real villain, just a confused psycho. Not the fault of the actor.
- General Hux: also weak
- Captain Phasma: I'm confused about that character. Had absolutely no meaning and was not a bit convincing. Oh, she looked a bit like Boba Fett. That's all.

I'll stop here as it would be a repetition of what was written already.

The highlight of this movie are the characters of Ray and Poe (a mix of Han Solo and Wedge), also Finn and some action sequences. And the 3D quality was good.

Poor Ryan Johnson has to take over this mess. He has Wall-E but the waste J.J. Abrams left in his wake will be too much to be removed in two years.

To make it clear to everyone: the credit for the world record goes to George Lucas. Not to Disney, not to J.J. Abrams and also not to this movie !… Expand

23 of 40 users found this helpful2317

All this user's reviews

3

Simple1DEADec 24, 2015

In a world where there are nuances and parodies of Star Wars everywhere from Spaceballs to Family Guy I would never have thought the franchise itself would fall victim to this trend. The similarities with A New Hope are endless but that's notIn a world where there are nuances and parodies of Star Wars everywhere from Spaceballs to Family Guy I would never have thought the franchise itself would fall victim to this trend. The similarities with A New Hope are endless but that's not what I'm going to write about. Star Wars always has an honest story to tell. This was more fan fiction than film yet even fan fiction can still be great. Some people don't understand that there's more to Star Wars than lightsabers and spaceships. The originals was a story about a revolution in a pirate themed sci-fi world with heavy Taoist philosophy and samurai. The prequels were sort of a cold war/medieval war blend, freedom vs fascism, and the originals being good vs evil. This film's themes were just so bland! I love a fun movie but in the end, it's completely worthless without proper context.

It's strange that there was nothing I can call original or a motif but only things that were rehashes. The film fails to have an identity of it's own. It isn't genuine or adventurous enough to be considered Star Wars. Many people have a positive attitude to the notion of Star Wars being a massive Universe with limitless possibilities. When I watch a Star Wars movie I always say to myself ''wow what an engaging story'' and if you summarize the plot into one sentence it would give me chills reading it. Sadly the newest instalment offers nothing interesting, nothing that captures the imagination. There's no context and Star Wars is often about context. There's no investment hence there is no pay-off, there's no stakes hence there is nothing to give a **** about.… Expand

82 of 138 users found this helpful8256

All this user's reviews

3

NecroMnemicJan 4, 2020

Really disappointing rehash of episode 4. Copying the death star but making it even more over-the-top was the final nail in the coffin for this movie. Shame, but was to be expected.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

All this user's reviews

3

jseph1234Aug 3, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This was an ABSOLUTE disjointed and dis-service to the Star Wars Franchise! It completely ignored 20 years of written lore (Which Disney decided to basically make disappear) and went with the ridiculous ideas of:

1. NEW and Improved Death Star (When the original destruction was so important that they started the new calendar after it (Year 1 AY "After the Battle of Yavin") As if the New Empire miraculously found got the funds to build ANOTHER one...ridiculous

2. A untrained Force User defeating a trained Sith...

And whole host of other plot-holes and hackney ideas made this one of the worst films I have ever watched.… Expand

5 of 12 users found this helpful57

All this user's reviews

3

ekatonplDec 19, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This was not the worst episode of the Star Wars but it is nothing when compared to the old saga. Some things were done right - particularly the special effects, but most were just wrong - the enemy lacks character, the main characters are not really interesting, there is no mentor like Yoda or Obi-Wan who would teach their apprentice and the New Order is simply too inspired by the Nazi regime (not as subtly as in the Old Trilogy). There are no memorable enemies and the main villain should really keep his mask on and especially fight in it, his facial expressions were laughable at times. There is no-one who even remotely matches Darth Vader, Emperor or Wilhuff Tarkin. This, combined with an awful open ending, makes it a very bad movie.… Expand

36 of 73 users found this helpful3637

All this user's reviews

3

pierremJan 13, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The least charismatic evil guy ever. Even Edward from Twilight seems charismatic next to him.
Saved by a bloody editing glitch!!! A whole canyon disappeared to save his life from a ravaging girl who never ever held a lightsaber!!!
Same scenario as the very first star wars. More like a reboot style...… Expand

27 of 47 users found this helpful2720

All this user's reviews

3

anirudh6kDec 23, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I enjoyed the ride as the movie flowed on, till plot kept going downhill. At first you get a nostalgic feeling as you notice the references to the older films (some in humourous and entertaining ways).
Eventually the movie turns dry, with poor acting and just outrightly copies 'a new hope'. Highly disappointed that inspite of all the hype and scope the movie had, it just blandly copied a older successful version of itself.
What made the movie worse is how it potrayed the good and the bad guys. So the new 'darth vadar' is bad because he turns evil , because he was frightened??.... umm ok, he trained to be a jedi by luke but went to the dark side, and is so powerful that he can stop laser beams by using the force. But ... but gets easily defeated by someone basically holding a light saber the first time with no training ...coz yea she the good guy.
This movie was disappointing, its a bland remake and can be fun to watch as a good defeats bad story regardless of any logic or plot… Expand

77 of 131 users found this helpful7754

All this user's reviews

3

someone132Aug 31, 2016

Unfortunately for all of us, Star Wars has always been a franchise with more promise (enormous galaxy with ridiculous amount of races and cultures, a central concept tying it together) than the actual ability to execute it. The prequels areUnfortunately for all of us, Star Wars has always been a franchise with more promise (enormous galaxy with ridiculous amount of races and cultures, a central concept tying it together) than the actual ability to execute it. The prequels are rightly maligned for their utter mismanaging of the series' tone in their attempts to be "child-friendly", as well as poor performances, often horrific dialogue and the way literally every single "exciting" action scene in them was utterly fake, which had less to do with the weak CGI then the utter ridiculousness of every action on screen (Coruscant chase in Attack of the Clones being the primary example).

However, many of the same problems were also present in Revenge of the Sith, a fact remembered less often than it deserves. Sure, Vader's ultimate redemption was a great twist: sadly, everything else was simply ridiculous, and you can't escape the feeling Rebellion triumph is owed entirely to their enemies' incompetence. Ewoks are the ultimate incarnation of this, but even before that, the ease with which Stormtroopers get tricked into being captured, or indeed, their pathetic willingness to give Solo & others a chance to surrender when they are HOURS away from winning it all, is no better.

Why did I just give you all of this history? It's simple: Force Awakens might now be often called a remake of New Hope, but that description is far too kind. In practice, it's far closer to a remake of Revenge of the Sith, and shares the exact same problems, coupled with weaker new cast.

Finn doesn't even have his own name at first, and was trained up to be a Stormtrooper from birth. Yet, he goes from being shocked at the death of a fellow stormtrooper, to helping Poe Dameron, WHO KILLED THAT VERY SAME STORMTROOPER, escape, killing more Stormtroopers in process. Afterwards, this upbringing of his is utterly irrelevant: he never questions others' methods, and gleefully partakes in killing of those who were like him until very recently. The only catalyst for this was seeing some civilians he knew before get executed. He never thinks back on this, though, and nor does anyone care, when halfway through the film, Death Star MK III (sorry, Starkiller Base), is activated, and kills literally billions of people; everyone forgets it soon after. By the end of the film, the death toll is in the billions on one side, and millions for the other; yet the conclusion is still "cheerful" in a way that's utterly infuriating. In New Hope, you genuinely felt like a massive threat to Rebellion was averted at the end, and they received a lease of life. Here, though, we know this happened twice before, and there's no one to say another Death Star won't be built again, because apparently no-one learnt anything since then. It feels pointless, much like the entire movie.… Expand

4 of 8 users found this helpful44

All this user's reviews

3

OsixuanJan 20, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm going to give it a 3. There were parts that I liked, some of the cinematography was good, some dialogue, the effects. Not an out and out bomb...but...still lacking. I was really hoping for a NEW Star Wars film, not Episode IV again. And the characters, they don't all make sense to me. The new characters seem pathetically unfulfilled because so much screen time was given over to familiar faces, telling the same story as IV again. Like Finn, who decides he can't kill for the First Order. He says it in his own words, he can't kill FOR THEM. He's fine with killing. Somehow, he finds it in him to blow away hordes of his colleagues, who he has apparently been training and working with since childhood. Somehow that's okay with him, but shooting the villagers who were already shooting at him, and killed his friend right in front of him was out of the question. He's also the biggest blabbermouth in the galaxy, constantly telling everyone within earshot that he's on a super-secret important mission. Ren is a completely unredeemable nemesis, too annoying to be taken seriously. It feels like there is no real archenemy at all really. This "Snokes" is bad I guess, but who really knows what's up with that? The Storm Trooper lady in the silver armor...she's somebody, I don't know who but she exists, or existed anyway, she probably blew up and now I'll never know why she was important anyway. And how is it the rebels couldn't figure out where Skywalker was after having the map fragment that looked like an eighth of the entire galaxy "uncharted". Don't you have any astronomers? Has anyone ever looked at that huge segment of the galaxy before? Why do you need the rest of the map to figure this out, and why is your only copy of a galactic map being stored in a comatose droid? I could go on and on...3 is what I'm giving it.… Expand

19 of 35 users found this helpful1916

All this user's reviews

3

LeatherwoodJan 1, 2016

I'm a regular fan of star wars movies and games, with that being said here is my opinion. SWTFA is full of completely unbelievable coincidences. The characters find each other as if everyone is down the street or something. This movie is justI'm a regular fan of star wars movies and games, with that being said here is my opinion. SWTFA is full of completely unbelievable coincidences. The characters find each other as if everyone is down the street or something. This movie is just way too much like the other star wars movies, like nothing else ever happens. The Bad people want to kill the good and innocent people for absolutely no reason at all. Kylo Ren "the main bad guy of these films" is a cry baby that gets his ass handed to him by a little girl that for some reason has gained great saber fighting and force abilities all within like a day, not even. Finn is literaly just some random guy. The first order attacks the resistance with all the characters in the movie all at the same place and all in the same day... None of this stuff is really believable. I enjoy the atmosphere of star wars movies, but this one had me thinking " this feels like too many things are happening all at once that are very very unlikely to happen within a day or two". The Strong female role is just tacked on just because. These movies are popular among white males most of all, but they have an interracial relationship development between a white female and a black male in this movie that just does not seem like its believable or fits in any way. These movies would be better off if they would just go many years in the future without ever mentioning anything about older star wars movies and just start with fresh new character and stories. J. J. Abrams is being replaced as director of episode 8 because they knew he screwed it up. Its worth watching just to see how a great franchise can be treated by uninspired money grabbing **** like disney.… Expand

58 of 99 users found this helpful5841

All this user's reviews

3

ariansandDec 24, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This movie was horrendous. But let's just break it down:
1. Almost no story. Really thinking about it, what exactly happened in over 2 hours was almost nothing.
2. They just replaced Han Solo with this unknown girl.
3. Luke Skywalker appeared only at the very end of the movie. Consistent with the Di$ney's moneywhoring with 1 star wars film until infinity. They will ruin the franchise forever. This is only the beginning.
4. Another Death star lookalike. Just why?
5. The main villain was ridiculous. Why would he wear the darth vader type of helmet when his face wasn't distorted. Makes no sense whatsoever.
6. Piss poor acting.
7. Really? A random black "traitor" just picks up the lightsaber and he almost defeats the main villain.
Then the girl who has not been trained by any jedi or sith just totally decimates the main villain. It is just ridiculous.
8. The events were so predictable. There was not a single event that was even remotely surprising.… Expand

48 of 81 users found this helpful4833

All this user's reviews

3

lunanulJan 1, 2016

The best one could hope for in such a movie would be for the creative staff to mine the old stuff for gold and serve it up in a fresh, new way. What I witnessed was a kind of reverse alchemy wherein the gold was transformed to (mostly) lead,The best one could hope for in such a movie would be for the creative staff to mine the old stuff for gold and serve it up in a fresh, new way. What I witnessed was a kind of reverse alchemy wherein the gold was transformed to (mostly) lead, with an occasional blink of polished brass. I am very fond of the first two movies in the original trilogy (episode IV and V) and haven't seen much magic come out of Star Wars movies since then. There was one fine scene in ep. VII that truly captured the old magic, but that was it. 2 minutes out of 135 is not a golden ratio. That said, a person who has never seen the original trilogy could be in for a real treat. Maybe.… Expand

56 of 95 users found this helpful5639

All this user's reviews

3

BortxApr 8, 2016

Boring, trite, predictable, and full of cliches. Dozed of twice. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

9 of 30 users found this helpful921

All this user's reviews

3

SammyghhgJan 6, 2016

Ok. I hate doing this, but this is a split review. Cinematography, directing and pretty much every actor in the film gets a 10/10.

The story gets a generous 3. As the movie progressed, I felt like I was sitting into a resetting ejectionOk. I hate doing this, but this is a split review. Cinematography, directing and pretty much every actor in the film gets a 10/10.

The story gets a generous 3.

As the movie progressed, I felt like I was sitting into a resetting ejection seat specifically designed to hit my **** meter.

EJECT EJECT EJECT.... that was my brain every time some **** happened that NEVER would have happened in Star Wars.

Stormtrooper is neurotic and freaked out by everything. No... Finn had decided to leave, why would he be scared. He's well trained and is executing a plan of action. Why make the black guy a **** in the first 3 minutes of meeting him? HE'S A STORMTROOPER... not some cowardly **** Surely some of the training would have stuck.

Then Homie the Poe guy can't outfly four highly destructible missiles like Anakin did in RoTS (ep 3.) but instead IS capable of shooting down literally every tie fighter in on Maz Kanata's planet, but then is incapable of replicating that feat when trying to blow up the Death Star 3.

Kylo Ren freezes time... not a blaster bolt... time... if it was the bolt, the electricity surrouding it would have kept jumping. It didn't it stopped TIME.

Ok... Kylo has an insta win in the first 10 minutes.... I almost walked out.

I settled in for the long haul and had to hit eject again when they escaped from tatooine... how does a girl lost in a desert know how to fly a ship that apparently doesn't work after changing one switch.

Then hit eject again.

Random meeting with Han and Chewie.

Then again.

Space bug doesn't immediately eat Finn.

Then again.

The Lightsaber gives visions? uhhhh...hhhhhuuuuu?
How?

Then again.

An X-wing somehow snipes stormtroopers while moving, and doesn't even cause explosions... which then take place moments later when someone who isn't poe completely misses the stormtroopers.

And again.

When Poe Dameron ganks 6+ tie fighters in less than 10 seconds. A feat that no other pilot, jedi or non-jedi has ever replicated. Even in the now non-canon books.... at least with lasers cannons.

And again.

When everyone meets at the rebel base and no one gives a **** about how Poe survived, or why he hadn't told anyone about Finn's place in the escape

And again.

When the entire planning session to destroy a planet sized star killing super base took a whole 30 seconds of **** conversation and easy answers.

Then again.

When Han flies a millenium falcon under the shields at light speed and no one asks why this wasn't the plan for Death Star 2.
Then again. When Kylo and Rey have a semi-orgasmic screaming match which apparently portrayed Rey finding out that she can read minds too..... because that's always been a Jedi thing right? AND AGAIN When Rey immediately knows how to mind trick Daniel Craig... I mean ... some anonymous stormtrooper into doing whatever she wants.... and if that's the case, just do it to everyone you encounter and take the base over 100%. And again. When Rey starts climbing over stuff because she likes climbing over stuff. Then again When Finn announces he doesn't know anything really and is just a sanitation guy. Funny but **** you. Then again When Finn announces he knows how to disable the shield after all. Then again When Phasma gives up the codes so easily it's as if the film makers were looking for a surefire way of confirming why women should never exist in combat roles. Then again when the shields could be turned off without a redundancy And again when only 12 x-wings are all that's left of the rebel alliance after 30 years of growth.... bad job leia. And again when they pull out 400 bombs from a satchel the size of the one from Hangover. And again when Han has a stilted and boring conversation with the nutso individual with a red lightsaber and all black clothing. And again when the sun was finally pulled into the weapon and the room went dark and that caused the DARKNESS ... it's dark side ****ers and that's retarded. And again when everyone runs away from Kylo ren and 3 stormtroopers. And again when Kylo rocks up and a sanitation attendant duels him with a lightsaber, being extremely proficient at a number of points, eventually succumbing to his wounds. And again when Rey jumps up after being concussed, wins a force pull battle against a trained Anti-jedi after showing almost no indication of knowing the force was even a thing ever, but suddenly owning said jedi in saber combat after less than two miinutes of back and forth. And again when R2 turns on an knows exactly where the map is. And again when it's the only missing peice of said map And again when they send desert planet girl to see Luke instead of his sister who he would know and give more than two ****s for. So yeah. Pretty average story... again. being super generous with the 3/10. I am really reluctant to see it agian as it might turn me off star wars for ever. BAD.… Expand

20 of 34 users found this helpful2014

All this user's reviews

3

AndanteJan 10, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I am not going to go into detail because my english isn't that good, but i will try to go into the basic points. First of all I am an old Star Wars fan, I've watched all the movies and I even liked the prequel. Unfortunately from my point of view, this movie is something completely else....it's like giving to a small kid a Da Vinci drawing and letting it draw on top of it. From start to finish I felt that this movie was only there to make money, nothing else. The story is completely cliche, its like watching a remake of episode 4 but accomplished in a complete brain damaged fashion. In this context I can clearly say that episode 1 was a far more interesting movie than this one.The director had great tools in his hands, million dollar resources and ideas to be precise and he used them in the most terrible way imaginable. The old characters were butchered and their story was completely destroyed (no respect to Han solo a legendary character, he was killed in a matter of seconds and 2 minutes after his death everyone was happy, and even princess lea was laughing...), the concept of Force has completely lost its value and meaning. The main female character with no training suddenly wields the sword better than Luke and Master Yoda combined and puts down the bad guys with complete ease even though all these skills take years to master.... I was wondering the whole time, why are they searching for the old Luke Skywalker when they have this "perfect" emotionless super girl in their arsenal?? All in all acting was terrible on this movie, Finn was a somewhat decent character and had some potential but his role was too feminine in my opinion. Rey was the "man" in this movie (feminist crap detected)....… Expand

36 of 63 users found this helpful3627

All this user's reviews

3

kingofkoopasDec 18, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I had really high hopes for this one. As a long time SW fan, I was so hyped up, I stood in line for about 3 hours at the premiere just to get good seats. By the end of the first 30 minutes I was already looking at my watch. I will write my review in list form.

-The whole movie feels like a cheap ripoff of episode 4. The plot devices used are almost identical, watch the movie and you'll see what I mean. Teen in the desert, droid that needs to get something to someone, finding a mentor, that mentor dies, the destruction of a death star like weapon at the hands of shooting down a tunnel with an X-wing.

-Boyenga's character (Finn) decides he doesn't wanna be a storm trooper withing the first 5 minutes of the movie. We didn't see any depth or conflict within himself before he decides to turn good leaving me not really caring for him at all

-Rey is probably the worst excuse for a protagonist in any film. Throughout the whole movie she doesn't have a single heroic deed. She's basically useless until the fight with Kylo Ren (which has a whole lot of flaws on its own but we'll get to that) She isn't built up in any way and her character development is completely absent. All we get is like a 10 second flash back into her childhood. All this leaves me not caring for her at all either.

-Poe was advertised as the third part of the new trio of heroes but he only has like 15 minutes of screen time, he ends up destroying the new death star like thing (do i smell episode 4?) but you really don't care because there's no reason to care for him in the first place because he has no development whatsoever and you hardly know a thing about him.

-Kylo Ren first appears to be this menacing Vader-like antagonist but ends up being a huge sissy who throws light saber tantrums every time his plans are foiled (literally light saber tantrums) He was also horribly miscast, Adam driver fails to deliver any real depth or sense of struggle to the audience. This brings me to my next point....

-Stop here if you haven't seen the movie cause spoilers, but then again this movie sucks so you shouldn't care. Han Solo's death scene was probably one of the worst acted scenes in the whole film. Not only do you see it coming a mile away there was no sense of tension or really any sense of struggle within Kylo. The movie tries to sell you that he's having this man vs. self conflict but his acting says otherwise. If you didn't already know, Kylo is Han and Leia's kid. This to me felt like a cheap plot-device to try and give Kylo some depth but I barley met him so I don't really give a **** also no back story as to why he hates Han is given so I give less of a **** This could have been saved for episode 8, maybe if we knew more about Kylo and the circumstances of his birth, him killing his dads would've had more of an impact.

-The final fight between Kylo and Rey is laughable. The movie first looks like it's trying to tell you that Finn is our jedi (see movie poster) because he wields a light saber midway through the movie and looks like he's doing pretty well for never having handled one before. Then at the end he puts up a small fight against Kylo. Which just adds to your belief that he might be the Jedi because I really doubt that a trained dark sider like Kylo would have any trouble with some average Joe wielding a saber like Finn is but I guess he does... for some reason....? Anyway, Finn gets knocked out and Rey pulls the light saber to her using the force (despite never even having prior knowledge to the force) and duels Kylo Ren and beats him. Yes, she beats him. A person who has never held a saber prior to this moment BEATS A TRAINED JEDI. Imagine if Luke in episode 4 tried to fight Vader... he'd get beat in like 2 seconds. I know Kylo isn't Vader but the movie tells you he was trained by Luke which gives the impression that he was probably pretty good. There you go, no character development.

- The whole movie after the first act just seems rushed, as soon as they get to the rebel base they hatch the plan to go destroy the new death star within like 3 minutes, and then 5 minutes later they're already bombing it. All the important things that really move the plot along as a whole happen in the third act

- JJ Abrams wasn't the right man for the job, Cloverfield, Super 8, and Mission Impossible 3.... all those movies are garbage. With a track record like that it leaves you wondering how he got the job.… Expand

94 of 185 users found this helpful9491

All this user's reviews

3

ukrScorpionMay 1, 2018

Hard version Hunger Games
Film so boring and main villain with the face of an offended schoolboy.... + There are no epic battles. 90210

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

All this user's reviews

3

vreynauldDec 26, 2015

As a member of both the Rebel Legion and the 501st Garrison, I believe it's safe to say I'm a "super-fan" of the Star Wars franchise. I grew up with the originals and my oldest son grew up with the prequels. Some of my fellow Legion andAs a member of both the Rebel Legion and the 501st Garrison, I believe it's safe to say I'm a "super-fan" of the Star Wars franchise. I grew up with the originals and my oldest son grew up with the prequels. Some of my fellow Legion and Garrison mates and got together and we all saw the movie on Christmas Eve with dinner afterward. After watching the movie, we generally walked out in stunned silence. During the following dinner, we debated and complained, pointed out every flaw, every plot hole, every unbelievable coincidence that was forced upon the viewer.. and there was much to debate as the negative reviews here rightfully point out. Too much of a rehash of A New Hope, too many coincidental events, no context, no exposition, and so on...

The next day, I saw the movie again with extended family including several tween and early teen cousins, nieces/newphews, et cetera. They completely lapped it up, bouncing in their seat for every BB8 scene and every crazy camera angle of blaster shots. That's when it dawned on me: Disney's "Star Wars" has no interest in staying faithful to the original mythos or providing a meaningful story - they're catering to the ADHD, can't-stop-playing-with-my-phone generation. All they have to do is make a kid-friendly droid character, fill two hours with explosions and "pewpew lazers!" (to quote one of my nephews) and they'll sell millions of tickets and overpriced, made-in-China toys.

People like myself and other unofficial fan club superfans have spent lots of money and time because we wanted to feel as though we're part of the Star Wars universe but I don't see future generations feeling the same way. The new direction of Star Wars is entirely short-sighted, based on capturing the hype and marketing while delivering forgettable films. It's the "Moichendising!" scene from Spaceballs come to life.… Expand

94 of 159 users found this helpful9465

All this user's reviews

3

Knightmare725Dec 18, 2015

Call me a bigot all you want, but in my opinion, the political correctness in this movie seems to come off as seemingly too obvious and desperate. In which makes the movie very hollow. I think thats why people also hate PC. For that reasonCall me a bigot all you want, but in my opinion, the political correctness in this movie seems to come off as seemingly too obvious and desperate. In which makes the movie very hollow. I think thats why people also hate PC. For that reason and others. For example, "Look! A female stormtrooper! The evil empire has equality too!" "Look! An asian rebel resistance leader! Not every leader has to be a white male!" In my opinion, I think to be thats the notion they are trying to give and its hollow and eye rolling. Im honestly more amused than impressed. I support equality. But not if it comes off as desperate and is enforced in my favorite sci fi franchise.… Expand

43 of 93 users found this helpful4350

All this user's reviews

3

steddyeApr 20, 2016

The sequel was waiting the most is the one that most disappointed me. The copy paste of previous episodes is irritating and demeaning. Death Star, father and son plot ..... I can't believe they really did it. Apprentices who, in less than 25The sequel was waiting the most is the one that most disappointed me. The copy paste of previous episodes is irritating and demeaning. Death Star, father and son plot ..... I can't believe they really did it. Apprentices who, in less than 25 minutes of the movie, become Jedi and perfect swordsmen. Excellent the music, the action scenes and the special effects, but not enough to save a movie with a poor plot and a mediocre spirit. Really really disappointed.… Expand

9 of 19 users found this helpful910

All this user's reviews

3

XanatarDec 22, 2015

So this is what happens when Disney buys a franchise - Cut out the best parts of the previous parts, clue them together somehow, put a lot of state of the art CGI on top of it, then sell it as a "rejuvenation / fresh start". In fact, its justSo this is what happens when Disney buys a franchise - Cut out the best parts of the previous parts, clue them together somehow, put a lot of state of the art CGI on top of it, then sell it as a "rejuvenation / fresh start". In fact, its just all the same stuff all over again.

The writing must have looked something like this:" Ok... lets do this.. hm, but that was all already done before. - I have an idea, lets make it... bigger! Excellent, then we don't have to find something originally NEW. Our fans will love us" . Or maybe it was all about fear from Disney Execs of disappointing the core fans, thus starting **** storms all over. Thats why they probably thought recreating "core" scenes of the original as closely as possible and sell it as a new movie is a clever idea. And yeah, because it looks so incredibly familiar and close, lets rename the planets... that will make us look innovative. Hell, you can say a lot about George Lucas and some of his more stupid character or story choices, but at least he tried to tell HIS story. And he did it quite well in his first 3 movies, and not so well in his prequels. And, though some of his characters where plain stupid and an imposition ( Jar Jar Bings), at least they kind of stayed in character and were unique. Some of the current main cast and the plot feel hollow, only Han Solo rescues many scenes with his presence. Was it really required to burn up all the cool storylines that were created in the books by Timothy Zahn for... this?

I have to admit one thing - they did an absolute briliant marketing strategy with all this secrecy and non-spoiler policies. That probably means the hype will carry the movie through, even if it is only a medicore sci fi movie with plot holes so huge that a star destroyer fits through.… Expand

61 of 103 users found this helpful6142

All this user's reviews

3

ryecaDec 26, 2015

Watching this movie is a sad affair and the good reviews for it are INSANE. Not just surprising, but completely insane. It is not a good movie, and really makes you wonder why people could give it good reviews. Have people given up on movies?Watching this movie is a sad affair and the good reviews for it are INSANE. Not just surprising, but completely insane. It is not a good movie, and really makes you wonder why people could give it good reviews. Have people given up on movies? Is this what we consider a passing grade? I understand having some allegiance to a movie franchise, but at some point we just have to be honest. Star Wars VII is crap made to sell you more crap. Maybe the toys are fun for your kids, but if you are older than 10 this movie will be (or should be) boring, repetitive, and cliche nonsense.

Quick summary:
Rey is crap, she runs like a fool, her accent is absurd, and how she "acquires" the force is absolutely ridiculous. These attempts at writing a powerful female character are laughable and actually insulting. The presentation and development of the First Order and Resistance is lazy. The world-building is also lazy. The Kylo Ren actor is laughably cast. He looks like a close-up magician who stole Snape's haircut. The references are pointless, because the movie just isn't good. Here's a tip: leave out all the cheap references to the previous films and just make a good movie instead. But that won't happen, because they have to sell this to millions around the world, so nuance or intelligence is thrown out the window before the movie is even made. The CG woman in the bar (you'll know her) is so bad - it looks like they just lifted the costume-making character from the Incredibles and plopped her into "a galaxy far far away." Anyway... on and on..

The movie is just...dumb.

Chewie is good. No problems with Chewie.… Expand

108 of 185 users found this helpful10877

All this user's reviews

3

jrodfilmsDec 19, 2015

im not that big of a star wars fan, but the movie just wasnt very good. it started out great, and the action scenes were exciting, but then theres these dull performances and arcs in storytelling that was just making me wish the movie wasim not that big of a star wars fan, but the movie just wasnt very good. it started out great, and the action scenes were exciting, but then theres these dull performances and arcs in storytelling that was just making me wish the movie was over and it just kept on going.… Expand

42 of 76 users found this helpful4234

All this user's reviews

3

DesselMar 24, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A person on a desert planet who is strong with the force without knowing it, and befriends a little android who carries a secret. How did they came up with it? Remember that death star thing from earlier movies, that had an odd weak point and was destroyed? Now its even bigger!... and has an odd weak point and is destroyed. Although I didn't even notice it right away myself, episode seven takes a lot from episode four. A big change is the force now seems to be mostly a skill set that is in a person, and does not need practise or study, just awareness of it. This is a fairly lacklustre remake filled with plot holes and inconsistencies, not a new episode. Which is a shame.… Expand

14 of 41 users found this helpful1427

All this user's reviews

3

thepomyJan 4, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As many other fans of the true Star Wars (Ep IV-IV) I was highly disappointed by this last installment. There was so much good material in the expanded Star Wars Universe that flourished in the past 30 years and yet J.J. Abrams ended up making a mediocre rip-off of Episode IV. This movie is a reboot with references to the original trilogy, not a sequel.

There is no credible explanation on why things are in the current state, Leia and Luke have laughable appearances, and even Han Solo seemed to be a sad shadow of the character everyone used to love in the original trilogy. According to J.J. Abrams anyone can use a light-saber and it takes little to no effort to master the force, even against a supposedly well trained sith. Pretty much everything we learned in Ep IV-VI is erased in this movie.

The choice of Adam Driver for the villain doesn't really convince, and Kylo Ren/Snoke end up being laughable villains (a winy emo wanna-be sith lord, and a giant hologram with a funny name). All in the movie is obvious, to the point where people can imagine what's going to happen. The final demise of Han Solo is a good example of that.

This installment is a shallow and successful attempt to make money, not the movie all the fans deserved to watch.… Expand

66 of 112 users found this helpful6646

All this user's reviews

3

SammifxJan 3, 2016

Shocker. Essentially a mashup of various parts of the 6 movies preceding it. As a standalone sci film, I'd give it a 6 for a Guardians knockoff ; as a continuation of the Star Wars saga i'd give it a 3. As my mum who watched it with me said,Shocker. Essentially a mashup of various parts of the 6 movies preceding it. As a standalone sci film, I'd give it a 6 for a Guardians knockoff ; as a continuation of the Star Wars saga i'd give it a 3. As my mum who watched it with me said, ' i have no idea why they were fighting but the effects were nice in 3d' .
Plagued by woeful dialogue and characters appearing out of nowhere for pure Deus Ex convenience.
-Bad guys are absolutely tame and the one truly horrible event in the movie is ignored immediately after. -
-Everyone becomes best friends within a few minutes of meeting each other.
-The force and fighting is can be learned within a few hours after you heard of its existence.
-droids can power up and down based on the timing of the plot for .. reasons. (see it to understand)
-the score was largely generic and unmemorable apart from a few john willams cues. nothing original again.

the plus side is rey and finn (actors) are good.. theyre just forced with a terrible script that regresses the series and wastes a glorious opportunity of expanding the SW universe and plot.… Expand

84 of 141 users found this helpful8457

All this user's reviews

3

VindoR_Dec 24, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Overall a very disapointing movie:
- the plot is basicly the original trilogy condensed in 2h16min, but done very badly, full of plot holes and non sensical situations
- the really fast paced rythm doesnt allow for any emotional connection whatsoever, even the death han solo is brushed off in 2 minutes
- the darth vader rep aka kylo ren is beyond ridiculous, the CGI emperor clone is average at best
- and most surprising of all even the music is subpar, never though i would say that about a john williams score but here it is, its like he knew he was doing a cash grab for kids and didnt even try.… Expand

42 of 71 users found this helpful4229

All this user's reviews

3

Razrback16Jan 7, 2022

Of the "sequel trilogy" (which I will never acknowledge as canon), this one is the least offensive. There are still tons of plot holes and woke bs in it, but it's the most...tolerable. Thankfully I never bought it, and just watched it at aOf the "sequel trilogy" (which I will never acknowledge as canon), this one is the least offensive. There are still tons of plot holes and woke bs in it, but it's the most...tolerable. Thankfully I never bought it, and just watched it at a friend's house. Would never recommend spending money on this. Disney Star Wars is a joke at this point, they are literally killing the franchise.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

All this user's reviews

3

Big_BearMay 25, 2016

Hugely disappointing, but predictably so. By far the worst Star Wars film ever made that no serious Star Wars fan could ever enjoy.

Let me just say, I am a massive Star Wars fan; not so much of the movies as most are a mess but I love theHugely disappointing, but predictably so. By far the worst Star Wars film ever made that no serious Star Wars fan could ever enjoy.

Let me just say, I am a massive Star Wars fan; not so much of the movies as most are a mess but I love the lore and the world that has been created. The movies often do not tell the story that a universe as vast as Star Wars deserve and this rubbish is no different.

The first thing I noticed was the acting of the two 'newcomers' - it really is awful, not helped by a terrible script. The chap who plays Finn is particularly laughable with his supremely stupid reactions to everything that happens around him - there is a noise 'what was that?', someone comes into a room 'who just came in?' it really is ridiculous. This can in part be papered over by the fact his character has been raised as a stormtrooper and knows nothing else blah, blah, blah, but really it's just awful acting and writing. These two really were unknown for a reason.

The heroine Rey, is only marginally better but again, suffers from the writing, with her character being possibly the most stereotypical ever conceived. Angry, down on her luck etc etc and then predictably 'blossoms' throughout the movie to get behind the cause, all very tired and has been done countless times before.

The 'plot', if it can even be called that, again, is laughably bad, an almost exact copy of A New Hope but not as good. It really makes you wonder where they got the guys to write this, my guess is that they must have been 'unknowns' as well. If you hadn't seen this movie you really wouldn't believe the plot was so close to the first film - Empire creates super weapon but has plans stolen by rebels who at the end of the movie manage to exploit the weakness they found in said plans, all the while a young nobody from a backwater planet becomes a large part of the rebellion unexpectedly' - it really is the EXACT same! It also cannot be saved by the side plot involving the search for Luke Skywalker, the stolen plans revealing his location the only real difference in the stories.

There is also a quite frankly, disgusting amount of fan service in the movie which I'm sure has been included just as much for the service as it has to save the writers from coming up with anything remotely original. Han and Chewie, the Falcon, a planet very closely resembling Tatooine, it all becomes a bit of a bore.

Finally I come to the most irritating thing about the whole movie - the duel at the end between Rey and Kylo Ren, and it's lead up. Yes, there are lore destroying, stupid moments in other Star Wars movies (Padme's age, how easy Palpatine kills 3 Jedi, the stupidness of how Anakin becomes Vader) but this one might trump them all. Unlike any other Star Wars film or any lore, both Rey and Finn become proficient in lightsaber combat the second they pick one up! Yes, apparently no training is required, contrary to absolutely everything we've read or seen in any other Star Wars material. This is ridiculous enough, but it comes to a ludicrous head when Rey, with absolutely zero training, manages to defeat Kylo Ren, a Sith Lord trained for years in lightsaber combat. If I didn't watch it on a plane I would have walked out right there.

The only good points were Kylo Ren, by a country mile the most interesting character and the one with the most potential and depth. Supreme leader Snoke, although basically playing the part of the Emperor also interested me and I'm eager to see more of them both.

To sum up, I really find it hard to believe any true Star Wars fan could actually say this movie is anything but awful. A huge disappointment and basically a lore destroying, ridiculous remake of a New Hope, that, despite the special effects, is nowhere near as good.… Expand

11 of 18 users found this helpful117

All this user's reviews

3

ShellbyC__GT500Jul 5, 2018

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ah! The first star wars movie in 10 or so years. I wonder what they will do. oh another death star? very creative Disney.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

All this user's reviews

3

DafuzzDec 24, 2015

If you thought Jar Jar Binks was bad, then just wait until you see what Jar Jar Abrams has in store for you.

First off, the writing is very poor and comes over like poorly written fan fiction. This movie lacks a real plot, characterIf you thought Jar Jar Binks was bad, then just wait until you see what Jar Jar Abrams has in store for you.

First off, the writing is very poor and comes over like poorly written fan fiction. This movie lacks a real plot, character development, character chemistry and any logical connection between most scenes. The main villain isn't even menacing, he just feels like a hot-tempered cry baby who throws temper tantrums like a little brat. He even has problems fighting the weakest non-force sensitive characters in close combat because he suddenly forgets how to use his force powers thanks to the awful writing. All of the supporting characters, even returning ones, are extremely shallow. Only the main character and one very beloved returning character have anything redeemable about them, and the latter is only on screen for about 30 seconds.

The directing is also abysmal. There are just so many unflattering camera angles, poorly choreographed as well crudely visualised scenes and the pacing is simply awkward. Jar Jar Abrams never went to film school, and oh boy, his abysmal directing skills really show in this movie. The only thing that Jar Jar Abrams seems to have gotten right was copying the aesthetics of the Original Trilogy, although he completely fails at implementing it in a creative and artistic way to please the audience.

Only the final scene can bring any redemption to this trainwreck, but it is not enough to save it from being a bad film. If you only care about flashy lights shown in an awkward manner, then this is the film for you. Otherwise stay away. 3/10… Expand

136 of 224 users found this helpful13688

All this user's reviews

3

MoriarteJan 1, 2016

As an avid Star Wars fan, I didn't expect much from JJ Abrams and his crew. It turned out, my expectations matched what I saw in a latest instalment of the saga. I ask myself: why do these things happen? After contemplating for a bit, I comeAs an avid Star Wars fan, I didn't expect much from JJ Abrams and his crew. It turned out, my expectations matched what I saw in a latest instalment of the saga. I ask myself: why do these things happen? After contemplating for a bit, I come to think that one needs a firm grasp of philosophy and science, a good eye for actors and a cunning storyline, in order to deliver a Sci-Fi masterpiece. A visionary, a man capable of immersing you completely in a parallel reality, where heroes and villains become real.

Well, JJ Abrams simply isn't the man for the job. I'm sure he would be able to make fantastic ads for TV or something similar, but to wave a magic wand on stage of Star Wars .. one needs somebody else. Disney, that was bad judgment. You could as well invite me to do the job, I could screw this film up for half his fee.… Expand

77 of 130 users found this helpful7753

All this user's reviews

3

Lucius_13Aug 5, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I don't normally review movies but here goes, the plot of this movie is explained in one sentence: Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope, the whole plot is the same as said movie, the villain (Kylo Ren) is a bland and stupid Darth Vader Rip-Off (Albeit without the scars) with a dumb as **** lightsaber, Abrams is so stupid he couldn't come up with an original storyline so he just remade Episode IV although ill give a big thumbs up to Simon Pegg's Character. The death of Han Solo was expected but handled poorly, Kylo Ren develops a new super weapon (which is just a bigger version of the Death Star) only upside to this disaster of a movie was the original cast its pretty sad when the prequel trilogy is better than this crap, do yourself a favor and save your money and don't buy this movie I did and I regret it… Expand

7 of 14 users found this helpful77

All this user's reviews

3

revelcDec 15, 2016

My first Star Wars was Episode 1 (I'm not ashamed of that). I was super young and I was blown away by the cool fights, Darth Maul, and the CGI. I did see all the originals and the rest of the prequels years later. I'm not a Star Wars fanaticsMy first Star Wars was Episode 1 (I'm not ashamed of that). I was super young and I was blown away by the cool fights, Darth Maul, and the CGI. I did see all the originals and the rest of the prequels years later. I'm not a Star Wars fanatics and I'm not that young anymore when I saw Episode 7, so this review is from my perspective as a regular movie goers.

I think Episode 7 is an okay movie, full of "classic Star Wars" action and overused cliche from previous Star Wars (another Death Star, rebellion, father son issue, and discounted Darth Vader?). I honestly think this movie is for those hardcore fans and their kids who's hungry for classic Star Wars plot after years of "betrayal". It also caters to female audience as well as minorities, which is good in my opinion. It tries too hard to provide for many different groups and it become lacks of originality. It becomes watered down and 2 hours just not enough to explain everything after years of hiatus. Everything become bland and not appealing to film enthusiast like me. Not even half way through you already know what's gonna happen and the twist is not as exciting as when Anakin learns the truth about his father.

This movie success show how powerful advertising and internet community are. One person opinion become everyone opinion in matter of second. Daily dose of overblown trivia. They literally put all the hungry fans on leash. The best thing about the movie were it's CGI and soundtrack.… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

All this user's reviews

3

weirdcryoDec 29, 2015

After first seeing this movie I thought it was good movie and a made a review giving it a 7 but every time I think about the plot the more "mistakes" I found.

First of all the movie the movie is consider (even I consider it) "too safe"After first seeing this movie I thought it was good movie and a made a review giving it a 7 but every time I think about the plot the more "mistakes" I found.

First of all the movie the movie is consider (even I consider it) "too safe" when actually it's just lazy writing and a cheap attempt to please the "fans" that hated the prequels to the point of making death threats.

We have the plot, that for some reason they tried to adapt the old to the new one but now it doesn't work or make sense at all, we goes from searching Luke to destroying planets and fighting a new Death Star that doesn't make sense at all.
The good guys group is call the resistance but actually the bad guys (The First Order) are not a command, so of we have more that one bad guys (which doesn't make sense because the first order destroy the current government without retaliation) or the name doesn't make sense. What also doesn't make sense is how they manage to build that weapon without drawing attention.

We have the new characters, they are basically all the old character's characteristic we liked in the first SW spread in younger actors.
We have also the new characters that does nothing like Captain Phasma and Snoke and essential character development that doesn't make sense or is not existing on screen like FN-2187 fighting against what he was taught and becoming Finn, how he and poe didn't die crashing in a space ship, how they became BFF in one scene(I understand that Finn save Poe, but owing =/= best friends, and more considering Finn used to be a Storm Trooper and you don't know nothing about him), how Rey pass from not knowing how to elevate the ship to do the best moves in the whole movie in just 1 minute, why Kylo Ren acts like a 3 yo boy having tantrums and can do a 180° turn stop a shot and a person in the same movement, reads mind and then sucks ass, to name a few (to be hones I got bored of arguing the lack of sense in the characters actions).

We have the old characters, they are just here to merge the first trilogy with this new story and bring nostalgia, Leia could be replace by any kind of new general, Han Solo (I like him in this movie) had more purpose and Luke appears only to set the new movies.

So this movie make no sense the more you think it, if I didn't like how gorgeous some scenes looked I would gave this a 1 without a doubt.… Expand

35 of 60 users found this helpful3525

All this user's reviews

3

carrot-stickDec 25, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. TL;DNR

This movie reminded me of Jurassic World in all the wrong ways. It was filled with constant references to an older movie (ANH), had a similar plot to said movie, was trying to be bigger and better than what it was referencing, and had a nauseating amount nostalgia porn from the movie it was trying to outdo. If you liked Jurassic World, you may enjoy Episode VII, but I warn you, it doesn't even have anything original like a dinosaur battle at the end.

**Spoilers**
Longer Review

I don't know where to begin with this movie.

My biggest gripe with it is just how unoriginal the entire movie is! I felt like I had seen all of this before. And I had in the original trilogy (and maybe the video game Force Unleashed). It was like someone was taking the general plot of A New Hope and rushing through all the build up so that they could have a huge action sequence. The movie rarely lets us breathe and take in the world the characters live in (Rey's opening sequence is about the only exception I can think of).

One of the most annoying examples of this was Finn's life. He was a storm trooper who, after one battle, decides to go rogue and help the Resistance. Yeah, I rolled my eyes when he explained why he wanted to help the Resistance, but that wasn't what really pissed me off. It was the fact that as soon as he was away from the First Order, he shows no signs of indoctrination or unfamiliarity with the outside world, especially since he makes a point of saying all storm troopers are kidnapped as children. Despite having lived with these people and knowing they are the same as him, he has no trouble killing them. But he doesn't want to kill the Resistance, whom he has no connection to. There is no moral dilemma for him. They don't explore his journey at all. He just turns from "bad to good." That's it.

And then they make him into the butt of everyone's jokes. It was around the time he meets up with Rey that I realized the point of his character was to make everyone else (or at least Rey) look good. Seriously, he is the incompetent one in the movie who's flaws all the other characters are very quick to point out. There is no character like this in the Original Trilogy. They treat him as a buffoon much like Jar Jar Abra- I mean Binks.

Now, how to talk about Rey...? Mad Max had strong female characters. Rey is not a strong female character, because she isn't a character. She's a Mary-Sue who is perfect at everything. As a protagonist she might work in a video game, if only because the audience would feel like her achievements were the result of them playing the game; the results of their hard work. But that isn't case. Her successes feel unearned, even compared to Luke's. It wasn't until the third movie that he could stand up to Vader, yet Rey overpowers Kylo Ren (read: Darth Vader) with zero training. Where is the struggle when there are no failures?

Which brings us to our villain, Kylo Ren. He had a pretty cool opening sequence in which he shows off his mastery of the Force in a very impressive way. He came across as a bad ass. But as the movie rolls on, they don't give him a good motivation nor characterization to explain his disposition. He acts like an angry teen like Anakin in the prequels. Specifically Anakin from Revenge of the Sith. And then he gets stomped by a first time lightsaber user.... Yes, he is clearly the new Vader. *eye roll*

And all of this leads to the ultimate point: that they wanted to shove their under developed characters into the plot of A New Hope with no characterization nor coherency. They don't care about logic, all they are trying to do is squeeze happy nostalgia feelings from the audience by pulling off the same scenes from previous movies. They tried to pass it off as a coherent movie by appealing to nostalgia or by making elements bigger (ie: Starkiller Base is a bigger Death Star and the movie lets you know this by showing you a visual comparison). Like people should accept this convoluted doppelganger of A New Hope simply because it reminds them of it. This movie is lazy and pandering.… Expand

101 of 168 users found this helpful10167

All this user's reviews

3

Praseidimio666Jan 16, 2016

If this movie vote was to consider the marketing and hype and compare to its value, the vote would be a huge negative.
This is a poor remake of the early movies, though it's completely uninspired and forgettable, the plot predictable andIf this movie vote was to consider the marketing and hype and compare to its value, the vote would be a huge negative.
This is a poor remake of the early movies, though it's completely uninspired and forgettable, the plot predictable and uninspiring, the evil character is one of the lamest ever… Expand

34 of 58 users found this helpful3424

All this user's reviews

3

tsumeoneDec 24, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is probably my least favorite Star Wars movie for the following reasons:

-No Pacing. After the anticlimactic lightsaber fight between Rey and Ben where they obviously were setting the stage for the sequel, the movie was rushed. There was no pacing whatsoever. The scene transitions from that to their base to the completed map to Luke in what seemed like a blink of the eye.

-Little character development. They did not put nearly as much effort into developing Finn as they should have. His defection seemed forced by the writers, and only later in the movie does he very briefly and vaguely touch on why he defected. Rey fared off a bit better but the movie doesn't explain her attachment to Jakku and pretty much has her instantly mastering the force, easily defeating Ben who had way more experience than she.

-Everyone seemed to get over Han Solo's death way too quickly. Also, the foreshadowing was almost insultingly obvious. Having the light shining on him and Ben go dark just before he is killed? Come on.

-All of the combat was bland and uninspired. This movie could have redeemed itself if the action scenes were worth it, but they were not. The movie did nothing to get the viewer invested in the combat. It was nothing but the same tired movies in both the fighter combat and the lightsaber combat. Many of the scenes and maneuvers where they are attacking the "big deathstar" seemed to be near identical clones of the original deathstar fight.

I did not expect the movie to live up to the hype, but it was a much bigger let down than expected. I had high hopes for Disney and am disappointed.… Expand

110 of 185 users found this helpful11075

All this user's reviews

3

noobmsu93Jan 17, 2016

A very unoriginal film. I am perplexed as to how anyone who grew up watching Star Wars would consider giving this a high score. It is just a pathetic rehash of Star Wars IV!
I'm not going to reiterate what has been written by so manyA very unoriginal film. I am perplexed as to how anyone who grew up watching Star Wars would consider giving this a high score. It is just a pathetic rehash of Star Wars IV!
I'm not going to reiterate what has been written by so many thoughtful viewers. But I will ask all of you this...why are we as a culture accepting this vapid excuse of creativity from film makers? Why redo/remake works by more creative people just to keep a profitable franchise alive? Why not try something new?
Who knows it could even be profitable (and it probably would be)! Stop listening to the "bean counters" Hollywood!… Expand

50 of 85 users found this helpful5035

All this user's reviews

3

Joeycs74Jan 5, 2016

Very disappointed with this star wars. Same story of the IV episode with a new look. Recycling of an original storyline to a younger generation. Lack of creativity and originality in the script. The saga came into loop. Luke is Obi-wan, theVery disappointed with this star wars. Same story of the IV episode with a new look. Recycling of an original storyline to a younger generation. Lack of creativity and originality in the script. The saga came into loop. Luke is Obi-wan, the girl is the new Luke, the stormtrooper is the new Han Solo and so on ... only Chewie does not need to be renewed. There's also a new death star, of course. All within the politically right, now with women and black people as protagonists.… Expand

69 of 116 users found this helpful6947

All this user's reviews

3

ToThePointDec 26, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I've seen it once and the more I think about it the more I dislike it.

I am a big SW fan of the originals, including ROTJ. Came in with an open mind, thought the beginning was strong but that was it. The special effects and cinematography are excellent with the story and characters being the weakest part. They had years to create a strong plot, they had seemingly endless possibilities (and budget).

This movie lacks menace and tension. There is no depth within any of the characters. I really didn't understand what was going on the universe. Another death star? Bumping into Solo? CGI emperor? CGI old woman? Evil person being outclassed by a newbie Jedi. The list goes on.

A criticism people are not discussing. Are we to believe LUKE SKYWALKER, a character with 3 movies worth of integrity runs away from his problems and evil after a set back. He stays hidden while evil amasses and ultimately destroys billions of lives. The scene is completely different from "Old Bens Kenobi" retirement to Tatooine, where he watched over the last hope of the Jedi (Luke) rather than hid.

Such a disappointment and now they've ruined it. They have to continue the films with these characters and this "new" universe. I don't believe they can turn it around. It did not feel like Star Wars. I'm not looking forward to the spin offs either with the director of Jurassic World (another over hyped empty piece of plastic) signed on. Hollywood is in shambles. J J Abraham's is a poor director. He has made millions but his legacy is that of a B class director.… Expand

56 of 94 users found this helpful5638

All this user's reviews

3

macro_zorkiSep 7, 2022

What a disapointment. Disney missed to tell a great story and instead remade the old movies without a soul. shame on you disney. we live in a time where big cooperations buy the creations of great people and milk it to death. shame on you disney.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

All this user's reviews

3

nj06Dec 18, 2015

As someone who saw all the previous Star War movies, and enjoyed each one of them, my impression of Force Awakens is mostly negative. This is by far the least original movie in the Star Wars series. There are zero surprises or suspense inAs someone who saw all the previous Star War movies, and enjoyed each one of them, my impression of Force Awakens is mostly negative. This is by far the least original movie in the Star Wars series. There are zero surprises or suspense in The Force Awakens. Every plot twist (if it can be even called that) is telegraphed with an unusual lack of subtlety. You can say what you want about Lucas, but even the harshest critic of prequels has to acknowledge that every one of those movies, while perhaps containing some wooden acting and a few unfortunate characters (e.g. Jar Jar) also introduced new awesome goose-bump-producing characters (e.g. Qui Gon, Darth Maul), new plot twists, and genuine surprises. The Force Awakens simply has none of that. Instead it has the feeling of a made-for-TV Star Wars reunion special. A big problem for The Force Awakens are its villains. Kylo-Ren could not scare a 5-year old, the store-brand Voldemort (pardon me Supreme Leader Snoke) reminded me mostly of an elderly Ent, General Hux is is a drama queen in a 1950's flight-attendant hat, and Captain Phasma mostly has the role of an obedient and disciplined hostage. Darth Vader would **** each on one of those with his little finger while drinking his morning tea gazing in the distance. If you are looking for something scary in this movie, Carrie Fisher's acting is it. Anticipating whether she will be able to keep it together in her scenes provides some nervous suspense. The battle scenes are surprisingly short and taking place mostly on earth as far as I can tell. Space is simply not a big part of this movie. I could go on and, on but you get the gist. I watched each on the previous Star Wars movies at least 10 times and they remain one of my guilty-pleasures and time-wasters. I will continue to watch the newly made Star Wars movies, but probably each one of them just once.… Expand

104 of 186 users found this helpful10482

All this user's reviews

3

magie666Jan 2, 2016

It's a money-grabbing re-hash of the beloved star wars (1977). I left the cinema with a very Bitter taste in my mouth. Almost everything in it is a copy from the original, its just been jigged up with some new characters and cgi. Thats it...It's a money-grabbing re-hash of the beloved star wars (1977). I left the cinema with a very Bitter taste in my mouth. Almost everything in it is a copy from the original, its just been jigged up with some new characters and cgi. Thats it... UTTERLY DISAPPOINTED.!!!!!!!!!!!!!
John Boyega wasnt too bad as an actor in it, bit silly but wasnt too bad.
Daisy Ridley was an utter disappointment, ''SHE CANT ACT'' she was awful.!!!!
The stupid attempt to add humour was a failure...I cant remember laughing once at the cheesy lines. It was shockingly BAD.
Star wars the force awakens: Soulless, Unremarkable, bland, dull Need I go on !!!

I gave it 3.. nothing more , nothing less… Expand

70 of 119 users found this helpful7049

All this user's reviews

3

4TifierNov 5, 2016

EPISODE IV

Sorry for anyone who has just read the first two words of my review, because I just spoiled this entire movie just by saying those two words! This is by far the most disappointing movie I have ever seen; I would even go asEPISODE IV

Sorry for anyone who has just read the first two words of my review, because I just spoiled this entire movie just by saying those two words!

This is by far the most disappointing movie I have ever seen; I would even go as far as saying it is the second-worst Star Wars film to date (the worst being, of course, Episode II).

What was advertised as a sequel and a continuation of the Star Wars universe turns out to actually be a copy+paste remake of the first Star Wars movie. I cannot believe Disney and J.J. Abrams would stoop this low just to make a lot of money.

But besides this movie being completely unoriginal, it does so much more wrong that makes this movie a 1.5/5 Star film...

For starters, the character development is far too quick and shallow.

Why does Finn suddenly decide to join the good side? Meh, who cares....

Why does Rae know how to use the Force? Meh, who cares...

How do Finn and Rae master any weapon/vehicle she touches? Meh, who cares...

Why are Finn and Poe suddenly butt buddies? Meh, who cares...

Secondly, the development of the story is based on pure coincidence and luck!

Finn and Rae happen to find the Millennium Falcon and happen to fly it better than Han ever could and happen to fly it to where Chewie and Han are hiding who happen to know where the rebel base is where it so happens that Luke's lightsaber is there and Rae happens to find it and remember to past...

I could continue, but I think you get the point by now...

Third, the villains are absolutely horrible!

Kylo Ren is just a discount Darth Vader whose just full of hot gas and Captain Phasma is just a chrome spray-painted Stormtrooper who does absolutely nothing but give the good guys what they want (she doesn't even get that much screen-time).

Their costumes are also completely unoriginal. Heck, even the Bounty Hunters who were shown on screen for 5 seconds in "The Empire Strikes Back" had more effort put into their costumes than the main villains of this movie!

In conclusion, the writing of this movie is literally a copy+paste of a fan fiction written by J.J. Abrams, and is far from being a proper Star Wars film. Yet it is because Disney advertised this film to be an "original continuation" is why I truly despise this film.… Expand

44 of 89 users found this helpful4445

All this user's reviews

3

hubickDec 22, 2015

Here I was all worried about spoilers, not realizing I'd already seen them all 30 years ago :-(

The effects, and particularly the new cast were great, but screen time that could have been spent better introducing the new characters wasHere I was all worried about spoilers, not realizing I'd already seen them all 30 years ago :-(

The effects, and particularly the new cast were great, but screen time that could have been spent better introducing the new characters was wasted fawning over the previous cast in ways which barely served the plot. And, a THIRD Death Star, really?… Expand

19 of 32 users found this helpful1913

All this user's reviews

3

tater_collinsDec 20, 2015

It makes me sick seeing the truth about this movie. We wanted a continuation of an epic story, not a reboot/remake just to make money. I also can't believe people are praising the fact that is is a reboot/remake. People think they can slapIt makes me sick seeing the truth about this movie. We wanted a continuation of an epic story, not a reboot/remake just to make money. I also can't believe people are praising the fact that is is a reboot/remake. People think they can slap the Star Wars name on things and rake in the cash. Is that all that matters to you, Jar Jar Abrams? Money?… Expand

20 of 35 users found this helpful2015

All this user's reviews

3

moothemagiccowDec 22, 2016

the movie was a two hour chase sequence and it ended in the same place it began - with the thing you actually wanted to see. all it did was set up sequels, and hell, maybe prequels, too. it burnt down exposition because, well, the first starthe movie was a two hour chase sequence and it ended in the same place it began - with the thing you actually wanted to see. all it did was set up sequels, and hell, maybe prequels, too. it burnt down exposition because, well, the first star wars didn't have any, and everyone hated all the excess of boring political talk in the prequels. like iron man 2 or batman v superman, it served as a 2+ hour advertisement for future movies like Skywalker's Severed Hand: A Star Wars Story.

despite being a sequel, i have no idea what the hell the first order or a kylo or a snoke or anyone is or why there are a trillion stormtroopers. why the hell did luke skywalker's absence lead to a reversal in power that allowed someone to build a friggin death star? the whole rebellion and its armies of soldiers just fell sideways because one guy left? in the last movie he wasn't in charge of squat.

why would someone build a death star again? why doesn't anyone in star wars have email? everything is communicated by shipping droids across the galaxy.… Expand

4 of 6 users found this helpful42

All this user's reviews

3

JoshimakiDec 18, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Nostalgia aside... it wasn't that good. *SPOILERS AHEAD*

We all love Star Wars *except most of our girlfriends and wife's* but i was quite dissapointed with this new Di$ney Ver$ion and here are the reasons.

First off some characters sucked. Snoke came out of nowhere as a villain *I was hoping at one point that it was Palpatine since we never saw him die* and the way he was presented...his character..doesn't convince at all. Kylo Ren started awesome until he removed his mask for no major plot reason and started acting weak *They Should've wait for that last scene with Han Solo so that the fact that he still had some unstable humanity left would've impact more*aside from the fact that he gets beats up by Rey who had JEDI POWERS AND KNEW HOW TO USE THEM NOT EVEN BEING TRAINED BY A JEDI OR EVER MEETING ONE IN PERSON. Aside from that the other ones were OK.

Next comes the SUPER WEAK PLOT. Everyone is looking for Luke Skywalker...thats the plot..and is solved in the mos **** way possible *The r2d2 part*. I always say that a simple plot can be good if its well detailed but this one left more questions than aswers which made the movie feel more like a teaser for the next film$$$. Some characters didnt even had any type of development...Captain Phasma for instance...

And finally there was nothing new brought to the table ....Destroy a weapon *A new hope* Family issues *empire strikes back*.The only new thing about a Storm trooper realizing his wrong ways was very poorly focused.*Specially when after watching a comrade die he was killing 20 more trying to escape*.

Overall lets just hope that the next two directors give us a better representation of what they consider Star Wars to be.Until then; may the force be with you.… Expand

63 of 126 users found this helpful6363

All this user's reviews

3

senya666Dec 18, 2015

This movie was a ton of fun, totally unnecessary, and made no sense whatsoever. The Prequels had an intriguing plot and terrible characters. Force Awakens has some really fun characters and a terrible plot. Way too much fan service, noThis movie was a ton of fun, totally unnecessary, and made no sense whatsoever. The Prequels had an intriguing plot and terrible characters. Force Awakens has some really fun characters and a terrible plot. Way too much fan service, no original ideas, and one of the coolest characters ever goes out like a chump. I could go on but there's little point.… Expand

61 of 131 users found this helpful6170

All this user's reviews

3

Viper2024Dec 18, 2015

This was the first Star Wars movie without George Lucas and it is an uninspired part of the Star Wars saga. It seems to be the new American Dream that an average movie maker like JJ Abrams will get his chance to ruin everything other peopleThis was the first Star Wars movie without George Lucas and it is an uninspired part of the Star Wars saga. It seems to be the new American Dream that an average movie maker like JJ Abrams will get his chance to ruin everything other people build up. Once he revived Star Trek (2009) only to destroy it with STID (2013).

There are countless plagiarism in the movie and when you have seen the old Star Wars movie there are not many new in this part. You have the same dialogues and the same plot as in the other Star Wars movies. But wait one thing is new the villain has a new lightsaber – yeah great. But his representation as villain is pitiful and his martial arts are ridiculous.

Han Solo is the new Jar Jar Binks – at the end of the movie I missed Jar Jar for the first time in my life – because his one-liner are annoying with the time. And I can’t believe that Lawrence Kasdan (Episode V+VI) and Michael Arndt (Oblivion) are responsible for the script.

George Lucas is still a genius and I think he is really disappointed what Disney made with his legacy.… Expand

51 of 108 users found this helpful5157

All this user's reviews

3

nerdpanchiDec 18, 2015

Most of my life I had been looking forward to this movie. After all the struggle I went through to obtain the tickets, I can't believe all that was for this. The major plot is just a rip-off of the original movies. The original actors barelyMost of my life I had been looking forward to this movie. After all the struggle I went through to obtain the tickets, I can't believe all that was for this. The major plot is just a rip-off of the original movies. The original actors barely had any screen time.There was no character development at all. Why should we care about the two major characters (Rey and Finn) I really didn't understand. We saw very little of Poe. The movie plot was rushed, nothing original, nothing intriguing. I am sad and extremely disappointed.… Expand

76 of 154 users found this helpful7678

All this user's reviews

3

nalljaDec 18, 2015

There are many things to like about the new Star Wars movie, strong female characters, visual effects which are stunning but not over the top, strong acting performances, and a multitude of varied locations which expand the SW universe.There are many things to like about the new Star Wars movie, strong female characters, visual effects which are stunning but not over the top, strong acting performances, and a multitude of varied locations which expand the SW universe. Unfortunately these do not overcome the short comings in the plot or the story telling. It is very difficult to take a hugely successful franchise and create new engaging story lines. Abrams fails again as he did with Star Trek ( another where the cast did fantastic despite Abrams ). Save your money and catch this one on Redbox.… Expand

54 of 109 users found this helpful5455

All this user's reviews

3

NuttyCriticDec 18, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As a fan Abrams could have fixed alot of things.
Boba Fette could have flew out of the sarlaac pit, Darth Maul could have made an appearance , he could have cloned a new vader.
Instead he played it as safe as he could, no creativity , there isnt one Holy **** I cant wait till they see this moment! in the movie.
Remember when Kenobi trained Luke or when Yoda trained Luke? None of that magic is here , now apparently an untraineded jedi Rey can defeat a trained jedi Ren.
This move is even more disapointing than the prequels because I expected as a fan Abrams would fix what Lucas broke , instead he failed more miserably than I ever imagined.… Expand

38 of 73 users found this helpful3835

All this user's reviews

3

marsh9799Dec 18, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I was saddened by how disappointing this movie was. Don't get me wrong. It was somewhat enjoyable, and I will probably see it again, but it was disappointing.

One of the things that I believe is frequently overlooked with the original trilogy is how solid the writing actually was. This was where I felt "The Force Awakening" failed. In the original trilogy, we have a very clear character arc with Luke Skywalker. While some may knit pick over the speed of his development and proficiency, he develops as character and force user over each episode. We do not actually see Luke overtly use the force until ESB. I can recall only two examples within ANH where he uses the force. The first is while Obi-Wan is training him on the Millennium Falcon with the floating ball. While we the audience realize he is using the force, it is not so overt that Han Solo can't dismiss it as luck. The second instance is when he destroys the Deathstar by making the impossible shot without his targeting computer. Again, we know what is going on even if the other characters do not. Luke is learning to use the force. It is the beginning of his journey to becoming a Jedi. We know what much of what he will be capable of as we've seen Obi-Wan and Darth Vader use the force.

I want to emphasize that point. We know the outcome of the original trilogy maybe 30-45 minutes into ANH. We're going to have a show down between Luke, as a Jedi, and Darth Vader. What we don't know is how that's going to happen. That is essentially what the whole original trilogy is about- how Luke develops into a character that can defeat Vader.

Kylo Ren starts as an extremely promising antagonist. Like Vader, he is not going to be the ultimate villain. The ultimate villain in the original trilogy is the Emperor. The ultimate villain in this trilogy appears to be Supreme Leader Snoke. However, that is unimportant. The purpose of the antagonist is to provide opposition to the protagonist. Right from the start, we see Kylo Ren as a powerful opposition figure. Within the first 10 minutes or so, we see him sense a laser blast and stop it mid air. This is great. This is a powerful scene. Our antagonist is not weak. He's strong. Our protagonist, our hero is going to have to overcome this? No easy task.

But no...

This is not the case. Our hero after being told that the force does exist, suddenly turns into a Master Jedi for all practical purposes. While Luke trains for years (there are three years between ANH and ESB) before being able to pull his light saber out of ice, Ren figures this out literally within days of learning of the existence of the force. And... Luke began his training under Obi-Wan. He didn't start cold. Additionally, she's able to use the force to persuade a guard to release her. Luke did not demonstrate this ability until RotJ which is another year of training.

The antagonist is defeated by the protagonist... at the outset of the trilogy. This is radically different than ANH. While the Rebellion wins that round, Vader doesn't lose. The only reason that Luke lives is because Han Solo returns at the last second and clips one of Vader's wingmen thus securing Luke time to make the shot at the exhaust port. The Empire loses this round. Vader simply does not win. In contrast, Kylo Ren loses. Rey systematically dismantles him. She slashes his leg, stabs his shoulder, and slashes his face nearly killing him. All done with contemptuous ease. The first direct confrontation Luke has with Darth Vader is radically different. Luke is beaten relentlessly by Vader's use of the force, has his hand cut off, and then attempts suicide rather than join Vader only to be rescued by the thinnest of margins.

While the comparisons are being drawn to ANH and TFA has been labeled ANH 2.0 by many, this is resembles ESB more than anything only with the roles reversed. The "Resistance" dominates all confrontations in this movie. The only time the First Order ever gains any traction is when they launch a surprise attack against inept opposition. They successfully attack a defenseless village. They successfully attack a defenseless bar. They successfully destroy five planets with a sneak attack from a super weapon. When the Resistance arrives at the "bar," they route the First Order. They attack the Starkiller with a handful of ships and a three man strike force, they blow up the most powerful weapon the galaxy has ever seen. In the original trilogy, destroying the Deathstar is accomplished by a fleet and, in RotJ, a real ground invasion, and of course, luck.

While it does have the appearance of a "real" Star Wars movie (AKA the original trilogy), it's mere window dressing from one liners, the presence of Han Solo, and special effects style. The original trilogy was an epic designed along the concept of the Hero's Journey. We do not have any elements of that here.… Expand

63 of 111 users found this helpful6348

All this user's reviews

3

Gonk1138Dec 18, 2015

Star Wars: A Newer Hope.

Fans waited over thirty years for this...and we got a remake disguised as a sequel. I surely hope that George Lucas received a story credit for this chapter.

47 of 100 users found this helpful4753

All this user's reviews

3

SKDDec 18, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I was excited about this movie, but it's really disappointing.

1. The plot is a copy and paste of Episode IV. Droid is abandoned on desert planet with important plans, finds protagonist, leaves planet in Millennium Falcon. Another planet destroying "Death Star" is on the loose and must be stopped. Except in this movie, the plans aren't the weakness to this weapon. It's the location of missing Luke Skywalker. Because he's just hanging out near a cliff somewhere and can't be bothered by any of this. It's like he's a location now, because you need a map to find him and he can't move on his own. Nobody ever explains why it's a priority that both sides find Luke. As if bringing him back or killing him would do anything to influence the planet killing plot.

2. Zero character development. The two new characters have a development arc that is a flat line. I didn't feel connected to either of them. They didn't mature or flesh out their reason for fighting. With Luke, you had him go to Obi-won's hut where he was intrigued by the story of his father being a legendary Jedi. Here, the characters continue onto the next phase of the story because...reasons. The plot just demands it. Nothing else. The drama is all forced.

Finn's defection isn't very believable. Maybe if it had built up over time and he had been a part of a few more massacres, I could see that, but otherwise this feels like a spur of the moment thing. And the Sith don't have a very compelling reason for fighting either. None of the differences between the protaganists and antagonists are ever explored. For all we know, this war was over which color everyone's lightsaber should be.

3. I know this is science fiction, but this is now at the point where it is a parody of itself. Want to take off a ship at lightspeed? Sure, go for it. Why not? Want to land it at lightspeed too? Go for it. We're not even trying to add a sense of realism here. And let's suck up an entire star into our superweapon while we're at it.

4. Boring combat. The Resistance fleet consisted of 12 X-wings. That's it! And there were no Star Destroyers guarding 'Death Star III'. They show up once or twice, but have no role in any battles beyond Finn's escape. Say what you will about the prequels, but Episode III had a real space battle worthy of Star Wars history.

So to sum up

Cons:
-weak, copied story from Episode IV
-forced drama and flat character arcs
-zero political context or motivation for why anyone is doing anything
-scaled down spaceship battles to dogfights only

Pros:
-nice special effects

The unfortunate march of Hollywood to prize eye candy over substantive plots continues. There is nothing in this movie that wasn't already done in the previous movies better.… Expand

69 of 129 users found this helpful6960

All this user's reviews

3

NoxosDec 19, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. ******MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS BELOW*******

I'm posting this mainly to see if there is anyone else out there who feels the way I do about TFA, I haven't read/watched any reviews yet but the 95% on RT kind of surprised me. I'm not trying to rain on the parade at all here -- I really wanted to like this movie -- but to me it was bitterly disappointing.

Cons: I did not buy any of the major relationships at all, to me this was by far the biggest failing of the movie. Finn/Rey, Finn/Poe, shockingly even Leia/Han. They all felt extremely forced and came across as trying REALLY hard to recapture the chemistry of the Big 3 in the OT. When Poe and Finn rush to embrace after Finn sees him for the first time alive, I was kind of taken aback because to me they just hadn't "gotten there" yet, so it just came off as weird. I don't know what the problem was, the acting, the script, or some elusive, hard-to-quantify, movie magic thing. The main problem is that throughout the movie there is basically zero character development, and as a result it's difficult to care about anything that happens.

The whole movie felt like a point-for-point rehash of A New Hope -- a few nods here and there are cool and would be expected, but TFA went way beyond that. I'm honestly pretty surprised that this script was OK-ed because it is so blatant in parts. Just a few examples:

-The fact that once again a critical bit of info is given to a droid who is left to his (its?) own devices -- said droid is then taken hostage by desert scavengers before being "rescued" by the protagonist.

-All of the ball turret scenes on the Falcon.

-A "scoundrel" type character that makes snarky remarks and likes to use his ship's undercarriage gun to blast baddies while trying to escape.

-Death Star 3 (I'm REALLY surprised they went with this as I thought it was a common problem that people have with ROTJ)

-Cantina scene

Due to the above (and more) I frequently had the feeling that I was watching a straight up second rate remake. Last major problem I had with the movie was that it was just not subtle AT ALL. The worst example being the scenes setting up Finn to leave the First Order. I could practically hear JJ yelling into my ear "HE'S CONFLICTED ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW! LOOK AT HIS FACIAL EXPRESSIONS! -- CAN YOU TELL HE IS CONFLICTED? IN CASE YOU COULDN'T -- LET ME SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU -- THIS CHARACTER IS VERY CONFLICTED!!!"

There were also a few really bad exposition scenes where it felt like characters were just vomiting up important plot points because the script couldn't think of a more clever way to explain the story.

Ok so that's the bad, there were some parts of this movie that I did actually enjoy:

-Every scene with Snoke was great. What an awesome character design. When he first came up on screen I was just blown away -- the holograph-making-him-seem-huge trick was a stroke of genius, though part of me wishes he really was that big.

-Lightsaber duels following more after the style that Luke and Vader have at the end of ROTJ (i.e. passionate hacking that looks like they are really trying to kill each other). The only problem was I couldn't get emotionally wrapped up in them in the same way because again, I just did not buy the character relationships and didn't care who lived or who died.

-Some very cool landscapes: my three favorites being the backdrop as Rey "sandboards" down a dune, the Snoke "throne room", and the bridge where Han bites it.

-The vision sequences when Rey picks up Luke's lightsaber were great. It's a shame they didn't go anywhere with it.

So to conclude, for me this movie failed, though in a different way from the prequels. Say what you want about the prequels (and I am not at all a fan -- not trying to stir the pot here -- just want to give some context to my views), but George did not "play it safe" and rehash the OT at all. This movie takes zero risks. And as much as the prequels suffer from general "woodenness", I found TFA's character relationships even less convincing (excluding maybe Anakin/Padme).… Expand

125 of 210 users found this helpful12585

All this user's reviews

3

stu471Dec 20, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Let me start out by saying I love Star Wars, I love what JJ Abrams did with the new Star Trek. I had very high hopes for this film. I also would have forgiven pretty much anything if it was just a decent movie (logical script, decent acting). But JJ you broke my heart.
The prequels were better, and I hated the prequels. Phantom Menace was yes (cringe, I really hate saying this) better than this film.
Here is why the prequels were better
1. Prequels had more respect for what a Jedi is, to a be Jedi you had to be gifted in the force and most importantly train for years to be one. In Star Wars the Force Awakens this is thrown out the window, if you all of a sudden find out you have the force you can a) resist a Sith Lords interrogation b) you know and can use Jedi mind tricks on storm troopers c) defeat a Sith who was previously a Jedi trained by Luke Skywalker.
2. As much as it pains me to say this, the prequels had better plots and better acting. The prequels had original plots that were not completely obvious. Liam Neeson had a presence that nobody in this new film had. Christopher Lee and Ian McDiarmid were much better villains and even worse Hayden Christensen was better than Adam Driver (I think I am going to cry now, I didn't think there could be a worse performance in a Star Wars film and I like Adam Driver). Adam Drivers Kylo Ren started out really good, that first scene was good, but then he proceeds to have temper tantrums where he slashes computers. As bad as Adam Drivers Kylo Ren was the worst was Domhall Gleeson, who I also have loved in other films (ex machina), his General Hux was so bad it was hard to watch. When he screemed out as the Starkiller sent out the killer beams it was reminiscent of a highschool senior giving a graduation speech. He was really poorly cast, the general of the first order should have been cast with someone with more gravitas. Just think if they had used someone like Ian McKellen, or Ian McShane or anyone older than 50. That part really needed an older actor.
3. The prequels had much better lightsaber battles. As much as I loved the new red lightsaber that Kylo Ren had and my god the lightsabers looked so cool, but no one knew how to use them. The lightsaber battles were reminiscent of watching the fake battles at a medieval fair. The last lightsaber battle scene had such potential, a lightsaber battle in the snow, think of the possibilities (snow flakes sizzling off of a lightsaber). What is worse is that they could have been better, sooo much better (Genndy Tartakovsky's "The Clone Wars" but live action).

A couple other final points
A new deathstar call a starkiller, really? How did the first order manage to hide this from the rebels and the republic for so long? Why didn't the rebels take it out earlier?
You are really going to kill Han Solo in the first movie? I know every one is following the game of thrones theme of anyone can die, but this was a terrible choice. This really didn't work, if I was supposed to hate Kylo Ren for this I didn't, I hated Kylo Ren because he was a terrible character.

Words cant describe how disappointed I am with the new film. I'm done with you Star Wars, I thought there was a new hope but my hope has been destroyed.… Expand

29 of 55 users found this helpful2926

All this user's reviews

3

lcampoliDec 20, 2015

Didn't really do it for me. It definitely started strong, but it just moved very slowly. The best scene, for me, is when Rey is introduced to the Force; it was great leap into the character's psyche, and Daisy Ridley exhibited a greatDidn't really do it for me. It definitely started strong, but it just moved very slowly. The best scene, for me, is when Rey is introduced to the Force; it was great leap into the character's psyche, and Daisy Ridley exhibited a great performance. In fact, all of the acting was great.

The flaws of the movie were its length and lack of creativity. It is extremely boring, cliched, and fake. There is little, if any character development, and therefore lacked any deep fulfillment. This made it feel like a total waste of engagement on the part of the audience.… Expand

20 of 34 users found this helpful2014

All this user's reviews

3

everytimeyoudieDec 21, 2015

This genuinely fails to deliver on almost everything but nostalgia. To be perfectly honest it barely even felt like star wars. the plot is insanely dumb and the villains are terrible. This is everything I feared & worse.

38 of 64 users found this helpful3826

All this user's reviews

3

PatrickBateman4Dec 21, 2015

A totally miss opportunity, dumb lines, boring character especially Finn and Poe, weak villains and the plot basically is a rehash of A New Hope, a complete recycling movie, truly the prequels are masterpiece in comparison with this one.
BadA totally miss opportunity, dumb lines, boring character especially Finn and Poe, weak villains and the plot basically is a rehash of A New Hope, a complete recycling movie, truly the prequels are masterpiece in comparison with this one.
Bad start for the new franchise.… Expand

29 of 55 users found this helpful2926

All this user's reviews

3

realrutzDec 23, 2015

There's so much true Star Wars fans have to be upset about with this movie. The most lacking factor was wow, wonderment and awe. Plus the fact that this film had no suspense and not one great action set piece. (a first for a Star Wars filmThere's so much true Star Wars fans have to be upset about with this movie. The most lacking factor was wow, wonderment and awe. Plus the fact that this film had no suspense and not one great action set piece. (a first for a Star Wars film and sad) TFA feels like Star Wars The TV Movie. And if it was a TV Movie on ABC, I would have been a little more impressed but this is the first Star Wars movie in theaters that is not an EPIC. I never felt transported to other worlds, I saw a desert and a forest with minimal production design. The Prequels are looking really good right now in that aspect (actually in every aspect). I give it two stars because of the actors and the "funny moments" but besides that it has no build up, at times its silly, and pandering. (I feel that John Williams had no idea how to score TFA because every action scene has no buildup thus no need for his amazing talent to give rise and build to scenes, not his fault) Rey has an unusual knowledge of the force, even though she has no real idea what it is. Things that took Luke 2 movie's to do, Rey did in 1 movie. I was reminded of this while watching The Empire Strikes Back when Luke is hanging upside down and is reaching for his Lightsaber, he is struggling to reach it and its very close by. Rey was able to do it with ease with no training from Yoda and from a much further distance. Its ugly women empowerment pandering "Anything you can do, I can do better" in a film series that is more about Father and Sons than anything else. They destroyed a bit of the gravity of the series with that nonsense throughout the film. And I am not a Women Empowerment hater, Mad Max: Fury Road and Jupiter Ascending proved that that sort of Propaganda if you will can be done right and us guys have to shut up because it was done with thoughtfulness and heart. TFA is not that, the whole film feels rushed especially the characters development.

My final negative point is something I read in another review which summed up my worst fears of what this film could have been which is:

"Which brings me to what I hated the most about the movie, and the main reason I'm giving it such a low score: it erases anything good and fulfilling we had at the end of Return of the Jedi. Every single one of the original heroes failed miserably in every aspects of their lives. Where is the reward for being good, just and do heroic deeds?
So... Han failed as a husband, as a father, as a member of the resistance and overall as a man (a bitter one it seems)... same goes for Leia (oh, she is a general of a sidekick cell that's supported by the republic... great). Luke is the worse of them all: failed as a jedi master, failed as a protector of the galaxy, as uncle, as friend, as brother, as the owner of R2D2"

TFA broods with so much negativity and abandons everything that our heroes fought so hard to protect. Its a huge slap in the face. It undermines the power of GOOD. Han Solo, Princess Leia, and Luke Skywalker all deserve a grace period after what they've been though and this film denied us that forever. We are right back in the same loop, and I get it most people come from broken homes, or fatherless childs, (I'm one of them) etc. But that doesn't mean films have to pander to society in such a manner. It could have been a great example to show that the GOOD in the world has to be protected and that its a torch of hope that we pass down to our children. TFA in my opinion has destroyed much history and has set us up for a very negative Trilogy, I guess one about the loop of destruction. And maybe that would have been acceptable if the movie was great via amazing set pieces, visual spectacle, wonderment, better pacing, a memorable score, and inspired production design but it didn't even do that. All things that are Star Wars Traditions. There's more of course, Plot holes all over the place and the misuse of Captain Phasma, is she dead?… Expand

56 of 94 users found this helpful5638

All this user's reviews

3

LuhterDec 21, 2015

I don't understand the over inflated score this movie has. I believe people want so bad this movie to be good and they turn into zealots because of this.

On short, this movie is beautiful visually. The acting is the best so far in the seriesI don't understand the over inflated score this movie has. I believe people want so bad this movie to be good and they turn into zealots because of this.

On short, this movie is beautiful visually. The acting is the best so far in the series and natural. The pace is steady and funny moments are well balanced. The sound is above average, mainly because it tends to become predictable in toward the end. If a movie would be defined by only by those things, this SW would be a solid 9, maybe even 10.

But its not. A movie is a visual novel. And the story is terrible, so terrible that I felt bad how dumb and force it was. The characters lack depth, and the inner conflicts are pathetically expressed on screen. They exist just to showcase fan favorite concepts and to form a narrative that is a remake of episode 4. At this chapter this movie is bellow Hanna Barbara level.… Expand

28 of 40 users found this helpful2812

All this user's reviews

3

NamenotavailablDec 21, 2015

"The Farce Puts You to Sleep"

Boring, predictable and poorly written, rarely am I so disappointed in a move. Farce Awakens seems to somehow be worse than Phantom Menace without needing Jar Jar or Midi-chlorians. Recycled plot, so much so"The Farce Puts You to Sleep"

Boring, predictable and poorly written, rarely am I so disappointed in a move. Farce Awakens seems to somehow be worse than Phantom Menace without needing Jar Jar or Midi-chlorians. Recycled plot, so much so that avoiding spoilers is pointless, and writing so full of holes you could fly a death star through them. Overall the movie came across like poorly written fan fiction, even by the standards of most SW fics.

The next episode better be "The Writers are Forced Back to School"… Expand

35 of 59 users found this helpful3524

All this user's reviews

3

Alastor00Dec 31, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. You know what? Special effects are cool. That's why so much people gives 10 (10!!!!).
Han Solo is not the same anymore. The whole story is copy-paste. The final scene is totally nonsense. Kylo Ren is lame and Rey is overpowered. Chewbacca is the only true character of this movie.
And stopping laser midair... c'mon.… Expand

82 of 138 users found this helpful8256

All this user's reviews

3

Paul_M_DemaDec 22, 2015

Only good sides of this movie were good humor and really good play of Daisy Ridley. Story was copied from prev movies, Stormtroopers still suck, no big ships fighting only small x-wings and others. Most of the plot is result of aOnly good sides of this movie were good humor and really good play of Daisy Ridley. Story was copied from prev movies, Stormtroopers still suck, no big ships fighting only small x-wings and others. Most of the plot is result of a coincidences and showing us main villian Face was big mistake also the told us almost from the start who was Ren. There is tons of such mistakes i don't even want to continue… Expand

18 of 31 users found this helpful1813

All this user's reviews

3

goatulaDec 22, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Once upon a time JJ Abrams wrote down his favorite original trilogy scenes on separate note cards. He spread the cards before him. Wow, he thought, these scenes are cool. Since I'm doing the first movie of the trilogy, I'll keep most of the notecards from A New Hope and discard the rest. However, I'll keep the Vader/Luke catwalk scene as people tend cite that as their favorite. I'll keep the ROTJ cards too, actually.

Ok, there's still a lot of scenes here. I'll keep the ones that I've seen referenced in popular culture the most, and discard the rest...no, wait, let's keep it all- I'll alter them just enough so as not to violate that contract we signed with George.

Hmm, the original cast is older now. 30 years have passed. Let's write out the ramifications of the original trilogy such that Han is still a smuggler, Leia is leading a resistance and Luke, well, he told me he can't jump anymore so we'll stash him on an island somewhere. The opening crawl will make the movie about him, though, because, you know, Luke. Luke has disappear, Leia Luke! Crawl complete.

Ok, I have unlimited freedom and creativity in this universe. I need a climactic space battle scene. What's something that's never been done before in this universe? Death Star! But mine, mine will be bigger. Planet-sized. That's big, and the original Death Star worked because it was big, right? Wait, if it's a planet, there won't be any space battles in the movie- good trade off though because big. Since the Vader/Luke catwalk scener- er I mean Han/Ren scene needs to happen, and we need force awakening, let's do a mashup ROTJ style as main character arcs are so 1970s. Ray will learn about the force by showing her concentrating and/or flashing back. They'll explain it in the next episode of Lost.

I guess I'm old school- I like character growth, originality, pacing and WONDER. These are created dynamically and with intent and priority, and won't emerge passively from a cut n paste hackjob.

I can go on for days about this farce, but I've seen others doing a good job. Glad I'm not alone.

3 stars, because some of the acting was nice. I'd rank it 5th in the series, above TPM and AOTC.… Expand

69 of 113 users found this helpful6944

All this user's reviews

3

Disappointed58Dec 22, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have to say overall I was let down by the movie. Started out kind of slow, and was kind of boring. I grew up watching the original Star Wars in 1977 at the theater. As a 7 year old, I was captivated by that movie and i was looking for the same thing, only to be disappointed. Abrams did not capture my enthusiasm. He is no George Lucas, and he would better off staying with and directing Star Trek. Probably with the help of Disney and Abrams, "The Force Awakens" is missing George Lucas's panache. For one, you killed off Han Solo. Unbelievable. One of the most iconic characters in the original trilogy. And you introduce us to a character that basically learns the force and how to use a lightsaber in a matter of a couple hours. Really? Luke is the "yoda" of Jedi Knights and it took him years and years to learn about the force and the dark side. Do I even ask what she accomplishes in episode 8? If ever a series needs resurrected, it is now. George Lucas, where are when we need you most?… Expand

46 of 78 users found this helpful4632

All this user's reviews

3

NikimonDec 23, 2015

Throughout this movie I was thinking "Who the h%&# is that guy?" As in what is that character doing in a star wars movie?

After the movie was over i saw no happy face in any of the other moviegoers, not one, and the theater was packed.Throughout this movie I was thinking "Who the h%&# is that guy?" As in what is that character doing in a star wars movie?

After the movie was over i saw no happy face in any of the other moviegoers, not one, and the theater was packed. There is usually always someone hyped after a good effects movie. Nothing.

"I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."

(btw. No fantastic lines to quote either ... nothing ....)

I never write reviews, but i have to comment this. I did not have great expectations to the movie, as i knew that Disney had taken over the franchise and thus probably would try and milk it for what its worth. In a way i was glad, because it meant more star wars for us fans.

Somehow they managed to create a movie with all star wars looking parts, but no feel.
It felt like the parts where chosen by focus groups from current buzz-words and opinion polls.

So since the product seems to come from cynical businessmen, my response is in a language they will understand.

1. I will not spend more money on star wars or star wars related products for quite a while.
2. I will recommend to friends and family to do the same.
3. I will write reviews like this where ever i can.… Expand

67 of 113 users found this helpful6746

All this user's reviews

3

KoreUptdDec 23, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. No character development, predictable plot with many holes, forced chemistry between actors, weak and laughable villain, unoriginal story.
It is ridiculous that the "critics" give this film such high praise. I think it's hype and nostalgia that is masking the critical reviews so far. In time the mediocrity of this movie will sink in and the consensus of the SW community will be that it is pretty much just a less-than-worthy reboot of the original trilogy.

A few specific things that really bothered me:

1. Rey is an orphan, scavenging for parts to get by, but magically somehow when she is told that she has the Force, she suddenly knows out of nowhere to use the Jedi mind trick, can beat the bad guy in a lightsaber duel, and fly the Falcon like an ace pilot. No training needed - I guess Luke is a dunce for having to train under Yoda, huh? Sorry, not buying ANY of it.
2. CGI for the supreme leader, it's the same actor who did Gollum, and it shows. How original. And the cantina owner, unnecessarily CGI too.
3. Another Death Star, only bigger. Destroys a solar system, minutes later everyone acts as if this were just a mere inconvenience. Oh, and it has a weakness...sound familiar?
4. Kylo Ren is the lamest villian yet in Star Wars. I'll let you figure out why for yourself.
5. The Han Solo and Kylo face off was so predictable I saw it coming from a mile away, and afterward it just made me feel empty and sad. Also, when Ren and Chewy return to Leia, she totally ignores her long time friend Chewy and instead goes to Ren (whom she hardly even knows!), and shares in their grief. I guess Chewy's grief is irrelevant to Leia because why; he's a wookie? I am just shocked.

Yeah, there were some good moments, but after it's all said and done, I'm just feeling let down and depressed.… Expand

69 of 116 users found this helpful6947

All this user's reviews

3

SW7ISBADDec 23, 2015

Oh my, Oh God, Oh why....

Where do I begin with this mini review? As a Star Wars fan I have always loved the original movies and liked the prequels and appreciated the meaningful narrative that the saga told - to this day it is one of myOh my, Oh God, Oh why....

Where do I begin with this mini review? As a Star Wars fan I have always loved the original movies and liked the prequels and appreciated the meaningful narrative that the saga told - to this day it is one of my favourite movie franchises. Having said that, this entry falls so flat and feels so empty that I nearly had a heart attack after seeing the hype and all-round positivity surrounding this picture.

While watching the movie many things became apparent. Firstly it moves at a breakneck speed and you eventually realise why, there is no story or character development whatsoever - its almost as if someone had a gun at the back of the directors head, forcing him to move quickly before people catch on to the shallowness and superficiality of SW7. Secondly because the movie is crammed and there is no room to breathe, all the happy coincidences that happen in the film stick out like a sore thumb and feel false; its true to say that there are coincidences in the previous installments but because there actually is a deep and meaningful story it doesn't hit you in the eye like a bolt of lightning but occurs seamlessly and works. Thirdly where was the score? We're talking John Williams the maestro here. I expect he himself had a stroke when he watched it and could only deliver a generic compilation that would be appropriate to the film. I could go on with my list of disappointments but can't be bothered ...zzz..zz..zz

In conclusion this is a Disney movie and in all honesty feels more like a Guardians of the Galaxy 2 rather than a genuine entry into the saga and thats the problem. Star Wars was never on the surface in terms of depth, it had poetry, a compelling spiritual battle, growing momentum that led ( for me ) to a satisfying and well paced conclusion. If you like your movies light hearted, fun, shallow and not too serious then this movie will be right up your alley. But if you're like me and you wanted to see and experience that deep, rich and meaningul story that connects with you and leaves you feeling transported to another galaxy - this is DEFINITELY NOT IT!… Expand

102 of 165 users found this helpful10263

All this user's reviews

3

necromsisDec 23, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This movie is a rehash of episode 4 a new hope with parts of previous movies. The little new the did was ok at best and generic at worst. It's the same empire versus rebels, shoot the weak point in the death star, lowly main character on desert planet wishes to be on an adventure.this movie literally doesn't advance the story of star wars at all. The story is a string of coincidences. The characters and their relationships are developed in an instant.

The actions scenes are from previous movies. The plot is from previous movies. The characters that are worth while are from previous movies. The locations are designed to look like ones from previous movies. I knew the ending just by watching a new hope. It's obvious that this wasn't intended to be a good movie but a good cash grab. Designed for nostalgia. Don't fall for it. It has good CGI and a star wars soundtrack, that's it.
The people I know who love this are bandwagon fans who quickly saw each trilogy only once without retaining anything and would cry for hours because a squirrel tripped.… Expand

66 of 111 users found this helpful6645

All this user's reviews

3

BBC1Dec 23, 2015

God, I was so dissapointed with this movie. It was honestly the worst film of the entire franchise. I never felt immersed in the movie and there were just to many awful moments for me to really enjoy. There were a few good action scenes, butGod, I was so dissapointed with this movie. It was honestly the worst film of the entire franchise. I never felt immersed in the movie and there were just to many awful moments for me to really enjoy. There were a few good action scenes, but there were too many awkward scenes. I am a huge star wars fan and i was majorly dissapointed.… Expand

72 of 121 users found this helpful7249

All this user's reviews

3

icaci90Dec 24, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. this movie is way better than any of the prequels but it's just "a new hope" with different characters( of course related to the old ones). what's really upsetting me is the fact that all the critic reviews are way too positive. I mean are you really praising JJ abrams for directing a movie that has no new ideas(first order=empire, star killer=death star,Rey=luke,Leia is still the rebels commander etc.)? and what about the villain? he's just like a teenage boy who's got issues with his parents. i know that this movie was made for the fan-dom but that doesn't justify the lack of originality.… Expand

50 of 84 users found this helpful5034

All this user's reviews

3

Raph75Dec 30, 2015

So, like many before me I did not believe the well-written and thoughtful negative reviews and I went to see the movie. I mean it is a 200 million JJ Abrams movie and I like JJ Abrams. How bad can it be? It turns out it can be pretty bad. AndSo, like many before me I did not believe the well-written and thoughtful negative reviews and I went to see the movie. I mean it is a 200 million JJ Abrams movie and I like JJ Abrams. How bad can it be? It turns out it can be pretty bad. And it is not JJs fault. JJ Abrams has strengths and he has weaknesses. His strengths are an ability to create intense, memorable, R-rated characters, full of flare and fun to watch. His main weakness is his willingness to sacrifice the strength of the plot for the bigger bang.

So what happens when JJ Abrams meets Disney executives, the manufacturers of the wholesome family entertainment? The answer is you get all of the JJs weaknesses while he is obviously forbidden from using any of his strengths. You should never forget that Disney execs are the brain trust that hated Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow and only Depp's "star power" forced them to acquiesce.

So what you get is an impossibly bland version of Star Wars universe, shot the same way all of Disney's TV movies for preschoolers are shot. The movie was carefully sanitized to extract any content that a 5-7 years old may find traumatic according to the most modern definitions of what a 5-7 years old finds traumatic (everything). Every scene of the movie you can see that the force grip executed by Darth Disney on JJ Abrams' throat was a powerful one and his leash was very short. Death, grief, fear, evil, romantic desire: all are removed or downplayed to the level of the core definition of "wholesome family entertainment".

My wife who is not a Star Wars fan but likes action and sci-fi and simply takes every movie as a stand-alone story gave it 3/10. She said it was basically another Disney Channel movie she would watch on TV with our kid. For me, as a Star Wars fan this movie was a bitter disappointment. 0/10. The thing is it could be a substantially better movie even with the same script (very minor changes) and the same director and the same actors, if they were ever allowed to cross the boundaries of a de-facto PG rating.

You can read other reviews for blow-by-blow details of what makes this movie so bad (those stories, they are all true), but at its core it is caused simply by Disney being Disney and JJ Abrams being only half of JJ Abrams - per Disney requirements.… Expand

73 of 121 users found this helpful7348

All this user's reviews

3

JMLedDec 26, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Thanks to the angry nerds who chased George Lucas away from Star Wars, we ended up with this garbage JJ Abrams nonsense because of you people.

How this movie ended up with an overall positive response from the media is baffling.

The gaping plot holes, cheese-ridden dialogue, and shameless recycling of OT scenes was painful to endure.… Expand

69 of 116 users found this helpful6947

All this user's reviews

3

Kevdog33Dec 26, 2015

I thought about walking out twice which would of been the first time I have wanted to walk out of a movie since the Phantom Menace. Han Solo and Chewbacca were at least enjoyable. Sadly Jar Jar Abrams has likely ruined 2 movies. This one andI thought about walking out twice which would of been the first time I have wanted to walk out of a movie since the Phantom Menace. Han Solo and Chewbacca were at least enjoyable. Sadly Jar Jar Abrams has likely ruined 2 movies. This one and the next Star Trek which he really seemed to be very adept at directing. To think he was to be the new hope. However, it is too derivative to be anything but what it came from. Crap… Expand

69 of 116 users found this helpful6947

All this user's reviews