In order to trick a powerful, force-wielding Sith Lord in control of the Empire, secret plans are hidden in a droid. The droid must travel to a barren land and brave the sand dunes to return the information to the rebels. An unknowingly powerful potential Jedi, whose parents are gone, finds the droid and completes his mission.
This is the familiar premise of “Star Wars: A New Hope.” And, incidentally, it also happens to be the premise of the newest addition to the saga, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
Unoriginality is this movie’s paramount crime. The plot followed a similar course to the old ones. The Death Star is back. It’s bigger this time, but it can still be defeated in just about the same way it was the last two times. There is one difference, but it’s literally nominal. Instead of the Rebellion, it’s the “Resistance.” And, instead of the Empire, it’s the “First Order.”
The story arc was more of a plateau with a couple bumps for action sequences and to stretch out the time. Most interactions had predictable outcomes, and when there was a significant twist, it didn’t make a lot of sense.
Too much time was spent savoring old memories, and not enough was left to shape a new story.
The new characters were refreshing but seemed more like plot devices than dynamic people. How they got the rare skills that ensure their survival remains a mystery.
Excepting one or two interesting maneuvers, the fight scenes lacked excitement.
Overly-hyped, the success of this film rested neatly on the success of its predecessors. It was as if they thought they could break the box office if they just hinted that Han Solo and Leia would be back. And it worked. The film made a record $57 million on opening night. Unfortunately, the previous success of the Star Wars franchise raised expectations for the new movie, and it sadly fell short.
Disney did an impressive job of preventing leaks, but it only covered up a slow plot and rehashed ideas.
Five minutes before the end, the writers seemed to realize that a significant part of the conflict was still unresolved. They sloppily tied it up in a way that could have been completed halfway through the movie.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” will have you on the edge of your seat, waiting for it to get good.
Charlie McBrian • Jul 2, 2017 at 11:51 am
It’s like poetry, it rhymes.
Josh Mortenson • Feb 19, 2016 at 12:13 pm
Your thinking that the film is unoriginal is false since the Writer of the Film, John Casden, was given limited freedom to write the films plot and events to keep it true to the star wars original trilogy as homage to it.
Me and Billy Mays feel that you must change this article for it to be true to its facts.
Sincerely
Josh Mortenson, Featured writer on the Dickinson Patriot.
Billy Mays • Jan 7, 2016 at 8:24 am
Billy Mays here. It was supposed to be a parallel to “Episode IV: A New Hope.” JJ Abrams did that on purpose. Also, Kylo Ren isn’t a Sith Lord… the Sith are extinct. If you were a true fan of Star Wars, you would appreciate the homage to the original trilogy. Any recycled elements were a backdrop for the new story going on. Your opinion is founded on ignorance. No offense. Have a great day, and please try Oxiclean.