So I went to see this movie 4 days ago, and I came out feeling a little empty inside...

I don't usually hate the whole "copy'n'paste" thing. At one point you realize that everything is a remix / rehash of what has come before, our creativity is of this nature...

However, why JJ Abrams has been given free leash on many "big" scifi movies this past years is beyond HELL in my mind. It's childish/immature/sluggish crap when it comes to execution, editing, plot, characters, dialog et al... Too much rehashing of old things from IV and VI became an abomination in VII.

I certainly don't mind a good action or sci-fi movie with a lot of effects/CGI, but is it too much to ask for for a little more in-dept plot, more info and character development, and less forced drama and fast action just to cover a lazy script? Star Wars IV was fantastic in telling an immense story, good old-school effects and dialog, not to mention the good atmosphere between the characters. This latest iteration felt extremely rushed and predictable. The last seconds was awkward and annoying. A good sci-fi/adventure flick is more than CGI and rushed action.

Just look at creative outbursts like some 70s/80s sci-fi, space balls, black moon, critters, B5, SG1, Interstellar (great music by the way), Man from Earth, some of the Star Trek movies, and MANY more. (I don't mean that they all are oscar/amanda worthy, but their content was a heck a lot more interesting than the CGI/action alone. Worse is, many good sci-fi movies/series are being cancelled before they even get a chance, and they're being considerer too cerebral or "brainy" for some of those rich, thick-headed, grey-haired executives. Pardon me, I do know that some are women too)

On a scale from 1 to 10 i would give it a 4, just because it overall was OK and had some funny parts. Paying 120kr (about 15 usd) was definitely not worth it. Maybe i should buy a book next time.

Oh yeah: Be sure to check out the fan made De-specialized editions of the original trilogy IV, V and VI. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXifjbxZDAM
I you want the movies itself in HD, you know where to get them ;-)

Now, this is a good example of community remixing/rehashing, and it really saved me from my depression! Have a great Christmas/Holliday! :-D

I thought one of the major selling points of the new movie was emphasis on practical effects?

Not saying it is you, (and I'm somewhat in agreement with you in your incredulity that Abrams has been given reign over such classics), but I've noticed a trend nowadays to bash movies simply for having CGI. Now bad CGI is certainly cringeworthy, but simply having CGI isn't a reason for a movie to be bad. A lot of times my friends would comment how a certain movie or scene was bad because of CGI, and it would turn out that it actually used practical effects, or other times how awesome a movie was for not using CGI, when it turns out that the bits they liked DID use CGI.

I've also noticed this CGI/Not CGI mixup people do nowadays. Gives some awkward moments. :)

I feel the same way as OP.

This movie was just too similar to episode 4 with Mark Hamill.

Waste of money.

For better or worse, that seems to be the truth. Huge ( and expensive ) productions are created to appeal to the masses, and as long as those masses happily pay for their tickets/copies, the opinions of critics or longtime fans are largely irrelevant.

And I agree about the Indie productions, as well. Smaller film and game productions frequently manage to deliver a more interesting and "fresh" experience, compared to all the uninspired AAA remakes and sequels. Of course you still need to find the good ones.

J.J. Abrams...Destroyer Of Sci-Fi Worlds! He saw, he came, he destroyed... :( Hopefully he doesn't extend his dark dominion beyond Star Trek and Star Wars. I think you are giving the movie too much praise. Episode IV makes this movie look like something they force prisoners to watch in Guantanamo Bay to break them down.

I feel more sorry for people who can't enjoy what they've got.

Fortunately that is not me yet.

I thought it was fantastic. It dragged a little more than ESB but if you don't think there was character development in there I don't think you actually paid attention to the movie...

Not sure if there is something wrong with GOGgers when it comes to movies, or are people overly critical on a medium which is supposed to be entertaining? (and not meant to have the crap picked out of it. YES there are a lot of reboots and rehashes these days.However i do not believe this is the case the this current Star Wars movie - critics are pretty universal in overwhelming positivity about it).
NB im also wondering if the overly critical ppl are fans of what used to be part of the extra stuff in Star Wars universe but no longer are canon?.

Also, in my opinion the original Star Wars movies were not much deeper than the sci-fi blockbusters of today.

To me the movies added the framework but its all the books that added the actual depth to the Star Wars universe.

Well, judging from what I have read, the new Star Wars isn't just a remix of the things we already saw in the original film: it's EXACTLY the same stuff, with somewhat different and mixed characters. Exactly - the - same - stuff. It's plagiarism, more than a remix.

P.S.I still have to see the film myself, btw.

The problem with the Star Wars franchise is that there's so much nostalgia for the Original Trilogy that every subsequent movie wants to throw in heaps of references to the characters and events in it, so it's always going to be familiar and predictable. I haven't read any comics or books from the Expanded Universe, but the plot of both KotOR games could translate well into the movies and bring in some fresh elements.

From what I understood, the seventh episode was a blatant rip-off of the fourth episode, just repackaged with different characters. bleah

I'm gonna be the odd one out and say I liked The Force Awakens. Yes, it was too close to ANH, but it's the first movie in a new series from new owners, so playing it safe to "lay the foundation" for a new generation of films is somewhat forgivable in my eyes. If they can take it in a new direction from here, I will be happy. I even prefer the lightsaber fights in this one to the prequels and the originals. The originals were too unrefined, and the prequels were *too* refined and choreographed (not to mention there wasn't much on the line plot-wise, it was just flashy sword swinging), but this time they really felt like they were fighting for their lives even if one was untrained and the other was almost mortally injured.