disagree too. I rewatched all 6 one a day last week before force awakens to be fresh on them. force awakens lines up with the originals very well and the prequels were as bad or worse than when I first saw them. they shared almost nothing tonally with the originals where this one does. especially phantom menace which was a gaudy CGI bloated silly children's movie. the force awakens was basically a retelling of a new hope which made it light on story like a new hope( the one thing the prequels had) but I can see why it was as it was a re introduction of the series to a new generation and put the past to bed while keeping all the exact themes intact for the future.
you cant compare it to the originals beyond that as its not fair. star wars when it came out was the first of its kind and there is nostalgia there and had as much to do with that generation and culture as it did the movie itself. go back and watch a new hope after this and tell me its not some nostalgia that is keeping it being held in high regard. so with that said the force awakens did very well as it checked all the boxes, it was obviously the best looking film of all as everything was clean simple and matched the first movies, not the garbage look of the prequels. I give lucas the credit for imagining the original story but something changed where his vision and the fans stopped lining up as most of his tweaks hurt the originals and the prequels would have been much better same stories in someone elses hands. so it was time to pass the torch for sure.
all the new characters were instantly very likeable which was big worry since they will be carrying the weight from here on out and some will be very important to the mythology. the older characters were the same and all the family themes that were the core to the arc are still there. it in some ways make the prequels a little better as for example the portrayal of Anakin isnt "as" bad now since it matches up with the angst and feel of Ben almost exactly and makes that connection make sense.
im not saying its a was perfect as it was a bit paint by numbers to A New Hope and the main plot twists or climaxes we all now know about were thus very telegraphed. again im big on mythology and it was so fast paced it had just the bare bones enough to make the movie work. its was a bit light on meaty story details fans were waiting on all these years with most of what it mentioned happening off screen. that is the one thing I will give the prequels as they did go into the lore and mythology deeper and one key scene in revenge of the sith helps decode what is going on with the dark side and snoke ect.
Certainly some good points, but if you get to play in this sandbox, why recreate the original literally point for point? The reason (I believe), people feel they know or feel something about these characters is because they are the exact same characters from the previous movies....
Let's see..
A loner living on a desert planet yearning for something more with (eventually) nothing to lose finds a droid with the information the bad guys want and is drawn into the rebellion...but wait, now it's a GIRL!
A smart ass self involved rogue with selfish intentions slowly learns to care for other people...but wait, now he's black!
A tiny funny colored 1000 year old alien with the wisdom of the ages...but instead of Darth Vader we get his effeminate,weak, emo offspring. Tell me again why he is angry?
The original characters were exactly the same...but now they're OLD...
How about the story..
Opening scene: We see the stormtroopers attacking the rebellion, allowing their black clothed leader to reveal that they are searching for information that the rebels have...which has now been placed into a droid and is released onto a desert planet to find it's way...
Cantina scene where a main character finds two pilots to fly him offworld...
Another Deathstar? Really?
It goes on and on, but I can't sit here forever to point out the similarities.
Honestly, it pains me to keep going lol! I am not comparing it to the originals...MC is spot on about that. But this movie could have been anything... except a nearly scene by scene remake (are remakes ever as good as the originals?). The original was wildly creative and inventive when it came out. If this was the first Star Wars movie, it would probably be the last. There was nothing to distinguish it from any other current Hollywood blockbuster except thin, superficial ties to the original. I guess Harrison Ford wearing the old clothes and spouting the same old lines is enough for most people...I wish I felt the same way. I felt very sad after this. And now that we are going to get yearly installments...well, it doesn't look good. It's not nostalgia...is Gone With the Wind unwatchable because it is old? Are the Beatles less relevant musically because they are older? MC, is "checking all the boxes" enough? Wouldn't some originality have been nice?
Holy cow, I can't believe I am being drawn into an internet argument about Star Wars...gotta call my mom and see if the room in her basement is still available...