Star Wars VII: Doing It Right

Disney and J. J. Abrams pulled it off. They did Star Wars better than George Lucas! Well, at least better than the prequels.

First off, they didn't ruin it. They could have displayed the Disney castle at the beginning. Or Abrams could have used more than a few lens flares (I think I counted about 10 total?). Disney could have turned it into a musical.

It felt like ... get this ... a Star Wars movie. I loved it. The fans who caught it with me the night before opening loved it. Even a couple of days ago, there was someone clapping at the end when I saw it for a third time at an obscure theatre in Roanoke, Virginia.

So, who doesn't like it? I've seen a few negative reviews but they are a vast minority. The complaints are along the lines of "it's basically A New Hope rehashed" and "why didn't such-and-such get answered?" Then again, aren't all the other Star Wars movies variations on A New Hope? And we have two more movies on the way for answering questions.

Like I've posited before, sometimes critics give negative reviews just to remind the world that they're real critics. "I was one who gave a top-grossing film a bad review when everyone else loved it!"

Yet, even the negative critics agree: Disney and Abrams delivered, and it was well received.

P. S. I'll venture a small spoiler and impart my wisdom. Star Wars VII finally reveals why storm troopers always seem to miss their targets. Think about it. As soon as one of them takes off his helmet, he's suddenly able to hit his targets. Could it be ...? No, it couldn't be that!