New Star Wars movie is well received by the critics.

[Anomalocaris]

It's funny, because the only people that dislike it are people with preconceived notions of what Star Wars should be, that they can't seem to let go of.  Plenty of long time fans are able to, thankfully.

New fans, people who were introduced to all this with TFA, seem to really enjoy the franchise.  They seem to think the movies are great, despite not having any association with the fan fair or text scrawl.  I guess there can be an argument made that young people all have shitty taste in movies, but it seems much more likely that it is the older Star Wars "fans" with the hang-ups. (Plus, it isn't just young people that are joining as new fans, but older ones who never got into the OT as well).

Actually, no.

I think the movie is mediocre precisely because it is indifferent as a stand alone movie.  Forget the Star Wars fanfare and trappings, if it retains exactly the same plot and special effects, but simply swap out the character names and the iconic props so it is clearly not part of the Star Wars “universe”, would you still get worked up about it?  I try to think how such a changed movie would look, and it looked to me like it doesn’t have much to stand on without these Star Wars trappings.  It would be another serviceable but forgettable me too flick.  There were a whole genres of these me too space battle movies set in different universes with a different contrived back story made after the original Star Wars to cash in on the unexpected success of that movie.  I struggle to see how this one would have been significantly above average compared to that lot.

I do think the hype about Star Wars is such that if a movie is set in the Star Wars universe, then the originality of its plot and its character and dramatic development are in effect allowed to be held to a lower standard than your average movie by fans or even the casually interested.   What in another movie would be considered blahhh would be swooned over and deemed outstanding achievement of the year if it were in a Star Wars movie.

That said, there are things which the movie does right as part of the Star Wars franchise.

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Spoilers ahead

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1. The movie reveals Rey is unrelated to any precious character.  This allows the franchise to stop being an endless soap opera about just one family.  The theme of the franchise have gradually taken on an air of blood and predestination.  That Rey came from nowhere and belong to no noble lineage is the right move to restore a sort of good can come from anywhere wholesome optimism originally introduced with the first Star Wars in 1977, and then gradually submerged under the leaden weight of contrived epicness and self reference in each succeeding movie.

2. The connection between Luke fading into the force and the unnamed boy that tends racing animals on the casino planet at the end of the movie is hinted at but not made clear, but it does suggest even Rey and Kylo are just transition characters in any design Disney has for the future of the franchise beyond episold 9. This is also good for the franchise, and prevent this story cycle from taking itself too seriously in its culmination, which was what Undid Return of the Jedi.   No, the culminating battle between good and evil and light and dark are not all about the souls of the main characters in this movie.   It potentially makes the canvas for the future of the franchise much bigger and less tied down to previous storylines.

3. The force awakens hinted at a thing developing between Fin and Rey.  But This movie introduced Rose. Hooray for diversity.   The ex-imperial renegade Fin and spunky mechanically inclined Rose definitely seem to afford more potential for a half hour Cartoon Network spin-off series than Fin and Rey, Rey being laden with whatever tired old burden force users are expected to carry.   Also, Disney were probably keenly eyeing the pockets of 1.3 billion Chinese when it introduce the character Rose.   The double crossing code cracker also seem custom designed to appear in the spin off TV series.

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