Abrams Didn’t Quite Hit a Home Run, But It’s a Win
When I first saw this a decade ago, I felt let down. J. J. Abrams did such a phenomenal job resurrecting Star Trek that I expected way more from his take on this galaxy.
But watching it again on my sequential Star Wars marathon, I have to admit it is better than the haters say, easily clearing the low bar of Episode II and sitting right on par with The Phantom Menace.
Sure, it doesn’t touch the original trilogy, mostly because Abrams just took the exact playbook from A New Hope and rebuilt it with modern tech while skimping on real emotional connection.
Still, the movie is incredibly engaging from start to finish. Passing the torch from Han and Leia to Rey, Finn, and Poe works surprisingly well, even if Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren comes off as a weaker villain here.
Thankfully, the Disneyfication is pretty minimal compared to the disasters we got later, making this a completely solid, fun ride for the family. 7.5/10.
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