Episode VII: More of the Same

The photo above could well be Harrison Ford rehearsing for the latest Star Wars movie.

I have to confess, when it comes to the question of "Star Wars" vs "Star Trek", I've always tended to fall on the "Star Trek" side. Maybe it's because the whole battle between the Jedi and the Sith reminds me dismally of American politics. It's like "Political informercials in space", whereas Star Trek is more like "Let's go out and find all the cool stuff we can find in space!!!"

A lot of people have said that the latest Star Wars is the best since "Return of the Jedi" and I had high hopes but to me, this one should have been titled "Episode VII: More of the Same". The characters Rey and Finn were pretty cool and a breath of fresh air, both badass in their own way. It was COOL that Finn couldn't bring himself to slaughter innocent civilians! Kylo Ren, on the other hand, reminded me of a badly acted high school production of Julius Caesar.

Leaving aside the new characters, a lot of this movie was spent trying to evoke nostalgia: the Millenium Falcon and its gaming board. Cute aliens with incomprehensible names. Cute robots not malfunctioning in a sandy environment. Leia and Han banter.

This was a good movie but I wouldn't give it more than 3 out of 5 stars.