I’m going to go ahead and say that I’m not a huge Star Wars fan. I mean, I enjoy the films well enough and some of my best friends are HUGE fans of the entire universe that has been created for the property. But look, I grew up with the original trilogy on licensed VHS tapes and watched them each several times. I saw each of the new trilogy in theaters. I even played a few of the games (I was a boss at Shadows of the Empire on Nintendo 64). But I never delved too deep into understanding the universe and how everything interacted with one another. I can’t tell you about many of the ancillary characters and their political leanings, okay? Just not in me.

That being said, I still enjoy the original trilogy and think of them as fine additions to the sci-fi genre. I also fully understand and appreciate just how big of an influence they have had on pop culture and, hell, even just culture itself! The rabid fandom that Star Wars has created is nothing short of awe-inspiring and it’s wonderful that people are still so fascinated and moved by the series.

So my viewing of Star Wars: The Force Awakens saw me sitting comfortably in the middle of the road. Not an obsessed fan but also not a filthy casual, I fall probably into a large population of people who are going to see the movie. To give you probably the best indicator of the kind of viewer I was at the theater, when the opening title card appeared with that all-too-familiar burst of symphonic exuberance, my heart-rate didn’t pick up at all but I did crack a smile.

Okay, enough of me explaining where I’m coming from in regards to this series. Let’s get into the meat and potatoes of the review, shall we?

So, let’s start out with some positive aspects of the film. Firstly, I want to let you know that this feels like a Star Wars film. Everything about it rests very comfortably in the world that George Lucas created. From reusing (or recreating) many of the same props that gave the world depth and life to the locations, I never found myself at odds with what I was seeing.

As it’s been made painfully obvious, many characters make their return to the series. Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels (as C-3PO), and Peter Mayhew (as Chewbacca) all show themselves and it’s a delight to see these actors reprise these roles. They play their characters with charm and excitement and it’s obvious that they are as thrilled to be back in their roles as we are to see them.

Additionally, the movie is, in many places, just flat out fun! There are genuine “laugh out loud” moments, far more than any other Star Wars film, and much of the action and battle sequences are exciting with far greater impact and “oomph” than we’ve ever seen in the series.

But all of the above doesn’t solve one major problem that this film has: It’s essentially a remake of A New Hope. And I’m not talking about one or two scenes/ideas. I’m saying that there are so many of the same plot points that it’s glaringly obvious and it actually takes away from the potential emotional impact that many scenes tried to elicit. Here, let me explain with a swath of examples.

Firstly, the storyline is almost the exact same. The Empire, or in this case “The First Order”, is in control and General Leia Organa is leading a group of Resistance fighters to stop them. Except, wasn’t the majority of The Empire defeated in Return of the Jedi? No good explanation is given why The First Order is in such control of the galaxy.

To aid their fight against The First Order, the Resistance must find Luke Skywalker, who has been missing for quite a while. How can they get this information? Well, pilot Poe Dameron has to hide an information disc (actually, it resembles a USB flash drive) that has Skywalker’s supposed location on BB-8, a droid unit that is sent out on its own where it must find its own way back to the Resistance. Kinda reminds you of Princess Leia sending R2D2 and C-3PO out onto Tatooine, doesn’t it? Oh, and BB-8 is also forced to navigate a desert planet, just to drive the point home.

BB-8 eventually meets Daisy Ridley’s “Rey”, a junk scavenger who longs to get off her planet of Jakku but feels tied to it because of family obligations (same with Luke and his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru). All of this would be fine if that’s where the similarities ended. But they keep coming up!

Adam Driver’s “Kylo Ren” is a glaringly obvious new Darth Vader-esque villain. I mean, Vader had Emperor Palpatine and Ren has Snoke. And just like in A New Hope, there is a general that Ren must work with, someone who is his equal (even though he doesn’t possess the force).

And what does The First Order have as its major weapon? It’s a planet that’s been converted to steal the entire energy of a star and fire massive laser beams at planets to destroy them. Yup, it’s basically another Death Star. And wouldn’t ya know it but the damn thing has a glaringly obvious weakness that the Resistance easily learns about, just like the original Death Star. Don’t you think the bad guys would’ve hired better engineers and architects by now? I mean, they even say in the movie something along the lines of, “Every one of those things has a weak spot!” You can’t get more obvious than that.

When it comes to John Boyega’s “Finn”, I simply can’t follow his character’s growth. The concept is that he was taken away as a very young child and raised to be a Stormtrooper. Okay, cool. That makes me hate The First Order. It’s basically child soldiers, which is a horrific and monstrous thing to do. However, if Finn, who only gets that name from Poe because he was always referred to as a serial number, was trained and raised to be a Stormtrooper for years upon years, wouldn’t he feel some sort of allegiance to The First Order? Wouldn’t he have some sort of unshakeable bond with his fellow Stormtroopers? No, there’s nothing.

In the early fight sequence where we meet Poe, BB-8, Finn, and Kylo Ren, Finn doesn’t shoot his blaster once. In fact, he just stands there as though he’s petrified by the horror of The First Order. But isn’t that what they’ve been indoctrinating him for all these years for? Shouldn’t he not even think once about killing innocent civilians? It simply makes no sense whatsoever because we’re never given a reason for him to lose faith in The First Order. It’s too sudden, it’s too abrupt, and it doesn’t feel genuine.

And when it comes to Han Solo’s death, it’s so obvious that it’s coming that it has no emotional hit whatsoever. In A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi played a father figure to Luke Skywalker, the hero of the movie. In The Force Awakens, Han Solo plays a father figure to Rey, the heroine of the movie. In fact, when being interrogated by Kylo Ren, he even asks Rey if she sees Solo as a father figure. It’s shoved in our faces! Plus, Obi-Wan was killed by Darth Vader (who at one point considered each other brothers) and Han Solo was killed by Kylo Ren (who is Han Solo’s son), so the family angle still apparently is supposed to shock us.

Last connection I want to bring up: The heroes all go to a rather unsavory bar/meeting place and, just like in the Mos Eisley Cantina, there’s a “jizz” band. Yes, that’s a real term and it’s canon in the Star Wars universe.

Something that was personally disappointing was composer John Williams’ score. While there are moments of wonder and beauty, it felt lackluster and didn’t carry the same kind of grandiose majesty that the original trilogy had. In fact, the music in the above trailer was perhaps the most thrilling and moving piece I’ve heard for this film.

Look, I don’t want to make it sound like I hated this movie because I really didn’t. I can tell that the film was made with lots of love and veneration. J.J. Abrams, who is a massive Star Wars fan brings that passion into every scene and it’s impossible to deny. Additionally, each actor brings their very best and it’s such a delight to see Boyega and Ridley give their all to roles that will undoubtedly skyrocket them into amazing parts that they will rightfully deserve. And Adam Driver played Kylo Ren wonderfully as a broken and conflicted soul. Plus, BB-8 is adorable and brings humor and charm to every scene it’s in.

At the end of the day, I think Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a perfectly suitable addition to the series. It’s leaps and bounds better than the new trilogy but I think it’s not as good as the original three. As a launching point for a whole new era of Star Wars films, it does everything it needs to do. I just wish it hadn’t elected safety over originality. With a universe and mythology as rich and glorious as Star Wars, it’s disappointing that they went the tried-and-true route.

Final score: 3/5 Skulls