Here's my random thoughts on the movie and I didn't dislike it, I'll add up front, either, I did enjoy my time in the movie.
- I don't really like JJ Abrams' style as a director. Everything goes at such a breakneck pace that little seems to matter. He mimics stuff from earlier films (seen in such movies as Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Wars: Episode 7: the Force Awakens) without getting how to make the stuff he mimics matter. I felt none of the tension of when the Death Star was rounding Yavin 4 to take out the rebel base when they were doing a similar countdown of the Star Killer about to blast the new rebel base.
- I really liked the new characters (with a couple of exceptions). Rey is great, Finn is great and I even liked Kylo Ren. I loved that he is a scared, conflicted character full of doubt. We may get a villain that grows as a character as well as the heroes, which is bloody fucking rare in big budget blockbuster filmmaking. Poe was kind of a non-factor since he disappears so quick and doesn't really matter later but I still liked him. Hopefully he get's some more screentime in later films and doesn't just end up as a Wedge with slightly more lines. BB-8 is a wonderfully perfect marketing machine. He's adorable, has great moments and is about as perfect a symbol as you could get for the new movies.
- The character I didn't like was admiral barely legal. You'd think there'd be SOMEONE with experience in charge of stuff in the First Order. Someone with some gravitas when he gives that big old nazi speech. I was bummed when he didn't die because we'll have to see more of him later. He sucked.
- Characters that got nothing from me are Darth Voldemort and Captain Phasma. She betrayed the First Order MIGHTY quickly for being so apparently diehard. That just may be due to Abrams' pace. Otherwise she did almost nothing in the movie other than be a new toy to sell. Big hologram guy though has maybe the worst name ever created in Star Wars and this is a God damn series that has a character named Sleazebagano.
- All that said I still had a decent time.
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When it comes to American Ultra, I can't speak for everyone, but while it doesn't sound much more original than Star Wars, that isn't why I didn't see it. I didn't see it because it sounded like a dumb stoner comedy and I have no interest in those.
I see he wrote Victor Frankenstein's script that came out last month and has only made $5 million in the U.S. Watching the trailer before Crimson Peak, I'm guessing it cost a lot more than $5 million for all the CGI + Daniel Radcliffe.
I don't disagree that American Ultra sucked or anything, I just kind of agree with him on the originality thing. Almost everything that makes tons of money has zero originality in it.