Jim Alfredson

I saw it tonight and it was fun but predictable. A bit lazy, perhaps and essentially a pseudo-reboot. But my biggest issue with it is the same as with most modern movies; the insulting degree to which they purposely manipulate you. "Cry here." "Feel empathy here." "Ok, here's where you should feel joy." It's an assembly-line-by-committee method of movie making that's incredibly tiring and devoid of soul. I honestly couldn't even take Harrison Ford seriously. It was like watching Harrison Ford pretending to be Han Solo at a costume party.

And then there's the overriding smell of monetization. As the LA Times reviewer wrote:

"Sitting in the theater at "Avatar," I felt like I was being pounded into submission by a giant hedge fund. Watching "The Force Awakens," I felt as though I was being shown a trailer for the next four movies in the series."

Everybody knows where it's going. Everybody knows it's just a vehicle to sell merchandise. But it was fun. Like drinking a Coke Slurpee.