The callbacks to Episodes IV-VI were a bit excessive. And it reminded me of the Poochie episode of The Simpsons, where Homer suggests that whenever Poochie isn'

The callbacks to Episodes IV-VI were a bit excessive. And it reminded me of the Poochie episode of The Simpsons, where Homer suggests that whenever Poochie isn't on the screen, all the other characters should be asking "where's Luke...I mean Poochie?" I wish Kylo Ren got more of a character arc, but the Sith rarely do. They're basically just cardboard foils for the heroes except for Anakin/Vader. JJ, are you listening? My money is waiting for an opening day ticket to the Kylo Ren prequel. Overall, it looked and felt like a Star Wars movie, more than the prequels ever did. But it was a 2015 Star Wars movie by JJ Abrams instead of a 1977 Star Wars movie by the director of THX-1138. The First Order was more organic, more believable than the sterile, efficient sci-fi bad guys of the Empire. Kylo Ren's temper tantrums wouldn't have fit into George Lucas's Star Wars universe, but it added depth to his character. It gave him a weakness. It humanized him. Another case in point: motion control cameras and Steadicam were cutting edge filmmaking when A New Hope was filmed (I think Steadicam was only used for the speederbike sequence in RTJ). Shaky hand-held cameras are a JJ Abrams trademark. I love the new diversity to the Stormtroopers. Hopefully it'll draw more die-hard fans from all walks of life into the family. It also contrasts them sharply with the Clone Troopers. The Jedi built an army of disposable cannon fodder. Who's the bad guys here? It wasn't a perfect movie, but neither were Episode IV-VI. It was still fun for all ages and I just may duck out for another showing today since I have the day off.