haven't seen this thread before. Yes it shares an insane amount of similar, if not identical scenes.

Might as well watch Episode V now to see how the story continues lol.
Honestly I'm more excited for Rogue One now than I am for Episode VIII

the prequels (even if hated) felt alot more different from the original saga for me.

in 7 were so many similarities... The "im your father" story killed it for me.

Not too hard for the prequels to "feel different" ... they sucked all the life/joy/fun/laughter/character from the series. 

The first freaking prequel is about a TRADE/TAXATION DISPUTE gone mildly wrong, thirty minutes of Jar Jar being to most annoying piece of crap ever put on film, and finding some snot little brat on a desert planet. 

The "I'm your father" stuff would've happened either way ... Lucas himself has said the main movies are about the Skywalker/Solo lineage. 

The similarities didn't bother me that much, since the movie build a base from where it can build things up differently from the original trilogy. That is, except for the fact I could see Han Solo dying from a mile away (because Obi-Wan) and the Starkiller exploding (should have kept it IMO, hard to see another threat like that being build again anytime soon).

I think is acceptable from a creative point of view since they are basically showcasing a new beginning to the Star Wars legend, I mean, we have seen the same happen with games. Resident Evil 2, Metroid Prime and Ocarina of Time are both critically lauded titles who are, in a way, just rehashes of Resident Evil, Super Metroid and A Link to the Past. And Final Fantasy XII is Star Wars haha.

Fin = Jar Jar Binks.

You wanna hear something crazy? The first time I watched The Phantom Menace, I fell asleep. I watched the Red Letter Media Prequel reviews and agreed with them. A few days ago I watched the "Darth Jar Jar" video. It was awesome.

So I decided to rewatch episode I at work (because what am I going to do? Work?) and.... it was good.

What's wrong with ONE Star Wars movie that calls back to the originals.

The original is FORTY YEARS OLD just about, lol.

We've had three movies so distant and removed from the feel of the OT and even ten years since the last one of those.

Besides what's the fascination with "doing something different"?

I don't want to see a Rocky movie where he takes up cooking and decides to focus on running a restaurant. I want to see one where he or someone he's training has to have a predictable training montage and then it ends with a big fight.

I don't want to see a James Bond where he decides to follow his dream of being a stand up comic and settles down to get married. I want to see a James Bond movie where he's driving an Aston Martin, drops the panties of some hot girl 20 years younger than him (or multiple girls), and saves the world from some bad guy bent on world domination.

If I want to see something different ... I'll watch a movie that isn't Star Wars. There's plenty of new/surprising things in this movie if you didn't spoil yourself anyway. I must've missed Maz Kanata, a stormtrooper who rebels against his battallion, searching for the long lost Obi-Wan Kenobi, an emotionally conflicted young bad guy in A New Hope. 

StarOcean said: I'm not sure why people are so surprised the movie is similar to 4. The Phantom Menace also shared a lot of similarities to 4 as well -albeit less than 7, but it still had a lot of callbacks. It's like a tradition at this point to have the first in a new Star Wars trilogy to be like the original, like Lucas famously said, "It's like poetry, it rhymes" XD

now that you mention it the second films kinda match in broad strokes too.

The heroes get separated till the end where they are captured by a sith.  The ending is a dark one and the film has an overall darker feel than the first in the trilogy.  Given the director for episode 8 and the direction the characters seem to be going I'd say it will go a similar route as 2 and 5 (not the quality just the broad strokes)

I think they mean different as in from ANH to ESB different.  It should feel like star wars but mix up the story more.  That doesn't mean it's gotta be crap like the prequels just different in the same universe

Yeah, sometimes it felt like a remake... but I can understand it. If they came up with original crazy stuff fans (biggest whiners) would complain A LOT. I bet they played safe to don't disappoint all the whiners that complain about everything about the prequels... basically to restore the "balance" of the franchise, if you know what I mean. :P I also believe since now the road is paved, episode VIII and IX will be much more creative/original.