Watch: Excellent Video Comparison Between A NEW HOPE and THE FORCE AWAKENS
Much has been made of how J.J. Abrams and co-writer Lawrence Kasdan got back to basics with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, so much so that many complained about the film being no more than a rip-off of A New Hope. While I wouldn't go that far, the two definitely share some similarities, and that's clearly by design; would you have preferred TFA to resemble the prequels instead? I didn't think so. These guys had an impossible job to do, and they managed to make a spectacular film under immense pressure. (If Rian Johnson's Episode VIII is as derivative as TFA, then there will be a problem.)
Zachary Antell has edited together a superb video that details the similarities between the two movies, and while stuff like Rey walking on the deserts of Jakku and Poe blowing up the First Order's base at the end are obvious connections, you'll probably be surprised at just how many little moments, looks, and shots seem to be taken directly from the first film. Some of this is probably coincidental, but I have to assume most of it is on purpose:
Via: Uproxx
