Star Wars: The Force Awakens was pretty darn great, but there's no getting past the fact that it had a good number of flaws. That's not an attack on J.J. Abrams' otherwise brilliant blockbuster, because - all things considered - it's hard to imagine how he could have done a better job under the circumstances. There was tons of hype, after all, and yet the movie somehow emerged as a wonderful blend of the old and new; a film both retro and fresh. That said, there are certain things that Rian Johnson, the director of Star Wars: Episode VIII, needs to avoid when it comes time for his sequel. These are aspects and inclusions that J.J. Abrams may have successfully gotten away with on account of Episode VII serving as a "bridge" between the classic trilogy and the sequel trilogy (thus rendering them partly forgivable), but absolutely cannot find their way into the next instalment of the iconic saga... you know, for fear that everything will come tumbling down like a random TIE Fighter during the Battle of Yavin. Here, then, are 9 mistakes inherent to The Force Awakens that Episode VIII cannot afford to repeat. You hear that, Rian Jonson? None of this stuff should happen in your movie...
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
