Star Wars: The Force Awakens - 9 Mistakes Episode VIII Can't Afford To Repeat

9. Being Too Similar To Another Episode

The Force Awakens, generally speaking, felt like a motion picture culled from the parts of the original Star Wars movies; elements of A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi stitched together in an attempt to create something "new" that still felt familiar. One could argue that this "Frankenstein's monster" approach was the only option that J.J. Abrams had when it came to making the film - Episode VII needed to look back to look forwards. That said, Episode VIII cannot settle to be a hodgepodge of other Star Wars movies. It needs to be its own thing entirely, with a new storyline that bears little resemblance to anything that fans have seen before. No Hoth references; no "new" Tatooine - all new stuff. Because Abrams bridged the gap with The Force Awakens; he created something modern that still felt like Star Wars in order to appeal to old fans and new fans alike. But that's been done now - audiences are hooked, and they'll take whatever it is you give them next. Please, Rian Johnson, don't let that be another homage; let it be a true original.