And yet, those things were necessary. Some just don't appriciate the fullness of his struggle as a boy, a youth and now a man (and often exagerate their complaints) and aren't seeing this saga for what it is- an emotional, psychological battle that spans the life time of this human being. Its not about lasers and wookies and democracies falling, though thats all nice and good.
I think the fan base is split. There are some that have always acknowledged Star Wars for what it is- a space opera, and there are those that want nothing but action and expect it to live up to the genre of sci-fi, which would clearly misrepresent it.
The fact it has both splits an opinion into two. There are people that NEED to be entertained on an emotional level with all the drama and such, which this movie and past movies have been full of and always deliver and identify Star Wars better than any action scene, and there are those that NEED to be entertained on a purely visual, graphical level.
Younger/impatient fans tend to need the visuals because they don't fully undestand the value of the drama, acting, and nuance of these things. They see it as boring, slow, and repetitive, even sometimes unnecessary, whereas it is the single force that carries the series along. If it didn't have the emotional urgency that it does and these things were not explained and shown, the action wouldn't matter and would not be motivated or have any momentum at all.
Older fans or ones that acknowledge the series for what it is know the value of both these these things, the action and the drama and suspense, since the two do in fact work in tandem, and so are able to enjoy the films with less complaints or scrupples.
I think the people that want the drama first and the action second are the ones that ultimately get the most out of Star Wars and are ultimately the more satisfied and content fans, since to be honest, Star Wars was never really about the Wars, now was it? It was/is about human relationships and dealing with personal struggles.
Luke is like his father. He's impatient, frustrated and in his early years and his life is going no where. All of a sudden, just like his father, his world changes drastically and he's practically thrown into a different lifestyle that is not content, peaceful, or simple like his life used to be. He looked at the stars and twin moons at night wanting more. His father was the same way.
Leia is like her mother. She's tactful, beautiful, loving and caring, blunt, but so sad and lonely. They're both faced with a hardship thats difficult to endure. Leia just as much as Padme, especially later on when her and Han marry and have children and tragedy strikes their family, friends and lives and their very marriage falls apart at one point, just like Anakin and Padme.
Star Wars is just as much a revalation of the character's problems, their 'wars' in the 'stars', than it is a militaristic battle.
How much people are willing to believe that, admit that, or grasp and love the series as that will determine the overall value of this entire series for them. There will always be those who watch these movies on a completely superficial level, and those that know there is much, much more to it. The saber battles for example, each and every single one was just as much about the emotional as it was the physical, and the ones in this movie will exemplify that even more. George Lucas is criticized far too often and not given enough dues for his work. I'm really looking forward to what comes next.
