itself a mashup of classic films
The difference between a mashup and a copy is that a mashup brings different elements together and in so doing creates something new. I don’t see that being the case in any meaningful way with the Force Awakens. They added a handful of interesting details, but added no interesting mythology. And the truth is that they didn’t wipe away the prequels: they wiped away the original series. The movie basically scrubs everything of consequence that happened in the original series away: the heroes of the original series might as well have never lived.
There’s a real theme with JJ Abrams movies: they’re fun, fast-paced, well-directed, deeply considerate of their source material…and then about an hour after you’ve watched them they start to fall apart completely.
