Inevitable ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Backlash as Critics, Fans Turn on Reboot

For Disney’s record-setting “Star Wars” reboot, the Force isn’t strong enough to stave off Internet haters and critics waking up to hangovers from the lengthy hype.

The J.J. Abrams film was almost universally praised ahead of its Dec. 18 release where it went on to shatter domestic and global records, including the being biggest opening weekend of all time and the first film to ever gross $100 million in a single day.

Now that the dust has settled, criticism over the film’s weaker plot points and pacing issues have cropped up in second takes from critics and fans on social media.

Also Read: Why 'Star Wars' Hasn't Boosted Disney, Movie Theaters Stock

“[The film] is not very good … it’s depressingly unimaginative and dull in long stretches, and — crucially — reproduces George Lucas‘ original 1977 movie slavishly almost to the point of plagiarism,” wrote Michael Hiltzik in the LA Times on Monday.

“We’ve been played,” declared Vice’s Brian Merchant. “We’ve been served up a pretty unoriginal reboot that adds few, if any, new ideas to our greatest commercial mythology … and we’re lapping it up.”

The Huffington Post did a thorough and brutally honest inventory of 40 plot holes in the film, which features returning stars Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill, along with newcomers Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac.

“It has a problem common to big action movies: villains who are not only dull, but also in this case, retreads of old ideas and dynamics,” concluded the Washington Post.

Read some of Twitter’s best rib shots below.

When you're patiently waiting for the inevitable backlash to the new Star Wars movie to begin pic.twitter.com/laSYVdgCe5

— elias isquith (@eliasisquith) December 21, 2015

Browsing Reddit as of the moment. A lot are saying that Star Wars VII was bad-okay. Half were spoiled, the other just didn't liked it.

— Robert Boncodin (@robertbonx) December 20, 2015

#StarWars Not bad and not good. If you loved it Good for you. If you hated it sorry.I wish I had either of these emotions. Apathy is a bitch

— Paul Knights (@PaulKnights) December 30, 2015

Love the "Y'know, The New Star Wars Actually Sucks" think pieces suddenly coming out. God forbid people be allowed to just enjoy something.

— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) December 29, 2015

Best Force Awakens Review. Its Dreck. Take the license out of disneys hands, stick to the books. Make it meaningful. https://t.co/tMVRqSnabZ

— Solokonto (@Guilbert515) December 29, 2015

Star Wars SUCKS. It sucked in 1977 and still does in 2016. Yeah… close enough. I can't see me thinking it doesn't suck in a week & a half.

— Paul Surra (@Paul_Surra) December 20, 2015