'Star Wars' vs. 'The Force Awakens': The ultimate comparison

They’re still out there, you know. People who think Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens — which released on Blu-Ray and DVD last week — was a stone-cold “remake” of the 1977 original Star Wars, later dubbed Episode IV: A New Hope.  

Now, undoubtedly there are echoes and homages in The Force AwakensGiven how J.J. Abrams grew up, it shouldn’t be surprising that the first Star Wars fanboy to direct a Star Wars movie would want to pay his respects. 

This is not accidental, nor is it unusual. Callbacks were baked into Star Wars‘ DNA from the beginning. George Lucas echoed his own work through all six of his episodes — making his sequel and prequel trilogy “rhyme” in a variety of subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Read more…