Are the criticisms of The Force Awakens too superficial?

I've seen that many people here consider TFA derivative of ANH, and essentially deem it to be lacking in originality. People obviously have a point when saying that the husk of the plot bears a resemblance (I'm not too keen on Starkiller Base, but it doesn't bother me since it's a simple plot device rather than a focus of the narrative), but I'm always puzzled by how the analysis seems to stop there. In particular, I find the characters and the dynamics that develop between them strikingly different and original for a SW movie. Just looking at the lead (Rey) and her key relationships, would people really say that the dynamics I outline here are similar to the equivalent ones in ANH (if there even are equivalents)?Rey and Finn - a young man and a young woman, both naive and hopeful, quickly fall into a deep friendship after a chance encounter over a droid. The young woman's stubborn bravery contrasts with the young man's fear and desire to run. When he realises the young woman is in danger, the young man finally gains the courage he needs to fight back against the people who stole his childhood from him. Their friendship gives the young woman strength - the young man represents the first person to ever come back for her, since she was abandoned by her parents as a small child. In the climatic fight, they both put their lives directly on the line for each other.Rey and Kylo - a young man and a young woman, both exceptionally powerful in the Force, find themselves crossing paths thanks to their shared interest in a droid. The young man is distracted by the young woman after learning that she is nearby, kidnapping her and taking her for interrogation. His fascination deepens, and the young woman learns that, deep down, her opponent is fearful and insecure. The young woman escapes and the young man pursues her. They have an intense, emotionally-charged lightsaber fight that culminates with the young man defeated and in awe of his rival's power.Rey and Han - a young orphan who has grown up with no one to care for her crosses paths with a gruff smuggler who wants nothing to do with her and plans on ejecting her and her friend from his ship. The orphan gradually manages to win the smuggler over, and he takes a fatherly interest in her. When the orphan is kidnapped by his own son, the smuggler goes on a mission to rescue her. After saving her, he confronts his long-lost son and attempts to bring him home - however, his son murders him to show his commitment to the dark side. The orphan is distraught at her surrogate father's death, and her rage over his loss drives her to defeat his son in combat.All of those dynamics felt fresh, compelling and original to me, and I find it telling that they're never really discussed when the merits/demerits of The Force Awakens are being weighed up.Is this because people don't consider these aspects of the film important? Or is it because they do, somehow, consider them derivative of the character dynamics in ANH? If so, how are they derivative? I find the lack of emphasis on character extremely puzzling, so would like to understand a bit more about why it so rarely enters the conversation. The same old superficial criticisms bore me terribly, and my overriding impression is that they're easily dismissed because they don't engage with TFA on any deeper level. via /r/StarWars http://ift.tt/2wJULxm