I don't know how anyone with a straight face can say that The Force Awakens had worse character development than A New Hope. Maybe that's blind nostalgia, or an inability to see scope, or just plain not paying attention to this film. I'm sure it varies from person to person. The only common factor is that the notion is objectively wrong. The bulk of character development in the original trilogy came from The Empire Strikes Back. When you compare 4 to 7 (and you have to, because to the film's only detriment it is just the same plot), you get this:
Han Solo, babyfaced white guy who just wants money, vs Finn, former storm trooper whose motivations are clearly complex enough that people can argue over them.
Princess Leia, who seems resilient for being a damsel in distress, vs Rey, a scavenger with personality, capability, and backstory.
Darth Vader, a somewhat cool mook, vs Kylo Ren, whose qualities no one is arguing about.
Obi-Wan Kenobi, a guy who no 4 year old cared about when he died, vs Han Solo, the now fully realized and loved character.
Then there's Luke, who is brought up first every time someone argues about bathroom sign characters.
Every character from Episode 4 pales in comparison to their depiction in Episode 5. And that's ok, because that's just time and continuity. But it is possible to do better. Episode 7 did better.
It's baffling that the same people who complain about 7 being so similar to 4 also complain that Rey's development isn't exactly like Luke's. Yes, Rey is already shaping up to be an awesome Jedi. We don't need 3 movies for her to do that because that's been done. And when you compare her to Luke, nothing she's done is implausible. There is little Luke didn't teach himself, including pulling the Lightsaber out of snow and force-sensitive flying. We only ever see Luke fail at raising his X-Wing out of the swamp. He can deflect blaster shots while blindfolded almost immediately. We never see him try to learn the Jedi Mind Trick, so what's wrong with seeing that now? You act like it's a master technique when it's literally called a trick. It's the first feat I take in every Star Wars game, and Rey hardly does it flawlessly on her first try.
The same goes for Finn, who is more at original trilogy Luke's level. Because yes, he's gonna be using the force. If that wasn't obvious when both of them bro-fisted after their force-guided escape from not-Tatooine, it should have been obvious when he used a lightsaber at all. And even then he loses both to Kylo Ren and to that stormtrooper with the dumb electro-hammer that makes little sense if there are generally no Jedi to fight. Because he's a cynical character with little faith. He questions the force even after seeing it in action. Rey, on the other hand, beams when talking about old legends, and basically seems like an adopted puppy when Han suggests that she work with him. All it takes to (somewhat) beat Kylo Ren is the reminder that the force exists. Because she has a great deal of faith in it and Kylo we've seen wavers constantly.
Should she have beaten Kylo Ren? I don't know how that's a question people even need to ask when this is the best lightsaber fight yet, by far. I need to rewatch the film, but it may be one of the best fight scenes in film history. If it's good, why does it need to be questioned? Again, people who wish this film wasn't so much like 4 also want Kylo Ren to be exactly like Darth Vader. Intimidating, then overpowering, before finally being defeated/redeemed. But he's not, and thank god. The Force Awakens is about three characters awakening to the force. Even the villain is in need of training. He's more Zuko than the Fire Lord, and that's fantastic.
People often compare Finn to Han Solo, and Rey to Luke Skywalker. They definitely have some similar character traits and plot relevance. But I think on a far more important scale people have it backwards. Finn, like Luke, is the everyman. He's literally not a person at the start, and it's his drive to get away from not-Tatooine that propels the plot. It's him that insists on saving "the princess". And like I said, he is force-sensitive much in the way that Luke was. Rey on the other hand is our Han Solo. Our unrealistically cool character that we want to look up to. She gets not-Luke off of not-Tatooine, in the Millennium Falcon no less. But, like Han, she is not without flaws. Until the end of the movie she has literally no drive. She only looks to the past, hoping for things to happen in her life that won't. Maybe it's a flaw people don't like to see in her because most people don't like to see it in themselves. Anyway, she develops through that by going to see Luke at the end. Who knows where she will go from here. I have high hopes though.
