It’s sort of funny to hear people chiding TFA for supposed “lack of originality.” Of all people, Star Wars fans should know better than to care about that.
From a member on this very site, a website that breaks down all the things that one could say Star Wars “ripped-off”:
http://kitbashed.com/blog/star-wars-kitbashed
http://kitbashed.com
Lucas was copying the cinema of his childhood, and so was Abrams. Guess it comes down to that age old question of rip-off vs. homage.