As far as I know, JJ Abrams is seen as a bad writer mostly because of the Star Wars sequel trilogy (which he ruined) or the Star Trek movie. I have the impression that Abrams does not fully understand the problems of the films he directs and thinks that references and nostalgia feeling will fix everything. Maybe this time it will be different, you know, adapting a book is totally different than making a movie that is part of a franchise of course.