Thank you for sharing this! I recommend everyone read it before commenting on the show. My daughter and I were there Tuesday night and loved it. As we were driving home from the airport last night, before reading this article this morning, we expressed some of the same points -- that the "loss" section evokes not just death, but all kinds of human loss. And that we loved how they could evoke feelings and meaning with just the movement of water, light, and colors.
I don't disagree with some of your points, and I completely respect that others will have have differing points of view. But we were there, and truly enjoyed the show, as did the people around us.
"When Somebody Loved Me" is SUPPOSED to be sad. It is used during the section about human loss, which is an inevitable part of the human experience, as the narration (which we thought really enhanced the show) explained. We, and all the people around us, audibly gasped when that section started, because of the emotional impact.
As for being close enough to see the surface of the water, that has always been the case for Epcot shows, to truly experience them.
I also loved Illuminations with my whole heart, and I wish it was still there. But I was open to Harmonious, and enjoyed it (or at least parts of it), but it didn't resonate with me emotionally. Luminous did, and although I am not yet ready to say it's a worthy IROE replacement, I hope that you watch it in person with an open mind and heart. If you still don't like it, then so be it, but I think you might be surprised.
It will be a view of a few high pyrotechnics, that's it. And no matter which show, I've always only barely been able to hear any music from that spot. I highly recommend trying to see it inside the park.