The combat in Remake comes down to using the enemys' strengths-weaknesses rule set. You can't just melee every enemy, you need to dynamically change with what the enemy type is and what it's doing. Assess materia is essential to doing it right and becoming familiar with how each individual party member works. Timing is involved, enemy knowledge and materia use is all required to be successful, and when you get the hang of it, it's honestly so much fun.
I'm the biggest JRPG fan, FF7 original is one of my favourite games of all time along with Xenogears. From Suikoden, Breath of Fire, Arc the Lad, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger etc. etc. the 90's era of JRPGs was the golden age for me, I was in love with them. But having said that, the reality is those combat systems aren't coming back for major AAA developed games. It's just not happening.
I did fear for the FF7 Remake combat system when it was announced, especially after FFXV which was just terrible. However I absolutely loved the hybrid system they created. It's different, yes, but it retains elements of the original and gives you control over what you're doing but in a more involved action oriented way.
I'd say to someone struggling or expecting older style combat, try and stick with it and make sure you use the Assess materia. It's like a running guide to each enemy type and will help tremendously. Once you get the hang of it, you'll be performing the actions, changing between characters and managing your health/status without thinking.