Java as a language is decent. It's boring. It is stagnant. I expect very little of it.

Java EE is an atrocity and it is just an over-enginnered pile of garbage.

Try play framework. I just finished a webapp in play and the whole experience has been awesome. IntelliJ + Play + MongoDB is AWESOME.

I haven't messed with the Scala version, but I can imagine that Scala + Play is even more interesting. Either way, Java EE/EJB/XMLHell is probably my most people hate Java. Also, Swing was garbage too, but who builds desktop apps in Java anymore anyway?