[mercer]

I can't answer for the OP, but from my experience what makes React so good is that it drastically simplifies the whole 'situation' to the point that many of the features of heavier frameworks are just not necessary anymore. It's not just a view layer (although I can be just that); it's a different approach to the concept of a web app.

In my opinion the approach that React takes (as well as its siblings like Mithril and Ractive) will eventually be the default approach, even for the bigger frameworks (new or 'refactored').