OT: Movie Review -- Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens

[Tom McAndrew]

I said earlier today that I like to ruminate a few days before posting a review. However, I'm going to ditch that norm for this movie.

To avoid spoiling things for those of you that plan to see it in the coming days and weeks, I'll avoid plots, events, etc. of the movie in this review.

The Force Awakens is what Star Wars fans (like me) have been hoping for since Star Wars, Star Wars V - The Empire Strikes Back, and Star Wars VI - Return of the Jedi. It has the feel, the drama, and is on par in many ways with the first three Star Wars movies that George Lucas created. It is so, so, so, so, so much better than Star Wars I - The Phantom Menace, Star Wars II - Attack of the Clones, or Star Wars III - Revenge of the Sith.

Many of the characters from the first three movies are in The Force Awakens. In the theatre I was in, every time one of them appeared the audience clapped. (The audience was a mix of ages, from those born after Revenge of the Sith (2005) to those that were alive when Stars Wars (1977) first burst on to screens.) The main good-guy characters from the original movies, Hans, Leia, and Luke, appear in different percentages in the movie, but I'll let you see for yourselves what percentage of the film each appears in.

The new characters, Kylo Ren, Rey, Fin, and BB-8, are excellent additions to the Star Wars saga.

Many aspects of the movie seem like slight variations of parts of some of the former movies. At the same time, there are some new angles, twists, etc. in the movie that are refreshing, and keep The Force Awakens from being nothing more than a retelling of a story we already know.

From my various posts of trailers and discussions about The Force Awakens over the past several months, you should know that I was really looking forward to the film. That said, the movie was much better than I expected. When the movie ended, the audience gave it a prolonged applause, and most of the people that were seated around me commented in varying ways about how much they liked this version, and that it exceeded their expectations.

Each of the Star Wars movies, including the first three, were somewhat hokey. The Force Awakens has some hokiness in it as well. To some extent that's a strength of the movie, but it also impacts my star rating (at the bottom of the review).

Quite simply, order tickets online, get in your car, or run to the nearest movie theatre that is showing The Force Awakens. It is flat-out enjoyable entertainment.

I saw it in 2D. I probably will go to see it again in another week or two, and will probably try 3D just to see what it's like viewing the same film in that format.

About the only folks that I wouldn't recommend going to see The Force Awakens are those that didn't like any of the previous Star Wars movies.

The writing team, and director JJ Abrams, deserve a lot of credit for breathing new life into a great movie saga. Plus, The Force Awakens really does set things up very nicely for Episode VIII, which is scheduled to be released in 2017.

I give this movie a 3.75 stars out of 4, and I'm probably being a little stingy with that rating.

 

[wbcincy]

Agree on all counts. The only fault I had was the similarities to the original trilogy, but as you said, there's enough that's new to make that not matter. And it definitely left you ready for Episode VIII to come out immediately! All of the goodwill that was lost in Episodes I-III has been restored.

I was supposed to see it again tonight, but I ended up having to take care of my toddler as my wife had to go to the hospital for an emergency w/ her grandmother. Looking forward to seeing it this weekend in a D-Box theater. And again in 2D. I'm guessing I end up seeing this 4-5 times. And I'll be far from alone. Which is why this movie will break every record there is.

 

[rudedude]

Seeing some of the old characters and having them mix in with the new ones was a great idea and is what made the film for me. A really entertaining film that is going to make a ton of $.

 

[ILLINOISLION]

The Big Bang Theory.....AND.....The Force Awakens!

I feel a disturbance in the universe. Wait, that's just 21Guns and his .25 star rating of our new Offensive Coordinator!

For the record, I'll go with 3.90+ re: TBBT tonight. A great episode, always fun to see Bob Newhart make a guest appearance.

 

[Lane]

Tom, agree completely. It sounds almost exactly like what I told Sherri when I came back home (took little Lane). Ranked up there with the original and Empire. I had reasonably high expectations and they were easily exceeded.

I saw the 3D version and even though my seats sucked (up front and off to the side) it was worth it. Will see it again with the wife to avoid the guilt.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

Curse you all!! I will likely have to wait a week or so to see this. Spoilers are going to be tough to avoid...

 

[Tom McAndrew]

Curse you all!! I will likely have to wait a week or so to see this.

It will be worth the wait. The only thing you may miss is some of the buzz that will be present in the showings over the opening days.

 

[Tom McAndrew]

Tom, agree completely. It sounds almost exactly like what I told Sherri when I came back home (took little Lane). Ranked up there with the original and Empire. I had reasonably high expectations and they were easily exceeded.

Glad you enjoyed it. I hope little Lane had a blast.

I saw the 3D version and even though my seats sucked (up front and off to the side) it was worth it. Will see it again with the wife to avoid the guilt.

Hah, as if that's the only guilt you should have. Hard to believe that a good Eagles fan, like Sherri, fell for a Cowgirls fan, like yourself.

 

[Columbus_Lion]

I thought it was great. JJ did a great job. Going again tonight.

 

[Lane]

Glad you enjoyed it. I hope little Lane had a blast.
Hah, as if that's the only guilt you should have. Hard to believe that a good Eagles fan, like Sherri, fell for a Cowgirls fan, like yourself.

It was actually quite special for me to take him to a Star Wars film in the theaters. I was a kid when I saw the original, have memories of the really long line around the block for Empire, and so to sort of "pass on" the tradition by taking him was neat. The fact that the movie was so good and had such great references to the original even upped the ante.

Sherri's into charity cases.

 

[pandaczar12]

The following is free of specific spoilers, but you probably don't want to read it if you haven't seen the movie.

Overall it was really good. Rey kicks butt, but Fin was not a great character. I was actually expecting it to be the other way around. The similarities to the original trilogy was really odd, seems they could have done so many other plot lines. I found it odd that the newest person in tune with the force could become so powerful so fast, that was a significant departure from previous films. The fate of Han Solo wasn't a surprise at all.

The worst part about the film was when Kylo Ren took his mask off. They should have never had him do that in this film, or ever actually considering the douche they casted. He was such a bad ass, they really ruined that by having him take his mask off. The best part was the ending... that was John Zeigler EPIC. How long until the next one hits theaters?

 

[wbcincy]

The following is free of specific spoilers, but you probably don't want to read it if you haven't seen the movie.

Overall it was really good. Rey kicks butt, but Fin was not a great character. I was actually expecting it to be the other way around. The similarities to the original trilogy was really odd, seems they could have done so many other plot lines. I found it odd that the newest person in tune with the force could become so powerful so fast, that was a significant departure from previous films. The fate of Han Solo wasn't a surprise at all.

The worst part about the film was when Kylo Ren took his mask off. They should have never had him do that in this film, or ever actually considering the douche they casted. He was such a bad ass, they really ruined that by having him take his mask off. The best part was the ending... that was John Zeigler EPIC. How long until the next one hits theaters?

Some light SPOILERS below. Nothing big, but don't read if you haven't watched.

I liked them taking off Kylo Ren's mask, but then I thought Driver acted it really well and didn't seem like a douche. Part of the reason I liked them taking it off, is it will really allow them to show his physical degeneration as he moves further into the dark side in future movies. But also because he was able to express emotion in a way that's obviously impossible with the mask on.

As for Rey's use of the force. Yeah, I kind of thought the same thing. Luke had to spend time in the swamps of Dagobah learning to use it at all, yet she's able to block mind control and take the saber over Ren already? Is she just that much better than Luke?

Finally, I wanted to add how much more I enjoyed the lightsaber battle when it returned to a more emotional exchange, rather than the kung fu performance art of the prequels.

 

[PSU0622]

Some light SPOILERS below. Nothing big, but don't read if you haven't watched.

I liked them taking off Kylo Ren's mask, but then I thought Driver acted it really well and didn't seem like a douche. Part of the reason I liked them taking it off, is it will really allow them to show his physical degeneration as he moves further into the dark side in future movies. But also because he was able to express emotion in a way that's obviously impossible with the mask on.

As for Rey's use of the force. Yeah, I kind of thought the same thing. Luke had to spend time in the swamps of Dagobah learning to use it at all, yet she's able to block mind control and take the saber over Ren already? Is she just that much better than Luke?

Finally, I wanted to add how much more I enjoyed the lightsaber battle when it returned to a more emotional exchange, rather than the kung fu performance art of the prequels.

I have to agree that I liked that Kylo took the mask off. I will not say much in order to avoid spoilers but the "Ben" scene was so much better without the mask. It would be very hard to portray that type of emotion with the mask on.

 

[Tom McAndrew]

So more numbers are in for the opening ...

The Force Awakens earned $57 million in the US in the previews that were shown around the country.

47% of those that saw it in the US did so in 3D. It was shown on 391 IMAX screens in the US, and earned $5.7 million.

In 2 days internationally, the tally is $72.7 million.

In the previews in the US, 71% of the audience was male (according to Rentrak's exit poll service, PostTrak). 53% were over the age of 25, with the 64% between 18 and 34. Since the previews in the US were on a Thursday night, it's expected that these numbers will broaden a good deal over the weekend.

The Force Awakens will be showing in 4,134 theaters in North America today, which is the widest December release of all time.

As the reviews are pretty much all very positive, this film seems well on its way to setting all kinds of records (largest December release, largest release of 2015, etc.)

 

[pandaczar12]

Some light SPOILERS below. Nothing big, but don't read if you haven't watched.

I liked them taking off Kylo Ren's mask, but then I thought Driver acted it really well and didn't seem like a douche. Part of the reason I liked them taking it off, is it will really allow them to show his physical degeneration as he moves further into the dark side in future movies. But also because he was able to express emotion in a way that's obviously impossible with the mask on.

As for Rey's use of the force. Yeah, I kind of thought the same thing. Luke had to spend time in the swamps of Dagobah learning to use it at all, yet she's able to block mind control and take the saber over Ren already? Is she just that much better than Luke?

Finally, I wanted to add how much more I enjoyed the lightsaber battle when it returned to a more emotional exchange, rather than the kung fu performance art of the prequels.

If you are reading this and haven't seen it yet, just go see it.

I still think the appropriate thing would have been to keep him masked for the first movie. This would have been analogous to Vader in the original trilogy, and I think it was a mistake to deviate on this point when they followed on other parts so closely. Also, it would just build hype. Having him remove his mask so soon is like putting all you gifts under the tree on December 3rd, unwrapping them so everyone sees what they are, and re-wrapping them with the expectation that everyone will still be as excited.

Do you think Rey will end up being Luke's Daughter? I think that is what they want us to think, given her origins. But why else would she be sent at the end of the movie on such an important mission, when really no one knows who she is? They literally just met her.

Agree on the lightsaber battles.

 

[step.eng69]

I said earlier today that I like to ruminate a few days before posting a review. However, I'm going to ditch that norm for this movie.

To avoid spoiling things for those of you that plan to see it in the coming days and weeks, I'll avoid plots, events, etc. of the movie in this review.

The Force Awakens is what Star Wars fans (like me) have been hoping for since Star Wars, Star Wars V - The Empire Strikes Back, and Star Wars VI - Return of the Jedi. It has the feel, the drama, and is on par in many ways with the first three Star Wars movies that George Lucas created. It is so, so, so, so, so much better than Star Wars I - The Phantom Menace, Star Wars II - Attack of the Clones, or Star Wars III - Revenge of the Sith.

Many of the characters from the first three movies are in The Force Awakens. In the theatre I was in, every time one of them appeared the audience clapped. (The audience was a mix of ages, from those born after Revenge of the Sith (2005) to those that were alive when Stars Wars (1977) first burst on to screens.) The main good-guy characters from the original movies, Hans, Leia, and Luke, appear in different percentages in the movie, but I'll let you see for yourselves what percentage of the film each appears in.

The new characters, Kylo Ren, Rey, Fin, and BB-8, are excellent additions to the Star Wars saga.

Many aspects of the movie seem like slight variations of parts of some of the former movies. At the same time, there are some new angles, twists, etc. in the movie that are refreshing, and keep The Force Awakens from being nothing more than a retelling of a story we already know.

From my various posts of trailers and discussions about The Force Awakens over the past several months, you should know that I was really looking forward to the film. That said, the movie was much better than I expected. When the movie ended, the audience gave it a prolonged applause, and most of the people that were seated around me commented in varying ways about how much they liked this version, and that it exceeded their expectations.

Each of the Star Wars movies, including the first three, were somewhat hokey. The Force Awakens has some hokiness in it as well. To some extent that's a strength of the movie, but it also impacts my star rating (at the bottom of the review).

Quite simply, order tickets online, get in your car, or run to the nearest movie theatre that is showing The Force Awakens. It is flat-out enjoyable entertainment.

I saw it in 2D. I probably will go to see it again in another week or two, and will probably try 3D just to see what it's like viewing the same film in that format.

About the only folks that I wouldn't recommend going to see The Force Awakens are those that didn't like any of the previous Star Wars movies.

The writing team, and director JJ Abrams, deserve a lot of credit for breathing new life into a great movie saga. Plus, The Force Awakens really does set things up very nicely for Episode VIII, which is scheduled to be released in 2017.

I give this movie a 3.75 stars out of 4, and I'm probably being a little stingy with that rating.

I DON'T KNOW IF THIS HAS BEEN MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY?
Former Penn State Power Forward Plays Chewbacca Double In ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’
http://onwardstate.com/2015/12/17/penn-state-power-forward-plays-chewbacca-double-in-star-wars-the-force-awakens/

 

[rudedude]

 

[rudedude]

 

[wbcincy]

If you are reading this and haven't seen it yet, just go see it.

I still think the appropriate thing would have been to keep him masked for the first movie. This would have been analogous to Vader in the original trilogy, and I think it was a mistake to deviate on this point when they followed on other parts so closely. Also, it would just build hype. Having him remove his mask so soon is like putting all you gifts under the tree on December 3rd, unwrapping them so everyone sees what they are, and re-wrapping them with the expectation that everyone will still be as excited.

Do you think Rey will end up being Luke's Daughter? I think that is what they want us to think, given her origins. But why else would she be sent at the end of the movie on such an important mission, when really no one knows who she is? They literally just met her.

Agree on the lightsaber battles.

Once again, SPOILERS below, don't read if you haven't seen.

As for Rey, I think there was some implication she's Luke daughter. That, or the Force was telling her were Luke was. Assuming Luke is at the first Jedi temple, Rey either had the dreams of the island in the middle of the ocean because she'd been there before, or because of how strong the Force is in her and was beckoning her there, or something like that... Can't be sure which it is.

 

[VaNtyLion]

I said earlier today that I like to ruminate a few days before posting a review. However, I'm going to ditch that norm for this movie.

To avoid spoiling things for those of you that plan to see it in the coming days and weeks, I'll avoid plots, events, etc. of the movie in this review.

The Force Awakens is what Star Wars fans (like me) have been hoping for since Star Wars, Star Wars V - The Empire Strikes Back, and Star Wars VI - Return of the Jedi. It has the feel, the drama, and is on par in many ways with the first three Star Wars movies that George Lucas created. It is so, so, so, so, so much better than Star Wars I - The Phantom Menace, Star Wars II - Attack of the Clones, or Star Wars III - Revenge of the Sith.

Many of the characters from the first three movies are in The Force Awakens. In the theatre I was in, every time one of them appeared the audience clapped. (The audience was a mix of ages, from those born after Revenge of the Sith (2005) to those that were alive when Stars Wars (1977) first burst on to screens.) The main good-guy characters from the original movies, Hans, Leia, and Luke, appear in different percentages in the movie, but I'll let you see for yourselves what percentage of the film each appears in.

The new characters, Kylo Ren, Rey, Fin, and BB-8, are excellent additions to the Star Wars saga.

Many aspects of the movie seem like slight variations of parts of some of the former movies. At the same time, there are some new angles, twists, etc. in the movie that are refreshing, and keep The Force Awakens from being nothing more than a retelling of a story we already know.

From my various posts of trailers and discussions about The Force Awakens over the past several months, you should know that I was really looking forward to the film. That said, the movie was much better than I expected. When the movie ended, the audience gave it a prolonged applause, and most of the people that were seated around me commented in varying ways about how much they liked this version, and that it exceeded their expectations.

Each of the Star Wars movies, including the first three, were somewhat hokey. The Force Awakens has some hokiness in it as well. To some extent that's a strength of the movie, but it also impacts my star rating (at the bottom of the review).

Quite simply, order tickets online, get in your car, or run to the nearest movie theatre that is showing The Force Awakens. It is flat-out enjoyable entertainment.

I saw it in 2D. I probably will go to see it again in another week or two, and will probably try 3D just to see what it's like viewing the same film in that format.

About the only folks that I wouldn't recommend going to see The Force Awakens are those that didn't like any of the previous Star Wars movies.

The writing team, and director JJ Abrams, deserve a lot of credit for breathing new life into a great movie saga. Plus, The Force Awakens really does set things up very nicely for Episode VIII, which is scheduled to be released in 2017.

I give this movie a 3.75 stars out of 4, and I'm probably being a little stingy with that rating.

I just saw it in 3D Imax this morning. Quick thoughts -

As most of us grew up with the real "originals", I have to say I never walked away more pissed off at a movie than when I saw Episode 1. As a result, I never even bothered to watch 2 and 3.

Empire Strikes Back was my gold standard. I went back and rewatched those original 3 over the past couple of weeks and even Return of the Jedi seemed slow by comparison.

Now on to Force Awakens - absolutely, positively loved just about everything about the movie and restores some faith in Hollywood. The story wove the old and new together impeccably, and seeing it in 3D may have been the best movie experience I've ever had.

 

[JBDLion]

Saw it today solo and it's still all sinking in but I loved it. I think I'll go back with the wife next week because it's horrible not being able to talk about what happened (there's really no way to discuss the movie in any way without massive spoilers). She was content to wait until Redbox and was busy today. I can't wait that long to see it again and discuss.

 

[Sviatoslav]

Saw it this afternoon in 3D IMAX, best 3D film I've ever seen. I often find it annoying but it REALLY added to the movie, highly recommend. As for the movie itself, THIS is the first quality Star Wars film since 1983.

 

[Player2BNamedL8r]

Anyone else get the impression that the similarities in the story line to the original seemed to be an homage to George Lucas...sort of like a tip of the hat to the creator?

BTW - agree with most of the sentiment...still coming down from the buzz but this movie was close to perfect for this true Star Wars fan!!

 

[PennSt8er]

The woman who plays Rey is a genuinely gifted actress. I was VERY impressed with her performance. It felt real and that is a feat in these movies. Most of the time, the acting is bad-awful and, as Tom would say, Hokey. She stole the movie as well as the Droid. The Droid was another awesome character.

 

[NedFromYork]

I enjoyed it, didn't love it. It would have been a home run if it would have been made in 1999 when the returning actors were younger instead of the prequels. Rey and Finn are well acted, especially Rey. Agree, no need for Ren to show his face until the end if at all. The mystery of Snoke is interesting. Didn't think Phasma's voice went with the role/costume but could be interesting depending on what they do with the character. I did like Poe and liked it, just didn't love it, maybe I knew too much going in. Thought there should have been a much bigger X-Wing force at the end, bigger battle. BB-8 was pretty good. I did enjoy the Han Solo smuggling scene on the freighter but not a lot of back story. Again, the returning actors are just so old, would have been a perfect fit 10-15 years after Return of the Jedi instead of 30 years after.

 

[Player2BNamedL8r]

Not completely disagreeing with you, but you couldn't have Ren's character so developed if only 15 years after ROJ.

 

[dontgojoepa]

More spoilers follow....

As for Rey's sudden found mastery with the force, there is speculation that she did have training as a little girl (presumably from Luke) and after the Knights of Ren killed the new padawans she was rescued and dropped on Jakku (and her memory perhaps wiped). This is presumably the vision she has when touching Luke's lightsaber.

 

[Nitwit]

Am I the only one who doesn't care for Star Wars movies? I'd rather see a good film about people with great acting and actors (like Lost in Translation as one example) then watch a bunch of special effects, aliens in consume, and space ships shooting at each other. OK, I admit I'm old, but aren't these films just for kids, or others who want to be for 2 hours?

 

[Woodpecker]

I was somewhat confused by some things but that could be due to my not being as into the Star Wars universe as many (most?) of you. I assume that, similar to the previous episodes, some will be resolved in subsequent movies. One thing that I could not recall had to do with Snope (or whatever his name was). He seemed quite old so, given that roughly 30 years had passed since the events of Return of the Jedi, was he (or evidence of someone with what appears to be more advanced Force-derived power) referred or alluded to in the earlier work?

 

[LundyPSU]

Definitely two thumbs up. Can't wait to see it again

 

[uhlerlion]

I was somewhat confused by some things but that could be due to my not being as into the Star Wars universe as many (most?) of you. I assume that, similar to the previous episodes, some will be resolved in subsequent movies. One thing that I could not recall had to do with Snope (or whatever his name was). He seemed quite old so, given that roughly 30 years had passed since the events of Return of the Jedi, was he (or evidence of someone with what appears to be more advanced Force-derived power) referred or alluded to in the earlier work?

It has been speculated that Snoke is Darth Plagueis.. -----Sidious's former master killed by Sidious (ref EP III) but is said to have the power to keep people from dying maybe even himself

If the rule of the Sith is to be followed , Plagueis could only revive himself when less than 2 sith exist, thus at the end of EP VI when Vader and Sidious die. This could also explain why Sidious was always looking for replacements for his apprenticeships, to keep his former master in whatever nexius state he existed in at the time

If Vader was in fact created by Plagueis, (via experiment or as an option to replace Sidious) Vaders death could have also triggered something to allow Plageuis to come back.

yes that's my inner Leonard coming out and just pure speculation

 

[wbcincy]

Anyone else get the impression that the similarities in the story line to the original seemed to be an homage to George Lucas...sort of like a tip of the hat to the creator?

BTW - agree with most of the sentiment...still coming down from the buzz but this movie was close to perfect for this true Star Wars fan!!

Could be, but I think it's more that the original story is just so well done it was difficult not to imitate to an extent. Only reason I doubt it was an homage to Lucas is that they just complete threw out everything Lucas gave them that he had been working on for the sequels and cut him out creatively.

 

[wbcincy]

Am I the only one who doesn't care for Star Wars movies? I'd rather see a good film about people with great acting and actors (like Lost in Translation as one example) then watch a bunch of special effects, aliens in consume, and space ships shooting at each other. OK, I admit I'm old, but aren't these films just for kids, or others who want to be for 2 hours?

I love a well-acted character study film as much as the next guy. But I also like a carefree, pure entertainment sci-fi action/drama as well. Nothing wrong if that's not your taste, but I have no problem enjoying each of those styles of film for what they are.

I'd add that I have no problem wanting to be a kid for 2 hours. I do it all the time, and I have no shame for it!

 

[rudedude]

Just began to re-watch all episodes in order. The Phantom Menace was very cartoonish. however, Qui Gon noted that Anakin's mother reported he was born without a father. Qui Gon said Anakin had high levels of the force in him and postulated to the Jedi Council that Anakin was created by midichlorians. Perhaps this is also the source of Rey?

 

[Player2BNamedL8r]

Just began to re-watch all episodes in order. The Phantom Menace was very cartoonish. however, Qui Gon noted that Anakin's mother reported he was born without a father. Qui Gon said Anakin had high levels of the force in him and postulated to the Jedi Council that Anakin was created by midichlorians. Perhaps this is also the source of Rey?

I think if they even try to bring up midichlorians again, there will be a mass revolt on Disney. More likely that she is a Skywalker (either Luke or Leia's daughter), or perhaps a relative of Obi-won (since we hear his voice in her dream sequence)? It's going to be interesting to find out.

 

[ericstratton-rushchairman]

I went to the midnight showing Sat night in Times Square (3D) with my 14 year old daughter. She had never seen any of the original trilogy (IV, V, VI). She is 100% a girl's girl (I spent over $200 at Sephora the next day). However when we walked out she looked at me with this stunned look and said, "That was an incredible movie". I want to see it a few more times before I break it down in my head. However there were moments when this broken down 50 year old man had chills going up/down my spine.

 

[simons96]

great flick

I'll just add there was more chemistry between Daisy Ridley and John Boyega in their first 5 minutes than there was between Natalie Portman and Christian Whathisname for 2 whole movies . . .

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

FINALLY!! Got to see the movie tonight after the wife suggested she would get our daughter to bed. Still processing a lot of it and after reading everything here (again, finally) I'll still note there are...

SPOILERS!!!

First, echo the sentiment of others - the cast was great, especially Rey (just an unreal beauty with fantastic acting chops - couldn't take my eyes off of her!). Poe, Finn, and Kylo Ren were also well done and I've been a fan of Adam Driver's since the first episode of 'Girls'. He's an odd looking guy (sort of like a young Marilyn Manson) but can act his ass off (Juilliard grad). I thought his 'origin' was a bit hokey but it worked and he was a good villain. I also liked that his mask came off at certain times because, while a good actor, there is only so much you can do with your voice. The scene with Han was especially well done, as was the final duel with Rey. Finn was an unexpected source of comic relief for me and again, another character with a pretty flimsy origin. Finally, Poe was the one character (other than Rey) I wanted more of. Cocky and cool, just like Han was back in the day.

To be honest, I probably could have done without Han and Leia (and Chewy), but it was a nice gesture to have them sort of bridge the original trilogy with this new one. They seemed forced in a way, but thankfully they were well handled. C3PO and R2 were great surprises however - loved seeing and hearing them again. And that brings me to Luke, who was used just enough in the film to get you ready for what's next. All in all a fantastic start (and revival of sorts) to a franchise with fans that span generations. Like others, my big complaint is not enough backstory for nearly everyone, but like the original trilogy, you can't expect to get everything at once....

Now for a few random thoughts/questions...

- The biggest - is Rey Luke's daughter? Answer seems to be yes - lightsaber called to her, flashback suggests she was put somewhere for protection, when interrogated by Ren he notices she often thinks of an island surrounded by water (where Luke is), and well, she's the one sent off to find him (not Leia) - oh, and she looks a hell of a lot like grandma Padma. I actually like this a lot and to be honest, it could be the reason she's more powerful (seemingly) than Ren - we know who his parents are; if Luke is Rey's father, we still do not know who her mother is (Jedi or someone with Force sensitivities?). But, Leia didn't seem to recognize her, not even in a 'Force' way, though it's possible (and probable) Luke hid her from Leia too.

- The plot was nearly identical to Episode IV. Certainly an homage, but also, if it ain't broke....still, Ren walking the floors of the Star Destroyer quipping to General Hux was Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin all over again.

- Only one mention of the Sith. Speculation is that Snoke is one, as is Ren, but I guess that remains to be seen. I will say the franchise would benefit greatly by exploring more of the Jedi/Sith mythology instead of hoping everyone reads the 'expanded universe' novels and graphic novels.

- How does Kylo Ren (seemingly) know about Rey? When she's first mentioned, it's as if he's heard of her or knows her from somewhere ('Who is the girl??!'). This could suggest that Rey was a student of Luke's as well (either as his daughter, or not). But, later on, he whines to Snoke that she was strong with the Force in a way that would suggest maybe he doesn't know who she is. Not sure why but found that kind of interesting.

 

[rudedude]

Rumor has it that this is the newest Jedi in episode VIII!

 

[pandaczar12]

I noticed during the movie that Ren's lightsaber blade looked different, almost unstable. I've since read an article that says that his is an older design, and the cross guards are actually a power vent typical in an older style lightsaber. I think it will be really interesting to learn where his lightsaber came from. Maybe it belonged to some ancient Sith, or maybe all he could build was a crude version.