Posted by It is time for me to finally put out this article. I was waiting for everyone to go see it so I can finally discuss the movie. As of this writing, the movie has taken in over 1.51 billion at the box office worldwide! What does that mean for me you ask? That means I can finally talk about some things with out the fears of someone saying I ruined their life because I spoiled the movie. Well, if you have not seen it yet, then too damn bad!
I will be breaking this article up into multiple parts over the next week so I can discuss things in detail. I feel that will help each post be a little better organized and it will help you bypass something that you did not want to read.
For this first article, I just want to discuss my thoughts on the film. I have seen it twice now and there is still a lot to process. There was so much happening in that movie that I feel it will take several more viewings to see everything going on. JJ Abrams presented us with so many new pieces of this puzzle to play that will take the next year and a half to put together.
So, lets get started! I thought the movie was everything it promised to be and more. THIS WAS STAR WARS! Many of you who know me, know that I liked and defend the prequels. I liked the prequels because behind the cheesy special effects, there was an interesting story that was being told. It was a tale of person who thought he was doing the right thing even up to joining the very forces he swore an allegiance to fight against. The prequels get a bad rap for not being the swashbuckling adventures of young Anakin Skywalker and Obi-wan Kenobi but more Senator Amidala of Naboo next on C-CPAN3.
I can attest that the Force Awakens is what the fans were hoping what the prequels could have been. There is humor, mysticism, old friends, and a new but somewhat familiar adventure that brings our new heroes all together. I felt like a child seeing Star Wars for the first time. I absolutely loved it!
The movie begins on Jakku with the Poe speaking with Lor San Tekka who is holding a piece of map that contains the location of Luke Skywalker. We then see the First Order land on the planet and start putting the hurts to the village where where Poe and Tekka are located. Poe puts the map in BB-8 and tells him to go away, that he would come find him.
During this scene, we get introduced to FN-2187, a Storm Trooper who obviously does not want to slaughter innocent lives. In one of the coolest scenes in the movie, we see him hold the body of a dying comrade who wipes his bloody had across 2187’s face. Never in a Star Wars film have I seen blood get smeared on a Trooper’s uniform.
We also get introduced to Kylo Ren and Captain Phasma. Poe tries to attack Ren by shooting a blaster bolt at him which he stops in mid flight. Poe is taken into custody and is marched past the bolt that is just hovering in mid air! This was one of the coolest uses of the Force that I have seen in a long time.
Next, we get introduced to Rey, who is scavenging some parts from a crashed Star Destroyer. We learn very quickly that she is not supposed to be on this planet as she has been counting the days of her stay. She is forced to scavenge and trade for food to survive. Back in space, Poe is being interrogated by Ren who uses the Force to pull information out of his mind.
Poe is then rescued by FN-2187, who by this time is renamed Finn because Poe did not want to call him FN2187. They escape on a Tie fighter and crash on Jakku, where Finn finds himself alone and in need of escape.
I want to take a moment to discuss all of this. In the first 20 minutes of the movie we get great use of comedy, with Poe asking Ren who speaks first. We get awesome displays of the Force, again with Ren stopping that bolt and using the Force to read Poe’s mind. We get thrust into a mystery right at the beginning with the crawl telling us that Luke is in hiding and that they are trying to hunt down his whereabouts.
This is what the fans have been asking for and this was only the first 20 minutes of the movie! First 20 minutes of The Phantom Menace had me questioning what a trade dispute had to do with the Force. Seriously though, I loved the Force Awakens so very much!
The movie took care in introducing all of the original characters in special ways. We got to see Han Solo again. Let me tell you, Harrison Ford did an amazing job pulling off Han Solo again. This was a character that he wanted George Lucas to kill off in Empire. This is also the franchise that he did not want to associate with after Return of the Jedi. I don’t know what was said to him to change his mind and return but I am glad that it happened. It was like he never left the Star Wars universe.
Carrie Fisher was stunning as General Leia Organa. Again, here was another character from the original films that feels like she never left the Star Wars Universe. Her part was small but you know that she is going to play a bigger part in the future.
Some of the other original characters we see are C-3PO and R2-D2. Again, they had minor parts but were a welcomed sight to see again. We also get a lot of Chewbacca in this film. We get to see a really great use of the Bowcaster and some funny moments from the “walking carpet.”
What about Luke Skywalker? Well, I am glad you asked that because he was in the film but at the very end and for only a moment. There is a big mystery as to what is happening there. I have a theory and will discuss in a future post.
There were a couple of big moments of the film for me. The first is at Maz Kanata’s castle. We witness Rey finding the Skywalker lightsaber and getting glimpses of the past/future as well as hearing some familiar voices. The second scene is the temper tantrum scene where Ren is chopping up a computer station and we see two Troopers turn and walk away. People keep calling Ren and Emo villain but I found this to be an amazing display of what type of villain Ren is. If he doesn’t get his way he will make you pay. He is a like a child with a gun.
The third scene was when Ren killed his father. That whole speech was just chilling and then then we see the moment. It was expected but still very sad. The fourth big moment for me was when Rey started to test the waters and tap into the Force. She was able to use the Jedi mind trick to be released and then later in the film, pulled the saber from the snow away from Ren. That was a very cool display of raw untapped power. The final big moment was the reveal of the last Jedi Knight, Luke Skywalker. It was a very strong, emotional scene and a great way to end the first film!
Like I stated earlier, I will be posting quite a bit about this film. My next post will be a theory on Rey. Who is Rey? Where does she come from? Why did the Skywalker lightsaber call out to her? I have a theory so stay tuned.
I cannot express how awesome this film was! Please, if you have not seen this movie yet, go out and see it now. This is a great sequel to the trilogy that started it all. If you have seen this film, I want to hear from you. Tell us what you thought about the movie by commenting below.
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