Tuesday, December 22, 2015

My Review of "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens"



My session before I saw "The Force Awakens".  This will give you a chance to not read below because this is a:

SPOILER ALERT!  STOP READING IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN IT.

The wait is finally over.  And after watching Episode VII twice, I can honestly say it was well worth the wait.  Lot's of nostalgic happenings in this film with fresh new faces, and beloved ones too.  All the scenes between Han and Leah were my favorites, especially when Han says to Leah that if Luke couldn't save his son, Ben (Kylo Ren) than how could he? Leah's response,  "Luke is a Jedi Master.  You are his father (referring to Ben/Kylo)."  Powerful words for any father that watched this film.


Great fan piece.  Check it out!

And Han's final scene, have to say, had me wet eyed.  I think that it had to happen to make this new villian, Kylo Ren, a true villain.  But most of all, make all of us dislike him.  Let's be honest, Darth Vader was the most beloved Villain of all time (next to "The Joker" and probably "Lex Luther").  And this character has to live up to that.  That's a lot to take on, but to climb the stair case of evil, you have to take the first step, and this dude took the first step.

I'm really stoked on the new Jedi in this film, I think Daisy Ridly was a perfect choice.  Rey just has that "wonder" piece that is needed to help this character grow.  My favorite character of all is Finn, portrayed by John Boyega.  I like that character's with heart.  Heart means a lot, and Finn has a lot of it.  But let's be honest, this film wouldn't have been as great as it was if it wasn't for Han Solo.  He was up to his old cynical self, running from what he will eventually have to face.  Harrison Ford is just awesome, and the straight shooter/ laissez-fair mix that he brings to Han brought out all the warm and fuzzy in me.

What brought it home though was watching the old hero's again and how they have dealt with 1. Being a legend and 2.  Dealing with their imperfections and failures.  It brought this real humanity & humility to the characters and film as a whole.  Especially with Luke.  Even though he doesn't say a word, you can see that his lightsaber, and maybe even Rey brought up memories of his past that he has tried to lock away for years.  He ran away for a reason. Like we all do, we run from some of our problems, but no matter what, they are bound to catch up in the most unlikely way.

I'm stoked and excited to uncover some of the questions that Episode VII has left us to ponder.  But that's o.k., because I enjoy the discussion, hearing others hypothesis and having my mind open to the possibilities.  After most popular movies that include series, seeing it relieves the excitement and wonder.  But never with Star Wars.  Because that "wonder" never ends.  It persists joyfully.

Brother/ Sister?  Cousins? 


Thursday, December 17, 2015

The Force Awakened



Jumped into the surf with Star Wars on my mind, being that this is the day where us proletarians can finally see Episode VII.  And then this wave came along.  Ok, I'm off to wait in line with all my Jedi and Sith heads.  No spoilers!