I have to start this post with the fact that there will be spoilers ahead (duh). So, if you happen to be any one of those weirdos who haven’t seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens, then do not continue.
What are you waiting for?
I am not going to critique this movie (there might be a bit) and I am not going to rank it.
I am going to write about how this movie made me feel and what I think about the story.
Storyline: The story takes place thirty years after the events of Return of the Jedi. Luke Skywalker has gone missing, the First Order (the remnants of the Galactic Empire) has placed fear in people, and Kylo Ren is a dark deusch. The story begins with the audience meeting several new characters such as: BB8 (second most awesome droid ever), Poe (awesome pilot dude), Finn (stormtrooper turn good dude), and Rey (obvious unknowing Jedi chick).
Let’s get away from the icky details now.
The story shares the feelings of the old Star Wars films, not the prequels (ick) but the old ones. I felt as though I was living inside of the Star Wars universe again even from the very beginning.
I know a lot of fans don’t like change and don’t like to see old characters go or new ones coming in. However, in this case I feel like it is necessary for this series and appropriate in the way they introduce them. I don’t feel like I am getting gypped by saying goodbye to beloved characters. Speaking of which, when you-know-what happened I bawled like a five-year-old whose popsicle was taken from her. Seriously, it was an ugly cry, with the clenching of the husband’s hand, and my left hand covering my mouth so I didn’t scream in anguish.
The storyline made me cry from happiness and cry from sadness. I felt hope, loss, and dreamy at times. It was a roller coaster of emotions throughout the entire film that made me not want to get up and leave the theatre because I was sad to see it end.
I just watched it again last night and I could go for another movie night already.
Actors: We were able to see our favorite characters and actors come back to the Star Wars world once again in The Force Awakens. Which is a great feeling. We were also introduced to several new faces. The most prominent being: Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), and Poe (Oscar Isaac).
Everyone did a fantastic job portraying their characters and bringing them to life.
I don’t like Ren’s face so much (sorry Adam Driver). He is a bit more nerdy/punk than I would have pictured him to be (and too skinny. Bulk up!). His acting, the mask, and his lightsaber were pretty epic though.
The lightsaber looks unstable with its main saber spike and the two smaller ones coming out of the sides at the bottom of the hilt. I feel like it symbolizes the instability in his personality. My husband mentioned that Ren is like, “Anakin in his adolescent impulsive behavior, except Ren isn’t boner-happy.”
For bringing in newbies to the franchise I feel like each one of them did justice to their characters and impacted the movie in a positive way.
Comparisons: The Force Awakens tried really hard to add in Han and Chewie moments (daw moments) throughout the movie. I am not complaining. One of those moments ended up looking a lot like a moment we have seen before. The moment where Han, and Chewie are surrendering to The First Order looks an awful like when they surrendered to The Imperial Troops back in The Return of the Jedi. I believe these types of moments (like finding The Millennium Falcon together) are foreshadowing later events. *Cries*
The Force Awakens did a good job of being its own movie. There are times when sequels try too hard to be like its first installment (and third), that the movie falls flat. Not the case here.
The Death Star Starkiller Base is not like any big, bad, evil, round ship the audience has ever seen…. Ever. It is even mentioned in the movie by one of the resistance characters that the Starkiller Base is not, “another Death Star.” Pretty sure a lot of fans would disagree with that statement. However, the Starkiller Base is pretty gnarly in terms of bad guy hangouts.
My favorite part: This is a toughy. I held my husband’s hand tightly as those familiar yellow lines moved before my eyes. Another husband-hand-clenching moment was when we first get to see Han and Chewie for the first time since the early 1980s (I didn’t exist so it has been less time, for me, than that).
But what is my favorite part of the whole movie?
BB8. BB8 is my favorite. I have always been a huge fan of R2-D2 and BB8 is just right behind.
When Finn comes across Rey beating the living sh*t out of a couple henchman and after the fight BB8 sees Finn and is like, “Hey nice lady, that dude over there is wearing the jacket of my bestest friend!!!” So she chases after Finn, catches him, and BB8 comes flying next to Finn on the ground and zaps him a few times…. Ah, I love it when droids cause pain to the characters.
Conclusion: First off you need to go watch this movie.
The storyline stands out from all of the previous Star Wars films (knocks the prequels out of the water).
The actors bring in a refreshing feel to the film.
There are moments where you will find yourself thinking, “I have seen this before.” Or, “This looks like _____ when _____ did ____.” It happens. Let it be a good thing.
BB8 is amazeballs.
Thank you all so much for reading!
Props to the husband for helping me with this project and letting me quote him. Love you!
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