OK, it's been out for a while now so anyone who's bothered about SPOILERS shouldn't be reading blogs with Star Wars in the title.
But just in case; this post contains SPOILERS.
Are we safe now? Yes; good; I'll carry on.
Firstly, I am still excited about this film. A few people I know have seen it and said "Yeah, it was OK" but most of my friends thought it was great. Even people who don't really like Star Wars that much have said they really enjoyed it.
So that's probably point 1 in it's favour. As a film on it's own it is a good watch.
And point 2 is clearly that it is a hit with fans because it has recaptured the qualities that made the original trilogy great; and were so badly missing from the pr*quel trilogy. Yes, you are right, I am being childish and refusing to even type prequ*l trilogy any more... maybe if we all just pretend it never happened it can finally be forgotten?
The new stars are great. Rey and Finn carry us along with an enthusiasm and vitality that makes us care about them almost instantly. The bad guys Kylo Ren and General Hux have a youthful zeal about them that makes you slightly sympathetic and at the same time fearful for what you know they will become.
I really loved Kylo Ren's temper tantrums. And even though I saw the conclusion of his chat with Han Solo coming a mile off, it was still shocking when it happened - even the second time I saw it.
I was wondering how quickly this new trilogy would hand over from the old to the new. The pace is just right for me, but I can see that it may be a little slow for others. Bringing back old characters and then killing them off one by one might wear thin, and "not another Death Star" is a charge that needs addressing in episodes VIII and IX.
Are we in for some double bluffs, I wonder? The new "emperor" character who projects himself as a giant must surely turn out to be Yoda-sized, no? And there were so many hints that Rey might be a sibling of Kylo Ren that we surely need that to be a red herring?
I still remember my shock on hearing Darth Vader's "I am your father" speech. So I hope that we are in for a few surprises in the future.
There are plenty of things for us to find out. There's no rush...
A couple of things occurred to me on the second viewing. The little orange woman says that the light-sabre she has was Luke's and his father's. So that's the one that Obi-Wan gave to Luke. Which he later dropped down the huge hole in the middle of the cloud city when Vader cut his hand off. So presumably it was found by someone on the planet... which is believable. Originally I was wondering why Luke would throw his light-sabre away... so it's good to know he probably didn't.
Also, I didn't hear it clearly the first time, but Han Solo calls his son "Ben" on the bridge. Presumably named after "Ben Kenobi" but then he changed his name when he turned dark, like the Darths. I guess we have a lot to learn about the new Jedi order that Luke was training and how Stokes came into the picture.
There are some very cool things in this film like the temporary freezing of the blaster bolt in mid-air by Kylo Ren. But also some very dumb things, like the whole fire-breathing planet weapon. The more I think about that the dumber it seems. So it is testament to how good the rest of the film was that it didn't spoil the atmosphere too much. I do wonder what alternatives there are to planet-destroying space mega-machines... bigger certainly isn't better in terms of story.
Obviously, as a long-term fan of Star Wars, I've been thinking about it a lot lately. And particularly why I like it. I think I've come to something of a realisation. It's something that's true of a lot of action films; but particularly of Star Wars.
When I watch Star Wars I feel like I am there with them taking on a terrible foe. We are small and weak at first, but we get stronger, and with right on our side we win. There are hurdles on the way, sacrifices, losses, but we win in the end. The bad guys can never be completely defeated, but when they come back we win again... eventually.
After the film I feel like a better person. Like I could go out and do something positive myself. Make a difference. Get involved. But I don't. Slowly I start to feel weak again. Like I can't possibly make a difference. Shouldn't get involved. I do nothing.
Then I go watch another film. Or read a book. Or watch TV.
I do nothing.
I feel like I could do something if I was pushed into a situation where I had to. But I never have been. I've never had to do anything significant to survive. So I've never done anything significant.
Film's like Star Wars keep a small pilot light inside me burning... so that maybe I could still step up to the plate if I really had to... even though I know I probably never will.
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