First off: Do not worry there are NO SPOILERS in this post. I would never do that to anybody, no matter how much they ticked me off.
So, what can I say about the new Star Wars movie? Well, one word... AWESOME!
Obviously, I'm a big fan of SciFi/Fantasy. It's what I watch, read, and write. So, of course, Star Wars is tops on my list. If it weren't for George Lucas, CG as we know it would not exist. He also proved that you don't need sex, vulgarity, and blood/gore to win in the box office. I wish more of Hollywood would take the hint.
Okay, so normally this is where I would review the movie, but because of the enormous efforts Disney and Lucas Films put into keeping even the plot a secret, I won't do that. Instead, I'll tell you about my experience. We live in a moderate-sized town, but St. George is weird because like half of the people here are retirees. It's like a mini Florida. On the other hand, it's also a college town, so there is a ton of stuff to do (Not to mention the red rock outdoorsy aspect of Southern Utah). So, it is really hard to tell how busy movies are going to be. Normally, you can get tickets for blockbuster movies at the door. I knew this would be different, though, so I checked a week in advance. I was almost too late. The only show left on opening night was the 2:00 AM showing. I bought tickets because I had to see this show opening night, before someone ruined it for me.
That day I tried to take a nap so I wouldn't be tired for the show, but it was like Christmas Eve for children. I couldn't sleep a wink. When my wife got home from work, we watched Return of the Jedi together so she would remember where the series left off. (I had done a Star Wars marathon all by myself for the previous couple of days, but didn't mind seeing XI again). Now, my wife is not a complete nerd like me. She humors me most of the time because she loves me, and she lets me drag her to all my dorky movies, but her heart isn't usually in it. (Heck, I can't even get her to read my books because she really isn't in to Fantasy) But she was kind of excited for this movie.
The theater was only about half full, and we actually ran into a few people we knew. Then... The movie started and the saga continued!
I loved the movie! I was so scared that J.J. Abrams would mess it up, but, you guys, he did so well! It fits perfectly with what you would expect from the Star Wars franchise. They even went back to classic models instead of straight CG in a lot of the parts. BB-8 is a perfect example of this. And I still have no idea how that little droid works. His body is a rolling ball, and his head levitates on the top. I'm sure it some sort of magnet magic, but it was just really cool. (And he was my wife's favorite character. She would get all giddy and squeal that, "he's so cute" every time he was on screen)
It was awesome to see all of the old cast. It actually gave the film a strong nostalgic aspect. The new cast is great, as well... for the most part.
Daisy Ridley plays Rey (one of the new main protagonists). She's multi-dimensional, believable, and beautiful. I really enjoyed her role. I love how the franchise take relatively unknown actors, and is so easily able to place them perfectly in a role, as if they were born to play that character. Daisy hates this, but when she smiles she looks just like Keira Knightley, which made her all the more endearing to me.
John Boyega plays Fin (The second protagonist, yes the story could follow either of these two characters, though Rey seems to be the more likely candidate). Now, I loved the potential for Fin, as a character. A storm trooper who runs from his duties (no, that's not a spoiler, it's in the trailers), but John seemed to only have two acting faces; bewilderment, and scared. My wife said that that was his character, so he was perfect for the role, but it just sort of bugged me through the whole film.
Oscar Isaac plays Poe Dameron. Dare I say, "The new Han Solo"? Poe is just... awesome. You instantly love/hate him. The best pilot the rebels have ever seen, and he knows it. I really hope he takes a major role as the story continues.
Adam Driver plays Kylo Ren (The new Sith). This was the only disappointing character for me. At the risk of saying too much: All the other Sith Lords take on two Jedi at a time (or more in the case of Anakin), and still kick butt, but Kylo has awesome new powers, and is kind of pathetic when it comes to the fights. Plus, they unmask him way too soon. I can't say more without saying too much, so you'll just have to see if you agree with me when you watch the film.
Andy Serkis plays the Supreme Ruler. I won't say anything about him. I just wanted you all to know that they got Golem/Smeagol in The Force Awakens!
There are two other characters who will probably play a big role in the coming films, but I didn't really pay attention to them in this one: Domhnall Gleeson (plays General Hux) and Gwendoline Christie (plays Captain Phasma). I didn't really pay a lot of attention to them during the movie, but afterward, I watched the red carpet interviews, and apparently they were important enough to get a lot of attention. I have no idea why.
In short, if you are a Star Wars fan, go see it. (Like I really need to tell you?) If you're not a Star Wars fan, go see it. You can bring kids, it's PG-13 but spongebob has more inappropriate stuff in it than this movie. You can take your girlfriend/boyfriend, wife/husband, grandma/grandpa, mom/dad, etc. I think just about anyone would like this movie. In fact, after we saw the movie opening night, we bought tickets for several family members for Christmas presents, and tickets for us and the kids to see it again in D-box.
I can't wait until XIII comes out!
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