Just watched it. Here be my thoughts.
Things I liked:
- Characters feel human. If there was one thing the Original Trilogy did right that the Prequels got spectacularly wrong, it was having a strong cast play off each other and make their roles feel alive. Rey, Finn, and even Kylo Ren all give spirited performances and even have real chemistry with some of the old cast. And speaking of the old cast..
- Damn. I have to give mad props to Harrison Ford. He probably gives his best performance here in years. He plays off well with the younger actors and really looks like he's into it. I suspect though that his performance was influenced by the fact that...
- Han bites it. Like HOLY S#!T! I didn't think Abrams would have the balls to kill off one of the main characters. I mean, I can't say I'm surprised since the movie was hinting at it halfway through. And I knew the moment the he faced off with Kylo Ren on the bridge that that would be his finale. But still, I held out hope that they'd spare Han, but all for naught. It doesn't surprise me though, as Lawrence Kasdan was one of the screenwriters, and he always wanted to kill one of the mains in the original trilogy but Lucas wouldn't allow it. Though I imagine the hardline Star Wars fanboys are screaming for Abrams and Kasdan's blood. Poor Chewie.
- Surprisingly, the character I thought was most intriguing was Kylo Ren. Aside from the fact we find out he's Han and Leia's kid Ben, we see from the movie that despite his power and training as a Sith Lord he harbors a deep set inferiority complex in being compared and living up to his grandfather (Vader). We can see it in his numerous temper tantrums when things don't go his way, which remind me more of a spoiled child acting out rather than a Sith Lord coldly dispensing with weaker subordinates (as Vader was wont to). And he's clearly struggling in committing himself to the Dark Side, as we see in one of his moments alone and the scene with Han at the bridge. Though with the morally reprehensible act of killing his father in cold blood, it's safe to say he's fully committed now and will be the big bad for the rest of the series.
- It doesn't look too fake. I think it's great that Abrams and company committed themselves to making the film look realistic by using practical effects in conjuction with CGI. I mean, you can tell which parts are clearly CGI, but at least it doesn't have the plastic looking visuals of the Prequels which were often distracting.
- Action was decently shot and paced. At least it didn't become a confusing mess like the action Abram's Star Trek films.
- Rey and Kylo Ren's duel. After the wuxia jedi fights in the Prequels, it was nice to see a lightsaber duel that echoed the original trilogy's weighted and desperate melees. Ren and Rey look they're heaving around weighted broadswords rather than elegant weapons from a more civilized age. And Rey's victory took me by surprise. Given that she has no training I thought the duel would end with Ren kicking her ass or perhaps a draw. But the fact that Rey was able to triumph is an indicator of how powerful she is. Who knows how strong she can become in future installments when Luke trains her. And speaking of Luke..
- Damn does Mark Hamill look impressive as an elderly Jedi Master. Farmboy no more, Luke looks like he's seen s#!t and become stronger and wiser for it.
Course the fact that he only appears at the end leads me to Stuff I Disliked:
- Luke's absence. I mean WTF? Why is the last remaining Jedi AWOL during the New Republic's darkest hour? I mean it's what sets off the plot of the film, but Luke is the last person you'd expect to leave his friends and family in dire straights and go hopping around the galaxy. There'd better be a good reason for why he's rarely been seen in upcoming sequels.
- A New Hope Redux. Stop me if you've heard this before, a scavenger on a desert planet finds a lost droid with vital information and escapes with a newfound friend on a piece of junk aided by a smuggler and his furry friend but are pursued by masked man in black who resides in a planet shaped weapon that can vaporize other planets but it all ends when ragtag group of rebels destroy the big weapon in a planet wide kaboom. I mean come on! Did they really need to rehash the first film's plot? I mean don't get me wrong it's been done well but could they have gone for a different way to tell the story? I agree with delericho's assertion, this felt like Star Wars Greatest Hits.
- Imperial Security Fail. Well, nice to know that the First Order is keeping the Imperial tradition of lax security measures alive and well. X-Wing squardron attacking base? No problem! Four Resistance fighters infiltrating said base? Well, now we have a problem. Not mentioning the fact that 40 years later we still haven't installed safety rails around the dangerously high areas, imperial bases seemed destined to be staffed by troopers who can't perform basic security and officers who will turn off your defense shields off when threatened. Speaking of which.
- Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma. They got Brienne of F$#%ing Tarth to play a badass Imperial officer, and despite her initial intimidating presence in the film's beginning, she get's relegated to being held hostage by Han and company and dumped in the garbage. What a waste of an actor. Well, not the first time it's happened in Star Wars, but still... :
So there be my assessment of the film. It's very good, despite some flaws. But it's Star Wars through and through and way better than any of the prequels. And that's good enough for me.
