It wasn't until the classic orchestral soundtrack blasted out of the black silence in the movie theatre as the yellow text began to scroll into deep space that I realized how truly revolutionary and significant this cinematic experience was about to be for me. Of course the original trilogy came out before I was born, and then the prequels were released well before I was old enough to appreciate the history of cinema, or consciously appreciate cinema itself really. This was the first Star Wars film I had ever seen in the theaters, had ever seen through its release. I was never a Star Wars fan, really. But sitting in the theatre as the Star Wars theme blasted through speakers, I felt what a historical monument it was. And what it was continuing to be with this film.Is it enough to say, I absolutely loved it?!
This film was awesome as all hell!! The fighting was bomb, the sound was fantastic, the chemistry between the actors was brilliant, and this was probably my favorite narrative episode of the entire franchise. The plot borrows heavily from the previous films but I liked it. It was like a homage to the story that started it all.
Rey is such a badass. She's all of the skills and powers of the original trio in one. She's a pilot, an engineer, a fighter, and an untapped jedi of massive power. Daisy Ridley, who plays her, has a strikingly similar voice and face to Keira Knightley, another veteran of the Star Wars franchise. Finn was adorable and great! John Boyega I think really had a lot to do with why Finn was such a lovable character. His delivery and passion breathed humor into the film and his portrayal of Finn highlighted Finn's innocence, his human fear, and his human compassion.
**Review Continues with Spoilers Below**
Finn and Rey's relationship is really special. They are both totally alone and I love how desperate he is to stay together with her. Their relationship is very intense, but not very romantic. I feel that this is because Finn is like someone who's just been born, he has no identity and no family. When he meets her, he fights very hard to keep her in his life. He runs full out to try to save her from abduction even though there's no way he could have possibly made it in time. There's a war going on but he instigates a plan of attack, returning to the First Order, solely for the purpose of rescuing Rey. He doesn't know how to fight with a lightsaber, but he battles Kylo Ren in an attempt to save her. And she saves him, too, but more often than not they save each other through team work, which is the best part!
Finn has a similar relationship with Poe, though they don't get very much screen time. Their bromance is much gushed over. I think what's at the heart of both of these relationships is Finn's transparent eagerness to show his affection. As articulated exceedingly well in this article, "Finn, kidnapped at birth and raised to obey people without any relationship to them, is starved for human contact, and especially for affection. His tendency to cling to Rey and throw enamored looks at Poe is...because they're the first people who've treated him as a fellow human being."
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To be honest, I think I'll have to wait for episode VIII to say anything much about Poe himself. He didn't really do a whole lot in this film and I hope we get more of him later. I assume he'll fill the Han Solo shaped hole as a dashing knight and handsomely confident leader figure.
I do actually like Kylo Ren as a villain. I love how Adam Driver and the writers were able to clearly articulate his conflict between the light and the dark side. His internal battle is reminiscent of a holy man's battle between sin and vice, except if you equated the light side with vice and sin and the dark side with righteousness and virtue. His pull to the light side is something he acknowledges and feels is a damnable temptation, the way someone tries to fight against their addictions. When he asks Han Solo for help to do the difficult thing he knows he must do, I knew exactly what was going to happen. He spoke like someone who was fighting hard to do the right thing. This indicates it was difficult for him to kill Han Solo, but he was acting in his deepest convictions.
Tom Hiddleston in an interview about his Marvel character Loki said that all villains believe that they are the hero of their story. I think that applies to Ren. However, comparing Loki with Kylo Ren, Loki had to constantly justify himself. He knew it was a grey area and he understood why others didn't see things his way. Kylo Ren is different. He is acting from a personal belief of what is right, not veiled narcissism or machiavellian power plays. I find him fascinating!
