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« on: December 18, 2015, 10:03 AM »
Loved loved loved it. Got to troop it with my local 501st guys for a tech company that rented out an entire AMC theater, so we got our own free screening at 7:30, which was great.
Lots of thoughts and notes:
- I felt the scene on the freighter with the giant tentacle monster things was unnecessary, but still fun.
- Phasma is totally a droid, right? I thought she was when the first picture came out and she had C-3PO hands. She certainly acted like one. Like others here, I was also a bit thrown by how small a part it was, and how underdeveloped it was. Why would she give up the shields so easily?
- So many parallels and call backs to the OT, mostly ANH. At times it felt a bit forced, even, but it was a nice way to tie things back and say "we're going back to the old ways" - here's hoping VIII is more of an original story.
- Poe Cameron is a GREAT character - really enjoyed him the most of the new folks, though all of them were great. Hard to believe that was Daisy Ridley's first acting gig.
- Adam Driver nailed it, and made me even more upset about Hayden Christiansen's Anakin - imagine Driver as Anakin? Looks like Kylo is gonna have a nice Anakin-style facial scar now.
- The bit about R2 being shut down voluntarily over Luke legit choked me up in the nerdiest way possible.
- BB8 was fun - I enjoyed him (they said "him" in the movie, so that debate is settled, I guess) more than I thought I would. The little flame thrower thumbs up was great.
- LOTS of comedy spots, more than any of the other movies for sure. I know some people are saying it was a bit distracting, but I thought it was fine. Kasdan's sense of humor is so much better than Lucas'.
- Not sure why 3PO had to mention his new arm, exactly, and then have it replaced by the end of the film. I know it was to show passage of time, but they should have just let it be if they were going that way.
- Was surprised Hamill had no lines at all, but it was a nice tease into the next film. Was also surprised the Knights of Ren were literally shown as much as they were in the trailer - in fact, maybe the trailer showed them even more? Same with that shot of Luke next to R2.
- Was really annoyed that Snoke was apparently fifty feet tall - the hologram reveal was a nice twist. I don't think he's really that big - it was just a way to make him more imposing. Having a giant dude would be too Lord of the Ringsy for me. Hoping we get a lot more backstory on that character. Who is that guy?
- Also hoping for some backstory on Max Von Sydow's character, though that's less likely. He was obviously in the know with the rebels... who is THAT guy? Wookiepedia says he was part of some "Church of the Force" thing, but that doesn't explain why he was so connected or why he was trusted with that part of the map.
- A friend brought up a bit of a weird hole - after the TIE crash, how did Poe get back to the Resistance base, and why didn't he look for BB-8 himself? That was why he went back to Jakku in the first place, right? What's up with that?
- Pretty sure Rey is Rey Skywalker - that flashback (and her crazy force powers) seemed to confirm it for me. I'm surprised anyone is debating it.
Anyway, whatever. It was amazing, and I'm dying to see it again.