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3 More Thoughts On Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SPOILERS)

(SPOILERS, although c'mon you should've seen it by now)

         
           Well I finally got around to seeing The Force Awakens for a third time. Without the initial shock of the movie clouding my judgment, I was able to watch it with a bit more objectivity (although I still cried once). Here are my thoughts...

1. The Fate Of Han Solo:

I was really devastated when Han Solo, one of my childhood heroes, was killed (by his own son on a giant CGI bridge)... and I'm not necessarily against Han dying, because his death marked a significant transition into this next generation of the saga.

However, while I understand that JJ was trying to emulate the sudden death of Obi Wan, and that Kylo Ren needed a way to complete his gang initiation to the dark side, I still think it should've happened a different way. I never thought I'd say this but maybe JJ should have taken a page out of The Phantom Menace and had Han's death follow Qui-Gon's...

1) Qui-Gon went down fighting, Han should have gone down fighting
2) Qui-Gon died in Obi-Wan's arms, Han should have died in the arms of Chewbacca
3) Qui-Gon had a bomb ass VIP funeral, Han should've had it with full military/ smugglers honors

Damn it, I miss you Han, and it's really gonna suck not getting to watch you meet Luke again...

2. Kylo Ren Re-Examined:

My knee jerk reaction to Kylo Ren was pretty negative. In fact I thought he was a whiny little bastard...  I expected that we'd be dealing with someone more confident and frankly more experienced (though the wire hanging out of his lightsaber should've been a big clue). However after watching the movie a third time, I think I get him more. I appreciated his frustration with Rey, his inner torment, and his immaturity. He's actually way more interesting of a character than I expected him to be and I can't wait to watch his character grow.  

However, watching the movie again only reaffirmed my belief that Kylo Ren's only Helmet reveal should have been with Han Solo. I didn't feel that showing his face to Rey (and therefor the audience) first had the same emotional impact. The helmet serves as big a symbol of the dark side... after revealing his face to Han, Ren should've put it right back on (for the rest of the movie) to reaffirm how he's crossed the threshold into the dark side.

3. Rey's True Identity:

I'll be debating this to no end, but I'll just say it... I think (and kinda hope) that Rey is in some way related to Obi-Wan Kenobi (lets just call her his great grand niece for now). Here are my thoughts on this...

In a desperate attempt to prevent Obi-Wan's descendant from being taken by the first order (maybe around the time that Kylo Ren turned on Luke), Luke left Rey on Jakku. If we're to assume this trilogy will mirror its predecessors, then Luke's decision to do this would match Obi-Wan's attempt to hide him on Tatooine. Plus if you listen closely during Rey's vision when touching the lightsaber, you can hear Obi-Wan's voice (and admittedly Yoda's voice is there too, but I don't think she's related to him). Coincidence?

           What did you think of Star Wars: The Force Awakens? How many time have you seen it?

6 Thoughts On Star Wars: The Force Awakens

   (SPOILER WARNING)

           Star Wars: The Force Awakens is finally out... and I'll be honest, as a whole, I really liked it. But as with all movies, there were positives and negatives. Here they are according to the Random Screen Guy...

1. All The Heroes Were On Their Game:

The new and returning cast members were all on point (right down to Admiral Akbar).

-Harrison Ford in particular (absolutely) delivered on his performance as Han Solo (because I was really worried that we'd get a much grumpier Ford).
-Chewie was also a total badass in this movie... In the moments following Han's confrontation with Kylo Ren, Chewie literally sniped Kylo in the gut...good stuff.
-Lets face it guys, Carrie Fisher could have done a lot worse... I was pretty happy with her return as Leia.

My Memories Of: Star Wars, The Phantom Menace

           With Star Wars in the air, I just thought I'd take the time to make my contribution... Therefore, I've decided to reflect on the ever hated, ever debated, prequel trilogy...starting with...

My Memories Of... The Phantom Menace (1999):

           Older Star Wars fans will tell you all about how Phantom Menace was the worst day of their lives... for me that wasn't totally the case. Why?... because I was 11 years old when that movie came out. That said, my younger self had a different set of reactions to everything people generally complain about today. Let me be clear, I'm not trying to convince anyone that The Phantom Menace is a great movie...because it isn't. All I offer are some of my thoughts at the time...

           I'll start by saying that all the awkward racial characteristics of Nute Gunray, Watto, and Jar Jar were totally over my head. Speaking of Jar Jar... while most people are quick to crap all over him (and rightfully so), I actually don't even remember noticing him much in the movie. He was just