[Warning Possible Spoilers] Force Awakens discussion (Post viewing) (Warning Spoilers)

One of the major obstacles for me in enjoying this film is that it didn't have Lucas' signature cinematography feel to it. It was distinctly Abrams sans lens flare (thank the gods). Even the Millenium Falcon interior, which had been painstakingly reconstructed, didn't quite feel like the freighter Chewie and Han used to smuggle goods around under the noses of the Empire. It was hard to get over because it completely changed the feel of the film.

Another obstacle was the pacing of the film. Lucas wasn't one to shy away from slow, emotional development moments even if they were poorly written. Abrams doesn't really have that. The scene where Finn realizes he isn't a mindless killing machine happened so fast that I wasn't quite sure what made Finn different from the rest.

However, I did like it.

I've heard people complain that they didn't understand how Kylo Ren could possibly have been beaten by Rey, but if you pay attention you'll notice that Kylo Ren is an undisciplined child. Although Vader was prone to punishing failure with a Force hug around the throat, Kylo Ren throws a full-blown temper tantrum (slicing the control panel). It would appear to me that since falling to the Dark Side, Kylo Ren hasn't really been trained much at all. He's got a lot of raw potential and carries with him the emotional baggage to fuel his Dark Side tendencies, but he's also secretly tortured by his desire for reconciliation with his father.

Rey on the other hand is learning to stop running from her destiny. She spent most of the film running from it while simultaneously awaiting the return of her parents. By the time she faces off with Kylo Ren she has become less afraid of who she is and begins to embrace her connection to the Force. You'll notice her technique with the lightsaber is all thrusting, which made it much more believable to me than Finn's style which demonstrated way more finesse than I would expect from who has never used a lightsaber before nor is he Force-sensitive.

All told, this film was magnificent in comparison to the prequels, but is quite obviously not Lucas's Star Wars. It also had the impossible task of setting up the storyline for several movies without being so vague that there was hardly any content. I look forward to what comes next in the franchise.

I seen the movie on Thursday, opening night. I am going to see it again tomorrow. I think after seeing some of the posts here, it will allow me to look at things in a different perspective and perhaps focus on other things.

Remember it is difficult to fully understand a movie and its plot in just one viewing. It is once we talk about it that we can bounce ideas off each other and get a better grasp of the movie. I originally didn't like it as a stand-alone movie as much as some of the other ones, but remembering that it is just the first in a series of movies, it was pretty good. I look forward to seeing the next ones.

It is also important to recognize that Star Wars is not a cult movie anymore. They didn't write or make this movie just for the serious fans but for many people. That could be a good or bad thing depending on which side you fall on, but the reality is they geared it for the larger base. I am sure it would be different if it was made specifically for a cult following.

I think Proteus, Jamie, and TZB made some great points about some of the "hole" in the movie.

http://www.tor.com/2015/12/21/star-wars-the-force-awakens-spoiler-review/

I actually missed the first twenty minutes of the film because my best friend hit a deer and I needed to help get her home. We had bought tickets days ago and I was pretty excited. I have to say I was really impressed with the Internet as a whole that many people did not post spoilers. Usually when a movie comes out they are full of them.

My thoughts echo everyone here. Being a trained sword fighter I was pretty put off that two people with no saber training were able to use a saber proficiently against someone who clearly did have training (albeit not very good training) however seeing a Storm trooper use a type of energy staff I could almost stretch belief into Finn having some kind of exposure to that.

I did have a favorite moment though and one thing I liked about this movie versus the previous was a stronger female lead characters. It's the moment when Rey and the rest of the fleet come home after destroying the planet Death Star. Everyone else is celebrating as Rey looks on emotionally destroyed. Leia sees her and knows. She knows exactly what Rey is feeling and walks up to her and just hugs her. Does not say a word, just empathizes with her while everyone else is happy and cheering. Those two women there together. Leia is in essence passing her torch right there. To me that was the most Jedi moment in the movie. Not Luke standing there on a cliff looking all scraggly and having had abandoned the Galaxy to his screw ups.

That moment was very touching for me and also very relatable.