Star Wars The Force Awakens [Movie Review]

I have already seen this movie twice.
Twice, in less than 24 hours.

Yep.

Not Tatoonine, but another mono-climate desert world.

Poe Dameron, best pilot in the Resistance.

That should tell you something.
I am a dedicated Star Wars fan.
But I am also a movie fan.

4.5 out of 5 stars

I almost gave it a perfect 5/7 rating on the Sullivan Ratings scale, but I'm not sure if it was better than The Dark Night or not. [Do not take this bit seriously, I'm just goofing off.]

Aren't you a little short for a Stormtrooper?

I'm going to try and avoid giving away any spoilers during this review. Why? Because this movie is just full of questions, and unexpected surprises, and some expected surprises. No that is not a typo.

So what this review will be my feelings about the film. No plot information, no analogous comparisons to the prior movies. I will do a ratings of the movies in order of personal preference.

Ok.

This is a far more interesting villain than expected.

Let me start this off by talking about all the 'work' I did before the movie came out.

I spent the month or so prior to the film avoiding any new information about the movie. A preview would come on TV and I'd mute it and look away. I skipped every single stupid article on the internet. I even went black on the book of faces from the 16th until I saw the film on the 17th.

There appear to be walkers of some type on the side...

I wanted to know nothing beyond the trailers I had seen. They were good, they gave me hints about the movie but actually told me almost nothing. These were good trailers. The way trailers should be. Not like trailers from the 90s - 2000s. The kind that tell you the entire plot in two minutes. I knew almost nothing going in.

I knew the names of characters - Rey, Finn, Captain Phasma, General Hux, Kylo Ren, Poe Dameron. I knew that Han Solo, Princess Leia, and most of the original cast were going to return.

I love the smell of Ions in the morning.

I was happy to be so ignorant. To see the story fresh for the first time was awesome. 

I went into the film somewhat apprehensive. We have been burned before. The sting of the Phantom Menace is still felt. So much was riding on this movie. Could it win back the fans?

This is a far funnier image once you've seen the movie.
"What about that one?"

I had a saying that I kept repeating like a mantra before seeing the movie. "I want to walk out of the movie saying 'this was a good Star Wars' movie. I will be ecstatic if I can say this was a good movie.'

I left the theater, after my second viewing, being able to process the movie better, saying "This was a great Star Wars movie, and a good movie."


It arrived. 

Yes, there are issues. No movie is without flaws.
But this won back my trust in Star Wars. I am now looking forward to Episode VIII and Rogue One with more anticipation and less reserve.

Let me scale the Star Wars movies as I like them.

V, VII, IV, VI, III, II, I

I have trouble choosing between Return of the Jedi and Revenge of the Sith. I keep flip-flopping them. The rest are pretty much set in stone. Here is my star rating list for Star Wars.

Oh, and I've got to say. The acting was just excellent. That's part of what makes this a good movie, and not just a good Star Wars movie. The acting was spot on.

I hope I've given you enough incentive to go an see this movie without spoiling the fun. And there is fun to be had. Lots of it, with hidden surprises, and old familiar feelings and faces. It's a little bit like visiting someplace new, and little bit like "Chewie, we're home."

I'm going to see it again in theaters. At least one more time... and maybe again at the dollar theater. 

Go see this movie.