Spoilery Star Wars thoughts!

[alias_sqbr]

SPOILERS!!!!

*************SPOILERS*********
So, first some very mild spoilers I wouldn't have minded knowing going in, for anyone who can't help themselves but doesn't really want to be spoiled. TURN BACK WHILE YOU STILL CAN.

There is no Jar Jar, unless he was in major disguise. None of the villains are Luke in disguise.

The head villain is some random dude who looks like Gollum and is voiced by Andy Serkis which was very unfortunate on the designer's part, even if the voice is totally different. He only shows up via massive hologram which makes me think he's actually gollum sized because it amuses me.

The other pointless mystery was Lupita Nyong'o's character, who is a minor, sympathetic character coded (I would say) as Chinese. She was pretty endearing. I am choosing to believe she is not dead.

Gwendoline Christie's character never takes off her helmet! I was expecting to see her in the garbage chute looking grumpy but no. I may have to draw it.

***Ok now, really, SPOILERS.***

I also suspect of her of being secretly good, otherwise she just happened to help out Finn twice in a row: first by not wiping/re-educating etc him right away, and second by being so helpful with the shields. Surely she could have pretended to take down the shields, or had them only go down temporarily.

Finnnnnnnn I love him. A storm trooper finding his sense of self! And conscience! Though I was expecting slightly more reluctance to kill his former brethren, or at least a moment of "there but for the Grace of God The Force". And he's just so sweet and ever so slightly out of his depth. And John Boyega is very huggable.

REYYYYYYYY I LOVE HER MORE. I mean I liked her to start with, and how despite being worn down she still has that basic decency, and how clever she is in a way that makes perfect sense, but then when she WENT HEAD TO HEAD WITH KYLO REN AND WON OMG. That was just the best moment ever. And then FIGHTING. And being BADASS IN THE SNOW. Aaaaaah.

Kylo Ren himself is just the perfect angsty edgelord YOU CAN'T MAKE ME MOM baby sith omg. Like everyone else I thought his light sabre design was implausibly ridiculous but now I think it's perfect. In our world he would have an obnoxiously modded car that let off red sparks.

I can see Kylo Ren/Rey being the Zuko/Katara of this fandom, with added "anyone who doesn't ship Rey/Finn is racist" pushing against the inevitable "anyone who doesn't think Kylo Ren is a poor innocent woobie is pro bullying" etc. He's just such a Snape/Loki type figure, and very pretty. I must admit I ship it a little myself, when he offered to be her teacher omg. Though I ship it in a "have hate makeouts, push him off cliff, retire to the country with Finn and Poe" way. It would be even better if they were cousins, especially because I think anghraine might die of joy. (He can be optionally redeemed after he falls off the cliff)

In general I am ambivalent about Rey being a Skywalker. Was a bit thrown off that they didn't
have the bit from the trailer about "The Force runs in my family. I have it, my sister has it, and you have it" since I was waiting for it and then the movie ended!

(Poe is ok? I found him hard to get excited about but he's nice enough, and actually old enough for me to feel ok checking out)

I had the following conversation with Alice, who'd said she didn't mind spoilers. I had described Kylo Ren as like [her favourite character] from Undertale but sexy.

sqbr: ok, so I was annoyed that we saw WAY more of Han Solo than Leia
sqbr: like, WAAAY more
sqbr: and then
sqbr: they kill Han
sqbr: So
sqbr: it made sense
sqbr: she gets 2 more movies

Alice: what the FUCK

sqbr: and we had to get attached to him so it was sad when he died
sqbr: GUESS WHO KILLS HIM

Alice: do we know for sure he's dead?
Alice: is it lupita

sqbr: no
sqbr: HIS SON

Alice: WHAT THE FUCK

sqbr: SEXY EDGELORD

Alice: WHAT THE FUCK?????????????

:D

And yeah, I am hoping Leia gets more to do next time. I was pretty sad when Han died but it really worked. And then when Rey was flying the Falcon with Chewie ahhhhh. Did I mention I love her?

I wonder if the "Vader" Kylo Ren hears is actually the emperor, pretending. Because Anakin, for all his flaws, would never. There were theories that Kylo Ren simply didn't know the true story but now I can imagine him hearing it from Luke and thinking "So grandad was super powerful and doing great as a Sith, until he turned Light Side, at which point he died. Moral: stay Sith".

Blowing up an EVEN BIGGER DEATHSTAR was a bit on the nose. As Cam said they're going to need something ridiculously huge to blow up in episode 9. I feel like you could line the plot beats up to a New Hope and have many of them match, especially at the end. But I can't deny that I enjoyed it. Sign me up for episode 8 :)

Comments

[alias_sqbr]

If he was left as literally the only dark side force user after the events of Return of the Jedi I imagine the flailing, headless remains of the Empire might have found they didn't mind aliens after all.

He may be like the Emporer and received his injures as a sort of karmic punishment for previous evil. Which is still pretty unfortunate but slightly less annoying.