A few thoughts after a second viewing this morning:
- Stormtroopers aim sure got better
- Poe definitely took off his jacket
- Daniel Craig's voice is very noticeable as a Stormtrooper upon second viewing
- Maz definitely survived the attack
- I feel Phasma survived too
- Kylo is going to have a wicked scar on his face from Rey's lightsaber
- Really like that Kylo's world view is completely different. He is sure that dark is right, and he is tempted by the light, instead of vice versa. Completely explains him murdering Han
- Really curious about the original man with the map to Luke. Should find out more early in 8 as Luke and Rey talk.
- All-in-all, a good first movie, probably an 8.5 or 9. Lots of callbacks and storyline mirroring, hopefully that was a nice setup for more originality going forward. Loved the practical effects and well-placed CGI (excluding rapthaurs or whatever), especially the flying battles
Now with obvious stuff out of the way... Watching back for the second time, trying to pick up clues as to Rey's background gave me a few thoughts:
- Flashback included the future of the lightsaber as well as the past, in my opinion. Not sure what the first hallway was, but I think the Knights of Ren scene was when Kylo took down the academy. Then you also have the island where Luke is (definitely the same) and the snowy forest where they meet Kylo. Very clear it was Alec Guiness's voice upon second viewing too.
- Kylo was VERY angry when he found out a girl helped the droid and Finn. I don't think he knows of a family member and doesn't remember her from academy or anything.
- The vibe just didn't feel like she was Luke's daughter. Especially looking for things this time, I think you guys are reaching. Clearly very strong with force, but not necessarily a Skywalker. I think she was trained VERY early (or at least was around a lot of force users), but she was only about 5 when left on Jakku, making her younger than Kylo in my timeline of events. For Kylo to have destroyed the academy (and Luke's/Han's exploits to be a distant memory for commoners), he would have to be a tad older.
While she certainly could be a Skywalker, it just doesn't jive with my feelings after a second watch. Especially with the mom leaving her on Jakku with a slaver. Then again, that DOES make a good completion of a plotline from anakin being a slave on a desert planet to riding and falling to where she is as well. There are obviously many force-sensitive people out there, EVERYONE doesn't have to be descended from the immaculate conception of anakin...