Finally have a bit of a break so I thought I'd visit the thread for my review, which is not a review, just the things that I really liked about the Force Awakens. Trying to decide if I should take my super-fan. She'll have to close her eyes for sure when Han gets it.
30 Favorite Things about The Force Awakens
1. "Luke Skywalker has vanished" - was almost like reading fan fic, except I was in a packed theater. As my brother said halfway through the scroll, "at this point in the phantom menace, all we had were embargoes and tariffs."
2. Max von Sydow - like a lot of people I was immediately angry I didn't know who he was or why he knew Leia, but then I realized, who cares? She's allowed to have allies we haven't met before. His line about royalty was awesome.
3. Poe's X-Wing - just reinforcing the use of CGI vs. practical effects. There his X-wing, and it's real.
4. Poe Dameron is a total bad-ass without one microbe of Force ability. When's the last time we met someone like this? Jango Fett, to a degree, but the real answer is Han Solo. There wasn't a single person this capable in the prequels that wasn't a Jedi. Poe can shoot, he can fly, he talks sheet, and he's a bit of a diplomat.
5. Kylo Ren stops Poe's sniper bolt with the Force. 5 minutes into the movie and we've got a legitimate new use of the Force, something that NEVER happened in the prequels, unless you count "Force Speed" which Obi/Quigon used one time in the first 5 minutes of TPM, but never again.
6. Poe talking noise at Kylo about "who talks first". Loved it. No one would talk to Vader that way because his reputation preceded him. Kylo Ren not so much, especially if you knew he was the Solo kid who turned bad.
7. John Boyega's body language in his armor. How many times have we watched stormtroopers run and shoot and fall down? A lot; but he plays it so we know he's scared, he's confused, and he doesn't want to be there.
8. Two guys, one TIE fighter. It's got a back seat!
9. Rey sliding down the sand on a piece of cardboard. Loved what a simple fix that is in a world of technology.
10. The AT-AT. My 67-year-old dad said "Oh, WOW!" when they pulled back on it. Loved his reaction.
11. Kylo's first temper tantrum. Something they should have had Anakin do in the prequels.
12. The Millenium Falcon reveal and the audience reaction to it.
13. Han Solo talking his way out of the 2 pirate group situation, or trying to anyways. Fantastic, and a part of the movie I knew nothing about going in. Exactly the kind of thing I'd expect to see him doing throughout his life, with Chewie sort of shaking his head along the way.
14. Han's reaction to Rey/Finn bringing up Luke. Hell, just hearing Han SAY "Luke". I know nobody from a Star Wars movie is going to win an Oscar for acting, but tell me Harrison Ford doesn't deserve SOMETHING for the work he put into this film.
15. Han's continued use of "Big Deal" to describe Finn throughout the movie.
16. Maz calling Chewie her boyfriend, laugh out loud funny.
17. Rey suddenly in the hallway of Cloud City where Luke fought Vader. I sat up straight in my seat and GASPED at that happening, so taken aback that I missed most of the rest of the flashback, particularly the audio of Obi-Wan and Yoda talking. I can't wait to see it again solely to hear what I missed.
18. Han using Chewie's bowcaster, and asking to use it again. Total Han, very funny.
19. Hux and Ren snipping at each at each other. Hux isn't afraid of Ren. He's written the way Moff Jerjerrod originally was in ROTJ
20. Han telling Leia "I saw our son." So heart-breaking
21. 3PO's re-introduction and acting like Han might not remember him. Fantastic.
22. Ackbar!
23. Han/Leia's exchange before he leaves. Thought it was wonderful, and exactly what you'd expect of them trying to make things work after the events of the original trilogy. She's all about duty, he's all about self-preservation. Even in love, there's no way that one or the other could bend enough to change their entire life and be happy in the other's world.
24. Chewie hugging Princess Leia at the reunion. I know people are griping that they didn't hug after Han's death, but I don't really care. This moment for me was Peter Mayhew hugging Carrie Fisher and felt very, very real.
25. Kylo Ren's inner conflict, calling Vader's helmet grandfather, this dude is effed up.
26. Kylo's early reveal taking his mask off for Rey. Unexpected but awesome.
27. You... you're afraid... that you will never be as strong as Darth Vader!
28. The look on Han's face when he decides to go after Kylo. He knows he shouldn't. It's against his every instinct of survival. He knows he's going to die then and there, but he made Leia a promise. It is perhaps the most heart-breaking moment of all 7 movies for me.
29. Han and Leia named their son Ben. I don't know that doesn't choke you up.
30. I saw Luke Skywalker in a movie on Friday, and the look on his face broke my heart.