First things first: there are spoilers. If you haven't seen the movie by now, go see it. No use in waiting, you're just gonna piss off everyone who has already seen it and wants to talk openly about it. Plus, you won't be able to read any articles or blogs about it, such as this entry right here. So do the right thing, dunce: go watch it. You know you're going to eventually, so why fight it?
Secondly: This is the second time I've seen it. The first time was all by myself, in standard 2D in a Friday morning matinee. I was a tad intoxicated, and it helped. This time around I had my boy with me so I was stone cold sober (sugar high notwithstanding) and it was in 3D. Just as good as the first time, if not better, but for different reasons.
Here's a breakdown of the second viewing in chronological order:
After 20 minutes of previews and snack-binging, the lights get dim and we're about to watch the movie. The Lucasfilm logo appears. I'm excited for JR, but right as the opening credits begin, he says to me, "I have to go to the bathroom". Even though I've already seen the movie specifically because I knew this would happen when I took him to see it, I'm still a bit annoyed. Sometimes it sucks to be right.
After we return from the restroom, we settle into the movie. Watching BB-8 roll around in the dark desert landscape, JR asks me if he is, in fact, the robot from the movie WALL-E. I laugh and say no, but I am so tempted to say yes, just to see what he would say. This is the first of many instances during the movie of my wondering whether JR will be misinformed on key facets of the series.
All I can think about whenever I see Finn is "Tracey Morgan in space", which makes me think of his SNL character Astronaut Jones. For those unfamiliar with Astronaut Jones, like most SNL skits it's a one-joke premise but it's always hilarious. Google it and see for yourself; linking to it will only be a temporary solution as they pull a lot of those clips from You Tube and you have to subscribe to NBC.com in order to really see it.
Rey reminds me of many girls I went to high school with, and I can imagine that they are going to dress up as this character next Halloween, and if they have daughters they are going to try and make them into mini-Reys, and like most kids they will instinctively do the opposite of what their parents want... sort of like another character in this movie, played by an actor who (when he eventually takes his menacing helmet off) looks like I did in 10th grade, long hair and all. Just what is J.J. Abrams trying to tell me here?
Meanwhile, JR insists that Rey is the sister of Luke Skywalker. How does he know? He saw it in the trailer, and he just knows. His words, not mine.
When he sees Darth Vader's busted helmet, JR gets excited. Then he asks me how Darth Vader died in Return Of The Jedi, which is an odd question because as we were coming back from the bathroom earlier he explained to me that Darth Vader was evil but suddenly turned good. It occurs to me that he has only watched the other movies in bits and pieces, and so this is going to be the first time he has seen a Star Wars movie from beginning to end. I suspect it will not be his last.
The 3D effects are cool but I'm glad I saw it in 2D first. It seems less confusing this way. As I marvel at some of the effects in the aftermath of the escape from Jakku sequence, JR informs me that he thinks this movie is sad. Not sad like pathetic but sad as in melancholy. He is right, of course, but it's another odd, random statement, seeing as we just literally finished watching a dazzling spaceship chase involving none other than the Millennium Falcon. But I'm glad he can pick up on the mythological subtext present in this story, because it means the narrative has resonance with even a child as young as my son.
Seeing Han Solo and Chewbacca is a delight but with the weight of having seen this before and knowing what is to come, it is bittersweet. I also can't help but wonder what Harrison Ford would've looked like had he done a fourth movie right after Jedi... would the necessary age make-up be as good as his natural ageing process or would it seem hokey?
The bar scene catches JR's attention immediately. He says OMG quite loudly in the theater. I have to wonder why they are playing space reggae in this place... is there space weed or space coke in this establishment? (Earlier, Rey was eating a food "portion" that looked like some weird galactic muffin, and I had to wonder what it might have tasted like) And what does space alcohol taste like, and what proof is it? And what is the legal BAC you can have when operating a spaceship?
JR keeps referring to Han Solo as Star Lord. This makes me laugh. The Resistance coming to fight the First Order gets his attention once again. He likes the battle scenes, and he is literally on the edge of his seat when these moments occur. And he refers to Leia as a princess when she appears. C-3PO gets no love from anyone, even JR, but seeing R2-D2, even in a low-power state, causes joy and excitement to stir in the theater.
By this point JR starts to get bored again, and I agree with him-- the rehash of the whole "let's blow up the Death Star" routine is the weakest link in the movie. I admit to falling asleep during this sequence, only to wake up when (SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER) Han Solo confronts his punk-ass kid on the parapet. I don't think this is the last we've seen of Solo aka Star Lord, but the moment still gets me in the gut.
By the way: Chewbacca is such a badass in this movie. Not only is he depicted throughout as a ladies' Wookiee with an actual libido, but his reaction to Han's fate is so heartfelt and real. He just starts blasting and blowing shit up, his rage and pain an authentic fury. For the first time in this series, Chewie is drawn fully as a character. This also happens to be JR's favorite part of the movie.
The climactic lightsaber battles capture both of our imaginations, and I have to admire Adam Driver as Kylo Ren. Good acting will elevate this new trilogy to a different, higher standard. But nothing is as thrilling as seeing Mark Hamill at the end, wordless, bearded, his right hand a mechanical contraption and ungloved, standing on a mountain top looking at Rey as if she holds the Ring of Power in her hands.
JR got up and clapped when this scene happened, and then the end credits popped up. We left the theater very happy, and I think once he reports to his friends back at school about seeing the movie, the Star Wars series will finally take its proper place in his childhood world, right next to LEGO and Minecraft and Super Mario Brothers.
Go see it, again and again and again. As for us, we're gonna watch Return Of The Jedi ON VHS tonight.
