Finally – Star Wars: Episode VII Review: For What Its Worth…

Okay – I know you’re asking, “Why did you wait so long?”   Well, life with food allergies sometimes means that we as a family need to settle for delayed gratification.  Such just happens to be the case when it comes to watching a movie in the actual movie theater.   With all the Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens hype, we knew that attempting to see it in its full glory would be too dangerous for someone who has airborne and contact characteristics to his medical condition.   So – yes, it took us a month of avoiding as many spoilers and naysayers as we could, but we finally made it to see…

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens!

In the end, it was worth the wait.  We started the day with a family trip to our local Yankee Candle Flagship store as they were having a character meet ‘n greet with some of The Force Awakens personalities.  We were able to rub elbows with Kylo Ren, a Stormtrooper, Rey and someone who appeared to be Luke Skywalker (but the jury is still out on that one).   R2D2 was there, as well, and seemed to be having a good time on his own beeping, squeaking and singing to disco songs while people snapped pictures with him. Though two of my boys could have honestly done without this, I was very proud of them for putting up with Mom’s need to get her Disney-like character fix before heading to the main event.  The youngest….I think he secretly enjoyed it, but just doesn’t want to admit it to his big brothers.

Finally – show time!  We wanted this to be special for the boys, so we purchased tickets for the XD theater.   We always attend the first movie showing of the day with the hope that the theater has been cleaned and is at its best for our food allergy kid.  Of course, that doesn’t mean we don’t take our own precautions.  We always make sure to wipe down the seat meticulously and provide him with his own snacks (equivalent to ours).   Nicer seats, better sound…..we were hoping for a magical experience while watching Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens.

Unfortunately, I’ll start off with just a quick negative.  

I thought the beginning of the movie dragged just a tad.  I felt that Finn’s story (character played by John Boyega) was a little rushed and and I found myself shaking my head confused when I saw a Stormtrooper actually take a moment to make a conscious decision.  The explanation for this was just not clear enough for me and took a little too long to come to light.   At the same time, I do like his story-line and hope that they flesh it out a little bit as the saga continues.  

Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver, was the perfect combination of weak and angry.   There is no doubt this kid has a temper issue and should be attending Anger Management classes.  Of course, he is struggling so furiously with the pull to both sides of the Force.   I am very interested in seeing how this character develops and I do hope that he pulls it off better than the actor who portrayed his grandfather in his younger days.  

Interestingly, when you compare Kylo Ren’s character to Anakin’s, I think most would agree that Anakin’s story was dragged out almost too long.  We were all pretty exhausted with Hayden Christensen’s performance even by the time the credits were rolling for Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. In The Force Awakens, we know very little about Kylo Ren.  We almost needed just a bit more to either sympathize or understand what happened with his dramatic conversion.   Of course, that is what makes him intriguing, as well.

Let’s get to the good stuff!

Let’s talk Leia and Han Solo.  As usual, Harrison Ford delivered as Han and I was just as infatuated with him in this movie as I was when I saw him in the second set of the chronological trilogy.  He was witty, sarcastic, self-absorbed, hilarious and downright adorable.   His loss will be felt throughout the remainder of the saga, but I have to begrudgingly admit that I’m not as surprised as I should be about this.  

Ford is an aging actor, has experienced a long list of injuries over the past few years and just seems to be someone who is ready to enjoy the rest of his life in tranquility (mind you, I could be completely wrong about this).   I do believe they should have and could have extended the final scene between him and his son a tad in order to allow the audience to feel a little more of the struggle between the two of them.

As for Leia……well, I’m not really grasping this whole fat-shaming controversy.  Carrie Fisher’s weight was fine and they did a fantastic job choosing her wardrobe for her.  My issue lies with her affect.  It was beyond flat.  This was not the Leia with whom we grew up.  Where was the spunk, the fire, the charisma and the wit? Her upper lip barely moved.  She showed so little emotion it was almost as though they had timed the Botox injections a little off.   Did anyone notice that her speaking roles were near non-existent?  This saddened me because I was looking forward to the interaction and chemistry between Han and Leia, whether they were together or not.  I have to wonder if she will have any place in future episodes.

Our New Main Character

I saved the best for last, Rey.  Honestly, I love this character.  I think she is a tremendous development for the series and Daisy Ridley captured the persona perfectly.   Her story-line seems to be best written at the moment, leaving us enough to understand and even more to question.  I’m sure we are all talking about her ancestry and her possible connection to Luke.   Was she abandoned?  Dropped off? Left in someone’s protective custody?  So many options!  I was especially appreciative of that fact that she demonstrated her lack of knowledge with using a lightsaber.   She exhibited no fancy foot work or baton twirling tricks.  She simply just threw jabs and lunges, giving evidence to her infancy in the Force.  

At the same time, the beginning of the movie revealed to us that she obviously has strength, determination, skill and perseverance in her blood.   It was written quite well, in my opinion. There seems to have always been something in her.  Now – we wait to find out what that is and its true purpose.   I’m still very curious – are she and Kylo Ren cousins?  Are they related at all?   You know you’re wondering the same thing….

Final Thoughts on Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens

The boys were in awe, as most would expect.  They were buzzing for hours – even through the playoffs, even though that certainly took a tremendous amount of their attention away from the morning’s festivities.   Having seen the first six movies repeatedly, they felt there was enough of the old to understand the new and that there was enough new to justify a brand new story-line.   All in all, we had a great day and it was a successful family outing.

So, we had to wait to see this blockbuster.  It’s okay.  I’m just grateful to have a local theater that allows us a safe option for our son to see movies like anybody else.  Now…. to wait for the next installment. The wait is going to be the death of me….

What did you think of the movie?  Was it worth the hype?  Who was your favorite new character?   Post below and be sure to like us on Facebook at Footprints in Pixie Dust! 

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Edited to Add!! 

If you enjoyed THIS review, you need to check out my other Star Wars-related reviews!!

• The Sacrifice for Hope ~ A Review of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
• Solo: A Star Wars Story ~ The Backstory Revealed
• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ~ A Footprints Review

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