Who's gonna be the main villain to replace Darth Vader?

First of all, there are some aspects of the movie that I did enjoyed. BB-8 was very cute, even if you had to infer what it was saying based on the other character’s responses. Actions scenes were well (one would expect nothing less of Lucasfilm), and the character interactions were well written. I especially appreciate the fact that effort was made to make Kylo Ren a multidimensional villain. He has insecurities, and a small part of him still carries doubt about the path he’s chosen. I also liked the focus on Rey’s character, and to me she truly felt like a main character in this movie.

However, I do have issues with other aspects of the film. I find Kylo Ren’s fits of rage at once comical (because they remind me of someone throwing a tantrum) and frightening (because said tantrums were being thrown with a freaking light saber). Also, and this could be because I’m not deeply familiar with the Star Wars universe, but I was surprised that Finn, despite being conditioned from birth to be an obedient soldier, was so expressive and gregarious from the get-go. I can understand that he’s repulsed by the death and destruction he’s forced to perform, but he feels more like an average joe than someone who’d been trained his whole life to follow orders and suppress his own individualism.
Predictability is another problem in this movie for me, as death flags began raising as soon as Han Solo walked onto that walkway with Kylo Ren. But more than the lead-up to Han’s death, I don’t understand why they (i.e. JJ Abrams and the other writers of the movie) felt the need to create another Death Star-like weapon and have the Resistance shoot it down again. There was no real sense of tension or suspense for me during that whole sequence, because I already know they would succeed.  

So, overall I thought the movie was alright. It was fun, but at the same time it was also just too predictable in parts.

I LOVE KYLO REN HE IS EVERYTHING I WANT IN AN ANGRY SITH LORD. Don't get me wrong Anakin/Darth Vader will always hold a spot in my heart for being my first bad guy crush but Kylo Ren... He's so incredibly angry and his fits of rage where he just goes on a rampage actually made me scared and I love that in a villian. One thing that always bugged me about Vader is that after the 3rd movie when he got his famous suit he was a frightening villian for the characters around him but he never frightened me. Maybe because I couldn't see his thunderous eyes like we could in Revenge of the Sith but idk I was always disappointed with how he's portrayed as this unstable and murderous villian that all of his underlings are terrified of but for me he never scared me. 

But Kylo Ren does. There wasn't so much focus on Kylo's underlings being scared of him like there was with Vader, but more emphasis on making the actual audience scared of him. Giving him the power to pull things from an enemy's mind at will and giving him such an explosive anger that he literally has to become an agent of destruction to get it out of his system makes him frightening for the audience rather than just the various characters around him and I LOVE that kind of focus when it comes to a villian. It gives the audience the shock value needed to really instill that seed of fright in them and I think the writers pulled him off beautifully. 

I also like that they gave him reasons for being so angry. He literally worships the image of what his grandfather used to be and because of that, and also being a child of 2nd Gen Skywalkers, he has this massive battle of Light and Dark inside him and it's incredibly painful for him because he has even amounts of both in him and he can't tell which side he belongs to. I honestly don't think Kylo chose the Dark Side because he likes doing bad things. I think he chose it because A) it gives him someone to look up to/worship with out involving his father or mother (who for him are nothing but a painful reminder of the Light in him), and B) it allows him to express the rage so pent up inside him with little to no consequence. Kylo to me doesn't seem like an evil character. He's just angry and in pain. And for me that's a much better villian that one that is evil because they like being evil, because they're more volatile and unstable. 

Another thing that I loved about this movie is how visually stunning it is. There is this constant juxtaposition between something massive and something very small in comparison and it gives you this sense of just how big and expansive the Star Wars Universe is. Even special effects used classic filming techniques like racket focus and long shots with no cuts, all to properly portray the Universe as how it should be. Huge. 

The style of filming and special effects used in this movie really reminded me of Interstellar which I'm more than ok with. That movie did a wonderful job of showing just how expansive and beautiful the Universe is and I think that really fits with the Star Wars Universe. 

All in all, I really really enjoyed this movie and I'm definitely hyped for the next 2 <3

I really like the female lead character and is it me of did that planet remind you of Tattooine a lot? I think they re-used some scenes. Ren was quite impressive, though when he took the mask off he so didn't look like a sith leader.  I was like, "THAT's the fearsome replacement for Darth Vader?" O-o

But OMG...the moment where Han is standing with his son and tries to take the saber away and OMG the feels! I didn't expect what happened at all! O-o Honestly I cried like a baby. I think that is the most Star Wars has ever hit me in the feels. How dare they kill him off? I can't believe there will be no more Han Solo. Man that was intense.

The characters and quips, the cinematography, the music - it all felt right. It all felt like 80's Lucas brought up to speed in the 21st century. I don't mind that Han died - Harrison Ford (my boyfriend, btw) is getting old and his death felt like it fit into the story very well for me.

I don't agree with people complaining that the story was predictable or a remake of 6. The way this story is being told is called a circular plot. It means that halfway through, the events repeat in reverse. It's what JK Rowling did in Harry Potter (google it!). A death star is blown up by rebel forces, a son kills a father and then.... (and this is a possible spoiler even for people who have seen the movie, though it's still speculation) two people are going to find out they're siblings. If you've read into the Star Wars Extended Universe, it's hard to know how much they will keep or scrap but "Rey" and Ben (then called Jacyn) were siblings in the books, which makes their push and pull all the more exciting.

I would like to say that I am very annoyed that they chose to name Han and Leia's son Ben. In the books, Ben was Luke's son - which made sense because Luke had a deep relationship with Obi Wan (also known as "old Ben Kenobi"). I can't see Han and Leia sitting down and deciding to honor Obi's memory by naming their son Ben, so it just didn't fit for me. As for my "proof" that Rey is Han's daughter, I mean does Han Solo invite just anyone to hang around the Millennium Falcon? That's Chewie's job. Usually Han is trying to kick people off of the Falcon. And when they make their pit stop and Rey discovers the lightsaber, Han has some sort of talk with Maz Kanata about her that we are not privy to, but afterwards Maz seems to know a heck of a lot about Rey...

I believe that Rey was trained by Luke and that Ben was probably ordered to kill all of Luke's Padawans as a test to turn him to the dark side (just like Anakin), but he probably couldn't bring himself to kill his sister, and so somehow had her placed on Jakku, which would explain her sick saber skills and obvious Jedi training. Plus, I felt that Luke recognized her at the end - and how else did she have an image in her mind of his secluded island if she didn't have some sort of connection to him through the force? I think the revealing of her backstory will make her much more interesting because right now she's kicking a lot of ass for seemingly no understandable reason.

I also am in love with Maz Kanata as a character. I thought she was wonderfully done and she reminded me of a Dungeons and Dragons or Guild Wars character, she was very well fleshed out.

Also... everyone in this movie was attractive. Like seriously. Everyone was so pretty. I think I have a crush on Finn haha!

AND GOD DID I CRY WHEN HAN DIED. I still cannot believe they killed him (though it makes sense from a reality stand point as Harrison Ford probably didn't want to do all 3 movies and he's most likely the  highest paid actor too). I'm totes on the bandwagon that Rey is related to Skywalkers in some way. John and I are kinda hoping it might be Luke to kind of bring an opening for Mara Jade or something (even though she's EU only character, she was one of the most popular EU characters, so i hope they do SOMETHING with her). Also I would like to think possibly Luke since she has such an attraction to Anakin/Luke's lightsaber.

The only thing I didn't like was the very end where Rey goes to find Luke. That climb up the island is ridiculous! Its just too drawn out and awkward. Especially since we had that big climax and then this really drawn out thing of her finding Luke and then it ends with her just standing there awkwardly holding out the lightsaber.  I think the movie would've been cut better had a still partially concealed Luke took hold of the light saber. Or at least spoke one line or something then end. xD  I dunno, it just felt kinda...awkward.  

I think that it is not really supposed to be a complete retelling of the same story, but more like a statement of the way the SW universe works. Not only do things come full circle, like a father trying to save his son where it was a son trying to save his father last time, but there is more. I think it is a statement that people, and the force, will always gravitate toward a division of opposites dark and light, totalitarian and democracy.
 
The empire is defeated by the New Republic, but then another branch of the republic breaks off and forms the First Order, and yet another forms the Resistance. Whenever things or people are unitesd there is a pull to splinter into opposing sides.
 
Just like I believe they are showing us that there will always be a dark side and light side to the force, even eons later it’s the same battle because of how people are and how the universe works.
 
Or…I just haven’t had my coffee yet.
 

P.S. I don’t think Rae (sp?) is Han’s daughter because why would Leia or Han not have told her? I honestly think she might be Luke’s daughter, but he may not know about her. In the books there is this little thing between Luke and Mara Jade. Maybe they’re going to go with that spin?

It's Rey. But yes, Han and Leia mentioned nothing about having a daughter and it wouldn't have made sense for them not to mention it. Leia says she shouldn't have never sent 'him' away (to train with Luke), not them. If they had a daughter why would she not send her too? Han seem more concerned about destroying the base/talking to Ben then finding Rey so I doubt that's his daughter. There were a lot more parallels and hints at Rey being Luke's daughter than Han/Leia's. Rey is a pilot, lives on a desert planet, and can fix things/is a scavenger. Who else does she have that in common with? Anakin and Luke. Her being able to take the lightsaber while Ben couldn't makes the most sense if she is Luke's daughter. Luke is a lot more in tuned in the force than Leia, so his daughter would be the same compared to Leia's son. Also based off some book about TFA, someone posted on tumblr that we do know that Ben is apparently 10 years older than Rey (and I think Finn too).

Plus I think JJ (or someone else) said that the main trilogies would always focus on the Skywalkers. Luke was the main character of the original trilogy so his daughter being the main character makes the most sense. Kylo Ren being named Ben instead of Jacen wasn't that big of a deal to me either. IIRC their third son was named Anakin which didn't make sense because outside of being her father by blood, she had no attachment for him. Obi Wan did save their life at least. 

Also some little mic drops:

When does r2d2 finally wake up? When Rey is at the resistance base.
When reading her mind, Ben says she dreams of an island surrounded by an ocean. Who is at in island surrounded by an ocean? Luke. He's been subconsciously telling his daughter where to find him.
At her 'home', Rey has a doll that's dressed in a pilot outfit Luke wore in A New Hope. She also puts on a helmet like the one he wore.
During the flashback scene, Yoda and Obi-Wan's voice's can be heard. Who were those two people important to? Luke (and Obi-Wan for Anakin).




She's Luke kid ya'll.

I'm totally on board the Rey is Luke's kid train. lol  But of the 3 times Ive seen the movie, I tried really hard to listen to the voices in the flashback/visions scene. I didn't really hear Yoda's voice but I did hear a man's voice that I don't think was Han.  However, it would make sense if Yoda and Obi-Wan are reaching out to her as well. I was hoping she would see them as ghosts at some point.

ALSO YES TO THE ISLAND THING. I picked up on that and the little doll thing she has.  It might also be symbolic that she's living in a downed AT-AT, which Luke took down single handed in Empire Strikes Back.

It was confirmed by JJ that it was both of their voices. There have been rumors that Hayden might come back as Anakin. I could see him trying to talk some sense into his emo grandson as a force ghost lmao.

Could be! There's really no way to tell. My theory is that Han and Leia aren't acknowledging her as their daughter to keep her safe. I mean Ben just killed his Dad, it's probably not a good idea to say "Hey by the way here's your sister!"

FREAKIN BELIEVE THAT THEY KILLED HAN. I mean, I kinda saw it coming because it was similar to IV in a lot of ways. It was different enough though that it was its own thing. Rei (Rae? Rey?) is a good protagonist, Finn is awesome, and BB-8's adorable.

And honestly as much as I love Han (not my favorite Darth Vader will forever be my favorite star wars character) I saw it coming the second he had his hand on that lightsaber (if not before) than again deaths like that have always been predictable to me (Obi Won at Darth Vaders hands, Qui-Gon At Darth mal's hands) It's like the only really predictable thing to me in every Star wars trilogy. Not to mention the opening credits and seeing the Melinium Falcon again after all these years brought a tear to my eyes I was so happy to see them. Not to mention that shot of Vader's Melted helmet and the reprise of the imperial march was probably one of my favorite things to see. and was I the only one that got a faint yodaish vibe from luke there at the end?