Member reviews of THE FORCE AWAKENS

It's beautiful, Can't wait to see it again, but quick question. .why did Kylo turn to the dark side? A: Because he's ben solo, lately. HA!! *drops mic*

 

How good was this movie? It was so good that almost 24 hours later, I am completely and totally over the EU and have fully embraced the storyline of the new trilogy. Han's death hit me emotionally more than any work of fiction in years (I'm still in mourning), I'm way more interested now in Episode 8 resolving the mystery of Rey's parentage, and I'm so excited for the new additions (Rey, FINN, Poe, Hux, etc). The fact that it could take a major skeptic like me into a true believer is all the proof you need that this film was outstanding and exceeded my expectations.


-Abrams' style of cinematography being applied to the Star Wars universe took a bit of getting used to, since it was so different in that way from the rest of the saga so far, but pretty much all of the action was quite well done, and some very good tension was established at key points.
-I actually mostly liked the character development for Poe, Finn, and Rey; it was done just well enough to get me to care about what happened to them.
-Han and Chewie were awesome all the way through. The Han and Leia interactions gave the film some strong character moments as well.
-Kylo Ren is an interesting and different bad guy; I'm glad they didn't just try to copy Darth Vader here. Not sure what to think of Snoke just yet. General Hux was a bit over the top at times; I wasn't really crazy about his speech there.
-Rey is such a great new female protagonist for Star Wars to have. And finally a live-action female lead who gets to use a lightsaber!
- Captain Phasma wasn't really as much of a factor as I'd hoped. She had better return in the sequels.
-Starkiller Base was a pretty sweet superweapon, and the infiltration and final battle scenes were great, but the destruction of the Death Stars still felt way more intense.
-BB-8 is great. Lots of good humor throughout from the characters too.

I'd give this one a 9.5/10. Can't wait to go see it again!

 

MY REVIEW


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My Star Wars Episode VII - The Force Awakens review.

I will refresh what I felt were the objectives for The Force Awakens:

1 - Introduce new characters, strongly enough so they would build a whole trilogy about them.

2 - Make a brand new generation feel the same way fans experienced Star Wars for the first time in 1977.

3 - Make Star Wars cool again, not only for boys, but for girls and from all ages....set a solid base to build upon, make Star Wars immortal.

4 - Expand the legacy of Anakin Skywalker into a new generation of characters so it continue the Star Wars Saga we all thought was over with ROTJ.

5 - Respect the fans, please them just enough.


And the only way I can honestly review this movie is by doing so as the first chapter to a new Star Wars trilogy since SO MUCH TIME has passed in between ROTJ and TFA. 30 years is even more than what's between ROTS and ANH and they are now (with Rebels.... and Rogue One) creating a whole new universe in that area... it could be the very same with ROTJ and TFA lapse... maybe a spin-off movie or two.

So... there's a resistance, a Republic and the First Order... The Knights of Ren... not much info is given on all of them.
It was the same thing when we first saw ANH.... what are The Clone Wars... The Sith.... The Emperor...The Senate...

So we are thrown in the middle of all that with no explanation whatsoever... actually, we are the eyes of our two protagonists: Finn and Rey.

The main challenge I can see making this movie for Kasdan and JJ were HOW to write a story that, AT THE SAME TIME, introduces 4 new central characters (Finn, Rey, Kylo and Poe) + continue the story of such iconic characters as Luke, Han and Leia... That's 7 characters! In ANH there were Han, Luke, Leia, Vader...One could argue that Vader and Ben characters were not actually developed in ANH... Vader was the ultimate 2D villain, and Obi Wan was that mysterious character that wasn't exposed at all during the movie.

So they decided to glimpse Poe (probably will play a more predominant role in Episode 8), put Leia in a short but important role, hide Luke and make him the plot device, and concentrate on Finn, Rey, Kylo and Han.

By doing so, with the brilliant writing and the good acting, number 1 of my list was fulfilled.

That is why I DON'T CARE about Phasma.... she'll survive, like Boba Fett, and probably will do some more cool stuff in 8 or 9. She's a background character.
I DON'T CARE about MVS' character... that shall be explorer in the new "expanded universe" or Anthology film or whatever.
I DON'T CARE at this point by Snoke. He's not important to the story at this point, so was the Emperor in ANH and ESB.
And.... I DON'T CARE about Constable Zukio or all the cool toys based on characters that were either cut from the final movie or have seen their screen time reduced. We'll see them in all their glory in the deleted scenes on the Blu-Ray, maybe an Extended Edition of The Force Awakens next April.

***2 - Make a brand new generation feel the same way fans experienced Star Wars for the first time in 1977.

They tried. They managed to keep the secrecy surrounding that episode to a level where casual viewers, and fans that stayed away from spoilers, to a point where there was an element of surprise to many of them. I would like to hear from the 6-12 years old that viewed The Force Awakens as their FIRST Star Wars movie. I think this is something very hard to accomplish nowadays with social media. Will it be a phenomenon as Star Wars was back in the late 70s and early 80s... NAH... never. Time has changed... Back then, this type of movie was happening once every two years... now there is so much happening on the big screen.... Batman, Superman, The Avengers, Jurassic Park, Hunger Games, Ect. etc. 500+ channels to watch instead of 7 on the TV screen... the internet... It's a different world. I don't think it has something to do with the movie, but the world in which it has been released.

***3 - Make Star Wars cool again, not only for boys, but for girls and from all ages....set a solid base to build upon, make Star Wars immortal.

With the box office numbers coming out, the raving critics, toys, merchandise... we'll see. But I think Star Wars is cool again but I don't think it is only because of The Force Awakens. The great video games and fantastic cartoon series Clone Wars and Rebels are helping a huge deal. Let's say, The Force Awakens' success could put it on par with The Superhero craze from the last years. We'll see how Rogue One benefits from all that. What I can say is, FOR THE FIRST TIME, in my history of Star Wars line-ups.... I spent the day, playing Monopoly and Risk with my boy and 2 twenty-some girls. I saw A LOT of young people, and young FEMALE... in a universe where I used to be surrounded by guys older than me. So it's a sign that Star Wars is in a different place than it was 15, 20 years ago.
I have a 17 years old daughter that despised Star Wars and Sci-Fi movies altogether (She was a Twilight and Hunger Games maniac).... well, this week... she was proudly sporting a Star Wars T-shirt!

***4 - Expand the legacy of Anakin Skywalker into a new generation of characters so it continue the Star Wars Saga we all thought was over with ROTJ.

Why TFA is my favorite Star Wars episode is because of this! If you read between the lines and the VISUAL of TFA (Not the blabla exposition)... This movie is exactly that: The Legacy of the duality of Anakin/Vader. Ben Solo/Kylo Ren and Rey Skywalker. Will they become Darkness and light? Will they cross the line at some point? Will they ultimately join force to defeat Snoke? There is so much potential for things to come with all what's been established in TFA... I just can't wait.
Both characters are unstable. Watching the movie.... you'll find me crazy but I WAS AFRAID OF REY! She is scary... untrained and alone yet, capable of doing some incredible things... and the final duel.... well, she's powerful... and heir to Darth Vader/Anakin (100% sure about that). As for Kylo... we'll see how his character transforms in Episode 8.

5 - Respect the fans, please them just enough.

I think they did a great movie for the character of Han Solo. For me they sort of resolved one thing that bugged my in ROTJ (Regarding Leia's powers). To see that her son is now the main antagonist, it all makes sense and powers up Leia's character from the OT right to her birth in ROTS. As for the EU fans... guys, all of us created a 3rd trilogy in our imagination. This one is the real deal. We must accept it. And I think it's in good hands.

So, for me, it's mission accomplished.

As for the main complaints:

Han dying, Luke as a cameo: that was essential to the plot and the introduction of the new main characters from the Saga, the NEW generation.

Snoke CGI: what if Snoke is only a facade? AKA, not a REAL individual, just a trick. What if someone else is hiding behind the curtain?

I give TFA a 9/10 since it will give these boards PLENTY of things to speculate upon, crazy theories for the next 2 years.

Can't wait to see it again.

 

8.5 out of 10 for me. The film was great, but you can tell it was a JJ abrams movie. It was so fast moving, I wish it could have slowed down a little, just a bit. maybe a single scene of Rey messing around with the force on Jakku so we'd know she has experience with it. It would have made her out of the blue mind trick an sudden mastery of the force that much more believable. It was a hard thing to try and pull off. All and all I think he did it; minor gripes from me, but I'm not going to get too upset over lack of exposition, I hate that stuff.

 

Overall 7.5 to 8 out of 10. I liked just about everything with the exception of super saiyan rey, pacing was a little to fast, finn not being force sensitive, too little Luke, Han's death (meaning no OT reunion), and some minor details like how tiny the Resistance was, very little explanation of the Resistances relationship with the New Republic, very few new ship designs.

 

This, imagine a scene where unbeknownst to Rey she is using the force. Just to get a hint. Like influencing someone on Jakku, ex. Plutt to get more rations or something like that.

 

One of the most memorable moments for me was at the start of the Kylo/Han confrontation. When Han shouted 'BEN' I grabbed my friends knee so hard. I have been on these forums and trying to read as much about the film as I could and that hadnt been anything I had seen mentioned before so it was nice to get that surprise.

As a fan of the EU also I thought it was a nice nod to the EU and nice to know it hasn't been completely forgotten.

 

I just came back from the cinema and must be honest I feel dpressed , The darkside finally won. After the falling of the last jedi (Lucas) when he sold his soul(SW rigths) to the darkempire (Disney), all galaxy citzens are suffering from this greedy marketing wars that are destroying the true mythologic and archetipic essence of the saga... Camon guys, that is some plot failures thats unnaceptable for serious followers, here some of them in my point of view.

1. To get to be a Jedi/sith is a serious hard thing, is not matter of just wake the Force like something that just happens and solve all problems... no no no...The Force is not good or evil, who use its decide.If the force is strong on you its came from birth (midiclorians levels),you start to developed it when you are child and get to master it if you have the luck to find a good teacher. So, how can I accept the fact that Rylo, that supposed to be a jedi trained by Luke and after empowerd by darkside, be hurted by single chewbacca shot and be hurted again by ex-stormtrooper(finn) figthing with a ligthsaber(wtf!!!) and finally be defeated by a untrained girl that suddenly learn by herself how to figth like a jedi.

2.So If I understand well after the Endor victory and the destruction of 2nd deathstar the rebels failed to restore the Republic as the ruling Political order of the galaxy and not only that, Luke fails to restore the Jedi order , Leia and Solo fail in their relationship and failed as well in the rising of their offspring.So Disney is telling me that after six movies the evil still won the strife.And this is a shame, yes a shame to see our real hero Luke defeated, lost and alone in middle of nowhere meanwhile the evil force are killing billions by destroying planets and stars.

3.I dont like the Rylo Ren Character. A cryboy, that seems imature and impulsive and weak. Is that the lord Vader heir?...poor Anakin... poor Luke.

4.Deathstar 3.O?? really they have to repeat this again?, the same damn plot maked up a little working like a easy formula...ppffff...

5.the sucess of SW saga relay in the ability to translate the archetipic hero tales of all cultures world wide to scifi cinematographic format. the action scenes and special effects(thats today are trivial) are secondary.For us (my generation) SW was THE MYTH, that teach us how dream to be this hero and overcome all difficuties trusting in justice and braveness in the of the Force thats is within all of us.Does Rey fit the paper of this heroin_? I hope so but Im not so sure, but of one thing I know: Lucas get rich because the movies, but to him the most important thing was the message.Disney just want your money.

And one last remark, what the hell is Voldermort doing in star wars? and how he became a sith lord ? ...lol

 

10/10

I've seen TFA four times in theaters and it's one of the greatest movies ever.

JJ managed to create a movie for old and young people, with loveable characters that you care about from their first scenes, with great pace. I'm in love with Rey, Kylo and Finn. They are my friends and I want them to succeed in whatever they will undertake in the next one.

Sure - TFA has is flaws. It's by no means no Godfather, Shawshank redemption etc scriptwise. But it's Star Wars - it has it's own merits. It's good fun, I just love it. It's everything ep 1-3 were not and I can't wait to see it again.

If you don't like this movie - then Star Wars may not be for you. Simple as that. I'm turning 38 next year and I feel like 10 again.

 

This isn't the first post where I've seen someone say in the post they loved the movie but it was only a 6 or 7. How would you need to feel for an 8,9,10?

It seems like a lot of people's feelings towards the movie are heavily influenced by the story they expected/wanted, which is unfortunate. JJ and Kasdan could have written anything, so there is no way the movie could have touched on everything that everyone wanted to see.

To the people who aren't happy with the movie I would encourage you to give the movie another shot with an open mind, free of expectation (close your eyes, let the movie flow through you) and I'll think you'll find yourself enjoying the ride!

I'd also like to address the crowd who are upset that the original three (or four including Chewie) were never on screen together. How exactly would that have worked? If they find him more in the middle of the movie and he gets involved, how does anything happen other than Luke kicking arse and saving the day? Then how are the new characters tested to find their own strength and courage if the most powerful person in the galaxy is leading the way? The only way I can think of is if they went to find him at the end instead of Rey. The problems with that are it would mean Han survives which would have eliminated one of the most powerful and pivotal scenes in the movie where Han puts aside his what's in it for me side and tries to save his son but fails as Kylo fully commits to the dark side. Also, the new trilogy is Rey's story so her finding Luke to be presumably start her training is the only thing that makes sense to me. Having the others there instead would only be fan boy service. In addition, given Luke's state there's no way it would have been a happy reunion.

The way I see it, given the story laid out (if you're going to criticize the story please suggest an alternative because anyone can say "that stinks"), The story makes perfect sense to me. VII was about setting the stage for what's going on in the galaxy, introducing the new cast, and getting them invested in the resistance. The next will probably be a bit darker and focus on Luke's inner struggles and Rey's growth as a Jedi while Kylo gets stronger (leaving the FO with the upper hand at the end). The last will be either Luke and/or Rey winning the day.

I think we won't really be able to properly appreciate the story in TFA until we know how the trilogy plays out.

 

I thought the movie has excellent and blew away my expectations (although, they weren't set very high). Really can't say anything bad about it other that in borrowed a lot from the OT, namely 'A New Hope'. But even at that, it didn't ruin it for me. New characters: I didn't like how Finn was introduced into the plot, Rey seemed a little too 'perfect' as the heroine, the movie needed more Poe, and Phasma didn't do anything kick ass. All in all, really enjoyed the movie and will probably see again in the theaters (I'll buy the Blu-ray).

 

I give it a solid B. It's not a great film but its a good SW film. The reason why it isn't great is cause its not original so alot of themes will not have the effect on us the second time around.

1. Characters: I loved the new characters so they got me for this Trilogy. I never gave a blast about Anakin/Padme so I never warmed up to the PT. Rey was played perfectly by Ridley as she had that likeable quality you need for the lead protagonist. Finn was a good character who had good banter with Rey, Han & Chewy but I thought they rushed his exile as a Stormtrooper. Poe was a surprise as the marketing downplayed his role, but I thought his character was very underrated.

2. Design: The movie felt and looked like the OT, as the PT looked like I was watching a different franchise. If this is the template for the ST then going old school was a brilliant decision by Disney.

3. Story: I thought the story felt rushed and I think it's a symptom of today's movies. They're afraid they'll lose the audience so they never give it time to breath. The OT movies had the 40/40/40 rule, 40 minutes in each location to develop everything and establish it to the audience.

5. Villains: I liked Kylo Ren as he will be a bad guy that can be fleshed out for 8 & 9. I wasn't in love with Snoke, but I'll reserve judgement til 8 & 9 and who he is.

4. OT Characters: Big sigh of relief here as JJ didn't ruin any of them. Han & Chewy were great, Leia was fine but nothing special, and Luke looked cool.

5. Music: Big disappointment. Nothing memorable as I believe JJ wanted the score to be background music, while Lucas wanted the music to define each scene like a space opera.

6. Humor: Harkened back to OT humor of bickering and one liners and didn't seemed forced as the chemistry between the characters really worked.

7. Overall: I really liked and enjoyed this movie but I wish it wasn't as rushed. Unfortunately I don't think they make those types of movies anymore cause of the ADD generation. I think Episode 8 will be a better movie as they will really flesh out Rey, Finn, & Kylo as to why they are who they were in TFA. Only 18 months this time!

When's the first Episode 8 teaser......

 

Oh look, regular people reviews! =D

I guess I'll start with this. I liked it. I won't rate it, either. I don't see Star Wars on the spectrum of "good" or "bad". For me, watching a Star Wars film is like going to the aquarium. I'm here to check out how this unimaginable world works, and look through a window for a few glimpses of it. It's hard for me to see Star Wars as "films" because they're more than that to me. If they aren't that way to you, I totally get it and I won't defend myself to you, you see it as you see it!

Now, if I WERE to rate it as a film, I'd call it "above average". But that's okay, that's what everyone says about the other movies, too. Yes, like almost everyone else, I was kind of distracted by the point-for-point remake of A New Hope. Where my opinion differs a bit is that it felt so much bigger than ANH. We got to go to five different planets, spend some time in space, and even get some big shots of big locations like the Jakku battlefield and the lake surrounding Maz's castle. This movie is big, and a big movie means a big experience, especially with the way it was shot and edited. It felt like I was there.

Another thing I liked about it (mostly because of the fact that they ripped ANH's story structure) is that the subtle changes were much more noticeable. I like Rey's force-back scene, I like that she becomes the Falcon's new pilot, and I also really liked the ending. LUKE =3

One thing that kinda offed me was the fanservice. There was WAY too much. Did we really need to see R2 and 3PO? How about "Han & Chewie together again"? Okay, I'll say this. Han and Leia were AWESOME in this film. They were evolved characters. It felt like the time we didn't see them since RotJ had actually passed and that these two had lived their lives exactly as you'd expect them to. It goes back to my "aquarium" comment. I just wish Leia did something and that R2 wasn't just a lifeless husk until the plot demanded him not to be.

Overall, great experience. One thing i wish to see in Episode 8 is that they take what they established with TFA and spin the story on its head. Throw us in a different direction than ESB and give us what we're not expecting. We don't want a rehashed trilogy.

 

you see that is the thing about this. It is like the EU now, SW has a place to go and it's not just about Anakin or Luke..... very cool

 

I love this movie!

Should I have to rate its overall quality, I'd say it's a 7,5/10.

There are actually only two complaints but since they affect the whole of the movie they pull down my rating a bit:

1) The scenes on the freighter with the Rathktars were redundant in my opinion.
Yes, they establish that Han Solo is still a scoundrel who gets himself into trouble just fine, but we could have done without them just fine.
THe screen time could have very well been alotted to Kor Sella and Leia and how she is sent to the New Republic to plead the Resistance's case.

Would have added emotional impact to the use of the Starkiller and explained some simple background stuff.

Here I am very much hoping for an extended cut. I understand that they had to cut a few scenes because the movie is already over 2 hours and they needed to establish Han Solo and Chewie as characters for people who never had seen Star Wars.
With two possibly emotionally devastating impacts, JJ Abrams went for pushing the greater one (Han's death) relegating the other (the destruction of the Hosnian System) to background information.

I'm pretty sure they had quite a few discussions about that and in hindsight I think it was maybe not the completely right decision. Though it wasn't totally wrong either.

2) Finn.

Don't get me wrong. I love Finn. But I could have done without some of the spontaneous slapstick humor that John Boyega brought to it.
Most of it was perfectly fine but the scene in the Starkiller base where he was trying to come up with a plan and Han already had spotted Rey and Finn just...- I don't know what that weas supposed to be, but it was completely out of character and kicked me out of the movie like nothing else.

I loved the fine humor he had with Poe and even the more heavy strokes (You got a boyfriend? Cute boyfriend?) where ok, it was just that one moment that completel y pushed it over the edge and made it grating. Especially since FInn by that point had already developed past his worst acclimatization issues and had turned from out of his depth to a fine soldier with a mission and conviction.

That's it.
Both influenced the movie, but not to the point that it hurt my enjoyment too much.
Especially not since Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley and Harrison Ford absolutely aced the acting.

In a cast that was very good, they delivered a performance so exceptional that I am still awed by it.
The cinematography was so exceptional I am still giddy.

And the story... let's talk about the story a little. I'm a total snob for good writing.
Much has been said about this being a rehash of ANH. And on the surface it is.

Find the gifted kid from the desert planet, bring them to a foreign planet, have some old mentor type die, destroy the death star.

But what makes a story great is not the main touching points. Every story has them. You need them to craft your story and give it a direction. (Looking at you Wendig! Try that for Aftermath at some point)
What makes a story great is all the stuff in between. What connects the characters, how they relate to each other and how these points play out.
And looked at it from this persepctive, we have some incredible depth here.

Two young people, both grown up isolated and under circumstances that no child should ever suffer, one abandoned as a small child, the other abducted, brain washed and forced to live as a child soldier.
Neither has ever had a friend, yet both find their first in BB-8 and Poe and their second, the one that goes through hell with them, in the other respectively.
People have been complaining about Rey and Finn latching onto each other like that... but they never had anybody else.

Finn found Poe. Poe died (he thinks)
Rey had BB-8, but BB-8 is -while incredibly charming - still a droid.

None of them owns anything. Finn has a dead man's jacket and Rey has her scrap metal staff and an obligation to a miserable life, waiting for people that won't come.
They have no direction, nothing to believe in, no moral center except what they bring themselves.

And then they meet this old man who slowly lost his son, unable to do anything, and then gave up his wife on top of it, because he thought that's what she wanted.

TFA is the journey of all of them finding something to live for.

Finn finds friendship and something that is actually worth fighting for. He finds his individuality. His name and who he is as a person. A brave man with something to add to this galaxy.
Rey finds freedom from the shackles of the past, of the ghosts that forever condemned her to this sad existence on Jakku, although she could have left years ago.
She also finds the Force and some weird destiny that is of yet completely undetermined. And she finds a family.
Not by blood maybe (though logic says that some of them ARE her blood family), but by choice, by love. A surrogate father, a maternal figure and a friend who is willing to drop his own chance at a free life to not leave her alone. (Unlike whoever dropped her off in that shithole of a planet)

And Han? Han finds someone he can teach, someone who loves him just as flawed as he is. A successor who will carry his legacy (yes, that junk of metal)
He finds the love of his life (again) and he, for the first time in his life, sees the face of the man his son has become. I'm pretty sure Han could have killed Ben at that moment, his shooting hand was still free. But he chose not to.
And that makes it all the more heartbreaking.

Below that are the stories of a hopeful start that got tangled into politics and the story of a broken young man that felt he never was good enough and sacrificed all he had to become more. But who still loves those he left behind and maybe that will save him. ( or destroy him altogether)

Sometimes love, no matter how big, how patient and how unselfish, is just not enough.
Maybe that sings to me so much more because my parents are alcoholics and I know this feeling of just not being able to keep someone from slipping, but it's masterfully done.

Something else I find incredibly masterfully done in this movie is the lies of the righteous.
WHen Hux hold his little speech Domhnall Gleeson is channeling Hitler so hard!
And what he says is not even unreasonable. He is talking of order, of security, of stability and a government that failed its people.
It doesn't matter if that is the truth of the Republic. (It isn't, or Leia would have overthrown it herself)
What matters is that all these soldiers down there, maybe even Hux himself, Kylo Ren himself, believe that.
And from the sounds of it, they do. They truly believe they're saving the galaxy.
These Stormtroopers down there have been conditioned since earliest childhood to serve the "good" side. Hitler said "Give them to me young and I will form them."
And this is exactly what this is.
Snoke took them while they were young, their minds not yet fully formed and molded them into something that he could use.
This is glaringly apparent in Kylo Ren, who still has not grown into his own person, being spoonfed his medicine by Snoke, but it's also apparent in Finn, who never had an opinion of his own, until his friend dies in his arms and he has to make a decision to break conditioning or to live.

WHich only shows, btw, how incredibly awesome and strong Finn is.

I can't wait for the next film. The stage that TFA has set is wonderful in it's complexity and depth and everything can happen from here.
BUt whatever it is that will happen, I want to be there, because this is the possibly best start the new trilogy could have gotten.
There are some things to still smooth out, but... Force, what a story, what potential!

Ok, one pet peeve: R2
From the book it becomes clear that it's the info that Rey carries about the rest of the nav chart coming from the old imperial archives that pulls R2 from his stupor, since he filed these archives at some point and he has them in his databanks, but... still....
Nah.

 

Haha I felt like VII WAS the Episode 8 teaser! So many questions that I can't wait to be answered!!!

There were really only two things that bothered me a little about the movie. I thought Rey became too powerful with the force too quickly without any Jedi guidance. Although Kylo wasn't a master force user and still has a lot to learn, at least he had some training do I found it a little hard to believe that Rey owned him on a couple of occasions. I guess it's equally hard to believe that Luke could spend 10 minutes with ObiWan and a remote, then a few days with Yoda and all of a sudden he could defeat the biggest bad ass in the galaxy in Vader. JJ did make an effort even the playing field by having Kylo get wounded prior to the fight. Given the precedent set with Luke's training (I guess there are force savants that don't need to be trained since childhood), it wasn't a huge deal.

The other isn't really a problem with the movie or story telling but more a reflection of why NO Star Wars movie, especially the first in a new trilogy, can fully satisfy big fans... There were just SO MANY unanswered questions!!!! It drove me crazy. Since I love the SW universe, I just want to know everything about every one, which isn't really plausible. Hell if JJ came out with 100 hours of new SW material I would take a week off from work to watch it all.

The bottom line is, this isn't just a movie, it is the set up for AT LEAST 5 more movies. So they had to set things up that went unexplained because they are likely going to explore those things in the stand alone movies. For example if they announced today they are making a movie about the guy who had the piece of the map on Jakku, my reaction would be "hell yeah, I can't wait to find out what his deal is." I'm pretty sure this is what JJ and the mouse house were trying to accomplish. Think of how much interest there would be in movies about Kylo's youth now (although that would kind be like the PT but explaining Kylo's fall instead of Anakin, I would still love to see it). Unfortunately for JJ my love of SW and wanting to see and know everything NOW made it so I left the theater with a gripe about an otherwise thoroughly entertaining movie!!

 

REN wants nothing more than to make (who he considers his father) happy!

 

A couple of good outside views on "The Force Awakens" that actually raise a couple of good questions, is San Tekka the older Kanan?

http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/star-wars/38296/star-wars-the-force-awakens-what-didnt-we-see

http://screencrush.com/star-wars-force-awakens-spoiler-discussion/