Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Spoiler disclaimer:

I have seen the movie, I like the movie and I might mention thinks events, names and actions that might spoil the movie for you. If you haven't seen it yet stop reading this! 

I am not kidding. If you don't care or you have seen the movie, please carry on. 

Other spoilers:

I have follow the now completely non-canon Star Wars Expanded Universe. A lot of it. I will be referring to it, maybe to much for some of you. If you are confortable with that, carry on. Otherwise, skip right on to the TL;DR.

TL;DR (not spoiler free)

I like the movie, I was pleasantly surprised to see a strong female character lead (although a reluctant hero is key to a good story). Only plot hole I didn't like: the reappearance of Poe piloting an X-wing. Also: why kill Han!!!

The Return of a New Hope.

In an age of reboots, remakes and reimagining, no movie is without hype and hope. Hype about how good it will be and hope that the movie actually delivers. What ever you think about the prequels a new Star Wars movie is worth your time. Tweets, opinions, blogs, vlogs and every type of modern media has been pumping some time of info way ahead of the actual movie. We live in an age where we get to see the American trailer number 1, the Super Bawl trailer, the European trailer and many many more variations. Tiny details are explorer and, sometimes, blown out of proportion. And it is fine, we want to see the movie, we want to know the story, we want to see it!

And then, there are books and comic books and other media. Fans want (sometimes, againts all reason) want their favorite stories to become movies. In my personal opinion, only Stanley Kubrick made movies as good as the books they were based on. Star Wars is no different. What fan wouldn't want to see the Emperor resurrected as a clone, or Grand Admiral Thrawn or Abeloth fighting Luke Skywalker? I would love that and many other stories (cough Mara Jade cough). But a movie has to stand on its own. As redlettermedia has plainly stated, I am not going to the movies to realize I have to go read a book or watch a TV show to know about a character on the screen.

After Lucas tried to tell the story of how Anakin Skywalker fell to the Dark Side, after everyone pocked fun at the acting, the setting it is easy to be cynic and expect this new movie to be a money grab. What do I mean? Well, something like what happened for Star Wars: The Clone Wars: it was a check list. Let me set and example.

Episode II, the checklist. 

Lucas had something like this list pointing stuff he needed on his movie.

Ok, I need:

Padme and Anakin, falling in love.

I need an stiff Obi Wan.

I need lots of Jedi. I will make up twenty and kill them in their first scene.

I need clones.

I need C3PO and R2DR to have a fun scene. 

Yoda needs to fight somebody with lightsabers.

I need Boba Fett. 

And the Dead Star.

Episode VII.

The Force Awakens has its share of "fan service": the Millennium Falcon, TWO, only two lightsabers, Tie Fighters and X-wings. But, we get a completely new set of heroes. Starting with Poe then Finn (FN) and finally, Rey. And we get new enemies: Kylo Ren, Snoke and their military forces. And Han Solo, Leia, Chewbacca and Luke are just supporting characters (as they should be now). 

Their interaction feels new and fresh, they get to know each other, they get to be fish out of the water:

Rey leaving her "temporary" home (who is she waiting for anyway?) Finn fleeing from the First Order and Poe, well, Poe being awesome. I guess Poe is the only weak character: he survived a crash, disappeared for a while then comes back to save the day and no Tie can touch him. But Rey, man, she stands her own in mundane and then with the Force. The Force is not about midichlorians but still surrounds us and binds us, nice touch J.J. 

I really don't know why Han got killed. In Expanded Universe lore, that type of sacrifice should lead to some kind of ascension. In this movie, it lead to Kylo Ren getting his ass kicked... 

And this is where things get into the realm of where have I seen this before...

The Expanded Universe is dead, long live the Expanded Universe.

In the EU a son of Leia and Han goes over to the Dark Side and tries to turn the New Republic into a New Empire. His motivation to gain ultimate power was to save the future for his daughter. Leia's and Han's daughter has to go after her own brother and kill him. Luke couldn't do that because in doing so he will fall to the Dark Side himself. I fear this history will be recast into this New Star Wars. However, it won't be copied or cloned but feel it will be a brand new story. Why? Well, as I said books are books and movies are movies. In the books, it took about six books from son going bad to daughter killing him. The movie dropped us in the middle of "I am bad as Darth Vader" and "I can beat him". I have hope for the future Star War movies

PS. in the books Chewbacca was killed saving a third Solo descendant. I can only feel sad for Chewy losing Han. I wonder how he will be retired.