iaria

I'm enjoying it.

( Read more... )

Overall I enjoyed it.

As with all of the movies there are issues but I came out of the theatre more pleased than not. But, man, that end was an emotional roller coaster that I'm still not over. It gave some huge highs and lows. I'm finding the longer I sit with it the more dissatisfied I am with some of the choices made. I'm interested in how this shakes out for me long-term.

( the force side of the movie )

According to Snoke Rey was brought forth by the Force as a counterpoint to Kylo Ren - an equal force of Light to meet his dark. And that is exactly why she is not a Mary Sue - she is basically the new Chosen One, maybe not in prophecy, but in fact as one literally chosen by the Force. In order to be his mirror she had to be just as powerful in the Force as him.

It just occurred to me while thinking about what a failboat Kylo is (I love him so much) just how much she is his mirror. Because when I was thinking about his failboatness it made me think of how much Rey wasn't. Rey has her shit together in very direct contrast to how much he doesn't. He's volatile and emotional in ways that she very much isn't. He's the child of a powerful Force bloodline, she's a nobody. He was raised with a loving family and in privilege, she was abandoned to survive on a desert world alone. He was given training in the Force by the last (powerful) jedi and then taken under the tutelage of perhaps the last Dark force user, she has basically taught herself and fought for everything she knows.

She is so compassionate (♥), where he is doing his best to crush any compassion or love from himself - and importantly, failing to do so. That's one of the points I find so interesting that Kylo wants to be Dark so badly and tries so hard and yet he can't crush the Light in him. It keeps rising up. Even in that he is a failure. In TLJ everyone is failing and then learning from that failure and moving past it. But not Kylo. He can't learn from his failures because he refuses to move on from the past. For all that Kylo is the one saying you need to kill the past he can't. Rey meanwhile faces the hard truth about her parents, meets her greatest fear in being alone and then lets go of both which leads her to success and returning her to her friends.

At the same time they are so similar and share a parallel rage, a deep sense of abandonment and the crushing weight of loneliness and in each other they find someone who understands them. Someone they feel connected to at a very basic level. I don't mean the Force bond with that. The bond simply opens the way for them, particularly Rey, to see themselves in the other and to create an empathetic bond between them.


Other thoughts:

+ Snoke claims credit for creating the Force bond but I find myself doubtful. It seems just as likely that Snoke noticed the creation of the bond (likely during the interrogation scene) and simply shored up what was already there.

+ Snoke using Kylo, and his inner conflict and pain and inability to repress the light in him, as a honeypot to lure Rey in gets more hilarious and delightful every time I remember it.

+ Rey being able to match Kylo even with his training really does say that Snoke has perhaps not been doing his best as a Master to train Kylo Ren. Perhaps he has very purposefully not been training Kylo. He wants a powerful but loyal attack dog but there is no reason to make someone he would be afraid could challenge him. His failure than is not only in misjudging how affected Kylo would be by Rey and how his loyalty to Snoke wasn't absolute but also not in seeing just how strong Kylo was even with his sabotage.

+ So Kylo's temper tantrums are hilarious and childish but could they also serve the purpose of strengthening his bond to the Dark side? It's him letting loose with his rage, creating damage and fear in those around him. Seems likely.

+ I think it's very likely Rey has always unconsciously and subtly been using the Force. She's always managed to find just enough scrap to survive another day, has found a hidden bit of water just as she truly needed it, known exactly when she had to head to shelter to miss an abrupt sandstorm, or always just missed being where a major fight breaks out. Never noticed but always there with her, guiding her, protecting her.

I enjoyed it.

I wasn’t entirely certain at first how I felt because it went in directions that I wasn’t expecting but the more time I have to think about it the more I like it. I definitely loved how funny it was.

( Long thoughts, starting positive down to the negative )

I thought it was a great trailer. It's made me even more excited to see the film.

( Read more... )

I enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun.

( Read more... )