But they could have shown Anakin appearing to Kylo first, then show him again with Luke at the very end. As it stands, it’s a plot hole. Anakin would have tried to stop Kylo from worshipping Vader, even if he’s too idiotic to listen. Kylo’s entire character is a joke.
Gee, am I the only one here who didn’t hate Rey?
Just seems like people are being a little unreasonably hard on her. Most of those things she would have learned from her job. The rest are Force related. (Even the flying.)Well, to be fair, the only reason she won was because he got shot by Chewy’s crossbow in the gut, which would have killed anyone else, and also got wounded by Finn. So he wasn’t exactly at full strength. Even then he was beating her the first half. It was only after he mentioned the Force and she let it take control that she started to win.
That’s something I noticed as well. For once, the good guys were more charismatic and interesting than the villains. That’s a feature not a bug for me.
I’m with you. I liked her character. J. J. Abrams seems to like focusing on strong female characters.Gee, am I the only one here who didn’t hate Rey?
One thing I noticed was how whenever she did something “awesome”, she was shocked and/or confused. Almost as if she wasn’t the one actually doing it. Even when she flew the Falcon, she said she had no idea she could even do that. It’s like something else was in control. Aka the Force. Which I kind of like the idea of. In A New Hope, Ben says the Force both obeys a Jedi’s command AND controls their actions. We’ve seen a lot of the former but not much of the latter. The Force is always the one being used, not the other way around.
With Rey though, she’s not so much using the Force as letting it take control. In a way she was almost the anti-Kylo. She was given the power she needed but didn’t want because she wasn’t forcing it. (Pun intended.) He was denied the power he wanted but didn’t need because he was trying to bend it to his will. I found that interesting and hope the new movies continue to explore that.
But maybe I’m just easily pleased. I’m usually pretty hard on movies, but for whatever reason I can’t muster up any real dislike for this movie. Some things I would have done differently sure, but overall I thought it recaptured the Star Wars magic and I’m happy about that.
Me too. I got the concept right off that she was an undiscovered, untrained Jedi who used the Force without knowing it. She is probably Luke’s daughter and so cousin to Kylo.
The hoopla was unavoidable; generational lead-times have that effect.
Indeed. I was in college when I saw the first movie back in the Dark Ages.
I was actually looking forward to the “next generation” story. But, this ain’t it–or it shouldn’t have been.Exactly. I felt like “Nothing worth seeing here, move along folks.”
I might agree with all you said except she was already good at everything else at a time when she supposedly wasn’t using the force yet, and they established her in every other scene as totally capable, skilled, competent, etc…at everything including non-force skills. And, again, the director pretty much said he was trying to create a woman character that kicked butt (even though that’s nothing new in sci-fi, i.e. Aliens, Resident Evil, Underworld, Mad Max, et al). So I don’t think others are reading into it. But I don’t want to take away from your enjoyment of the movie.
I know people who thought Jack Bauer from 24 was approaching the ridiculous when he’d single-handedly storm a building and be completely dominant vs bazillions of competent opponents. But if that’s what people like, go for it. Part of me is bothered, though, that this director and Disney and others think a female character is somehow “weak” unless she acts like she’s on testosterone or steroids or something. Yet that’s how they are measuring female character worth - by how aggressive and tough they are physically and at stereotypically manly things like car mechanics or whatever. I find it uncreative. What do you think?Jack Bauer doesn’t need to use Google to search the internet. He just stares down the computer until it gives him the information he needs.I might agree with all you said except she was already good at everything else at a time when she supposedly wasn’t using the force yet, and they established her in every other scene as totally capable, skilled, competent, etc…at everything including non-force skills. And, again, the director pretty much said he was trying to create a woman character that kicked butt (even though that’s nothing new in sci-fi, i.e. Aliens, Resident Evil, Underworld, Mad Max, et al). So I don’t think others are reading into it. But I don’t want to take away from your enjoyment of the movie.
Then they don’t fully get what an epic hero is about: he (or she!) is **supposed **to be larger than life.
The same with Black Widow in Avengers when she overcame 3 men while tied to a chair. I had no real problem with Rey being larger than life in that way. I expected it considering that’s the trend in movies these days. There are no damsels in distress any more only hero woman who can kick any man’s butt. The feminists just won’t allow it.
I sooo agree with that!! I find it quite disturbing. Of course, Hollywood wants women to act like men because it suppresses were a woman’s true power lies-in her fertility, having and raising children.
Abrams’ women inevitably end up punching or beating up bigger dudes. i.e. Sydney, Rey, Kate, Juliet, Ana Lucia…… Didn’t Juliet punch Jack out cold once???Jack Bauer doesn’t need to use Google to search the internet. He just stares down the computer until it gives him the information he needs.
I thought that’s what made 24 so much fun.
Yeah, that is a good point about female leads seemingly needing to be like stereotypical men in order to be “strong.” J. J. Abrams does that a lot, too (e.g. “Alias”).
That and Hollywood and society wants the two sexes to be interchangeable, i.e. the Supreme Court marriage ruling, e.g.
True, I suppose they could have made her not so good at fixing the ship. (But this also might have been meant more as a clue to her family then just another thing that made her awesome. The fix it gene runs in the Skywalker family remember?) But I didn’t really mind because I thought it made for an entertaining scene between her and Finn.
See that’s the weird thing. I usually am not a big fan of female characters like you describe either. (Though I like Ripley. Her strength is in her maternal instinct.) I agree a woman doesn’t need to be like a man to be strong. I usually roll my eyes when I see that.again, the director pretty much said he was trying to create a woman character that kicked butt (even though that’s nothing new in sci-fi, i.e. Aliens, Resident Evil, Underworld, Mad Max, et al). So I don’t think others are reading into it. But I don’t want to take away from your enjoyment of the movie.
Careful. Fertility is a great gift yes, but the Church has never said that’s where a woman’s true power is. Otherwise it wouldn’t teach consecrated virginity is a higher and more praiseworthy state than marriage. That also leaves out the millions of women who can’t have children.
I guess I saw it different, or at least I saw them trying to do something different with her, because you’re right, Daisy Ridley is not manly. But I think they were trying to make her so, like even after she is beating Kylo they have this shot of her looming and staring down at his fallen body like cocky football players do after they knock someone over. Or how they have that low bass sound effect when she lands after jumping, even though she weighs like 100 lbs.
But thanks for your insights. I enjoyed reading your perspective and how you viewed what was on the screen. It’s funny how some movies work like that huh?I guess I saw it different, or at least I saw them trying to do something different with her, because you’re right, she’s not manly. But I think they were trying to make her so, like even after she is beating Kylo they have this shot of her looming and staring down at his fallen body like cocky football players do after they knock someone over. Or how they have that low bass sound effect when she lands after jumping, even though she weighs like 100 lbs.
Two people can see the same thing and take something completely different from it. That’s partly why I have so much fun talking about them.