- Was it worth the money?
I thought so.
- How does it rate compared to the old and newer films?
I would rate it #3 behind ESB and RotJ (and only “slightly” behind RotJ)
- Is all of it CGI or is there some nice real scenery footage?
It “feels” real. It has the sense of depth the originals had. Yes, some use of CGI, but not nearly so flat as the prequels. The final scene was shot at Skellig Michael in Ireland, and is breathtaking (and not just for the final scene reveal).
- Is the film actually from a book or a completely new story?
As far as I know, its original. If anything, its taken from the original Star Wars. There are a lot of parallels-not in a “rip-off” sort of way - more like “history repeats itself”. There are some “unanswered questions”, some of which I expect to be answered later (Rey’s parents), and some that I think need to be addressed as it didnt make any sense as shown (R2’s sudden awakening with the map-if they had any inkling it was in there they shouldve just hacked in).
- Is it good enough to take other people to see it?
I think so. If you cant find anyone else to go, I sure will go with you.
- How long should I wait if I don’t want massive queues?
Today (Saturday) at my plex really wasnt bad. They had it going on six screens; basically every hour near the hour for 2D and near the half-hour for 3D. There were no significant lines out the door and I told my daughter I was surprised the lobby was pretty empty. For popcorn we only had 3 people in front of us (about 30 mins before start). Yet, I’d estimate our screen was about 95% full for a 12:10P showing, so people are coming. I dare wonder if paranoia about lines and tickets fuelled enough advance sales to eliminate the ticket lines.
My theories on events/future movies:
-Rey is a survivor of the massacre that sent Luke into exile, who was hidden away and possibly has suppressed memories. I say this because she advanced a little too quick with the force to have done so without any training.
-Ep 8 will be a bloodbath for Leia and maybe Luke (and other OT characters too). Honestly, Carrie Fischer was tough to watch in this movie (showing her age and mileage a bit too much), and with all the actors being 60+, they need to continue the transition to the next gen. Other actors can hide under the wookie suit and golden plates, so those roles can be easier transitions to new actors, but no real way to transition to a new Luke or Leia. Act 2 of a trilogy is typically dark; so I’m thinking how best to get dark (and darker than Han’s death) is to have Kylo now complete his transition to the dark side with Leia’s death, and probably Luke tranitioning to a Spirit. I envision Luke dying to defeat Snoke.
- Just based on the size of the hologram, Im guessing Snoke is probably short like Maz (possibly the same race as Maz with a lot of damage) witha Napoleon complex. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s somewhat of a pretender-has some knowledge of the force, but using Sith holocrons and what not to train Kylo. My other thought on Snoke is an attempted clone of Vader or Maul that didnt quite work out.
-Finn and Daisey, sittin in a tree, k i s… Err… Those two develop a romance. Just a bit too much emotional set-up between the two.
-We’ll see the new trilogy equivalents of Thrawn and Mara Jade. Kylo and Rey serm too close to Jacen/Jaina (even if not twin siblings) for there not to be some nods to the EU (excuse me, “Legends”).
- Please please do not have Finn be Lando’s kid. But I think he’ll find his parents too (he didnt end the movie dead, so obviously will be back).
-One or both of Han’s creditors will be back somehow. That whole sequence wasnt necessary unless one or the other will be back. Han & Chewie could’ve just been laying over on Jakku for repairs and sleeping in the back, when Finn/Rey/BB8 stole the Falcon.
