Star Wars Appreciation **Spoilers Ahead**

OK, so given that some cunts on Reddit thought they were being really clever and writing spoilers in the comments on completely random posts, I went in knowing the big reveal. It didn't change my enjoyment of the film, but I did feel it wasn't a big reveal at all. It was just sort of mentioned in passing, and the audience had to catch up while the film carried on.

If you make comparisons to 4, 5, and 6, it was like they had rolled up the best elements of 4, 5, and 6 into one neat package that went on slightly too long(?). but, what made the bits that they'd chosen to replicate/pay homage to/reference so good, was the build up and story that led to those. In the case of 7, it was like banger after banger with no let up, which on one hand was good, but on the other, I had no tingly build up in advance.

I watched 4 on Friday, 5 on Sunday, and just wrapped up 6 before walking out the door to go watch 7 so they're pretty fresh in my mind.

Ray and Fin: This is clearly meant to emulate the Han and Leia story, but what took 1.5 films for H&L, took about 60 mins for R&F.

Han, Leia and Kylo Ren: OK so I liked the mystery as to where Leia is, and why Han is alone with Chewie back smuggling. Knowing what I knew when I went in, it was obvious straight away that if KR is their son, then they grew apart when he turned to the Dark Side and now they are struggling along alone. Others unaware of the reveal might not have worked that out. But that could have been played out over the course of the film! It was frustrating because it was obvious that JJ was angling for the Luke/Anakin/Vader reveal, but he couldn't exactly replicate that otherwise he'd be called a rip off. I need to go on a tangent here because it doesn't make full sense unless I do. 4 was written as a standalone film with a very slight open ending (Vader spinning off) to make the trilogy possible. Hence why the reveal of Vader being Luke's father couldn't work in one film, it was too much for that story, but it was also the big reveal of 5. It's wonderfully introduced in 4 though, Vader is the big bad guy who killed his dad, that's enough, that's more than enough motivation for him to up sticks and join the rebellion. In 7, what if he just saw KR kill Han and we also were told that Han and Leia are apart because their son died. We'd work it out but there'd still be an element of doubt. Now Han is dead, Leia is going to go after her son, that seems pretty obvious to me, but what if we only find out that KR is H&L's son in 8. Would that have been so bad? I think it would have made much more sense, there would have been more suspense, more story, more build up.

Re-watching 4, 5, and 6, I'd forgotten how Cold War American War film they were, there's General this, Admiral that, Captains, war rooms, people going off on missions, and 7 definitely captured this way more than 1, 2, and 3 did, but then they were back stories, before the wars, they might as well have been called Star Power Plays rather that Star Wars. There was a lot of talk of "What was old, is new", so Luke fulfils the Obi Wan character, Jakku is Tatooine, there's a fight in a forest, there's a cantina scene, Han and Chewie do some badassery with Stormtroopers, someone gets hacked with a lightsaber on a bridge, there's a big father/son reveal, there's some war rooms, there's a battle against a Death Star, Kylo Ren speaks to Snoke like Vader spoke to Palpatine, there's banter between Kylo Ren and General Hux like Vader and Tarkin, it's mostly elements from 4, with a sprinkling of 5 and 6 thrown in for good measure.

All of that said, I fucking loved it, I had the biggest smile throughout, I laughed, I cried, I had a bloody good time. Re-watching 4, 5, and 6 has actually made me change my mind, I always loved 6 the most but I think the order I'd put them in now is 5, 4, 7, then 6, but from the moment Luke gives himself to Vader on Endor through to Han and Lando hug is definitely my best "bit" of all Star Wars ever.