Like all of our experiences with this movie, it started with rumor a couple years ago to be verified by an actual trailer Thanksgiving weekend of 2014. I soaked in every trailer and picture up to the world premier on the Tuesday before opening weekend. Because of the certainty of leaks, I blacked out all media and social media starting Tuesday, the day of the world premier. It seems that was a good idea because some pretty major spoilers were out there, but I had no idea what they were. I only knew they existed.
I purchased my tickets online to see the very first showing at 7:30, Thursday, December 17. I was going to experience this full force (pun not really intended). I was going to watch the film with some of my best friends and hang out with the crew from Coffee with Kenobi during their pre-show podcast and sit, in reserved seating!, for the 3D, IMAX showing. Boom!! It couldn't be better.
Then the bomb hit about three weeks prior. My 4-year-old's preschool Christmas Worship service would be the same night as the opening night of The Force Awakens! I wrestled with this dilemma, but I knew from the start there was only one right decision. Even though my wife assured me that I should go to the movie, I decided to sell my ticket and attend my daughter's program. I was crushed. But from the depths of the Dark Side, there is always hope. I have another daughter, 8 years old, who I have been raising to be a Star Wars fan. Read my post on that here. So I bought tickets for both of us to see the movie for the first time together. I said earlier that "It couldn't be better" to go with my friends, but this was better. While it was tough to say farewell to my friends from work as they were all heading off to see the film on Thursday, the wait and excitement with my daughter couldn't have been more fun. Plus, I didn't miss my younger daughter's program and that was a great family event for us!
Anyway, my daughter and I were scheduled to see the movie Sunday morning and my friend Jason joined us. We sat in the back row of the 3D IMAX showing, and I think it was the first time in my life that a Sunday morning, 9:30am show was full. Star Wars: The Force Awakens had a fantastic weekend and continues to shatter records.
After avoiding my friends at work on Friday and continuing my media blackout over the weekend, Sunday morning came. The lights dimmed and the IMAX screen lit with the Disney logo. The scrolling preview. I loved every word I quietly read into my daughter's ear. She could read it, but she was afraid she might get behind and miss something. She arranged that I would read it to her before the movie. What a blast it was to do this. I tried to make myself aware of everything going on in the film, so walking out after our first viewing these are our basic feelings:
We were both amazed. We were left speechless and kind of dumbfounded as we left the theater. We wish we would have brought a tissue or ten. We fell in love with new characters and cherished old "friends." We wanted more!!!!
After some debate and disagreement, we narrowed down our top five moments of the story.
Don't read if you haven't seen the film yet! What are you waiting for??
5. Han and Chewie first meet Rey and Finn on the Falcon, (didn't go how we thought)
4. The reveal that Kylo Ren is the son of Han and Leia, (I knew it!!! not really, but I wanted to get this one right!)
3. When BB-8 first uses its "compressed liquid cable launchers," (thanks DK visual dictionary for giving me
the official language and saved me from typing "BB-8's rope thingy"
2. When Rey says, "The droid is not for sale," (she is so cool and so is BB-8)
1. The death of Han Solo. (can't believe I am typing this)
My daughter anticipated before the movie that Rey would be her favorite character, and she was not disappointed. I wasn't disappointed either. From the moment that we meet Rey scavenging on Jakku and learn that she has a mysterious background, we were drawn in to her story. I also believed that she was strong in the force and picking up so much power along the way. Sorry, Hayden Christensen, I never felt Anakin was getting the force. We also fell in love with Poe Dameron's BB-8 droid. Our favorite moment was when the droid was reunited with its owner at the Resistance base, BB-8 went speeding to Poe. If it had arms, BB-8 would have thrown them around Poe. It was so real...we want one.
I was a little disappointed in the Sunday morning crowd who were either still sleepy, dumbstruck by the spectacle, or just polite (doubt that). No one seemed to react at key moments like when Rey and Finn are running to escape the Tie fighter attack and the Quadjumper ship is blasted to bits. Rey and Finn turn to the ship that is "garbage" which is the Millennium Falcon! I pumped my fist, squeezed my daughter's hand, but reserved my vocal cheer because I had no sense that I would be joined by others. Next is when Han and Chewie enter the Falcon with the line already made famous, "Chewie, we're home." Again, silence. There was no way, though, I could contain the silence or shock of the moment when that blistering, angry, lightsaber suddenly burst through the torso of Han Solo. I was completely blindsided by this turn of events that I am sure that I shouted something, most likely a pained, "NO!!!" Foolish or not, I was drawn in regardless of an apparently emotionless audience. I cried at the rage of Chewbacca and the loss of Rey and Finn's father figure. Heck, over the years I would ask myself, sometimes with poor results, "What would Han do?" I had/have an empty spot in my heart as well. Now my daughter and I aren't sure how we will get through the next year and a half when episode 8 is released. Rouge One will help. As will the remainder of seasons two and season three of Rebels.
What are some of your favorite moments of the film? What characters did you enjoy the best? Leave a comment below.
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