I saw Star Wars!

Sure, if she's so excited, why is she posting so late? Just swamped right now, is all.

Nonetheless, I do have some thoughts, and now is a good time to post them. I don't intend to post any real spoilers, but I guess it depends on your definition of spoilers. Like, if knowing that two characters have a scene together is going to ruin it for you, maybe you should avoid reading this week.

The first thing to say is I really liked it. I wasn't initially sure I wanted to see it. I loved Star Wars - and was influenced by it - more than I can even explain. I ended up thinking of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi together with it, like they were all one thing, but the big hit was Star Wars (which I have never thought of as A New Hope).

I remember being really keyed up to see it and I'm not even sure why. I was five, so everything I watched on television was on PBS, with no commercials, but even before the movie I was so excited I could hardly stand it.

Anyway, I loved them, and as I got older I become aware of their imperfections without diminishing the love, but episodes 1 and 2 really killed that. I still haven't seen 3. I know people say it's good. I might care someday.  

With that, and with Hollywood overdoing it on remakes and sequels and reboots, I wasn't even sure that I wanted to see this one, but the word of mouth was good, and I went for it, and if it didn't erase 1-3, it at least numbed them.

There are a few specific things I remembered going wrong with The Phantom Menace. One was the scene with the fish, where they were not realistically sized or shaped. I get that CGI allows you to be unrealistic, but that doesn't mean it's always a good idea. That leads to the next thing; the most exciting sequence in the movie had no CGI, but quick camera cuts, a fake-out, and yes, some really fake looking dolls. I know those were not the most common complaints, but they seemed to illustrate most how the love of technology had taken away the heart of the previous series.

One thing I appreciate about The Force Awakens is that it has a love and respect for the original trilogy but maintains a healthy sense of balance. The Pirates of the Caribbean sequel went overboard with references to the original, to where it took me out of the picture. Here I could see similarities to the original, but it didn't kill the current story.

That allowed me to remember things and enjoy them. My affection for Han Solo never dimmed, but I forgot how awesome Chewbacca was. It was fun to see him again.

Also - without naming any instances where previous movies fell short - this movie had some pretty good actors.

My favorite interaction was the early one between Poe and Finn. Where Finn is just starting to come alive to how life can be and what he can do, Poe is so good at enjoying everything that there couldn't be anyone better to come alive with.

I have read some very high praises of Oscar Isaac from other movies, but this is the first chance I have had to see him, and okay, I get it.

So I'm going to have fun with it this week. There have been a few complaints or concerns about the movie that I have thoughts on, and that theme might even make it into the band reviews.

And every single post might be late.