SPOILERS AHEAD: The following article contains massive spoilers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. If you want to read our spoiler-free review, click here. The rest of you, read on… but know that you have been warned.
After years and years of waiting, director J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens is out in theaters for everyone to witness and enjoy. Given how the film opens up one of the biggest franchises of all time to an endless amount of high-potential possibilities, the next few weeks will be filled with all kinds of analysis of characters and plot elements that both explain the past and hint at the future. But before we get into all that, now is the time to talk about the moments that really still have us talking.
From beginning to end, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is filled with moments that audiences will be talking about for decades to come – but there are a select few among them that we have a special appreciation for. It’s to those moments that we have dedicated this article… so read on for our choices!
The Millennium Falcon Resurrected
One of the big questions we’ve been asking over and over in the run up to Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been "If it’s not Han Solo, who is flying the Millennium Falcon?" Well, in truth the legendary "piece of junk" has been sitting on a junkyard planet for a while, but it turns out that the first pilot to take the throttle in years is none other than Rey (Daisy Ridley). With Finn (John Boyega) manning the guns, we get a terrifically fun chase scene between the Falcon and a squadron of TIE Fighters – and it’s nothing short of exhilarating to be flying around in the classic ship again.
Poe vs. Kylo
Star Wars: The Force Awakens doesn’t waste any time getting one of its central heroes face to face with its central villain, and it’s hard not to be charmed by both sides in the confrontation. On the one hand there’s Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), a brave hot-shot X-Wing pilot who is game for making jokes in the face of danger. But then there’s Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), who immediately presents himself as both a terrifying presence and a serious threat – able to use his abilities with the Force to learn everything he needs to know. It’s an important scene to really push the characters forward, and it immediately lets the audience dig its heels in.
BB-8’s Thumb’s Up
Audiences fell in love with BB-8 from the very moment we first saw him in the Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser trailer, but if there’s any particular moment in the movie where he truly melts our hearts, it’s when he is giving his version of a "thumbs up." While Rey is digging around and trying to fix the Millennium Falcon, Finn convinces the little ball droid to stick with his lie and pretend that he is part of the Resistance – and while there’s some hesitation at first, eventually BB-8 confirms he’s on-board by sticking out a widget and igniting a flame.
Han Gives The Bowcaster A Try
Han Solo has famously boasted how nothing beats a blaster by your side, but in Star Wars: The Force Awakens he discovers something he loves even more than his classic DL-44 heavy blaster pistol. On more than one occasion in the new film, Han finds himself picking up Chewbacca’s (Peter Mayhew) famous Bowcaster, and he realizes that he is more than a little impressed by its firepower. It’s a bit strange that Han never found opportunity to use his partner’s weapon before, but it’s such a fun moment that we choose to look past that.
Rey Discovers The Lightsaber
In case you didn’t know, Lightsabers are kind of a big deal in the Star Wars universe – what with being the famed weapon wielded by Jedi knights. So when it’s revealed that the laser sword once carried by the great Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) has begun calling out to Rey, it’s fairly significant. We’re still not fully sure what it means, but it definitely appears that Kylo Ren isn’t the only Force Sensitive individual amongst the new generation of characters. It’s pretty clear that Rey is a brand new hope for the Jedi, and we’re excited to see how it plays out.
Han Reunites With Leia
Han and Leia (Carrie Fisher) are a true-blue classic cinematic couple, and the fact that they would be coming back together in Star Wars: The Force Awakens was easily one of the most anticipated elements for fans. Fortunately, the movie didn’t disappoint. The two heroes have definitely gone through their fair share of trials and tribulations, what with the drama surrounding their son and all, but when they come back together on-screen you can tell that their love never left. Hopefully as the rest of the trilogy continues there will be opportunity to learn more about what the two of them have been up to in the last 30 years.
C-3PO Just Being C-3PO
C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) can be classified as a droid that we love to hate. He never knows when to shut up, and rambles on and on with worry, but at the same time he’s wonderfully endearing. Of all the characters in the Star Wars universe, we really expected him to change the least in the last 30 years, and The Force Awakens certainly delivered in that department. His role is most definitely brief, but his yammering on and on about how he may not be recognizable because of his red arm is cute and hits all the proper nostalgia buttons.
All Of Kylo Ren’s Hissy Fits
Young Anakin Skywalker could have learned a thing or two from Kylo Ren: it’s possible to be boiling over with emotional conflict without coming across as a whiney little asshole. There are multiple moments throughout Star Wars: The Force Awakens where the villain loses his cool after a disappointment, and they’re perfect for both adding emotion to the character and even a bit of levity. On a certain level its reminiscent of Darth Vader constantly choking out different captains in The Empire Strikes Back when things don’t go his way – and we fully expect to see more of it in future films.
Han Solo Connects With His Son, One Last Time
Unlike the original Star Wars trilogy, The Force Awakens doesn’t skirt around the familial connection between the protagonists and antagonists: at the first opportunity it’s prudent to mention it, it’s revealed that Kylo Ren is actually the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa. This was ultimately done in order to strengthen the impact when father and son reunite – and it most definitely works. From the reveal that Kylo was actually named after Obi-Wan Kenobi, to the fact that Han is willing to help his kid to the bitter end, the emotionality of the scene was fully earned and powerful.
Rey Meets Luke Skywalker
I’ll be the first to admit it: I was really hoping to see more of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. We were led to believe that he had a legitimate role in the movie, but in reality it was basically a cameo. Still, that doesn’t mean that we didn’t feel the power in the moment when he and Rey come face-to-face for the first time. It’s clearly a tease for Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: Episode VIII, as the relationship between the two characters will presumably become very important, but it’s a tease of which we can full appreciate the power.
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