My First Thoughts On #StarWarsTheForceAwakens. #HereBeSpoilers

First off: THERE ARE SPOILERS BELOW!!! 

So... just before midnight on Thursday my other half and I arrived at the Vue Cinema at Westwood Cross to find a crowd of Stormtropper onesie wearers and untrained lightsaber wielders. It was great to see such an enthusiastic crowd of over a 1000 fans in little old east Kent. 

As the Lucasfilm logo came up and the opening scroll began, I have to admit that not only did a little thrill of excitement run through my body but a small tear formed in my eye. We were finally here... a new Star Wars movie. 

My overall impression is positive. It was well-written, the acting was a major improvement over the prequels and there was plenty of action. I left the cinema feeling pleased that I'd seen a good movie. 

Despite seeing a lot of complaints about Rey's characterisation, I really liked Daisy Ridley's performance, and thought Rey was a really strong character. Sure her sudden mastery of force abilities seems a little much but this is space fantasy. When it comes to the fun stuff I'm willing to let a lot go. Loved her interactions with BB-8 early on and really loved the Jedi mind trick scene with Daniel Craig's Stormtrooper. 

Finn was not as annoying as I thought he'd be. He was actually quite a good addition to the series. 

BB-8 was just as excellent as we'd been led to expect. LOVED him/it. 

Han and Chewie. LOVED. 

So yeah, all good right? 

Well... no. This was not a perfect movie. It was not disappointing like Jurassic World was. But still... could do better. 

My major, major issue is how meaningless Han's death was. The Starkiller base was destroyed. The threat over. There should've been more mourning. The biggest thing for me is when the Falcon returns to the Resistance base and Chewie and Rey disembark. Chewie walks straight past Leia, and Leia only has eyes for Rey who she hugs. 

I'm sorry but... Chewie has just lost his best friend and Leia has just lost the love of her life. If Leia and Han were married then Leia and Chewie are basically family. Even if it has just been a quick embrace, I really cannot imagine Chewie or Leia NOT acknowledging each other at such a crucial moment. 

I know. I know. Such a fanboy nitpick but... I love Chewie and he needs some loving! 

R2-D2's coma was... meh. 

The whole plot was such a rehash of A New Hope that it was a little dull. 

Captain Phasma was the big disappointment in the movie for me. I wanted so much more. I hope we see her again and with a better story. 

But these are nitpicks. Overall it was an excellent movie, I look forward to seeing it again. And again. And again. 

Given What Disney Is Doing For Live-Action Marvel, Imagine The Possibilities With Star Wars...

When Disney purchased LucasFilm, I spoke of my lack of concern and expressed my long repressed love for Disney. My confidence in Disney's stewardship of much beloved fictional universes 

                                                  Reason For Loving Disney #2

This week Marvel, another recent Disney acquisition, announced that on top of several upcoming movies and the brand new Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D TV show they would be releasing, via Netflix, 4 more TV shows which would ultimately lead in to a mini-series named The Defenders. 

With some rather strong storylines playing out in the comic book world too (as Marvel reinvents its universe in the latest round of "Marvel NOW!" releases), Marvel is going from strength to strength.  

A lot of Star Wars fans are fearful of what may be coming and how carefully Disney will look after the franchise that means so much to them, I just need to point out the care and planning Marvel has been putting in to the creation of its "cinematic universe". Unlike Fox's handling of the X-Men franchise, Disney/Marvel has forged a consistent and high quality product that appeals to mass audiences whilst not causing the sort of fanboy tantrums (and I say that as someone who almost became homicidal when there was a brief consideration of rebooting Buffy) caused by things like... the Phantom Menace! 

Disney didn't buy Marvel or LucasFilm out of a love of Iron Man or Han Solo. They didn't do it because they felt some deep artistic need to tell stories in those various fictional universes owned by those companies. They did it to make money. But they have shown that in making very large sums of money they haven't forgotten to make a story that appeals to all the right people. 

Yes there are plenty of Disney flops and there are plenty of political reasons not to like Disney. But Marvel fans are now getting the sort of output that couldn't have been dreamed of before and I have a feeling that Star Wars fans are only a few years away from a similar tsunami (in a good way) of quality live-action stories that they have been praying for for years. 

Until they buy out the rights to Star Trek and replace Captain Picard with Mickey Mouse, Make Mine Disney!

I Don't Have A Bad Feeling About This: Disney Star Wars FTW

I suppose it is time for full disclosure. Before I became obsessed with science fiction in all its many forms, I was a Disney fan.

It all started when I was about 5 and my Auntie's boyfriend was collecting Ducktales characters from Kinder eggs (he was about 15, so don't judge him too harshly!). I absolutely adored looking at them as I passed them on the stairs. Around that time I also became profoundly jealous when I found my cousin, who had taken over my room in my Nan's house after my Mum and I moved out, had got the room decorated with a large wall painting of Dumbo! I perused my Jungle Book merchandise and began a collection of Disney paraphernalia which would last until we abandoned our home, yes literally abandoned in the middle of the night, when I was 10 and it (along with my beloved Ghostbuster's toys and Monster in my Pockets) was lost to me forever.

I loved the movies; the Rescuers, the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and I pined to visist Euro Disney. I never did get the chance.

So needless to say, I still have a soft spot for Disney even today. Even so when Disney purchased Marvel (which had almost seemlessly replaced Disney in my affections during our escape from Snodland to Folkestone) I was concerned. Was Disney going to totally mess up Marvel? I needn't have worried. Marvel goes from strength to strength, its new Marvel NOW! initiative is looking good and its Marvel movie universe is taking over the cinema.

So this week, when we got the surprise news that Disney was acquiring LucasFilm, I was happy rather than sad. The Star Wars universe has become sleeping giant, its full potential laying dormant. It need a new direction, a new leash of life. And I think Disney purchasing LucasFilm will provide it with the necessary kick up the bum to get it whirring back into action. Disney are going to want to see a return on their investment, and thus I think the next few years will be a new dawn for Star Wars even beyond the announcement of Episode VII.

Disney, Marvel and Star Wars. Together. Did all my Christmases just arrive at once? I think they did!!