The making-of documentary on the blu-ray of The Force Awakens – titled Secrets of The Force Awakens – is mostly composed of fluff and effusive praise. It’s a PR fluff piece lacking in anything of substantial interest – except for a single exchange between Han and Leia glimpsed in a fleeting piece of behind-the-scenes footage. … More Easter egg: “I don’t know what I saw”
Star Wars is famous for its masked villains: Darth Vader, Boba Fett and Captain Phasma are all iconic as much for their costumes as their characters (with the costume arguably overshadowing the character in the cases of Fett and Phasma). A mask generates mystery and intrigue over what might lie beneath, and makes the moment … More Analysis: The meaning behind a mask (or the lack of one)
I have seen several parallels made between the climatic fights of Revenge of the Sith and The Force Awakens, but I haven’t seen this particular comparison made – instead of focusing on Rey as a parallel for Obi-Wan Kenobi, I’m going to focus on Rey as a parallel for Padmé Amidala. While the circumstances are … More Parallels: Comparing the climaxes of Revenge of the Sith and The Force Awakens
The vision in The Force Awakens is deeply confusing and jumbled, especially as it is represented in the tie-in books. One of the most interesting elements of the vision (as it is described in the afore-mentioned books) is a strange boy, who appears down the Bespin corridor from Rey. This subject has been discussed before, … More Analysis: Through a glass, darkly – Or, ruminations on a vision
The fight at the climax of The Force Awakens is easily one of the most controversial scenes in the film – it is often dismissed as ridiculous and implausible, a showcase of the heroine’s unearned prowess in the Force at the expense of the credibility of the villain. And since it’s perhaps my favourite scene … More Analysis: Anatomy of a snow fight
Now that The Force Awakens is out on blu-ray, people have leapt on Rey’s vision and picked apart every image and every element of the audio track. Unsurprisingly, there’s much more to listen to than you would initially think. Star Wars News Net posted the following breakdown of the dialogue, and it’s absolutely legit (incidentally, it’s … More Easter egg: “You will be tempted”
Finn, from what I can see, has tended to get something of the short shrift in Star Wars fandom – people watch him in the film, and they see someone who is afraid, prone to mistakes and naive in the extreme. Finn is all of those things, but he is also brave, kind and well-intentioned. … More Analysis: Finn’s hero’s journey
