Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Rey, a kick-ass hero for a new generation of Star Wars fans

I'm buried under grading this week, so this will be a little short. I was nine when the first Star Wars movie came out, and I loved it as much as I hated Episodes 1, 2, and 3. Since the three previous Star Wars movies were so awful, I wasn't exactly looking forward to The Force Awakens. I knew a lot of people argue that The Force Awakens is simply a rewrite of A New Hope, complete with beginning on a completely impossible all desert world. (Any real planet would have a variety of ecosystems). In many ways, I would have to agree, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I especially loved Rey. She is a strong, competent woman who can take care of herself. Yes, she receives some help from Finn, Han, and Chewbacca, but she has already almost managed her own escape before they show up. The movie keeps her focused on her heroic mission and resists the temptation to sidetrack her into a romance, which happens with far too many women in fiction. I assume something will eventually develop with Finn, but their relationship wasn't the focus of the movie. As a whole, I'm the complete opposite of a Disney fan, but I have to say I loved what they did with Rey in the first movie, and I think it is an excellent thing that George Lucas has no more control of the franchise. She has become another of my favorite characters.

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