Movie Review: "The Farce Kind of Snorts In It's Slumber"

Georgia decided that we should use our "snow day" to see the newest Star Wars movie "The Force Awakens" before it disappeared from the local theaters. We decided to see it in Prince Frederick in 2D rather than drive to Lexington Park to see it in 3D.

We don't consider ourselves to be great movie critics, after all, we may only go to a movie once or twice a year, and only to ones we're fairly confident we'll enjoy. And enjoy it we did. However, the scent of baby boomer nostalgia was strong. The old characters, Han and Leia and Chewbacca. the old droids, the John Williams score with a lot of the old themes, the cantina etc, etc, all seemed designed to comfort the aging boomers. Han was suitably aged and weathered, and more irascible than ever; Leia just looked old. The new bad guy Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver (Han and Leia's son, of course) is almost a dead ringer for a young Snape and I assume a similar character arc is planned. And of course, the "Death Star" is back, bigger and badder, of course. And they still haven't figured out how to protect the important parts.

I can't help but noticing the much vaunted diversity, with a woman, Daisy Ridley, playing Rey, the new inductee to the Light Side of the Force, and Finn (FN-2187) the black African Empirial Storm Trooper turned good guy played by John Boyega.

Yeah, it's PC, but it's fine with me. Her costume is properly covering, and yet form fitting and grungy. I'm trying to remember if she even got new dud for the denouement, but somehow I can't conjure up the vision, but somehow, I doubt it. The big question, of course, is who is she? Luke's daughter? A side branch of the Skywalkers? She can't be just nobody, because Hollywood doesn't believe in nobodies, they believe in dynasties, the Fondas, the Sutherlands, the Coopers, the Clintons, on and on.

On the politics, well, it's Star Wars, and takes place along time ago in a galaxy far far away, so there isn't much, but if you were looking for one you could do worse than to find Jefferson's old adage that from time to time the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of those who value freedom. The other side, that wants to control your life never stops seeking that, always in the interest of the "greater good."

Wombat-socho has the mega "Rule Five Sunday: The Two Faces Of India" and "FMJRA 2.0: Jetpack Blues" ready at the Other McCain.

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