Within the last few months, I finally watched The Force
Awakens again for the first time since the theatrical run. What I had liked
about it at first I loved even more the second time. What had bothered me about
it the first time likewise bothered me exponentially in the repeat viewing. All
in all, it makes for a very awkward filmgoing experience for me – I love parts
of it too much to say I dislike it, but I hate other parts too much to say I like
it. And even if Episodes VIII and IX tie the narrative together in a way that
really makes Awakens shine in retrospect, the fact that those films have
totally different teams behind them (as opposed to The Maker’s overarching, if
fickle-with-details narrative) will always undercut whatever “hidden
brilliance” we may or may not find in the film upon future analysis.
The above paragraph was originally supposed to be a lead-in
to a whole column re-evaluating The Force Awakens upon a repeat viewing away
from the hype and the fear, but frankly, that’s really all I have to say on the
matter until the entire picture comes to light. Besides, the main point of my
column is to keep Episodes I-III and their rightful place in the Saga as a
whole in the public’s eye as a positive force (pun unintentional, but welcome),
lest the bile levied at them by mainstream geekdom be history’s final word on
them.
But it does serve as a nice introduction to a matter that
I’ve been wanting to write about for nearly a year, but wasn’t confidant I
could do it justice. Because there is one element of The Force Awakens that I
have had a slight but noticeable shift on in the intervening months: Rey.