So I finally saw "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"...

I don't know if I will make it a habit of putting out reviews of stuff I see, but it just had to be said...

Two days ago (December 29, 2015), I finally saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens... not only that, I ended up seeing it twice!  (Long story, but basically, first I saw it on my own at the local theater because it was relatively dull at 10 AM, and then my friend had already gotten IMAX 3D tickets for another theater in another city, so I went along for that too.)

And my final opinion?  AWESOME!

My further thoughts on the matter... WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!

Well, for starters, let's get the bantha out of the room here: There was a lot of concern as to how the franchise's new owners would be able to pull it off, and luckily, they did.  Disney has been doing an excellent job with handling the Marvel cinematic universe, so there's no reason they couldn't do the same with Star Wars.  (And between this and the last Avengers movie, it seems that 2015 was quite the profitable year for them.)

So, as for the breakdown of the movie itself...

PLOT: It was a solid plot, a good intro to what will now be the "Sequel Trilogy"... the Galactic Empire has been replaced by the First Order, and now they're the new troublemakers.  Otherwise, it was solid and action-packed.  A little additional backstory about the new villains (namely Kylo Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke) would have been nice, but I guess that will be saved for what comes next.  And speaking of the characters...

CAST: One way or another, all six of the original heroes (Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2) returned to the big screen, but the new characters (Rey, Finn, Poe, BB-8, Kylo Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke, etc... sorry if I missed anyone there) also make quite an impression.  The new heroes are rather endearing, and the new villains are rather intriguing.

MUSIC: John Williams didn't just rehash all of the old music from the previous movies, but he did leave a few familiar cues and themes in there.  Nice new music, although I wish there had been something really strong and epic, like Darth Vader's Theme or Duel of the Fates.

(IMPORTANT NOTE: One thing which I noticed in this movie was all the callbacks to the original classic trilogy, Episodes IV, V and VI.  Ranging from scrounging for junk on a desert planet to destroying a planet-sized superweapon via flying down a trench and/or flying inside to shoot it up, this did quite a lot of that.  Quite a lot of this sense like "been there, done that."  But I'm not particularly annoyed; if anything, I think it was quite clever, because Star Wars is about the Force which guides people's destinies.  And as a certain saying goes: History doesn't repeat, but it often rhymes.)

Oh, and be wary of significant character death.

...I was going to say more, but now I forgot what.  Oh well.

So, it's not a perfect movie, but still a great first attempt by the new owners of the franchise.  Between the first attempt and my few complaints (excessive callbacks, lack of exciting new music, characters being a tad overpowered)... I give it an 8/10.  Looking forward to Episodes VIII and IX now!

May the Force be with you!

HOORAY! 3 years since the 2012 Apocalypse!

Maybe I should do my part to make this a new winter solstice tradition: celebrate a much-anticipated apocalypse or doomsday which never happened.

Happy 3rd Anniversary of the 2012 Apocalypse, everyone!

-Seth Shirer (a.k.a. StellarStylus)

'Twas the night before the new Star Wars movie...

So, I just can't let this historic event go by without proper commentary...

I remember, well over a year ago, when we got a two-fold surprise: not only had Disney acquired the rights to Star Wars, but now a new sequel trilogy was in the works.

People started having their doubts at first, but as time went on, things looked more and more promising.  And now, with the critics' reviews coming out, it looks like they just might have pulled it off.

...I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm glad Disney and all those involved managed to do it right and make something great.  Soon enough, everyone (including yours truly) will be able to find out for themselves.  (One of my mottoes in life: "If you're going to do something, then do it right.")

And yes, I did make this blog post with its title playing on the classic poem "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," because why the heck not?  It's not like I made the decision to release the new film so close to Christmas...  But since I did that anyway, I might as well write a like ditty for the occasion...

"'Twas the Night Before the New Star Wars Movie"
by Seth Shirer

'Twas the night before the new Star Wars movie, and all 'round the world,
everyone got ready as the theaters' red carpets unfurled.

For countless many, Real Life concerns were forsaken,
As they all wanted to see when the Force would "awaken."

It's finally here, ready to go, this brand-new "Episode Seven,"
And for the die-hard fans, this ought to be like Heaven.

It's the usual fare, with plenty of humans, aliens and droids,
and some space battles too, maybe even a few asteroids!

A franchise forty years old but still going strong,
No one wanted to see this new movie go wrong.

Never before had one of these films been released in December,
And this was a big event which they all wanted to remember.

Undoubtedly many parents will take the kids to see this flick,
To keep them busy as their young wait for gifts from St. Nick.

...Now the author wants to stop this poem before it gets lousy,
Especially before it wears on and he gets too drowsy.

Still, a final message for the fans who stay good and true:
Enjoy the movie, and may the Force be with you!