Right up front, I was dreading this movie as I had heard enough people trashing it and after experiencing Batman vs. Superman...well I was worried. Turns out that I didn't have anything to worry about as the movie met expectations in terms of story and FX. 

Sophie Turner did a fine job as Jean Grey and she really feels like she is maturing as an actress. Jenifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy all gave strong performances. Once again though Evan Peters as Quicksilver had a great scene set to Eurythmics "Sweet Dreams" which considering it was set in the 80's was a pitch perfect choice.

The pacing of the movie was spot on and it never dragged even at 2 hours and 27 minutes. The only hint at the passage of time was the less than comfortable seating at my local movie theater.

One problem though...I wanted to get a bit more of Olivia Munn's Psylocke and Ben Hardy's Angel. However, given just how big the cast is...I get it...there is only so much that can be done with that many individuals.

If you are putting off seeing this movie because of the monkey poo that critics are flinging...do yourself a favor and go see it on the big screen!

Not that long ago somebody told me that game X is more about role playing than game Y because it is not mired in hack n slash. This is fundamentally incorrect for a very simple reason...the GM dictates how much combat or role playing there is going to be in any game session...with ample assistance from the players mind you. The preconceived notion that a game designer is going to dictate what sort of game is played is absolute balderdash (thank you Thesaurus.com). I can run a session of James Bond 007 and have it be based on an episode of X-Files, even though the system is not intentionally designed for that.

If you want Shakespeare in the park, there is absolutely nothing standing in your way...beyond the players at the table. I have had sessions of AD&D where a blade was never drawn and mad kings were deposed. It became snobbishly in vogue to proclaim that game X was more about role playing with the rise of independent game companies, a favorite past time of many of the denizens of RPG.net. This became very prominent after the peak of D20 OGL, as a sort of backlash to "the one game to rule them all" mentality of Ryan Dancey.  As with any sort of propaganda though the more people shouted it the more it has become accepted as fact...sadly. 

People all too often get caught up in the "Fords are better than Chevys" sort of chest thumping, that they fail to recognize that they are flying down the road at 55mph! Imagine 200 years ago, the average person lived their lives never having traveled farther than 20 miles from their birthplace. Which in the evolutionary scheme of things is quite remarkable for a species.

I do not advocate one style of gaming as superior to another...I do advocate gaming though!

Not that long ago Wil Wheaton was on the Nerdist (click here), Mansplain to us how and who ruined Star Wars. 

*short pause while you check out the video*

Speaking only for myself, it goes something like this...

I really liked Rey as a character. I think that Daisy Ridley did a fine job with the material that she was given.
Finn was another great character and John Boyega also did a fine job portraying him. After all, Finn was the first Stormtrooper to find the droid that he was looking for!

BB-8 stole a lot scenes...funny how a character that didn't have dialog could get their point across so well.

With that said...

There are some pretty glaring problems with Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Kylo Ren/Ben Solo...is NO Darth Vader...he isn't even qualified to be Vader's shadow.  A petulant, teeth gnashing angst ridden brat and oh so deserving to be bitch slapped.

General Bendrol Hux is at best a watered down version of Grand Mof Wilhufff Tarkin, even that seems really generous.

Starkiller Base...because the first two Death Stars were SO successful the First Order needed to duplicate their success? Really?

The energy blast from Starkiller Base that can be seen throughout the Galaxy...that relies on hyperspace tunneling? When was the last time we saw a star ship traveling through hyperspace...from a real space perspective???

The Alliance having their fleet all in orbit to be easily destroyed. Really, I thought ships did this thing called patrolling to project power, keep the peace, and engage enemies like the First Order???

General Leia forgetting Chewbacca and giving Rey a hug after Han's death...I really shouldn't have to Mansplain this to Wil Wheaton.

The Alliance isn't the Resistance...huh? WTF!?! If you have to tell me a crap load of stuff so that I can understand the movie you have FAILED movie making 101...SHOW don't tell!

These are problems with the villains who are meant to challenge and contrast the heroes. When they are little more than soggy cardboard cutouts the movie has a problem that even stunning FX cannot conceal. Visually, the movie is very impressive sadly it falls prey to an array of "Refrigerator Logic" (or "Icebox" scenes for you Hitchcock fans) issues. None of which have anything to do with Rey or Finn...sorry Wil...better luck next time.