1) Poe struck me as pretty hyperactive in general. He's kind of like Peter Quill crossed with a ferret. I actually found it an interesting contrast from some of the other pilots we've seen, who tend to have that stand-offish cool. Just look at Red Leader, Gold Five, and Wedge (well, Wedge in Empire and Jedi, he was still young and excitable in the original film). They all speak in that very professional monotone. Whereas Dameron is very animated and enthusiastic about flying. That's just who he is, and there really ARE people like that in real life.
3/5) I think it's a combination of natural talent, and POSSIBLE some early training she got before she was abandoned, and just forgot about. As much as I hate using the Prequels a similar thing happened with Anakin; he was able to naturally draw on the Force in Episode I without even realizing he was doing it. Luke did it, too; the Force was the entire reason he was able to hit the exhaust port on the Death Star (Red Leader came close, but his timing was just a hair off). Rey was probably doing much the same thing. And remember, it took her a couple tries to Mind Trick that Stormtrooper. Her only other real (intentional) Force feat was summoning the lightsaber to her hand.
6) It's not like Superweapon of the Week wasn't a bad running joke in the EU already (ESPECIALLY thanks to Kevin J. Anderson). And, well, the Original Trilogy set the precedent that the Empire loves superweapons, so the the First Order decided to go for it, too.
7) This is exactly something the original Expanded Universe ran with. The Empire did NOT disappear with the Emperor's death. It was succeeded by the Imperial Remnant proper, along with dozens of individual warlords grabbing up as much territory for themselves as they could (Zsinj, Terradoc, etc.). We're just seeing the new version of that factionalism.
And I agree, this movie actually FELT like Star Wars.
As I said in another thread, when I started thinking about it, the fact that Episode VII follows much the same formula as the original is NOT a bad thing, because the formula that Star Wars ITSELF followed is so indelibly, inextricably linked to the formula that underlies ALL human myth. Lucas may have sought inspiration from Flash Gordon and Kurosawa, but the single most important source was Joseph Campbell. The formula that the Original Trilogy follows is a very deeply-rooted one, and it's precisely why Star Wars is so culturally resonant.
That's something the Prequels lost sight of.
I read all the main post-Jedi stuff up through the end of New Jedi Order. And believe me, it was a LOT of miss. Everything not written by Zahn, Stackpole, and Allston wasn't fit to wipe your @#$% with as toilet paper.
You uh, actually read the opening crawl, right? Because they AREN'T ignoring it. The Resistance is being armed and supported by the Republic, and Leia was sent BY the Republican Senate to deal with it. It was spelled out in ACTUAL WORDS:
1) I don't disagree with you on him. I'm fine with him. My point one was mostly directed at the scene with Fin and the girl.
3/5) I agree with your earlier points, but my conflict comes in on the action. Faster reflexes and sensing things is one thing. Being able to actually manipulate something is another entirely. We saw Luke who had SOME guidance and instruction could barely move the lightsaber in ESB, and here she OVERPOWERS a Sith Lord without any reason to know it is POSSIBLE to pull a lightsaber to you like that.
6) It's not so much that I mind the fact that it's a Superweapon, but the fact that unlike the Sun Crusher, the Galaxy Gun, the World Devastators, which are all unique in their shape, their usage, their goal, their function, and their demise, the dialogue in the movie even pointed out "It's another Death Star". Giant planet-destroying sphere? So, we're gonna fly down a trench, chased by TIE fighters, and shoot a thermal exhaust port, right? Oh, it's a thermal exhaust building this time? But it's still a trench, right? It was TOO rinse-repeat.
7) You misunderstand me. It's not the new bad guys that bother me, I'm fine with that, and I actually like that they DID change that a bit more, but the fact that we have the Republic (As pointed out, they're FUNDING the resistance, but that's it...) who doesn't seem that bothered, despite everything that just happened, and again, Leia is the <S>Rebel</> Resistance General (Recycled symbol and all). It doesn't make any sense from what we saw in the original trilogy.
I agree with those authors being the best, and they wrote MOST of it for that reason. There are only a couple of books that I can recall reading that I thought weren't well done, but the thing I liked about it is that for the most part, things changed, the universe developed in a sensible manner, and we saw real character development.
Whether you liked the movie Speed or not, it set a new standard for all action movies with non stop action, and this is made in that formulaic pattern, whether you like that sort of thing or not. Barely a hint of character development, every movie has been Action, Action, Action, ever since. Even some of the Rom Coms. Oh, hehe, and who's Hannah Montana?
You're exactly right, which is why I RARELY find myself enjoying anything that isn't specifically comedy, where I know not to take anything seriously.
