The Joy of Geek Film Review Ep. 1 - Star Wars: The Force Awakens

The Joy of Geek Film Review, Episode 1:

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (Full-Spoiler Review)

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SPOILER WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After the announcement of a new Star Wars film in late 2012, a new constellation formed in the sky for every Star Wars fan and aficionado to gaze at with wonder and speculation. With each new piece of news that was released (J.J. Abrams is directing! Ford, Fisher and Hamill are on board!), we became more and more excited, and then came the new Marvel comic series, the Rebels animated series, the torrent of new toys on Force Friday, and the release of the much anticipated video game, Star Wars: Battlefront. As each new star joined the ever-expanding constellation, anticipation for the film’s release grew - as did our sky-high expectations. And then it happened - Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens was released this past weekend - and all that hype, all those expectations, all that hope, culminated in the biggest box-office opening weekend of all time. That part was pretty much expected.

What wasn’t known - couldn’t be known - until we all finally sat down in theaters to experience The Force Awakens, was whether or not the film would live up to thirty-plus years of fan expectations. Would the film be as beloved by fans as the original trilogy, or commercially successful but generally maligned by the true fans like the prequel trilogy? As we sat in the theater this past Thursday night, and the words “Star Wars” blasted onto the screen accompanied by a joyously familiar musical swell, the audience went crazy, cheering for the return of the most famous movie franchise of all time. Episode VII had begun, and we were ready for anything.

And thus, for our first film review on the Joy of Geek Podcast, we (Rich, Jordan and Kevin) discuss Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens - arguably the most important geek film release in at least ten years. But with this much hype surrounding it, and such storied source material, can any two hour movie actually live up to our expectations? We go in-depth, in a fully spoiler-filled discussion to find out. From the dark side tantrums of Kylo Ren, to the light side adventures of newcomers Rey, Finn, BB-8, and Poe Dameron, to the epic return of Han Solo, Leia, and Luke - our conversation covers it all, and no space-battle or force vision is left un-discussed.

And making the festivities even more engaging, each of us just so happens to come to the film with a different level of Star Wars fandom. Kevin is a dyed-in-the-wool, Yoda-poster-on-the-wall mega-fan, Rich has been a huge fan since before he can remember, and Jordan loves the series, but didn’t grow up with the same fervor. How does this affect our individual enjoyment of the film? You’ll have to listen to find out.

It's difficult to emphasize just how big a deal the release of this film is. After all, we're talking about a new Star Wars. If anything ever was, This...is the joy of geek!