The Force Awakens Review for Younglings

This is a letter that was written to a family with younglings that are quite interested in whether The Force Awakens is appropriate for them.  

I was very happy to be able to see the new movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens last night with my two boys who are ages 10 and 14.  Together, we watch a lot of Star Wars movies and cartoons because it is a good story with interesting characters and exciting battles.

            The new movie is just as exciting.  There are lots of new characters and aliens that make it really fun.  Rey, the young lady who seems to be the center of the movie, is a clever person that has lived on her own in the desert for many years.  She doesn’t complain about how harsh it is to live there, but she hopes for the day when she will be rescued.

The other leading character is a guy named Finn who stops being a stormtrooper because he doesn’t want to do evil things, like he is asked to do.  H finds in his heart that fighting for what is good is how we ought to live our lives.

            The bad guy, Kylo Ren, is ruthless and determined to have his way, even if it means hurting other people. But he is not as strong as Darth Vader.His importance to the story cannot be understated, and you will be verybsurprised. At least twice.

            It is a good movie, but you must remember that it is about war.  It is a movie about the struggle of good versus evil, in a galaxy where fighting major battles decides who will come out on top.  While the actions of the heroes are honorable, there are many battle scenes when stormtroopers and other fighters are shot and die.  In the air, the TIE Fighters and X-Wings shoot each other out of the sky quite often.  People are thrown around like ragdolls when the blasts start to come.

            Another exciting element of the movie is the connections that it has to the movies that came out when I was a little kid.  Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo and Chewbacca are back, and you will learn about the consequences of their actions these many years after Return of the Jedi. 

            This excellent film is very entertaining, and tells the continuing story of the Skywalkers and the fight to rid the galaxy of evil.  However, it is up to the parental units to decide if lightsaber battles, soldiers being shot and one minor monster attack are appropriate for you younger folks yet.  My 10 year old was OK and did not have bad dreams over it, but someone younger just might.