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I’ll skip all the Star Wars hype because people have been talking about it since before it came out. It’s really good. I really liked it. I might have gone and seen it three times.  But, for the sake of discussion… I’m going to nitpick a little bit. I’m not going to spoil any huge plot points, but I will be talking about the overall feel of the movie. So if you still haven’t seen it and you want to keep spoiler free: why haven’t you seen it yet?!

The Force Awakens is a beautiful balance of nostalgia and new. It’s so great having Star Wars back in theaters with something new. There’s a lot of good to talk about, so let’s talk about something there could’ve been a little more of: pauses. Breathing room.

Maybe it’s just me, but it’s something I noticed that’s missing from this entry into the series. Actually, I think J.J. Abrams has a tendency toward it. I love Abrams’ movies, and they have a tendency to constantly be moving. The momentum builds, and it doesn’t stop. On to the next thing, the next, the next. It’s not too fast, and it isn’t tiring. It’s a fun ride, and it’s just the right pace. The only downside is that opportunities to answer questions about the story, the characters, relationships, the world are lost. Enough information is given, there’s no underdevelopment, so it’s not huge. Like I said, a nitpick.

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I bring it up because in the original trilogy, Episodes IV–VI, there’s little pauses. Luke and Obi-Wan aboard the Falcon, discussing the force with Han. Han and Leia’s time at Cloud City or hiding from the Empire on the asteroid. The story doesn’t stop, it just slows. More questions are answered, more are posed, and character relationships are developed. Audiences get to see a bit deeper into it all, to immerse themselves more.

So in my opinion, there’s not enough slow sections. Is that bad? No, I don’t think so. I’m sure the script could have done with some, but they definitely played it safe. Episode I–III were not well received, and since Star Wars is such a beloved story, Abrams wanted to add as much as possible without being too risky. Safe isn’t bad. Like I said, just a nitpick. It’s not a huge pacing problem, just something…missing. It’d be really interesting to see it return, to get a moment of Rey, Finn, and Poe together, interacting, talking, without blasting off to the next thing. Of course, I love every bit of action the movie had to offer. So either way is great. Just some food for thought.

Do you agree? Disagree? Have a totally different opinion, nitpick, or thought? Leave a comment below.

This author can be reached via Twitter, @ejladd or via e-mail, [email protected]

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