Saturday, December 26, 2015

Embracing the Light Side of History

So as the world enjoys and debates the merits and pitfalls of  The Force Awakens, the 7th installment in the iconic Star Wars franchise, there are many historic factors to consider. This film has broken domestic box office records, having made nearly $400 million domestically as of Christmas weekend. And it's breaking new ground in other ways as well. For the first time since the original trilogy, a strong female lead is gracing our movie screens and as you may have heard through the mad grumblings of some with access to Twitter and too much time on their hands, there is now a complex sidekick to the character of Rey, aforementioned female protagonist. His name is Finn, a storm-trooper who's defected from the dastardly duties he's reluctantly conducted his entire life. And oh yeah, he's black. John Boyega's Finn is the first black character in the social media age to play a truly essential role in the classic tale of the light and dark sides of humanity. The Force Awakens is the first of the new trilogy and this character will help bring about a  thrilling new aspect to this engaging tale.