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Morris Schæffer
12-17-2015, 10:47 AM
http://operationkino.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/star-wars-force-awakens-han-solo-harrison-ford-poster-hi-res1.jpg

Morris Schæffer
12-17-2015, 10:52 AM
This is very good, hugely entertaining, not devoid of powerful moments, Daisy Ridley and John Boyega are very convincing, Ford is indeed in fine form as Han Solo, BB-2 is the good side of cute, but but but I'm having trouble getting over how similar this feels compared to A New Hope. Nonetheless, even that can be defended. I mean, compared to 30 years ago we're stilll driving cars except they've been perfected, become sleeker, more powerful, it stands to reason that people build upon that which came before and so it feels in Star Wars The Force Awakens. The space battles lack the purpose and climactic feel of the original trilogy, some plot developments, while pretty fucking shocking, feel like they've been carelessly chucked in there because Abrams felt he wanted to have some of that too, because hey, the old trilogy had that too! Still, that gets redeemed quite a bit later on in a rather emotionally gripping sequence. The final shot is really outstanding.

One moment where one of the characters uses force powers to escape was funny, but felt unearned. With Obi-Wan you know there was training and experience beforehand and thus you accept it. Here it felt almost like a spoof rather than something which awes us.

transmogrifier
12-17-2015, 12:07 PM
This was basically A New Hope Reloaded.

transmogrifier
12-17-2015, 11:06 PM
The first half is significantly better than the second half, which flattens into a dull retread of A New Hope with larger but less coherent action scenes. Before that, I was right on board with the introduction of the new characters and the character beats they are given; it's a deft mix of humor and place setting. The acting is much better than anything in ANH (except Gleason, who is terrible) with Driver in particular doing well with a more complicated take on Darth Vader. But man, does it ever end up taking all these great ingredients and creating a flavorless retread of previous glories in the second half.

I think the sequel holds a lot of promise now that the self-conscious fan service has been covered....

Henry Gale
12-18-2015, 01:10 AM
I ain't reading none o' this 'til I see it Saturday.

Read the first line of your posts before thinking, "Nope!".... but I'm sure they're good thoughts.

Mr. McGibblets
12-18-2015, 02:05 AM
All 4 of the new main characters are really good. Needed a lot more of Isaac and Boyega together.

transmogrifier
12-18-2015, 02:24 AM
All 4 of the new main characters are really good. Needed a lot more of Isaac and Boyega together.

Didn't like what they did with Isaac's character story-wise.

number8
12-18-2015, 03:00 AM
I don't think you guys can understand what a big deal it is for me to see Indonesian actors in a real STAR WARS movie.

number8
12-18-2015, 03:54 AM
Didn't like what they did with Isaac's character story-wise.

The reveal landed so softly I thought they all just got bored with the whole thing.

TGM
12-18-2015, 04:59 AM
Again, like at Mockingjay, I find myself a bit surprised by the turnout. The theater was only about 2/3 full, if that. Hrm. :/

As for the movie, I'm gonna have to let it sit. There are certainly aspects that I really liked, and Rey could very well end up being my new favorite Star Wars character. But on the whole I'm not particularly blown away by it. Hmmm...

number8
12-18-2015, 03:12 PM
The first half is significantly better than the second half, which flattens into a dull retread of A New Hope with larger but less coherent action scenes. Before that, I was right on board with the introduction of the new characters and the character beats they are given; it's a deft mix of humor and place setting. The acting is much better than anything in ANH (except Gleason, who is terrible) with Driver in particular doing well with a more complicated take on Darth Vader. But man, does it ever end up taking all these great ingredients and creating a flavorless retread of previous glories in the second half.

Interesting because I pegged it as a retread right away. The first half I thought was even more beat for beat following ANH, with Kylo's introduction matching Vader's and the important resistance information stored in a wayward droid found by a peasant. The second half actually mixed in some Empire that alleviated the remake feeling a bit.

The casting definitely did most of the heavy lifting in making it feel fresh. All cynicism I kept holding onto even right through the opening crawl disappeared completely as soon as Poe and Finn started interacting. This exchange happened:

"Good to meet you, Finn."
"Good to meet you, Poe."

Aaaaaand I'm all in.


I think the sequel holds a lot of promise now that the self-conscious fan service has been covered....

Definitely true.

Morris Schæffer
12-18-2015, 04:04 PM
For those that have seen it, how come R2D2 suddenly started to come alive by the end when an hour earlier he seemed to be inoperational?

TGM
12-18-2015, 04:13 PM
Having slept on it, I DO very much like this movie, but pretty much all of its glaring flaws stem from its over-familiarity with A New Hope. Sorta like how Into Darkness felt like it was more interesting in recreating Wrath of Kahn as opposed to telling a new movie, this one, too, feels more worried about throwing in references than it does in telling a whole new compelling story, which actually started to make me groan at points. That said, the cast very much DOES make this movie work, but I'm not sure Abrams was the right man for the job after all.

Morris Schæffer
12-18-2015, 05:01 PM
Having slept on it, I DO very much like this movie, but pretty much all of its glaring flaws stem from its over-familiarity with A New Hope. Sorta like how Into Darkness felt like it was more interesting in recreating Wrath of Kahn as opposed to telling a new movie, this one, too, feels more worried about throwing in references than it does in telling a whole new compelling story, which actually started to make me groan at points. That said, the cast very much DOES make this movie work, but I'm not sure Abrams was the right man for the job after all.

I feel very confident giving this a ***½, but that does have somewhat to do with the fact that I've become more lenient, more aware of a general decrease in quality of major tentpole movies. I think this movie has an edge, something extra, a real heart, it's not an empty spectacle, but you are right about the bit I've bolded. The problem I think is actually even bigger than that. Not only does it ape many of the moments from the original trilogy, not in the least the final X-Wing attack on a Death Star-like structure but that it doesn't even manage to come close to A New Hope, let alone Return of the Jedi in the space battle stakes is bothering me. Apart from some dated miniature work in those movies, the special effects during those attack runs are far more memorable, inventive with better spatial coherence and a far bigger sense of stakes and urgency. By repeating this element so rigidly here the outcome is entirely pre-ordained. We know precisely what's going to happen and it does without exception, without surprise. The concurrent mission with the principals remedies that quite a bit thank God because here it's kinda awesome and chilling, but the Space Battle attack on the Death Star was extremely poor. It's 32 years later since Jedi, why does this look worse?

Irish
12-18-2015, 07:22 PM
HOT DAMN THAT DAISY RIDLEY. FUCK EVERYONE ELSE. JUST MAKE MOVIES ABOUT HER CHARACTER.

I agree with what everyone said so far. A lot of this plays like highly polished Star Wars fan fiction. They were shameless about it, and I think in the long run that hurts the film. Every time there was a chance for this movie to distinguish itself, it falls back to fan service.

That leads to a secondary problem: There are too many characters, and a lot of them overlap narratively. All of the new people are badly established and given very little context. What context they do have (Ridley is waiting for her family, Boyega is a traitor), doesn't really seem to matter. There isn't a clear protagonist either, which I guess matters less because there isn't a clearly defined story.

I loved the first hour or so, mostly because of Ridley, Boyega, and Isaac. Every time they were on screen it was tons of fun. When Solo showed up, I feel like they just tossed the script out the window and relied waaaaay too heavily on Harrison Ford's star power and the fan love of that character. It wasn't long before I began to actively began to resent his presence. Fuck Han Solo, I want to know more about Rey and Finn.

Favorite part: On that first planet, when Boyega moves to rescue Ridley, and then stops because he realizes that she doesn't need rescuing. The follow up was priceless -- "What are you doing? Let go of my hand!"

Weirdest part: Kylo Ren and some rando stormtrooper both yell "TRAITOR!" at Boyega like they're really pissed at him for running away. Guys, he was the fucking janitor. The guy who cleaned your toilet quit his job. Get over it.

The last hour was so much duller than the first, but that last shot --- man, I almost stood up in the theater and yelled, FUCK YEAH LUKE!

Also, gotta add: HOLY SHIT WATASHI WAS RIGHT ABOUT ALMOST EVERYTHING ;)

TGM
12-18-2015, 08:46 PM
HOT DAMN THAT DAISY RIDLEY. FUCK EVERYONE ELSE. JUST MAKE MOVIES ABOUT HER

This, so much!

Watashi
12-18-2015, 09:03 PM
Wait. What? What was I right about?

Irish
12-19-2015, 12:58 AM
Wait. What? What was I right about?

You were right about Han, and iirc, a few details about Luke.

transmogrifier
12-19-2015, 01:21 AM
This, so much!

She's great, but I started to get distracted after a while by how much she looks like the lovechild of Keira Knightley and Jude Law.

Wryan
12-19-2015, 02:15 AM
Geez, this won't earn any marks for innovation, that's for sure. But the cast is what makes it soar when it does. Really, if young dudes don't come out of the theater pining for assured, strong, resourceful, gorgeous Rey, they broken, yo. Also, when so much of the movie has such tremendous physical presence, Supreme Leader Snoke looked awkward by comparison (although Maz was much better as far as that sort of thing goes). Loved the erratic energy that Boyega brought. The snappy dialogue and "let's keep this thing moving" pace was appreciated. Good lord, Gleeson was turned up to 11 for that speech. I will say, though, that I walked out absolutely restless to see where it goes next, so that's a success.

EDIT: Also, what the fuck, Leia is a toadstool--not helped, either, by the way they shot her.

Wryan
12-19-2015, 03:11 AM
Also, I have to wonder what George was thinking while he was watching this.

Probably, "What the fuck, guys?"

Wryan
12-19-2015, 03:19 AM
Also, how are they sucking up a sun, for god's sake? Talk about glossing over technical details. I feel like that's a MILDLY significant technical achievement, possibly even more so than the weapon it powers, and it's just sort of slipped under the door. Is the sun dead afterwards? Does all light go out in the system? Does the sun re-power later? Are there multiple suns nearby they can Kirby? The planet can't fly over into another system to find another sun-battery.

EDIT: Also, Simon Pegg was the big alien inside the pawnshop cage. Daniel Craig was the stormtrooper in the mind trick escape scene.

Dukefrukem
12-19-2015, 05:41 AM
Meh. Reluctant Yay. Seriously the retreads are getting so old with J.J.

I mean, Okay... it's great that we have new characters to play with. But when your villain is just another Vadar, and your super weapon is just a bigger Death Star, and your master mind is just another Emperor ..("OOh lets rename him supreme leader!") It's just the same movie over and over again.

I'm guessing we'll find out who Rey's parents are eventually. BUt did anyone else find it odd she went from just hearing stories of "Luke SKywalker" and the "force".... to using every aspect of the force across 2 scenes. (which took MASTER Luke 3 movies to accomplish)???

Gwendoline Christie, completely underused. Why bother with that casting.

Leia looked awful. Plastic surgery right? Jesus Carrie just age normally. Ford looked great.

Best part of the movie for me: Mention of the Jedi Temple which was a huge story-line in the KOTOR and Dark Forces games.

Going to bed. Will sleep on it. But I wasn't really all that impressed and it didn't leave me wanting to run out and see it again.

Dukefrukem
12-19-2015, 05:48 AM
Also the ending musical credits should have started right when Luke removed his cloak. There should have been no other scenes involving lightsabers or cameras panning around from a helicopter. Luke should have sensed her coming and known shy she was there.

/closed circle fade to credits

Dukefrukem
12-19-2015, 05:52 AM
All 4 of the new main characters are really good. Needed a lot more of Isaac and Boyega together.

Needed a whole lot more of everyone together. I hate them being apart! Isaac was basically removed from the entire major plotline.

Funniest moment: BB8 giving the thumbs up?

Dukefrukem
12-19-2015, 05:54 AM
For those that have seen it, how come R2D2 suddenly started to come alive by the end when an hour earlier he seemed to be inoperational?

Because script.

We also dont have any idea why Kylo is so angry and wants to kill everyone. This will be explained in movie 2 right?

"I will finish what you started" would be a great line.... if you weren't Han Solo's son. Vadar was dead long before you were even born dude. What's your beef?

TGM
12-19-2015, 05:57 AM
Funniest moment: BB8 giving the thumbs up?

I dunno, Chewie pretty much stole this whole movie from a comedic standpoint.

Dukefrukem
12-19-2015, 05:58 AM
I dunno, Chewie pretty much stole this whole movie from a comedic standpoint.

Chewie and Han were great. But they were always great. The humor in movie 2 is gonna be so different.

Irish
12-19-2015, 06:35 AM
Funniest moment: BB8 giving the thumbs up?

For me, it was Poe to Kylo, right at the beginning: "So, uh, who talks first? Do you talk first or do I talk first or ...?"


Gwendoline Christie, completely underused. Why bother with that casting.

The amount of extraneous characters bugged me. Poe, Phasma, Leia, R2D2, C3PO, and Chewbacca weren't given enough to do. They could have easily turned up in the next film (or not at all).


Because script.

Big, weird rumor about why R2D2 came back to life:

R2D2 lights up when Rey shows up at the Rebel base. Speculation is that happens because she's Luke's daughter. I hope that isn't true.

Edit to add: Can't believe I actually liked this more than you guys.

Also can't believe Duke didn't rank the movies. :D

New Hope > Empire > Force Awakens > Jedi > Prequels

Morris Schæffer
12-19-2015, 06:50 AM
Also, how are they sucking up a sun, for god's sake? Talk about glossing over technical details. I feel like that's a MILDLY significant technical achievement, possibly even more so than the weapon it powers, and it's just sort of slipped under the door. Is the sun dead afterwards? Does all light go out in the system? Does the sun re-power later? Are there multiple suns nearby they can Kirby? The planet can't fly over into another system to find another sun-battery.

EDIT: Also, Simon Pegg was the big alien inside the pawnshop cage. Daniel Craig was the stormtrooper in the mind trick escape scene.

I do have to say that seeing the thing in action, destroying a bunch of planets in the process was one of the most beautifully shot moments of destruction in the movies in a long time. It showed the true, awful power of that new weapon. Which makes it such a shame that it was destroyed far more easily than its equivalents in ANH and RotJ.

Morris Schæffer
12-19-2015, 06:53 AM
As for ranking them:

1. Episode V
2. Episode IV
3. Episode VI
4. Episode III
5. Episode VII
6. Episode I
7. Episode II

Not entirely certain about eps III and VII, perhaps that could be switched later on.

Gizmo
12-19-2015, 11:32 AM
Also the ending musical credits should have started right when Luke removed his cloak. There should have been no other scenes involving lightsabers or cameras panning around from a helicopter. Luke should have sensed her coming and known shy she was there.

/closed circle fade to credits

Yeah, I expected it to end at the turn and knowing look, then it kept going for some reason. Then nothing happened and THEN it ended. Seemed an odd choice.


R2D2 lights up when Rey shows up at the Rebel base. Speculation is that happens because she's Luke's daughter. I hope that isn't true.


After the first reveal, I expect this to be coming in the 2nd movie. In fact, there was a lot of important events that seemed to be written more as fan service than anything, and I don't expect that to stop, unfortunately. I almost wish there were none of the original characters, and this was a new story. They could have left the hints there (i.e. the Millenium Falcon, Vaders mask but not the whole "grandfather" thing, etc). I really liked it, because I'm a huge fanboy who liked the prequels too. This was better than them, but felt a whole lot like a retread than a new story.

Dukefrukem
12-19-2015, 01:06 PM
1. Jedi
2. Empire
3. Hope
4. I guess Force Awakens
5. Phantom
6. Revenge
7. Clones

Dukefrukem
12-19-2015, 01:33 PM
I'm really enjoying how the series as a whole has introduced new force abilities subtly at each passing movie. The ability to slow/stop a blaster and paralysis are two new dark force abilities never shown in cinema until now.

number8
12-19-2015, 01:52 PM
Yeah, I expected it to end at the turn and knowing look, then it kept going for some reason. Then nothing happened and THEN it ended. Seemed an odd choice.

All the movies end like this. Close in on the final important beat. Then let the moment hang in a wide shot as the characters stand around as if they're listening to John Williams.

Gizmo
12-19-2015, 03:28 PM
All the movies end like this. Close in on the final important beat. Then let the moment hang in a wide shot as the characters stand around as if they're listening to John Williams.

Well, the characters aren't wrong if they're stopping to listen to John Williams. He's pretty good.

Dukefrukem
12-19-2015, 03:43 PM
Trailer scene:

https://38.media.tumblr.com/bde777a96bbe1d837383cbeb8637ae 40/tumblr_nfx1ltgQCb1rjqlzro1_500 .gif

Dukefrukem
12-19-2015, 04:27 PM
The only question I need answered rather quickly, is why Maz Kanata had Luke's Lightsaber in the first place. I'd imagine there were a lot of scenes cut from the film.

Dukefrukem
12-19-2015, 05:51 PM
R2D2 lights up when Rey shows up at the Rebel base. Speculation is that happens because she's Luke's daughter. I hope that isn't true.



This has to be true at this point. Especially the voice over during the first teaser.

"My father has it. I have it. My sister has it. You have that power too," as it shows a shot of Rey. It could also explain what Rey was waiting for on Jakku (Her parents).

I'd be more scared at finding out who her mother is (if ever revealed). Anakin was born with no father. (supposedly)

Dukefrukem
12-19-2015, 06:07 PM
I just discovered that the Battle of Jakku, which takes place 1 year after Return of the Jedi, is featured in the Star Wars Battlefront game.

Dukefrukem
12-19-2015, 06:15 PM
More somewhat relevant Info: Poe was conceived on Endor during the end of the Empire celebration and his mom is Shara Bey. This was told through the new Star Wars official canon comic series Shattered Empire.

Russ
12-19-2015, 06:42 PM
There were about 7 or 8 trailers shown before the showing I saw (mostly sci-fi/fantasy) but the only one that got an overwhelming positive reaction was Disney's Zootopia, which featured an isolated 90 second or so clip from the film that was absolutely priceless. The entire audience was laughing hysterically for the full length of that one clip. There's no way the whole film will be that good, but oh, man, what a great scene.

Ah, here it is:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCOPJi0Urq4

Watashi
12-19-2015, 07:07 PM
I never got the sloth phenomena.

It's a fun scene though.

Henry Gale
12-19-2015, 07:20 PM
I saw this movie and it was pretty good.

Morris Schæffer
12-20-2015, 12:12 AM
The weapon is actually called the Starkiller base or something like that. Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh.

Morris Schæffer
12-20-2015, 12:16 AM
There were about 7 or 8 trailers shown before the showing I saw (mostly sci-fi/fantasy) but the only one that got an overwhelming positive reaction was Disney's Zootopia, which featured an isolated 90 second or so clip from the film that was absolutely priceless. The entire audience was laughing hysterically for the full length of that one clip. There's no way the whole film will be that good, but oh, man, what a great scene.

Ah, here it is:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCOPJi0Urq4

Thanks for sharing. Animated features are rarely hilarious anymore, but that clip sure as shit is.

Irish
12-20-2015, 01:45 AM
After the first reveal, I expect this to be coming in the 2nd movie.

I hope not, because that will make these movies Star Wars: Battle of the Skywalker Cousins.


In fact, there was a lot of important events that seemed to be written more as fan service than anything, and I don't expect that to stop, unfortunately. I almost wish there were none of the original characters, and this was a new story. They could have left the hints there (i.e. the Millenium Falcon, Vaders mask but not the whole "grandfather" thing, etc). I really liked it, because I'm a huge fanboy who liked the prequels too. This was better than them, but felt a whole lot like a retread than a new story.

Couldn't agree more. They needed a much lighter touch with all the references.

Weems
12-20-2015, 01:58 AM
I can't believe this is getting the reception it's getting. Bad acting, shameless aping of ANH plot points minute after minute, without any of that film's mastery of tone, character development, world-building, etc. This is worse than the worst SW fan fiction I used to read as an adolescent. Even John Williams phoned it in, which he didn't for the prequels. I don't know what's going on Hollywood these days, but Abrams devolving from the spirited exuberance of Star Trek 2009 to this abortion of a film breaks my heart.

number8
12-20-2015, 02:36 AM
This is the best acted Star Wars movie by an extremely large margin. In fact I think Ford and Fisher were the worst actors in it.

megladon8
12-20-2015, 02:48 AM
Star Wars: The Backlash Awakens

TGM
12-20-2015, 04:51 AM
Bad acting,

... :\ Wut?

transmogrifier
12-20-2015, 05:52 AM
This is the best acted Star Wars movie by an extremely large margin. In fact I think Ford and Fisher were the worst actors in it.

Yep. Gleason is terrible, however.

transmogrifier
12-20-2015, 05:54 AM
Star Wars: The Backlash Awakens

Um, is it really a backlash when right from the start all of the reviews in this thread all have similar criticisms?

TGM
12-20-2015, 06:32 AM
So this movie improved a significant bit upon a second viewing, to where most of my issues with it didn't bother me in the least the second time around. I had initially wrote a really long review that sorta went into a slight bit of a rant at first, but have since adjusted it accordingly, while still mostly keeping that rant intact, for anyone curious to give a look: http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2015/12/star-wars-into-darkness.html

Ezee E
12-20-2015, 06:36 AM
I absolutely loved it. Was dreading the idea of having the same reaction to this as I did to Phantom Menace when I walked out of that.

Here, this, reminds me exactly of why I liked Star Wars. Yes, there's absolutely some slips here, and I'll get to those in a minute, but first, I haven't been giddy like this in a movie, since.... well, tends to only happen when I see a Tarantino or a Scorsese. This exceeded that though.

The casting of the primary new leads is spot on, and they will have fan fiction written about them for years to come. Finn and Rey are so good that they are actually more fun to watch than Han Solo, and he's in fine form here too. The first hour, as we begin to see the new world, is really admirable. I just wish that they took more time with Poe to show how truly great of a pilot that he is, considering he reads like the main character in the title crawl. BB-8 gets the "cute" role, and pulls it off. This is what I imagine George Lucas pictured Jar Jar Binks coming across like in his head.

The movie takes on the same traits as a New Hope, and for me, that's fine, because now it can go into it's new direction. I think that was discussed above. There's also a much younger leadership system here, and I haven't quite analyzed to what that means. All the new leaders are less than 35 it seems. No Moff Tarkin, Emperor Palptaine, or Anakin... But yes, why does Kylo Ren have such hate? I'm not convinced of his character, but I definitely like his ruthless anger when it presents itself. I do think Driver is kind of a weak actor when the helmet is removed.

There are certainly plot conveniences here. Can anyone explain to me why Han Solo was around Jakku? Was so easy for those to connect, and a little TOO easy. Same deal with R2D2, but it makes sense to me that Rey is Luke Skywalker's daughter. Can't imagine what other possibility it would be? Also, wouldn't Luke Skywalker have even more grief if he were to discover that multiple planets were destroyed because he simply took refuge?

Captain Phasma, mostly misused, but certainly an interesting character. I'm hoping there's some good info about her elsewhere.

So yes, certainly not without its faults, but I had so much fun watching the movie, and am so intrigued with this universe again, that I can't help but say that it did exceed expectations that were quite high. This is certainly deserving to be part of the Star Wars saga, and I cannot wait for the future ones. Bring 'em on.

Peng
12-20-2015, 10:03 AM
A lot of story retreats and flaws, for sure. But I'm so in love with these new characters that it doesn't really matter that much. The four actors really nail it. Unlike some, I really dig what Driver did with the role, and Isaac makes up for his short screentime with some insanely magnetic charisma. Daisy Ridley is a true find, though.

1. V
2. IV
3. III
4. VII
5. VI
6. I
7. II

DavidSeven
12-20-2015, 10:14 AM
This is the best Star Wars movie outside of Empire.

transmogrifier
12-20-2015, 11:42 AM
I actually didn't like Isaac's character much at all - he's a bit of a void.

Dukefrukem
12-20-2015, 01:12 PM
I actually didn't like Isaac's character much at all - he's a bit of a void.

Agreed. Replace him with anyone and it's the same movie.

Dukefrukem
12-20-2015, 01:14 PM
\Can't imagine what other possibility it would be? Also, wouldn't Luke Skywalker have even more grief if he were to discover that multiple planets were destroyed because he simply took refuge?


In his defense, he left years before Starkiller base was built.

I'd imagine, he left because he was the last remaining Jedi. And if the new order found him, that would be it. End of Jedi. He entrusts R2D2 with the bulk of the map so whenever his daughter was old enough, she would seek him out.

megladon8
12-20-2015, 02:23 PM
Um, is it really a backlash when right from the start all of the reviews in this thread all have similar criticisms?

It was a joke.

Ezee E
12-20-2015, 02:46 PM
In his defense, he left years before Starkiller base was built.

I'd imagine, he left because he was the last remaining Jedi. And if the new order found him, that would be it. End of Jedi. He entrusts R2D2 with the bulk of the map so whenever his daughter was old enough, she would seek him out.

That'll do. I guess!

Still, my biggest question is why was it so easy to introduce Han Solo. WHY did he happen to be around Jakku? I figure I missed a piece of dialog because nobody has this thought.

Mr. McGibblets
12-20-2015, 03:39 PM
Still, my biggest question is why was it so easy to introduce Han Solo. WHY did he happen to be around Jakku? I figure I missed a piece of dialog because nobody has this thought.
He said something referencing how easy it was for him to track the Falcon. It still seemed really quick to me and then 2 other crews found him almost immediately. I figured they skipped some time passing between taking off and being caught in the tractor beam.

Ezee E
12-20-2015, 03:47 PM
He said something referencing how easy it was for him to track the Falcon. It still seemed really quick to me and then 2 other crews found him almost immediately. I figured they skipped some time passing between taking off and being caught in the tractor beam.

Ah, so when the Millennium Falcon got activated, they were able to locate it? Sure. But yeah, they sure arrived pretty damn quickly. I think this part may be the most convenient part of the movie.

[ETM]
12-20-2015, 03:49 PM
The weapon is actually called the Starkiller base or something like that. Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh.

It... Kills stars? Literally? When all the sun's energy is drained, it dies. I thought it was a nice nod to the nerds, it being the original Skywalker name.

OH and - saw it in IMAX 3D and it was absolutely amazing. From the second we see the Falcon all the way to the end I had tears in my eyes. I adored all of the characters right away and I could literally not care less about the familiar plot line.

Ezee E
12-20-2015, 03:52 PM
;549193']I adored all of the characters right away and I could literally not care less about the familiar plot line.

Yes, exactly. There's plenty of new things going on to admire in my opinion.

Morris Schæffer
12-20-2015, 04:19 PM
;549193']It... Kills stars? Literally? When all the sun's energy is drained, it dies. I thought it was a nice nod to the nerds, it being the original Skywalker name.



I hope for your sake you're not implying I might not have known that.

Morris Schæffer
12-20-2015, 04:20 PM
Agreed. Replace him with anyone and it's the same movie.

Same here.

[ETM]
12-20-2015, 04:58 PM
I hope for your sake you're not implying I might not have known that.

I tend to overexplain with facts in order to avoid further clarification on the subject, as well as put stuff out there for those who might not know. I know you're a mega-nerd Morris. :D

Morris Schæffer
12-20-2015, 05:13 PM
;549199']I tend to overexplain with facts in order to avoid further clarification on the subject, as well as put stuff out there for those who might not know. I know you're a mega-nerd Morris. :D

As long as we're clear on that last bit everything's cool. :D

Irish
12-20-2015, 06:37 PM
You guys are assuming that

1) Rey is Luke's kid. (please don't be true, for the love of God, please don't be true).

2) Luke is still a good guy.

Ezee E
12-20-2015, 06:51 PM
You guys are assuming that

1) Rey is Luke's kid. (please don't be true, for the love of God, please don't be true).

2) Luke is still a good guy.

I am. To both.

Would be a great twist if the latter weren't true, but there's nothing to indicate otherwise.

Acapelli
12-20-2015, 07:05 PM
you guys saying isaac could have been replaced with anyone are nuts

number8
12-20-2015, 07:39 PM
you guys saying isaac could have been replaced with anyone are nuts

Irrefutable proof that any second of this man being on screen is a gift and a divine blessing.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS9LPPOIEZM

Morris Schæffer
12-20-2015, 08:14 PM
you guys saying isaac could have been replaced with anyone are nuts

We're not saying isaac could have been replaced by anyone. We're saying his character could have.

DavidSeven
12-20-2015, 11:33 PM
Don't get the critique. There are more than enough primary characters to occupy the meat of the story. Isaac's journey isn't central. Why do we need more or less of him? He's peripheral, not his story. Thought he was in it an appropriate amount, and casting a "heavy" in that smaller role made it memorable. I think it was entirely strategic. Cool performance, too.

transmogrifier
12-20-2015, 11:41 PM
Really? I thought he was average at best, and the way the plot deals with him is super lazy

Irish
12-21-2015, 01:06 AM
Poe doesn't have a journey. He's introduced at the start as if he's an important character and then disappears until the end. In between, nobody mentions him. The question of his survival is resolved with a line of dialogue. The only thing we know about him is that he is one of Leia's best soldiers, and we only know that because of, again, dialogue.

Isaac pulls it off because he's got charisma. Otherwise, given that the writing is so thin, it didn't seem necessary (or even interesting) to introduce him in the first film.

Ezee E
12-21-2015, 05:51 AM
Poe doesn't have a journey. He's introduced at the start as if he's an important character and then disappears until the end. In between, nobody mentions him. The question of his survival is resolved with a line of dialogue. The only thing we know about him is that he is one of Leia's best soldiers, and we only know that because of, again, dialogue.

Isaac pulls it off because he's got charisma. Otherwise, given that the writing is so thin, it didn't seem necessary (or even interesting) to introduce him in the first film.

Isaac has boatloads of charisma. So good, that he got his role expanded beyond this movie. He was suppose to stay dead originally.

transmogrifier
12-21-2015, 06:38 AM
See, I usually think he does have charisma, but not in this role. It was a complete blank.

Henry Gale
12-21-2015, 07:05 AM
Another morning, another viewing, this time in IMAX. (I didn't originally plan on seeing it twice, but snagged the IMAX tickets two months ago, only to more recently learn of a private screening organized by a family member taking place the morning before.)

It's very good, but I just really struggle to find it in me to call it great. Simply too much borrowed, not enough invented.

BUT, both times I saw it, the final half hour had me in a near constant state of being supremely choked up. The final scene is absolute perfection and I feel like it was the core image Abrams had flash into his head right before he finally agreed to sign on to write and direct it, and just worked backwards to structure the rest of the movie to lead up to that. Even just the simplest touches of bookending the sequence leading up to the meeting in a visually poetic contrast to the way we meet Rey (vast desert plains, defeated, literally physically descending) to where we leave her (gorgeous mountain ridges, determined, ascending endlessly to her destiny). It's just so simple and stunning, which is what the series is at its best, but very few times quite in such a moving way. No Star Wars film has ever ended on such a high for me, let alone tears.

Even just her battle with Ren (with my favourite touch of Driver's performance, the beating of his wounds to fuel him), in a saga that's known to hinge its emotions and distill big conflicts in lightsaber showdowns, it's such an unusually, extraordinarily powerful and revelatory sequence. The nuts and bolts of the action are fine enough I guess, but allowing it to function the way it does for Rey, with everything building to the initial avenging and then this beautiful moment of a hero connecting with The Force that I'm not sure there's been quite like Luke's "use the force" at the Death Star. And even then, this one has such a more seminal, primal and physical element to it than just a character in an X-Wing figuring out something he'd already been sorta working on. Again, both times I saw it, crippling chills and misty eyes.

Never been so happy to be a sobby mess in the theatre two mornings in a row. So in that sense I did love it as an experience (or two), even if I see it as a very imperfect film. (A post of complaints to follow when the general buzz it gave me dissipates and I more clearly see the holes again.)

Dukefrukem
12-21-2015, 12:52 PM
Couple of more things I remembered I hated when I saw them.

1. The "trench" on Starkiller base
2. The lightsaber stuck in the snow throwback


Couple of things I liked when I saw them

1. Spaceport Cantina throwback
2. Chewie and Han, hands over head throwback
3. All of the banners hanging at Maz Kanata's palace (references to Pod Racer clans and other shit)

Dukefrukem
12-21-2015, 12:55 PM
For the hell of it, here's a list of all the records broken by Star Wars

Biggest domestic debut with $238 million (Previous record: “Jurassic World” with $208.8 million)
Second-biggest global debut with $517 million (Record holder: “Jurassic World” with $524.9 million)
Biggest Thursday preview gross with $57 million (Previous record holder: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” with $43.5 million)
First film to post single-day gross over $100 million
Fastest film to $100 million and $200 million (Previous record holder: “Jurassic World” on both counts)
Biggest December debut (Previous record: “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” with $84.6 million)
Highest per-theater average for a wide release with $57,568 (Previous record: “Jurassic World” with $48,855)
Biggest opening weekend of all time in U.K., Russia, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Austria, Denmark, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia, Ukraine, Iceland, Serbia and New Zealand
Biggest Imax debut with $48 million
Most pre-sales with over $100 million (Previous record: “The Dark Knight Rises” with $25 million)
Best Friday gross with $120.5 million (Previous record: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” with $91.1 million)
Third best Saturday gross with $68.7 million
(Record holders: “Jurassic World” with $69.6 and “Marvel’s The Avengers” with $69.5 million)
Best opening for a “Star Wars” film (Previous record: “Revenge of the Sith” with $108.4 million)

Winston*
12-21-2015, 01:37 PM
Overheard a group of American boys coming out of this unanimously declare Rey their favourite character. Sort of heartening to hear.

Morris Schæffer
12-21-2015, 03:30 PM
Really? I thought he was average at best, and the way the plot deals with him is super lazy

Not his fault, but the character was a bit thin. Does it matter? Well, yes, if they make him out to be this amazingly gifted and heroic fighter pilot who then proceeds to partake in the easiest final assault the series has ever seen, even though the script makes it sound like they're headed for certain doom, then the plot has abandoned this particular character by denying him his true chance to earn his stripes.

Yxklyx
12-21-2015, 09:34 PM
This was meh.

Milky Joe
12-21-2015, 11:03 PM
http://kitbashed.com/blog/the-force-awakens

This review sums up my thoughts quite well.

Russ
12-21-2015, 11:27 PM
http://kitbashed.com/blog/the-force-awakens

This review sums up my thoughts quite well.

Hmmm. This is a passage from that review:


At times the film is so busy handing over the reins to the next generation that some emotional moments play quite falsly, such as when Chewie and Leia first meet after Han’s death, and Chewie just wanders off, while Leia goes to hug Rey, whom she has never before met!

...and my response (where I speculate about his being incorrect on a major plot point; DO NOT READ if you don't want to see what I feel is the real truth)

Who says Leia has never met Rey? I think we're going to learn in the next installment that Kylo Ren is Rey's broyher -- *surprise* -- and that Leia had given birth to twins just like her mother had.

Henry Gale
12-21-2015, 11:54 PM
http://kitbashed.com/blog/the-force-awakens

This review sums up my thoughts quite well.

Yeah, I agree with almost everything there. And yet, it still managed to create something able to overwhelm me emotionally enough of the time to feel these issues were ultimately unfortunate, but not detrimental.

Other issues not mentioned in that article:

- The dudes from The Raid(!) walking onto Han's ship! Revving up for an all-hell-breaks-loose action scene! Aaaaaand they aren't given the chance do one discernible thing with their physical abilities they made their names with. :( (There was talk at one point that they helped choreograph some of the hand-to-hand / lightsaber stuff later on, which is cool if true, but there was still so much more potential for their onscreen involvement.)

- Aside from Williams' revisiting his classic themes, I don't know if after two viewings I can hum or remember any particular feelings the new material gave me. The whimsical and mysterious score we hear the first time we met Rey comes the closest, and his work in the last lightsaber battle and very final scene are extraordinary blendings of old and new musical ideas, but there's no exciting, newly iconic pieces. Disappointing.

- Did we really need a death fake-out for Poe? We knew he wasn't dead, and yet we still don't see him until the rest of our new main characters do (of whom it only really matters to Finn). It reminded me of Ben Affleck in Pearl Harbour, or any recent Marvel movie. Though at least with the latter we had more emotional attachment to them and the possibility they were actual goners.

- Snoke does not look good enough or menacing enough to warrant the effects used to create him. Not sure why they didn't just go the route of Two-Face in The Dark Knight or Arnold in Terminator movies to enhance and remove elements from Serkis' actual face. Same goes with Nyong'o to an extent, but at least she has interesting proportions and a look that would go beyond make-up, as much as it isn't the most exciting one. The mo-cap rendering just looks too weak and out of place against so many more idiosyncratic practical design to begin with.

- Having just watched A New Hope, everything that's already been said about the elements not only being mirrored but functioning in almost identical ways is very true and just as underwhelming. But even when it does new things with old idea, something like the aerial battles (outside of the Rey & Finn one with the Millenium Falcon), just moved too fast and uninterestingly to ever allow my brain to lock onto any sort of geography in my mind, causing me to daydream a bit.

- I wish Gwendoline Christie wasn't wasted so much, and that her character subbed in for Gleeson any time he emoted bigger than the typical nervous Vader bad-news-deliverer from the original trilogy. I love camp as much as anyone, but he went way too ridiculously cacklingly evil for the tone of everything else in this movie. Especially in the scene where he presents the destructions of five planets we have no connection to.

- Just like with both Abrams' Star Trek films, the best and worst thing I can say is that it left me wanting more in the sense that it leaves on such a momentum and emotional high as if it's building to another 20-minute epilogue, not just a whole other movie.

But it made my eyes water more than any movie this year outside of Inside Out (which I was in a much more exhausted, emotionally irrational, and slightly sicker state for), so that should speak to how much I did like this otherwise!

number8
12-22-2015, 12:27 AM
- The dudes from The Raid(!) walking onto Han's ship! Revving up for an all-hell-breaks-loose action scene! Aaaaaand they aren't given the chance do one discernible thing with their physical abilities they made their names with. :( (There was talk at one point that they helped choreograph some of the hand-to-hand / lightsaber stuff later on, which is cool if true, but there was still so much more potential for their onscreen involvement.)

I stayed through the credits and they were credited for "Fight choreography on freighter sequence." So they didn't do the whole movie, just the scene they were in. I think what obviously happened was that the scene was originally an elaborate action sequence but got cut down significantly for time.

I'm fairly sure the same thing happened to Gwendoline Christie.

Ezee E
12-22-2015, 06:08 AM
I stayed through the credits and they were credited for "Fight choreography on freighter sequence." So they didn't do the whole movie, just the scene they were in. I think what obviously happened was that the scene was originally an elaborate action sequence but got cut down significantly for time.

I'm fairly sure the same thing happened to Gwendoline Christie.

In what way for Phasma? That her trip down the chute got deleted, or some additional scenes? That's quite the buildup of a character that disappeared far too easily.

Philip J. Fry
12-22-2015, 08:15 AM
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z73/Wolf_of_the_Winter/Screenshots/ForceAwakens_zpswiqhx8la.jpgA long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, the biggest bromance of our lifetime.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
J. J. Abrams, 2015.


Synopsis: J. J. Abrams' tries to erase the bad taste of the prequels. Can he do it?

What did I like? Now that's an opening scene! This new Stormtroopers are amazing! Why did they never used flamethrowers before? Poe Dameron is fucking awesome and I'm glad he didn't die (and he's probably my favorite new character of the movie. Finn is a cool new character and is funny. Finn and Rey are adorbs. Kylo Ren is a very interesting new villain: more conflicted, very angry, probably for that internal conflict he has, his sword is cool. "Chewie, we're home". Lupita Nyong'o's character was very cool. Han and Leia have the best chemistry. HAN NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Finn is cool beans. Bill Weasley really likes to scream. Death Star XP. Hey, it's that one guy from Heroes! Hey, it's Admiral Ackbar! HEY, IT'S MILES FUCKING STRAUME!!!!!

What didn't I like? Look, I'm glad we have a female Jedi kicking ass in this movie. It's a sign we are progressing and that at least some people are trying to branch out and give representation and Daisy Riley is a good actress. Unfortunately, I thought Rey was by far the least interesting character in the movie, Finn/Rey shipping nonwithstanding, and I can see why people is saying she is Mary Sue-ish: She doesn't seem to have many flaws, she can pick up, like, anything very fast, including the force, the Millenium Falcon and lightsabing (granted, Ren was very aweakened from Chewie's gunshot, the fight with Finn and specially, the internal conflict) and her little flashbacks and lack of a home is not enough to turn her into a very compelling character. She is basically a Jedi version of Goku.

What did I truly hate? An asshole at Bleacher Report (sports page) spoiled...
Han's death. I'm still so, so, so pissed at that.

What am I wondering? Is Finn a Jedi candidate? What will they do with Kylo Ren? What kind of stuff will Luke do? Can Leia do Jedi stuff? Will Lando appear in the next movie (he better appear in the next one)? Did you really get Max von Sydow for such a small part? Will he do more stuff? Will J. J. bring more LOST alumni (he better does)?

Final thoughts: The force indeed has been awaken.

P.S. HAN, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

number8
12-22-2015, 12:07 PM
In what way for Phasma? That her trip down the chute got deleted, or some additional scenes? That's quite the buildup of a character that disappeared far too easily.

The opposite. I think we're missing the buildup. Her capture played like a payoff for something we never saw.

Dukefrukem
12-22-2015, 01:05 PM
I'm now making myself believe the whole 'everything old is new again' theme of this movie is one huge intentional troll job by JJ that will soon be revealed to blow us away in the 8th and 9th movies.

number8
12-22-2015, 01:59 PM
Hahaha, this is absolute nonsense, but all right then: http://www.ew.com/article/2015/12/20/jj-abrams-answers-burning-question-about-r2-d2-star-wars-force-awakens

According to Abrams and Kasdan and Ardnt, R2-D2 waking up wasn't triggered by Rey, but by BB-8 in the middle of the movie. But because R2's been in a coma for a long time, the booting up process takes a while and is only complete at the end of the movie.

Ezee E
12-22-2015, 02:10 PM
The opposite. I think we're missing the buildup. Her capture played like a payoff for something we never saw.

Yeah, and I don't like how she was so submissive. Seems like such a strong soldier wouldn't be afraid of Finn/Solo.

[ETM]
12-22-2015, 03:01 PM
Seeing it again on Thursday. Company is taking all of us to a screening. There's over 50 of us in this studio.

I guess that's one way to deal with spoilers in the workplace. :D

bac0n
12-22-2015, 03:05 PM
I loved Rey, especially as the father of two young girls. I loved how, each time Finn, Solo, and the rest went in to try and save her, she pretty much saved herself before they got the chance. And the third time, she wound up saving her would be savior.

As far as role models go, Rey is a significant upgrade from Leia and Amidala.

[ETM]
12-22-2015, 03:10 PM
Indeed. My girlfriend said it best - "You do realize that I'd have been totally beside myself as a ten year old girl if I had someone like Rey for a fictional role model?"

bac0n
12-22-2015, 04:12 PM
Right on. And of course, even so, my 7 year old's favorite character in the film was Chewie, and my 11 year old's favorite was Kylo Ren.

Henry Gale
12-22-2015, 06:03 PM
Hahaha, this is absolute nonsense, but all right then: http://www.ew.com/article/2015/12/20/jj-abrams-answers-burning-question-about-r2-d2-star-wars-force-awakens

According to Abrams and Kasdan and Ardnt, R2-D2 waking up wasn't triggered by Rey, but by BB-8 in the middle of the movie. But because R2's been in a coma for a long time, the booting up process takes a while and is only complete at the end of the movie.

I mean.. I just took it as Rey's arrival triggering him too, mainly with her now discovering the force and finally being brought to the base (since she was also away, captured by Ren when the rest were there before). But from the perspective of Abrams & co., with 3PO's "he's been like this since Master Luke left" line, I feel like our reading of it is likely true, but the truth is likely more rooted with her potential family lineage (whether it's as a Skywalker, a Kenobi, or whatever), and instead of leaning into that in interviews like this, they just used the BB explanation as a weak backup.

Or laziness in the writing. There's always that.

Dukefrukem
12-22-2015, 06:21 PM
Hahaha, this is absolute nonsense, but all right then: http://www.ew.com/article/2015/12/20/jj-abrams-answers-burning-question-about-r2-d2-star-wars-force-awakens

According to Abrams and Kasdan and Ardnt, R2-D2 waking up wasn't triggered by Rey, but by BB-8 in the middle of the movie. But because R2's been in a coma for a long time, the booting up process takes a while and is only complete at the end of the movie.

That's by far the most absurd thing in the movie now.

Henry Gale
12-22-2015, 06:23 PM
I stayed through the credits and they were credited for "Fight choreography on freighter sequence." So they didn't do the whole movie, just the scene they were in. I think what obviously happened was that the scene was originally an elaborate action sequence but got cut down significantly for time.

Yeah, it's likely, and also a shame. But both the Star Wars series and Abrams' with his past films have always been pretty good about releasing tons of deleted scenes, so there is a chance we'll see all that someday. Or the small chance they'll reprise their roles in the Han Solo standalone movie.


I'm fairly sure the same thing happened to Gwendoline Christie.

The fact of the amount I heard her and Abrams talk about the character in interviews over the past year, and her having, what, ten to fifteen lines in the whole thing? Definitely feels suspect.

---

Also, if you watch the original teaser back. The shots of Rey, Poe, the X-wings (our current banner!), and the instantly-iconic one of Kylo igniting his broad-saber, all aren't in the final film.

Irish
12-22-2015, 06:56 PM
What didn't I like? Look, I'm glad we have a female Jedi kicking ass in this movie. It's a sign we are progressing and that at least some people are trying to branch out and give representation and Daisy Riley is a good actress. Unfortunately, I thought Rey was by far the least interesting character in the movie, Finn/Rey shipping nonwithstanding, and I can see why people is saying she is Mary Sue-ish: She doesn't seem to have many flaws, she can pick up, like, anything very fast, including the force, the Millenium Falcon and lightsabing (granted, Ren was very aweakened from Chewie's gunshot, the fight with Finn and specially, the internal conflict) and her little flashbacks and lack of a home is not enough to turn her into a very compelling character. She is basically a Jedi version of Goku.

I don't think Rey is a Mary Sue, at least not by the original definition of that term (she's obviously not a stand-in for JJ or Kasdan). I do think she's a touch overpowered, although they can wave most of that away in the next movie provided she's made to be "force sensitive." In the original movie, every character had a clearly defined role and skillset and personality. In TFA, several characters are good at the same things and have similar personalities.

But: one of the things I thought was legitimately funny was that Rey is so capable and Finn has no idea what he's doing. He pretty much sucks at everything, gets knocked down and punched out multiple times, and needs to be rescued more than once. I thought this was a neat contrast to Rey kicking so much ass.


What did I truly hate? An asshole at Bleacher Report (sports page) spoiled...
Han's death. I'm still so, so, so pissed at that.

That is super goddamn lame of them, especially given it's really the only legit spoiler in the entire movie.


What am I wondering? Is Finn a Jedi candidate? What will they do with Kylo Ren? What kind of stuff will Luke do? Can Leia do Jedi stuff? Will Lando appear in the next movie (he better appear in the next one)? Did you really get Max von Sydow for such a small part? Will he do more stuff? Will J. J. bring more LOST alumni (he better does)?

One of my bigger disappointments was that Leia was once again relegated to the sidelines. Her lines are mostly expositional, which is a far cry from where that character started. I hope the same thing doesn't happen to Rey.

Max Von Sydow's appearance made me chuckle. The fanboy bloggers made such a huge deal of it when he was originally cast and his part is less than nothing.

Irish
12-22-2015, 06:58 PM
Hahaha, this is absolute nonsense, but all right then: http://www.ew.com/article/2015/12/20/jj-abrams-answers-burning-question-about-r2-d2-star-wars-force-awakens

1) Jesus, that's lame. Is R2-D2 running Windows XP? WTF?

2) EW ran a series of articles like this last week. "JJ Abrams explains ________ about The Force Awakens." It was all basic stuff, and every time I saw one of the links I couldn't help but think, "Why didn't they just put that in the movie?"

number8
12-22-2015, 08:50 PM
Overheard a group of American boys coming out of this unanimously declare Rey their favourite character. Sort of heartening to hear.


I loved Rey, especially as the father of two young girls. I loved how, each time Finn, Solo, and the rest went in to try and save her, she pretty much saved herself before they got the chance. And the third time, she wound up saving her would be savior.

As far as role models go, Rey is a significant upgrade from Leia and Amidala.


;549357']Indeed. My girlfriend said it best - "You do realize that I'd have been totally beside myself as a ten year old girl if I had someone like Rey for a fictional role model?"

:)

664824284938809345

[ETM]
12-23-2015, 12:36 AM
That's weird. Disney doesn't sell that set, as it's a Target exclusive. Target has Rey as the icon for the "Action Figures" section on their website, yet they don't offer a Rey action figure AT ALL - alone or in a set of any kind. Just the Funco big head figure.

ciaoelor
12-23-2015, 01:31 AM
Am I wrong to say that it short-changes the Black actors? Lupita Nyong'o is hired.... as a voice actor. And John Boyega is hired... to play the wannabe hero? It takes two steps forward, and two steps back. Wouldn't it have been ballsier, and infinitely more interesting, to have given the Rey character to Lupita, and Boyega's role to.. a White actor?

And isn't Rey's character a little too good at everything? The movie is so desperate to make her a superhero that it robs her scenes of any suspense. A great hero can be brave, but visibly in-doubt, and strong but recognizably vulnerable.

P.S. Mad Max: Fury Road had the smarts to not have male characters react and respond to the fact that a female character is so independent and strong. This sort of thing happens at least 3 times.

megladon8
12-23-2015, 02:45 AM
Everything about this was wonderful. Just loved it.

Going to see it again ASAP.

bac0n
12-23-2015, 04:34 AM
:)

664824284938809345

Um.. What in the blue hell....?

Ezee E
12-23-2015, 06:21 AM
Am I wrong to say that it short-changes the Black actors? Lupita Nyong'o is hired.... as a voice actor. And John Boyega is hired... to play the wannabe hero? It takes two steps forward, and two steps back. Wouldn't it have been ballsier, and infinitely more interesting, to have given the Rey character to Lupita, and Boyega's role to.. a White actor?

And isn't Rey's character a little too good at everything? The movie is so desperate to make her a superhero that it robs her scenes of any suspense. A great hero can be brave, but visibly in-doubt, and strong but recognizably vulnerable.

P.S. Mad Max: Fury Road had the smarts to not have male characters react and respond to the fact that a female character is so independent and strong. This sort of thing happens at least 3 times.

Eh, I still felt it was thrilling as Rey was piloting the Falcon and fighting Kylo. She certainly wasn't invincible. Had the higher hand, but there are moments where she's getting pushed around.

Ezee E
12-23-2015, 06:23 AM
Um.. What in the blue hell....?

Ha. I was just at the Disney store, and made a comment in the other thread about how there's literally no Rey figures at all. Plenty of Finn/Kylo... But no Rey. I figured they just sold them all.

They had plenty of costumes of Rey though. Again, from the other thread, that'll be next year's biggest costume I figure.

Ezee E
12-23-2015, 06:26 AM
They're in limited supply it seems, as the minimum on eBay has them all at $35 or more:

http://thumbs.ebaystatic.com/images/g/JqYAAOSwHPlWeMea/s-l225.jpg

DavidSeven
12-23-2015, 06:40 AM
That's a shame about the Target set, but I was actually at the Disney store today looking for gifts and spotted this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v518/davidseven/IMG_2534_zpsqdfcutil.jpg


Was the only multi-character set I saw in the store. Snapped a photo because I had read the discussion above earlier.

Irish
12-23-2015, 07:35 AM
Am I wrong to say that it short-changes the Black actors? Lupita Nyong'o is hired.... as a voice actor. And John Boyega is hired... to play the wannabe hero? It takes two steps forward, and two steps back. Wouldn't it have been ballsier, and infinitely more interesting, to have given the Rey character to Lupita, and Boyega's role to.. a White actor?

I don't know if they could have gotten Lupita for a bigger role. She's still fresh off an Oscar win, and her quote must be fairly high. The advantage with unknowns like Ridley and Boyega is that the studio can pay them next to nothing (~$200k for TFA) and sign them to a three picture deal without fuss. I'm not sure that would have been so easy with Lupita.

With science fiction, the creepy thing to me is when there are black actors in the cast, but no black people in the story because everybody is hidden behind mo-cap, sfx, or body paint.

Guardians of the Galaxy appears diverse when you look it up on IMDb -- the cast includes Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Djimon Hounsou, Benicio Del Toro -- but some scenes and locations feel overly "white" because every actor who is vaguely ethnic has had their ethnicity erased. (They did the same thing to Idris Elba in Star Trek Beyond, which I find disconcerting.)

By comparison, The Force Awakens took the almost radical step of putting a black actor front and center and was completely unapologetic about it. They didn't hide him at all. I think that's cool.

Either way, progress is progress. My hope is that there's some kind of trickle down effect here (to use an ugly Reaganism). If people see minorities cast in high profile genre stuff, maybe that will make it easier to hire that Black artist who just walked into Marvel Comic's offices, or that Asian kid to write episodes of Rick and Morty, or the Latino woman as an voice actor in the next version of Call of Duty or whatever.

Then maybe in ten years, or sooner, maybe not every name above the line will be so "white" all the damn time.

Sycophant
12-23-2015, 09:12 AM
And isn't Rey's character a little too good at everything? The movie is so desperate to make her a superhero that it robs her scenes of any suspense. A great hero can be brave, but visibly in-doubt, and strong but recognizably vulnerable.

Inclined to agree with this. I think the character's really good and her performance is strong, but her amazingness, especially early on, is perhaps too amazing to be kind of interesting. Rewatched the original trilogy with my girlfriend and her sister recently, and her sister complained that Luke's annoying in the first two movies. Annoying isn't quite the word I'd have for Luke, but he is a bit whiney and his occasional cockiness and inexperience are big parts of what make him a character rather than a badass newgod from the very moment we meet him, and that's a big part of the appeal and what makes the series work, in my estimation. Rey seems almost perfect from the get-go.


P.S. Mad Max: Fury Road had the smarts to not have male characters react and respond to the fact that a female character is so independent and strong. This sort of thing happens at least 3 times.

True dat.

[ETM]
12-23-2015, 12:55 PM
That's a shame about the Target set, but I was actually at the Disney store today looking for gifts and spotted this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v518/davidseven/IMG_2534_zpsqdfcutil.jpg


Was the only multi-character set I saw in the store. Snapped a photo because I had read the discussion above earlier.

Yeah, but those are not action figures, but figures with fixed poses glued to the base.

EDIT: Of course, what really matters is that the Hot Toys 1/6 scale figure is pretty good: http://www.hottoys.com.hk/productDetail.php?productID=35 4

Dukefrukem
12-23-2015, 01:10 PM
I need to stop buying Hot Toys....

Scar
12-23-2015, 05:16 PM
Enjoyed it. Felt more for Chewie during 'the scene' than Han, and loved the war of attrition style light saber battle.

Scar
12-23-2015, 05:34 PM
Oh, and a small part of my twisted sense of humor wanted Hamil to say something.... As the Joker.

Irish
12-23-2015, 09:03 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWRg5fddADw

cc: EvilShoe :D

Milky Joe
12-23-2015, 09:16 PM
That is one seriously annoying voice.

Ezee E
12-23-2015, 09:28 PM
I need to stop buying Hot Toys....

:(
Wow, those are pricey.

Irish
12-23-2015, 10:59 PM
Enjoyed it. Felt more for Chewie during 'the scene' than Han, and loved the war of attrition style light saber battle.

Did you go regular or IMAX 3D?

Scar
12-23-2015, 11:09 PM
Did you go regular or IMAX 3D?

IMAX 3D. That shot with the star destroyer was rather neat.

TGM
12-24-2015, 07:19 PM
Another interesting article that questions what The Force Awakens' unoriginality means for big sci-fi movies moving forward: http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-force-awakens-is-the-least-interesting-star-wars-yet?utm_source=mbtwitter

Philip J. Fry
12-25-2015, 07:53 PM
I don't think Rey is a Mary Sue, at least not by the original definition of that term (she's obviously not a stand-in for JJ or Kasdan). I do think she's a touch overpowered, although they can wave most of that away in the next movie provided she's made to be "force sensitive." In the original movie, every character had a clearly defined role and skillset and personality. In TFA, several characters are good at the same things and have similar personalities.If they give her way more to do and increase the stakes (sort of the same way they did with Luke on ESB, it will fix all the troubles I have with her.

But: one of the things I thought was legitimately funny was that Rey is so capable and Finn has no idea what he's doing. He pretty much sucks at everything, gets knocked down and punched out multiple times, and needs to be rescued more than once. I thought this was a neat contrast to Rey kicking so much ass.That was legitimately funny (it helps that John Boyega has a great comedic timing). And it's one of the things that makes both of them great together.

That is super goddamn lame of them, especially given it's really the only legit spoiler in the entire movie.Yeah, totes. So malicious.

One of my bigger disappointments was that Leia was once again relegated to the sidelines. Her lines are mostly expositional, which is a far cry from where that character started. I hope the same thing doesn't happen to Rey.I have hopes that on the next film Leia will have more to do. The more I think about it, this movie is more about introducing the new players for this new generation. In that regards, it makes sense to give the older cast less time (except for Han, for obvious reasons). In the next they can expand on the characters and Leia could see more time (I mean, someone has to take Han's screentime and both Luke and her can perfectly split said screentime).

Max Von Sydow's appearance made me chuckle. The fanboy bloggers made such a huge deal of it when he was originally cast and his part is less than nothing.I could see him appearing more in flashbacks (I mean, J. J. and Rian Johnson are no strangers to said devises).

megladon8
12-25-2015, 09:43 PM
What do you mean by giving Rey more to do? She was the core of the whole movie.

Philip J. Fry
12-25-2015, 10:59 PM
What do you mean by giving Rey more to do? She was the core of the whole movie.But I don't think they gave her something to truly explore her potential character flaws or to create some sort of true emotional conflict.
The most they did is to make her want to stay in Jakku, but she moved away from that very quickly.

What I mean is that I hope that on the next movie she is actually force to make some sort of impossible choices, to give her a really emotional struggle. In short, to give her something that could potentially tempt her to the dark side of the force. It could even be a nice contrast with Ren who is being tempted by the light side.

TGM
12-26-2015, 12:29 AM
Haven't we seen enough "tempted by the dark side" stories, though? Kylo Ren provides a nice contrast to that, but I'd kinda prefer if we could otherwise avoid visiting that well yet again moving forward.

Philip J. Fry
12-26-2015, 12:44 AM
Haven't we seen enough "tempted by the dark side" stories, though? Kylo Ren provides a nice contrast to that, but I'd kinda prefer if we could otherwise avoid visiting that well yet again moving forward.Being tempted by the dark side, by negative emotions, by any sort of conflict is a staple of fiction of all kinds. If you have a character, specially one who is very physically powerful like Rey, and you don't give him/her any kind of struggle (and I mean real struggle, the one where there is actual suffering), you're not only going to have a very flat and boring character, the writing will feel lazy.

There are tons of reasons to tempt a character with the dark side which gives us several ways to play that kind of story.

megladon8
12-26-2015, 12:51 AM
I also think Finn was just as heroic as Rey. Summing him up as a "wannabe hero" (as someone stated earlier in he thread) is unfair.

He shows just as much integrity and heroism as Rey, he just doesn't have badass force powers.

Philip J. Fry
12-26-2015, 01:03 AM
I also think Finn was just as heroic as Rey. Summing him up as a "wannabe hero" (as someone stated earlier in he thread) is unfair.Most definitely. I think he might not seem as heroic because, well, he doesn't have Rey's powers and because he seems more reluctant and insecure about it.

He shows just as much integrity and heroism as Rey, he just doesn't have badass force powers.True, true. We're still not sure he doesn't have Jedi powers, though.

TGM
12-26-2015, 01:04 AM
Being tempted by the dark side, by negative emotions, by any sort of conflict is a staple of fiction of all kinds. If you have a character, specially one who is very physically powerful like Rey, and you don't give him/her any kind of struggle (and I mean real struggle, the one where there is actual suffering), you're not only going to have a very flat and boring character, the writing will feel lazy.

There are tons of reasons to tempt a character with the dark side which gives us several ways to play that kind of story.

Didn't say there shouldn't be conflict of some kind, just that that particular conflict has been done and done again already in this series, and it'd be nice to see something new and fresh instead for a change.

Philip J. Fry
12-26-2015, 01:07 AM
Didn't say there shouldn't be conflict of some kind, just that that particular conflict has been done and done again already in this series, and it'd be nice to see something new and fresh instead for a change.If they find another way, I welcome it. I have doubts they'd try that, though.

Ezee E
12-26-2015, 04:05 AM
I'm guessing VIII will have Rey sidelined in a similar way that Luke was when he was with Yoda for a bit.

At the same time, perhaps Kylo will be sidelined with Snook.

So, what would the core be about?

Dukefrukem
12-26-2015, 02:53 PM
That's a shame about the Target set, but I was actually at the Disney store today looking for gifts and spotted this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v518/davidseven/IMG_2534_zpsqdfcutil.jpg


Was the only multi-character set I saw in the store. Snapped a photo because I had read the discussion above earlier.

Yeh my GF's nephew got that too. Also snapped a pic.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hzCRszwxAgK62_9ipTRvI_ReZhXGpB NW325pzMFuqOThakuvq5H5L6S9sKq7 Zg8QsZXF_kVAmRkiPk4LRmuEToPUQD u1SrbmslGo6JipgkA79rvk5iJNRk16 C60lWRD1KrmFMv-rpY4vT8c4scqW_wdQFNAISTeYC9OMC Fyd5O_GeGW3USXUlBAu24qtzsqvsUj N3AhsOzv88Ihu3wBvefYVciq41Vj3W f-CBLKbZnaaSz-zG3mo5LJEuaLjBU1InWcAhbZZhEFmA yyUk-FRPUgzDD-3zDBEZyfYubI_wsyNN_U5cV_8ZIUe6 xh0yOBUylohK6L8dAub504mRva8Ipb X3nOtKyJeT3zFgCOjxP-m40SsH_w_l4WqzMh7ZeX71IFJOUsC9 OXNl5J9yJJyK78itGygBZy5YDDM16t ARyOX8ipilEGgMuqR5RggcER-xNVc6vw8BFGFsWchewH2E8y2ol4V-bMVTxuhiBiHzknnVvGn1iTIJky_C6K 6vlMYwm47b2HHw68lGg9Ln06sy2nLD xTTlCFZe-ed8n2iXRbpqNPYoV1f7cHW_dvDi6DS xV7BQw=w1236-h927-no

bac0n
12-26-2015, 05:47 PM
Fin performed the single most heroic act in the entire movie, and he did so at the very beginning: he refused to mindlessly follow orders and slaughter the villagers, and later turned on the First Order, giving up the only life he had ever known and making himself a marked man, simply because "it was the right thing to do."

On second thought, that might be the single most heroic act in all of the Star Wars cannon.

Ezee E
12-26-2015, 10:45 PM
Fin performed the single most heroic act in the entire movie, and he did so at the very beginning: he refused to mindlessly follow orders and slaughter the villagers, and later turned on the First Order, giving up the only life he had ever known and making himself a marked man, simply because "it was the right thing to do."

On second thought, that might be the single most heroic act in all of the Star Wars cannon.


Wonderful post.

megladon8
12-27-2015, 03:56 AM
Anyone think there's any truth to the Internet speculation that Snoke is actually Darth Plagueis?

Dukefrukem
12-27-2015, 01:45 PM
Anyone think there's any truth to the Internet speculation that Snoke is actually Darth Plagueis?

There's no evidence so it's anyone's guess. Would be cool. Would be even cooler if that's how Anikan was born. Which means Luke is Plagueis's grandson. Which means Rey is Plagueis's great granddaughter. :)



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX7Zv0yID7g

Dukefrukem
12-27-2015, 01:52 PM
You guys are assuming that

1) Rey is Luke's kid. (please don't be true, for the love of God, please don't be true).

2) Luke is still a good guy.

I've decided I'd rather it be Obi-Wan's daughter instead.

Dukefrukem
12-27-2015, 02:11 PM
679255772501557248

Dukefrukem
12-27-2015, 02:35 PM
Whoa cool. The original title was going to be "Shadow of the Empire" Not to be confused with Shadows of the Empire.

Winston*
12-27-2015, 02:39 PM
I've decided I'd rather it be Obi-Wan's daughter instead.

How are you working out the time frames on that one? Ghost Ben out on the prowl?

Dukefrukem
12-27-2015, 05:06 PM
How are you working out the time frames on that one? Ghost Ben out on the prowl?

Midichlorians semen?

TGM
12-27-2015, 06:44 PM
Midichlorians semen?

Truly, the force works in mysterious ways...

Dukefrukem
12-27-2015, 06:46 PM
Winston's right though. I may have overshot that decade. Or maybe Rey was frozen in carbonite as a baby. (I'm just making stuff up)

Mr. McGibblets
12-27-2015, 08:54 PM
I don't think there's any specific reason she couldn't be Obi-Wan's granddaughter or great-granddaughter.

megladon8
12-27-2015, 09:11 PM
I don't care who her parents are. She's a wonderful character regardless.

Both of the young leads are. With these two at the forefront, the future of the franchise is bright.

Russ
12-27-2015, 10:11 PM
Isn't it obvious that she is Kylo Ren's sister???

Dukefrukem
12-27-2015, 10:44 PM
I don't think there's any specific reason she couldn't be Obi-Wan's granddaughter or great-granddaughter.

That would imply Obi-Wan had kids though. Which hasn't been documented.

I'm on a Star Wars kick right now. Just watched The Clone Wars movie. Wow that was bad.

megladon8
12-27-2015, 10:53 PM
Isn't it obvious that she is Kylo Ren's sister???

According to Disney Infinity, they're cousins.

Dukefrukem
12-27-2015, 10:56 PM
Wait what? Why would that be obvious? And why wouldn't Han or Leia mention her when talking about their son? Would be kinda odd. Would be odder that they left/abandoned her on that planet.

Scar
12-27-2015, 11:13 PM
According to Disney Infinity, they're cousins.

Debunked.

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Kylo-Ren-Rumor-About-His-Relationship-Rey-Here-Truth-102167.html

Russ
12-27-2015, 11:40 PM
Wait what? Why would that be obvious? And why wouldn't Han or Leia mention her when talking about their son? Would be kinda odd. Would be odder that they left/abandoned her on that planet.
Because Amidala had twins, both of whom had the Force (Luke and Leia). Wouldn't it also stand to reason that Leia might also have had twins with the same power? And they sent one to train with Luke -- which didn't exactly work out -- and the other was hidden on a remote planet, to protect her from discovery by The First Order, who were hell-bent on exterminating anyone with the Force who wasn't already indoctrinated on the Dark Side? Right?

Also, did you notice when everyone returned to the Rebel base (after Han had been killed), who Leia hugged? It sure as hell wasn't Chewie. It was Ren.

Poo-poo it all you want, but I'd be willing to bet good money that's exactly what's going to be revealed in Episode VIII

Russ
12-27-2015, 11:48 PM
And the reason why Han or Leia don't mention her when talking about their son?

Because that's typical sleight-of-hand of a skilled director/screenwriter trying to throw you off the scent of the trail. Isn't that the best way to spring a surprise on you for the next installment?

That's standard subterfuge 101.

megladon8
12-28-2015, 01:03 AM
My money is still on her being Luke's daughter.

Irish
12-28-2015, 02:35 AM
Because that's typical sleight-of-hand of a skilled director/screenwriter trying to throw you off the scent of the trail. Isn't that the best way to spring a surprise on you for the next installment?

Honestly, that isn't a skilled director doing anything. It's just bad writing.

The bigger question is whether anyone's lineage in these movies matters at all, or whether the question is just a cheap device to add emotional stakes to an otherwise rootless story.

When you find out who Evelyn Mulwray's sister is in Chinatown, or who Luke's father is in Return of the Jedi, that moment has weight. It not only changes how the audience looks at the character, it changes how that character approaches their own life. It has meaning for the story.

But if Rey's parents turn out to be anybody already listed? What will that change? Nothing, really. Except superfans will get to see a Skywalker fight a Solo in a match-up that's almost as lame as Batman v Superman.

Russ
12-28-2015, 02:38 AM
i don't dispute any of that.

Ezee E
12-28-2015, 04:32 AM
Even if they didn't want to talk to Rey about it at the time, it seems at least that Han/Leia would speak about their daughter during their conversations with each other.

I don't think it's obvious at all.

DavidSeven
12-28-2015, 06:21 AM
The only thing obvious is that they wrote it to knowing people would obsess over floating every possible theory imaginable. This is J.J. Abrams.

I'm not going to preemptively criticize the film for fan theories that haven't materialized. If it's handled well, it's handled well. I couldn't care less how "predictable" or surprising it is.

Irish
12-28-2015, 06:28 AM
The first film is more fun than "handled well," and it benefits greatly from low expectations. So I don't have much hope that they'll evolve these minor questions into something that resonates, much less at a Luke, I am your father level (which seems to be the genesis of the theories).

But we'll see.

Edited to add: Arguably, criticizing the fan theories isn't a criticism of the next film. It's a criticism of this one.

Spinal
12-28-2015, 04:27 PM
This was pretty good, but not really the revelation I was hoping for. It suffers from comparison to Mad Max: Fury Road which is more exciting, more hip and not as eager to point out that its female protagonist doesn't need her hand held. Somehow Leia in the original films came across as a stronger woman despite the fact that she was often relegated to a love interest or a damsel in distress. The strength was in Carrie Fisher's attitude, her everything-going-on-around-me-is-bullshit smirk. By contrast, Rey has the feeling of a character specifically crafted and sanitized for Twitter approval. The film's family tree mysteries and legacies also feel shallow in comparison to something like Game of Thrones. Even a moment where we learn the fate of the series' best loved character fails to elicit much in the way of authentic emotion, because aren't we simply recycling through the same shallow soap opera machinations from 35 years ago? When the characters say that the fate of the universe is at stake, do you really feel that? Do you really care? I didn't. The goal, for me, is too vague. To me, these characters aren't people, so much as roughly sketched outlines for action figures.

That said, it was pleasant enough. I thought Adam Driver was surprisingly effective, although it made me wish I had never seen Girls. Harrison Ford reminded me why he was the MVP of the original cast, bringing life to the film just when it needed it. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about Fisher here, who seemed largely disconnected and without investment. Oscar Isaac is one of the best actors working. Hopefully he gets more to do in future installments. And I really liked how Abrams used moments of the special effects interacting with the environment (x-wing fighters creating waves on the water, light sabers in the snow). My favorite scene comes early. I really liked the idea of following a masked stormtrooper having a moral crisis and breaking away from the pack. I liked how jarring and surprising that felt, considering we have been trained to not consider the characters to be anything more than blaster fodder.

So, in the end, it is probably a better film than The Phantom Menace, but only by playing the game with disappointing conservatism.

Watashi
12-28-2015, 05:37 PM
What if they don't address her lineage at all and she's just another Anakin?

Spinal
12-28-2015, 05:46 PM
What if they don't address her lineage at all and she's just another Anakin?

I think she's obviously Yoda's progeny.

Sycophant
12-28-2015, 11:37 PM
She's Luke's daughter alright.

Virgin birth though.

Gizmo
12-29-2015, 12:00 PM
Has anyone given thought to the idea that she may be Jar-Jar's daughter?

Morris Schæffer
12-29-2015, 02:30 PM
Has anyone given thought to the idea that she may be Jar-Jar's daughter?

I haven't, but you're on to something!

Dead & Messed Up
12-29-2015, 03:21 PM
I wonder who her parents are.

Sure is a mystery.

Looks like JJ "Mystery Box" Abrams has done it again.

bac0n
12-30-2015, 07:03 PM
Me, I'm leaning towards Lieutenant Uhura and Gandalf.

Sycophant
12-30-2015, 07:32 PM
As someone who's let a lot of big franchise movies pass me by, who's pretty uninterested in Marvel, and [boring hipster bullshit goes here] yada ya, it's been pretty interesting to see just how much a hold Star Wars still has on me.

Spinal
12-30-2015, 08:55 PM
Abrams' big advance is said to be supplanting the whiter-than-white protagonists of the original Star Wars with a young woman and a black male. This hardly is a cinematic breakthrough, as other moviemakers who understand the demands of a gender- and culturally diverse audience have been doing it for years. But as a "rebooting," the term ubiquitously applied to The Force Awakens, it feels entirely market-oriented, the way the Tide logo gets periodically redesigned to look fresh or the trademark figures of Betty Crocker and the Gerber Foods mom are redrawn to stay "modern."

I agree with the general thrust of this article (http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-star-wars-the-force-awakens-stinks-20151226-column.html), although I'm not crazy about the sensationalistic headline.

Pop Trash
12-30-2015, 09:29 PM
I agree with the general thrust of this article (http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-star-wars-the-force-awakens-stinks-20151226-column.html), although I'm not crazy about the sensationalistic headline.

Terrible old crank just like Mr. Simon in this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky9-eIlHzAE

Irish
12-30-2015, 10:02 PM
I agree with the general thrust of this article (http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-star-wars-the-force-awakens-stinks-20151226-column.html), although I'm not crazy about the sensationalistic headline.

He isn't wrong—hell I've complained about Disney for at least five years—but his criticism isn't specific to The Force Awakens. He could just as easily write the same article about the Avengers movies or the Cars franchise. Hell, he could have written the same article way back in 1983 about Return of the Jedi and those pesky Ewoks.

Disney made Cinderella II, FFS. They have a history of pumping out shitty DTV sequels that kids watch and parents loathe. This guy is shocked and disheartened that they'd milk Star Wars for all it is worth?

Nobody rolls the dice with $200 or $300 million budgets. Of course it's gonna be formula. Who wants to lose their jobs over this shit and be hated the way George Lucas is hated?

transmogrifier
12-31-2015, 03:55 PM
A couple of weeks on, I can now say that I'm astounded at the number of people who have had A New Hope blatantly fed back to them with little in the way of true craft or inspiration (but certainly a little stupider), but are still willing to proclaim this as something amazing. The last half was interminable and the clumsy, lazy way all the plot conveniences have been written off as "we'll learn that in the sequel" is simply asinine.

Lazlo
12-31-2015, 04:29 PM
A couple of weeks on, I can now say that I'm astounded at the number of people who have had A New Hope blatantly fed back to them with little in the way of true craft or inspiration (but certainly a little stupider), but are still willing to proclaim this as something amazing. The last half was interminable and the clumsy, lazy way all the plot conveniences have been written off as "we'll learn that in the sequel" is simply asinine.

Be astounded! It's amazing! :D

Spinal
12-31-2015, 04:55 PM
A couple of weeks on, I can now say that I'm astounded at the number of people who have had A New Hope blatantly fed back to them with little in the way of true craft or inspiration (but certainly a little stupider), but are still willing to proclaim this as something amazing. The last half was interminable and the clumsy, lazy way all the plot conveniences have been written off as "we'll learn that in the sequel" is simply asinine.

Yeah, five days after seeing it, it's deflating to realize that virtually nothing about the film, apart from perhaps Adam Driver's performance, has really stuck with me.

number8
12-31-2015, 05:26 PM
Driver was my biggest takeaway in the first viewing, but on my second I was actually appreciating Ridley more.

Henry Gale
12-31-2015, 08:45 PM
Driver was my biggest takeaway in the first viewing, but on my second I was actually appreciating Ridley more.

Same. I found her even more charming and gripping in all the right places that second time. The inner battle of her sorrow and hope and where she wants to continue with them (particularly post-Force awareness) comes through in her performance more and more. And it made her and Kylo's final fight even more potent, both in the moment and realizing how it would extend into the future.

Plus Boyega, who I felt was funnier and more emotionally strong, but I honestly think after seeing him do so much press + seeing Attack The Block so many times, it mainly took me a while to readjust to him speaking with an American accent on that first viewing. And now seeing him in more interviews, it's throwing me off all over again. It'd be a fitting homage to the originals if they pulled a Leia with the future episodes. (Drop the accent entirely.)

Still really wish they'd had more of Isaac. Doesn't help that both times I've seen it, the X-wing stuff was conceived and edited in such a way that my brain tuned out. As they pulled away, I went, "Oh, I guess they did it."

TGM
12-31-2015, 08:55 PM
Still really wish they'd had more of Isaac. Doesn't help that both times I've seen it, the X-wing stuff was conceived and edited in such a way that my brain tuned out. As they pulled away, I went, "Oh, I guess they did it."

Yes, this stuck out especially the second time around. When he was flying through the trenches and taking out the Starkiller Base, it was like watching a brand new scene that I had never seen before. I was like, "... huh, did I really tune out that much the first time I watched this?!" I literally didn't recall any of it. o.O

DavidSeven
12-31-2015, 09:26 PM
I feel like the prevalent argument that the film is a regurgitation of ANH are a little overstated. There are some obvious call-backs, but the larger, more affecting narratives are new. The journey of a conflicted Storm Trooper is at the core of this thing -- and I really think this was a fun and interesting place to go with the larger mythology. Remind me what that's aping from Episode 4? (I could honestly be overlooking something.) Kylo Ren is infinitely more interesting than the first incarnation of Darth Vader, who was little more than a slightly embarrassing cartoon occupying a few minutes of screen time in the first movie. It wasn't until Empire that they fleshed Vader out, shot him in a more interesting and intimidating way, and made him crucial to the overall mythology. I think Ren is already the best villain they've written and one of the best blockbuster villains we've seen in a long time.

Also, to me, arguments about wanting to see more with this actor or that actor don't seem to speak to the merits of the movie, just that the critic is a fan of that particular actor. I guess if they did anything wrong in that regard it's that they cast popular actors in minor roles. On the page, I doubt anyone's thinking that they're really "under-utilizing" Captain Phasma. Watching it, I didn't even know who was playing that character and didn't think twice about wanting to see more of her.

Above all the character stuff though, I think this is just a really well-made movie, which seems to be getting lost in these arguments against how creative the plot is or how progressive the casting choices actually are. The film features an excellent integration of grounded VFX, a dynamic camera, some really cool performances and character design, and, IMO, a well told story (even if it is slightly familiar). I won't claim it's high art or the greatest sci-fi adventure of all time, but within the modern "blockbuster" category, I think it does more than enough to set itself apart and warrant some acclaim.

Dead & Messed Up
01-01-2016, 02:08 AM
I feel like the prevalent argument that the film is a regurgitation of ANH are a little overstated. There are some obvious call-backs, but the larger, more affecting narratives are new. The journey of a conflicted Storm Trooper is at the core of this thing -- and I really think this was a fun and interesting place to go with the larger mythology. Remind me what that's aping from Episode 4? (I could honestly be overlooking something.)

This was a pretty idea, but I thought they stopped Finn's arc way too soon in pursuit of a much more traditional coward-to-hero thing. The second you meet him, he's terrified and wants to escape, which made little sense to me given his backstory of no prior violations and a long life serving the Empire. I actually thought they missed a great opportunity to pull Finn's story back and parallel him against Rey. She's a girl who dreams of something more (sort of*), and what if we started with him as a grunt Trooper who hears kickass stories from his peers, gets his first opportunity to serve the Empire, and ends up in the middle of Desert Planet My Lai?

That would've fucked up the plotting, since he has to meet Rey at the appropriate time to group together, but basically starting with him at a certain ground level, the way we do with prior Star Wars characters like Luke and Han in IV, instead of in the middle of some enormous transitional moment, would've helped the story. Maybe it wouldn't've taken much time at all. Five minutes? I'm happy to move real estate from that useless Starkiller bullshit to more character-building at the beginning.

*I found Rey bewildering. Ignoring the Mary Sue arguments online, her main motivation early on is that she wants her parents to return to Jakku, which is why she's still there. Okay. We have no sense of her backstory, just that there is one, but okay. Also, her enthusiasm to hear about the Jedi and Luke is palpable, but it's never made clear that her interest extends beyond childlike enthusiasm into a real desire to be that kind of person, the way it did for Luke (there's no "I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi" beat to bring it home). The back half of her story has little to do with the start, probably because Abrams and Kasdan thinks it's more interesting that we don't know the details of her family issues, so it becomes all about her Force powers increasing. Oddly, this power increase doesn't pay off or complicate anything. It doesn't pay off a question about her line, it just re-raises the question. It doesn't pay off an emotional issue, because her empowerment isn't a story response to earlier feelings of disempowerment (she's already a tough, morally upright girl).

My frustration reached a fever pitch when we got to her dream sequence, which is basically the antithesis of the dream sequences in Empire and even Sith, where what we see is immediately clear and establishes a crucial anxiety (Luke's volatility compared to Vader, Anakin's fear of losing his wife). Instead, Rey gets a flurry of context-less images that we'll need further sequels to clarify. And we already needed those sequels to clarify not only her lineage but the impact of her childhood abandonment beyond her sticking around to wait. Star Wars doesn't need to play this game with its characters. Part of the fun is that the originals were mercifully clear about what their heroes were all about.

Dukefrukem
01-04-2016, 01:56 AM
$20 more mil and it will become the all time highest grossing domestic take ever.

It would need to earn another $1000 mil to become the highest grossing domestic take accounting for inflation.

Morris Schæffer
01-05-2016, 10:37 AM
Just a heads-up, today Avatar will be surpassed!

What Avatar made in 70 days, 760 mil, SWTFA did in 16!!

EDIT: Lol, you could say we now have teaser posts for posts.

number8
01-05-2016, 02:31 PM
Hasbro releases an official statement explaining why the new Star Wars Monopoly doesn't include Rey.


The Star Wars: Monopoly game was released in September, months before the movie’s release, and Rey was not included to avoid revealing a key plot line that she takes on Kylo Ren and joins the Rebel Alliance.

????

D_Davis
01-05-2016, 03:43 PM
How are you working out the time frames on that one? Ghost Ben out on the prowl?

Well, uhm, the power of myth....

Spinal
01-05-2016, 04:05 PM
Hasbro releases an official statement explaining why the new Star Wars Monopoly doesn't include Rey.


Anyone who couldn't figure out that plot point from the trailer most likely wouldn't care if it was spoiled.

number8
01-05-2016, 04:09 PM
Anyone who couldn't figure out that plot point from the trailer most likely wouldn't care if it was spoiled.

Nevermind figuring it out, I don't think there was ever any indication that Rey was a villain in the first place. Even so, it's fucking Monopoly player tokens, what does her alignment matters? The player tokens even include Kylo and Vader, so that explanation makes no sense whatsoever.

Spinal
01-05-2016, 04:14 PM
Nevermind figuring it out, I don't think there was ever any indication that Rey was a villain in the first place. Even so, it's fucking Monopoly player tokens, what does her alignment matters? The player tokens even include Kylo and Vader, so that explanation makes no sense whatsoever.

What? Vader? So is it a game for the whole saga and not just this movie?

And yes, it's hard to imagine who they thought would be satisfied by that explanation. Maybe they thought they could use a Jedi mind trick.

Spinal
01-05-2016, 04:21 PM
OK, I looked into this. Their problem is that they only have 4 tokens and are trying to represent both the old trilogies and the new trilogies. If they left out Finn, they would have been accused of being racist, not sexist. Just make more tokens! Since when does Monopoly have 4 tokens? Also, have you not paid attention to social media for the past 5 years? Silly.

D_Davis
01-05-2016, 04:26 PM
The worst part of all of this is that people are still playing such a shitty board game, especially when we're right smack in the middle of the greatest era for board games ever.

No one, ever, should buy or play Monopoly.

number8
01-05-2016, 04:26 PM
Also, have you not paid attention to social media for the past 5 years? Silly.

This is the bizarre part to me. How does a giant toy manufacturer not pay attention to societal trends? Toys R Us was all over the news last year for getting rid of gendered aisles, for chrissakes. It's not that hard to figure out.

Spinal
01-05-2016, 05:14 PM
In discussing this on FB with a friend, we decided that the Dark side should be Kylo Ren paired with a really evil thimble.

Irish
01-05-2016, 07:42 PM
This is the bizarre part to me. How does a giant toy manufacturer not pay attention to societal trends?

They're not paying attention to a trend unless it shows up on a report, as a specific metric, from a trusted third party.

Twitter chatter and a #hottake in HuffPo doesn't count.

Dukefrukem
01-05-2016, 07:47 PM
The worst part of all of this is that people are still playing such a shitty board game, especially when we're right smack in the middle of the greatest era for board games ever.

No one, ever, should buy or play Monopoly.


Ooooo I want to neg rep you so hard.


Monopoly is my favorite game. Ever.

Irish
01-05-2016, 07:51 PM
Duke is that kid who always insists on being the goddamn banker.

;)

number8
01-05-2016, 08:48 PM
Better game: http://www.amazon.com/University-Games-1851-Anti-Monopoly-Board/dp/B0007Q1J9I/

The irony of the link is intentional, in case you're wondering.

megladon8
01-05-2016, 08:48 PM
Still wonderful the second time.

Not a thing I didn't like.

D_Davis
01-05-2016, 09:01 PM
Ooooo I want to neg rep you so hard.


Monopoly is my favorite game. Ever.


There are literally a thousand better games with similar themes.

Have you played any of the European economic/trading games?

Spinal
01-07-2016, 09:42 PM
This takedown of HuffPost clickbait (https://www.facebook.com/notes/matty-granger/at-long-lastmy-star-wars-episode-vii-review-the-force-awakens-the-rise-of-idiot-/10153163095086277) is pretty excellent.


34. How do the Rathtars on Han's freighter get loose?

Rey in an attempt to throw some fuses to close the doors between Han and the two gangs, hits the wrong fuse and instead opens the Rathar cages. She even has dialogue about it. WATCH THE FUCKING MOVIE!

number8
01-07-2016, 09:57 PM
I honestly think half the "plot holes" that get mentioned in listicles and "humor" videos are compiled by people who fell asleep for chunks of the movie and didn't have any friends to ask to clear things up for them.

Dead & Messed Up
01-07-2016, 10:11 PM
I think nine times out of ten they don't know what "plot hole" means, because it most often means "something stupid" or "a thing I didn't like."

Spinal
01-07-2016, 10:53 PM
This isn't necessarily related to the article I posted, but I also hate it when people cite characters acting irrationally as evidence of a plot hole. I'm thinking, hey, read the news on a daily basis. People act irrationally all the time. The question is not 'Did they make the most logical and healthy choice available?' The question should be 'Did they make a choice that is understandable under the circumstances?'

transmogrifier
01-08-2016, 04:24 AM
Yes, people act irrationally in real life, but there is something inherently dramatically unsatisfying when irrational or inexplicable decisions conveniently underpin plot turns. Not saying TFA does this (I can't think of an example of it doing so), but in general.

MadMan
01-08-2016, 08:53 AM
I saw this on opening weekend with friends. The crowd was great and the film was wonderful to me. I loved the new cast and despite some issues with the story I was grinning for most of the film. No more Han makes me sad. What a way for him to go out.

Bring on the next one. Also more Fin-Poe bromance, please. Rey is also totally the daughter of either the Solos or Luke.

Yxklyx
01-09-2016, 02:08 AM
Don't know if I mentioned this but my favorite part of this movie was the beginning and seeing Max von Sydow still alive and acting.

Skitch
01-09-2016, 04:54 AM
Finally made it to The Star Wars (unspoiled as well)! I enjoyed it thoroughly, its quite good but not great. The younger cast outshine the older, completely. Several of my speculations were accurate.
- Han or Chewie will die
- Kylo Ren probably Solo child
- Rei possibly Skywalker
Like others have said, next flick is gonna rule. I still have reservations about a few things, need more watches and time.

MadMan
01-09-2016, 06:54 AM
Don't know if I mentioned this but my favorite part of this movie was the beginning and seeing Max von Sydow still alive and acting.

I wish he had been in the film more. I'm sure the other sequels will flesh out his character's meaning a little bit. I wonder how he knew Kylo.

megladon8
01-09-2016, 07:20 AM
Latest fan theory - Snoke is Vader!

Cause like, Snoke has scars. And Vader had scars too. And stuff.

Dead & Messed Up
01-09-2016, 04:27 PM
Snoke is Leia playing both sides against the middle. All hail the encroaching Hair Bun Empire.

Dukefrukem
01-09-2016, 09:37 PM
https://vimeo.com/148551759

Dukefrukem
01-14-2016, 03:12 PM
https://vimeo.com/151728142

Grouchy
01-19-2016, 01:48 PM
Have you played any of the European economic/trading games?
I played a German one. I don't remember what it's called but it was pretty excellent. Here's a picture in case you recognize it:

https://scontent-gru2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xta1/v/t1.0-9/11951776_10206527775020393_559 4054321241439108_n.jpg?oh=dbf6 aacf5677a346aeaa1b89843c5bfe&oe=5730F165

Aaaaaand I liked the movie, but only marginally so. The appeal of seeing the Star Wars universe on the big screen again is such it makes me (and surely many others) overlook how poor the writing is on this thing. It's basically official fan fiction. It, however, offers some solid moments and to have the plot constantly moved forward by action set pieces is a great choice. I feel like the actors they chose for the young generation of characters are all excellent, but the characters themselves are pretty sketchily drawn. I don't get what the big deal is with Rey, for example. I see a standard, clichéd protagonist and her Force-using escape doesn't ring true at all given what we've seen about Luke's training, unless the point is that she's a SuperMegaJedi or something. Same with Omar Sharif, I mean Oscar Isaac - love the actor but the character is a stereotype, and I don't really understand why he's randomly separated from the action for so long. I like Finn the most although his opening scenes kept reminding me of Gary the Stormtrooper (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll-paoQXRSA). But Boyega's comedic timing is great and the character's background is certainly one of the very few displays of creativity from Abrams.

The movie still errs on the side of greatness, though. Solo and Chewie steal the show, and the first one's final scene is as dramatic a moment as the saga is known for providing. Maz Nakata and Snoke are visually arresting characters and I hope to see more of them or more of that kind of thing in general. The final scene is epic. Just majestic and I agree that it seems that setting up a moment like that was the creative inspiration behind making more sequels at all.

Comparing this with the prequels puts me in a contradictory position. On the one hand I wish this movie showed some balls and that the writers had spent time coming up with ways to expand what we know about the Star Wars universe, maybe relying on the tons and tons of pages that have been already written about it. On the other hand, the work Lucas did on the prequels was certainly that and it failed spectacularly. I am the same person who criticized The Phantom Menace for making Anakin an inconsequential character to the plot and focusing on some trading disagreement and a car race instead of the fate of the known universe. So maybe this is the sort of sequel that I wanted all along. We'll see. Fortunately, there's plenty more Star Wars to come and we'll be there watching it.

Grouchy
01-19-2016, 04:05 PM
Davis, found the name. It's called Siedler Von Catan (The Settlers of Catan).

[ETM]
01-19-2016, 04:08 PM
Yeah, it's Settlers of Catan. True entry drug when it comes to such board games.

Dukefrukem
01-24-2016, 10:45 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRQPwJ0O24M

Stay Puft
01-25-2016, 12:21 AM
I agree with trans here. The new ingredients were surprisingly good (I'm looking forward to more Rey and Finn in the next episode) but it's all too A Newer Hope / Another Hope / A New Hope Reloaded / New Hope Harder / New Hopes / New Hope 2: Skywalker Boogaloo and that sunk my enthusiasm pretty quick. This saga has been fond of its repetition and parallelism but this one had me groaning with all the fan service.

I'm not much of a Star Wars fan and actually had no intention of seeing it (Disney + Star Wars = zzz), but my friends really wanted to go and... well, despite still voting nay, in a weird way I'm glad I saw it. I mean, I thought it largely sucked, but I legitimately loved the ending and it left me feeling optimistic that this new trilogy may yet forge its own identity. That and Rian Johnson is up next. I'm excited to see what he does with it.

Philip J. Fry
02-21-2016, 09:32 PM
Found this on the internet. Made me laugh.

https://scontent.felp1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/12728975_491705061002568_56494 00410137099781_n.jpg?_nc_eui=A RiiiW5Crv68Zy99j9Zw3SbMRQ7rJgp P0OPbqOho5pNjEt_tUW_DOv0Fvd8H&oh=5d319a99653353701229bc5c4ae bd858&oe=57566331https://scontent.felp1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/12734065_491705071002567_67092 00890639126657_n.jpg?_nc_eui=A RhGFqeCSJutQJUbDPOMsOV0kiSJugM 1etOeR64J0kK_8n-B7h9wgrElXBHw&oh=29f974d063045f75171d8d66dfa c392a&oe=577122E1
https://scontent.felp1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtf1/v/t1.0-9/12733621_491705084335899_69735 12858897612491_n.jpg?_nc_eui=A RhxgiBZAB7d4WU5pjBqpIRlI3aaoA1 WuZvGzl_0_3VG6Dlm_5QxYt-5IoyJ&oh=a179460c0eb07597314aa8037cc cb95e&oe=572B9827
https://scontent.felp1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtl1/v/t1.0-9/12741919_491705094335898_76899 12548840278015_n.jpg?_nc_eui=A RhZxey8OkiuUQtkDX5eb4rPrAp9dOn SYyFTfX4LPsbyz6gjbRnwXiuJNP_w&oh=34ac75ecad78ccf50d6fe3c15b5 6762d&oe=572BAD86
https://scontent.felp1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/12745462_491705111002563_59384 69723259095488_n.jpg?_nc_eui=A Rh3JdP2Ek9AT8b2f8MmK6SEtCnwz19 wf7TIu_AwWk5i7VrfVDF15xt6CSnT&oh=bae29b7c11b4a2a74dd83d9448d 05cc7&oe=5766B62F
https://scontent.felp1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/12705495_491705127669228_41406 67072672859675_n.jpg?_nc_eui=A Rj1tsBXcfq18p9GitYaLtfPBl4m5jQ 1sWwu53QWEfpDqYVtbUp_xGngrwAS&oh=d4b01dde9f20e0dd73adeab6ba1 b1d84&oe=572AAEA9
https://scontent.felp1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xlp1/v/t1.0-9/12717682_491705144335893_13310 45707068604906_n.jpg?_nc_eui=A RiKPCWi7d9wnsEmEzRXo9ROLjTW3MB sIC3RZMefQMa766Tg85WKqjslJGsP&oh=88aeda31c9da3ac72a945f5dd8c 38387&oe=575C9305
https://scontent.felp1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpl1/v/t1.0-9/12734133_491705161002558_17992 9854167128323_n.jpg?_nc_eui=AR iLGqrvP0ghC8WVfLHqBt-wp_yCFKEs4goQkfIHBLa8oE_XmHPGt zbAZs7e&oh=851ac6dbc737caff827374936de bc228&oe=5758B0AB
https://scontent.felp1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtf1/v/t1.0-9/12741913_491705174335890_15743 27145360125480_n.jpg?_nc_eui=A RgKtOq_ZKTt1tOuFax-JrPwrHnyEyYnj5ZR0Q3_64fdpeandJ uSSJK5K1M7&oh=a2c36c850128294b7517448fb35 04507&oe=57299B5F
https://scontent.felp1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpl1/v/t1.0-9/12705266_491705187669222_10200 70751583648878_n.jpg?_nc_eui=A RiA1-GJujAeaTHvYdKHdgQPaVPIe-9sbFJV4RfrPRjSlExlP15-7R7cxx1K&oh=772a35a78abe9609ba5d4c94d86 70a63&oe=575456EE

Sycophant
02-21-2016, 10:37 PM
Well done, but I was hoping it would be a Perfect Cast joke at the end instead.

Philip J. Fry
02-22-2016, 12:47 AM
Well done, but I was hoping it would be a Perfect Cast joke at the end instead.I thought Goofy's laugh was perfectly cast at the end, though.

number8
02-22-2016, 03:57 AM
Yeah should've been killed by a fishing rod.

Dukefrukem
03-23-2016, 03:07 PM
What a weird article.

http://gizmodo.com/you-can-now-torrent-a-blu-ray-version-of-star-wars-the-1766611796

Morris Schæffer
03-30-2016, 10:41 AM
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/05/shipbreakers/gwin-text

Kinda neat. The crashed star destroyers on Jakku came from Bangladesh’s shipbreaking yards.

edit: Wow, this is indeed intimidating.

http://www.travelyourassoff.com/2012/01/abandon-ship-chittagong-ship-breaking.html

Dukefrukem
04-02-2016, 03:12 AM
Rewatched this tonight now that it's available. Lowered my grade. Aside from all the retreading, it's just not an enjoyable romp/journey like the other original movies are.

Also I'm convinced Rey is related to Luke now.

Ezee E
04-02-2016, 01:26 PM
Also I'm convinced Rey is related to Luke now.

Of course. I never was into the Han/Leia daughter idea. I still think they know, which still explains every hug, look, etc.

Dukefrukem
04-02-2016, 01:34 PM
Of course. I never was into the Han/Leia daughter idea. I still think they know, which still explains every hug, look, etc.

It would also explain why Rey's is so powerful.

Whomever left Rey on Jakku did so on purpose.

Dukefrukem
04-04-2016, 11:24 PM
So I guess Han and Leia weren't around enough for the first 25 years of Ben's life which is why he's so angry.

Wut?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yZfwPIH3W8

transmogrifier
04-05-2016, 01:02 AM
As time passes, this film sits a little worse in the memory. Such a missed opportunity.

megladon8
04-05-2016, 04:42 AM
I thought that the BR cover art on Amazon was just a placeholder, but no, it's the actual cover art.

Morris Schæffer
04-05-2016, 05:18 AM
I thought that the BR cover art on Amazon was just a placeholder, but no, it's the actual cover art.

caught my attention as well.

The art for the soundtrack album is pretty inspired too! :D

TGM
04-05-2016, 07:47 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs3sVrm_W4o

[ETM]
04-05-2016, 08:29 PM
God, I hate "Honest Trailers".

Dukefrukem
04-05-2016, 08:38 PM
I love Honest Trailers. This one is especially good since they brought back the original voice over guy who went to fight in the Middle East. Nice to hear him.

And I loled at "A perfectly waste of the RAID cast" and "butthole eyes"

Scar
04-05-2016, 08:38 PM
It's grown on me like a fungus.

number8
04-05-2016, 08:47 PM
I'll have an opinion one of these days I get around to watching one.

[ETM]
04-05-2016, 08:51 PM
I sometimes try, but it drains me pretty quickly.

Skitch
04-05-2016, 10:39 PM
I fail and click about every tenth on posted on MC, hoping one will be funny. I'll save you six minutes, they say its a remake of A New Hope...over and over and over.

Dead & Messed Up
04-06-2016, 04:42 AM
I like "Honest Trailers" well enough. A good sight better than those "Everything Wrong With" clips.

Skitch
04-06-2016, 05:01 AM
Yeah those are ten times worse for sure.

transmogrifier
04-06-2016, 08:51 AM
Its a remake of A New Hope...over and over and over.

So it mirrors the film quite accurately then?

Skitch
04-06-2016, 10:12 AM
So it mirrors the film quite accurately then?

I was making no statements on the film, just that the youtube vid is one-note as a comedy piece.

transmogrifier
04-06-2016, 12:13 PM
I was just jesting...

Grouchy
04-06-2016, 07:51 PM
Yeah, Honest Trailers make me laugh a lot. Those Everything Wrong... videos are the really annoying ones, specially since they go on forever.

Morris Schæffer
04-09-2016, 09:38 AM
Hm, this didn't improve on a second viewing. It feels too manufactured compared to the old movies. And yes, I'm counting Return of the Jedi among the old movies.

Scar
04-09-2016, 10:48 AM
*shrug* I've watched the bluray four times already.

megladon8
04-09-2016, 10:49 AM
Why would RoTJ not be counted among "the old movies"?

Dukefrukem
04-09-2016, 11:54 AM
Hm, this didn't improve on a second viewing. It feels too manufactured compared to the old movies. And yes, I'm counting Return of the Jedi among the old movies.

Agreed. It kept thinking to myself, where's my favorite part? Why am I watching this again? To setup two other movies?

Scar
04-09-2016, 03:11 PM
Agreed. It kept thinking to myself, where's my favorite part? Why am I watching this again? To setup two other movies?

That's damn near my reaction to the original Star Wars. However, I need to take into account that I saw Jedi in theaters as a little kid, then Empire, and then finally the original.

Morris Schæffer
04-09-2016, 05:21 PM
Why would RoTJ not be counted among "the old movies"?

Generally speaking, there's A New Hope and the Empire Strikes Back..............and then there's Return of the Jedi when it comes to the general consensus.

I love Episode VI as well and would without hesitation give it the full 4 stars. And yes, there have been numerous rewatches.