Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (USE SPOILER TAGS!)

[X400]

Oh and does anyone find Rey (daisy ridley) to be like a clone (pun intended) of Keira Knightley? not only does she sound and look like her, but she even smiles like her


one thing that really bothers me about the film, and it's a spoiler so don't look if you know...

[Show spoiler]it has to do with Han Solo's death... it was so undramatic and Chewy didn't seem to give a damn except to fire off 1 shot and continue with the mission... and later on when they return to base he just walks past Leia like 'i dont know you *****...' and the person to have that hug-fest over Han is Rey and Leia? wtf???? it's as if Chewy and Han weren't part of the movie and Han was just a random stormtrooper that died...

I was expecting Chewy to rig a pulley with his crossbow and head down that shaft to look for Hans body to bring back to Leia or give him a proper burial, or to check if maybe he survived... like Luke when he lost his arm and fell down that giant shaft..

-_-

Also, Ireland is gorgeous

[dyne]

Got to see it last night. Was it good? Absolutely. It was just too close to remake territory for me.

Originally Posted by Ill_Be_Back

They played it too safe to stay on the good side of the fans after the abysmal prequels.

Exactly how I felt the entire movie. They went in the entire opposite direction of the PT as far as giving people what they expect and I feel the movie suffered for it.

[PrestigeWorldwide]

Caught the 7PM last night and enjoyed it. They (JJ & the writers) got right what Lucas got wrong in the prequels, but the problem is that they didn't get right what Lucas got right. Story was lacking in some areas, but I still think we got a better movie than what we would have got with Lucas still in control. Of course, the best cast scenario would probably be Lucas writing the story and then JJ directing and the writers revising the dialog and scenes for more development and dramatic effect.

[Nocturnaloner]

On first viewing, my reaction is that it's a damn good Star Wars movie. The plot point similarities with the original didn't bother me as much as they seemed to have bothered others. We knew from the poster art if nothing else that there was another world destroying weapon that the good guys would have to take out. Beyond that, what really made it work was the intensity of the emotions that played out between the main cast. Driver, Ridley, and Boyega are fantastic. Kylo Ren's unhinged nature, Finn's fear and desire to be something more, and Rey's realization of her power are all shown in an incredibly compelling way. With that as the heart of the movie, all of the special effects and setpieces have a greater impact. Other elements may stand out more to me as I see it again, but that's what I took away from seeing it the first time.

[Davidius]

Saw it last night and have to say that it's an awful lot of deja vu. I gave it 4 stars because it is a fairly decent starting point for the new trilogy. Hopefully, with VIII and IX they bring something new and fresh to the table. Still a lot of unanswered questions from VII to be explored but that's Abrams in a nut shell.

[stvn1974]

Getting ready for my second viewing at 9am and then off to buy a crap ton of merchandise around town.

[Dickieduvet]

Originally Posted by X400

Oh and does anyone find Rey (daisy ridley) to be like a clone (pun intended) of Keira Knightley? not only does she sound and look like her, but she even smiles like her


one thing that really bothers me about the film, and it's a spoiler so don't look if you know...

[Show spoiler]it has to do with Han Solo's death... it was so undramatic and Chewy didn't seem to give a damn except to fire off 1 shot and continue with the mission... and later on when they return to base he just walks past Leia like 'i dont know you *****...' and the person to have that hug-fest over Han is Rey and Leia? wtf???? it's as if Chewy and Han weren't part of the movie and Han was just a random stormtrooper that died...

I was expecting Chewy to rig a pulley with his crossbow and head down that shaft to look for Hans body to bring back to Leia or give him a proper burial, or to check if maybe he survived... like Luke when he lost his arm and fell down that giant shaft..

-_-

Also, Ireland is gorgeous

Agree 100% , said exactly the same to my buddy after watching it

[Show spoiler]in regards to Chewie

[MorgolKing]

Originally Posted by Dickieduvet

Agree 100% , said exactly the same to my buddy after watching it

[Show spoiler]in regards to Chewie

Yeah I agree...disappointing.

[Show spoiler]the death of Han was not dramatic -- everyone int he audience except the young children could see it coming. Chewie didn't react realistically. Also it really really bothers me that that Finn and Rey, after picking up a light sabre for the first time in their lives, can hold their own and beat Kylo Ren, who was trained by Luke and Snoke with years of experience. Nobody even talks to Rey about the force and suddenly she can manipulate minds, control objects and beat a Sith master in training???? Not sure why people are willing to overlook this -- maybe b/c it's Star Wars

[tigertron]

Originally Posted by ariakon

I absolutely loved the movie (and most especially Rey!) but there were a few quibbles that kept it from being an Empire-like masterpiece for me.

[Show spoiler]

1. The SUPER death star mega weapon! I think blowing up 2 death stars in a New Hope and Return was enough.

2. Captain Phasma looking awesome like Boba Fett, and then getting taken out like a punk...just like Boba Fett. I hope they give her a meatier role in the sequels.

3. Blowing up the republic without explaining what it had become seemed an odd choice. I mean, was that the whole republic? If there's a republic, why does there need to be a resistance? I hope they have more than the six x-wings or so at the end of the movie. I'm sure the sequels will reveal this in greater detail, though, so it's a minor issue for me.

4. The music wasn't as memorable as the other Star Wars films. Say what you will about the prequels, but Williams still made excellent soundtracks for them. This one didn't really stick with me.

5. Ultra minor nitpicky stuff here, but Snoke is a funny name and Snoke himself wasn't that intimidating.

Still, though, I'm planning to see it again as soon as I can and I think I've fallen madly in love with Rey, ha. I don't think any movie is perfect, and overall it was as good as I hoped it would be, which really says something, as I put an awful lot of hope into this movie.

I agree with the points that you made, those were the quibbles that I had with the movie too, but I loved it so much I'm willing to overlook those things (for now).

[Rodney-2187]

SPOILER FREE:

When I first imagined what the prequels would be like before they were released, I imagined movies with the style of Star Wars, but with improved visual effects, etc. That is exactly what this movie is. It's like Star Wars planted a seed and The Force Awakens is what it has grown into.

There is humor, but not stepping in poop humor. Instead the humor is in the form of witty one liners. There are some seriously detailed practical sets that just simply blew me away. I thought I was looking at a Ridley Scott Alien or Blade Runner set. In several places, the visual style is very different from any other Star Wars movie, like the way the camera moves and so on. I didn't mind it, in fact I enjoyed it very much. It's what I meant by saying The Force Awakens is what Star Wars has grown into. No offense to prequel-lovers, but I am happy that the sequels appear to be going this direction and not in the direction of green-screen sets and fart jokes. Some of the best acting I've seen in a Star Wars movie is in The Force Awakens.

I can find a few things I didn't like, but that can be said of any movie. I thoroughly enjoyed myself in all aspects.

One thing is for sure, the anticipation for EPISODE VIII just went OFF THE SCALE!

[BladeRunner2007]

So this movie is basically a "rehash" of ANH? Spoiler-free please

[Nada]

Originally Posted by MorgolKing

Yeah I agree...disappointing.

[Show spoiler]the death of Han was not dramatic -- everyone int he audience except the young children could see it coming. Chewie didn't react realistically. Also it really really bothers me that that Finn and Rey, after picking up a light sabre for the first time in their lives, can hold their own and beat Kylo Ren, who was trained by Luke and Snoke with years of experience. Nobody even talks to Rey about the force and suddenly she can manipulate minds, control objects and beat a Sith master in training???? Not sure why people are willing to overlook this -- maybe b/c it's Star Wars

[Show spoiler]I reckon she's either Han/Leia or Luke's daughter that they abandoned on Jakku, the ass end of space, after everything went so horribly wrong with Ben.

[A Sith Lord?]

Originally Posted by MorgolKing

Yeah I agree...disappointing.

[Show spoiler]the death of Han was not dramatic -- everyone int he audience except the young children could see it coming. Chewie didn't react realistically. Also it really really bothers me that that Finn and Rey, after picking up a light sabre for the first time in their lives, can hold their own and beat Kylo Ren, who was trained by Luke and Snoke with years of experience. Nobody even talks to Rey about the force and suddenly she can manipulate minds, control objects and beat a Sith master in training???? Not sure why people are willing to overlook this -- maybe b/c it's Star Wars

Ehh... I thought about this too but...

[Show spoiler] Rey looked like she was comfortable with some sort of staff training as she carried that staff with her and used it as a weapon.

I think it will be explained to us that Luke was helping her battle Kylo via the force. That must have been that divine moment for her. And I honestly thought that when she was about to end Kylo, that Luke used the force to split the ground between them.

In all honesty, I much prefer the choreography of the Prequels than the dueling we saw in Force Awakens.

Finn looked like he was awkward and not polished. Who knows if he has some force capabilities.

And Rey, she looked awkward with the stick too.

[Nada]

Originally Posted by BladeRunner2007

So this movie is basically a "rehash" of ANH? Spoiler-free please

More or less. It's beat for beat the same movie for the most part, with a bit of Empire thrown in for good measure.

[tigertron]

Originally Posted by BladeRunner2007

So this movie is basically a "rehash" of ANH? Spoiler-free please

Kind of, but TFA is not a standalone movie, it raises several questions that the sequels are meant to answer, so whilst it shares a huge amount with ANH it doesn't feel like a standalone entry like ANH.

[BladeRunner2007]

Originally Posted by Nada

More or less. It's beat for beat the same movie for the most part, with a bit of Empire thrown in for good measure.

Originally Posted by tigertron

Kind of, but TFA is not a standalone movie, it raises several questions that the sequels are meant to answer, so whilst it shares a huge amount with ANH it doesn't feel like a standalone entry like ANH.

Thanks guys, good to hear since ANH is my favorite SW movie.

[seannyd]

Originally Posted by Nada

[Show spoiler]I reckon she's either Han/Leia or Luke's daughter that they abandoned on Jakku, the ass end of space, after everything went so horribly wrong with Ben.

See, this is what irritates me about movies today. A very very very basic piece of information that they're withholding for sequels for dramatic effect. If the answer to this question wasn't important, they'd just straight up tell you. But since it is, they're just going to tell us in good time.

There was a lot to like about the movie, but it just felt so rushed. The Maz Kanata stuff felt like someone hit a fast forward button just before the movie got to that part. It was kind of jarring.

I really really enjoyed a lot of it. Here are some spoiler impressions:

[Show spoiler] Of course Harrison Ford has been so bullish on this movie. He finally got the death he's been asking for. (BEN asking for?) And I spent that entire time thinking "Oh, he's gonna get murdered here. Okay." during that scene that it was tough to get emotionally invested.

That damned ending. Luke is in this movie for literally 17 seconds? C'mon. Give us one scene with him. That ending irritated me because it answers nothing. Even if he would have ended it saying "Daughter." or something I would have been slightly more satisfied.

I tried to go in with zero expectations so fortunately I came out satisfied but I had some serious issues with the plot. However, I loved all the characters. I think they're solid additions to the Star Wars canon and look forward to seeing more of them. Just hopefully their plots aren't as rushed as they were in this one.

[A Sith Lord?]

Originally Posted by rodneyfaile

SPOILER FREE:

When I first imagined what the prequels would be like before they were released, I imagined movies with the style of Star Wars, but with improved visual effects, etc. That is exactly what this movie is. It's like Star Wars planted a seed and The Force Awakens is what it has grown into.

There is humor, but not stepping in poop. Instead the humor is in the form of witty one liners. There are some seriously detailed practical sets that just simply blew me away. I thought I was looking at a Ridley Scott Alien or Blade Runner set. In several places, the visual style is very different from any other Star Wars movie, like the way the camera movies and so on. I didn't mind it, in fact I enjoyed it very much. It's what I meant by saying The Force Awakens is what Star Wars has grown into. No offense to prequel-lovers, but I am happy that the sequels appear to be going this direction and not in the direction of green-screen sets and fart jokes. Some of the best acting I've seen in a Star Wars movie is in The Force Awakens.

I can find a few things I didn't like, but that can be said of any movie. I thoroughly enjoyed myself in all aspects.

One thing is for sure, the anticipation for EPISODE VIII just went OFF THE SCALE!

For it's time in 1999, the effects were marvelous. I'd say 2002 and 2005 were still ahead of the industry. They look dated now, just as Lord of the Rings CGI looks dated (especially when Aragon Trio is in the Cave summoning the dead army).

Also have to say, that the settings and places that Lucas was trying to pull off in those movies were very big picture. I mean Coruscant still looks beautiful to me, as does the Jedi Temple.

Kamino was beautiful, including the scenes showing the army being manufactured.

The ending scene of Imperial March at Attack of the Clones is still visually beautiful to me.

Naboo was beautiful.

Gungan City and the underwater scenes were nice as well.

Again, for it's time (1999-2002-2005), I think the CGI was very acceptable.

[Nada]

Originally Posted by MasturB

For it's time in 1999, the effects were marvelous. I'd say 2002 and 2005 were still ahead of the industry. They look dated now, just as Lord of the Rings CGI looks dated (especially when Aragon Trio is in the Cave summoning the dead army).

Also have to say, that the settings and places that Lucas was trying to pull off in those movies were very big picture. I mean Coruscant still looks beautiful to me, as does the Jedi Temple.

Kamino was beautiful, including the scenes showing the army being manufactured.

The ending scene of Imperial March at Attack of the Clones is still visually beautiful to me.

Naboo was beautiful.

Gungan City and the underwater scenes were nice as well.

Again, for it's time (1999-2002-2005), I think the CGI was very acceptable.

Lucas brought us truly new and unique alien worlds and vistas. Here we have the same old crap, just renamed. Jakku is Tatooine. The Starkiller planet is Hoth. The forest planet is Endor. Sand. Snow. Greens. Seriously. An almost limitless budget and that's all they can come up with? The same old shit. Lucas gave us more alien worlds and vistas in the Order 66 sequence alone than Abrams was able to give us in the entire film. It's pathetic.

[Noahishere]

All I want to know before I see it this weekend is how much lens flare are we talking about here?