Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Grizzlor

Grizzlor

Well-known member
I'm very critical, as I lambasted the prequels as well as JJ's Star Trek films. However, this movie was really good. Sure it had weak plot holes, goofy comedy at times, and such, but I really had a great time watching. Towards the end, my fists were clenched. I think they got an incredible amount done in one film. Bravo!
 
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roundshort

Active member
Pale Horse said:
Precisely. It shows Disney is willing to kill character to make things right. Even if their business is preservation.


Ironic, really.
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So Pale, did you see the movie over the weekend? Or did you stay home and watch some Bronco's football... ;)
 
Henry W Jones

Henry W Jones

New member
I was not impressed. It had no real plot. The villains were not interesting to me. I didn't like the new characters enough to care about them. The thin plot it had, copied previous episodes. It's not horrible but it also isn't special.
 
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roundshort

Active member
I went to it not very excited and VERY skeptical. We were going to see it on Thursday night, but we were having so much fun at a dinner we decided not to use our tickets and stay at dinner (so it was not a huge priority for us. The dinner was excellent.

I loved the movie. The most important thing for me was that it was FUN! This is a fantasy movie about flying spaceships, shooting people and blowing crap up. And it delivered. I do not go to Star Wars movies to be intrigued in a deep complicated plot I want to munch popcorn and it delivered that in spades.

Was it rehash - yes. They even made fun of how "easy" it is to blow up a death star. The humor was great. They introduced three new characters that they can develop and will be fun to see again. They gave us a bunch of Easter eggs from the original movies.

I might even go see this one more time in a theater - which I never do. was it perfect - no. They did give Luke the perfect amount of lines though.

Sign me up for the next one!
 
Pale Horse

Pale Horse

Moderator
Staff member
roundshort said:
So Pale, did you see the movie over the weekend? Or did you stay home and watch some Bronco's football... ;)
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Ouch. Very Ouch.

I'd of rather been at a good dinner.

I read Joe Brody's critique and yours, (and others).

It was perfect in my son's eyes. That's good enough for me.

Or to say it differently. It's a very good Star Wars movie. But it's still just a Star Wars movie.

As a stand alone film, it's pretty average.
 
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roundshort

Active member
Pale Horse said:
Ouch. Very Ouch.

I'd of rather been at a good dinner.

I read Joe Brody's critique and yours, (and others).

It was perfect in my son's eyes. That's good enough for me.

Or to say it differently. It's a very good Star Wars movie. But it's still just a Star Wars movie.

As a stand alone film, it's pretty average.
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Well at least you should have enjoyed the 1st half. I also agree about the movie. It is like going to Disney - it is for the kids and should always be enjoyed through the eyes and mind of a child.
 
Joe Brody

Joe Brody

Well-known member
Two problems here:

1. 'Yes' TFA is for kids -- and sadly that's about it. So even though J.J. kept the Ewok/Jar Jar element in check -- TFA lacks enough adult content/grist to make the film transcendent/classic/re-watchable in the way of great kids films (like The Incredibles, Toy Story or Wall.E). It's a shame because the Star Wars franchise didn't start that way -- it had some emotional complexity, ranging from Ben Kenobi pausing to burn murdered Jawas (not to forget Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru), to Han shooting first, to Han and Leia's spirited romance. . . .

2. More problematic (as I reference in my earlier post) is that this kid-targeted film sends the wrong message. After the failure of the last three Star Wars films (Episodes I-III) I'm shocked that I'm watching another angst ridden character with ridiculous hair rail about his freaking emotions. Again I say screw that. Compare TFA to the Star Trek reboot that elequently lays out the differing motivations of the villains and heroes. The cool thing about worthwhile films is that they can be used to teach kids something about life. Whether it be Star Trek (from obvious lessons about bullying, perseverance, loyalty and professionalism but also finer things like questioning authority and diversity/empathy -- truly putting yourself in another's place) or even the Avengers [it was cool as s**t that I was able to use Avengers 2 (specifically the Banksy-like Iron Man graffiti in Sokovia) to help explain new Banksy's that appeared around Europe the other week in sites relating to the refugee crisis ].

Sadly TFA not only doesn't teach anything, it teaches the wrong thing -- at a time when we need to be teaching and conditioning our kids for what is going to be a harder, more challenging world.

Don't tell me it's just a film Joe. This is a multi-bilion dollar venture (as Iger puts it) and it will touch millions of lives. There's a responsibility there and they flubbed it. To use a baseball analogy, J.J. is Disney's lead-off man and he bunted and got to first -- but imagine if he had tried to swing away. . . .
 
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AndyLGR

AndyLGR

Active member
I quite enjoyed it. To me it looked and felt like a Star Wars film, much more so than the prequels did. Come the end of it and I was looking forward to the next film and also wanting to see this one again. I haven't felt like that since I saw the originals on the cinema back in the day.

I fully expected them to go the route of a simple plot to get the ball rolling with aim being to introduce the new characters. Sure it uses elements from the originals, but it was a fast paced ride and overall I came away satisfied.

I thought the new characters were really good, in particular Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) and Daisy Ridley (Rey). Han and Chewie were portrayed very well too and they were at the heart of the action after their introduction.
 
Pale Horse

Pale Horse

Moderator
Staff member
Kylo Ren is a modernDisney Villain.

That's probably a perfect summary and tells everyone exactly what this film is all about.
 
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roundshort

Active member
Joe Brody said:
Two problems here:

1. 'Yes' TFA is for kids -- and sadly that's about it. So even though J.J. kept the Ewok/Jar Jar element in check -- TFA lacks enough adult content/grist to make the film transcendent/classic/re-watchable in the way of great kids films (like The Incredibles, Toy Story or Wall.E). It's a shame because the Star Wars franchise didn't start that way -- it had some emotional complexity, ranging from Ben Kenobi pausing to burn murdered Jawas (not to forget Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru), to Han shooting first, to Han and Leia's spirited romance. . . .

2. More problematic (as I reference in my earlier post) is that this kid-targeted film sends the wrong message. After the failure of the last three Star Wars films (Episodes I-III) I'm shocked that I'm watching another angst ridden character with ridiculous hair rail about his freaking emotions. Again I say screw that. Compare TFA to the Star Trek reboot that elequently lays out the differing motivations of the villains and heroes. The cool thing about worthwhile films is that they can be used to teach kids something about life. Whether it be Star Trek (from obvious lessons about bullying, perseverance, loyalty and professionalism but also finer things like questioning authority and diversity/empathy -- truly putting yourself in another's place) or even the Avengers [it was cool as s**t that I was able to use Avengers 2 (specifically the Banksy-like Iron Man graffiti in Sokovia) to help explain new Banksy's that appeared around Europe the other week in sites relating to the refugee crisis ].

Sadly TFA not only doesn't teach anything, it teaches the wrong thing -- at a time when we need to be teaching and conditioning our kids for what is going to be a harder, more challenging world.

Don't tell me it's just a film Joe. This is a multi-bilion dollar venture (as Iger puts it) and it will touch millions of lives. There's a responsibility there and they flubbed it. To use a baseball analogy, J.J. is Disney's lead-off man and he bunted and got to first -- but imagine if he had tried to swing away. . . .
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It's just a movie - and not everything is a teachable moment. What about the Stromtropper that throws of the shackles of following illegal orders and do the right thing?
 
Moedred

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
Great movie. If the next one was 3+ years away I'd be satisfied until then. I'm currently willing to hand wave all the coincidences. Han's "find my spaceship" app activated when the Falcon fired up. (He was transporting rathtars to the Geonosian execution arena to dine on Jedi.) Eliminating other Jedi keeps the royals front and center.

Some things you just have to accept: one cannot copy or email a file. R2-D2 is still a petulant child, refusing to let his younger sibling complete his puzzle until a family intervention. Meanwhile holographic telecommunication is instantaneous. One could call ahead of the fleeing Falcon and catch the heroes at their destination. Their galaxy has E.T.'s and shares our universe, but their radio waves flew past SETI arrays long ago. Some lingering quibbles:
Moedred said:
Why is Finn the only conscientious objector?
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Were the other storm troopers micro-chipped like the mind-controlled clones? If they were all kidnapped as children, is there a massive daycare for trooper younglings? What's in it for them? Instead of exploding inhabited planets (which is cool), why not gas them and grant land to troopers upon retirement proportionally based on service?
Moedred said:
They lead the villains to Yavin IV... again?!
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Or Takadona. Finn mentions this but others shrug. All I can conclude is, life in this galaxy is cheap.
 
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Edward The Head

Member
I enjoyed the movie well enough. I was never much of a Star Wars fan, I like them and all, but that's about it.

However, did anyone else think that Solo acted more like Indy then Indy did in Crystal Skull?
 
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Lambonius

New member
Edward The Head said:
However, did anyone else think that Solo acted more like Indy then Indy did in Crystal Skull?
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I don't think so. I do think that he acted more like Han Solo in this movie than he did like Indy in KOTCS, but then again, this movie was better than KOTCS in pretty much every conceivable way, including and ESPECIALLY script and dialog, so it's no surprise. I honestly didn't know if Harrison had it in him, considering some of the things he's said about the Han Solo character over the years, but he absolutely nailed it.
 
AndyLGR

AndyLGR

Active member
Lambonius said:
I don't think so. I do think that he acted more like Han Solo in this movie than he did like Indy in KOTCS, but then again, this movie was better than KOTCS in pretty much every conceivable way, including and ESPECIALLY script and dialog, so it's no surprise. I honestly didn't know if Harrison had it in him, considering some of the things he's said about the Han Solo character over the years, but he absolutely nailed it.
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Totally agree with this. He didn't play the grumpy type we've seen over the last 10-15 years with him. That would give me some hope if he ever did an Indy 5.
 
AnythingGoes

AnythingGoes

New member
My two cents, and bear in mind I'm pretty new to Star Wars as opposed to Indy...

I liked it. I didn't think I would, but I did, especially after I was force fed the prequels last week by a 'helpful' friend. I can definitely see why a lot of fans will be able to welcome this movie after well...those previous three.

The blend of pratical effects and CGI struck me as very well done, to the point that I began to feel the actual physical sets were unreal (in a good way), so high hopes for Indy V on that.

And, on the topic of Indy, I loved Ford in this film. He brought his A game and definitely seemed far more 'awake' (aw Jeez, I made a pun didn't I?) than I've seen him in a while.

And, though I loved how Ford was in this film and feel he could certainly continue to carry a role in future films, I am not the least bit disappointed that it ended the way it did.

I also don't mind the decision to make Kylo Renn an angsty teenager. I read another review somewhere where they pointed out that this portrayal seems more along the lines with what the prequels wanted to make Anakin Skywalker, right down to his backstory. I feel Adam Driver slayed in the role, and did what needed to be done.

It's also a nifty departure, I think, from Darth Vader. Ren is not a cool and collected villain, and he doesn't have that same 'quiet fury' thing as Vader had. He's a hothead, he's sort of immature, and that presents room for character growth.

Am I a bit tired of the 'emo kid' villain trope? Yeah. But I don't mind this one, especially given the contrast with the amazing chemistry and performances put on by the leads.

So, all in all, I'll give it 4 and a half stars. (y) ;)
 
Z dweller

Z dweller

Well-known member
3.5 stars out of five

I enjoyed it, although it felt more like a reboot than a sequel.

PROS
-JJ got the look of the movie spot on, and the balance between CGI and physical stunts is good.
-The new characters fit in well, and Ridley and Boyega both offered great performances.
-The first half hour is exciting, fresh and nostalgic at the same time.
-John Williams’ music is as good as ever.

CONS
-TFA scores a big fat zero on originality. There isn’t a single idea or plot point which isn’t lifted directly from the first trilogy (mostly ANH).
-The moment the old characters join in, the plot starts to stutter and the references to ANH become too obvious and predictable.
-Han Solo’s last scene is underwhelming and completely out of character, like JJ was just fulfilling a contractual obligation with Ford, who wouldn’t have played the part otherwise.

In summary, JJ chose to play it safe and shaped the movie on the original trilogy, fully aware that Disney’s target audience isn’t as familiar and sentimentally attached to it as their parents.
With that said, the movie is highly watchable and a huge improvement on the prequels.

Hopefully the next two instalments of the Disney trilogy will offer more in the way of originality – but the SW fandom needed a shot in the arm after being let down by the prequels, and on balance I believe JJ achieved that.
 
Moedred

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
Merged spoiler and non-spoiler threads. Poll results as of a few days ago:
In this film Han Solo will... die. - 14
live, and return in sequels. - 1
live, and not return in sequels. - 0
meet an uncertain fate, then return in sequels. - 2
meet an uncertain fate, and stay in limbo. - 0
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Maybe Han was a Jedi and will return as a force ghost? He dropped the falcon out of light speed at just the right nanosecond. I can't even hit my stopwatch on the millisecond.
 
Duaner

Duaner

New member
Z dweller said:
-Han Solo?s last scene is underwhelming and completely out of character, like JJ was just fulfilling a contractual obligation with Ford, who wouldn?t have played the part otherwise.
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I cannot believe how many people have said something similar and that is completely wrong! I cannot recall a scene in recent film history that affected me so deeply. All day long the day after the premiere, I was replaying the scene in my head and fighting back tears. I would not consider that underwhelming!
 
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