Star Wars: The Force Awakens Discussion (HERE THERE BE SPOILERS)

[Ithekro]

R2's wakeup was too convenient for words. I mean, if if BB8's data was the key the R2 waking, I coulda bought it. But not as-is. Cause and effect beats coincidence in drama.

I think there was more to it than that. R2 didn't wake up until Rey arrived. R2 has always been the droid that knows everything that is going on. It would stand to reason that Luke would have given R2 instructions about who should find him. Rey comes calling with her, for lack of a better word, awakened Force powers, and Anakin's lightsaber. R2 knows who should find Master Luke, and turns on when he is needed.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Remember, his father was to bring balance to the force.

Luke must do this now--to train both Jedi AND Sith--to become like another Father:

I think you're taking "balance" way too literally.

 

[EnsignRicky]

Part of the problem with the music is that Lucas tended to micro manage just about every note with endless suggestions, ideas and musical examples until Williams had crafted just the score he wanted. Abrams on the other hand probably figured if anybody knew Star Wars music it was the maestro and left him more or less to his own devices.

 

[DWF]

Part of the problem with the music is that Lucas tended to micro manage just about every note with endless suggestions, ideas and musical examples until Williams had crafted just the score he wanted. Abrams on the other hand probably figured if anybody knew Star Wars music it was the maestro and left him more or less to his own devices.

In the Abrams segment on Sunday's 60 Minutes they showed some of one of the soundtrack sessions with Williams and yes Abrams did so confering with Williams. I too was underwhelmed by the score, there were no major themes, nothing as grand as had with the Prequels.

 

[DaddlerTheDalek]

I think it was a great movie & epic on the big screen. I like the characters a lot. And the action was awesome.

 

[tomalak301]

I really liked the movie and thought the space battles were excellent. Yeah there was some rehashing of New Hope and the movie was a little slow going at the beginning, but I really liked the Rey character and it was nice to see the old gang back together, kind of. I did think some of the humor was forced though, especially the long scene near the Falcon.

 

[Maurice]

R2's wakeup was too convenient for words. I mean, if if BB8's data was the key the R2 waking, I coulda bought it. But not as-is. Cause and effect beats coincidence in drama.

I think there was more to it than that. R2 didn't wake up until Rey arrived. R2 has always been the droid that knows everything that is going on. It would stand to reason that Luke would have given R2 instructions about who should find him. Rey comes calling with her, for lack of a better word, awakened Force powers, and Anakin's lightsaber. R2 knows who should find Master Luke, and turns on when he is needed.

Maybe I've forgotten it, but the trailers featured a shot which appeared to be Rey handing the Skywalker lightsabre to Leia. Was that in there? If that had happened and Artoo woke up right then, I'd maybe have bought it.

As to the map, unless SW hyperspace is like a mountain pass and there's only one route to certain places, such a map would be pointless. All you need to know is the final destination, not some specific set of points.

The one sequence in the film I could totally have done without was the balls of teeth chase in Han's ship. That was very prequel-ish.

 

[USS Triumphant]

The attack on the Starkiller bass could've been much more enjoyable with a Battle of Yaven-esque score. I can't imagine why JJ and company would tell Williams to keep it low-key, so I'm convinced he just doesn't have it anymore. Probably best to get someone else to score the next film.

Perhaps he already has? There was another name listed as an "associate composer" or something along those lines in the credits, directly under Williams, and for some reason when I saw that my brain jumped straight to assuming that that was the person who did most of the original music for this movie.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Maybe I've forgotten it, but the trailers featured a shot which appeared to be Rey handing the Skywalker lightsabre to Leia. Was that in there?

No. io9 has documented all the things missing from the trailers in the film. Some are specific shots, some are characters, some are dialogue, like Luke's trailer voiceover.

The article doesn't mention it, but I don't recall the Star Trek-esque front angle shot of the Falcon entering hyperspace from the trailers.

 

[Venardhi]

That shot IN hyperspace was there but they cut the first part where it jumps to hyperspace.

 

[Commander Richard]

Don't like Rey's theme. Too low key.

Luke's trailer voiceover seems more appropriate for a later movie.

 

[Mr Light]

Absolutely loved it! (Almost) everything was pure gold!

The characters worked really well for me, even ones I wasn't particularly pre-interested in like Kylo Ren or Poe Dameron. Everybody was great. Not one weak link. The visuals were amazing and REAL looking. Rey and Finn were excellent lead characters and I love them both and can't wait to see where they go from here. Han was perfection and his banter with Chewie was better than in the OT.

My nits:
---LUKE DOESN'T EVEN TALK?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
---WE DON'T FIND OUT WHO REY'S PARENTS ARE?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
---Characters who were alleged to be important like Max Von Syndow and Captain Phasma are in for all of five minutes and contribute nothing to the story.
---Was it really necessary for the entire Starkiller planet to blow up? Overkill. Actually, the entire Starkiller plot felt ultimately unnecessary (and retreading). Isn't the hunt for Luke enough of a MacGuffin?
---The moment Kylo stepped out on that long bridge, it became painfully obvious what was about to happen
---So, they borrowed liberally from the EU, but they give Ben's name to Jacen? That's just confusing

 

[Cutter John]

Yes, I definitely missed that group shot of the Knights of Ren standing in the rain.

I suppose we'll get to see them all in the delete scenes on the Blu-ray.

Glad to see I'm not the only one who was a bit underwhelmed with the score. I think the trouble is, Williams has spent too much time as a serious composer. A star Wars movie doesn't need subtle melodies. It needs real bombastic, in your face themes.

 

[CorporalClegg]

---So, they borrowed liberally from the EU, but they give Ben's name to Jacen? That's just confusing

And it doesn't make a lot of sense.

Han didn't have any real connection to the man, and Leia knew him as Obi.

It's just another one of those needless callbacks there for the sake of it.

Frankly, I think they would have been better off just calling him Jacen. And, as I said, I effing hate the EU.

*If royalties are a problem, pull an O'Neil and call him Jason.

 

[Commander Richard]

^ I don't know everything about the EU but what I've heard sounds awful.

Looks like we'll be getting flashbacks in VIII or IX.

We may not have gotten Luke but his presence was strong throughout.

No, we didn't find out who Rey's parents were, but this is an ongoing story and the fans have to have something to talk about and look forward to. Sounds like a lot of us have at least one parent figured out already, but with a few questions about what happened exactly.

 

[Set Harth]

Remember, his father was to bring balance to the force.

Luke must do this now--to train both Jedi AND Sith--to become like another Father:

I think you're taking "balance" way too literally.

Taking balance literally is fine. But it's the balance of the Force as opposed to the balance of the Force-users. The "the Force" part should also be taken literally.

JJ Abrams seems to have crafted an implausibly convenient tiny solar system for this whole film to take place in. Since every planet seemed to be able to watch the capitol and its moons/nearby worlds blow up they must have all been closer together than we are to our closest planetary neighbors. (this kind of shit annoys the hell out of me)

There's reason to be annoyed. Abrams simply doesn't seem to get how big space really is. This is now the third time in a row. You can see the destruction of Vulcan from Delta Vega, by looking up at the sky; you can see Kronos from the Neutral Zone; you can see the destruction of the Hosnian system from Takodana, by looking up at the sky.

It takes a lot of people to make a movie. Why is it that no one spoke up and pointed out that these things don't make sense?

 

[Cutter John]

And it doesn't make a lot of sense.

Han didn't have any real connection to the man, and Leia knew him as Obi.

It's just another one of those needless callbacks there for the sake of it.

Frankly, I think they would have been better off just calling him Jacen. And, as I said, I effing hate the EU.

*If royalties are a problem, pull an O'Neil and call him Jason.

Didn't really bother me. Perhaps Luke was going through a rough period, so they named their son after someone he admired and missed.

 

[DarKush]

---So, they borrowed liberally from the EU, but they give Ben's name to Jacen? That's just confusing

And it doesn't make a lot of sense.

Han didn't have any real connection to the man, and Leia knew him as Obi.

It's just another one of those needless callbacks there for the sake of it.

Frankly, I think they would have been better off just calling him Jacen. And, as I said, I effing hate the EU.

*If royalties are a problem, pull an O'Neil and call him Jason.

Yes. That was what I was feeling. Why not give the EU fans out there a bone or two? Or why wasn't he even named Bail instead of Ben? I get that Ben is a call back for the old fans, but heck, there is the prequel generation that might not have even heard of Kenobi being called Ben. He was never called Ben in the prequels and I don't think I've heard him use that name in the Clone Wars cartoons I've seen.

Leia and Han barely knew Obi Wan. Naming Kylo Ren Bail Solo would've made more sense in-universe.

Though I would've loved it if they had named the character after Jacen. Ren did remind me of Darth Caedus. I don't know if that was intentionally or not.

 

[CaptainCanada]

Was there a requirement that 2015 year-end blockbusters hire Gwendoline Christie for a bit part?

I thought the Starkiller stuff could and should be been left out of the movie entirely -- the climax was really about rescuing Rey, and that's where all the drama is. The threat of the planet-killer is perfunctory and seems to have been included almost out of a sense of obligation, and perhaps to give Oscar Isaac something to do. Compare ANH's meticulous ticking clock to the rather slapdash jeopardy scenario here.

The movie gets the characters very right, which is the most important part. I'm interested to see where the franchise goes from here. It's not a great movie, but I think it could be great going forward. I was particularly impressed by Daisy Ridley, who is pretty much asked to carry the film. And it was great to see Harrison Ford in the role one last time (he finally got his wish for Han's death granted too).

 

[Venardhi]

Ben sacrificed himself to save their asses on the Death Star and in doing so set the Rebellion on a path to defeat the Empire. It doesn't matter how well they knew him, though Luke may well have planted that seed.