Star Wars: The Force Awakens Discussion (HERE THERE BE SPOILERS)
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I lean towards the former. Trying to keep himself on his toes using the pain to stay focused.
I saw it today and thoroughly enjoyed it. I voted "Almost as good" as the original trilogy, and I give it a solid "A." While TFA is light-years better than the prequel trilogy, it can't really surpass the greatness of Episodes IV - VI, and few sequels in the history of film have really done that, e.g., Jurassic World.
Yes, there are a lot of similarities and parallels to A New Hope. The First Order is the new Empire; the Resistance is the new Rebel Alliance; Snoke = Palpatine; Kylo Ren = Darth Vader; Starkiller Base = Deathstar; Rey = young Luke. As I stated earlier upthread, J. J. Abrams is a revisionist of sorts, and this movie feels as much a reboot as it is a sequel.
Ridley and Boyega are both amazing in their breakout roles; their characters well written, and their performances brilliant. We care about Rey, a daring young woman with a good heart who is a survivor in a remote world, clinging to her past but is suddenly faced with the prospect of moving forward. We care about Finn, the young Stormtrooper deserter, who is eager to run away from his past is compelled to do what's right. Any British actor with a perfect American accent deserves an Oscar, IMHO.
Adam Driver's Kylo Ren is not as formidable as Darth Vader, but the actor plays him well. I don't think he's an emo kid with daddy issues; at least he's not insufferable and whiny like Ultron in Avengers: AoU. These new memorable characters complement the legends on the screen that we have come to know over the decades.
Great start, and I can't wait for the next installments.
Yes, there are a lot of similarities and parallels to A New Hope. The First Order is the new Empire; the Resistance is the new Rebel Alliance; Snoke = Palpatine; Kylo Ren = Darth Vader; Starkiller Base = Deathstar; Rey = young Luke. As I stated earlier upthread, J. J. Abrams is a revisionist of sorts, and this movie feels as much a reboot as it is a sequel.
Ridley and Boyega are both amazing in their breakout roles; their characters well written, and their performances brilliant. We care about Rey, a daring young woman with a good heart who is a survivor in a remote world, clinging to her past but is suddenly faced with the prospect of moving forward. We care about Finn, the young Stormtrooper deserter, who is eager to run away from his past is compelled to do what's right. Any British actor with a perfect American accent deserves an Oscar, IMHO.
Adam Driver's Kylo Ren is not as formidable as Darth Vader, but the actor plays him well. I don't think he's an emo kid with daddy issues; at least he's not insufferable and whiny like Ultron in Avengers: AoU. These new memorable characters complement the legends on the screen that we have come to know over the decades.Great start, and I can't wait for the next installments.
One could also argue the self flagellation idea when you think about the Pennetentes who whip themselves for the sins that Jesus endured.
So... my thoughts... I need to see it again for complete thoughts but I will say that I loved it... emotion, action, adventure... loved Rey. What a great acting job by Daisey.
One problem I have is my perception that the marketing of novels, comics and games are the only way we will know who some other characters (like Mex Von Sydow) really are...
Loved the callbacks like the "we think they may be splitting up" line.
And yes... I cried a little during The Scene... killed me...
So... my thoughts... I need to see it again for complete thoughts but I will say that I loved it... emotion, action, adventure... loved Rey. What a great acting job by Daisey.
One problem I have is my perception that the marketing of novels, comics and games are the only way we will know who some other characters (like Mex Von Sydow) really are...
Loved the callbacks like the "we think they may be splitting up" line.
And yes... I cried a little during The Scene... killed me...
Meh. Finally saw this one tonight. Fun, but forgettable.
Rey's personality seems to be "plot". I did like Finn and BB-8. Both came across with heart and charm. And Kylo Ren was a nice subversion. Looks like a badass, but really kind of a mess.
But yikes, could we do any little piece of this without connecting it back to the original trilogy over and over and over again? Not even one little beat? Which was really funny when Maz Kanata is giving Rey the speech about leaving the past behind for the future. Nostalgia cinema as irony? It felt like pandering, not fun. I literally laughed out loud when the X-wings just HAD to dive into a trench for one of their attack runs on the Starkiller weapon.
I mentioned in the other thread, I'm utterly apathetic about episode 8. This didn't make me want to see any more from these characters in any way. But it also didn't turn me off of them. And since another film is inevitable, hopefully it can actually do something of it's own, instead of rehashing EVERYTHING.
Rey's personality seems to be "plot". I did like Finn and BB-8. Both came across with heart and charm. And Kylo Ren was a nice subversion. Looks like a badass, but really kind of a mess.
But yikes, could we do any little piece of this without connecting it back to the original trilogy over and over and over again? Not even one little beat? Which was really funny when Maz Kanata is giving Rey the speech about leaving the past behind for the future. Nostalgia cinema as irony? It felt like pandering, not fun. I literally laughed out loud when the X-wings just HAD to dive into a trench for one of their attack runs on the Starkiller weapon.
I mentioned in the other thread, I'm utterly apathetic about episode 8. This didn't make me want to see any more from these characters in any way. But it also didn't turn me off of them. And since another film is inevitable, hopefully it can actually do something of it's own, instead of rehashing EVERYTHING.
I assumed it was to deaden the pain of his gunshot wound. Kinda like pinching yourself to deaden the pain of a sore tooth.
The Force Awakens was awesome - tremendous. JJ knocked this film out of the ball park - a home run IMO.
I read some of the criticisms earlier regarding overuse of nostalgia to the earlier films and had Abrams not adhered to the original premise and thrown in nostalgia he would have been heavily criticized for not doing so. And by some rabid fans for destroying another beloved franchise.
After watching The Force Awakens, I went home and re-watched Empire, considered by many to be the best of the existing franchise. The Force Awakens is better IMO than Empire on many levels - notably the great performances by our new actors.
My only disappointment with this film in comparison to Empire is the soundtrack. Side-by-side, the music score in Empire is superior.
What's missing is a score on par with the Imperial march in the new film. In empire, one of the most memorable of many scenes as the camera pans over the star destroyer group with the imperial march in the background.
Perhaps, Willaims wasn't up to the task for this film?
Nonetheless, The Force Awakens is the best film of 2015 by a long shot. It's sad because of its commercial popularity that it will likely be overlooked for any Oscar contentions.
I read some of the criticisms earlier regarding overuse of nostalgia to the earlier films and had Abrams not adhered to the original premise and thrown in nostalgia he would have been heavily criticized for not doing so. And by some rabid fans for destroying another beloved franchise.
After watching The Force Awakens, I went home and re-watched Empire, considered by many to be the best of the existing franchise. The Force Awakens is better IMO than Empire on many levels - notably the great performances by our new actors.
My only disappointment with this film in comparison to Empire is the soundtrack. Side-by-side, the music score in Empire is superior.
What's missing is a score on par with the Imperial march in the new film. In empire, one of the most memorable of many scenes as the camera pans over the star destroyer group with the imperial march in the background.
Perhaps, Willaims wasn't up to the task for this film?
Nonetheless, The Force Awakens is the best film of 2015 by a long shot. It's sad because of its commercial popularity that it will likely be overlooked for any Oscar contentions.
The movie has some surprises, despite the fact that the plot is almost entirely lifted from the original Star Wars movie. It has a few things copied from Empire Strikes back too, but overall it´s better than SW prequels (2 and 3 at least).
It is also noticiable that the copied/mixed plot was better done in SW than in STID (a mix of 2, 3 and 6), but I think they could have been more imaginative than to bring back the Death Star (bigger than the original, as the Enterprise and Vengeance in ST). Example: the Eclipse destroyer (seen in novels) could have been a better choice.
The young actors they hired put in very good performances. Their timing, especially with the humour, was spot on. The older actors reprised their roles very nicely as well.
As a side note, Kylo Ren surely don't have Vader's charisma, but plays his part very well.
The visual effects were nothing less than spectacular. Yes, people are cheering that there's no "evil, bad, ugly crappy CGI" in the film. Which is utter bullshit, this movie is full of CG and digital work. But that scene with the x-wing doing pirouettes in the sky over Finn is... Bad, very bad!
It clearly shows that Abrams loves Star Wars whereas he's no big fan of Star Trek. "The force Awakens" is enjoyable for sure, but we can clearly see similarities (not the best ones) between ST and SW, telling you that JJ is behind the scenes... and these similarities disapointed me. Since JJ will be replaced in SW VIII and IX, I think that we have a chance to see something better next time.
It is also noticiable that the copied/mixed plot was better done in SW than in STID (a mix of 2, 3 and 6), but I think they could have been more imaginative than to bring back the Death Star (bigger than the original, as the Enterprise and Vengeance in ST). Example: the Eclipse destroyer (seen in novels) could have been a better choice.
The young actors they hired put in very good performances. Their timing, especially with the humour, was spot on. The older actors reprised their roles very nicely as well.
As a side note, Kylo Ren surely don't have Vader's charisma, but plays his part very well.
The visual effects were nothing less than spectacular. Yes, people are cheering that there's no "evil, bad, ugly crappy CGI" in the film. Which is utter bullshit, this movie is full of CG and digital work. But that scene with the x-wing doing pirouettes in the sky over Finn is... Bad, very bad!
It clearly shows that Abrams loves Star Wars whereas he's no big fan of Star Trek. "The force Awakens" is enjoyable for sure, but we can clearly see similarities (not the best ones) between ST and SW, telling you that JJ is behind the scenes... and these similarities disapointed me. Since JJ will be replaced in SW VIII and IX, I think that we have a chance to see something better next time.
I finally saw it. It was good. I liked it. I think it fit in well with the rest of the trilogy. I liked the characters, the actors, the special effects...no real complaints. Yes it was derivative but then again the elements they 'reused' is what made the original movie good.
I don't care that Rey might have been a 'Mary Sue' any more than I care that James Bond is the ultimate 'Marty Stu'. They aren't real people. They are fictional characters. They are supposed to be larger than life. I am happy that she and Katniss and Furiso are doing their 'in your face' part when the old men in suits claimed that people would not go see movies with women in the lead.
But then I have to admit that I was not blown away by it. Did I think it was the best movie ever made? No. It was good, I enjoyed it and I will probably see it again but for me it was not the 'pinnacle' of anything.
I don't care that Rey might have been a 'Mary Sue' any more than I care that James Bond is the ultimate 'Marty Stu'. They aren't real people. They are fictional characters. They are supposed to be larger than life. I am happy that she and Katniss and Furiso are doing their 'in your face' part when the old men in suits claimed that people would not go see movies with women in the lead.
But then I have to admit that I was not blown away by it. Did I think it was the best movie ever made? No. It was good, I enjoyed it and I will probably see it again but for me it was not the 'pinnacle' of anything.
My quick review:
Not quite EMPIRE. Better than RETURN. Far superior and entertaining than the prequels. A have a few quibbles and that mostly comes from the movie's third act, especially the telegraphing of Han's death.
The callbacks were a bit much as well.
Nevertheless, I found myself cheering at every turn in the movie, at every appearance of the original characters. And I'm thrilled to see what happens next in the STAR WARS universe.
Not quite EMPIRE. Better than RETURN. Far superior and entertaining than the prequels. A have a few quibbles and that mostly comes from the movie's third act, especially the telegraphing of Han's death.
The callbacks were a bit much as well.
Nevertheless, I found myself cheering at every turn in the movie, at every appearance of the original characters. And I'm thrilled to see what happens next in the STAR WARS universe.
"quintessence", "phantom energy" is a theorized and particularly powerful variety of dark energy. "Elysium" is a state of matter that....
These are all genuine references to actual astrophysics from available scientific papers. Combining them produces a possible way to actually blow up a planet. The postulated "Big Rip" would actually (theoretically) destroy at least the galaxy, possibly the entire known universe. Hence the need to make it a "small" Big Rip, allowing instantaneous passage through hyperspace.
Google it all, if you want more, but be prepared to be confronted by some Heavy Science.
These are all genuine references to actual astrophysics from available scientific papers. Combining them produces a possible way to actually blow up a planet. The postulated "Big Rip" would actually (theoretically) destroy at least the galaxy, possibly the entire known universe. Hence the need to make it a "small" Big Rip, allowing instantaneous passage through hyperspace.
Google it all, if you want more, but be prepared to be confronted by some Heavy Science.
I think that was it.. Kylo sensed the uncertainty, the fear, the confusion and that's highly unlikely for a conditioned Storm Trooper.
He may even have sent Captain Phasma to pick him up for closer study.
Just saw the new film and i'd list it no.7 out of all the films made thus far. It is the poorest out of all of them. I thought the new cast, Kylo Ren/Fin/Rey lacked presence and character. The film was carried by Han Solo (Harrison Ford) the film was going nowhere until he entered the movie. Kylo Ren was not menacing as either the bad guy or someone to sympathise with being torn between the power of the dark side and his feelings for his parents. I'm confused over whether the Empire did fall and the Republic was reformed. Or the Empire still remains as the 1st Order and a few systems managed to gain independence and create a separate Republic hence the continuing use of rebels rather than a Republic Army. Or did the Empire fall and its the 1st Order that held onto a few systems. Then why a resistance led by Leia rather than a Republic Army led by Leia and volunteers ???
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Poe was supposed to die on Jakku
http://www.gq.com/story/star-wars-the-force-awakens-character-death
http://www.gq.com/story/star-wars-the-force-awakens-character-death
Agreed. The film really kicked into gear when Han Solo and Chewbacca appeared. Lets admit it that's the reason everyone loves this film. Everyone hated the prequels for the most part because Lucas tried something different. People who hate the prequels rip them apart unfairly(Well maybe not TMP) but its not really because of the quality its because Lucas didn't give them what they wanted and this film did that. People wanted a Episode IV style movie and this one did that. All the pieces are in place. If Ford and Fisher weren't in this movie it could have been a remake of EPIV.
I like the film but its just a fan remake of the original. Lucas should be given a credit for the story on this one because it is so close to the original movie. Lucas was grilled for trying something new with the prequels but he didn't understand that the more serious fans didn't really want something new they wanted the same thing they got in 1977. Well they got it and now everyone is happy. It looks like episode VIII will be following in TESB boots. I just hope Luke isn't relegated to a trainer and we never see him kick ass.
To say it's inferior to the sh*tfest that is the prequel trilogy is ridiculous. The only thing superior about those were the scores.
Ren left lot to be desired (I'd have liked another actor for starters) but Fin and Rey certainly impressed. Yes, it was Harrison's movie in many ways, but it wasn't 'going nowhere'.
For the record, I would have rather had someone (anyone - almost !) other than J.J. and his gaping plot hoes at the helm , but even so, that was a decent Star Wars movie.
Let's be honest - all most people wanted after the prequel trilogy was for Ep.VII to 'not be sh*t'...and it wasn't !
Has anybody talked about the Alka Seltzer bread yet? I was more impressed by that than Starkiller base. It was just "plop plop, fizz fizz - bread!" 
Now that I've been able to see it in 2D I'm sticking with my sentiments in the non-spoiler thread. Great movie. I refuse to dog it out because it's ANH 2.0. so what? It's a damn good ANH 2.0!
Now that I've been able to see it in 2D I'm sticking with my sentiments in the non-spoiler thread. Great movie. I refuse to dog it out because it's ANH 2.0. so what? It's a damn good ANH 2.0!
