Author Topic: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SPOILERS)  (Read 244051 times)

Offline tmanthegreat

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Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SPOILERS)
« Reply #750 on: December 18, 2015, 02:43 AM »
Saw the first 7:00pm showing in my area.  Even waiting in line for a few hours beforehand was fun.  Everyone from the cosplay nerds, young kids, teens, young adults and older people were nice to one another, just having a great time.  Not uncommon for strangers to be sharing a pizza and softdrinks even.  Really, it was very much like a big tailgate party!

But then the movie...  Loved it.  Period ;D

This was the sort of Star Wars movie I had been waiting for since 1983...  It felt like the Star Wars films I grew up with, the fun, the exuberance combined with the dread and terror.  Yeah, the plot was overall similar to ANH but it was still fund and exciting.  It was also very respectful to the original cast and characters.  While aged, Han didn't skip a beat.  Can't believe they killed him off (and I'm sort of left with a sad feeling about that) but that he was killed by his son, Kylo Ren, face to face, really adds a dimension of evil to that character...  Not even Vader stooped that low.  The new characters were great.  I loved Poe, Finn, and especially Rey.  I can't say I liked Kylo Ren in the positive sense like the others, but he will turn out to be a great character.  Captain Phasma seems to be the new Boba Fett, a badass that meets a comically inglorious end getting put down the garbage chute.  In such a hallowed franchise, its difficult to engineer new characters - George Lucas largely failed at that in the prequels - but it was pulled off quite well in TFA and I look forward to seeing how both the good and the bad develop.

But I am left with some questions...  I guess I'm coming from the POV that I grew up with the original SW movies, source materials, EU, etc. so had a since of the history and how everything connected and fit together.   Since Disney has now wiped the slate clean post ROTJ, there's a void to fill.  I'm curious to know more about the how the First Order came about; how the Republic and the Resistance fit together.  Was the First Order born out of the (New) Republic by those seeking a return to order from chaos or was it founded on the remnants of the Empire?  What caused Kylo Ren, son of Han and Leia, and student of Luke, to turn bad (other than simply the seduction of the dark side)?  Lots of those sort of questions...  But I guess over the ensuing years and decades, those will eventually be answered.

Nevertheless, its been a long time since I went to a movie where I walked away with such a sense of enjoyment and desire to see it again and again.  The Force Awakens lived up to the hype in my opinion, and I'm elated to have a new and worthy addition to the Star Wars saga ;D   
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Offline Diddly

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Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SPOILERS)
« Reply #751 on: December 18, 2015, 03:54 AM »
Got back from a 3D "IMAX" showing about an hour ago... overall I loved it. I had a smile on my face the whole time and my goosebumps wouldn't go away nor would my knees stop shaking. 3D added nothing to the film and actually made it look a bit weird, so I would skip that entirely if you want. Seeing it again Sunday in real IMAX with my dad and then I'll work in a regular screening sometime after Christmas.

First, my two biggest gripes:

- The soundtrack. I liked Rey's theme but the rest was lacking. Safe to say Williams has either lost it or his heart wasn't in it. Lots of reused bits and pieces just like in the PT. Stuff like Leia's theme I get, but the rest, nah. Time to get someone else for Episode 8.

- The villains. I liked Ren and Hux and their "competition" with each other but Phasma and Snoke were lame. Phasma is nowhere near Boba Fett, I'd even say she's more worthless than Zam Wesell, and was obviously added for the merchandise factor. Snoke was awful, maybe it was the CGI or the fact that he was literally a 50 foot hologram, but I would peg him as one of the worst villains in Star Wars.

Didn't really care for the final shot either... it just felt out of place is all.

I'll have clearer thoughts after a night of sleep but I loved a lot of it. Rey and her Force growth, Ben/Ren in general and the OT cameos. The Falcon reveal in particular was great. Rey's acid trip with Anakin's saber was very well done. Finn's story was fun too (loved his line asking Rey if she had a boyfriend), and it was cool to see more of a focus on the military side.

Han  :(
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Offline Matt_Fury

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Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SPOILERS)
« Reply #752 on: December 18, 2015, 04:06 AM »
I saw it in IMAX 3-D and there was one shot where I thought the Star Destroyer was going to hit me in the face!  I'm seeing it in 2D tomorrow.

Do you guys thing Phasma is done or did she make it out?
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Offline GrandMoffNick

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Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SPOILERS)
« Reply #753 on: December 18, 2015, 08:11 AM »
The movie could have used a child actor or a a little older actor who had mastered the art of whiny acting.........

Anyone else have a small stroke before they realized Snoke was a hologram and not a giant?
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Offline Dave

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Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SPOILERS)
« Reply #754 on: December 18, 2015, 08:33 AM »
Do you guys thing Phasma is done or did she make it out?

Probably makes it out, but who cares?  Other than shiny armor, there wasn't anything interesting about that character.  She had as few lines as Boba Fett, and didn't really have any mistyque about her.

Instead of having a riot control Stormtrooper with electroblade thinger battle Finn, they should have had it be Phasma.  That would have at least made for something unique.


Offline Dave

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Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SPOILERS)
« Reply #755 on: December 18, 2015, 08:34 AM »
Anyone else have a small stroke before they realized Snoke was a hologram and not a giant?

That was pretty cool.  Well done special effects.

I'm kinda hoping that Snoke turns out to be the size of Yoda.

Offline McMetal

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Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SPOILERS)
« Reply #756 on: December 18, 2015, 09:02 AM »
Anyone else have a small stroke before they realized Snoke was a hologram and not a giant?

That was pretty cool.  Well done special effects.

I'm kinda hoping that Snoke turns out to be the size of Yoda.

No, I think he really is THAT big. Holograms are typically the same size as people in the SW Universe, or smaller. We have never seen them bigger but I suppose it is possible. I think it would actually be cool if he was that big.

I get the First Order rising from the ashes of the Empire, but I don't quite grasp the differentiation between the Republic and the Resistance. Once the Republic was re-established, what is there really to resist? It seems as though the FO got chased out to the Outer Rim, which fits with the Aftermath storyline.

WTF was up with the lightsaber "calling" to Rey and the nutty visions she had? That was fascinating. I'm pretty sure they showed Kylo gutting Constable Zuvio in there, but I can't be sure. (Not like the guy popped up anywhere else)

I love that they are still finding weird new ways to use the Force. Stopping the blaster ray was a true Oh Snap moment, and the mind reading stuff was creepy. (Imagine if Darth Vader could have done that, no need to blow up Alderaan he would have known instantly where the Rebel hideout was from Leia)

If they had wanted to kill Phasma they would have just shot her. She will be back. I still cant believe she never took the helmet off.

The Guavians looked cool as hell. I kept wondering if the Asian guy was the dude from The Raid.

I liked the Parkman from Heroes and Miles from LOST cameos. :)
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Offline Dave

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Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SPOILERS)
« Reply #757 on: December 18, 2015, 09:12 AM »
I liked the Parkman from Heroes and Miles from LOST cameos. :)

Yes!  Hasn't Matt Parkman had either a real role or a cameo in every single JJ Abrams TV show and movie? 

I don't recall if he got killed in TFA, but I recall he was one of the pilots in the first episode of Lost and was the first person to die/get "eaten" by the smoke monster

Offline Qui-Gon Jim

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Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SPOILERS)
« Reply #758 on: December 18, 2015, 09:58 AM »
Palpatine's holo was an enormous floating head in ESB...

They never elaborated on how that lightsaber ended up in that box. 

My mind is still swimming with this movie.  Just awesome and completely heartbreaking.

Offline Carpeteria3000

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Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SPOILERS)
« Reply #759 on: December 18, 2015, 10:03 AM »
Loved loved loved it. Got to troop it with my local 501st guys for a tech company that rented out an entire AMC theater, so we got our own free screening at 7:30, which was great.

Lots of thoughts and notes:

- I felt the scene on the freighter with the giant tentacle monster things was unnecessary, but still fun.

- Phasma is totally a droid, right? I thought she was when the first picture came out and she had C-3PO hands. She certainly acted like one. Like others here, I was also a bit thrown by how small a part it was, and how underdeveloped it was. Why would she give up the shields so easily?

- So many parallels and call backs to the OT, mostly ANH. At times it felt a bit forced, even, but it was a nice way to tie things back and say "we're going back to the old ways" - here's hoping VIII is more of an original story.

- Poe Cameron is a GREAT character - really enjoyed him the most of the new folks, though all of them were great. Hard to believe that was Daisy Ridley's first acting gig.

- Adam Driver nailed it, and made me even more upset about Hayden Christiansen's Anakin - imagine Driver as Anakin? Looks like Kylo is gonna have a nice Anakin-style facial scar now.

- The bit about R2 being shut down voluntarily over Luke legit choked me up in the nerdiest way possible.

- BB8 was fun - I enjoyed him (they said "him" in the movie, so that debate is settled, I guess) more than I thought I would. The little flame thrower thumbs up was great.

- LOTS of comedy spots, more than any of the other movies for sure. I know some people are saying it was a bit distracting, but I thought it was fine. Kasdan's sense of humor is so much better than Lucas'.

- Not sure why 3PO had to mention his new arm, exactly, and then have it replaced by the end of the film. I know it was to show passage of time, but they should have just let it be if they were going that way.

- Was surprised Hamill had no lines at all, but it was a nice tease into the next film. Was also surprised the Knights of Ren were literally shown as much as they were in the trailer - in fact, maybe the trailer showed them even more? Same with that shot of Luke next to R2.

- Was really annoyed that Snoke was apparently fifty feet tall - the hologram reveal was a nice twist. I don't think he's really that big - it was just a way to make him more imposing. Having a giant dude would be too Lord of the Ringsy for me. Hoping we get a lot more backstory on that character. Who is that guy?

- Also hoping for some backstory on Max Von Sydow's character, though that's less likely. He was obviously in the know with the rebels... who is THAT guy? Wookiepedia says he was part of some "Church of the Force" thing, but that doesn't explain why he was so connected or why he was trusted with that part of the map.

- A friend brought up a bit of a weird hole - after the TIE crash, how did Poe get back to the Resistance base, and why didn't he look for BB-8 himself? That was why he went back to Jakku in the first place, right? What's up with that?

- Pretty sure Rey is Rey Skywalker - that flashback (and her crazy force powers) seemed to confirm it for me. I'm surprised anyone is debating it.

Anyway, whatever. It was amazing, and I'm dying to see it again.

Offline Qui-Gon Jim

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Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SPOILERS)
« Reply #760 on: December 18, 2015, 10:11 AM »
All excellent points.  I totally agree about the stuff on the cargo ship.  Entertaining, but extraneous. 

Perhaps Von Sydow plays Kanan Jarrus?

Offline Jeff

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Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SPOILERS)
« Reply #761 on: December 18, 2015, 10:15 AM »
Snoke was awful, maybe it was the CGI or the fact that he was literally a 50 foot hologram, but I would peg him as one of the worst villains in Star Wars.

In fairness, Palpatine was pretty lame in 4/5 too.  Snoke was pretty much Palps in ESB = Large/oversized, creepy hologram bossing around the bad guy; badgering bad guy about Skywalker.  Hoping Episode 8 and 9 fills in a little more to explain how/why he's a new Sith leader.  Maybe a lost Palps apprentice or something...
 

The Guavians looked cool as hell. I kept wondering if the Asian guy was the dude from The Raid.

That Kanjiklub gang was totally the guys from The Raid.  Was hoping they have more to do than just show up, but fun cameo thanks to JJ.


Yes!  Hasn't Matt Parkman had either a real role or a cameo in every single JJ Abrams TV show and movie?

Pretty much... being pals with JJ gets him lots of jobs, and in this case, he gets an action figure too.


- Pretty sure Rey is Rey Skywalker - that flashback (and her crazy force powers) seemed to confirm it for me. I'm surprised anyone is debating it.

All signs point to it, but you'll still get folks assuming/arguing it's red herring.  I'm sure someone will want her to be Rey Kenobi somehow.  And if it is true she's a Skywalker too, there is still lots to debate... like the giant "who is Rey's mom" question.
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Offline McMetal

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Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SPOILERS)
« Reply #762 on: December 18, 2015, 10:16 AM »
Palpatine's holo was an enormous floating head in ESB...

Yeah, good point, that occurred to me right after I posted that. I still hope he's big. Nothing hokey about that IMO, it's more of a stretch to imagine every single alien race be the same relative size and proportion IMHO.

I missed that Han called Kylo "Ben" at the scene on the catwalk. I heard him say something but didn't catch it. Interesting.
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Offline Dave

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Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SPOILERS)
« Reply #763 on: December 18, 2015, 10:23 AM »
- Pretty sure Rey is Rey Skywalker - that flashback (and her crazy force powers) seemed to confirm it for me. I'm surprised anyone is debating it.

All signs point to it, but you'll still get folks assuming/arguing it's red herring.  I'm sure someone will want her to be Rey Kenobi somehow.  And if it is true she's a Skywalker too, there is still lots to debate... like the giant "who is Rey's mom" question.

I'm really hoping she is not a Skywalker.  Maybe I'm the only one that is bugged by the whole "small universe" thing, but I'm hoping she has her own backstory that isn't intertwined with everyone else. 

But if we're keeping with the pattern, then I'm guess Max von Sydow is the Ben Kenobi watching Rey, and Luke is the unknowing father.

Offline Scott

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Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SPOILERS)
« Reply #764 on: December 18, 2015, 10:29 AM »
All excellent points.  I totally agree about the stuff on the cargo ship.  Entertaining, but extraneous. 

Perhaps Von Sydow plays Kanan Jarrus?
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