Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

Well, the Force awoke, stumbled around blindly in the dark, muttering something about star wars, stubbed its toes on some toys, and went back to bed. Then I yawned.

I am a huge Star Wars fan. I was hyped about the movie and I really wanted to like it. Sorry to say, I was disappointed.


It's almost as if Abrams, struggling with writing the next Star Wars chapter, just threw up his hands and said "I'll just re-do Episode 4!"

We were not introduced to any interesting new worlds, or technology, or vehicles, or weapons, or alien races. I wondered what the point of BB8 was - he was pretty much the same as R2D2.

Nobody in my theatre applauded when it was over.

They were smart to make a ton of money on merchandise before the movie came out.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

Ime not a big Star Wars fan, but your the only person ive heard say anything negative about this movie. All ive read is praise, i even read someone say its as good as the original. JJ Abrams is fantastic, and i cant believe that theres nothing new added to this movie.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

The Force Awakens is definitely a retread of the original Star Wars, but it is also a remix and completely intentional. The scenarios unfold very differently, and the new characters interact with each other in very different ways, but that much was necessary. It could be argued that the other Star Wars sequels were retreads because they performed the tired old traditions of dolling out the "slow opening text crawl", or "hero must apprentice himself to a wise old master", or "jedi mind trick, didn't we do that already"?

A significant reason so much of the original films return is simply to appeal to longtime fans who've drifted away from the series since the prequels. You would most definitely be in the minority if the movie eschewed fanservice altogether in favor of all new everything.

Spoiler Warning



The film has some problems but over all its a great film and a huge step up from the prequels.

I won't get into the bad parts as I don't want to be a moaner about this film, we had enough of that with the prequels.

Some of the good parts for me:

• Kylo Ren is an excellent bad guy and has the fear of Vader and seemed to be what Anakin should have been in the prequels.

• The space ship battle scenes were amazing and how they also blended into ground action was very good.

• Ray and Fin were both good characters and both could act

• The killing of a main character was a good choice

• Stayed away from spoilers and I think JJ did a good job in the marketing as to what Luke was going to be in the film to draw then attention away from who Kylo Ren really was

• I want a BB8

• It felt like a Star Wars film, using live action First Order troops made a big difference

• It was very funny, in a good way like in Empire

• All the effects were very good, and also the sound, music and monster costumes all very good

• Not having Luke appear until the end was a great way to setup the next film

Looking forward to watching it again to pickup bits I missed and now fully ready for 2017 and Episode VIII

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

Blanket reminder, to no one in particular: be incredibly careful about spoilers. Even vague ones. When in doubt, put a spoiler warning on it or (better yet) use the spoiler tags. People have been waiting for this for a long time, so don't ruin it for them. I've already had a few things spoiled for me just by virtue of running this site and hiding other people's spoilers, and trust me, it's not fun.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

Sorry, I have updated with a warning

The whole idea of a review also includes considering the chance that maybe others haven't seen the reviewed film yet imo.

Duly noted. Sorry!

Thank you!

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

This movie needs a thread where you can talk about the spoilers openly. Without having to use spoiler tags.

It's expected new SW films will deal with the same traditions, motifs, themes, etc., but this film went too far. It was almost like they copied the movie point-by-point. Abrams has a tendency to rehash a story - look at what he did with Star Trek: went back in time, re-did Wrath of Khan.

I won't give away another spoiler, but I'll just say that when a new generation steps up, the *baton* is supposed to be passed on to them.

After all the EU novels, you'd think they'd have more original stories to tell.

This is the worst SW film ever, IMO.

Just search the net, I'm sure you'll most likely find something to ruin it for you.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

It's so people here could have deep discussions of the movie (if they're warranted, of course) without having to worry about the spoiler tag.

Why don't you start one?

Worst EVER lol!

It's either 2nd 3rd or 4th best, I haven't decided yet.

Does the plot being very similar to New Hope make it a bad film?

I'm very happy with it, repeat viewings will cement that I think. Also different directors are coming in to hopefully take it in new directions, but with hopefully more of what has come before. That's the strength of the Force Awakens I think, plenty of the same but plenty of exiting new stuff too.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens - No Spoiler Review
 

The wise among you have avoided reviews because you were avoiding spoilers. If that is the case, know that they didn’t “Jar Jar this one up” and it’s good to go. I will endeavor to keep this review spoiler-free.

Summary
If you liked the original Star Wars, you’ll like this one. It was exciting and cool. Go see it.

Was it any good?
Yes, it was very good. I think I might see it again. It was that good.

Who was in it?
Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Adam Driver

Should I see it on the big screen or should I wait to rent it?
Yes, see it on the big screen. It’s worth all the hype.

Should I see it in 3D or one of the other premium formats?
I saw the plain ol’ 2D version, but I can see how it would have been pretty cool in 3D. When I see it again (oh, yes), I think I’ll check out the 3D. Does it have to be in IMAX or other huge-screen version? Probably not.

Review
I’ll say it again. If you liked the first one, you’ll like this one. A lot of us fans rushed to see the first prequel and were disappointed. There was no Jar Jar to be found, and the movie was better for it.

Rather than go it’s own way, as the three trainwreck prequels tried to do, this movie seemed to snap back to the feel of the original Star Wars. I think we have the makings of a new trilogy here, in the vein of the original trilogy. Will Hollywood muck it up and try to stretch it into four movies? I hope not.

A lot of the same action and plot twists were there. It’s not strictly a reboot, but it really is. This is kind of Star Wars: The Next Generation. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Who doesn’t want an excuse to return to the original Star Wars universe? And by “original,” I don’t mean the three prequel movies. Let’s all agree now that those things never happened.

A lot of the movie had the same old themes, only bigger and better. Several moments were a thrill and made the audience say, “Yeah!” It’s better seen in a crowd.

Just go, all right?

Is it family safe?
There is some light language. There is some light violence. A bunch of people are killed off-screen. There are some gun battles and light-saber battles. Nothing horrific you wouldn’t expect.

PG-13 | 135 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction | 18 December 2015 (USA)

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens - No Spoiler Review
 

Very well summed up! I personally choose not to forget the prequels - I thought Episode III was actually good, and Episodes I and II are movies filmmakers can learn from, so they don't make the same mistakes that Lucas did.

I will also be going to see this again - at least once more! More, if time and money allow.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...wakens.jpg.png

Now let me first say Liked the movie well enough its even better then the prequels but at the same right it just was missing Star Wars Magic so it did not feel like a Star Wars movie should for me.

Now JJ did set up good characters some were fleshed out better then others but Rian Johnson is given good Characters to use build on and tell more back story for.

Rey Is a great Hero Character but felt allot of Info About Fin was left out which I hope will be explored. Its way too Obvious that Fin loses every Fight and is made too look like clone trooper but I just think JJ wanted Rey and her mystery too be center stage and Fins glory moment will happen later.

Kylo Ren well lets say I missed even General Grevious after Kylo awesome fact was melted away when he is revealed too be a punk like his idol was in The Prequels.

Han and Chewy were great but The Falcon was what saved this movie for she gave the best Star Wars performance.

Dont get me to comment about BB8 for Im kinda made Just because JJ was too scared to use CGI R2 we get a droid soccer ball that offends R2 fans.

Movie Receives
3 Valyrian Steel Swords which is about 3 Stars.

Your entitled to your opinion of course but have you read the EU novels. The six that take place after Jedi are basically just the trilogy over again and then again.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

IDK I am wondering if maybe there are other jedi in hiding as always before we just assumed that Luke was the last one but knowing Emperor and Vader could likely read or sense Lukes mind. Do you think Yoda would tell Luke if there was more. vader sensed the whole sister knews.

I think Yoda had other business and Plans and these movies should shead more light on that Ben Kenobi had more Faith really then Yoda may have had . I am smelling The Order Of 6. Im willing to bet there will be enough to be the same number as the Knights Of Ren or maybe atleast 2 so Rey isnt fighting alone.

watched the film yesterday, as usual perfect job (from Disney)
as always poignant(piercing) episodes with characters

also like this comment from:
Pastor Lucas Ludewig is the Jedi-loving vicar behind the service, and said the film had elements to it which could be compared to the Bible verse “Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good”.
“In the decisive scene of Episode VI, Luke Skywalker is being persuaded to join the Emperor's side - the evil side,” he told The Local.
“Luke resists, with the words: I will never turn to the Dark Side.”

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

Brilliant,I loved it.
Loads of whooping and cheering in the cinema.
1 million times better than the last 3.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

Personally, I agree. They overdid it. But I don't mind it to any significant extent. In my mind, the vast majority of movies are already rehashing something that's already been done a thousand times, and that's not necessarily including sequels. I just try to compare it to similar films and decide for myself if, on it's own terms, it did better or worse in the same regards. This applies to more than just the story.

I think in some ways A New Hope is better. In others, I think The Force Awakens is better.

As far as the story is concerned, to me, I was by far most put off by the unbalanced pacing and righteous plot contrivances.

"Oh, look at who's the very FIRST person we run into as soon as we escape?"

"Oh, look who just HAPPENS to have a plot-critical macguffin in their basement?"

I haven't seen it, so I'm not positive, but isn't that a reboot?

The whole Luke rebuilding the jedi order and descendants drifting off to the dark side plot was one of the more popular spin-off stories in the extended universe. They just decided to hammer it into A New Hope. The new story's there, but...

*spittake* REALLY? Just because of the recycled plot elements? That's pretty weak, dude.

How do you out-charm R2-D2? Make a quicker more reactive droid that comes up to his "knees".

I like R2. I'm not sure how BB8 was supposed to offend me.

This is really a plothole intended to be ignored with suspension of disbelief. Assuming The Force doesn't operate in any sort of limited scope, it's unreasonable to suggest that other creatures (even non-human) wouldn't develop force powers even accidentally. It's better to say Luke is the only jedi "we know about" or "that matters". But those lines carry potentially unwanted subtext.

The prequel trilogy had moments of trash, I couldn't stand the "Are you an angel?" scene and any of the other attempts to develop a romance, but I stay in the popular minority and say they're nowhere near as bad as they're made out to be. I don't like Jar Jar Binks either, but a movie-ruining racist character? Good grief, no.

Is the original trilogy better? Objectively, yes. But there awesome moments in the prequel trilogy too.

We got to see ACTUAL large-scale WARS.
The lightsaber fights were way more elaborate (Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan vs Darth Maul, Anakin vs Obi-Wan).
That speeder chase through Coruscant was epic (huge splash of cyberpunk).
Yoda got to be badass.

Plus, they resulted in Star Wars: Episode 1 Racer and Star Wars: Battlefront 2, and those are awesome games. The movies were far from without merit, and I could definitely point to elements in the prequel trilogy which were done better than they were in this movie.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

So how much time has to pass before our discussions start to contain spoilers? After the video comes out? Never? I have my suspicions about the plot going forward, but I don't want to reveal anything.

We waited for years, and it's finally here. At 3 o'clock this morning I entered the cinema wide-eyed, full of hope. As was with many people's childhoods, Star Wars was a staple of mine, and to this day the original trilogy still stand as some of my favourite films. J.J. Abrams famously managed to reignite the Star Trek franchise with two fantastic films, so when tasked with doing similar to Star Wars, some people were sceptical, but nonetheless excited. The main questions is: did he deliver? Yes he damn well did!

You know that tight throat feeling you get when you have a sudden urge of adrenaline, for the last hour of the film, I had that feeling, sitting there on the edge of my seat, heart pounding fast. What I was watching was exhilarating to say the least.

Let's look more at the film (don't worry, there will be no spoilers featured). First off, the opening - the classic text followed by the panning shot to a planet (or death star) with a Star Destroyer emerging into the frame, it all features, as does the use of practical effects and puppets / robots over the extensive use of CGI that was utilised in the prequel trilogy, thus giving fans the old school style of Star Wars they wanted oh so much. The film is fast-paced, with stunning action scenes and spectacles, but not rushed, the shots linger and the camera moves gracefully, giving us a spectacular view of the situation at hand.

The prequel trilogy shunted the franchise on a downward spiral, the overuse of CGI and the introduction of some of the most annoying characters in film (a-hem Jar Jar Binks), but Abrams, the finest choice of a director to reignite the franchise, did nothing more than show pure love for the films and has created a sequel that definitely exceeded my expectations. A film that features endless nostalgia with appearances from Ford (who is beyond fantastic), Fisher, Hamill even Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca and constant references to the original trilogy.

The only partial negative aspect is its somewhat lack of originality, it acts more as an homage to 'A New Hope' than an original tale. But if you overthink points like this when viewing it, you won't enjoy it, so just empty your head of that and watch the film for what it is: a space opera that acts as nothing more than a sheer piece of movie magic!

I disagree with some of your points, respectfully.

Kylo Ren is a chilling bad guy because he clearly isn't in control of his powers or his temper. He's not Darth Vader, he's trying so hard to be, but he's also a mess, psychologically. I found him fascinating, and I can't wait to see more of his story.

BB8 was for the most part, a practical effect. I'm sure there was some CG involved, but he is a real droid that the cast interacted with. I don't think they were scared to use R2D2. It made more sense to introduce a new droid sidekick along with the new characters, it was a smart idea. BB8 is so adorable, I want one. I don't know how he'd offend people who like R2.

I must really be stupid. I swear that it didn't occur to me that the basic points of this story were similar to "A New Hope". I didn't think about any similarities until I have read some of the reviews.

But then again, I didn't go into this movie to analyze every detail - ready to tear it apart. I just wanted to go see a "Star Wars" movie. That is all I wanted. And that is all I got. I am perfectly satisfied with it.

There is something that I would've preferred to have happened differently but it is what it is now. It isn't a big complaint that would affect the entire film. It isn't even some nit-picky thing. It is just an opinion based on how I wanted the story to go and it didn't go the way that I wanted it to. That's all.

Otherwise, I thought it was a very good movie. Definitely one of the best movies that I have seen in years.

I haven't been overly fond of movies that have come out for quite some time now. So, I could think that this is so good because I haven't been satisfied with my movie-watching lately, but no, this is a very good movie. I have had time to think about it since yesterday afternoon. And giving thought to the other 6, after having watched them again recently, I think that if I would make a new list of order to these films, I would probably place this at number 4.

I will probably go see it again in the theater. Don't know when yet, but I know I will.

And I quite like BB8. Given enough time, I think Kylo Ren could turn out to be an excellent villain. There were little signs of it already.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

Kylo Needs to put the mask on if he is gonna scare anyone in future movies. But wouldnt it be a cruel fate if he becomes like Vader down to his Chared body and he does it thinking he can be better then Vader. And Kylo Ren has to wear a mask too live.

BB8 looks great, but his personality is nearly identical to R2D2. They might of well have just given R2 a new body. Pretty much the whole film looks great, but it's all flash and no substance.

We have to look at the over-all story arc, and ask ourselves how this movie not only compares with the previous films, but what does it add to the saga? Sadly, it adds very little.

I went into this movie thinking "They wouldn't be stupid enough to do a third Death Star." In the words of Obi-Wan Kenobi, "I was wrong".

The movie completely lacks imagination.

I am amazed that people like this movie. It's almost as if Disney, with the millions of dollars they spent on marketing, has everyone brainwashed. I even wouldn't be surprised, with all their power, if they paid-off the media to give good reviews. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Disney owns the media.

George Lucas said he was told by the higher-ups to stay away from this movie. It's such a shame, because Lucas is the father of Star Wars, and I'm tired of people trashing the prequels. Are they as good as the original 3? No. I'd give the OT a 10/10; the PT 8/10 - still very respectable. Lucas is a creative genius, and he could've done a far better job than Abrams, imo.

This movie is nostalgia run rampant. People see the Millenium Falcon flying again and go wild.

I don't mind film-makers re-making films, but don't call it a sequel.

For some us it was, hmmm... a desert planet, that's familiar. A cantina, hmmm... how about that. Resistance huh? That sounds an AWFUL LOT like Rebellion...

I think that's the right attitude to go see it in. Course, you're completely entitled to tear it apart if it starts to take you out of the experience with it's problems. I'm inclined to critique it for it's pacing and plot conveniences.

I would have preferred for Finn to get more crap for being a stormtrooper. It could have been more interesting if the other characters upon reveal of his background had difficulty trusting him after that point. Would have made the dynamic relationships involving him way more interesting.

Pfft. Come on. The mask is the silliest thing about his character. He doesn't need it to breath like Vader or anything, it's all show, and we've already seen what he's compensating for. He could easily go for the Episode 3 Anakin though. Goofy dialog and performance aside, he could certainly look intimidating.

By personality, are you referring to the blips and beeps that you could only infer meaning from?

Bear in mind that Finn's whole personality hinges on the fact that he's a coward and a liar, but still struggles to do the right thing when he can't deny it must be done any longer. Personality like that is really difficult to do with robots with less than half a dozen body animations and an impossible to understand language. We're not working with Wall-E, here.

I can't imagine how many people would throw a fit if R2 was changed that dramatically. There's a reason C3-PO's appearance is a joke in the movie.

Considering this is coming directly from your BB-8 complaint, I question your interpretation of "substance".

It's a prologue. Not saying it couldn't have been better.

They were stupid enough to do a SECOND Death Star. It's a running joke now. They literally point that out in the movie.

Omigosh, dude, your hyperbole. It hurts. OKAY! You didn't like it! That's fine! There's no point calling it a holocaust!

Completely lacks imagination... holy hell. You haven't seen very many movies have you?

Disney did a fantastic job marketing the movie, as cynical as that might be. But now you're just insulting people.

YES. Every time there's a new blockbuster, there are some idiots who cannot wait to praise as some sort of new transcendent piece of art. Remember, Star Wars: Episode 1 was the SAME WAY.

Equally as contemptible though, is treating it like utter shite, when a lot of talented people put a profound amount of effort and energy into making something creative.

Why don't you watch Schizophreniac: The Whore Mangler, Pink Flamingos, and The Chumscrubber, and then we'll talk about "overrated".

Some of it, they do. That's partly why the Star Wars brand got everywhere. A lot of it was simply fan speculation.

Star Wars is the biggest fictional franchise on earth. Of course a new movie is going to make waves, whether it's good or bad, Star Wars 7 really could have been the irredeemable trash you describe and Disney still would have made their money back.

You don't know that. All I'll say is it's always annoying to see creators sell their intellectual properties and get frustrated when they lose control of their work. It's their own fault for agreeing to sell in the first place.

This is a crappy remake if that's what you want to call it.

If there is one film that cannot and will not live up to the hype that surrounds it, it is this one right here. Much like Episode I: The Phantom Menace, there is simply too much riding on it and people will tear it down regardless and there are some people out there doing that right now. Some of their complaints are warranted, others are simply fan boys being idiots.

30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi things haven't been all peachy for our heroes. Luke Skywalker is currently in hiding, being the last remaining Jedi. Everyone is searching for him, the Resistance, led by his sister Leia and the First Order who have a powerful Sith on their side. With word that there is a clue on the planet Jakku leading to his whereabouts, everyone scrambles to find it.

Some of the biggest complaints about this film is how it closely resembles A New Hope. The similarities can be off putting at times and this is no doubt, Abrams and co simply giving us some fan service, but the film holds its own and it one entertaining thrill ride from start to finish. How closely does this film feel? We have secret information being stored in droids, who must find others to relay the information. We have an orphaned junk trader who lives on a desert planet being thrust into something she cannot handle, yet seems destined for greater things. A giant planet destroying death ray that has weaknesses that X-wing fighter pilots try to exploit and destroy. A villain who covers his face with a black mask while using a lightsaber and the force. A plan is set in motion to rescue someone being held on a ship and a few more little things here and there. Some people can chalk this up to an admirable homage to what started this whole thing, others will cry foul about unoriginal writing and rehashed plot points. Me? It didn't bother me too much. A few times I sat there thinking that I've seen this all before, but that did not stop my enjoyment of it.

Abrams has successfully rebooted two sci/fi franchises, some would say duelling franchises, but can't we all just have some fun? As a fan of the films growing up, he put on the screen what he thought we would want to see. For the most part, he succeeds. This is a film for the fans of the series. It sets up new characters well enough to want us to continue this adventure with them. Daisy Ridley's Rey, is a welcomed strong female addition to a series that lacked one. John Boyega plays Finn, a conflicted stormtrooper that just wants to do what is right. Oscar Isaac is the Resistance best pilot and he enjoys nothing more than being up in the sky. Those are our new faces of heroes. Joining them are the familiar faces of Ford's Solo and Fischer's Leia. Ford has the most screen time out of the returning cast members and his sharp tongue hasn't left him. He may be older, but he's still fighting the good fight, even if he doesn't want to. Fischer on the other hand seems stale. Her performance is one note and phoned in. Was she not happy with her lack of screen time? It didn't really feel like the same character to me.

Driver's villainous Kylo Ren is not like Vader. He's younger, more prone to violent mood swings and still hasn't grappled the full powers of the force. Yet he is a dangerous weapon and one to fear. Driver does well enough behind the mask, yet there are moments when I had a hard time taking him seriously when it was removed. I guess it's because I've seen him in too many comedies to fear the likes of his ugly mug.

Yes, the effects are great, this we all know. The story, while familiar is still engaging enough for us to care. I enjoyed the new characters and want to see their arcs progress. I want to know what is going to happen next and they do a good job of leaving us wanting more. The film isn't perfect, but it's a spectacle to see on the big screen for sure. Don't go in expecting the second coming of Chirst, go in being a kid again. See old friends and believing in the magic of movies again.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

Ugh...

It's incredible what nostalgia marketing can do for a brand.

The film was all over the place in tone and pacing. It was lazy storytelling that relied on a lazy hybridization of the original trilogy. Its success speaks volumes about the infantilization of a generation who can't seem to grow up or simply try something new. Why is sci-fi such such a lauded blockbuster genre? It seems like no one can seriously criticize a director when they make a scifi film. Interstellar, Gravity, etc. They all are abysmal, but get special treatment because they're genre works. The best scifi of the year was The Martian by far.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

First of all, the Star Wars series isn't sci-fi. It's actually fantasy in space. It has absolutely nothing to do with science.

Secondly, even if it was sci-fi, I don't see how it deserves a low rating just because you don't like nor, in fact, clearly, understand it the entire genre.

Also: their*

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

But Wolfsbane, I bet you praise some worse movies that have some element that attracts you.

It can't be both? I would consider these films sci/fi films. Where is the science in Aliens? Invasion of the Body Snatchers? Countess other films without SCIENCE.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

I just assumed he meant that a bit tounge-in-cheek.

It doesn't read like that to me.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

Well it's so absurd to say that Star Wars isn't Sci-fi that I figure he must be joking. I certainly can't take him seriously. :p

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

Is Star Wars closer to 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Andromeda Strain and Stalker or The Wizard of Oz?

No, by personality I don't mean exclusively from the blips and bleeps (although other droids and computers can actually understand his "speech"). Mostly, I mean what we can gleam from his behavior. R2D2 was brave (to a fault), more mechanically inclined than other astro-droids (he seemed to excel where other droids - and even humans - failed), and judging by C3PO's reactions, he had a great sense of humour. Now, I do realize that the droids' personalities are simulated (Obi-Wan says in ep. 2 that droids can't "think").


Obi-Wan changed dramatically. Even C-3PO changed from ep. 1-3. Oooh, let's not confuse the children - they might not buy the toy!

The whole movie is a joke.

That sounds pretty cynical to me. I've seen a lot of imaginative movies recently. This definitely wasn't one of them.

How do you complain about the inherently infantilising nature of sci-fi blockbusters and then praise The Martian of all movies as the best sci-fi of the year?

Anyway, I did a review. Readers are advised to direct their +rep there.

Because in the realms of the genre, it perfectly works. There is more emotion and thrills in that film, than what is forced in The Force Awakens.

You're probably going to have to go into more detail than just "it works". In any case, I don't think of The Martian as any less forced in terms of its emotions or thrills. The main thing distinguishing it from other space movies like Gravity or Interstellar is the comical element involving Matt Damon joking his way through his explanations as to how he'll survive on Mars - with comedy being extremely subjective, that can still make or break the film. Leaving that aside, The Martian is still incredibly by-the-numbers in its lengthy space-travel narrative, especially considering the whole B-plot about the people back on Earth trying to figure out ways to bring him home. No amount of meticulous scientific explanation is enough to compensate for the incredibly clichéd developments of that side-story, especially with one too many "mission control room bursts into applause" scenes thrown in for good measure (remember when they applauded the emergency shuttle taking off only for it to burst into flames seconds later?). Any thrills also felt artificial because obstacles never emerged organically so much as just coming out of nowhere when things were running a little too smoothly for Damon, and even then the resolutions still felt a little too easy at times (what do you know, the Chinese are building their own shuttle, how convenient). Repeat until conclusion. Emotion is debatable considering how the characters were all barely-defined cut-out characters - Jeff Daniels is the standard obstructive boss type, Donald Glover is the eccentric comic-relief genius, Jessica Chastain and the rest of the crew are all wracked with survivor's guilty, Sebastian Stan and Kate Mara have one extremely ancillary romantic sub-plot, etc. The Force Awakens isn't totally blameless, but to cite The Martian as an example of a sci-fi film that doesn't feel forced does not seem to help your case.

That sounded egotistical. :p

Yeah, well, I'm bored with people repping posts that link to reviews instead of the reviews proper, egotism be damned.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

Yeah I figured, but it could have been worded differently.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

I'm open to suggestions.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

I once owned a book that meticulously laid out the blueprints for nearly every vehicle that appears Star Wars: Episode 1.

I call BS.

I imagine the argument is that The Force exists, which outside of midi-chlorians, is for all intents and purposes, fantasy.
WITH midi-chlorians, it's biology, which is for all intents and purposes, science.

If you're comparing C3PO's general behavior to R2's distinctly reaction-dependent behavior, then yeah, there's not much distinction between BB8 and R2. He's just the new silent comedy relief character.

True, but there is an invisible line that filmmakers don't want to cross in this regard. A lot of people saw Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and were disappointed that Indiana Jones was portrayed as aged and incapable of being cool like he used to be, even though the clear intent wasn't to flush his character away, but to show he was still the same charming guy, fear of snakes and all.

Imagine, if Star Wars 7 took a more realistic approach to the scenario: Major human characters have probably died in the intervening years, C-3PO finally irritated the wrong person and was scrapped permanently, and R2 with no supervision was hard wiped. Or, what if the movie was blamed for killing off beloved characters, presenting the Millenium Falcon as trash, or presenting no-name actors as functional replacements for classic roles?

How many people are already putting Snoke down for being an inferior Big Bad to Palpatine?

Even if they didn't go as far as they probably should have, they were still skirting the line of what would be popularly considered "acceptable" for a Star Wars movie.

THE STRANGERS is a joke. Star Wars 7 is Mozart by comparison.

I wasn't talking about other movies that would impress you, I was talking about other movies that would make you question humanity. Movies that remind you that we all die someday, and some of us will die only after blowing a ton of money making a series of movies about sowing people together ass to face.

Your idea of "imagination" lacks range.

The 1977 Star Wars IS a copy of a Japanese film from 1958 anyway. :D

Hidden Fortress:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-p...s_original.jpg

Star Wars just changed the setting a little bit, from medieval Japan to science fiction fantasy and added a few twists: samurai became jedi, samurai swords became light-sabers, etc. The 1977 film structure and the 1958 film structure are very similar as well and their atmosphere too.

Of course, the 2015 Star Wars didn't even change the setting much. But originality is essentially irrelevant: quality is the only thing that matters in the end, good is good.

I haven't watched the new movie but I am excited about it. Probably will watch it in the coming weeks.

True that. The difference between science fiction and fantasy is that science fiction is concerned with something that might be possible and focuses on that while fantasy is not concerned with possibility or not.

It's actually not easy to differentiate science fiction from fantasy. Miyazaki said that in Castle in the Sky, he doesn't care about explaining how things "work" so it's fantasy in sci fi they would try to claim that like the crystal powering the Castle would be some sort of nanotechnology.

By the way, Castle in the Sky is much more similar to Star Wars than any proper science fiction film and it's classified as fantasy.

Anyway, proper science fiction concerns itself with the ramifications of science/technology on society: "what would happen to society if people switched their bodies with robot avatars?", "how space exploration can change humanity's outlook?", etc.

Star Wars does not concern itself with BS like that. It is in a sci fi universe far removed from our own where there are millions of inhabited planets and space stations the size of moons. It is a universe completely different and far removed from the settings of other sci fi, usually set a few decades in the future dealing with some particular field of science/technology.

Hence, Star Wars is more human and timeless than other typical sci fi because it concerns itself with characters and not sci fi concepts. The sci fi elements are there only for the coolness factor: "why not setting the story with starships and lightsabers?"

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

That rather conflicts with some movies that are firmly established "science fiction" even though, they literally have no message and any "science" only serves as a backdrop or loose foundation for the rest of the movie.

Take The Quiet Earth for example. A random science experiment basically brings about the rapture and the entirety of the movie is basically just the few survivors screwing around. It's nothing like you describe, but it is a 'fiction' rationalized through 'science'.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

Hey Guap, how have you been? :)

I think that Star Wars does try to present itself as how it would look if that technology was real. It's not up to high standards because they don't try very hard. But I think the genres are defined by technology as apposed to magic, and I think the boarders between genres only go so far. Elements like The Force are pushing those boundaries I suppose. Even a realistic fantasy presents magic and dragons in the way they should appear if they were real. But both genres will sacrifice realism for creativity, entertainment, or target audience.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

I have The Hidden Fortress. It's a great movie, much better than Star Wars. But I still enjoy Star Wars (at least the original trillogy) more because it's just so fun and exciting. But while I could see elements that were borrowed, it's not so obvious if you don't know in advance. I actually didn't realise it until after. But Star Wars rips off a lot of things.

"Rips off" may be a bit extreme. All work is influenced in some way by ideas that existed before it. Otherwise we could be saying:

Back to the Future rips off The Time Machine.
The Giver rips off Logan's Run.
Stargate rips off Star Trek.
And Now For Something Completely Different rips off... well I don't really care, that movie's hilarious.

We brave people who dare criticize a star wars film are in a minority---decisively . Because like the people here the crowd in my city in India ( Bombay ) was cheering all the way and clapping when the old characters came back . Sadly , I was not among them .

Got largely bored by the worst of the Star wars series of movies---The force awakens . Nothing new and no new technology . No new creatures . Landscape that is shown is bleak . Above all ,the earlier Star war movies had a grandeur that this movie does not . The old characters look old---could not bear to watch them becoming old and jaded . Should not have come back on screen---my memories of them at least would have remained young . Now whenever they come to my mind they will be old .

The force does awaken---in a most boring way . Simply does not evoke the emotion that was evoked when 'May the force be with you' was said in the old movies .

Wont write a review , I guess . Even in my country ( India ) they will throw rotten eggs at me if I dare say anything against the movie . So skipping the review .

In other news 1+1 is 7 and Mars has collided with Crete.

Why did you even watch this movie in the first place?

It's unfair to the creators to hyperbolize their movie, but it's also unfair to chickens to throw their eggs at someone because you don't agree with their opinion on a movie.

I like Star Wars more than Hidden Fortress as well, but it was clear to me the influence and the atmosphere.

I have been well, thanks for asking.

There has been an awakening and I just felt it. Finally after three excruciating long years, I have seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens and it was friggin’ incredible. J.J. Abrams not only preserved the classic nostalgia of the series, but has given light to a whole new generation. With deep reverence to the original films, he has given Star Wars fans a perfect reason to not give up hope on this franchise. The movie was purely epic, awesome and the cast was superbly stellar.

The cast is superb. Not only the returning members that we all are familiar with over the past three decades, but the new ones as well. The main new figure, Rey played by the wonderful and adorable Daisy Ridley, steals the film with her fantastic approach to someone we all can not only familiarize within ourselves…but a woman who knows how to draw attention in the right places, and the right times.

There is of course humor included and it is portrayed in the best way only a Star Wars movie can bring to you. Cast members Daisy Ridley and John Boyega (Finn) work fantastically off of each other with perfect sync and harmony. Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) also brings a special touch to the silver screen. His evil prescence is powerful and gripping. Making Kylo Ren a villian to be reckoned with.

In the theater there were people spanning generations. Those who were around to see A New Hope in theaters, all the way down to a new and younger generation. The ones who can appreciate the saga from not only what is their first Star Wars experience, but to those who also may know who the characters are yet need a good introduction.

Now of course there are those who go in seeing this, will expect specific things. Some will naturally be turned away because it isn’t what they thought it would be like. Some only want to see certain things and aspects. If that were to happen with anything a person watches, the experience of enjoying a movie gets lost and ruined. Being a Star Wars fan it’s understandable to encounter such feelings, though when seeing this one should have an open mind.


Therefore a whole new experience shall be brought forth, even possibly making one’s experience better than it ever was.

One should firstly note that this not only a continuation of the original trilogy, but something completely new as well. One should not enter expecting the saga to go in only one direction. There are new threats, different worlds and a whole new realm of the force. It is has been over 30 years since Return of the Jedi, and The Force Awakens not only extends the story but gives way for more.

The new main villian here everyone knows is Kylo Ren. People say that he just is a bad guy trying to hard to be evil. That’s the entire point. He’s a villain who isn’t the finished, ready-made villain…but someone who’s in the process of becoming one and making a name for himself. Others may not have found him scary and evil, but he is creepy looking.

The film has an extensive amount of cameos and easter eggs. So be on the lookout during your first, fifth and even 100th viewing. JJ Abrams is popularly known for hidden treats in his movies, and him knowing those he knows in the entertainment biz, makes it even better.

The whole idea of these movies is basically the story of the Skywalker legacy. When watching this and putting together the pieces, you will immediately see the connection. What one may think is not necessarily what is, and the twist to this will leave you speechless with awe.

It is both exhilarating and refreshing. Nothing is left unhinged. The balance of the force has been restored to full peak. Is it as great as the original trilogy? Does this have the same impact as its predecessors? Is it worth continuing such an iconic saga? The answer is yes to all of these.


With what will be in store for the next installment and for the viewers, I am anxiously awaiting for Episode VIII and IX. Episode VIII though will begin production and such Spring 2016 and tentatively hits theaters May 26, 2017. As for the ninth installment, it is expected to hit theaters sometime in 2019.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens will leave you at the edge of your seat wanting more. And it has made way for a bigger and much worthy continuation. Be prepared to bring some tissues because not only does this bring back so much memories, it also has a major emotional beating. Where there’s a rise, there always will be a fall.

I haven’t enjoyed myself this much watching a Star Wars film since 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back. I congratulate the entire cast and crew for bringing such a remarkable and entertaining movie. Praise J.J. Abrams for picking up the torch from George Lucas, and giving us a reason to watch these films once again.

I might be finding myself watching this multiple times just to gather every little morsel. Pieces I might miss and overlook the first time around. As I mentioned earlier, that it holds a vast amount of hidden treasures that even the most careful and concentrating viewer would definitely miss. The more you delve, the more you will appreciate it.

Even if you aren’t a Star Wars fan to begin with, this will surely enliven the necessary feelings. Star Wars: The Force Awakens will make any Star Wars fan (and any movie fan for that matter)happy one way or another. Even if you live in a galaxy far, far away.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

Now that I think about it, perhaps the most Disney influence there is to notice in this movie is the significant amount of humor.

Also, another thing thing I'm wondering is what to call the new force power Kilo uses throughout the movie. It sometimes seems to cause people pain, but sometimes tells him their secrets? Is it mind-reading? It's never fully emphasized since it's only after a cut does he explain what he's learned from an interrogation, so are they simply confessing off-screen? If they are then it isn't mind-reading. I dunno.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

It's just a strong armed way of reading minds tbh.


The Jedi Council did it to Anakin in Ep 1... "Your thoughts dwell on your Mother"... "See through you, we can".


All Kylo was doing was forcefully (no pun intended) making his captives give up secrets. If you notice, Rey fights it and thinks of other things and Kylo has trouble getting anything out of her.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

These are pretty badass.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQLG...yer_detailpage


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPso...yer_detailpage

That's probably it, but... what's strong-armed about it? Is it difficult? Are they fighting him? Maybe taking secrets isn't difficult like in Episode 1 and he's just causing pain?

But you know...

Sure they're fighting him, they don't want to give away the secrets.

Interesting that he can do without the mind probe Vader used on Leia, though.

Yes

Wouldn't that require some degree of awareness?



I think it makes more sense that Kilo's just intentionally causing pain.

The new Star Wars has nothing new: it is a remake of ANH with touches of ESB. It, however, succeeds in what it is trying to do and becomes a new and improved version of the originals. Its grand opera in all its glory, the best type of blockbuster film and a film that fully deserves all the money it has been making. It also reminds me a bit of some Miazaki movies like Princess Mononoke with its epic atmosphere which is combination of music and film, as well as strong female main character with cute pet (a staple of Miazaki's films: Nausicaa and Teto in the desert might have been an influence of this which is the main divergence of this film and the old Star Wars). In Japan directors and manga authors like Miazaki have used female main characters everywhere, the reason is that men like girls and girls identify with girls so it tends to actually make more money than male main characters since it pleases both demographics.

The movie is excellent also in the fact that almost everything works. Its not a perfect movie. Among some problems that I see are associated with its excessive references to ANH: a new death stars, a plot that doesn't fit well with the ending of ROTJ: the Empire collapsed and everybody liked the New Republic, the new Death Star which is much bigger than the old one would be perhaps far too costly for an organization that formed from the remnants of the Empire to build, while the resistance looks too small and rag tag to be the armed forces of the Galactic Republic, which is supposed to have more not less resources than the remnants of a former regime. However, J.J. Abrams wanted to have a situation like ANH so realism is out of the question for dramatic license: and well in 30 years after ROTJ the imperial remnants might have recovered their territories and the New Republic might have lost support.

Finally, in pure cinematic terms the movie suffers from the poorly integrated Death Star trench sequence with the rest of narrative which feels forced. However, despite these issues it is a great movie full of emotion and nostagia for the mythology of Star Wars. However I don't think the following sequels will be able to work well given the way this film ended: now they cannot rip off the old movies anymore since they ripped off the best stuff already, and Luke and Leia's characters suffer from poor acting and now they will play a bigger role in the next movies.

Well. The strict idea of sci Fi is the focus on technology and science for the plot, in Star Wars the focus is character interaction in a sci fi setting with fantasy elements. The Quiet Earth is obviously sci fi, Star Wars does not satisfy the definition that The Quiet Earth satisfies.

8.5 /10

Oh yeah, I think he's intentionally causing pain, too. I would imagine that's something you could do with the dark side of the force if you're a nasty little sod like Kylo Ren. And it seemed that he'd been physically torturing Poe Dameron as well.

I drank a ton of coffee!

Star Wars was inspired by Hidden Fortress, but I wouldn't go as far to say that it copied it. George Lucas addresses the influence of the film in this video: youtu.be/TEJ6CzG9zVc

I watched Hidden Fortress a couple of days ago for the first time and found these similarities:
1. HF: war time; ANH: galactic civil war
2. HF: 2 desheveled, comic men (Tahei and Matashichi) walk through desert having escaped battle; ANH: Droids C3PO and R2D2
3. HF: Tahei and Matashichi come across a dead body and consider searching the body for goods; ANH: R2D2 observes an unconscious Luke Skywalker
4. HF: Tahei and Matashichi separate; ANH: R2 and C3PO separate
5. Tahei and Matashichi are captured individually by the enemy; The droids are captured individually by jawas
6. Tahei and Matashichi are reunited; R2 and C3PO are reunited
7. There's a bounty for Princess Yuki, a young woman; The Empire seeks Princess Leia, a young woman (also, there's a bounty for Han by Jabba the Hutt).
8. The samurai wear armor; the stormtroopers wear armor
9. Tahei and Matashichi escape; the droids are freed from the jawas when Owen Lars purchases them
10. Both films use a lot of wipes
11. They meet a heroic man (Rokurota) possessing treasure; The droids meet Obi-Wan who has access to vital data
12. Tahei and Matashichi and Rokurota are trying to get home; Obi-Wan and the droids are trying to get to Alderaan.
13. Tahei and Matashichi discover that Rokurota is a legendary general; Obi-Wan is a legendary general from the Clone Wars
14. Tahei and Matashichi argue a lot; the droids argue a lot
15. Princess Yuki is not a damsel in distress; Leia is not a damsel in distress
16. The general is (at one point) interested in the reward; Han wants "reward".
17. The hidden fortress is destroyed; Alderaan is destroyed
18. They are spotted by scouts, the scouts flee and Rokurota chases them; The Millenium Falcon is spotted by Tie-fighter scouts; the tie-fighters flee, the Falcon chases them
19. Rokurota ends up (seemingly by accident) in the enemy camp; The Falcon accidentally ends up in the Death Star
20. Rokurota is challenged to one-to-one spear combat by the enemy general; Obi-Wan is challenged by Darth Vader
21. Tahei and Matashichi hide in a town; Droids, Luke and Ben hide in Mos Isley
22. Princess Yuki reclines in a certain way; Leia reclines in a certain way
23. Principle characters gather in one shot; same.

So there are a lot of similarities. However, there are more dissimilarities. In fact, if I had watched Hidden Fortress without being told it influenced Star Wars, I probably would not have made the connection. First of all, they are completely different genres. Second, one is set in 19th century Japan, the other long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away. Third, the battles in Hidden Fortress are short, whereas the battles in SW are long. Fourth, there's nothing supernatural in HF; in SW there's the Force. Fifth, the characters are very different.

If we compare Episode 4 and 7, however, the similarities are striking. Normally this wouldn't bother me, but this is STAR WARS we're talking about here! Abrams had 30 years to come up with something new and fresh to add to the saga, and this is what we get?! A droid with a spherical body and X-wings with black paint jobs?! Abrams dropped the ball and has ruined the franchise, imo.

I was looking for samurai movie edited with lightsabers (particularly HIdden Fortress). I found this:

youtu.be/pHRIAwAOrsw

So cool.

After the success of the latest Star Wars movie, I hear that Disney is doing an Indiana Jones sequel, with J.J. Abrams as director:

"Indiana Jones 5: The Ark Awakens"

Takes place 30 years after The Last Crusade (So in the '60s).

Main character is Indiana Jones's black nephew, Alabama Jones (named after the family cat) who is also an archaeologist. He also wears a fedora, leather jacket and uses a whip.

In the beginning, Alabama is in a booby-trapped pyramid in the jungles of Mexico, and finds an ancient relic, which is soon stolen from him by a group belonging to the neo-Nazi group "The Fourth Order". Alabama just makes it out alive by jumping into a waiting floatplane. There's a tarantula in Alabama's seat; he freaks out because he's afraid of spiders. The spider turns out to be the pilot's pet.

Jones is told that the Ark (apparently stolen some years ago) had re-surfaced in Afghanistan, but a freak sandstorm covered it up. The University that Jones works for decides to send Alabama Jones to the Registan desert in Afghanistan to find the Ark. In a tavern, Jones joins forces with an old friend, Martin, who had been a student of his until they'd had a falling-out. Martin possesses a map which shows the hidden location of the Ark.

Jones and Martin find the Ark but they are captured by the Fourth Order who seize the Ark and throw Jones and Martin into the Well of Trolls, which is filled with spiders. Jones and Martin manage to escape by tipping over a jinn statue which crashes through the stone wall. They meet old Indiana Jones. Indiana dies after eating a poisoned date.

In the end, Jones and Martin are captured again and end up in a Fourth Order camp on Mount Sanai where the neo-nazis intend to open the Ark again. The Italian archaeologist, Benito, who is working for the Fourth Order, reaches into the Ark and pulls out a handful of pebbles. Angry, Benito overturns the Ark, spilling the pebbles to the floor. Alabama instructs Martin to keep his eyes shut. The pebbles begin to dance around magically and the Fourth Order is initially amused, but the pebbles grow into giant trolls which commence to smash the neo-Nazis. Everyone but Jones and Martin are sucked up into the sky by God's tornado.

...It'll make billions.;)

Crystal Skull had a lot of callbacks to the originals if I recall correctly.

I agree that the similarities of ANH and TFA are greater than Hidden Fortress and ANH. Specially because TFA consciously copies the style of the technology in ANH: the same vehicles and starships show up, the same universe, the same basic plot. It's almost a remake of ANH.

While ANH was heavily influenced by Kurosawa's style of cinema and storytelling but it created a whose new universe using that cinematic style. TFA not only reproduces the same style but also consciously copies down all the details of ANH.

So yeah, TFA takes the prize for closest movie to a remake that is not technically a remake.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

I don't know. I think Tron: Legacy could contend for that title.

Naw, The Thing prequel.

Or Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2. Half of it is literally the first movie.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

POSSIBLE CASTING-ONLY SPOILER BELOW




As a casual SW fan, I liked the simple approach they took with this one. It was just fun and I'm glad they went with an "episode IV" approach, rather than a "Game of Throne Wars" one. It was also interesting to have a WTF----Adam Driver? moment as well.

I don't remember much of the original Tron movie.

Among the movies I know I think that Ozu's 1959 Ohayo is almost a remake of the 1932 I Was Born but...

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

Now it is the highest grossing movie in the US ever! Now we need this flick to out gross that crappy Avatar movie.

I could not agree more. Great way of summing it up. It's essentially a rehash or a "soft reboot" of Episode 4, while creating enough new strands to keep some people, mainly mega fans, interested. I personally, will not be spending any money on future star wars cinema tickets. Plus, Abrams herky-jerky direction didn't work here, as the action was never allowed to breath and the quick cuts were annoying at times, leaving us with half assed action scenes.

I did enjoy the humour though and Ridley really surprised me as the star but sadly, it fails to rise above being simply a good movie, lacking the determination and pace of Empire or even the light saber superiority of Ep III.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

If The Force Awakens had actually been billed as a 'reboot' of Star Wars, everybody would have been up in arms complaining about all the ways in which it was not the same at all.

I can totally see that.

i enjoyed it but I also didn't have high expectations. It did sort more or less just emulate ep 4 but that didn't bother me too much. I can understand those who are disappointed by this however.

I've heard a lot of negativity about the prequels lately which I'd like to address. Let's look at some facts.

The initial reactions to the prequels were actually very positive.

Roger Ebert gave Phantom Menace a "thumbs up", gave it 3.5 stars out of 4, and wrote "If it were the first "Star Wars" movie, "The Phantom Menace" would be hailed as a visionary breakthrough."

Phantom Menace had a very respectable opening weekend of $64 million in 1999 and was nominated for 3 Oscars.

James Bernardinelli wrote about Attack of the Clones: "In a time when, more often than not, sequels disappoint, it's refreshing to uncover something this high-profile that fulfils the promise of its name and adds another title to a storied legacy."

Attack of the Clones is among the top 100 highest-grossing films of all time.

A. O. Scott of The New York Times concluded that Revenge of the Sith was "the best of the four episodes Mr. Lucas has directed," and equal to The Empire Strikes Back as "the richest and most challenging movie in the cycle".

Revenge of the Sith was the second most financially successful movie of 2005.

This.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

I saw it on Sunday. First time I've been to the theater in 8 years. Went with my friend that I first saw Empire Strikes Back with in 1980 when we were respectively 15 (me) and 12 (him).

Once again I feel I was blinded by hype. I stayed away from the threads here and didn't read any reviews - so the only hype I overheard was how this film was the second biggest & greatest thing next to the second coming of the messiah.
It wasn't bad, but it certainly wasn't any of that.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

I liked the leads and I thought Rey and Finn had good chemistry. Kylo Ren was decent as the bad guy. Beyond that I really had problems with the story and the shallow way its told. It's nothing more than a retread of Star Wars and not a good one. The pacing is terrible, and the piling on of coincidences because the writers couldn't find a better way to get our characters to the next action scene or plot point became tiresome.

Rating: B-. And feeling a lot less hope for next one.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

I am hoping they let rey be kinda a side issue for some of the movie while she trains in the next movie so that we can have some more focus on Finn s story and and maybe make him have his real hero moment and not have him as a bumbling former latrine trooper.

I agree entirely, however I'm hopeful for a sequel that doesn't feel the need to prove itself by repeating the first Star Wars.

Financially speaking, all the Star Wars movies have been big, big hits. That's not surprising but it is interesting seeing all those reviews from back in the day, especially with regards to Phantom Menace.

The prequels, after you watch them having grown up, older, wiser and without the hype don't fare so well simply because they are poor in so many aspects BUT there's one thing they excel at, above the originals and Awakens and that is light sabre battles. Nothing tops Anakin v Obi Wan or the triple threat match or Grievous v Obi Wan and so on. I'd sit through those movies just for that.

Apparently the next one will be "darker" so I'm expecting a remake of Empire lol :p

Force Awakens: 2 hours 16 minutes

A New Hope: 2 hours 16 minutes

A coincidence?

Here are some plots that would've been infinitely better than the rip-off crud show we were "forced" to swallow:

• A new galaxy is discovered, a galaxy with a young (geologically-speaking) planet Earth. Both sides (light and dark) see this as an opportunity to expand their territories.
  
• Luke has recently been discovered after being missing for a long time. The dark side want him dead, the good guys want to bring him back. It's a race to find Luke.
  
• The dark side has discovered a way to clone force-sensitive people (something that was impossible during the Clone Wars). The good guys race to find the cloning facility and destroy it before they create a clone of Anakin Skywalker (ie. "The Chosen One")
  
• The dark side launches an attack on the New Republic capital in an attempt to assassinate the Supreme Chancellor and restore the Empire.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

The feminism is The Force Awakens made my piles bleed! Oh, and being strong with the force can now make you become a trained Jedi instantaneously....

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

I like that idea.

Wat. Feminism in Force Awakens? ...really?

...

Star Wars ain't exactly pulling Fury Road on us.

Re: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 

There's something that annoys me about the Star Wars universe, over a period of thousands of years, technology doesn't seem to have changed at all.

Between what and when?