Just returned from the theater feeling let down and hoodwinked. Is it just me or did that movie suck worse than one of Joey's "Sparky" posts? Character development? Ever heard of it?

They got me again. This time, it was almost bigger than when Phantom Menace came out.

JJ! Why did you do this to me???

Is at least Williams Shatner in it?

I want ALL the spoilers....

It is revealed that Han Solo drinks Busch Light and keeps a copy of "Hotel California" hidden behind the toilet.

Sickening.

I actually liked this one quite a lot, unlike the prequels. That do have their moments in action scenes, but are otherwise failures due to poor acting, awful editing and terrible scripting: the dialogue in those movies is terrible and the dude that plays Anakin has the charisma of a plant-louse. Not to mention Jar-Jar.

This time around most of the dialogue is pretty decent - though like all the films, even Empire, it is something they could've paid a little more attention to - and the humor actually works. I like the newbies on the cast and it was good to see the old heroes again.

I think it's a good choice to make the new Sith Lord a bit of a tosser. He's obviously pretty powerful, but most of his allies and opponents don't take him too seriously. A cool trick to get away with someone who wants to be a dark lord: make him desperately want to be Vader in a way that people laugh at him.

Finn and Rey get decent introductions as well. The Star Wars formula has a few boundaries and they did a better job than I expected with it.

I think you can best compare it with A New Hope. That's stating the Obvious of course, since it's the blueprint for this film (I love the nods JJ gave with among others, Finn looking down at the scavenger village in the way Ben and Luke arrived at Mos Eisley years ago). But if you take an honest look at episode IV you'll find there's not that much more character development than in this one. That was mostly done in The Empire Strikes Back. The big difference: you were a child when you saw Luke destroy the first Death Star so you didn't care that much.

The one thing I wasn't that content with was the way the film ended. IMO they should've ended it with a big funeral for one of the Rebellions greatest heroes and make the Luke-quest the main theme of the next film. Or they should've taken another 20 minutes to make it more spectacular. But it's not something I am pissed off about (the way the map was revealed was one of those corny moments that are as big a part of the Wars as lightsabers) and I look forward to the next episode.

I didn't expect another Empire Strikes Back. Even if it would've been an equal quality-wise the experience would've been different: it was one of the first 'movies for grown-ups' I got to see with my friends. We were 8 years old. I walked in as an innocent child, I walked out marked for life as a Star Wars geek. If I would've had the same transition last night, my wife would've probably filed for a divorce.

Last night I got a part of the answer to the question I asked myself since 1983 after Return of the Jedi: what was next for Luke and his buddies? And while I did read some of those novels on the fight against Thrawn, it wasn't really the same. And there's a couple of million geeks like me who asked the same question. That's quite the weight to carry for a cast and crew to carry.

IMO they pulled it off. I thought the first part of the answer I got last night was pretty entertaining. With The Force Awakens, I think I can manage to explain to my kid that they made these films years ago and how they were a game changer for me as a lad. I wouldn't be able to pull that off with the embarrassing NOOOOOOOOO! scene that ended episode III.

so...was it the light or the dark that gets to Luke first?

this is some bullshit.

Teiz, it's interesting to hear you compare them to the prequels. When taken in that context, of course it is a better film. But I can't help compare them to Star Wars and Empire, and to a lesser extent Jedi, and as a result, the whole thing lacked completely.

You said Finn and Rey get good introductions. I disagree. I didn't buy Finn's conversion at all, and I didn't buy into the relationships he has with both Poe and Rey. Poe is a minor character in my eyes, completely undeveloped past the fact that he's a good pilot. Rey is the only character with any amount of depth - I'll give you that. Ridley's performance was good. But Finn I just didn't have a connection with. And if JJ's purpose was that he and Rey develop into a romantic thing, it falls flat on its face, because they don't have much chemistry together as a couple. They don't really have much chemistry as friends all that much either.

And as for the plot? 100% recycled rubbish from the original trilogy. Here's a short checklist:

1. Orphan from a desert planet? Check.

2. Said orphan is strong in the force and needs guidance from older, bearded Jedi? Check.

3. Galaxy threatened by bad guys who have a space station that can destroy planets? Check. (But hey – at least this time it’s bigger!!)

4. Bad guys wear uniforms that remind one if Nazi Germany? Check.

5. Head bad guy with lineage tied to major characters on the good side? Check.

6. Cute sidekick robot? Check.

7. Said cute robot sidekick flees opening battle scene with important information that can help save the rebellio- er, resistance while its master is made a prisoner of the Empir- er, First Order? Check.

8. Good guys send a strike team to the planet to deactivate the energy shield so an attack can be made by Xwings? Check.

And this is just off the top of my head. Give me a few minutes to think about it and I will come up with more rip offs.

I just can't understand why people like it. 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. WTF?? I think people were so traumatized by the prequels that they were willing to accept anything without question as long as it didn't have Jar Jar and Hayden Christensen's overacting.

I'm waiting for Riffy to weigh in.

There after shall I form my opinion.

Or maybe I'll go see the movie first.

You way over thought a kids movie…
but I think you missed so much… Rey is a Kenobi, hidden/taken away for a reason.
She's a pilot, which is awesome, and definitely becomes force aware because she is very powerful.
Fin has something special because he broke away from a training much like the clones had, and he wants to help others.
theres' only so much you can do with a fantasy story that is building sequels and has a history and then the canon and expanded universe. I know you're a huge lover, I'm assuming you're up on Rebels and clone Wars too… For me the starkiller and Rey's likeness to Luke aren't homage's or copying, it's just a simple truth that some things repeat until resolved.
I love Kylo Ren… I'm looking at how he destroyed Luke's Jedi training, and The Knights of Ren are turned Jedi's… that's a first. and lots of other stuff like that… The force Awakens, not let's keep building death stars, I think that gets lost. I love how he avoided the politics, and when they senate and the fleet were destroyed, it just happened. The ending was one of the most powerful moments in a movie, and without dialogue said so much… Rey was a Padawan in Luke's care with the others…probably the only survivor except for those turned. the battles were sub plot and done well, but the story for me is in the character development and the building into what is to come. Great foundation. This is my favorite of them all… I could go on… I loved when I saw the little Rebel pilot doll Rey had made in Dakku… i almost balled. not sure who her father will be, but I'm pretty sure she's a Kenobi if she's a skywalker, then her and Ren are both anakins grandkids, which is interesting and a can of worms too… I've seen it three times and pre-ordered the digital already…yea, loved it.

Starbuck wrote on Dec 21^st, 2015 at 9:18pm:

nd as for the plot? 100% recycled rubbish from the original trilogy

That is what Abrams was told to do by Disney...he was to recreate the first 2 films in this one...or atleast 1 1/2 of the first 2

http://venturebeat.com/2015/12/16/star-wars-spoilers-the-force-awakens-lacks-a-single-original-idea-and-you-will-love-it-anyways/


Starbuck wrote on Dec 21^st, 2015 at 9:18pm:

I just can't understand why people like it. 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. WTF??

Same reason we complain about the setlists and still rave about the shows we see

Pdog, I don't see how Finn wants to help others. On Maz's homeworld, he was about to ditch Rey and the rest of the band to save his own skin....

...however, then in a crazy plot twist, he runs back and tries to save Rey's life...why? he loves her? if so, they will make a horrible couple with no on screen chemistry.

As for Kylo Ren, he is just a troubled teenager dark side wanna be fanboy who wears a mask because he thinks his grandpa was cool. (There is no reason for that mask other than to draw useless parallels to Vader.) Can't even defeat a Janitor with a lightsaber that has no Force wielding abilities. I don't really care about what made him turn evil because I am not emotionally vested in his character like I was Vader's.

As far as Riffy goes, Egon, he won't weigh in until it is revealed in Episode VIII that Snoke is actually Dick Cheney.

The way I saw it Finn realised he made a mistake. I thought that character was quite convincing. Not wanting to slaughter a village and understanding what the consequences (sp?) of that decision are, I can see how he would want to defect. Poe is his best chance of getting out alive.

Now Poe - underdeveloped but he has at least two more films to pass the 'Wedge-status - and Rey are the first to treat him like a human being. That must be confusing for a guy. I can see why he would not want to abandon his friend without being in love with her. I tend to agree with you that it would be a mistake to make a couple from him and Rey, but I'll just see how this evolves and give it a chance if they would lift this option.

As for Kylo, the more I think of it, the more I feel it is a masterstroke to turn him into a sad tosser. I look forward to seeing his next steps.

I think we'll get to see some out of the box action in the planned spin-offs. Rogue One next year will probably be a test case to check how far out of the box the Star Wars audience is willing to think. Should be interesting. Personally I would love to see a KOTOR-era film or live action series at some point. But for now, I'm quite happy with the way they have brought the Star Wars Universe back to life. How happy? I gave The Force Awakens a 9 out of 10 on IMDb and will revisit the movie at an imax theater somewhere in the next two weeks.   

I think I must be the only person left on the planet not to have watched a Star Wars movie EVER! Honest INJUN! And yet I still seem to have processed most of the information, the plots, the characters etc. Is it some kind of mind control process to lead us all into an Orwellian nightmare. Supposedly, Lucas is Illuminati? Baffling, what?

Teiz, I think I figured out why you like the movie so much.

http://www.weedist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/yoda-bong.jpg

gypsymofo60 wrote on Dec 22^nd, 2015 at 6:04pm:

I think I must be the only person left on the planet not to have watched a Star Wars movie EVER! Honest INJUN! And yet I still seem to have processed most of the information, the plots, the characters etc. Is it some kind of mind control process to lead us all into an Orwellian nightmare. Supposedly, Lucas is Illuminati? Baffling, what?

https://d.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1433241997ra/15070150.gif

Starbuck wrote on Dec 22^nd, 2015 at 12:31pm:

Pdog, I don't see how Finn wants to help others. On Maz's homeworld, he was about to ditch Rey and the rest of the band to save his own skin.... ...however, then in a crazy plot twist, he runs back and tries to save Rey's life...why? he loves her? if so, they will make a horrible couple with no on screen chemistry. As for Kylo Ren, he is just a troubled teenager dark side wanna be fanboy who wears a mask because he thinks his grandpa was cool. (There is no reason for that mask other than to draw useless parallels to Vader.) Can't even defeat a Janitor with a lightsaber that has no Force wielding abilities. I don't really care about what made him turn evil because I am not emotionally vested in his character like I was Vader's. As far as Riffy goes, Egon, he won't weigh in until it is revealed in Episode VIII that Snoke is actually Dick Cheney.

Finn had already helped Poe and saved Rey, well before Maz' place. He was scared, you think it's possible whatever mind control they do to babies to make them stormtroopers messed him up? That's where my point is, he's a good person and his will to help others is evident despite his past. He ran to Rey's aid on Dakku, for no reason that to help.

I can't make you vested in a character you hate. But his past is intense
In Rey's dream you see him with the knights of Ren. Unlike Vader who slaughtered padawans, Ren turned them… this is way beyond just sith stuff… we see his character way different. His struggle between good and evil and his manipulation of his family is huge.
and another difference I see, is Ren and Hux have a conflict, but it's different than the conflicts Vader had with empire commanders… it's more personal and competitive.
not like the old bureaucracy seen in 1-3 and carried into 4-6… there's a turn, and the senate and fleet are blown up now…  and the first order, I'm assuming rules by supreme leader and appointees only, so the systems they draw from are bled dry of resources… no economy or freedom. Way different than the empire, who had constant rebellion and pirating ect…
I'm so bummed you don't like it… I'm more into it than ever.

Teiz wrote on Dec 22^nd, 2015 at 5:13pm:

The way I saw it Finn realised he made a mistake. I thought that character was quite convincing. Not wanting to slaughter a village and understanding what the consequences (sp?) of that decision are, I can see how he would want to defect. Poe is his best chance of getting out alive. Now Poe - underdeveloped but he has at least two more films to pass the 'Wedge-status - and Rey are the first to treat him like a human being. That must be confusing for a guy. I can see why he would not want to abandon his friend without being in love with her. I tend to agree with you that it would be a mistake to make a couple from him and Rey, but I'll just see how this evolves and give it a chance if they would lift this option. As for Kylo, the more I think of it, the more I feel it is a masterstroke to turn him into a sad tosser. I look forward to seeing his next steps. I think we'll get to see some out of the box action in the planned spin-offs. Rogue One next year will probably be a test case to check how far out of the box the Star Wars audience is willing to think. Should be interesting. Personally I would love to see a KOTOR-era film or live action series at some point. But for now, I'm quite happy with the way they have brought the Star Wars Universe back to life. How happy? I gave The Force Awakens a 9 out of 10 on IMDb and will revisit the movie at an imax theater somewhere in the next two weeks.

Third season of clone Wars animated is really good and Star Wars Rebels is really great, if you love the story line, they have created a great look into the time between ep3 and ep4.

Thanks for reminding me Pdog. Those animated shows hardly got any attention over here.  I dodged Clone Wars because of my Prequel hangover. But I should check them out. First thing will be revisiting The Force Awakens in an Imax theater though..

Teiz wrote on Dec 23^rd, 2015 at 5:15pm:

Thanks for reminding me Pdog. Those animated shows hardly got any attention over here.  I dodged Clone Wars because of my Prequel hangover. But I should check them out. First thing will be revisiting The Force Awakens in an Imax theater though..

I want to hit an Imax too… I've done 2D and #d, might as well trifecta.

Pdog wrote on Dec 23^rd, 2015 at 5:19pm:

Teiz wrote on Dec 23rd, 2015 at 5:15pm: Thanks for reminding me Pdog. Those animated shows hardly got any attention over here.  I dodged Clone Wars because of my Prequel hangover. But I should check them out. First thing will be revisiting The Force Awakens in an Imax theater though.. I want to hit an Imax too… I've done 2D and #d, might as well trifecta.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/f6/65/5a/f6655a6b178d4c8479ece830c9d3f4ae.jpg

hell yes!!!

I tried to go see Hateful 8 yesterday...every show sold out...

Tom Hanks was splendid as Luke Spacewalker.

I will catch it on HBO before you know it. What happened to-
Luke
Han Solo
Princess Leah
Darth Vadar?

This thread is worse than a Joey thread. :solongsucker

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Dec 27^th, 2015 at 7:26pm:

This thread is worse than a Joey thread. :solongsucker

is that even possible?

<  ----- Harrison Ford looks just like Roger Waters .



Concur Lil' Buddy ( Lil' Fijikins )   .  My Family and myself saw this movie Christmas Evening and it was thoroughly enjoyable  --- no muppets , robots or kiddie stuff !!!!  Excellent writing , dialogue , etc  ..... oh , and I guess they have killed off the character Han Solo   [   ..... unless they offer Harrison 50 mil to return :)    ]   




JACKY !!!!!!

gimmekeef wrote on Dec 28^th, 2015 at 1:30pm:

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Dec 27th, 2015 at 7:26pm: This thread is worse than a Joey thread. :solongsucker is that even possible?

It's a toss up.

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Dec 28^th, 2015 at 9:12pm:

gimmekeef wrote on Dec 28th, 2015 at 1:30pm: sweetcharmedlife wrote on Dec 27th, 2015 at 7:26pm: This thread is worse than a Joey thread. :solongsucker is that even possible? It's a toss up.

Pats will kick!!!

Some Guy wrote on Dec 27^th, 2015 at 6:32pm:

I will catch it on HBO before you know it. What happened to- Luke Han Solo Princess Leah Darth Vadar?

Some 25 years or so after the end of Return of the Jedi, Luke called Vader's boss in an attempt to get him fired and then disappeared. Han, meanwhile, has been pouting at the Creature Cantina across the street because Lando called his girlfriend fat.

Starbuck wrote on Dec 29^th, 2015 at 8:11am:

Some Guy wrote on Dec 27th, 2015 at 6:32pm: I will catch it on HBO before you know it. What happened to- Luke Han Solo Princess Leah Darth Vadar? Some 25 years or so after the end of Return of the Jedi, Luke called Vader's boss in an attempt to get him fired and then disappeared. Han, meanwhile, has been pouting at the Creature Cantina across the street because Lando called his girlfriend fat.

archaic reference lost on younger posters.

Starbuck wrote on Dec 22^nd, 2015 at 10:10pm:

gypsymofo60 wrote on Dec 22nd, 2015 at 6:04pm: I think I must be the only person left on the planet not to have watched a Star Wars movie EVER! Honest INJUN! And yet I still seem to have processed most of the information, the plots, the characters etc. Is it some kind of mind control process to lead us all into an Orwellian nightmare. Supposedly, Lucas is Illuminati? Baffling, what? https://d.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1433241997ra/15070150.gif

Lol! 10 points for that one. But if I see you I'll bite your legs off. Yuo're not the Messiah, you're a very naughty boy. And get rid of that Welsh tart my boy.

Starbuck wrote on Dec 25^th, 2015 at 9:02am:

Pdog wrote on Dec 23rd, 2015 at 5:19pm: Teiz wrote on Dec 23rd, 2015 at 5:15pm: Thanks for reminding me Pdog. Those animated shows hardly got any attention over here.  I dodged Clone Wars because of my Prequel hangover. But I should check them out. First thing will be revisiting The Force Awakens in an Imax theater though.. I want to hit an Imax too… I've done 2D and #d, might as well trifecta. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/f6/65/5a/f6655a6b178d4c8479ece830c9d3f4ae.jpg

Good God! It's Keef!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDFlQINIgwk