Star Wars VII Spoiler alerts.

[MacNut]

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If JJ made it too different people would complain.
If he makes it too similar people complain.

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The film is an entire shambles as a sequel. It is a whole heck of a lot of fun as a remake thinly veiled as a sequel.

If you're a die hard sw fan there are always areas of the movie to criticize(Luke's beard should've been longer, the movie sucked). That being said I also agree as a remake it was great and in that way it was an excellent movie. I am extremely pleased they reduced the amount of CGI used for featured actors(jar jar). That was extremely distracting for me in the prequels.

My 7 and 13 year old loved it. Isn't that the age range of some of the biggest critics when they saw the original?

This movie had to get out of Lucas' shadow. I think they did that. They had just enough nostalgia but also gave us enough new content.

Remember, they were working with a new script, so in many ways this is a reboot. Had Lucas made this movie it would have been much worse. Just enjoy the fact that the franchise isn't in complete ruins.

In other news, TFA just passed Titanic in the US

Star Wars: The Force Awakens surpassed Titanic over the weekend to become the second highest-grossing movie of all-time domestically.

The Force Awakens has brought in $686 million, according to Disney, passing Titanic, which brought in $658 million, USA Today reports. It also jumped over Jurassic World, which earned $652 million, to become the most successful movie of 2015.

The seventh movie in the Star Wars franchise still trails Avatar, which remains the highest-grossing domestic movie of all-time at $760 million. According to the paper, the newest Star Wars flick made $600 million faster than any other movie in history.

Globally, The Force Awakens has made $1.3 billion, currently 7th all-time, according to Box Office Mojo, a site that tracks film earnings, recently passing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

http://time.com/4165535/star-wars-the-force-awakens-passes-titanic-at-box-office/

 

[cmichaelb]

This movie had to get out of Lucas' shadow. I think they did that. They had just enough nostalgia but also gave us enough new content.

Remember, they were working with a new script, so in many ways this is a reboot. Had Lucas made this movie it would have been much worse. Just enjoy the fact that the franchise isn't in complete ruins.

In other news, TFA just passed Titanic in the US

Star Wars: The Force Awakens surpassed Titanic over the weekend to become the second highest-grossing movie of all-time domestically.

The Force Awakens has brought in $686 million, according to Disney, passing Titanic, which brought in $658 million, USA Today reports. It also jumped over Jurassic World, which earned $652 million, to become the most successful movie of 2015.

The seventh movie in the Star Wars franchise still trails Avatar, which remains the highest-grossing domestic movie of all-time at $760 million. According to the paper, the newest Star Wars flick made $600 million faster than any other movie in history.

Globally, The Force Awakens has made $1.3 billion, currently 7th all-time, according to Box Office Mojo, a site that tracks film earnings, recently passing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

http://time.com/4165535/star-wars-the-force-awakens-passes-titanic-at-box-office/

It will pass Avatar this weekend in raw gross and I will dance upon the graves of Na'vi in the light of a bonfire made of logs from the Tree of Souls.

Hahahahahahahahaha!!!


(Next up, make enough so when adjusted for inflation it still kicks Avatars blue ***)

 

[Tilpots]

I hate to tell you both, but as an avid SW fanboy as a kid, who had all the action figures and second gen GI Joe figures, female figures don't sell well.

It has to do with the fact a Darth Vader/Kylo Ren will sell literally hundreds for ever one Ren figure. Princess Leia was a key hero in the OT yet her figure was always harder to find. Don;t even get me started on the GI Joe Baroness figure.

Action figures appeal to a majority young male audience. It's economics, not sexism.

That's 1970's thinking ya got going on there. We just entered 2016. Welcome...

 

[MacNut]

That's 1970's thinking ya got going on there. We just entered 2016. Welcome...

I still think a lot of people think action figures are for boys only. Im sure the market research says the same thing. Does that make it right, I just don't think you will see it change. The same way that they won't market dolls to boys.

 

[cmichaelb]

That's 1970's thinking ya got going on there. We just entered 2016. Welcome...

Funny, it holds true today as well as it did then. Nearly 40 years later I'm sure the sales figures reflect this.

I still think a lot of people think action figures are for boys only. Im sure the market research says the same thing. Does that make it right, I just don't think you will see it change. The same way that they won't market dolls to boys.

Yup!

 

[bobob]

Just enjoy the fact that the franchise isn't in complete ruins.

Hooray?

 

[Apple fanboy]

As for action figures I had them all as a boy. The concept of not wanting Leia action figures as a boy never crossed my mind. I wanted them all (and the ships).
Sadly I sold them all as a teenager and probably spent the money on cigarettes and alcohol!

 

[citizenzen]

... Sadly I sold them all as a teenager and probably spent the money on cigarettes and alcohol!

At least it wasn't wasted.

 

[MacNut]

At least it wasn't wasted.

But he was.

 

[Apple fanboy]

But he was.

Well not all the time!

 

[MacNut]

Star Wars: The Force Awakens rang in the new year by breaking even more box office records this weekend, raking in an estimated $88.3 million domestically.

That means that The Force Awakens earned the highest domestic third weekend ever, and its domestic total is now at $740.3 million. Earlier this weekend, it surpassed both Jurassic World ($652.3 million) and Titanic ($658.7 million) to become the second-highest grossing domestic movie ever (unadjusted for inflation), and within the next few days, it should dethrone Avatar ($760.5 million) to become the biggest domestic movie ever.

Globally, The Force Awakens pulled in $184.6 million this weekend, bringing its worldwide total to a whopping $1.51 billion. It will soon surpass The Avengers ($1.52 billion) and Furious 7 ($1.515 billion) to become the fourth-biggest movie of all time. It’s also become IMAX’s second highest-grossing movie ever with a global total of $152 million, and in record time: The Force Awakens reached that total in only 19 days, as opposed to Avatar, which took 47 days. The Force Awakens has opened worldwide with the exception of China, where it will debut this weekend.

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/01/03/box-office-report-star-wars-force-awakens-new-years

 

[bobob]

They REALLY could have come up with at least a more advanced story line without much risk, but didn't even try, resulting in a predictable next two films. Which honestly, I will wait for the DVD to see --- they will be released within 3 months of debut.

This film felt like iPhone 5s... nothing new.

That is a very telling indictment of the Force Awakens, especially coming from the OP of the original Star Wars VII thread.

Here is an excerpt from his original post on December 1st, 2014:

Star Wars. I will love it, guaranteed!

 

[cmichaelb]

As for action figures I had them all as a boy. The concept of not wanting Leia action figures as a boy never crossed my mind. I wanted them all (and the ships).
Sadly I sold them all as a teenager and probably spent the money on cigarettes and alcohol!

Oh I was a completist as well, but not everyone is- but after having my Darth, Han, Luke, Chewy etc.

 

[Savor]

I read all the negative reviews for The Force Awakens which is expected. There will always be a backlash on anything. I didn't expect it to please everyone. No film could. Main issue is the fact it is simply a stupid remake. Kevin Smith even stated we don't need a third story about blowing up a Death Star as it was already done with ANH and ROTJ. I agree. We didn't need another story like that. But it is becoming such a oversimplification complaint about it.

Watching the trailers during the past year before it, I didn't expect it to be a NEW story. They tried doing it with the PT, and they didn't FEEL like Star Wars. Now when JJ wanted people to feel like it is a SW film like the OT, people complain? Damn if you do, damn if you don't.

The idea was to hinge with people's nostalgia. Except nostalgia can run its course. I know it felt a little too deja vu for me watching another Death Star blow up, but I already expected it. All deliberate. To recapture the magic the OT had especially Ep 4 and introduce it to a newer gen who never felt what others felt back in 1977. TFA is more of JJ's tribute and love letter to his fav SW film ever, A New Hope.

Some critics aren't pointing out the differences between TFA vs ANH/OT. They only want to point out the similarities and whine about that.

- Did ANH show the movie from a pilot and ex-Stormtrooper perspective? I don't recall Wedge having that many lines like Poe did.

- Did you ever see Darth Vader or any Sith freeze a laser beam in mid-air? Then unleash it when he walks away?

- Did you ever see how resourceful Luke and Anakin were with the little they had? Hell, I don't remember Rey being whiney as they were! She could fight for herself against multiple attackers that made the first black lead actor in SW look wimpy and clumsy by comparison.

- Did you ever see blood like that from a dying Stormtrooper smeared to Finn?

- Did you ever see a massacre of people in Jakku or a reaction shot when multiple planets are ready to blow up? I didn't see the Tusken Raiders (Sand People) get massacred in AOTC after Anakin announced it to Padmé. Only a beheading of one.

- Did you ever see a Stormtrooper have a weapon that can combat a lightsaber?

- Did you ever see a caring Stormtrooper, ever? Previous Stormtroopers never showed a guilty conscience.

- Did you ever see a Force Vision?

- Did you ever see a major character die who carried more emotional weight than when Obi-Wan and Qui-Gonn were killed? We barely knew those Jedis. Some have known Han for nearly 40 years and he was one of the highlights of the OT. We grew to love Han over many years and multiple films. Obi-Wan chose to give up and Qui-Gonn felt like an add-on character which created plot holes for the later episodes. Since when did Obi-Wan ever mention Qui-Gonn in TESB?

- Did you see a female fight a male during a lightsaber duel? Actually, I never seen a female character ever turning it on in any of the previous six films.

- Did you ever see an OUTDOOR lightsaber duel like that where trunks of trees were getting sliced? Everything has usually been indoors with the exception of Anakin v Obi-Wan in Mustanfar.

- Did you ever see a SW where one of the main characters to the series is missing and we didn't see him until the closing scene?

- Did ANH show us desert, snow/ice, and forest? It took the entire OT to show us all three terrains.

The Force Awakens is by no means a perfect film and isn't the best in the series. Most true SW fans know that. But saying it is just a stupid remake or is not creative enough is such an oversimplification. They showed enough NEW scenes and plot points to me.

If you want to criticize TFA's recycled story, then why not criticize The Avengers or the Batman films?

- Let's see, there is a scrawny villian who wants to take over Earth in The Avengers and he has an alien army. It took seconds for Hulk to beat him like a ragdoll. Puny god.

- Age of Ultron which was a bigger disappointment to most, there is this robot this time but multiplies itself and wants to blow up the world but a climax at the end was this floating, fictional city. Heroes save the day again! No kidding!

- In the Batman movies, there is this villian or two who wants to destroy Gotham and Batman will do everything to stop them!

In any comic-book film, there is always a villian that wants to take over or destroy a city, entire world, or galaxy. The hero triumphs at the end like usual. With Captain America: Civil War and Batman v Superman, we already know these films are wrestling matches. We know Cap and Iron Man will team up to fight Thanos in Infinity Wars and Superman & Batman will team up with Wonder Woman to form the Justice League. How predictable those movies will be and they haven't been released yet!

It is an insult to say Rey is another Luke and Kylo Ren is another Vader. Rey (Daisy Ridley) has already proven she is better than Luke, a whiney farmboy who needed Obi-Wan, Han, Leia, and Vader to save him. Kylo Ren could be a greater and more menacing and unpredictable villian Vader ever was.

But TFA gets criticized for its unimaginative, unambitious story when other higher reviewed movies and TV shows are just as guilty of recycling us the same stories too. The Force Awakens deserves every dollar it makes like its first line for "making things right." Both the OT & PT needed fixing. If only the haters can open their eyes more and actually point out the differences to see it is the perfect SW film offering a good balance of both old and new material to cater to both an old and new generation audience...

 

[bobob]

Oh I was a completist as well, but not everyone is- but after having my Darth, Han, Like, Chevy etc.

 

[cmichaelb]

Dam autocorrect... lol

 

[Tilpots]

I still think a lot of people think action figures are for boys only. Im sure the market research says the same thing. Does that make it right, I just don't think you will see it change. The same way that they won't market dolls to boys.

Action figures are dolls marketed toward boys. When you have one toy that caters to both boys and girls, but choose not to offer it based on sexist principals, that's problematic. Of course the market data will show Rey didn't sell in the volume other characters did, but if she's not on the shelves, she never had a chance anyway.

Funny, it holds true today as well as it did then.

Funny, that argument was used for segregation, too. I'm not labeling you a sexist or racist, just trying to illustrate the point that times and attitudes change.

Nearly 40 years later I'm sure the sales figures reflect this.

Or if you go by percentage of the figures sold, she's blowing all the other characters out of the water because you can't find her in stores or online nationwide.


Honestly not trying to derail this thread or send it to PRSI. Saw more blatant exclusion of Rey in another store this weekend. Just fires me up.

 

[cmichaelb]

Action figures are dolls marketed toward boys. When you have one toy that caters to both boys and girls, but choose not to offer it based on sexist principals, that's problematic. Of course the market data will show Rey didn't sell in the volume other characters did, but if she's not on the shelves, she never had a chance anyway.



Funny, that argument was used for segregation, too. I'm not labeling you a sexist or racist, just trying to illustrate the point that times and attitudes change.



Or if you go by percentage of the figures sold, she's blowing all the other characters out of the water because you can't find her in stores or online nationwide.


Honestly not trying to derail this thread or send it to PRSI. Saw more blatant exclusion of Rey in another store this weekend. Just fires me up.

If that's because she's selling well, good. I still say they made much fewer Rey figures. It's always been this way for action figures. It has nothing to do with anything that may be considered PRSI, it's economics. Maybe Rey changes this trend. If she is selling that well, maybe Rey production ramps up.

Rey being hard to find is nothing compared to Christmas '77 when Kenner sold a piece of cardboard with a voucher to redeem to get your figures when production ramped up months later lol.

 

[Tilpots]

If that's because she's selling well, good. I still say they made much fewer Rey figures. It's always been this way for action figures. It has nothing to do with anything that may be considered PRSI, it's economics. Maybe Rey changes this trend. If she is selling that well, maybe Rey production ramps up.

Rey being hard to find is nothing compared to Christmas '77 when Kenner sold a piece of cardboard with a voucher to redeem to get your figures when production ramped up months later lol.

Now Rey is missing from the new Monopoly game. This is not economics.

The problems of female characters being under-represented in geek merchandise is real. But when it’s a secondary character like Gamora or Black Widow, at least toy companies have an excuse. When the girl is not just the star of the movie, but of the whole franchise, that’s another story.

 

[twietee]

Agreed. albeit a bit surprising re Rey, thought she'd be the one most present along Kylo. I remember that very discussion with Black Widow (who isn't some kind of secondary character as well) being under represented as well (t-shirts and whatnot). At least there you have the lame excuse that she got no mask e.g. like RDjr hence much money would have to be paid to Scarlett Johannson.

At this point it's like the question what was first, hen or egg. Do female action figures sell that much less (doubt it) hence Disney's decisions, or do they sell worse because major companies like Disney like to paint the world pink and babyblue since decades, conditioning 'the market'?

Anyway, you've seen the Rey figurine from Hot Toyz, Tilpots? Looks uncanny! Bit steep in price though..

 

[bobob]

At this point it's like the question what was first, hen or egg. Do female action figures sell that much less (doubt it) hence Disney's decisions, or do they sell worse because major companies like Disney like to paint the world pink and babyblue since decades, conditioning 'the market'?

I find it hard to believe that Disney would leave money on the table for any reason.

 

[twietee]

I find it hard to believe that Disney would leave money on the table for any reason.

They won't.

I sadly do agree that female action heroes sell less than a male equivalent (to what extent I have no clue) - but I'm certain that Disney's incredible aggressive gender-dependent entertainment machine is a main part of the problem and not only the last piece of the chain.

 

[cmichaelb]

Now Rey is missing from the new Monopoly game. This is not economics.

The problems of female characters being under-represented in geek merchandise is real. But when it’s a secondary character like Gamora or Black Widow, at least toy companies have an excuse. When the girl is not just the star of the movie, but of the whole franchise, that’s another story.

All the figures in that pic wear black. Rey wears brown. She would look out of place.

So you are saying it should be Rey and Ren from TFA, instead of Fin and Ren? I can kind of see your point here. How much would it cost to add a third hero figure.

I find it hard to believe that Disney would leave money on the table for any reason.

You have to consider the retailers as well. Do they want to waste shelf space on a figure that won;t sell or ones that will? Disney has to consider that as well.

 

[twietee]

TFA is even that good - we don't even discuss the movie anymore. Just merchandise and how much it's grossing.

That being said, I ponder over going to see it a second time, now in 3d. Heard that was done quite well, and I have yet to see a good 3d movie.

 

[cmichaelb]

The 3D was pretty good, not distracted and added a bit to the movie.