Star Wars VII Spoiler alerts.

[DavoteK]

True... but they took $20 from me. I would rather have gotten it for free with all my other Netflix activities.

To be fair, its Star Wars. Its not gonna push many boundaries, never has, never will. Its a kids/family action adventure sci fi flick. Nothing more, nothing less.
The nostalgia factor was catered for, they maintained the look and feel of what a Star Wars universe should look like, they introduced a few characters that you feel you can gravitate towards, there were some laughs, there were some superb action set pieces, there was a couple of twists and there's enough intrigue to make you want to see the next one without just blindly going because its Star Wars.

If you were expecting more from it than the above, then its not the film that needs critiquing, its the critic and its overall approach.

 

[DavoteK]

Uhm... we know exactly what is going to happen in episodes 8 and 9 now:

Ep 8: The gang is on the run, Rey is training with a Jedi Master, who she soon discovers is her father, "noooooooo", but her friends will get into trouble, so she will have to leave before completing her training... opening her up to the pull of the dark side. Fin will end up being mummified by a good friend in exchange for protection from the First Order.

Ep 9: Rey saves Fin, only to find out that a new Star Sucking Death Planet (SSDP ?) has been... well, I guess those things are excavated. But, in the end, they get a lot of help from the teddy bears on a moon of the new star sucking death planet... all the while, Rey is saving Ren from the dark side, only to see him perish from wounds we are never entirely certain how he received.

And you'll go and see them on opening day like you did with this one.

 

[bobob]

"It surprises me that people are surprised that 1) the film feels like a hollow love letter to someone else's superior vision and, 2) the film is frustrating because it does not explain many of its most important points. This is the same director whose resume is filled with movies that relish in those two ideas.

Abrams makes hollow films. Always has. I knew this film would be a "McStarWars" because, ultimately, Disney has a 4 billion debt to pay off and this first film cannot (yet) go to unique and untried places. It needs to work with as wide an audience as possible, build a fan base, and make back its money.

I would LIKE to think that we will see risks being taken in Episode VIII once Disney can feel secure that their investment was well placed."

-via

 

[Savor]

Watching Han Solo get killed is like watching Mutt shoot Indiana Jones from behind...

Like watching James Bond getting killed without a chance to ever comeback except in a reboot/alternative reality, prequel, or hallucination/dream sequence. Han Solo isn't just a beloved Star Wars character, he is one of the most popular characters in cinematic history. If they did a poll of movie heroes, he is probably in the Top 20-40.

All the cooler boys who grew up on the OT wanted to be like Vader or Han. Not everyone wanted to be like the whiney farmboy, Luke. The young Han "solo" film won't matter much to me without Harrison Ford. There is only one Han Solo and Indiana Jones to me. And nobody can ever replace Harrison Ford for those iconic roles he portrayed.

The best scenes (to me) in The Force Awakens involved Han and Leia together. Again, most tender and bittersweet dialogue since "I love you" / "I know." in Empire. It hurts thinking about it now no matter if you saw it coming from a mile away. Even now nearly 24 hours after I saw it, I still think how heartbreaking it was to watch Han die...

Rest in peace.. you old pirate.

 

[BornAgainMac]

Question I have...the movie gave the impression that we should know who Max Von Sydow's character was---I had no idea. Anyone else?

I had that impression too. When I looked up the character, it just said what he did in his scene. I really miss the CGI storm troopers. I felt like I was watching a fan based youtube video with people in fake storm trooper gear on. I think this was my worst Star Wars experience but I didn't care because I was happy to see it come back to the big screen. The next movie should be good with Luke in there to fill the Han Solo void.

Having said that, I will still watch the movie multiple times. It was entertaining and over time, I'll like it more just because it is Star Wars.

 

[rhett7660]

Watching Han Solo get killed is like watching Mutt shoot Indiana Jones from behind...

Like watching James Bond getting killed without a chance to ever comeback except in a reboot/alternative reality, prequel, or hallucination/dream sequence. Han Solo isn't just a beloved Star Wars character, he is one of the most popular characters in cinematic history. If they did a poll of movie heroes, he is probably in the Top 20-40.

All the cooler boys who grew up on the OT wanted to be like Vader or Han. Not everyone wanted to be like the whiney farmboy, Luke. The young Han "solo" film won't matter much to me without Harrison Ford. There is only one Han Solo and Indiana Jones to me. And nobody can ever replace Harrison Ford for those iconic roles he portrayed.

The best scenes (to me) in The Force Awakens involved Han and Leia together. Again, most tender and bittersweet dialogue since "I love you" / "I know." in Empire. It hurts thinking about it now no matter if you saw it coming from a mile away. Even now nearly 24 hours after I saw it, I still think how heartbreaking it was to watch Han die...

Rest in peace.. you old pirate.

Well said. Someone on this board spoiled it in the other thread , but I did not want to believe it. While watching it, we could see it coming a mile away. We already knew their son was heartless and very cold. As soon as Han said his name, me and the wife looked at each and we knew it was coming.

Very sad indeed...... I was like you, I wanted to be Han. Not Luke, not Vader. Han.

 

[DavoteK]

Well said. Someone on this board spoiled it in the other thread , but I did not want to believe it. While watching it, we could see it coming a mile away. We already knew their son was heartless and very cold. As soon as Han said his name, me and the wife looked at each and we knew it was coming.

Very sad indeed...... I was like you, I wanted to be Han. Not Luke, not Vader. Han.

You could see it coming, but I guarantee you were pulling for it not to happen, and when it did, you were still shocked it did. Great moment in the saga. Sad, yes. But still, great.

 

[mac8867]

You could see it coming, but I guarantee you were pulling for it not to happen, and when it did, you were still shocked it did. Great moment in the saga. Sad, yes. But still, great.

That is an entirely fair assessment. I for one am guilty of expecting more. I love Abrams work on Star Trek, and was excited to see what he did with Star Wars. 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.

 

[rhett7660]

You could see it coming, but I guarantee you were pulling for it not to happen, and when it did, you were still shocked it did. Great moment in the saga. Sad, yes. But still, great.

You could see it coming, but I guarantee you were pulling for it not to happen, and when it did, you were still shocked it did. Great moment in the saga. Sad, yes. But still, great.

Totally... lol Even though we hated that scene, that is one of the better scenes. You could hear a pin drop when it happened. The place was in shock. Heck I was in shock. I would have not imagined they would kill off one of the main characters, let alone that character!

 

[Abazigal]

Watched the film, walked away feeling unimpressed. It somehow felt more like a modern retelling of the original film, and less so of a sequel or standalone film.

I mean, an orphan on a desolate planet goes on an adventure and discovers she has force powers, proceeds to trade blows with the villain, then leaves to find a mentor for further training.

Where have I watched that before?

 

[DavoteK]

That is an entirely fair assessment. I for one am guilty of expecting more. I love Abrams work on Star Trek, and was excited to see what he did with Star Wars. 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.

What was so different about the new Star Trek from the original 4 or 5 Star Trek films? If you consider Star Wars formulaic, the 2009 Star Trek (which was superb), pretty much does the same thing for me.

Define "advanced storyline" without coming up with a convoluted mess, like trade negotiations or senate disputes haha

 

[AustinIllini]

2012: "Disney is going to ruin Star Wars!"

It's 2015 and Disney has saved Star Wars.

 

[panzer06]

I'm actually amazed that people thought the empire was wholly defeated after Jedi. That movie was one battle. Surely no one believes it would be easy to wrest 1000s of systems from an entrenched enemy who is still capable of fielding substantial battlefield assets. War on such a vast scale would almost certainly take decades to be resolved and may never end.

 

[Mlrollin91]

Okay I hadn't read anything before the movie as I hate spoilers.
A Sith would never have internal conflict?
Do you recall what Luke said to Vadar?
Vadar was a Sith and certainly had internal conflict!

I have never considered Anakin/Vader a true Sith. The reason why Vader originally turned to the dark side was to protect the ones he loves and cares about. I don't believe a Sith is capable of love. If Vader was truly a Sith he wouldn't have saved Luke.

These are my personal beliefs, what do I know. Food for thought.

 

[AustinIllini]

I have never considered Anakin/Vader a true Sith. The reason why Vader originally turned to the dark side was to protect the ones he loves and cares about. I don't believe a Sith is capable of love. If Vader was truly a Sith he wouldn't have saved Luke.

These are my personal beliefs, what do I know. Food for thought.

He was a sith, IMHO, but I don't feel like the prequels do a good enough job showing the differences between the Sith and Jedi order.

The prequels make it look like there's just a sign-up sheet.

 

[Savor]

The Force Awakens had arguably the most memorable and heartbreaking movie death scene since Michael Corleone ordered Fredo to be killed in The Godfather Part II. Perhaps more tragic because I didn't care for Fredo like I did for Han. And Han & Leia was always a far more believable couple than Anakin & Padmé ever was. Han's death scene will be iconic and be talked about decades later like Vader admitting he is Luke's father. The Star Wars film that killed Han Solo. The Force Awakens that put Han Solo to sleep forever.

SW Saddest Death Scenes
1. Han Solo
2. Darth Vader
3. Obi-Wan Kenobi
4. Yoda
5. Qui-Gonn Jin

Han ranks #1 because Harrison Ford was like our movie father for a generation of kids. Vader died saving his own son. Obi-Wan chose his fate. Yoda died of old age. Qui-Gonn's death was sad but he was only in one film while Han is a far more popular character that has been around for over 38.5 years in four films. I thought Adam Driver sold that scene with tears in his eyes. It almost felt for a moment he was going to turn good after he unmasked and join his dad. Then when he stabbed Han with his lightsaber, it felt like our brother killed our own father too.

I remember JJ Abrams admitted in the Collider interview last week that A New Hope was his favorite SW film. Empire wouldn't be that great without building on the shoulders of ANH after three years had elapsed. I mentioned in previous posts that I prefer Indiana Jones over Han Solo and the Raiders films over Star Wars. But Indiana Jones wouldn't be that great of a character without Harrison Ford building and refining that charismatic persona he created with Han Solo first.

For me, I don't hate Kylo Ren for killing his father. It was written that way from Abrams and Kasdan and for EPIC dramatic purposes. It worked. I still can't get some scenes out of my head. Scenes we can analyze and talk about for generations. They even showed Han cheating two groups earlier. So even at an old age, Han didn't change. He is still despicable and still quite a scoundrel. It will no doubt go down as an iconic scene talked about for decades later. Right now, not everyone has seen it yet and the ones who have is still fresh in our minds still trying to come to terms on what happened. Give it time to marinate in our heads that a popular SW icon is dead before it reaches iconic status. At least the real Harrison Ford is still with us even if his life isn't forever too like a movie character could be.

For Ren to redeem himself, he may eventually die saving his family at the end. He might die saving possible sister Rey, his Mama Leia, and Uncle Luke from harm. I predict Ren will die in this trilogy but at the end of Episode IX in 2017 and join his dad's spirit. Even then, it may never make up for killing his father. I still find him to be such a bad*** in this new one even if he lost to Rey in an epic lightsaber duel at the end. I find him more interesting than Luke and the most interesting since Anakin. I love his temper tantrums. Made the audience laugh. And I love how Ren pounded his chest as he battled Finn. Thank you, Adam Driver, for being a far superior actor than Hayden Christensen will ever be with a far cooler voice, masked or not. Ren is the new Anakin. Recycled? Yes. Still fun to watch? Hell yeah!

It is mandatory to watch this film on IMAX 3D and during that first time. I am not a fan of 3D and the only IMAX film I ever watched before TFA was Revenge of the Sith. Avatar's 3D (non-IMAX) never impressed me either. This one did and arguably my favorite movie experience ever. The scenes with the Millennium Falcon looked amazing in 3D. Felt like the Captain Eon attraction in Disneyland. I want to watch it again because SW have such high replay value for me on TV or in theaters but I know it will never be a great experience as that first time since I already saw it on IMAX 3D without knowing how it turns out. I can't wait for Episode VIII in May 2017. I was wrong that The Force Awakens might surpass Empire as the greatest SW film. But Episode 7-9 has a chance to be the most consistent SW trilogy ever. As long as no Ewoks, Gungans, etc.

My Top 10 Favorite The Force Awakens Moments

1. Han seeing Leia that first time and their interactions
2. Han's emotionally-charged death scene
3. Kylo Ren lightsaber duels with Finn and Rey
4. Luke at the very end adding anticipation for Ep 8
5. Finn drinking water next to a large pig creature
6. Poe and Finn's escape
7. BB-8 doing a thumbs up with a lighter to Finn
8. Rey's dream/hallucination sequence
9. Rey doing her Jedi mind trick
10. Kylo Ren's temper tantrums and Force freezes

Honorable mention - Alot of sprinkled nostalgia and humor throughout like seeing the computer screen in the Millennium Falcon and the hologram chess game. But most importantly, The Force Awakens didn't suck like The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones or disappoint like The Dark Knight Rises and Avengers: Age of Ultron did. It should have a ton more replay value than any of those aforementioned films.

 

[DavoteK]

Your comments I was responding to...

Yeah, and I didn't label you, just pointed out the folly of your ways.

Go to see a Star Wars film, see a Star Wars film, slate a Star Wars film for being a Star Wars film. That's next level film critiquing right there. The fact that you did so and paid to do it and wasted 3-4hrs of your time, just makes it all seem even stranger.

Film was amazing. Glad you didn't like it

 

[rhett7660]

The Force Awakens had arguably the most memorable and heartbreaking movie death scene since Michael Corleone ordered Fredo to be killed in The Godfather Part II. Perhaps more tragic because I didn't care for Fredo like I did for Han. And Han & Leia was always a far more believable couple than Anakin & Padmé ever was. Han's death scene will be iconic and be talked about decades later like Vader admitting he is Luke's father. The Star Wars film that killed Han Solo. The Force Awakens that put Han Solo to sleep forever.

SW Saddest Death Scenes
1. Han Solo
2. Darth Vader
3. Obi-Wan Kenobi
4. Yoda
5. Qui-Gonn Jin

Han ranks #1 because Harrison Ford was like our movie father for a generation of kids. Vader died saving his own son. Obi-Wan chose his fate. Yoda died of old age. Qui-Gonn's death was sad but he was only in one film while Han is a far more popular character that has been around for over 38.5 years in four films. I thought Adam Driver sold that scene with tears in his eyes. It almost felt for a moment he was going to turn good after he unmasked and join his dad. Then when he stabbed Han with his lightsaber, it felt like our brother killed our own father too.

I remember JJ Abrams admitted in the Collider interview last week that A New Hope was his favorite SW film. Empire wouldn't be that great without building on the shoulders of ANH after three years had elapsed. I mentioned in previous posts that I prefer Indiana Jones over Han Solo and the Raiders films over Star Wars. But Indiana Jones wouldn't be that great of a character without Harrison Ford building and refining that charismatic persona he created with Han Solo first.

For me, I don't hate Kylo Ren for killing his father. It was written that way from Abrams and Kasdan and for EPIC dramatic purposes. It worked. I still can't get some scenes out of my head. Scenes we can analyze and talk about for generations. They even showed Han cheating two groups earlier. So even at an old age, Han didn't change. He is still despicable and still quite a scoundrel. It will no doubt go down as an iconic scene talked about for decades later. Right now, not everyone has seen it yet and the ones who have is still fresh in our minds still trying to come to terms on what happened. Give it time to marinate in our heads that a popular SW icon is dead before it reaches iconic status. At least the real Harrison Ford is still with us even if his life isn't forever too like a movie character could be.

For Ren to redeem himself, he may eventually die saving his family at the end. He might die saving possible sister Rey, his Mama Leia, and Uncle Luke from harm. I predict Ren will die in this trilogy but at the end of Episode IX in 2017 and join his dad's spirit. Even then, it may never make up for killing his father. I still find him to be such a bad*** in this new one even if he lost to Rey in an epic lightsaber duel at the end. I find him more interesting than Luke and the most interesting since Anakin. I love his temper tantrums. Made the audience laugh. And I love how Ren pounded his chest as he battled Finn. Thank you, Adam Driver, for being a far superior actor than Hayden Christensen will ever be with a far cooler voice, masked or not. Ren is the new Anakin. Recycled? Yes. Still fun to watch? Hell yeah!

It is mandatory to watch this film on IMAX 3D and during that first time. I am not a fan of 3D and the only IMAX film I ever watched before TFA was Revenge of the Sith. Avatar's 3D (non-IMAX) never impressed me either. This one did and arguably my favorite movie experience ever. The scenes with the Millennium Falcon looked amazing in 3D. Felt like the Captain Eon attraction in Disneyland. I want to watch it again because SW have such high replay value for me on TV or in theaters but I know it will never be a great experience as that first time since I already saw it on IMAX 3D without knowing how it turns out. I can't wait for Episode VIII in May 2017. I was wrong that The Force Awakens might surpass Empire as the greatest SW film. But Episode 7-9 has a chance to be the most consistent SW trilogy ever. As long as no Ewoks, Gungans, etc.

My Top 10 Favorite The Force Awakens Moments

1. Han seeing Leia that first time and their interactions
2. Han's emotionally-charged death scene
3. Kylo Ren lightsaber duels with Finn and Rey
4. Luke at the very end adding anticipation for Ep 8
5. Finn drinking water next to a large pig creature
6. Poe and Finn's escape
7. BB-8 doing a thumbs up with a lighter to Finn
8. Rey's dream/hallucination sequence
9. Rey doing her Jedi mind trick
10. Kylo Ren's temper tantrums and Force freezes

Honorable mention - Alot of sprinkled nostalgia and humor throughout like seeing the computer screen in the Millennium Falcon and the hologram chess game. But most importantly, The Force Awakens didn't suck like The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones or disappoint like The Dark Knight Rises and Avengers: Age of Ultron did. It should have a ton more replay value than any of those aforementioned films.

BB-8 doing a thumbs up with the lighter to Finn was classic. Loved that scene. Finn was defiantly the comedy in the show for me. He had some good lines and really good scenes.

I agree with your number one and two. These two scenes can be interchanged all day long. There was something in the way they looked at each other, that was great. The other scene, yup. Still processing it. I have mentioned it before, he was my favorite SW character. Heck he still is. That scene probably takes the top out of all of them through all the movies for me. Just because it is Han.

This movie plays major homage to the first three. There were sprinkles throughout the entire movie. I really liked that.

 

[Savor]

My bad. I meant 2019 for Episode IX.

I am thinking if Star Wars is a forever franchise, it will probably play out like the Final Fantasy series in video games for me. Or any video game series with the endless sequels and reboots. Hopefully after Episode IX, it still will be interesting. I haven't really been excited about a Final Fantasy game since X back in 2001. I should expect Disney to milk Star Wars forever and ever...

Looking forward to Star Wars Anthology starting with Rogue One in a year. But I have slightly lower expectations for it and a Han Solo film than I do with the main canon of SW. Hopefully, the quality is around the same for Ep 8 & 9 like it is for Ep 7. Consistently high standard trilogy of films that even SW OT couldn't maintain thanks to Lucas' creating a teddy bear that can somehow help overthrow The Empire. I didn't personally hate Return of the Jedi. I prefer it more than A New Hope. The moment Luke walks away from Vader and you see Vader stand there alone thinking was such a beautiful scene. It said so much with zero facial expressions.

Eventually, SW could eventually JUMP THE SHARK too like what happens to all TV shows and lose its luster. But so far after Episode VII, I like where the series is heading and will enjoy the franchise until my dying days on Earth. Either 8 or 9 can be a weaker entry since picking a least favorite is usually possible out of 3 options, but hopefully not so bad like TPM and AOTC were.

I think what helped me enjoy TFA even after reading spoilers was keeping my expectations in check. There were times my anticipation went sky high. Then I thought about The Phantom Menace, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight Rises, and Avengers: Age of Ultron to bring my expectations back to Earth. No such thing as the perfect film that will please everyone. But TFA did please me. Not bad for a script that rewritten was barely two years ago and filmed 18 month ago. Imagine how good Ep 8 and 9 can be with more time to think of a good story building on the shoulders from Ep 7?

 

[AustinIllini]

I would expect a new Star Wars trilogy ever 10-15 years out of Disney. In the meantime, there are TONS of interquel anthological film opportunities for the universe.

 

[Ulenspiegel]

"Abrams makes hollow films. Always has."
This movie was no exception. Star Wars w/o a single Jedi (except L.S. at the end for 10 seconds (SIC!))

 

[tbayrgs]

Shame on you JJ and Disney... shame shame shame. When the movie finished, all that energy and excitement was absolutely gone. Nobody cheered, nobody waited through the credits for any little teaser, just stunned silence.

I don't think the fans that are determined to be at the very first public screening represent most SW fans, in the same way that regular tech forum posters aren't representative of general consumers---they're the extreme devotees, often with unreal expectations.

I was at the third scheduled showing at one of our local theaters last night and the mood was exactly the opposite of your showing. The atmosphere was electric, the crowd cheered throughout, gasped together and when the credits rolled, gave a resounding applause.

Was it a cinematic masterpiece? No but neither were the originals. But to me, it felt like, looked like, sounded like the Star Wars I remember watching when I was a kid and that's what I personally was hoping for. Obviously, to each their own.

 

[fishkorp]

For Ren to redeem himself, he may eventually die saving his family at the end. He might die saving possible sister Rey, his Mama Leia, and Uncle Luke from harm.

I'm going to go on record right now and say (that I think) there's a 0% chance that Rey is Kylo Ren's sister. Han and Leia would have had a different reaction. She's either (A) Luke's daughter, (B) born of the Force like Anakin, or (C) some random (but very powerful) young Jedi that Luke was able to save and hide when Kylo was murdering all the students. All of the hints in the movie point to her being Luke's daughter. But that could just be on purpose to make us think that's who she is.

 

[mscriv]

Saw The Force Awakens last night with my family. We all enjoyed the movie, especially my boys who are 6 and 10. My wife is a life long Star Wars fan and she was so excited to see the story and characters once again on the big screen. I totally understand people's feedback about the "retread" feeling regarding the movie as I felt a bit of that myself. However, it definitely had a Star Wars vibe to it with the mix of humor, action, pacing, and characters. I generally try not to judge movies like it as stand alone films because the entire point is to spread a story out across multiple films. I'll reserve my final judgements for the entirety of the trilogy/series.

 

[rhett7660]

I'm going to go on record right now and say (that I think) there's a 0% chance that Rey is Kylo Ren's sister. Han and Leia would have had a different reaction. She's either (A) Luke's daughter, (B) born of the Force like Anakin, or (C) some random (but very powerful) young Jedi that Luke was able to save and hide when Kylo was murdering all the students. All of the hints in the movie point to her being Luke's daughter. But that could just be on purpose to make us think that's who she is.

This is what we thought also. Even though Luke had a what appeared to be tears in his eyes, he didn't say daughter......... or to me it wasn't look of a father to daughter, but more of, you made it, you survived Ren.......