Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens [SPOILERS]

[Alyxx Thorne]

Feel free to discuss the new Star Wars movie here. WARNING: Spoilers allowed so if you haven't seen the movie, be aware you might get it spoiled here.

[BTGBullseye]

Overhyped. Anything with this much hype is automatically overhyped, unless it's Jesus Christ's return...

[Alyxx Thorne]

Well it's fucking Star Wars, of course it's gonna be hyped to hell and back... We're talking about a movie series that is a religion to a lot of people.

 

I loved it. Although it wasn't perfect, for instance I wasn't a fan of Snoke being a CGI model. They couldn't get a guy in makeup with a hood to portray him? I didn't get it.

 

But it felt like a Star Wars movie and I had a blast watching it.

[BTGBullseye]

Well, despite me not seeing it until I torrent it, I still want to hear everything spoilery about it... (it doesn't affect my enjoyment of a movie in the slightest to know everything about it beforehand)

[Alyxx Thorne]

Yeah, sure. I'm just giving a fair warning there will be spoilers for people who don't want it spoiled.

[BTGBullseye]

GIVE ME SPOILS!!!!

[Fric]

Is it me or anyone else also did not like this one part: the first order failed in exactly the same way as Empire in New Hope. Its 1:1 - they shoot once successfully (Alderaan VS which I presume were Republic core worlds - maybe even Corruscant? there were no mentions on which planets were actually hit) and the second they are about to shoot but everything blows up (they were already pressing the buttons to fire on yavin VS and in the new movie it was like 20 secs before they could fire). Or maybe was this some overarching theme that they are introducing old characters one by one and sticking to something we already have seen?

[Alyxx Thorne]

Yeah the movie borrowed a lot from the original trilogy. I didn't really mind that though.

[Fric]

Yeah the movie borrowed a lot from the original trilogy. I didn't really mind that though.

I don't mind that they borrowed it, the evil in me says they should have destroyed the rebel base this time.

[Epsilon]

The strong resemblances to the original trilogy were part of the reason that I wasn't absolutely blown away by The Force Awakens. It struck me too much as heavy-handed fanservice and a lack of innovation more than it did adherence to the entire idea of Star Wars or any sort of policy resembling "If it isn't broken, don't fix it." I laughed knowingly at Han Solo's comment that "There's always a way to blow it up..." not only because it was comedic, but because it indicated just how trite the entire idea of "destroy this large, menacing superweapon built by the big bad and win For Great Justice" has become. The First Order feels like a carbon copy of the Empire (only with less exposition as to WHY it's being rebelled against), with Kylo Ren as a watered-down, morally challenged, temper tantrum-prone Darth Vader with daddy issues. He was practically a metrosexual teenage boy cosplaying as Vader (seriously, what Sith that strong in the Force manages to still be youthful and physically attractive?), but he never felt nearly as menacing. Snoke, the ACTUAL primary antagonist, has very little screen time and does nothing of any significance (I take it he'll be a little less forgettable in the two sequels). He's allegedly stronger in the Force than anyone else in the film, barring Luke, and yet he's only seen as what I assumed was a hologram. And considering Kylo Ren's comedic incompetence, I doubt his master is much more threatening in direct combat. Ren simply never struck me as particularly powerful, and his impeccable, wholly uncorrupted physical features only add to my impression that he was never all that great a threat to begin with. Merely a mad dog who was only imposing to his unquestioning lackeys.

 

Speaking of strength in the Force... I'm still trying to wrap my head around the two protagonists wielding lightsabers with absolutely no prior training or experience (one of whom was merely a non-Force-sensitive grunt)... and standing toe-to-toe with Kylo. Even Boba Fett only has limited proficiency with a lightsaber (I don't know if this is canon but I've certainly heard it before), and he is arguably the most skilled bounty hunter in the entire franchise, putting up a decent fight against Obi-Wan... so how is Finn able to wield one at all without disemboweling himself? Last of all, it's never elaborated upon as to why finding Luke is vital to defeating the prepubescent buffoon that is Kylo Ren. At all. I understand that he was deliberately left as merely a legend, but Rey does manage to find him at the very end of the film... and even then it's never explained why he's needed. I'll simply have to leave it to the sequels to answer these questions, I suppose.

Edited December 19, 2015 by Guest (see edit history)

[ScottD.Betson]

9/10

Loved BB-8

the ending got me to cry

daniel craigs cameo was funny

han solo dying was saddening

kylo ren was cool

Fin was a great character who needs more development, same with Rey

[Fric]

The strong resemblances to the original trilogy were part of the reason that I wasn't absolutely blown away by The Force Awakens. It struck me too much as heavy-handed fanservice and a lack of innovation more than it did adherence to the entire idea of Star Wars or any sort of policy resembling "If it isn't broken, don't fix it." I laughed knowingly at Han Solo's comment that "There's always a way to blow it up..." not only because it was comedic, but because it indicated just how trite the entire idea of "destroy this large, menacing superweapon built by the big bad and win For Great Justice" has become. The First Order feels like a carbon copy of the Empire (only with less exposition as to WHY it's being rebelled against), with Kylo Ren as a watered-down, morally challenged, temper tantrum-prone Darth Vader with daddy issues. He was practically a metrosexual teenage boy cosplaying as Vader (seriously, what Sith that strong in the Force manages to still be youthful and physically attractive?), but he never felt nearly as menacing. Snoke, the ACTUAL primary antagonist, has very little screen time and does nothing of any significance (I take it he'll be a little less forgettable in the two sequels). He's allegedly stronger in the Force than anyone else in the film, barring Luke, and yet he's only seen as what I assumed was a hologram. Ren simply never struck me as particularly powerful, and his impeccable physical features only add to my impression that he was never all that great a threat to begin with. Merely a mad dog who was only imposing to his unquestioning lackeys.

 

Speaking of strength in the Force... I'm still trying to wrap my head around the two protagonists wielding lightsabers with absolutely no prior training or experience (one of whom was merely a non-Force-sensitive grunt)... and standing toe-to-toe with Kylo. Even Boba Fett only has limited proficiency with a lightsaber, and he is arguably the most skilled bounty hunter in the entire franchise, putting up a decent fight against Obi-Wan... so how is Finn able to wield one at all without disemboweling himself? Last of all, it's never elaborated upon as to why finding Luke is vital to defeating the prepubescent buffoon that is Kylo Ren. At all. I understand that he was deliberately left as merely a legend, but Rey does manage to find him at the very end of the film... and even then it's never explained why he's needed. I'll simply have to leave it to the sequels to answer these questions, I suppose.

 

For Finn you could argue that he might have had some melee training - because you see another stormtrooper attacking with the vibroblade. But that's just a guess.

For Rey - firstly she showed great athletics and agility (through out the movie) and melee skills (when fighting the scavengers who tried to take BB) in the movie. Also, the movie seemed to show that she is very strong in the force (she learned that mind trick very quickly) therefore lightsaber combat could be just intuitive for her without even knowing.

 

Also - who said its that hard to use the lightsaber? I look at it this way - its a melee weapon, if you can fight with a stick/wand/vibrosword/etc., you should be able to use a lightsaber properly. So I would say - its easy to use but difficult to master it completely.

[Epsilon]

The only problem I have with Finn is that lightsabers are weightless, and without the reflexes of a Force user, the wielder is as likely to kill himself as he is to actually hit something... and it was mentioned that he was merely a janitor (something about sanitation, if I recall correctly). At the start of the film, it's his first day in any sort of actual combat scenario. He couldn't have had too much melee training, considering how easily he's overpowered by the nameless stormtrooper with the vibroblade. Ren is a little more understandable, but she should nevertheless stand absolutely no chance against someone who's had extensive training in either side of the Force. Not to mention that she intuitively "knows" that she's Force-sensitive, is capable of resisting Kylo Ren's interrogation techniques, and is capable of mind tricking....

 

I was hoping I could say that I was completely satisfied with this film since I'm young enough that I've never actually had the chance to see Star Wars in a theater, but it raised too many questions throughout.

[Alyxx Thorne]

Keep this in mind... Finn kinda sucks with the lightsaber. To me it kinda came off as him just winging it. You can tell he would much rather use a blaster because, that's what he has training in. But he's forced to improvize.

[Ikthias]

I agree, Finn was using what he had available at that moment, and to be honest even Kylo sucked with a light saber, its clear his combat training was never complete.

[Fric]

The only problem I have with Finn is that lightsabers are weightless, and without the reflexes of a Force user, the wielder is as likely to kill himself as he is to actually hit something... and it was mentioned that he was merely a janitor (something about sanitation, if I recall correctly). At the start of the film, it's his first day in any sort of actual combat scenario. He couldn't have had too much melee training, considering how easily he's overpowered by the nameless stormtrooper with the vibroblade. Ren is a little more understandable, but she should nevertheless stand absolutely no chance against someone who's had extensive training in either side of the Force. Not to mention that she intuitively "knows" that she's Force-sensitive, is capable of resisting Kylo Ren's interrogation techniques, and is capable of mind tricking....

 

I was hoping I could say that I was completely satisfied with this film since I'm young enough that I've never actually had the chance to see Star Wars in a theater, but it raised too many questions throughout.

 

Ok, I agree that Finn probably doesn't have training, but his fighting was for a brief moment and as others mentioned he's just swinging.

 

As for Rey i quote came to my mind:

 

A: Who told you how to do that?

B: No one. It seemed the proper way.

A: That it is.

A: (He shall know your ways as if born to them.)

[Descriptor]

I thought it was pretty hilarious. Kylo Ren is such a dork. A total Vadar fanboy. As soon as he took off that mask, I just couldn't take him seriously anymore.

 

Still a great movie though. Really enjoyed it. Interested in what they do with the sequels.

[Alyxx Thorne]

I thought it was pretty hilarious. Kylo Ren is such a dork. A total Vadar fanboy. As soon as he took off that mask, I just couldn't take him seriously anymore.

 

Still a great movie though. Really enjoyed it. Interested in what they do with the sequels.

I think that was the point of his character, trying to live up to Vader's name but failing, and that's one of his struggles.

 

As for Rey i quote came to my mind:

 

A: Who told you how to do that?

B: No one. It seemed the proper way.

A: That it is.

A: (He shall know your ways as if born to them.)

 

Well, it is proven that the Force can guide your actions. The shot at the end of the trench run in Episode IV was Luke being guided by the Force when he fired the torpedoes. So I think it's safe to assume that at the point Rey took up the lightsaber she was already atuned with the Force and had learned to use it so she let it guide her.

[Descriptor]

I thought it was pretty hilarious. Kylo Ren is such a dork. A total Vadar fanboy. As soon as he took off that mask, I just couldn't take him seriously anymore.

 

Still a great movie though. Really enjoyed it. Interested in what they do with the sequels.

I think that was the point of his character, trying to live up to Vader's name but failing, and that's one of his struggles.

 

Oh yeah, I totally got that. He's just so doofy while doing it. But I guess that makes sense, as he's really working to capture Anakin's whiny-ness.

At the very least he isn't quite that lame, so maybe there's hope for him yet.

Also, do you think we will get a movie about the jedi-academy and about how he destroyed it and all?

A sort of pre-sequel, if you will?

I really hope not.

[Vapymid]

Alright, I'll be a detractor here... I'd say, as a Star Wars movie I rate this lower than the Return of the Jedi. That means pretty low in my eyes, cause the ROTJ was the worst of them all already.

 

As a standalone movie - it's OK. Spectacular, pretty, loud entertainment. Excellent and competent use of 3D, too... As a SW movie - total rubbish. Not a single original part in it - it is just a collection of rehashed and recycled scenes from other episodes, every prop, every gag is a tired SW cliché with a bit of Star Trekiness added.

 

Flat characters - I haven't felt any sympathy to any of them, they might have all been chopped to pieces and I would have simply smiled. Flat, cartoonish "villain" and his totally incompetent boss who might have come from an Avengers script. Implausible and inconsequential cause for which I couldn't care less... And of course, a total absence of any plot.

 

People love to disparage the "prequels" and, yes, those were mediocre movies - but they were excellent SW movies. They had a plot and meaning and atmosphere. The Force Awakens has none of these. I laughed when Han Solo got stuck like a pig, because a) it was so predictable and b) because of the expression on Ford's face that said "Thank the Force - I'm out of here!"

 

What I feared the most - that it will be turned into a bland Disney's Aladdin in Space safe entertainment flick - has unfortunately happened... Oh, well...

 

Regards

Edited December 20, 2015 by Guest (see edit history)