Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

[VCRTracking]

This might answer some question about Kylo's worship of Vader:

 

Also Imperial/First Order officers being terrified of unforgiving Sith Lords is never not going to be hilarious!

 

Vader:"Apology accepted Captain Needa."

 

Kylo Ren: "Anything else?"

Edited December 19, 2015 by VCRTracking

[scarynikki12]

I can buy Ben being the name.  Leia knew who he was and admired him based completely on reputation, as evidenced by her asking for his help and rushing to find him on the Death Star in Episode IV, so I can believe that she would name a child after him.  Han is a bit harder as he was skeptical of Ben and the Force when they first met in IV but he came around on the Force so I can buy that he also came around on Ben's importance in general and to Leia.  Plus, in terms of the narrative, the current Big Bad Dark Side of the Force Character being named after Light Side of the Force Jedi works really well.  I'm cool with it.

 

That said, if Han had yelled out 'Bail!' I'd have loved it. 

[InsertWordHere]

Leia's life is so sad. Her father turns to the Dark Side. Her mother dies of a broken heart or something. Her home planet is destroyed by the Empire, along with the man who raised her as his daughter. Her son turns to the Dark Side and kills a bunch of younglings. Her brother disappears and her relationship with Han is broken. Han runs away with Chewie, then he comes back only to be killed by their son. Yet she's still the only one of the trio that stayed and kept fighting.

I think JJ dismissed the Lando connection.  If he's related to anyone, the only other person it could be is Mace Windu.  But to me it looks like for now he's related to no one.

Not necessarily. He could have a white ancestor somewhere down the line. 

Edited December 19, 2015 by InsertWordHere

[scarynikki12]

Not that producers are above lying but I think Williams' lack of availability rules out Lando as being family to Finn.  Whoever Finn is related to is going to be significant enough that they'll spend time on it, so not Lando.  I do selfishly hope that Williams is up for a cameo so we can check in with Lando/see what happened to him.  Mace was a dedicated Jedi so I can't see him having a lady on the side, which rules him out as a direct connection to Finn.  That said, we have no idea if Lando or Mace had siblings, so Finn could be a nephew of either. 

 

I have a feeling that Finn will be related to a character from the original trilogy.  I don't think we're meant to forget the prequels but I also think that Abrams won't want to directly remind us of them either, hence Corusant not being that one planet like so many of us thought*.  Mace, as much as I like him, was a prequel only character so I don't expect to hear his name at all, much less in connection to Finn or anything in these new movies. 

 

*Which totally disappoints as I was amused at Abrams metaphorically destroying the prequels by destroying Corusant. 

[Jewlmc]

I still think Rey is Han and Leia's that was taken by someone and hidden. Quite a few hints and it will be quite shocking for her to find out the man she hates is her own brother.

I think Luke, like Obi wan, has no kids and instead was really really close to his nephew. Hence "Ben" and his utter devastation at his fall.

[Phebemarie]

For those of you questioning the attractiveness of Kylo Ren to a target audience, I offer this:  I chaperoned a group of 70 teenagers, grades 7-12, to a morning screening.  When Kylo Ren took off his helmet the first time, the girls in the audience sighed and giggled like he was the new boy in school.    

[Pogojoco]

I loved Kylo Ren revealing his face because I think some people might've expected that he was part machine like Vader. It seems, rather, that he wears that mask because he's trying to distance himself from his old self and also pay homage. As well as intimidate. 

 

Few things this one did that the prequels didn't do: had main characters I cared about, with clear characterization and motivations, had a lightsaber fight that didn't feel cold and overly choreographed, had a villain that was frightening and compelling, it didn't feature any annoying children, and no one compared and contrasted their girlfriend to sand.  

 

I think the only reference to the prequels was when Maz Kanata mentioned that the Sith, as well as the Empire and the First Order, were manifestations of the Dark Side. 

Edited December 19, 2015 by Pogojoco

[InsertWordHere]

Han and Leia could have had a daughter in Luke's academy, as well as a son. They could have been told or assumed she died with all the rest of the younglings. Someone could have taken her off planet at Luke's behest, but since he went missing, he was never able to tell them what happened to her. Her abilities with the Falcon and the fact that she understands Chewie point more towards her being Han's daughter instead of Luke's IMO. But it only works if Han is unaware of this. If he had a daughter, he really must have believed that she is dead. Leia is a different story. I think she did feel a connection to Rey, either as aunt or mother.  

[SeanC]

I would hesitate to call this a truly great movie, because I can identify many problems. While the Prequel Trilogy, if nothing else, surely established that political intrigue is not what general audiences were looking for from these movies (or, at least, that George Lucas had no idea how to make political intrigue [or anything else, for that matter] interesting), the context given for the political situation of the galaxy far far away in this movie is so threadbare that it barely warrants mentioning. As with Abrams' Star Trek the movie runs heavily on references, but perhaps due to Abrams' greater fandom, at times it dips too close to Star Trek Into Darkness in its relentless referencing of virtually every plot element of A New Hope in some form. Granted, Lucas himself was already borrowing pretty heavily from the climax of that movie by the time he made Return of the Jedi, and that was 32 years ago, but still; and for that matter, the movie seems rather uninterested in its third version of the Death Star. Compared to A New Hope's meticulously-orchestrated ticking clock, this one is quite haphazardly conducted, and it feels rather perfunctory. I would actually argue that the climax would have worked better had it been omitted entirely and focused solely on the character dynamics of the smaller-scale mission taking place contemporaneously.

 

The characters are the movie's main strength. As has already been expounded at length in many quarters, the Prequels were crippled by Lucas' atrophied skill at creating believable characters and directing actors (if you have not seen American Graffiti, you owe it to yourself to watch it, and contemplate how the man who directed that could ever have ended up where Lucas did by the 2000s). The duo of lead characters introduced here (it has been marketed in some quarters as a troika, but in truth Oscar Isaac's role is much smaller) are both played by fresh, likeable actors who bring both gravitas and humour to the parts, and in both cases they feel well-developed -- even if, in Daisy Ridley's case, she's suffering from an acute case of a backstory being teased for future sequels. The returning legends from the Original Trilogy are all handled well, with Harrison Ford's Han Solo take centre-stage one last time; rather like Sylvester Stallone in Creed, this is Ford's best work in a while, accomplished while returning to his oldest hit character.

 

On a minor note, was there a requirement this year that year-end blockbusters hire Gwendoline Christie for a bit part?

 

Now that the first installment has obligingly cycled through many of the tropes of the original film, I am interested to see where this new phase of the saga will go.

Edited December 19, 2015 by SeanC

[ZoqFotPik]

 

 

Also Imperial/First Order officers being terrified of unforgiving Sith Lords is never not going to be hilarious!

Vader:"Apology accepted Captain Needa."

Kylo Ren: "Anything else?"

I loved the two Storm Troopers who quietly slunk away upon hearing Ren destroying the torture chair.

[Joe]

I loved the two Storm Troopers who quietly slunk away upon hearing Ren destroying the torture chair.

"We're just going to patrol over... there."

On another note, I was interested in Rey's furious attitude to combat. She was pretty angry during the lightsabre fight. But afterwards, she was fine to go back to the Resistance. Here's an interesting idea for her direction. The one who believes the ends justify the means. Perhaps kind of the Punisher. She will willingly go dark side and ruthlessly smash the enemy, but is a decent person outside battle.

 

One rumour I heard a few months ago, was that Obi-Wan was going to have a black desendant. Perhaps that's Finn's origin? Though John Boyega is too young to be his son. Maybe grandson.

[thuganomics85]

Saw it last night, but I wanted to wait a day to process all of it and not spoil too much for anyone.  Still, I will put some big stuff under the spoiler bars.

 

Overall, I would put this in the middle of the franchise.  Not as good as Empire Strikes Back or A New Hope, but maybe a bit better then The Return of the Jedi.  Either way, miles ahead of the Episodes 1-3, which is the very least it needed to be.  That said, even without those three, I just had a blast with this film.  I totally get the criticisms that it a remake of A New Hope in a lot of ways, but I thought it had enough differences to make it work, and, at the risk of being too simple, I just had so much fun with this.

 

What really impressed me is that I grew to love the new characters almost as much as the originals.  Didn't get enough of Poe yet, but Oscar Isaac still brought enough to make me enjoy the character, and want more.  But Finn and Rey?  Absolutely love them already.  I found them both interesting and great to watch, easy to root for, and already want to see more of their adventures.  John Boyega was great at being the closest to an "everyman" of the group, and I liked him slowly growing as a character, and willing to finally get into the fight.  And him being an actual stormtrooper is very fascinating and I'm hoping they might explore that more.  That said, it was Daisy Ridley who I thought stole the show.  I think she is going to become a huge star after this.  Very charismatic, likable, and I thought she lit up the screen whenever she appeared.  And, yes, extremely gorgeous, but I really thought she gave a fantastic performance here.  Also, I rarely give a damn about romance, but I totally was digging the chemistry between Boyega and Ridley.  I almost wonder if they did screen testing for that, because they felt a lot more natural then other relationships that get more hype in other films.

 

Not quite sure what to make of Kylo Ren yet, since I'm kind of surprised the main antagonist is made to look like an angsty teen with Force powers.  But I did love how all the underlings reacted to his temper tantrums, especially those two stormtroopers.  It kind makes the First Order look less one dimensional then the Empire.  I can totally see these guys in the evil break room, complaining about how shitty their management is, and how horrible the First Order human resource department clearly is.

 

Disappointed that Lupita Nyong'o played a CGI character.  Totally not surprised that Andy Serkis did though.  It would have been the ultimate shocker if Serkis actually got to show his face.

 

Despite the hype, we really didn't see much of Gwendoline Christie's Captain Phasma, did we?  It's like she his film's version of Boba Fett...

 

Goes without saying that the more practical effects and actual props, made this film look way better then the CGI "spectacles" of the prequels.

 

Loved seeing all the original folks again.  Han.  Leia.  Luke. Chewbacca.  R2D2!!  Even C-3P0!  Of course, 

I suspected something bad would happen to one of them, and I knew Harrison Ford always talked about Han dying, so Han's death didn't surprise me, but it didn't make it less sad.

 

So, yeah, I really enjoyed it.  I know J.J. Abrams is polarizing, but for all his faults, I do think he brings a lot of good qualities too, so I always tend to enjoy his work.  That said, I'm OK with him being one and done, since there was a drop in quality between Star Trek and Into Darkness.

Edited December 19, 2015 by thuganomics85

[sashabear21]

I loved it.  Of course it had some flaws, but overall a great movie.  I was introduced to Star Wars at an early age, it came out the year before I was born, and I saw Empire Strikes Back in the theatre, but I was too young to remember, although I do remember my mom taking me to see Return of the Jedi at the theatre when it came out ( I was 6 and very confused by the fact that the "vile gangster Jabba the Hutt" was not wearing a fedora and brandishing a tommy gun), and I had a well worn VHS tape of Episode IV, (my dad worked for an electronics company and we had a VHS prototype VCR in the house in the house and my brother had taped A New Hope, but it cut off before the end, so I had no idea they blew up the Death Star in that one until I saw Return of the Jedi, but I still watched it every day). I really liked Poe Dameron, his character is really getting me intrigued for the Rogue Squadron movies.  I know he won't be a part of it, but I love the badass pilots (Wedge Antilles fan here). Rey was awesome and I liked seeing perhaps her former training/latent Jedi potential coming out.  Finn is intriguing as well, I like the stormtrooper turning his back on all of it.  Kylo Ren was pretty much was what I expected.  It'll be interesting to see what happens there, although at the moment he honestly just strikes me almost like a rebellious teenager with a complex "Mommy and Daddy had to save the universe, so I found a mentor that paid attention to me!!!".  It'll be interesting to find out the reasoning why he went darkside and how he was corrupted.  I'll have to go to the books to fill in some of the blanks I suppose (Revenge of the Sith made a hell of a lot more sense after reading the book), granted, it shouldn't be that way, but they strayed so far away from some pertinent information there, I feel like finding an info dump on how the New Republic came about and why the resistance was necessary.   

[Lonesome Rhodes]

They got two things really right from the jump:  A slow reveal of an Imperial destroyer which eventually blotted out entirely the light source behind it, and in the first firefight, the Stormtroopers actually had good aim and the first ones seen to get hit/killed were the good guys.  Remember how inept the aim of the original Stormtroopers was?  Farcically bad.  It was nice to see a bit of realism - genuine peril.

 

The cinematography was absolutely gorgeous, as well.  I was struck by the beauty of Abu Dhabi's desert.  

 

A small moment, but one I was super stoked, and even more surprised to see:  Some of the regular folks on a doomed planet looking up in their final seconds as a death ray was heading right at them.   The psychology of that is particularly disturbing to an audience.  For a moment or two, WE were about to get blasted to Kingdom Come.  I loved that we got that taste of real darkness.

 

The biggest disappointment for me is clearly the mawkish score by Williams.  Was there even a theme for Kylo Ren????   The moment when Leia and Han were reunited?  If that did not call for a swelling of Leia's theme and some other momentous brass, I'm a monkey's uncle.  We got precious little of the grandeur of place and music.  I was also struck at how Williams ripped off forever classic musical phrases from the Godfather movies.  At least twice, I heard a precise playing/arrangement of instantly recognizable foreboding/tragic laments that I heard in those movies.  I get that the arcs of the patriarch/matriarch of the family giving way to their progeny are quite similar.  I think it was lazy of Williams, and too obvious of Abrams, to go there within the score.

 

I don't see how Rey could credibly be Leia and Han's daughter.  If she were, it is unconscionable for there to have been zero discussion of her on screen by them.  I'll have no trouble at all learning she is from some other strain of Jedi.

 

How in hell did Rey manage to get the light saber to come to her scattered focus of the Force over a desperate and much more accomplished/focus user, Kylo?  And Finn would have been destroyed with just a thought by the same Kylo.  Kylo was already familiar with, and agitated by Finn.  He would have boiled him alive, from the inside to the outside.  No saber fight required.  Ugh.

 

Going forward, I reeeeeeeeally want to learn allllll about the First Temple of the Jedi, as briefly hinted in this episode.  Also, why is Leia a General and not a Princess?  All she did was save freedom for an entire galaxy.  Why has she been reduced to a rank?????

[Brn2bwild]

For those of you questioning the attractiveness of Kylo Ren to a target audience, I offer this:  I chaperoned a group of 70 teenagers, grades 7-12, to a morning screening.  When Kylo Ren took off his helmet the first time, the girls in the audience sighed and giggled like he was the new boy in school.    

 

Adam Driver's not conventionally attractive, but he just has that something (kind of like Eddie Redmayne).

[Ruby25]

I'm hoping they fake everyone out with thinking Rey is Luke's daughter and instead have her turn out to be a surprise descendant of Obi-Wan (it would explain the accent). There's a lot of his life we never saw. I could buy him having had a fling before becoming a Jedi. And that explains why she's SO powerful and good at everything, doesn't need as much training, etc.

Edited December 19, 2015 by Ruby25

[Joe]

She's the same age as Boyega, too young to be Kenobi's kid.

 

Also, the reason why Leia is a general, hard to be a princess of a place that no longer exists. And all through ESB and ROTJ, she takes on military roles anyway.

[ApathyMonger]

She's the same age as Boyega, too young to be Kenobi's kid.

 

She could be a grandkid, but it doesn't really sync up with how Obi-Wan was portrayed in the prequels. It wouldn't explain her link to Luke's lightsaber though.

[Last Time Lord]

Saw it yesterday, and having close to 24 hours to mull it over, I have to say I was kinda underwhelmed.

It has its good moments. BB-8 was absolutely adorable, and I kinda want one of my own. But I think the biggest thing is I liked this movie a lot more when it was called A New Hope.

It hit every single story beat precisely.

And then there's Kylo Ren. They did a few things that really cut the character off at the knees. The first was the temper tantrums he kept throwing by lightsabering the computers and later the torture chair Rey was in.

The second was his unmasking before the confrontation with Han. Not only did they waste what should have been a very powerful scene between father and son by him taking it off in front of Rey because reasons, but after that first scene he took the mask off, it didn't matter what he did, you could practically hear Simple Plan's Untitled every time he spoke.

The numbering is a tiny thing, but it just bugs the crap out of me.

This movie should not have been labeled Episode VII. Because it wasn't. It was clearly Episode I of a new Saga.

Star Wars was inspired by the Flash Gordon serials of the 1930s. In those, one multi episode story ended -- The rise, fall, and Redemption of Anakin Skywalker through his son, in this case -- and then a new one began at Episode I.

It really should have been Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Episode I:[insert Episode Title]: [insert Opening Crawl]

I've heard it was planned for Heyden Christensen to reprise Anakin as a Force Ghost to talk to his grandson, but that was pushed until the next movie.

I really hope that happens.

The Force Ghost of Anakin being the proverbial angel on Ben's shoulder against Darth Gollum's devil could be a just amazing moment.

And really, I think Andy Serkis deserves more props for his performance. It wasn't a big role, but he was just flawless, and as far as I'm concerned, was the movie's MVP.

And you know what? Despite all this, I wouldn't mind seeing it again. It's Star Wars. Even the subpar entries are better than a lot of other stuff out there.

[benteen]

I suspect naming their son "Ben" was more for the audience reaction.  It would make more sense for Luke to name a potential son Ben (in the original EU, he does).  It would have made more sense for Han and Leia to call their son "Bail" after her adopted father Bail Organa.  But I think Ben was more for the audience.  Though it's slightly funny that Han named his son after crazy old Ben.

[BW Manilowe]

Just got home from the 1:20 IMAX show. Looooved it!

The first film was the first one I had ever seen more than once on a big screen, and I saw Empire and RotJ multiple times as well. Ep 1 was just once, and I never did see the other two of that trilogy.

I thought this film was gorgeous, had terrific leads in the next generation cast, amazing action (well-done in 3D), and I was grinning throughout except for when my mouth hung open in schock over Han's murder, which I did NOT see coming. I really liked both Rey and Finn, and I might just get a BB8 for my cat to chase around the apartment.

Oh, and I had a Sith Lord sitting next to me, and his mom was a Sith cheerleader, with SITH written on her shirt, red hair thingies in her hair, and a really cute Darth Vadar backpack as her purse!

Oh, and I will have to look it up, but I thought that the final Luke scene was shot on Skellig Michael, off the west coast of Ireland.

I thought I'd read Skellig Michael was a filming location in at least 1 review. I just Googled to doublecheck & there are links, such as from RTE (1 of) the Irish television network(s), discussing/confirming it.

[Iamhydrogen]

After a day of digesting the movie, I am really looking forward to the continuation and conclusion of this story.  I hope there is a good Luke/Snoke backstory.  Although I don't like that they showed Snoke because we will be able to pick him out in a flashback (like Palpatine in Episode 1, no mystery there).  Leia and Han seemed to know who he was in regards to Kylo's turn so I wonder if he worked with Luke on training the new class of Jedi.  I am in the Rey is Luke' daughter camp.  I think Luke will just tell her her mother died.  But I bet Kylo killed her in his rampage as a kid and that will come out in a battle between them and cause the Skywalker emotion to trigger in Rey.  Rey will make it her mission to turn Kylo to the kight side because she still thinks there is good in him.  Which I guess makes for good motivation but this is the third time we are seeing this kind of thing so I hope there is something more creative.  I hope they hold off the Snoke story until episode 9, I think we just need Rey's Jedi training in 8, which means there are holding really close to the 4-6 progression. 

[HeySandyStrange]

 

It really should have been Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Episode I:[insert Episode Title]: [insert Opening Crawl]

I've heard it was planned for Heyden Christensen to reprise Anakin as a Force Ghost to talk to his grandson, but that was pushed until the next movie.

I really hope that happens.

 

I was thinking that good ol' Ani Skywalker needs to show up at some point. If only to give his grandson a Force Ghost  bitch slap of truth.  If it is as funny and awesome on film that it is in my head, it would be worth the price of admission for the next movie.

 

Anyway, overall, I really liked the movie. It was not a masterpiece or even extremely original for the SW universe, but it kept me both entertained and intrigued the entire time. Daisy was much better then I was lead to believe and is likeable, as is John B.'s Finn. It was great seeing Han and Chewie, even if only for a little while. I'm pretty surprised at what they did Kylo Ren, I knew to expect something different, but the tantrums did through me off for a second. I think it is interesting that, just by listening to his voice, you can hear the conflicting emotions even though at other times he is a stone cold bastard. The hinting of his relationship with Snoke makes me wonder just how much is his own free will and how much is brainwashing. It seems, like with the Stormtroopers, the First Order likes to get their people young so they can mold and manipulate them.

 

 

How in hell did Rey manage to get the light saber to come to her scattered focus of the Force over a desperate and much more accomplished/focus user, Kylo?

 

That did take me out of the movie a bit and almost put Rey into Mary Sue territory. My best explanation would be (if Rey is Skywalker/Solo progeny) is that when she was left on Jakku, she was originally left in the custody of the old man from the first scene. Assuming he was a Jedi or connected to the Jedi, he taught Rey some undercover Jedi moves without letting her know what he was teaching her. Or maybe I'm over thinking it and Rey is just that good. I still think it would've been better if she only got away by the skin of her teeth when the planet was blowing up rather then kicking the ass of the older, more experienced lightsabre wielder.

[bluvelvet]

I guess I'll sit at my table of 1, I don't think Rey is a Skywalker or has any connection to the family. Before the Revenge of the Sith there were many Jedi families. I think she's from another family. I also don't think Kylo Ren is on a redemption arc, I think he will firmly stay on the dark side even with his conflicting emotions.

[VCRTracking]

My theory comes from being a watcher of Abrams' previous TV show ALIAS and that Rey was in some sort of Jedi version of "Project Christmas",  where she was trained to be a Jedi as a child and had her memory suppressed until she remembered during her interrogation.

 

Lawrence Kasdan's return was the important key to the movie. This exchange was great:

Leia: I always hated watching you leave.

 

Han: That's why I did it. So you'd miss me.

[scarynikki12]

I've heard it was planned for Heyden Christensen to reprise Anakin as a Force Ghost to talk to his grandson, but that was pushed until the next movie.

 

Has Hayden Christensen learned to act since the prequels?  That's an honest question as I haven't seen him in anything else.  I know it's possible as the prequels brought out the worst in everyone so, if he can act outside them, then having him be an angel on Ren's shoulder could be really interesting.  If he's still really bad then I'd rather they find a Sebastian Shaw doppelganger and have him do it. 

[SeanC]

I forgot to mention in my initial comments:  the movie makes a pretty determined effort to re-mystify the Force, which is a good idea, after the prequels inexplicably decided that it needed some sort of scientific explanation.

[BW Manilowe]

The movie made $120.5 Million in the US on Friday (this does include the box office from Thursday's showings, considered preview showings). This gives it the biggest Friday opening in history. It crossed the $250 Million mark, globally, in three days.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-star-wars-force-849854?utm_source=twitter

Edited December 19, 2015 by BW Manilowe

[TVSpectator]

I forgot to mention in my initial comments:  the movie makes a pretty determined effort to re-mystify the Force, which is a good idea, after the prequels inexplicably decided that it needed some sort of scientific explanation.

 

I was happy that their wasn't any real mentioned of the Prequels

aside from Coruscant  being destroyed

Edited December 19, 2015 by TVSpectator

[revbfc]

I was happy that their wasn't any real mentioned of the Prequels

aside from Coruscant being destroyed

That wasn't Coruscant.

Also, clones were mentioned once.

[VCRTracking]

I get it, though because it's continuing from Return of the Jedi and suddenly there are references to battle droids and Neimoidians when the previous three movies has no overt references. The prequels, whether you like them or not do effect the way you watch the current ones. You can't look at Kylo Ren and his tantrums and not think "Yep, he's Anakin's grandson."

 

People are complaining about the movie being fanservice but if it was really that, you'd have Han and Luke together for one last adventure.

 

I forgot to mention in my initial comments:  the movie makes a pretty determined effort to re-mystify the Force, which is a good idea, after the prequels inexplicably decided that it needed some sort of scientific explanation.

The Force having a "will" that allowed a "Chosen One" to be born from a virgin so it could bring balance to it was soooooo scientific.

Edited December 19, 2015 by VCRTracking

[BW Manilowe]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2015/12/18/star-wars-the-force-awakens-burning-questions-spoilers/77565928/

USA Today has "10 burning questions" about the movie/plot. There are spoilers for the movie in here, but I don't think they're anything (or they're very little) that's already been discussed by people here who've seen the movie.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/star-wars-projector-breaks-midnight-850336

A projector broke during a midnight Thursday/early Friday morning screening of the movie in the LA area; the theatre's attempts to restart the film ruined it for the audience.

Edited December 19, 2015 by BW Manilowe

[VCRTracking]

That sucks. I remember watching a Toy Story 3 screening where the film got botched right at the final scene. Luckily I had seen the movie already but for that audience, when they should have been crying their eyes out, they got g*****.

 

Interesting but Poe Dameron was originally supposed to die in the movie(probably when the TIE crashed). Luckily for Oscar Isaac, Abrams changed his mind before filming.

 

http://www.gq.com/story/star-wars-the-force-awakens-character-death\

[TVSpectator]

That wasn't Coruscant.

Also, clones were mentioned once.

 

What it wasn't Coruscant?!

[revbfc]

What it wasn't Coruscant?!

Don't fret about being confused, I had the same reaction while watching, and checked on line to make sure.

Blame JJ and crew for not making that 100% clear to the casual viewer. I went into the theater mostly unspoiled for the movie, but I guess all those books and comics that served as prologue were actually homework.

[absnow54]

Does anyone have the list of required reading for filling in details? I only read Lost Stars, which only explained the fallen Star Destroyer, and that was an Easter egg more than a relevant plot point. Are they releasing a novelization of the film as they've dine in the past?

[Lonesome Rhodes]

 

Also, the reason why Leia is a general, hard to be a princess of a place that no longer exists. And all through ESB and ROTJ, she takes on military roles anyway.

I'm fine with using her as a strategist and such.  It's the title convention that bugs the stew out of me.  In this galaxy, one retains for life whatever the highest rank one achieves.  Senator, Ambassador, president, Judge....whatever it may be.  Royalty most certainly retains their designation.

 

The connotation of "Princess," particularly for one so beloved and accomplished, is light years more magical and unique than plain ol' "General."  Will we think of her as General Leia, or Princess Leia when she dies?  

 

Also, lineage is EVERYthing to this whole enterprise.    

[jcin617]

What it wasn't Coruscant?!

 

It was not Coruscant, it was the current (I guess now former) seat of the Republic, Hosnian Prime.  (In the prequel book to the movie, the capital was on Chandrila, but I guess they moved it).

 

Of course, that's one of the questions I had in the movie; why was the Republic not directly fighting the First Order - why was it this "Resistance"?

Edited December 19, 2015 by jcin617

[raven]

 

I guess I'll sit at my table of 1, I don't think Rey is a Skywalker or has any connection to the family.

I'm hoping that you're right.  Two Force-strong members of the Skywalker family get "seduced by the dark side"  and kill approximately a gazillion people; it may be time to let that lineage die out.   Han didn't display any type of recognition towards her and neither did Leia, or for that matter, Ren.  She was a little girl, not an infant when left on Jakku and an immediate family member (especially one strong in the force) should have had a glimmer of.. something.  If there needs to be familiar tie, I'd rather it be to the Kenobi line. 

 

Two problems I had; 1) when Carrie Fisher spoke, it was very distracting to me - something about her voice, her mouth moving/not moving. 

2) I thought CGI Snoke was terrible; almost laughable.  Not Serkis; he's always good.  I'm glad they didn't go with another lined old man for the Supreme Evil, but the HUGE hologram didn't work for me.  It was just silly IMO.  They could have come up with something better.

 

I did like that Ren was apparently on the same level of confidence as new Nazi guy, that they went to Snoke together.  I wonder if there's some kind of power clash coming, with Nazi guy knowing he can't compete with someone who can use the Force, but he can give a damn good Nazi speech and seemed to manage to keep his temper in check.  There did seem to be some division in the First Order - clones vs kidnapping children at a young age.  I wonder if their assumed downfall could come from within.

 

Adam Driver was good, but I'm not especially thrilled to see another angsty bad guy with daddy issues, even if he has great hair.  I'm sure there'll be an explanation as to why he's conveniently ignoring Anakin's turn back from the dark side.  It was interesting that he really can't control his temper; that may have been due to immaturity and being torn between the two sides of the force; having made his choice, I would expect to see more control in the futue.  Driver's physicality worked I thought; he has a fluidity of movement that helped to reinforce that he was dangerous; not Vader striding around or Anakin flailing. 

 

Now the good stuff, since I did really love this movie!

 

Fantastic casting.  John Boyega I'd first seen in Attack the Block (a must watch if you haven't seen it and don't mind alien monsters); he was very good in that and I was happy to see him playing a different type of character so well here.   It was impossible not to root for him.  The chemistry with Daisy Ridley - whichever way they take it - was off the charts.   Loved how he kept grabbing her hand when they first meet and are running around, and her irritation at it.   When Finn tells Han he worked in sanitation and Han asks how they're going to take down the MacGuffin, everyone laughed at his innocent "we'll use the Force!" and Han "it doesn't work that way!"  No one does mentoring like Harrison Ford's Han Solo.  RIP Han, I suspect you might have wanted to go out trying to save your son.  I hope it doesn't end up being for nothing.

 

I've seen it mentioned that DR's Rey was a little too good at everything, and I get that, but damn she just worked so well for me.  Not a smug, bad ass, snarky type, not an overly innocent type, I would really like to hear how she grew up from that abandoned little girl and still had hope that "they" were coming back for her.   She just got stuff done and was very competent, scared about what's going on but still has faith in herself.  A breakout performance, I thought. And she was having fun!

 

Oscar Isaac is hot for sure and nailed "I can fly anything" Poe.  I hope we see more of him.

 

Enjoyed seeing the old crew again.  Ford was giving it his all and was spot on.  Loved Chewbacca shooting Ren.  Carrie Fisher was OK apart from the distracting voice thing. She and Ford sold the relationship; after Ben's fall and Luke's disappearance, I took it that instead of turning to each other, she turned to work and he to smuggling.  I liked the whole quest for Luke and do wonder why he would disappear yet leave a map behind.  Did he have someone watching over Rey?  I want to know more, dammit!

 

I don't recall ever seeing blood in a Star Wars movie before.   Death seemed more real in this one than in others; the blood getting wiped on Finn's helmet, seeing the faces of people before their planet is destroyed. 

 

I also really enjoyed the lightsaber battle in the snow.  The combatants looked scared, hurt, tired, angry - all of it.  If Ren hadn't been so angry and injured, he would have had a much easier time I think.  I took it as Finn was initially holding his own because HE was angry, but he was quickly outclassed and then severely injured and nearly killed.   Maybe he softened up Ren for when Rey took over, heh.  Snoke did say that Ren needed to complete his training, so even though Rey was untrained, I chalk it up to exhaustion/injury; plus when Luke's lightsaber flies past Ren's face and into her hand, it's a real "hell yeah" moment. 

 

Can't wait to see where they go from here. 

[TVSpectator]

Don't fret about being confused, I had the same reaction while watching, and checked on line to make sure.

Blame JJ and crew for not making that 100% clear to the casual viewer. I went into the theater mostly unspoiled for the movie, but I guess all those books and comics that served as prologue were actually homework.

 

It was not Coruscant, it was the current (I guess now former) seat of the Republic, Hosnian Prime.  (In the prequel book to the movie, the capital was on Chandrila, but I guess they moved it).

 

Of course, that's one of the questions I had in the movie; why was the Republic not directly fighting the First Order - why was it this "Resistance"?

 

Well, either way, it looked a lot like Coruscant, but I can imagine that it was another planet (although, when I was thinking that it was Coruscant I was laughing that JJ would destroy one of the more important planets from the Prequels. Now, that would be hilariously funny).

[wallflower75]

That's what I thought -- until Luke looked pissed to see her.

 

One could make the argument that if Rey is his daughter and was hidden for her own protection, Luke would be pissed that she's tracked him down.  It's put her in danger.  But I'm kind of in the "not a Skywalker" camp.  Han and Leia only talk about Ren.  If they'd had a daughter, surely they would've said something.  And in the flashback, Rey was old enough that she should've remembered who her parents were when they left her behind, which means she would've known Luke was her father.  My theory is that she was hidden for her own protection to keep her safe from Ren after he turned to the Dark Side.

 

Having said that, it occurs to me that Luke might have left her behind with her mother while he went to train new Jedi.  We don't know how long the training lasted before Ren turned and Luke disappeared, or how old Rey was at the time Luke left for training.  It's possible she was too young to remember him.  Darn it, now I want to see the movie again so I can focus on the flashback!!  ARGH!

[FurryFury]

Rey as Luke's daughter is just too obvious. I think the next movie HAS to have a "Are you my father? No I'm not" twist. My friends had the idea she's Anakin's reincarnation, and it would make sense, but I'm just not a fan of such stuff.

[SeanC]

Rey as Luke's daughter is just too obvious. I think the next movie HAS to have a "Are you my father? No I'm not" twist. 

While it's obvious to the audience, it doesn't seem to have occurred to Rey at all, which is more suggestive that it's not that sort of twist.

[tinaw]

Really liked this movie. I loved the action. I loved Rey and Fin. My only question:Han Solos son and the evil empire who is the being they keep talking to? Kinda looked like Voldermort

I too think Rey could be Skywalker daughter. Who else is that strong in the force that could have a daughter so strong.

Loozing forward to the next movie

[Last Time Lord]

Has Hayden Christensen learned to act since the prequels? That's an honest question as I haven't seen him in anything else.

Watch Shattered Glass. Also heard good things about him in Life As A House, which I have not seen.

Both of those were released around the same time as Episode II, and provide a good counterpoint to what he can do with a more actor friendly director.

He apparently was also in an episode or two of the Goosebumps series way back when, but that may be going back farther than you may want to go.

[absnow54]

I remember him on a Canadian teen drama called Higher Ground. I may have been a misguided tween, blinded by that era's draw to pretty boys, but I thought he was good in that too.

[anna0852]

Well I just got back from a showing and I'm trying to gather my thoughts. 

 

Firstly, I can't believe that Han was killed off. It was my understanding that in the Extended Universe the only real rule was that you could *not* kill off one of the main three so this really hit hard. Especially after it was clear that he and Leia didn't get the happy ending that RotJ implied.

 

Daisy Ridley was fantastic.

 

Maz Kanata reminded me so much of Hetty from NCIS: Los Angeles.

 

So glad they opted for the practical effects whenever possible. Really matched the original trilogy far better than the those awful prequels ever could.

 

Thank goodness Lucas was kept away from the script and out of the directors chair. He created a wonderful world and characters but he's not good at playing with them.

 

Man, I know Carrie Fisher's wild life hasn't been a secret but I'd had no idea it'd done that much a number on her voice.

 

Love the humorous bits sprinkled about.

 

One of the things that struck me most was that you could have switched the genders on Rey and Finn without impacting the story all. Which to me means we have arrived at the place where a developed, bad-ass, interesting woman was portrayed without her gender playing any role in it whatsoever. Kudos. 

 

It took me all the way until the final scene to realize that Rey's clothing closely resembled that of a Jedi.

 

Overall it was a pretty clear case of Reality Ensues. The last Jedi master isn't going to restart the whole thing overnight when he was barely trained himself and has no idea what goes into it. Killing off the head dictator and henchman doesn't automatically turn the  repressive autocracy into a peaceful democracy. The loss of a child frequently kills relationships/marriages. A truly twisted person isn't going to untwist because a loved one asks them to.

Edited December 20, 2015 by anna0852

[Last Time Lord]

I remember him on a Canadian teen drama called Higher Ground. I may have been a misguided tween, blinded by that era's draw to pretty boys, but I thought he was good in that too.

I used to watch that on ABC Family, back when I think it was still Fox Family.

I was going to mention that, but it has not, to my knowledge ever gotten a DVD release, so it might be difficult to track down. Though I might make am attempt now that you've gotten me all nostalgic about it.

Show also starred AJ Cook, who is on Criminal Minds, one of the actors was later a Power Ranger and one of the councilors was a total badass on 24.

With all that, it's a little shocking that it hasn't had a DVD release based on the cast's future accomplishments, alone.

[blackwing]

Rey is so obviously Luke's daughter. Just the way she is dressed, the flowy white top and pants, looks similar to Luke's appearance in Episode IV. Plus there is the resemblance to Padme Amidala.

I didn't find Kylo Ren to be as good a villain as I thought he would be. But I guess if I had a face that ugly I'd be ticked off at the world too. Regarding the comment up thread that teenage girls sighed and thought he was dreamy... I had a row of teenage girls behind me, and they snickered and went "ewwww".

I have understood the raves over Andy Serkis. I think 9 out of 10 actors could do what he does. Especially here, he was sitting in a chair.

I know he is a fave of JJ Abrams, but seeing Greg Grunberg really took me out of the movie. I was "oh, that guy again".

Overall, fantastic. Can't wait until the next one!

[Rick Kitchen]

 

The Falcon just happening to be on Jakku, Han Solo just happening to be nearby, Luke's old lightsaber just happens to be in a storage locker under the bar they show up at. I can also forgive Rey being autodidact and naturally good at everything (if she's a Skywalker, that is). What I can't forgive is not showing us how Poe gets off Jakku and why R2 comes back to life suddenly.

 

This is all the work of the Force.

 

I refuse to believe that Domhnall Gleason is a bad guy.  He's one of those actors that I've liked in everything, I don't want to dislike him.  :)

 

 

How in hell did Rey manage to get the light saber to come to her scattered focus of the Force over a desperate and much more accomplished/focus user, Kylo?

 

Kylo was using the Dark Side, Rey was using the Light Side.

 

Captain Phasma was a bit of a wuss, wasn't she?  She should have put up more of a fight.

Edited December 20, 2015 by Rick Kitchen