Spoiler Watched it tonight and I feel that Andy Samberg was a poor choice for Han's son. Very enjoyable movie -- but you have to ignore the massive plot holes and lack of character development. Everybody just sort of runs into key players with critical info like it's an everyday occurrence -- also no surprise the most insane weapon ever created can be easily destroyed. 'Let's just slide the Falcon up to the front door and walk into a key military location with no resistance and destroy a critical component.' They made everything way too easy for the heroes.
Sigh... Spoiler I get that being Stars Wars, you can put blah out and use a few homages to please the fans and make billions of dollars in merchandising. And in direct comparison to the other Star Wars movies, this film is probably in the upper half because of the Prequels. But it is no longer the 1970-80's. It is 2015, and science fiction and fantasy are really in their golden period. Sure, A New Hope didn't have the best script and dialogue, but it was groundbreaking in so many other ways for it era. More so was Empire Strikes Back. While I did not expect this movie to re-define what a great sci-fi movie is for our generation, I did want a good sci-fi movie, with a good script and a good plot-line. If you change all the names/characters away from Star Wars universe, the whole movie feels like something written, directed, and aired by the Syfy channel or a fan-fic written/designed movie but with Disney's budget.
I liked the movie, but it was pretty much a remake of star wars Spoiler A droid help launch our hero into mission. The were both in the desert. Han Solo kind of acts like obi one. Han deserves a better death. He was such a badass and to go out like that? They both have a vader like figure. The way the blow up the death star is similar. Rey going away is similar to luke looking for yoda. How is rey able to easily defeat a jedi and control peoples minds so fast. Even anakin who is supposedly the most power jedi ever couldn't do that. He had training so did luke. Luke had so much trouble lifting a ship and ren who can stop lasers gets whopped by rey with no training.
When Episode IV blew up big, it took Lucas by surprise as he had to do a follow-up. Hence Episdoe V which many (including myself) consider to be the best film on the bunch. Now Lucas totally exhausted himself making Episodes V & VI. You can see it in Episode VI where there were so many plot threads that had to be resolved, that film felt rushed and shallow. I believe that while he had the framework in his head for the three trilogies, he found the actual process of making the movies themselves exhausting. I think he reluctantly did the prequels and when they weren't as universally embraced as the original trilogy, he tossed in the towel and sold out the evil Mouse Empire. Which is a good AND bad thing depending on one's perspective (toys, toys everywhere).
Spoiler Again. We don't know who Rey actually is. Most are speculating now that she was one of the kids in training at Lukes new Jedi Academy. She could have had her memory wiped. Whats interesting is that if this really happened, it means Kylo Ren is the one who spared her knowing she is family and he couldn't bring himself to kill her so he wiped her memory and left her on a planet where she would be safe and live an ordinary life. She is seen as a child wearing what seems to be Jedi like clothing as a very empire like shuttle takes off. Kylo destroys the entire room when he hears about a girl helping Fin and the droid to escape because he knows its her and the force has led her back into the thick of it. It also might explain why he lost the fight to Rey, because he didn't want to really hurt her. He asked to train her. So...we know Rey has protected herself with her staff and learned to fight that way + probable jedi training as a child. If this trilogy is really going to pretend the prequels never happened, then we are back to the Force being something like magic or a fairy tale. Luke was never that powerful bc he never had training like Rey might have already had, but he also didn't fully trust in the force. Yoda lifts the x-wing in ESB. Luke says he doesn't believe it. Yoda replies "that is why you fail." Rey seems to believe and fully trusts in the Force as soon as she turns the Jedi mind trick back on Kylo. She knows then she has the power or her memories of training are returning to her.
I think when talking about the movie itself we should feel free to discuss spoiler free. As for the prequels: I don't want to live in a world where a young Obi Wan Kenobi doesn't slice Darth Maul in half. I also don't want to live in a world without Sam Jackson as Mace Windu, where Yoda has a lightsaber dual with Count Dooku. I get it. There are some things in the prequels that did not add to the lure, but it wasn't yours to ruin to begin with. As far as Episode VII: There is a lot to like and plenty to dislike. I think the main thing that I will never forgive is right after Han. Chewy, Rey, and Finn return and Leiah and chewy walk right past each other and Leiah embraces Rey. Like who the eff is she? And maybe we'll see the significance of that later, but this was such a moment. In real life the two people who he loved the most know it, and it is there's to share with each other. It should have had that Empire Strikes Back feel when Solo was going into carbon freeze. Kylo Ren being so weak with a lightsaber was dumb. Rey being able to handle the Millennium Falcon as she did was equally dumb. R2D2 whatever... Overall I think it is like a 6, but I'll give it at least 2 more looks in the theatre cause, well it's star wars and I've seen them all in the theatres multiple times.
On the one hand you're complaining about it being similar... but then you're complaining about it not being similar/familiar/consistent with what force-strong users have shown in their development? IMO, Rey's mysterious (yet to be revealed) background, her advanced abilities, and the circuitous path she's taken to get to where she is makes this movie largely different than the ones that have come before it. The more you analyze the plot details, and with more info that will be revealed in the upcoming movies, the more things are overall different than the foundation laid by the OT (but lets me honest... if it was ALL different, people would complain about that too).
Mmmmmmmmm............don't know about that one. Spoiler I'm thinking flashback. Unless GoT loans Melissandre out to Star Wars to resurrect his ass. :grin: As to some critics, yes, I did think Disney was insanely lazy to hew so closely to the plot of the original but they were obviously scared s***less about their $4,000,000,000 investment. I was able to shrug it off because I liked the new characters so much. At least the director / writers had the guts to (see spoiler reference). George Lucas was too much into making kids' movies and selling them "Tatooine Luke's First Boner" and "Coked-Out Bikini 'Jabba' Leia" dolls and such.
I feel that the ppl who like Episode VII fall into 2 groups: 1) So hyped up about the movie that they will convince themselves it's awesome no matter what; 2) Just not very discerning movie watchers. Eat up every Marvel movie, etc. That's fine. Just realize your threshold for a great movie is lower than other people's. It's all subjective. If you're going to label people who have different opinions as you, turnabout is fair play.
I lent my blu-rays of the originals/prequels to my boss since he had no since the originals since he was a little kid and never seen the prequels. I told him to watch it in chronological and not numerical order but he watched them in numerical order. His biggest complaint so far on the originals was the lack of good effects and how bad some of the light saber duels were compared to the prequels. He enjoyed the originals but he definitely falls more into the category of people who prefer the special effects, action etc over a more detailed story. Nothing wrong with that of course.
More of an hommage. More like the main plot elements lightly stitched together, without the substance or depth of the original.
Right, that's certainly what those people want to think, that they just have higher standards for movies than the 90%+ who enjoyed the film. I get it, I really do, but that's a bit too "smug hipster" for my taste.
That's pretty sad... also I'd say Darth Maul added absolutely nothing to the "lure" other than looking really cool, but apparently falls in line with being an inept dark-sided trained jedi.
