OK. Just back from seeing it in IMAX 3D. I liked it, quite a lot. Yes the plot was rubbish. Yes, the science is abysmal. Yes, Carrie Fisher doesn’t/can’t act.
But it’s very good humoured, visually and sonically impressive, I like the jokes, and the time in the cinema passed very quickly. My son, who is a trainee thespian spotted loads of well established British stage actors in cameos. To me, it’s rather like Pirates of the Caribbean in space.
I wish the science was better – the total disregard for gravity or atmosphere, the fact that they clearly have anti-gravity (Rey’s tractor thing) yet most people and droids walk everywhere and they have stairs, they have a faster than light technology but can’t build a gun that can hit anyone, stormtroopers wear armour that has the protective value of a pair of pyjamas, sound carries through space, a low level troop commander has sufficient knowledge and security clearance to turn off the shields etc etc etc. The fact that it isn’t clearly shows that you can’t take it seriously and have to treat it like a comic book. And on those terms, it succeeds.

Because his grandfather wore one, and he worships him.

Exactly this. It establishes him as a Vader wannabee – not the real deal – yet. Just as Annakin wasn’t the real deal until after his fight with Obie-Wan.

I forgot to list the humour in the negatives.

Well actually I did chuckle at most of them, but it just made the whole thing feel less Star Wars with obvious jokes and audience laughing littered about. May as well watch Space Balls.

From my thoughts and other comments here, again have to say it’s flawed, but if you can look past all these things it’s enjoyable and impressive. If you critically look at the originals there are bucket loads of terrible holes in them, but we love them.

I really enjoyed watching it. On reflection I realised where holes could be poked into it but Star Wars is not a thing that’s supposed to be reflected upon deeply. It’s 1930s Flash Gordon adventure serials for more recent generations.

One of the strands of my particular brand of geekery is that I like to understand the wider setting of things like Star Wars. All the background detail about the ships and vehicles and so on can draw me in. With the Force Awakens I was left a little bemused by the Republic/Resistance/First Order. Is the First Order a relatively local problem, which is why the Republic didn’t face it head on? But if that’s the case why does blowing up one planet and a few ships seem such a significant event? The Star Wars galaxy has always seemed huge and very heavily populated but it now looks like the Republic had a fleet containing about 6 ships. Presumably how it fits together will be explained in further movies or in other media but it left me a little confused. More confused than “big Evil Galactic Empire vs small Rebel Alliance” did, anyway!

I liked how initially the returning characters were mainly there to support and steer the new heroes but towards the end of the movie Han in particular started to overshadow Finn and Rey. It would have been difficult to avoid given the Solo family drama that was going on though, and hopefully the handover to the new generation is going to be maintained in episode VIII, with Luke being present as a mentor but not a prime protagonist.

My star wars name is ‘Mawer Muder’ !? 😯
This is why Star Trek is better

Did anyone see the fan theory that Ren was going to the darkside in order to defeat Snoke. When Han says he will do anything, that included giving his life.

This is why he is being torn apart because its pulling him both ways between the light and dark.

Theres a better explanation somewhere online, but it fits!

Also where did Snoke come from??

http://www.theladbible.com/articles/this-guy-s-insane-star-wars-the-force-awakens-theory-has-the-ultimate-twist

It won’t win any Oscars

I wouldn’t bet against it.

😀 Reading some of the posts has made me feel more nostalgic than actually watching the film… lucky for some of ya it sounds like the force is still strong 8)

Youngsters enjoyed it but I thought it was poor :(.

Right I’ve seen it now and have switched the internet back on. Quite good. Anyone explain who the first order are, who the republic are and who the rebels are fighting. I didnt really get it.

Snoke/Voldemort didn’t need to be CGI.

I’m betting (as we only saw a hologram) this is some sort of elaborate disguise.. the old hiding in plain sight thing.

It’s probably Jar Jar Binks 😯

Anargallis: The yellow text scroll explained that bit, the republic are the rebels, the first order are the resurgent empire but not fully formed

Whether the senate from ep1-3 has been resumed and if it backs the republic isn’t clear (let’s hope it doesn’t start consuming story time like before…)

Oh right so after ROTJ not much changed? Bit like when Blair woon the first time?

TWELVE parsecs! TWELVE!
🙂

Love d the film. I go to be entertained and that did the job perfectly. Bit of a lump in my throat as the Falcon spluttered into life and tingles down my spine as the X Wing squadron approached.
Couple of things to note:
When they took off to find Luke, Rey was in the pilots seat. The Facon is hers now. Chewie is her buddy now.
Who wouldn’t feel better after a temper tantrum like that?
“Please can turn it off and back on again sir?”
“Errrrr no. I hacked it to bits with my light sabre…. Sorry.”

When the baddies were getting instructions from the big hologrammy Voldemort thing, I think they should have finished the conversation with: “Yes, Lord Sugar”. I may even have said it for them. Out loud.

But yes, very entertaining.

When Rey was down the hatch fixing the falcon she should have asked for a hydro spanner

We went yesterday. Kids first trip to an IMAX. I was a big fan of the first three (well 2 of them anyway), never watched the prequels all the way through. I thought it was fab as did the two teenage kids and my wife – none of whom are big star war fans. It reminded me – in a good way – of being 8 years old when the first one came out and staring at the screen in total fascination.

Yeah there are holes in the plot and it’s a bit derivative and self referential but I don’t care. First film I’ve seen this year I wanted to go straight back in and watch again.

Thought Harrison Ford signed off well since he’s wanted to be out of it since Epi 5!

Only disappointment was no one said ‘look at the size of that thing’ !

We (the family) went today. I had very low hopes for this and it was …. Well, ok I guess. Thing is that after the whole prequel shite and this huge build up I think I might just be done with starwars. I was a fan back in the day but it all feels well flogged to me now…. A bit like bond, time to wind it up and make way for other stuff. I preferred guardians, the Martian and interstellar more.

Watched it a few hours ago and have been mulling it over. Really enjoyed it, but wondering how low my expectations were after ep1/2/3.
First half had the better scenes IMO, better landscaping and character building, but I think I have more grumbles than positives..

The star killer planet thing, for whatever reason, wasn’t terrifying or even interesting.. I couldn’t wait for them to blow the bloody thing up.
Kylo, way too inconsistent. Shoulda left the helmet on methinks.
Leia, rubbish
Soundtrack, no advance on original I could spot.
Chinese lizard woman thing, wtf? Was like an Incredibles character.
Poe, was a great character sorely underused.
The shiny female storm trooper, again massively underused.
The whole rehash of Death Star scenario was completely underwhelming, and way too easy to destroy.
Why didn’t they just take the chip out of BB8 and send it somewhere else?
Snork – too Prometheus’esque, and too CGI’d
Rey – single handedly defeated the baddest exponent of the dark side with her first fondle of a light sabre – bit much?

On the other hand, when Rey flipped the falcon to shoot the tie fighter.. That was awesome.
Rey, Poe and Fyn seem worthy additions.
Great to see Luke back
Proper gutted when Han took one for the team, like, I’m still in denial – trying to work out a way for him to have survived.
New canteena scene was cool
X-wings were cool

Overall, looking forward to more of the same but really surprised that JJ seemed to have edited a few basic mistakes into the mix, IMO

Did anyone else think of cable actuated disc brakes during the film?

Star Wars Ep VIII

Ren (for it is he): “Ray, I am your second cousin once removed, search your feelings, you know it to be true”

Ray: “Noooooooo!!!!”

Poe, was a great character sorely underused.
The shiny female storm trooper, again massively underused.

I think these two will feature in the spin offs

Shiny female trooper is woman in not so shiny armour in Game of Thrones I believe.

Poe just seemed like a classic cheesy 80s hero.

Finally seen it… I can join in.

No ewoks or binks #MostDissapointed

The more I think about the plot holes, the more I think JJ has rushed this project – particularly the 2nd half of the movie. It’s a good ripping yarn but not so solid movie

We dont know if the are plot holes or points to be explained later, if it was a stand alone film they would be holes.

Rey – single handedly defeated the baddest exponent of the dark side

And how?! “Hang on mate, can you just pause with me on the edge of this precipice so i can close my eyes and summon up some special powers that you know all about and then I can like you know kill you rather than you kill me? Cheers!”

I see a lot of questions (we did the father son one but lots more) hopefully to be answered right in the next 2.sad to see han go, hopefully hamil can act.

I saw it having not seen any other SW films bar the Directors Cut (or something) of the first three many years ago.

I thought it was exactly what I expected.

I don’t really like the universe or the conventions, I find it silly and not at all believable…. Buuut… What do you expect?

It seemed to me that they have done an excellent job of making *that* movie. I’m not very keen on that movie’s universe, but they did it great.

Overtaking I enjoyed it, and found myself routing for the goodies and hoping the baddies got what they deserved.

I was genuinely upset Han dies.

7/10, probably more if you’re a fan.

Not reading this thread, as I haven’t seen the film yet and I’m trying to avoid spoilers, but it seems an appropriate place to tell this tale:

I presented our 7 year old nephew with a large talking Star Wars action figure on Christmas Day, saying “Look it’s Kylo Ren”

To which he instantly replied, “No, it’s Ben Solo” 😯 👿

I loved it
As a trip down memory lane
As a standalone film
As something you could just switch off and immerse yourself in without thinking about
As something I can (by the time the next one comes out) share with my 5 year old daughter and both enjoy for separate but shared reasons

Then I read all 8 pages here
And it’s ruined,
people think about things way too much why can’t you either just enjoy it, or ignore it?

I enjoyed it but not as much as Star Trek.

iain1775 – Member

I loved it
As a trip down memory lane
As a standalone film
As something you could just switch off and immerse yourself in without thinking about
As something I can (by the time the next one comes out) share with my 5 year old daughter and both enjoy for separate but shared reasons

Then I read all 8 pages here
And it’s ruined,
people think about things way too much why can’t you either just enjoy it, or ignore it?

Watching it with brain disengaged and childish enthusiasm, yes I saw it as you did.

Problem is adult brain can’t help but pick holes.

Just in from seeing it… Loved it tbh. It’s not perfect, but it’s not the sort of film that has to be perfect, it’s a rollercoaster ride not the mona lisa. Some things you enjoy when they’re in motion.

OK but, I dunno… The things I liked out of the prequel trilogy was basically the music, the sound, and often the solid grainy feeling it still had (not always, but often) JJ gets that right a lot of the time (the desert with the ruins of the last war in it, OK yes it’s more tatooine but that feeling of living in basically the ruins of a fallen empire is totally my idea of star wars… And after all, what do you expect when you overthrow the empire? Total star-chaos, that’s what. Civil war, bandit kings, planets that don’t work without dictators, worls that were reliant on oppressing other worls, your life turned upside down, a whole generation growing up hurt. Nailed it, basically. I don’t think it should need to be spelled out- we’ve seen it in our lifetimes, what happens after the war movie ends.

But in the second half of the film the fx feel a bit lightweight (maybe it’s the JJ spinny camera?) and the sound design isn’t quite right. It’s like your favourite song with a different singer, you know exactly in your head what it ought to sound like and it just… doesn’t. Lots of restraint in the soundtrack, I appreciated that they stayed away from the classic themes so much and used them so sparingly but not that nothing really grew to replace it…

Also, talk about blurring over blowing up the republic planet, everyone’s just over it immediately, that just robbed the whole scene of impact. I know it’s basically just a slate-cleaner but it just didn’t hit, for me.

And Attack The Block Guy’s decision to not be a stormtrooper was one thing but his sudden conversion to killing loads of stormtroopers, some of whom were bound to be his mates, was a bit much. Especially since he can’t be the only one having doubts… Nobody ever thinks about the goons.

I get why people struggle with experienced bad jedi vs brand new good jedi but it’s well established in the film that kylo ren is a fairly useless jedi. He’s conflicted and distracted and basically only powerful and scary because there’s nobody else around and he’s been set up to be the boss- he’s the one eyed man in the kingdom of the blind. He’s not supposed to be a darth vader. And you see he’s scared of Rey from the second he sees what she is. He damn near shits his pants when she picks up the light saber. He really gets what a powerful jedi is. I didn’t totally buy Adam Driver tbh but he sold those bits.

But still, I thought it was a huge success. Maybe just tried to fit in too much, which is totally the problem of the day really, you end up diluting every scene to squeeze in one more. And there’s no getting round the whole endless coincidence/ridiculous fortune of people meeting people and being in the right place. But still.

Also,

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neuMyI8M5fc[/video]

My main thoughts through out the film were:

? Carrie Fisher has has FAR too much botox
? not this plot line again………!

Went yesterday with my eldest to the imax. Loved it, yes it’s kind of a revamp but was still great entertainment which is what it’s meant to be. If you want a factual film with top class actors then you went to wrong screen. It’s clearly setting up for the other films, so great scenes as mentioned such as the x-wings, falcon and tie fighters entering on screen. Loved the humour with chewy, Han, Finn and Rey.

Carrie Fisher has has FAR too much botox

I didn’t notice it too much the first time I saw the film, but went again with my other daughter and her upper lip is a thing of wonder, I’ve no idea how she can actually talk with a completely immobile face…

Saw it. Loved it. Plenty of plot holes but what blockbuster isn’t these days. I liked the acknowledgement of the older films and didn’t mind the wholesale lifting of parts of them. I always assumed the desert start pointed at lineage since the Luke-Anakin beginnings so Rey is obviously part of the bloodline. Thought the interplay between Ren and Hux was good, given the obvious parallels with the Nazi party it matches the power-plays there quite nicely. I would guess that Poe Dameron and Captain Phasma will appear again in either later films or the other spinoffs as they seem a bit too featured to disappear.

Thought Daisy Ridley and John Boyega were as good as you could hope for and Harrison Ford did a pretty good job too. The brief view of Mark Hamill bodes well. Now they just need to get shot of Carrie Fisher as she really struggled at all times. Easiest way would have been to have her on the New Republic planet then Ren could have been part of killing both his parents.

Couldn’t find much to fault that wasn’t normal star wars fare really. Really really enjoyed it and had a few dusty room moments at the credits and when the falcon appeared.

Rey is also dressed like people from Tattoine which is a pretty strong hint.

Meet Kylo Ren’s younger brother Milo Ren, he struck his father down shortly after taking this picture.

I’ve no idea how she can actually talk with a completely immobile face

Her acting was wooden before – now so is her face.

donks – Member
I preferred guardians, the Martian and interstellar more.

Interstellar had less believable science, plot or acting that any of the Star Wars films. And was infinitely more boring. 😉