The Star Wars Spoiler Thread

Liked it a lot (as did my other half, who isn’t really a Star Wars fan). Not perfect at all, a few too many Red Dwarf / Star Trek-ish moments for me. Especially Captain Phasma. I mean really, a big tin-foil roboty thing who is rubbish at stuff? Should have ended up on the cutting room floor, would have been no loss at all.

I dont think Rey has been on Jakku as long as she thinks she has

Plot holes and coincidences? I watched Where Eagles Dare recently and the whole second half, from when they are captured in the Inn, is a mastery of perfect timing – EVEN THOUGH NOTHING IS GOING TO PLAN.

Hmm. Makes you think, doesn’t it?

You know what would have made Captain Phasma work better? Seeing a shitload of other Captain Phasmas. She didn’t really work at all as an end of level boss but as just a boss stormtrooper she’s fine I think. (I saw someone else suggested she should have taken the place of this guy:

)

Which would have been cool

Oh yeah and is it just me that really had no issue with Carrie Fisher? Yes she has a wooden face now but it’s not like she was frantically trying and failing to emote with it. I suspect the script was built around that a bit but she’s not had the easiest time of it so I think it works fine for her to have become a bit of an iron granny. (and ironically makes her a pretty good on-screen match for Harrison Ford despite the age gap)

I thought the change in accent was a bit weird mind

Just watched it for a second time, first time was Imax 3d and thoroughly enjoyed by 3 generations of the family, but this time was in 3D- DBox and wow!! If you’ve waited 38 years to fly an X-Wing its like a dream come true.
I know it’s a gimmick but Its a great way to spend time with my 10 year old son and watch him experience some of the feelings I had all those years ago.
Going to be a long couple of years waiting for EpVIII

Finally got to watch last night. Wow just wow. In a little cinema in belper with about 130 others. Highlight if the night, even the mrs loved it!

seems Carrie is fighting back against the “backlash” on her twitter account – i aint bothered what she looked like, the fact was she was the most wooden character in the entire film, thats why she stood out,
if she didnt bring anything to the table acting wise, she should have just been left out, han & luke would be enough IMHO
in fact Rey’s fall from grace could have been because either (a) he killed her in a Dark Side tantrum or (b) someone else killed her and his “light side” force abilities/Luke’s intervention didnt save her (little bit like anakin, but done a million times better)

Watched it last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes its a bit of a original trilogy greatest hits plot wise but its very well made and the new stars were all pretty good.

Just watched it for the second time and I can confirm that it is ace. I was not so overwhelmed emotionally and picked up a lot more of the plot dialouge. Still not convinced by Smoke

On the Carrie Fisher/Princess Leia subject – why did she hug the young lassie (whose name escapes me) when they arrived at the rebel base ? It was like they knew each other. That was odd. Or was it….

I don’t remember the scene but her daughter is in the cast as a rebel so could be her? I also think Carrie used a more ‘British’ accent in the originals.

back2basics – Member

seems Carrie is fighting back against the “backlash” on her twitter account – i aint bothered what she looked like

Yeah, see, it felt like misdirection, like she was turning criticism of her performance into an age thing… Then I looked at comments and no, it’s really not, she’s getting massively hated on for not being in her 20s any more. It’s pretty grim. (presumably the same people who complain that a 60 year old woman looks 60, had no issue with the age gap between han solo and princess leia; that’s holywood normal whereas casting a woman over 40 in anything is holywood weird)

Ironically, she looks older in the film than she does in real life.

Thing is, she’s screwed either way. Damned for looking old, or damned for having a lot of work done. Can’t win.

It’s ridiculous double standards too; you don’t see the same shite being levelled at Harrison Ford.

To be fair Harrison looked old, as soon as the first trailer appeared I had visions of him drooling at the end of each sentence, his performance in the film was better than I feared but he still had moments where I thought he should have been in a intergalactic nursing home!

Enjoyed the film a lot, however it would have been better to concentrate on the finding Luke story arc as opposed to the lets blow up another deathstar, which on reflection feels weak after the thrills and bangs wear off.

Gutted Han Solo is no more…

Her performance was terrible, regardless of how old she does or doesn’t look and I think it’s safe to assume her lack of emotion or ability to emote was due in part to plastic surgery and/or Botox.

twistedpencil – Member

To be fair Harrison looked old,

That’s the thing though, he didn’t get slated just for looking old.

I actually liked this about the film though, the older characters are basically allowed to be older. So frinstance they didn’t clean harrison ford up and shave off the wee random hairs he has sprouting everywhere. And they didn’t just sub in a body double so they could have him freerunning around, Han Solo acts like a spry, wiry old dude. He’s got that economy about him, world weary and tired but hugely experienced and capable, aware he’s an old dude in a young man’s game but getting on with it because he has to, I think everyone knows a 73 year old han solo or two.

Admiral Akbar looked ****ed as well but nobody hassles him for it.

He should be slated for his attempt at running.

jimjam – Member

I think it’s safe to assume her lack of emotion or ability to emote was due in part to plastic surgery and/or Botox.

Maybe. But like I say, in character you can equate it to:
Her mum died in childbirth and her dad turned out to be darth vader
Her adoptive homeworld got blown up along with her adoptive family and everyone she knew and loved
She spent half of her life fighting a guerilla war against an evil empire, getting variously tortured, enslaved, etc, and having her lover kidnapped and frozen in carbonite. And even after they won she’s still the General
Simultaneously her son turned evil, her husband/lover ran off and her brother disappeared, just as things were feeling good she loses her entire family for the third time.
Then the capital of the republic she’s fought all her life for gets blown up along with all their allies.
Oh and she probably screwed her twin brother. Even her robot dad thought that was a bit off.

So honestly I think it’s convincing casting/directing/playing. Though probably quite canny too. I don’t think a cheery emotive Princess Leia would make any sense so it’s OK that she maybe couldn’t have pulled it off. Stonefaced, hardened General Leia makes sense, and it’s intentional- I think that’s the important bit there, it’s not a failure to emote.

wallop – Member

He should be slated for his attempt at running.

Heh. Just about everyone unfit-bloke jog-trots everywhere in this film, once you notice it you can’t stop noticing it, they all look like they’re worried they might miss the bus but not enough to actually run. He gives it a go but you can see his knees aren’t in it.

Oh yeah and is it just me that really had no issue with Carrie Fisher?

I’m just amazed that in a film of utter naffness, one small piece of the naffness is being singled out in such a way! 😆
Either enjoy the naff or don’t! (I didn’t, btw 🙂 )

Northwind

Maybe. But like I say, in character you can equate it to:
Her mum died in childbirth and her dad turned out to be darth vader
Her adoptive homeworld got blown up along with her adoptive family and everyone she knew and loved
She spent half of her life fighting a guerilla war against an evil empire, getting variously tortured, enslaved, etc, and having her lover kidnapped and frozen in carbonite. And even after they won she’s still the General
Simultaneously her son turned evil, her husband/lover ran off and her brother disappeared, just as things were feeling good she loses her entire family for the third time.
Then the capital of the republic she’s fought all her life for gets blown up along with all their allies.
Oh and she probably screwed her twin brother. Even her robot dad thought that was a bit off.

So honestly I think it’s convincing casting/directing/playing. Though probably quite canny too. I don’t think a cheery emotive Princess Leia would make any sense so it’s OK that she maybe couldn’t have pulled it off. Stonefaced, hardened General Leia makes sense, and it’s intentional- I think that’s the important bit there, it’s not a failure to emote.

Erm, no. Those things would probably give her character and gravitas and a face that bore those troubles, not one that bore a ton of chemicals and was completely incapable of any emotion. She wasn’t acting stoney faced, hard boiled and stoic, she was incapable of any range or any kind of facial expression. You’re describing someone who might look and act the way Linda Hamilton (for example) might look and act, which is in complete contrast to Carrie Fisher’s Leia.

It’s not clever casting, it’s cynical casting in order to lure more fan boys in and convince them it’s not the reboot it so obviously is. As above she should have been killed off in earlier events.

It’s ridiculous double standards too; you don’t see the same shite being levelled at Harrison Ford.

Ford hasn’t messed with his face, it’s a lot easier to let it slide when the most emotive part of someone’s persona hasn’t had a couple a litres of anti-freeze pumped into it.
If Ford had gone all Burt Reynolds then he’d probably get more stick.

I understand that it’s a whizzy pew pew kid fest type movie, but by JJs own admission – there was a lot of emotional baggage riding on this sequel. The writing/plot therefore feels like it’s come up very short to me. Unless ep vlll takes a big leap forward in that respect, then I expect to be separating 7/8/9 in my memory banks from 4/5/6 – like I had to with 1/2/3. Yougetme?

OK jimjam, if you want to see the worst in everything then be my guest. FWIW I don’t think it’s clever casting; it’s casting that he didn’t have much choice in really. But imo it’s good direction of the cast he has.

I don’t think I’m seeing the worst in everything, rather pointing out or explaining why she is getting criticised. If people are attacking her for not looking younger, that’s horrible and quite retarded, but I don’t believe that’s the case. I went to see it with a big group and her performance, or lack of was something everyone commented on.

If she’s done that to her face out of some necessity to continue acting then that’s a whole other thread.

jimjam – Member

I don’t think I’m seeing the worst in everything, rather pointing out or explaining why she is getting criticised. If people are attacking her for not looking younger, that’s horrible and quite retarded, but I don’t believe that’s the case.

Look around; it’s absolutely why she’s being attacked. Not in all cases of course but in more than enough to earn her response.

And you’re dismissing any alternative out of hand, basically complaining that she’s failed to be your version of Leia. What I saw was, well, “a heart that is inured to suffering and I shall steel it to endure that too. For in my day I have had many bitter and shattering experiences in war and on the stormy seas. So let this new disaster come. It only makes one more.”

I said up the page, everyone knows a 73 year old Solo. And I know a couple of 60 year old Leias as well. I don’t think you can dismiss that depiction so easily- even if it’s the only one she could perform, it doesn’t make it wrong.

(also, who says Princess Leia couldn’t have had space-botox? 😉 )

Erm, so anyway, I enjoyed that.

Approve strongly of the way JJ’s used the original cast members and some familiar tropes to replicate the things we loved about the original trilogy.

Also approve of how he’s focused tightly on the action at the expense of all the guff from the prequels.

Amazing effects, love the new characters and the first half was absolutely terrific. Maybe it could have gone an extra 20 mins so the conclusion didn’t feel slightly rushed.

Han’s death was the least surprising bit of the movie sadly, signposted a mile off – but still great to have so much more of him than I expected and his absence will give the rest of the cast a bit more room to shine.

Leave Carrie Fisher alone please.

I finally managed to see it on Sunday – I liked it.

THe nostalgia hit when it needed to (the Falcon chase, the first time the x-wings show up)

Sure it was a bit of a re-hash of old ideas, but what are you expecting really? It’s never been touted as Shakespeare however what it does very well is adventure and excitement. It’s almost 40 years since the first Star Wars and with the slew of CGI fests we’ve had since then have ruined us as cinema go-ers. We’re now being shown films by directors who put the story to one side because they have an amazing plot device they want to show you that will blow your mind in 3D.

JJ Abrams is really no different, however what he has is an unwavering desire to get back to the films of the 80’s and try to re-create his generations feeling the first time the Star Destroyer chased down the Blockade Runner and you ducked because it looked amazing and it was so big. (see Super 8 for proof, it’s the Goonies on a bigger scale)

I digress, I liked it. Sure it was riddled with plot holes and Captain Phasma was grossly underused. But I forgot my troubles for a few hours and any films that can do that these days is worthy of my time.

What’s weird is despite my considerable grievances, I’m really looking forward to seeing it again. Clearly they got something right!

Regarding limbs, C3P0 had a red arm – that was not really explained even though specifically mentioned. Is it a special arm?

Merchandising.

My lad has a gold 3PO and “skin off” 3PO. No doubt he will soon buy a red armed 3PO.

I didn’t think that Carrie Fisher was that bad. I wish she’s used the British accent she put on in the originals, but I thought she conveyed the emotion required for the part. She did a better job than both Natalie Portman and Ewen McGregor did in the prequels, both are better actors than Carrie is. If you want sickly over acting and classic Shakespeare, don’t go a buy a ticket for Star Wars.

Well I thought Solo wasn’t particularly convincing. I thought that at his age he’d have settled down – his life was lived on the edge, and that’s a young man’s game. You wouldn’t be able to keep that up. Either he’d be in charge of his own organisation or he’d have dropped out somewhere. Plus, married to Leia he’d likely have taken his republic pension.

I’d have written the character to be living in suburban bliss somewhere but still keeping his ear to the ground and longing for a return to adventure, so he’d have gone out to get his ship back when he heard of it as a kind of ‘I can still do it’ / ‘putting the band back together’ moment.

I didn’t think that Carrie Fisher was that bad. I wish she’s used the British accent she put on in the originals

Watch a New Hope then compare the accent to Empire and Jedi, she’d already lost the British accent by the second film

I’d have written the character to be living in suburban bliss somewhere but still keeping his ear to the ground and longing for a return to adventure, so he’d have gone out to get his ship back when he heard of it as a kind of ‘I can still do it’ / ‘putting the band back together’ moment.

Pretty much the story in the book Tales of the Bounty Hunter (the Boba Fett story) – Han had settled down as the husband of the leader of the New Republic, he still had the falcon, it had been refurbished, so he went out for a spin to try and find some adventure and ended up accidentally bumping in to Boba Fett

I hate myself sometimes that I know this 😀

Did anyone else think that Kylo Ren looked a lot like Ratboy? That almost ruined the whole thing for me.

Did anyone else think that Kylo Ren looked a lot like Ratboy?

No, I was waiting for Leia’s *other* child to turn up…

(joke for Girls fans)

molgrips – Member

Well I thought Solo wasn’t particularly convincing. I thought that at his age he’d have settled down – his life was lived on the edge, and that’s a young man’s game. You wouldn’t be able to keep that up. Either he’d be in charge of his own organisation or he’d have dropped out somewhere. Plus, married to Leia he’d likely have taken his republic pension.

There’s a wee bit of exposition that says that’s exactly what he did- he’d settled down with Leia. But then Ben went evil and he ran away to hide in his old life. And you have to say, it’s not going well, he’s lost the falcon, betrayed his bosses, and maybe without rey and finn turning up he gets killed by the red dwarf gang.

I wasn’t clear how long had passed since Ben goes evil, and the actual film. Couple of years? Probably 10 at the most but I think less.

Finally got around to seeing it with my lad today. It was OK, well filmed, effects not too overpowering (we know someone involved in the pod racer sequence in the first/4th one who hated what they had to do), but the plot did seem a bit deja vu all over again.

I was expecting the final scene to end with “To be continued…..” like some 80s American cop show.

Well I enjoyed it, came out of it very pleased

but the more I’ve thought about it the more I think it was a bit cynical, While the latest film is waay better than the prequels, it’s cashing in on nostalgia and plays it safe with familiar ships, actors, characters and adventures, I guess JJ learnt from his mistakes with Star Trek.
What force awakens does have over the prequels is a better script, and far superior lead actors and of course no jar jar!

The story of droid with secret plans lost on dessert planet finds young orphan who joins the rebellion turns out to be a super poweful Jedi, blows up the slightly bigger deathstar after witnessing the death of a surrogate uncle…..

I thought it was at its strongest when Fin was questioning why he was a stormtrooper, in a way that only Austin Powers has ever touched on with Smitty!!! More captain phasma too.
I’d love to have seen more about how the Empire became the 1st order, I expect that the spin off films will fill that out a bit (I bet we see that star destroyer crashing on Jakku in the han solo spin off)

The rest while well done just felt like a kids of 77 nostalgia checklist

I also think snoke is a terrible name for a baddie 😉

Daisy Ridley and John Boyega were great, way better chemistry than portman and Christiansen

7/10

Did anyone else think that Kylo Ren looked a lot like Ratboy?

Alex Krycek?

While the latest film is waay better than the prequels, it’s cashing in on nostalgia and plays it safe with familiar ships, actors, characters and adventures, I guess JJ learnt from his mistakes with Star Trek.

I think the whole point is, it’s a transitionary movie. They’re handing the baton over to a younger cast, something I think they did exceptionally well. (See also, Star Trek.)

Abrams said Star Wars was its own genre which is why it’s self referential. Along the same lines as the stereotypical characters and stories in spaghetti westerns.