Star Wars TFA Discussion <Spoilers>

[Darth Biscuit]

Seriously don't read ahead unless you want to know what happens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok...

 

 

 

Brilliant movie.  The most Star Wars Star Wars since the original trilogy.  The look, the feel, the acting, the plot.  JJ and Disneyreally nailed it imo.

 

Plot wise a touch slow in places but nothing horrible.

 

No surprise with Kylo being Han's son or that he kills Han.

I'm speculatingbut pretty sure Rey is Luke's daughter,  pretty much has to be.

 

Only real surprise to me was that Hamill had no lines.  But a nice setup for VIII.

 

Phasma was a disappointment...  maybe she'll have more of a role in VIII.  General whats-his-name was kind of a wuss to...

 

Overall 10/10 from me.

 

 

@Kurb and @thunderraiden were in line for the 10:15 showing when I got out so hopefully they'll have impressions too.

 

[zacka77ack]

Did it look like Luke was standing over a Gravestone to anyone else?  

If Rey is Luke's daughter...why leave her on Jakku?  This is probably the biggest question leftover.

As soon as Han gave Chewie the detonator I knew Solo wasn't leaving that structure :( It still hurts that Han is dead.

I actually enjoyed the fact that TFA was basically ANH with different characters.  After all the mumbo jumbo and crap that episodes 1 - 3 threw at us, it was nice to see a familiar story updated for a new generation.  But now I that the feels have been normalized, I hope Abrams explores a bit more in the upcoming movies.

Phasma was a huge disappointment.  I was hoping she'd be a badass but maybe that will be explored in other movies.

Carrie Fisher creeped me out.  Entirely.

Hrmmmm what else is there?

[Panthers Fanatic]

I give it a...10! I tried to stay away from everything but the trailers, but I was a little shocked at Han being killed by his own son. I originally thought Chewie wasn't going to make it (thought Rey was crying over his dead body in trailer #3).

I definitely feel Rey is Luke's daughter based on their encounter at the end, but JJ Abrams left me with just as many questions as before I saw the film:

1. Is Rey Luke's daughter or Han/Leia's?

2. Who the heck is Snoke and how'd he become so strong in the Dark Side?

3. Who are the Knights of Ren (still don't know)?

4. What happened to the New Republic the last 30 years?

5. How did Maz come upon Anakin/Luke's lightsaber?

6. What events led to Kylo Ren rejecting Luke's Jedi training?

These are just a few of the ones I can think of after walking out of the theater...

I agree about being disappointed about the lack of Phasma, but it happened to me regarding Boba Fett back in the 80's...also, Kylo Ren will end up being the coldest, most ruthless badass in the SW universe! After all, he did what Luke couldn't do to complete a path to the Dark Side by killing his own father...cold-blooded and I actually felt dirty wearing my Kylo Ren shirt! 

Finn being a clone threw me for a loop...(Edit: totally got that wrong. The First Order Stormtroopers are taken and raised by birth. Kylo Ren suggested to General Hux that they should've used clones when Finn went AWOL).

Great movie and kudos to Abrams for taking on the Star Wars franchise for a new generation. I'm hooked and will be pondering these questions for the next several years.

 

[zacka77ack]

New Thoughts that I want to get out of my head.  WHAT FOLLOWS IS A FAN THEORY I'VE JUST CONCOCTED.  TREAT IT AS A SPOILER IF YOU WISH TO AVOID SUCH THINGS.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part of this stems from what I believe to be a tombstone that Luke was standing over.  I wonder if Luke's wife/Rey's mother was killed by Ben Solo in the attack.  In the flashback Rey feels/sees her parent(s) leaving her on Jakku.  I would love to see the story go like this:  Rey had been living with her mother while Luke trained Jedi on another planet (this would explain how Kylo had no knowledge of her).  Her mother (PLS BE MARA JADE) had been training her to use the force, obviously Rey is very young but still can learn things (Like the force pull she used on the Lightsaber, Jedi Mind manipulation). Luke has just been betrayed by Ben Solo.  Luke decides he isn't fit to train others to be Jedi, and to avoid the pain he has just experienced and to prevent it from happening again he causes his daughter to forget the things she has learned.  And what we witnessed was the Awakening.  She started remembering.  Rey had no idea her father was Luke Skywalker.  The man she spent the first ~5 years of her life with was named something else.  Thus at the very end when the cloaked figure turns around the entire thing comes flooding back to her, including the true identity of her father.  My mind is spinning.

[Zaximus]

Just got out of the showing, 3d/pdx.

It was a good movie but I wouldn't call it great.  I don't want to be that guy.  I really enjoyed it though, I did.  The action was top notch and I loved the flying scenes.  I didn't even want to do 3D and the site I got it on only said pdx but it was cool for 20 minutes till I got used to it (as any 3D movie).

But the plot is basically the same exact thing as A New Hope.   I think something a bit more fresh would have been nice.  Maybe they'll explain it as a cycle?  Not sure.   They had less world building and explanation of what is going on in the universe than ANH.  The movie felt a bit rushed.  I think they could have almost made this a 3 hour movie and gave us some plot details and whatnot.  

The movie relied too much on nostalgia to carry it.  Build up to showing us old characters, old one-liners, etc.  Some of that is great, but they used it as a crutch imo.

I liked Ray and Finn though.  I just don't understand how Finn picks up a lightsaber and even holds his own for more than 2 seconds against Rylo.  I also have a hard time believing that Ray all of a sudden can defeat this guy, not to mention immediately able to jedi mind trick and force pull.  In the beginning Rylo looked really awesome, stopping a blaster shot in mid air, something I don't even remember seeing Vader do, but Rylo was such a pansy once he took off the helmet, I didn't really feel a threat at that point, not like when you first meet Vader.

Which comes to another point.  It looks like they are going to turn Rylo into Vader and rehash ANOTHER storyline.   That would be fine if the movie wasn't almost a carbon copy of ANH already.  Hopefully he's more sinister and never takes off that helmet again. 

I wasn't surprised by anything, but I'm OK with that.  Solo getting taken out was talked about even 2 years ago as a possibility and we all figured they'd be sons/daughters of characters of the force, that's just how Star Wars is.

I thought Harrison Ford was great though, like riding a bike.  Chewy looked great.  New droid is fun but also kind of a rehash (I'm ok with that though).   Oscar Issac was great as Po, as he always is (great actor).   Phasma was disappointing and I feel like that was just a Game of Thrones pull, but she may be back.   Snoke wasn't menacing either and had nothing new we haven't seen.  The CGI was also way too strong with it.  He looked like one of the zombies from I Am Legend.  

It was good though, don't get me wrong.  I'm only bringing up so many points because it's Star Wars after all.   How can you hit expectations with it?  Never.  I sadly think that Tarintino's flick and Leonardo's may be better than this this holiday season, for me personally, but I'm not mad I went and watched it.  

[stankowalski]

I haven't seen the movie yet.  Just wanted to show how much of a bad ass I am by opening this thread and scrolling down while all the words passed in front of my face.

[Scrumtrilescent]

Hit every note I was hoping it would even if I completely spoiled myself over the last 2 years, although it may have went to the paralleling storyline from the OT once to often.  But man, I loved every minute of it.  This was the definition of JJ's "mystery box" and if you like that type of storytelling, this is great for you but it may be hard to get comfortable with if it's not your cup of tea.  Which leads to VIII/IX and Rian Johnson, who is a bit more expository than JJ, so I am going to assume he fleshes out the universe a bit more with his script.  Now off to sleep in my Boba Fett footie PJs.

[Arroz con Panther]

42 minutes ago, Zaximus said:

It was a good movie but I wouldn't call it great.  I don't want to be that guy.  I really enjoyed it though, I did.  The action was top notch and I loved the flying scenes.  I didn't even want to do 3D and the site I got it on only said pdx but it was cool for 20 minutes till I got used to it (as any 3D movie).

Couldn't agree with you more here.  Great movie, but I think it was a filler to get to the new story line.  I think Han had to die to advance the plot.  It was ANH rehashed, but I'm excited to see where it goes.

[RelaxImaPro]

Huge Star Wars fan my whole life, but yeah... it was just... I don't know, I feel like I'm being a bit harsh here since it's Star Wars... but it was just alright to me.  I know I'll probably have some fanboys foaming out the mouth over that, but it's just the way I felt after trying my best to love it.  And I really did want to love it.

It had its moments, but they weren't paced well enough in my opinion to really have much of an impact, and I didn't really care about any of the characters other than Finn, Han and Chewie.  Kylo Ren is pretty much established as a joke (good fuging job) who without something MAJOR happening I don't see myself ever taking seriously, and the apparent big bad guy's name is "Snoke" and just seems completely underwhelming compared back to when you're first introduced to Palpatine.  That might be unfair, but these guys just don't hit hit you anything like Vader, the Emperor and the Empire did back in the OT.  Also, the First Order General guy was just annoying as hell.  Tarkin was a character you hated, yet respected at the same time.  You just wanna slap the poo out this little mofo... he was so forgettable I don't even remember his name.

Granted the Kylo and Snoke thing could just be introductory phases that are fleshed out in the next movie, as it stands now they were just... meh.  Maybe they develop Kylo over time into becoming a true badass villain... but as of now he seems like a slightly less emo Hayden Christensen.  But hey, maybe that's what they were aiming for?  I dunno.  Setting it up to show the development from emo Episode III Hayden Christensen-Vader into the badass Episode 4-6 James Earl Jones-Vader we all know and love maybe?  I sure fuging hope so.

The movie, aside from it being Star Wars (which is a goldmine of nostalgia in itself, so it gets no bonus points for me here), just felt rather bland throughout.  It's like it skates by on the fact it's Star Wars the entire time, and basically "A NEW HOPE, BIGGER, BADDER, REBOOT REMIX 2.0 BIGGER DEATH STAR!!!!! REDUX HD" rehash and knows people are going to eat it up regardless.

Literally the best parts of the movie is when they rely on nostalgia and fan service to pull at your inner fan boy to get a reaction out of you, like a "crutch" which many have often already described it.  That crutch description fits it perfectly.

I've got hope for the sequels, as I was never the biggest fan of JJ Abrams doing it in the first place.  I felt it could go either way... and it just so happened it went the wrong way for me, though I know some enjoy it.  It seems they're literally following the blueprint the OT layed out step-for-step, even down to bringing in a more serious, dark toned, story-focused, character-driven director for the next movie, ala Irvin Kershner directing the Empire Strikes Back.  

I guess that means Ewoks in HD for IX...

[CarolinaCoolin]

Saw the 10:30 showing in 3D.

 

definitely was meant to mirror IV. They crushed it in that aspect. 

I'd say I rank that as the third best Star Wars. 5, 6, 7, 4, 3, 2, 1. 

I loved the movie but I was questioning the choice to have Luke speak zero lines. 

The set up they just did for the next movie is going to be a big pay off.

Basically JJ just bought himself a lot of credit from hardcore old fans and the causal/new generation which will make the next movie be that much better. 

Rey has to be Luke's daughter but as I was watching I would have guessed Han and Leia's. 

[CarolinaCoolin]

1 hour ago, stankowalski said:

I haven't seen the movie yet.  Just wanted to show how much of a bad ass I am by opening this thread and scrolling down while all the words passed in front of my face.

I respect this. I hate the whiny little bitches who cry about spoils on the Internet. 

[Darth Biscuit]

I didn't see it so much as ANH rehashed as I did JJ trying to stay true to the original trilogy while setting up future movies.  I thought he did a good job of threading that needle.

 

Something I thought of overnight plot wise that I thought was strange was if there is a New Republic, why is the Resistance fighting the First Order?  Does the New Republic not have a military?  I thought that a bit odd.

 

I have very little negative to say about it... I'm sure once I watch it again there will be some minor plot stuff, but overall I still think it was fantastic the morning after.

[Zaximus]

I wouldn't have had an issue with Abrams making it "like" the old ones, a lot of fun and action, but to copy the entire story line, even down a planet killer, is a bit much.  Personally, I was looking for more fleshed out characters, since it's 2015 and not the 70's.  A bit more world building.  Hopefully the sequels fix things.  Next year, the movie about the guys getting the plans for the death star, could be great.  

Glad we can have a civil discussion.  It's by no means a bad movie.  It's a good movie definitely.   I expected more, and I even curbed my expectations knowing it's Star Wars and you can't reach the level of the OT.  

[Darth Biscuit]

4 minutes ago, Zaximus said:

I wouldn't have had an issue with Abrams making it "like" the old ones, a lot of fun and action, but to copy the entire story line, even down a planet killer, is a bit much.  Personally, I was looking for more fleshed out characters, since it's 2015 and not the 70's.  A bit more world building.  Hopefully the sequels fix things.  Next year, the movie about the guys getting the plans for the death star, could be great.  

Glad we can have a civil discussion.  It's by no means a bad movie.  It's a good movie definitely.   I expected more, and I even curbed my expectations knowing it's Star Wars and you can't reach the level of the OT.  

Yeah I mean... no reason to not be civil, not everyone is going to love it and not everyone is even going to like it.

 

Two things kind of sway me... they didn't "Disneyify" it and they did a much better job of making it visually and plot wise like the OT compared to what Lucas did with the prequels.  Those two things alone make it brilliant imo, but much like JJ did with the Star Trek reboot, he paid homage to ANH with this movie with the similarities but didn't overdo it.  Yes, the plot was very similar but with the new characters and some differences it's all new and fresh.