I haven't seen any of the spoiler comments thankfully. But twitter and fb are at the ones that should DEFINETLEY be avoided right now. i had to sign out of both of them tuesday.
Overall, I think people have done a pretty good job of not spoiling the film - whether on Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr at this point. Many of the reviews I've read, watched, or listened to have also gone far out of their way to speak of the film in broad strokes, and I'm surprised by how much they've been able to avoid. I'll do my best to avoid overusage of spoiler tags here and speak in the same kind of generalities.
This is undoubtedly a Star Wars film. Big music, big set pieces, plenty of practical effects combined with current cutting edge special effects. But the burden on this film, I think, is much greater than what Lucas had to deal with in 1999 - and its for better and worse. All things considered, this is a much more successful film because it pays homage to, and comes directly from the original trilogy. JJ has repeatedly said that he prefers Star Wars to Star Trek, and it seems evident throughout the film as it seems like a love letter to the original. Arcs are parallel, but that's nothing new - its exactly what Lucas has been saying for 40 years. So, you're going to see similar characters, similar story elements, and an entirely similar layout. What's good though is that the film doesn't seem to be weighed down by it. Fin, Rey, and Po all come off as spectacular additions to the original core characters, as well as Kylo Ren and Captain Phasma as villains. But - with reasonable reservation - I don't think any of us should be flying in to expect direct replacements for massively iconic characters like Han Solo and Darth Vader. That will never happen.
I generally think that, if you're going in expecting a traditional Star Wars film, you're not going to be disappointed. People who are going in with lofty expectations of something as complex as Fury Road or Ex Machina might be a bit disappointed, but make no mistake - This is undoubtedly the best tentpole movie of the year, far better than F&F7, Jurassic World, Avengers: AOU, or Ant-Man.
I'll wrap this part in spoiler tags, but I personally don't think that they are major spoilers for anyone who's curious. References to old interviews and general broad strokes, here...
The Good
The best addition to the franchise might be BB-8. I love this little guy, he's so much more emotional than the other droids we've seen before. I was expecting to get misty eyes throughout the movie, but never around him. This is the dude who's going to get the kids into Star Wars again
Mother-fraggin' Han Solo. Harrison Ford brings the same swagger to the character that he had back in '77-83, and it feels so damn good
This is a legitimately funny movie at times, and I didn't expect any of that. Plenty of jokes to break up the tension and keep things moving along
PRACTICAL EFFECTS, EVERYWHERE
The movie will rustle the jimmies of the men's rights folks. They aren't afraid to make powerful female characters, and have them be a central part of the story. It is a very welcome addition that makes this a great film for boys and girls
The Stormtroopers are relatable in this film. I might not be one for the dark side in general, but man, I love the 'troopers... It really shines through here
The Not-So-Good
I'm not sold on the new music for the film. Classic Star Wars music is best Star Wars music, the new stuff just seems alright
Captain Phasma doesn't get much time in the film. We were warned by the producers, but I didn't believe it. I'd like more next time, please
It sounds like reading the Aftermath book might help in understanding some concepts in the film, but it moves so fast with some of them that it isn't entirely important. That depends on how in-depth you want to get in the Star Wars universe
One more con is the ending. No spoilers, its just, the original three, and even to an extent, the prequels all could be left as stand alone movies. While the story progression was nature in the classics, they didn't end on a cliff hanger, they properly ended. Not this movie. Probably because the writers knew going in they were making a series, and Lucas, I don't think knew while making the first, he would make two more .
although the story was about finidng Luke and in the end we did find him, however it's not to the level of TDK trilogy where all movies work on their own. I also feel the last shot was very un-starwars like with the aerial shot of Luke and Ray. Felt really out of place for me.
although the story was about finidng Luke and in the end we did find him, however it's not to the level of TDK trilogy where all movies work on their own. I also feel the last shot was very un-starwars like with the aerial shot of Luke and Ray. Felt really out of place for me.
Why are we doing spoiler tags in a thread with a massive "spoilers" in the title? Ohh well. Better put on the tags so as to not ruin it for someone going into a thread about a movie he/she hasn't seen...
Just came back from seeing it. Outstanding visuals, combined with an ultra thin plot and even thinner characters.
I was never a big Star Wars fan, so the many cameos don't do much for me. But what really annoys me is that they didn't even bother coming up with a new plot for it. Just same old same old. Let's go destroy a Death Star which is somehow way easier in this movie than in the earlier ones. In fact it's absurd how easy it is for the group to move about this hostile military installation, and how Ren magically learns everything about the Force right as she needs to.
And there just isn't any suspense. Not once did I worry about any of the characters, because I know full well that they'll succeed. The antagonist is the usual emo who loves the dark side while presenting no reasons for his betrayal, and with zero actual character development.
I admit I tend to nitpick, but there was just so many little things that irked me in the movie. Why do the Stormtrooper continue to use a suit that offers them literally no protection against anything? How do these tiny fighter aircraft have the fuel capacity to fly between solar systems? Who makes up the republic, and why/how are they supporting the rebels? Do they have an army? How big is the First Order? How did they come to be? Are they actively at war with anyone but the rebels? If the rebels have the support of the republic, then why do they even function as rebels? Why not just a full on army to take on the new evil force? What is even the goal of the First Order? Same as the Empire?
Why would you make a droid that can't speak human languages? Why was Finn assigned to a search and destroy mission if he's not a combat soldier? How does he know the layout and working of the entire military base? How does a supposedly powerful and experienced guy like our antagonist lose to someone who has never even used a light saber before? Why do they never use the Force in combat even when it would greatly benefit them? How did they suddenly know where to find Luke even though the incomplete map did not fit any known planetary system?
I just... I don't understand the rules of the world and the Force. I don't know where anything is in relation to anything else... The movie is constantly expecting me to just go a long with it, without even remotely trying to explain anything.
And there just isn't any suspense. Not once did I worry about any of the characters, because I know full well that they'll succeed. The antagonist is the usual emo who loves the dark side while presenting no reasons for his betrayal, and with zero actual character development.
Why are we doing spoiler tags in a thread with a massive "spoilers" in the title? Ohh well. Better put on the tags so as to not ruin it for someone going into a thread about a movie he/she hasn't seen...
Just came back from seeing it. Outstanding visuals, combined with an ultra thin plot and even thinner characters.
I was never a big Star Wars fan, so the many cameos don't do much for me. But what really annoys me is that they didn't even bother coming up with a new plot for it. Just same old same old. Let's go destroy a Death Star which is somehow way easier in this movie than in the earlier ones. In fact it's absurd how easy it is for the group to move about this hostile military installation, and how Ren magically learns everything about the Force right as she needs to.
And there just isn't any suspense. Not once did I worry about any of the characters, because I know full well that they'll succeed. The antagonist is the usual emo who loves the dark side while presenting no reasons for his betrayal, and with zero actual character development.
I admit I tend to nitpick, but there was just so many little things that irked me in the movie. Why do the Stormtrooper continue to use a suit that offers them literally no protection against anything? How do these tiny fighter aircraft have the fuel capacity to fly between solar systems? Who makes up the republic, and why/how are they supporting the rebels? Do they have an army? How big is the First Order? How did they come to be? Are they actively at war with anyone but the rebels? If the rebels have the support of the republic, then why do they even function as rebels? Why not just a full on army to take on the new evil force? What is even the goal of the First Order? Same as the Empire?
Why would you make a droid that can't speak human languages? Why was Finn assigned to a search and destroy mission if he's not a combat soldier? How does he know the layout and working of the entire military base? How does a supposedly powerful and experienced guy like our antagonist lose to someone who has never even used a light saber before? Why do they never use the Force in combat even when it would greatly benefit them? How did they suddenly know where to find Luke even though the incomplete map did not fit any known planetary system?
I just... I don't understand the rules of the world and the Force. I don't know where anything is in relation to anything else... The movie is constantly expecting me to just go a long with it, without even remotely trying to explain anything.
This is the first of 3 movies. Plenty of time for things to play themselves out. Some things they may not explain in the movies, but will require novel or comic reading to fill in the gaps. Just how Star Wars is.
This shouldn't surprise you, at least it shouldn't if you knew this is how they do things already. It's not new, they've done this for years. It's what they call Star Wars "canon". Books, comics, animated TV shows, etc, etc.
This shouldn't surprise you, at least it shouldn't if you knew this is how they do things already. It's not new, they've done this for years. It's what they call Star Wars "canon". Books, comics, animated TV shows, etc, etc.
I have no problem with the idea of an Expanded Universe. What I do object to is the idea of additional texts that are needed to understand the films. If the films themselves are the primary means of telling the story, then audiences should be able to watch the films and understand the story without needing anything more.
I have no problem with the idea of an Expanded Universe. What I do object to is the idea of additional texts that are needed to understand the films. If the films themselves are the primary means of telling the story, then audiences should be able to watch the films and understand the story without needing anything more.
If you are interested enough in the story it shouldn't be a problem. You have two types of people in this situation, the true Star Wars fans that will gladly pick up a book or comic to learn more about what is going on or what has happened for something to be the way it is. And then there are your average movie goers that either don't care or missing the hole completely making it no big deal.
But then I guess there's a third person such as yourself that picks apart movies to ruin it for those that enjoy them for what they are. "Entertainment".
I similarly have no objection to additional materials supplementing the story. Like I said, the issue is when those additional materials are needed to understand the story. Cloverfield was a prime example of this - the ending was only explained in the alternate reality game that was created to market the film. If you didn't play the game, then you wouldn't understand the ending.
Just saw it. I gotta say i really enjoyed it a lot. It wasn't the best sw film ever of course but it was a pretty good film imo. Props to JJ for doing a very solid job 👍
My only issue was the ending, i felt it was a bit odd; the last fight was neat but it felt a bit rushed in some ways imo. Also, Rey's encounter with Luke at the end leads me to this question.... Could she be Luke's daughter? Welp,guess we'll find out in 3 years. Otherwise very great film:tup:
Anyways.. I agree that the music was very subdued in this one. There was no memorable episode specific theme that I would've noticed like the previous movies. ANH had Binary Sunset, Tie fighter attack, TESB had Imperial March and The Asteroid Field, ROTJ had The Forest Battle.
It's been speculated who Rey is crying over in the last couple trailers. After watching them both in slow motion and pausing to look things over, I have come to the conclusion that the white-ish stuff people think is fur is actually the snow covered branches of fallen trees in the background and is NOT fur. based on the fact that she's in a snowy location with trees in the background (which is the same location that Finn and Kylo Ren battle) leads me to believe that Finn was either killed or injured during that fight. Now, when she looks up and it's a bit brighter there, I would suspect that a space ship (Falcon?) landed nearby and someone is walking towards her, hence her slight change of expression before the trailer fades out.
