[Spoilers] Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens Spoiler Thread
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zoogs
Assistant Coach
^ Driver's performance was definitely a pleasant surprise, and his USMC history is awesome, too.
That scene where he interrogated Rey and took off his helmet was one of my favorites. Some of the dialogue is cringe-worthy, but it captured him perfectly as a rising villain, unsure of himself, and pretty torn up beneath the mask. My first reaction was, "Really?" ... but then, he would. Darth Vader he is not. He's much closer to a (fallen) peer to Rey.
Hux, also -- the former Weasley brother. He calls a good game (how about that speech?), but he was clearly not someone who had unleashed anything close to a superweapon before. These two made their bones in this movie. Probably they'll be substantially more hardened the next time we see them. I'm curious to see how similarly they end up -- I expect there'll be divergence in their paths at some point.
That scene where he interrogated Rey and took off his helmet was one of my favorites. Some of the dialogue is cringe-worthy, but it captured him perfectly as a rising villain, unsure of himself, and pretty torn up beneath the mask. My first reaction was, "Really?" ... but then, he would. Darth Vader he is not. He's much closer to a (fallen) peer to Rey.
Hux, also -- the former Weasley brother. He calls a good game (how about that speech?), but he was clearly not someone who had unleashed anything close to a superweapon before. These two made their bones in this movie. Probably they'll be substantially more hardened the next time we see them. I'm curious to see how similarly they end up -- I expect there'll be divergence in their paths at some point.
knapplc
International Man of Mystery
That's something we haven't talked about in this thread - the interplay between Hux & Kylo Ren. Neither is sure of themselves, neither feels secure enough in their position with Snoke to assert authority over the other. That should be a fun relationship to watch moving forward.
Saunders
Heisman Trophy Winner
Redux
Assistant Coach
Hux sees through Ren as a wannabe Sith, while Ren realizes Hux does know he could easily destroy him. The balance of power is fairly even.
knapplc
International Man of Mystery
Admit it: 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' stinks -- and here's why
Good article talking about why I feel the way I feel about this movie. I disagree that it "stinks," but it's a terribly flawed installment in the franchise and it doesn't bode well for future movies that so much of it was recycled.
Good article talking about why I feel the way I feel about this movie. I disagree that it "stinks," but it's a terribly flawed installment in the franchise and it doesn't bode well for future movies that so much of it was recycled.
Overall, I really enjoyed the movie and was entertained, which is certainly the point of most films - entertainment.
My biggest gripes were that I'm not sure I really felt or understood Finn's character or his necessity. Most of the time he was a little awkward and out of place.
I was also disappointed in the overall storyline and plot. It's basically ANH rehashed but with much more serious implications - instead of being able to destroy a solitary planet, Starkiller Base can take out an entire system. And it did feel, in many ways, like I was watching ANH but with different events. There wasn't a lot that felt original about it.
I appreciate the immensity of the task in front of this movie crew trying to create a film that hits all the right notes, harkens back to the originals but doesn't have poor storytelling like episodes 1, 2, and 3. I think they dropped the ball a bit, but, I still had a ton of fun watching it and look forward to seeing it again.
Plus, I feel the second films in a trilogy often end up being the best. The Dark Knight and The Empire Strikes Back were, so I'm hoping for more of the same with the next installment!
My biggest gripes were that I'm not sure I really felt or understood Finn's character or his necessity. Most of the time he was a little awkward and out of place.
I was also disappointed in the overall storyline and plot. It's basically ANH rehashed but with much more serious implications - instead of being able to destroy a solitary planet, Starkiller Base can take out an entire system. And it did feel, in many ways, like I was watching ANH but with different events. There wasn't a lot that felt original about it.
I appreciate the immensity of the task in front of this movie crew trying to create a film that hits all the right notes, harkens back to the originals but doesn't have poor storytelling like episodes 1, 2, and 3. I think they dropped the ball a bit, but, I still had a ton of fun watching it and look forward to seeing it again.
Plus, I feel the second films in a trilogy often end up being the best. The Dark Knight and The Empire Strikes Back were, so I'm hoping for more of the same with the next installment!
ZRod
Heisman Trophy Winner
The article is not wrong. Movies today are horrendous as far as story telling and dealing with cultural issues. Hollywood is far more concerned with making a safe buck, than taking a chance and making a truely ground breaking movie. And ground breaking doesn't mean how much money and SFX can we throw into it.My face reading that article:
Knapp, if that hit piece sums up your feelings on TFA, you were lying when you said you enjoyed it.
zoogs
Assistant Coach
Finn is a central character with nothing extraordinary about him. Wonder where or how he ends up, too. He ends up aidst a whole lot of extraordinary (rising heroine Rey, ace pilot Poe), while he's a clueless kid with a good heart. I think he's meant not to be the most interesting character, but maybe a more identifiable one for those of us who aren't force-sensitive scrapyard sensations.
His developing friendship with Rey was also a point of emphasis. It did strike me on my second viewing that, with the familiar Han there, Maz handed the lightsaber to erstwhile runner Finn and said, "Go. Give this to your friend." What happened to the blaster Han had given him, by the way?
io9: http://io9.gizmodo.com/star-wars-the-force-awakens-was-way-better-the-second-1749319663
^ There's an article (plus many of its comments) that really resonated with me.
His developing friendship with Rey was also a point of emphasis. It did strike me on my second viewing that, with the familiar Han there, Maz handed the lightsaber to erstwhile runner Finn and said, "Go. Give this to your friend." What happened to the blaster Han had given him, by the way?
io9: http://io9.gizmodo.com/star-wars-the-force-awakens-was-way-better-the-second-1749319663
^ There's an article (plus many of its comments) that really resonated with me.
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Redux
Assistant Coach
What exactly were you guys expecting? It's friggin Star Wars! The article is wrong. It blasts the movie from start to finish about it being unoriginal and poorly written.The article is not wrong. Movies today are horrendous as far as story telling and dealing with cultural issues. Hollywood is far more concerned with making a safe buck, than taking a chance and making a truely ground breaking movie. And ground breaking doesn't mean how much money and SFX can we throw into it.My face reading that article:
Knapp, if that hit piece sums up your feelings on TFA, you were lying when you said you enjoyed it.
I'm sorry if people are disappointed in it, but yeesh.
I used to enjoy the prequels, all of them. Until it was just widely accepted that they sucked for whatever reason. Now I can't watch them without thinking how hated they are. I refuse to let that happen to TFA.
Redux
Assistant Coach
Does TFA borrow heavily from ANH? Yes, because it is a reboot done in sequel form. Does that make it less entertaining? Not for me in the slightest.
The only way the criticisms of it being a rehash and not developing anything new can be validated is if the next two installments copy Empire and Jedi.
The only way the criticisms of it being a rehash and not developing anything new can be validated is if the next two installments copy Empire and Jedi.
zoogs
Assistant Coach
Yeah, I agree with that. It re-establishes what Star Wars is, which is to say what the prequels (which do have bright points!) were emphatically not. The prequels were full of new, though. So much new. Like most things, pull back the curtain all the way and it gets a little underwhelming. You have to leave some mystery about it, and that means gaps that aren't tediously force-fed with explanation.
Plus, while many elements are similar, they're different. A familiar frame set to go down different paths.
That's not to say Eps. 8 & 9 won't be disappointing. The act of completing a story is a difficult one. I still haven't seen TDKR and at this point, I'm not very interested. I expect some stuff happens and some resolution is reached...blah, blah. Another villain, a few twists, and the end. Star Wars has a much higher bar before it, and plenty of time to massively disappoint.
But the setup here has been terrific. For ground-breaking, I'm sure there are plenty of really good, explorative indie films from Cannes or Sundance, or whatever, and I don't mean that in a demeaning way.
Plus, while many elements are similar, they're different. A familiar frame set to go down different paths.
That's not to say Eps. 8 & 9 won't be disappointing. The act of completing a story is a difficult one. I still haven't seen TDKR and at this point, I'm not very interested. I expect some stuff happens and some resolution is reached...blah, blah. Another villain, a few twists, and the end. Star Wars has a much higher bar before it, and plenty of time to massively disappoint.
But the setup here has been terrific. For ground-breaking, I'm sure there are plenty of really good, explorative indie films from Cannes or Sundance, or whatever, and I don't mean that in a demeaning way.
I still enjoy watching the prequels, but my biggest gripes with them are Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman and the storytelling. The Trade Federation tax story line flew way over my head as a kid and I just find it wholly disjointing as an adult. But, that's just me.
Here's an article some of you may find interesting that talks about how the prequels had all the right plot points, yet failed to realize it. http://www.gamesradar.com/george-lucas-nearly-wrote-perfect-prequel-trilogy-he-just-didnt-seem-notice/
All that said, if other people don't like them, so what? If you like them that's all that matters. The pod racing scene is still one of the coolest scenes in a movie I've ever seen. I love watching that part.