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The Force Awakens: Official Review Thread - ** SPOILERS ** — Page 114

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Swazzy said:

And now, ladies and gentleman, the only video review of this movie that ever mattered:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miVRaoR_8xQ

30 minutes in and it’s all PT bashing, haha. Perfect.

I love the dismantling of the Ring Theory and the talk about how we’ll never see the end of Star Wars.

JEDIT: lol, number three is titled “Idiotic Millennials ‘re-think’ the Star Wars prequels”

Pretty much sums it up. He goes on to talk about the weird prequel apologizing that’s been going on lately that we’ve all noticed and has been really annoying me with its weird subversiveness like they can somehow sneak it past the guards.

JEDIT2 Electric Boogaloo: And his complaints are about the same as mine. Great video.

Return of the JEDIT: His diversity comments are pretty aligned to my thoughts as well.

Keep Circulating the Tapes.

END OF LINE

(It hasn’t happened yet)

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Yeah, I agree with most all of it! But it does leave me asking an almost totally unrelated question: have the RLM guys seen the Despecialized Editions?

Ol’ George has the GOUT, I see.

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Plinkett, we’re home.

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I don’t think the criticism went far enough. Instead of the lack of “sex” it should be that there was no heart in the proceedings.

But worst of all is the complete lack of backstory combined with the fact that TFA really has no driving motivation for any character other than plot advancement. It becomes so darn hard to care. Even the worst of EU materials generally had this. Even the prequels did in spurts.

Watching this just made all the negatives come floating back in my brain.

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“George didn’t think there was any future in dead Han toys.”-Harrison Ford
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captainsolo said:

But worst of all is the complete lack of backstory combined with the fact that TFA really has no driving motivation for any character other than plot advancement.

I have to agree. I really didn’t care about any of the characters, they only served to forward the plot. I’m definitely gonna be crucified for this; but I think that Anakin was a more compelling character than any of the protagonists in TFA (for various reasons, but that’s another discussion entirely). The only character I’m invested in is Kylo Ren. I guess the villains are just more interesting.

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Anakin had 3 movies to develop into some sort of character, so let’s wait until Episodes 8 and 9 before leveling this accusation.

What makes Rey frustrating for me is that she is used both as an audience surrogate (like Luke) and as a supremely gifted Chosen One (like Anakin). Because of this the film is constantly switching between allowing the audience to identify with Rey and alienating them from her by showing how mysterious and powerful she is.

Also, about the RLM review, I wish people on this site were more open-minded about the Ring Theory and other examinations of the prequels instead of constantly saying they’re full of crap. Even Mike, playing the most over the top raging hater of the prequels, gives them a fair shake and even finds some things of value in them. It’s sad how his reaction is more even-handed than most on this site.

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NeverarGreat said:

Anakin had 3 movies to develop into some sort of character, so let’s wait until Episodes 8 and 9 before leveling this accusation.

Good point. Anakin also had a 6 season show.

What makes Rey frustrating for me is that she is used both as an audience surrogate (like Luke) and as a supremely gifted Chosen One (like Anakin). Because of this the film is constantly switching between allowing the audience to identify with Rey and alienating them from her by showing how mysterious and powerful she is.

I agree with this. I generally don’t buy into the “Rey is a Mary Sue” thing, since some of her abilities are explained in the nu-EU, but I just don’t think she’s nearly as relate-able as Luke.

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captainsolo said:

I don’t think the criticism went far enough. Instead of the lack of “sex” it should be that there was no heart in the proceedings.

I gotta disagree with this one. The Secrets of The Force Awakens Documentary showed how much the film makers cared about making a good movie. Now whether they actually did is up for debate but the thought behind it was pure.

But worst of all is the complete lack of backstory

There is backstory; it’s just not completely told yet.

combined with the fact that TFA really has no driving motivation for any character other than plot advancement. It becomes so darn hard to care. Even the worst of EU materials generally had this. Even the prequels did in spurts.

I disagree with this too

Rey: wants to get off Jakku and live with her family

Finn: wants to get away from the First Order and wants to get with Rey

Kylo Ren: wants to become fully immersed in the Dark Side

but when we compare it to SW here are the motivations for the main trio in that film:

Luke: wants to get off Tatooine and wants to join the rebellion

Han: wants to get rich

it is clear the characters in TFA had some type of motivations even if they were separate from getting the droid back to the Resistance Base. I left out Leia and Poe because they both don’t have aspirations beyond what the plot revolves around.

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Why am I supposed to care about this guy’s opinion again?

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DominicCobb said:

Why am I supposed to care about this guy’s opinion again?

You don’t need to care about his opinion, it’s just that his review is funny as hell.

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NeverarGreat said:

Also, about the RLM review, I wish people on this site were more open-minded about the Ring Theory and other examinations of the prequels instead of constantly saying they’re full of crap.

My problem with the ring theory is that it shouldn’t be that big of a deal to warrant a 10 page essay or whatever that guy wrote about it. A prequel should be expected to share the imagery of the original, but instead the PT’s look is comletely different than the OT’s, except for a few scenes that share the same camera angle or composition. Treating these few moments as examples of brilliant movie-making, while ignoring the flawed story, writing, dialogue or acting is simply grasping at straws.
Also, the article claims these visual references were carefully crafted to mirror the OT and create some circle or whatnot, while in reality, they are more or less random, with each prequel mirroring shots from different originals.

Ceci n’est pas une signature.

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DominicCobb said:

Why am I supposed to care about this guy’s opinion again?

Because other people’s opinions can be funny, insightful, and interesting.

You don’t have to care.

Keep Circulating the Tapes.

END OF LINE

(It hasn’t happened yet)

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Jeebus said:

captainsolo said:

But worst of all is the complete lack of backstory combined with the fact that TFA really has no driving motivation for any character other than plot advancement.

I have to agree. I really didn’t care about any of the characters, they only served to forward the plot. I’m definitely gonna be crucified for this; but I think that Anakin was a more compelling character than any of the protagonists in TFA (for various reasons, but that’s another discussion entirely).

Lol what. I can’t tell if you’ve actually seen the PT.

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TV’s Frink said:

Jeebus said:

captainsolo said:

But worst of all is the complete lack of backstory combined with the fact that TFA really has no driving motivation for any character other than plot advancement.

I have to agree. I really didn’t care about any of the characters, they only served to forward the plot. I’m definitely gonna be crucified for this; but I think that Anakin was a more compelling character than any of the protagonists in TFA (for various reasons, but that’s another discussion entirely).

Lol what. I can’t tell if you’ve actually seen the PT.

I don’t think the movies are an adequate representation of what happened. It’s like ludonarrative dissonance, but instead of video games, it’s in movies.

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Jeebus said:

TV’s Frink said:

Jeebus said:

captainsolo said:

But worst of all is the complete lack of backstory combined with the fact that TFA really has no driving motivation for any character other than plot advancement.

I have to agree. I really didn’t care about any of the characters, they only served to forward the plot. I’m definitely gonna be crucified for this; but I think that Anakin was a more compelling character than any of the protagonists in TFA (for various reasons, but that’s another discussion entirely).

Lol what. I can’t tell if you’ve actually seen the PT.

I don’t think the movies are an adequate representation of what happened. It’s like ludonarrative dissonance, but instead of video games, it’s in movies.

I’m going to ignore your second sentence (because what) and point out that Anakin is not a real person. There is no “adequate representation of what happened.”

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TV’s Frink said:

Jeebus said:

TV’s Frink said:

Jeebus said:

captainsolo said:

But worst of all is the complete lack of backstory combined with the fact that TFA really has no driving motivation for any character other than plot advancement.

I have to agree. I really didn’t care about any of the characters, they only served to forward the plot. I’m definitely gonna be crucified for this; but I think that Anakin was a more compelling character than any of the protagonists in TFA (for various reasons, but that’s another discussion entirely).

Lol what. I can’t tell if you’ve actually seen the PT.

I don’t think the movies are an adequate representation of what happened. It’s like ludonarrative dissonance, but instead of video games, it’s in movies.

I’m going to ignore your second sentence (because what)

Ludonarrative dissonance is the concept in video games that the narrative differs from the gameplay. I’m saying that the ‘true’ narrative of the prequels differs from what is presented in the movies.

and point out that Anakin is not a real person. There is no “adequate representation of what happened.”

Why not? It’s just an extension of the concept of ‘headcanon’.

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Well first off, I don’t care about anything outside of the movies, but that’s a personal choice. With that said, what exactly are you using as your personal canon (I hate the term “headcanon” and refuse to use it)? Is this based on something tangible, or just a fan fiction story in your head? Did someone create a good Anakin character?

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Swazzy said:

MalàStrana said:

FrankT said:

have the RLM guys seen the Despecialized Editions?

I think they are old enough to have watched the OT before 1997.

I think he was referring to the fact that they still use Blu-Ray footage in their reviews.

Good point. It’s particularly noticeable with the “green” AOTC footage.

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Tyrphanax said:

DominicCobb said:

Why am I supposed to care about this guy’s opinion again?

Because other people’s opinions can be funny, insightful, and interesting.

You don’t have to care.

Fair enough. I just hear people around hear talking about his reviews like they’re gospel.

30 minutes in and it’s all PT bashing, haha. Perfect.

I love the dismantling of the Ring Theory and the talk about how we’ll never see the end of Star Wars.

JEDIT: lol, number three is titled “Idiotic Millennials ‘re-think’ the Star Wars prequels”

Pretty much sums it up. He goes on to talk about the weird prequel apologizing that’s been going on lately that we’ve all noticed and has been really annoying me with its weird subversiveness like they can somehow sneak it past the guards.

You know I don’t really mind this. Mostly because I grew up with the PT too and get where they’re coming from (I have nostalgia enough that I can watch all three prequels on Blu-ray back-toback-to-back and actually enjoy myself). I understand why they still like those movies, but their bitching needs to stop. They need to open their eyes and realize that the movies are in fact pretty shit and just get over themselves.

What actually annoys me the very most (and this is not just from PT apologizers which is insane) is when people say that the PT did this or that thing better than TFA. WRONG. There is not a single thing in the PT that is better than TFA. Fact.

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TV’s Frink said:

Well first off, I don’t care about anything outside of the movies, but that’s a personal choice. With that said, what exactly are you using as your personal canon (I hate the term “headcanon” and refuse to use it)? Is this based on something tangible, or just a fan fiction story in your head? Did someone create a good Anakin character?

He’s a good character in The Clone Wars series.

Keep Circulating the Tapes.

END OF LINE

(It hasn’t happened yet)