Jay

Jetrell Fo said:

As I stated in my original post, I meant no disrespect to anyone, I thought I was pretty clear right out of the gate. I wasn’t calling anyone out. I still won’t. I went in to the movie expecting nothing but a Star Wars adventure with characters I love and I got it.

If that’s condescending in any way then apparently I know nothing about Star Wars and don’t deserve to be a member here.

The drama isn’t necessary.

Your opinion of the film and your having enjoyed it aren’t condescending at all. This is:

It is only now, after reading remarks in this thread, that I see how overly critical some of the fans are. I mean no disrespect to anyone and I will not point out any 1 person, it just seems that some can’t enjoy a movie for what it is

You and I have different opinions about what makes for a good movie, but I don’t think this makes you less discerning or lacking in taste, just like my preferences don’t make me overly critical or unable to enjoy a good movie.

Jetrell Fo said:

It is only now, after reading remarks in this thread, that I see how overly critical some of the fans are. I mean no disrespect to anyone and I will not point out any 1 person, it just seems that some can’t enjoy a movie for what it is … a joy ride, an escape, a family and friends experience …

This is what you think a movie is. It’s not necessarily what we all think a movie is.

Star Wars definitely falls on the action/adventure side of the scale and shouldn’t receive the same scrutiny as Interstellar, but after ESB, which is a good film in its own right, I expected Star Wars to keep growing up. ROTJ regressed quite a bit, but still had its moments. The prequels couldn’t make up their minds, going back and forth between politics and poop jokes.

If not ESB’s quality, I was at least expecting ESB’s sophistication, especially given the writers. TFA has some really nice dramatic moments in it, and that’s why I give it a 5 or 6 out of 10. The missing four points are for almost a complete lack of originality and general stupidity.

It’s condescending to suggest that because some fans didn’t get what they hoped for from TFA that somehow they don’t understand the point of a movie. I could just as easily suggest that people who eagerly accept TFA-style filmmaking lack sophistication and don’t understand what the art of filmmaking is about — which would make me a pretentious ass.

Anyone who went in wanting ANH, but not expecting it to be quite as good, got what they wanted. People like me, who wanted ESB, but not as good, were disappointed.

In the second teaser trailer, Luke says, “The Force is strong in my family. My father had it, I have it, my sister has it…you have that power, too.”

It didn’t appear in TFA, so maybe we’ll see it in VIII, and while it’s not definitive, it does imply a familial connection between Luke and Rey. (It’s clearly a new recording of Hamill’s voice, and my assumption is that it’s being spoken to Rey.)

It was kind of depressing to watch all the trailers again, because the trailers are excellent.

Borrowing elements from a wide variety of sources and blending them to create something no one has seen before is very different from creating a near carbon copy of an earlier film in the very same franchise.

As far as my ratings go, I pretty much agree with ZkinandBonez. I really enjoy Star Wars, but even ESB is an 8 or 8.5 in a world full of amazing films. That’s why I give TFA a 5 or 6 tops.

SilverWook said:

I miss the ability to tell if a sent PM has actually been opened by the recipient.

I went back and forth on this. In the end, I decided it was stalker-ish.

Rey said:

I know the story is almost the same as ANH but wouldn’t everyone be very angry if JJ brought us a totally new/original/different film than like IV/V/VI?

Not everyone. I can watch ANH if I want to watch ANH; I didn’t need to pay to see it again.

I’m fully expecting the same formulaic approach for VIII and IX. Maybe they’ll even treat us to Death Star 4!

Warbler said:

Makes no sense.

Welcome to the Star Wars universe.

There were just too many moments in TFA when I looked at the screen and gave it the Spock eyebrow raise. I get that it’s meant to be fantasy/adventure and we’re not supposed to get wrapped up in the details, but I’m not a 6-year-old anymore. I’ve been spoiled by so many films and TV shows in recent years that combine action, drama, and great characterization with well-thought-out stories that I’m just not in a place to accept the same old Star Wars.

The reason ESB is so great is because it showed Star Wars could grow with its audience. The reason ROTJ is not as loved is that it took a step back; instead of maturing with its audience, it got dumber. TFA isn’t as dumb as ROTJ, but it never really achieves the heights of ROTJ either. (The throne room intercut with the Death Star II battle over Yavin is probably the best combination of action/story/editing in the whole trilogy in my view.)

I went in expecting Abrams to nail it and was surprised at what I saw. Perhaps he did nail it for today’s audience and it’s exactly what the franchise needed, and it’s me that’s out of step.

I’ll probably give it a rental on Vudu or iTunes for a second viewing. Maybe I’ll feel differently.

It does come across as somewhat condescending.

hydrospanner said:

It appeared that Kylo sensed something wrong with him during and after the battle? He maybe did some quick intel on that trooper upon their return?

I don’t get this either. Ren obviously senses something is off with this dude. Wouldn’t someone like Ren immediately place him in custody and have him interrogated?

SilverWook said:

Finn’s ability with a lightsaber also might be a massive hint about something. 😉

This is a spoiler-laden thread. You’re free to expound upon your theories 😃

hydrospanner said:

Why can’t it be his first taste of combat action? When was it established that he was in some sort of elite and experienced stormtrooper unit and only the best of the best ever went into battle with Ren? If stormtroopers are commonly used as cannon fodder wouldn’t they constantly be bringing in some new reinforcements anyways? I don’t think Finn’s behavior really requires any more of an explanation other than what they show and what he tells us in the film.

Who bothers to memorize the serial number of cannon fodder?

ZkinandBonez said:

I feel like we’re really rationalizing this film in both directions. We’re either making out to be far better than it actually is, or we’re making it far worse.

Perhaps. I wasn’t moved too deeply or frequently by what I saw, and that’s my personal measure for a film’s quality. TFA didn’t make me feel much of anything either way, which surprised me because that’s what Abrams excels at. If you look at the majority of his work, he’s a master at plucking the heart strings, and he had tons of raw material to work with.

There were plenty of nods to the originals, but I feel like it was a wasted opportunity to bridge old and new.

SilverWook said:

And someone can do lots of training simulations, pass with flying colors, and still choke when confronted with the real deal. Remember Lt. Gorman in Aliens?

Why is this his first “real deal”? Shouldn’t he have seen this kind of action many times before ending up in Ren’s unit? I mean Ren knew his serial number off the top of his head. He was obviously informed about the troops around him.

As a viewer, I really shouldn’t have to read the novelization to make sense of the characters’ motivations.

ZkinandBonez said:

He might have been in battle before. But the early events of TFA may have been the first time he’s been ordered to massacre innocents. For all we know he’s killed plenty of Resistance soldiers before.
But either way we can’t really make assumptions about these things before we have all the facts in.

He was having trouble in the battle before he was ordered to kill any innocents. Another Stormtrooper died in his arms and he reacted like it had never happened before. There were other references to his being fairly new, if I recall, which makes sense given his background in sanitation.

Alderaan said:

How does some random guy who has never seen combat and works as a janitor get called upon to do that job? Unless it’s all convenient for the plot of course?

This is a major hole. During that first battle, I thought his hesitation was due to his being a spy for the resistance. They tried to justify his behavior later by claiming it was his “first offense”. When he told Han he was in sanitation, it was an immediate wtf moment for me.

Finn is a plot device. He’s whatever he needs to be to help move things along.

Warbler said:

Jay said:

5/10.

Meh.

is it any better that the PT movies?

It’s better than the prequels overall, but I’d take just about any key dramatic sequence or saber battle from the prequels over the key sequences in TFA. Nothing in TFA feels particularly weighty and important. Tough to get into it without spoilers.

5/10.

Meh.

It’s been a few hours since I got back from my first viewing and I wanted to let it settle a bit before posting. I considered taking more time to write a thoughful and detailed review, but most of my points have already been covered, and frankly, I don’t think the film deserves it.

I thought it was fairly boring and derivative overall. Abrams does what he’s best at: borrowing. Nothing original here. I rolled my eyes when I saw Death Star #3. I know a lot of people hate the prequels, but at least Lucas dared to tell us a story we hadn’t heard before (not in detail, anyway).

I like Kylo Ren. He occupies the space between Anakin and Vader; he’s more like what I was hoping to see Anakin become in ROTS. Less fearful and hateful, more arrogant and power-hungry. I don’t hate his saber. I see the side blades like the guards above the hilt on typical metal swords. They’re functional and provide him with an advantage (which he uses against Finn at one point). I fail to understand how someone as powerful as Ren could barely fend off two inexperienced saber wielders, despite his blaster injury.

Rey was mostly on point and I liked the portrayal of the character overall. Her sudden discovery and near-mastery of Jedi mind tricks was lame, however.

Finn…eh. It’s like they tried to make him the new Han (starts out self-centered, runs away from the fight, comes back to help save the day). Mostly he just came off as dopey, but I guess that could be a product of his upbringing/training.

I don’t have a problem with the way Han died because it was the completion of his character arc. I’m also okay with Luke walking away from the galaxy and the new fight; it probably weighed heavily on him knowing that he basically created the next Vader (out of his own nephew, no less) and he probably convinced himself that he was doing more harm than good by sticking around. Not seeing Han, Luke, and Leia reunited was a huge letdown for me, though.

And apparently Abrams heard that people hated all the politics and back story in the prequels, because TFA swings the pendulum in the opposite direction and explains nothing about the galaxy we now find ourselves in. I guess it’s not really a concern because it’s just ANH 2.0 anyway.

Overall, kind of a jumbled mess, and if these weren’t the Star Wars characters we know and love, I doubt we’d be seeing so many positive reviews. The only thing that makes me want to see Ep. VIII is to find out what’s up with Luke.

5 out of 10 for me. Didn’t hate it, but I have a backlog of films and TV shows I’d rather devote 2 hours to than watch it again.

Pegg was obviously disappointed with the trailer, but he also participated in the first two movies. I assume he thought they were decent Trek films.

I’m usually a stickler for a quality presentation, but I’ll be catching this one on Netflix.

This thread contains spoilers

This is the official spoilerific TFA review thread. Please post all reviews containing spoilers in this thread. There’s no need to preface your post with spoiler warnings.

WARNING: Any behavior that requires a mod to intervene in this topic and potentially ruin the movie for them before they’ve had a chance to see it will result in an instant and permanent ban for all offending parties. Keep it civil and be on your best behavior. If you disagree with someone’s opinion, do so politely. I’m not kidding about banning people.

SPOILERS BEGIN NOW

TV’s Frink said:

Is there a way to put the markdown info above the text box instead of in it? Not only would that avoid the markdown text post problem, but the text wouldn’t disappear when you start typing.

I don’t have a Github issue for it currently, but this is the plan.

TV’s Frink said:

This sub-forum isn’t well-traveled, I guess.

Or the list of things people like is very, very short 😉

ST 2009 wasn’t bad, Into Darkness was barely worth a rewatch (picked it up on Blu-ray and enjoyed it far less than my first viewing in the theater), and I expect Beyond to plunge Trek further into the abyss. “From the director of Fast & Furious” is the last thing I want to see at the front of a Trek trailer.

I have TOS and TNG on Blu-ray. Give me decent remasters of the TOS and TNG cast films and DS9 on Blu-ray and I won’t care if they never touch Trek again.

Chewtobacca said:

Is this expected behavior?

Yes. The styles aren’t final, but don’t expect the look and feel to be identical to the demo page. It’s less about the layout and more about the HTML produced by Markdown.

We launched earlier than we would’ve liked in order to migrate to a new hosting service and platform; the previous host was unreliable and the software was ancient and very difficult to use on mobile devices. Since launching the new site, we’ve had no outages and the new platform has proved to be extremely stable. There are tweaks coming to improve the layout for desktop users and provide additional functionality.

Thanks for being polite when posing your question. Some members could use a few lessons in that regard.

It’s been broken since launch (hence the note about it not working above the form field). It’s actually a more complex issue than you’d think, so it’s a bit further down on the list of fixes.