John Doom

Good memory! That settles the 38 years question, then.

You mean it could be a CGI rendering of a hologram of a Star Wars’ CGI avatar of someone? 😄

😄 Hold on, read my last post first: it was a misunderstanding!
But still, it’s unbelievable that both the original ANH and TFA never state how Luke/Rey know to pilot ships. I mean, in TFA they bothered explaining or questioning quickstorms, Luke’s lightsaber, The Starkiller’s size… and they didn’t explain something major like Rey’s own abilities?

TavorX said:
Wait, where was it said Luke had already been in the Imperial Academy before ANH? I thought the whole issue with Luke/Lars was that he wanted to join the Academy but Lars denied him over and over again (Luke: “Yeah, that’s what you said last time too”.) Luke from what I understand had the natural talent just like his father of piloting (I’m pretty sure Luke mentioned he piloted a T-16 through Beggar’s Canyon).

Also, Rey’s piloting isn’t exactly flawless. That Falcon took some dings and nicks during that sequence. The reason she could pull off those maneuvers and escape was because of the Force. Remember Obi-Wan’s line? “In my experience, there is no such thing as luck.”

On top of that, I’m pretty sure Rey had plenty of opportunities flying ships. She, however, chose to stay on Jakku simply because she feared if she left, then she might miss her chance to see her parents again. Rey in her spare time could had learned over the years to learn how ships work, learn to fix them, and eventually learn how to fly them in her spare time.

You’re right, I guess I misinterpreted Owen’s line in Italian. I thought he said “Andrai all’accademia un altro anno” (you’ll go to the academy FOR ANOTHER year), while he maybe said “Andrai all’accademia l’altro anno” 😄
Anyway, according to Biggs, “Luke is the best bushpilot in the outer rim territories”, which probably means he had a LOT of practice on Tatooine, and it was clearly stated for Luke, unlike in TFA for Rey (only in the SE, unfortunately, because they had to originally cut Biggs’ introduction…)

Rey’s piloting may not been flawless, but she outdid two or three tie-fighters (or whatever they’re called now) while doing a lot of rolls, which don’t seem to be very easy to put off, especially with a ship so big flying inside small tunnels. She knows how to fly pretty well!

I agree that she’s stayed on Jakku mainly hoping she would see her parents again, but still, when did she learn how to fly? It’s never stated, not once, as far as I remember.

Bingowings said:
Rey could just be absorbing skills from the minds of people around her. She knows the Falcon because Han and Chewie do […]

I doubt this one, because Han and Chewie weren’t on the Falcon when she escaped from Jakku, so she couldn’t learn how it works. Also, whenever she learned from someone (Kylo Ren) or something (Luke’s lightsaber), it was always clearly shown through pauses and closeups.
Anyway even if she could absorb knowledge, nobody questioned her skills in the movie, so it still feels like a deus-ex-machina, especially during the her fight against Kylo Ren.

😄 Whaaaat!? I hope they’re not going for this explaination: unlike Luke’s lightsaber’s fate and the Starkiller being “just bigger” than the Death Star, nobody questioned Rey’s skills in TFA, as if they were fine, if slightly unexpected for her age. If they go for the “forgotten memories” thing in the sequels, they’ll make TFA not stand on its own, which is a poor solution to the moview, while if there’s no explenation at all, it’s a deus-ex-machina :\

I don’t know… As far as I remember, desert on that planet was soft all around except for a few junk, and no or barely any cliffs.

While watching TFA, I was wondering how comes Rey can pilot ships. I understand she’s a scavenger, and she might’ve learned about mechanics in her work (though unlikely in real life), but when did she learn how to fly too? I mean, Luke has been in the Academy for some time before ANH, but what about Rey? She seems so poor she can only afford buying food, nevermind going to the Academy.
Without a proper answer from the movie, I’d say it’s too convinient to the writers that she’s got all those skills to show off just at the right time 😄

towne32 said:
Mike isn’t a fan of the Star Wars franchise, he’s a fan of the 1977 film titled “Star Wars”.

I think he is a Star Wars fan, it’s just that he felt that TFA would’ve been a commercial product rather than a well crafted movie like ANH and TESB, so he wasn’t interested. Can’t blame him at all, especially after I saw TFA myself 😄

😄 Here’s Ortolani’s take on Max Vox Sydow…

and on the “infamous” electric rod

TV’s Frink said:

Count Dooku was a terrible villan. That comic has zero credibility.

He just said Dooku was “aristocratic”, c’mon 😄

Bingowings said:

Maybe Finn is still brainwashed and was programmed to infiltrate the Resistance by showing empathy and is now a sleeper agent of some kind.

In a way, so far he has caused more damage to the First Order than anything 😄

Leo Ortolani, Italian cartoonist, has wrote his own TFA “review” too. Here’s an excerpt (roughly translated by me) about Kylo Ren 😄

Not sure your example fits completely, because Finn is also a traitor. Of course, it’s unlikely (and possibly silly) that someone would get into a “fair fight” like that stormtrooper does (luckily he’s the only insane one of his entire squad 😄 )
I don’t think his weapon was necessarily designed to fight the Jedi: just for close quarter combats, possibly as a kind of shield too (if it can deflect lightsaber blades, why not plain laser beams?)
Yeah, I guess Abrams thought it would’ve turned out as a “cool scene”, but at least it kind of works as a way to develop the character, making Finn face his former “comrades” while giving him a chance to learn how to handle a lightsaber.

Smoking Lizard said:
Doesn’t it occur to you that it just, oh, so awfully convenient that the desert would behave that way right at that spot where the TIE fighter crash landed, despite the fact that there’s crashed wreckage everywhere else on this planet?

And does it also not occur to you that just because a movie “referenced it earlier,” that doesn’t mean that that earlier reference or explanation actually, you know, makes sense?

It’s contrived. Nicely convenient, like pretty much every other event of the movie.

That’s the thing. If you’re in a position where you have to keep saying to yourself, “Well, that’s possible, but highly improbable,” and you’re saying it again and again and again, you’re watching a poorly written movie.

Considering the “will of the Force” acts like Fate in epics, that didn’t bother me much, just like Finn taking Poe’s jacket so that BB8 could’ve recognized it. I get what you mean, though, and it shows it with Rey being suddenly able to use the Force like a master.

Jay said:
Same deal with Finn and his saber skills.

Writer #1: “How can Finn possibly fight Ren in a saber battle and not get sliced to pieces?”
Writer #2: “Show him fighting a bit earlier with a Stormtrooper who has a saber-like weapon.”
Writer #1: “What value would sword fighting be to a Stormtrooper?”
Writer #2: “It’s Star Wars, man. Just shut off your brain and enjoy the ride.”

Usually soldiers are taught how to handle close quarter combats, and all that guy was asking for was a fair fight against the lightsaber-wielding “traitor”. I did find such fight, though, too predictable (when Finn fell, I knew someone was going to save him) and not satisfying (Finn doesn’t defeat the stormtrooper, implying he’s a “newbie” 😄 ).

DominicCobb said:

John Doom said:

You’re right that there actually was music, I chose the wrong words, I’m sorry. What I mean is that, to me, that music wasn’t as moving as any of the other star wars’ ending themes.

Fair enough. Here’s the offending piece by the way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUBUlKgsNK8

You have to admit that’s at least more moving than ROTJ (Yub Nub or Victory Celebration).

Not offending, just… it didn’t seem to be moving for that scene.
btw, you’re right, I forgot about THAT ending theme! 😄

More than scary, I thought Kylo was laughable, but it’s just my opinion 😄
You’re right that there actually was music, I chose the wrong words, I’m sorry. What I mean is that, to me, that music wasn’t as moving as any of the other star wars’ ending themes.

TV’s Frink said:

In addition to Dom’s post there, which I agree with and was about to post before he beat me too it, did you have any problem with Luke’s quick progression with the Force in ANH? I see no difference. Also, I don’t see how the characters were clichè or not fleshed out.

Luke in ANH learned about the Force because of his training, and only to “focus on targets”. I don’t remember him using mind tricks nor being so skilled with the lightsaber until ROTJ, Frink 😄
The characters just do what the plot asks them to do, and are mostly based on characters from the OT.

Saw it after my friends asked me to watch it with them 😄
Entertaining like the usual blockbuster, and it’s not a masterpiece, for sure.
-not really original: half of the film has been taken from the previous ones (and I’ve enough of “poetry” and “rhymes” in the Star Wars universe 😄). Had they had switched the WWII-like setting with a Cold War Era-like setting, they could’ve avoided this all together 😐
-Kylo Ren is not a good villain: he’s weak, “emo”, with probably everyone in the movie making fun of him 😄 (also, he shouldn’t had his helmet off before Rey: seeing him as an actual human, just a boy, not even menacing, further weakens his character);
-new characters are mostly clichè or not properly fleshed out;
-Rey’s quick progress in the Force is a “deus ex machina” (unless she can “download” experience like in The Matrix 😄);
-the final sequence ends abruptly, just with a few close ups and barely any music;
-lots of special effects, but not much tension overall.

From an emotional standpoint and for its direction, though, I did like Han’s death scene, with his body falling in the “void”. I also liked the “star destroyer on the planet” shot in the opening, and the way the camera has been used throughout the movie.

Entertaining like the usual blockbuster, and it’s not a masterpiece, for sure.
-not really original: half of the film has been taken from the previous ones (and I’ve enough of “poetry” and “rhymes” in the Star Wars universe 😄). Had they had switched the WWII-like setting with a Cold War Era-like setting, they could’ve avoided this all together 😐
-Kylo Ren is not a good villain: he’s weak, “emo”, with probably everyone in the movie making fun of him 😄 (also, he shouldn’t had his helmet off before Rey: seeing him as an actual human, just a boy, not even menacing, further weakens his character);
-new characters are mostly clichè or not properly fleshed out;
-Rey’s quick progress in the Force is a “deus ex machina” (unless she can “download” experience like in The Matrix 😄);
-the final sequence ends abruptly, just with a few close ups and barely any music;
-lots of special effects, but not much tension overall.

ANH: great pacing, memorable characters and scenes. 8/10
TESB: a very different movie, but a masterpiece in terms of structure and setting. 9/10
ROTJ: “conclusive”, yet full of plot holes and with only Luke and Vader actually moving their story forward. 6/10
TFA: trite, unoriginal, yet entertaining in a “marketable way”. 6/10
(I haven’t seen the PT in a while, so I can’t comment on them)

SilverWook said:

https://www.facebook.com/GameSpot/videos/10156357778745436/

😄 He should’ve said: “Using Lucas like that! He did no harm to anyone. Lucas just shot movies!”
(“Can’t be helped. Here’s the punishment element perhaps.”)

towne32 said:

TV’s Frink said:

John Doom said:

Probably on bootleg 😄, but consider it a preview: I’ll immediately buy its official blu-ray if I’ll find the movie objectively worth it, but I’m not throwing the little money I have at Disney just for the sake of it :\

Piracy is piracy. Doesn’t matter how it’s explained away.

Frankly, I’m surprised you didn’t get a warning for that post.

Frankly, I’m surprised you didn’t mention the precise misuse of the word “objectively”.

Anyway, if anyone wants to protest Disney making a Star Wars film, the best and most morally sound way to do it is just not see the film. If, more likely, you have no idea what you think, you can chance it and choose whether or not you’ll pay to see it. Just like any other movie.

Well, I’m not protesting against Disney’s decision to make a sequel, but considering it had been done under Disney (known for copy-pasted movies) and Abrams (whose talent I still don’t recognize), I’m not sure it will be a movie worth my money (maybe 18-24€ is ok for most families, but not for ours). If I can’t preview it in any way, I just won’t see the film then. I guess I’ll have to rely on your opinions to see if it’s a worth movie, but this means spoiling the plot, of course :\

P.S.: Could you explain what’s wrong with the word “objectively”? 😄 Bad grammar or little confidence in my judgement?

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Nn4iIIOWShg/maxresdefault.jpg (I put a link because the image is pretty big to display)
I know it’s from a commercial, but that mini-chewie-thing alone it’s just too funny 😄

lexsanor said:

Hello Puggo send a link to your scans Empire strikes back and return of the Jedi for gmail.
Hello Puggo send a link to your scans Empire strikes back and return of the Jedi for gmail.
Hello Puggo send a link to your scans Empire strikes back and return of the Jedi for gmail.

SilverWook said:

What the hey?

He has placed information vital to the survival of the movie into the comment section of this thread page. Puggo will know how to retrieve it.

Swazzy said:

The problem is more people than not are at least content with the existence of the prequels. A reboot would be terribly difficult to market, and may make a great deal of people upset who thought at least episode III was fine. It’s far less confusing and easier to pop out a spin off every other year. Disney does what they think will make them the most money in the most feasible manner, and the OT and its imagery is ten times the money-maker the prequel-era will ever be.

What I could see them doing are a series of movies based on Obi-Wan’s time in exile in between III and IV. I mean, you’ve got twenty years of stories to tell there, and if you really wanted, you could sprinkle in flashbacks to the prequel era with Haden and Ewan, and lift their characters up higher to what they were suppose to be (for example, show a scene where Anakin looks at his lightsaber admirably and boasts that one day his children will take it up and carry on the Skywalker legacy, or something like that). That would at least aid the cause to “fix” the damage caused by the PT.

I completely agree with you, but I’m sure they will reboot Star Wars eventually: considering today’s movie industry’s trend, I’d say 30-50 years from now (when the “saga” may be considered “complete” to its original fans or “too old” for the audience) Disney will be very eager to completely reboot the franchise to milk it some more. I understand that Disney got this strange illness that drains all creativity, just like all the other major studios. Fortunately, they won’t risk to be infected by Competition so long as only these (very few) studios together have enough capital to control the industry 😄

I see, thank you! More cameras can be useful, but I guess Lucas shouldn’t have hired Marquand if he didn’t approve of his methods in the first place.

SilverWook said:

With the exception of Warwick Davis, I think most of the Ewoks were played by adults. Child labor laws would have made the shoot even more difficult if all the Ewoks were children.

Nevermind, then 😄

I completely agree, though it all comes down to whether Mifune was enough fluent in English: exceptions like Italian actor Giancarlo Giannini (Mathis in Casino Royale) know and speak English as if it were their first language, even when acting.