- Post
- #1032246
- Topic
- The Force Awakens: Official Review Thread - ** SPOILERS **
- Link
- https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/1032246/action/topic#1032246
- Time
He puts more energy and hatred into that speech than anything I’ve seen in Star Wars.
He puts more energy and hatred into that speech than anything I’ve seen in Star Wars.
The first post is ALWAYS up to date 😉
I can hardly imagine a scenario where Rey isn’t Luke’s daughter, especially since Daisy Ridley all but confirmed it. It makes a lot of sense that Han and Leia would be her aunt and uncle figures, since they basically act like her relatives throughout TFA.
He was using the popular Blue Rays sunscreen.
I’m still getting used to having 3PO blink at me. I can almost sleep at night.
I think that the Alderaan explosion was the one most in need of an update, but the one they gave it did little to make it better. If it was just the larger explosion it would have been fine, but they gave it the praxis shockwave, which just made it look dumb.
An obvious indication Ben was spanked as a child … or perhaps not spanked enough.
I’ll leave it up to personal interpretation which is the correct conclusion.
Trying to have it both ways?

Say what you will about any other film from I - VI, but each film added something significantly new in one way or another, and all of them stood on their own narratively without having to wait for the next movie in the series to explain all the nonsense it created.
But again, that was a personal preference list.
If we’re talking objective filmmaking the list would probably (for the most part) look like a lot of the other lists on here, but what’s the point of posting the same list over and over again.
I’ll bite.
ANH brought the most new things to the table in terms of ideas since it was the first, obviously. The Force, the Jedi, Empires and Rebellions, etc.
ESB essentially brought the Dark Side to the table, although it had a passing reference in the first one. The idea of Jedi Masters was also stated outright, and massively expanded the mythos of the Force via Yoda with visions of the future, nightmare encounters, and Force-sensitive trees.
ROTJ didn’t introduce many new ideas, and if one were to look at it in a forgiving light, one could make the argument that it merely had to reconcile the disparate ideas of the first two films in the mind of our protagonist. He understands the need for emotion in his life, but also recognizes that taken too far, it could consume him. He becomes more than a Sith or a Jedi, and finds a different path, one that ultimately leads to his father’s redemption.
TPM introduced the idea of a scientific basis of the Force in Midichlorians, as well as the idea that the Force itself can conceive of life forms. Taken together, this implies the mythical ‘Chosen One’. Also introduced, though already existing with out name in the originals, was the idea of the Sith as philosophically opposed to the Jedi. This one was definitely idea heavy, though most would agree that the ideas were bad.
AOTC introduced the idea that Jedi cannot form attachments, and this became the overriding theme of the film. This was definitely a risky move, since it flew in the face of much of the EU at the time.
ROTS suffers from the same problem as ROTJ in that it brings little new to the table, but again an accommodating interpretation is that ROTS must merely allow the conflicting ideas in the previous films to be juxtaposed in the protagonist’s mind. In this case Anakin had to reconcile the attachment that forms the meaning for his life with the admonition against attachment of the Jedi Order. Also implied in the immaculate conception by the Force is the idea that his life is solely the result of the Force, and by extension he can do nothing to change his Chosen One destiny. This is in conflict with the understanding that the Force obeys your commands. It is free will versus determinism on a galactic scale, so on this level at least the film gets a pass.
TFA on this scale may be the weakest of the bunch, since it is the job of the first film in the trilogy to introduce the big ideas. ANH and TPM were both very strong thesis statements followed up by equally challenging ideological rebuttals, but what is the thesis of TFA? I honestly don’t know.
One more suggestion for V2 - Due to the Hosnian system surviving into act 3, the scene where Leia asks Korr Sella to go to the Hosnian system can be reinserted after Leia’s introduction. It would have to appear before Leia learns about the Starkiller base from the reconnaisance/Finn, but after she returns to the resistance base. Therefore, the only possible place it could work is right after Finn and Poe’s reunion, after Finn’s line ‘I need your help’.
I just saw this scene (search ‘Leia and the Resistance’ on Youtube), and in my opinion it is essential. A wonderful Leia AND Carrie moment.
I may try to implement the sabotaged freighter idea, since the moment needs a tragic event rather than an impending attack.
the resulting file would be enormous.
No joke there, I tried to make a lossless single disc copy of Das Boot recently (the uncut, almost 5 hour long version), and it went from a 7.73 GB source to over 31 GB! Which of course didn’t work as an SD Blu-ray. I seem to have a knack for picking problematic video projects 😃
Actually, a lossless AVI rendered from a 2 hour, 30GB movie would be at least 300GB.
There will be an eventual V2, so please do send any FX shots or mock ups you may have! Anyone who can help this be better, please do so.
I never noticed that detail. Thanks for posting. Could you send me a completed shot?
You’re welcome! It shouldn’t be too difficult to incorporate this mockup into the full shot.
JEDIT: Here it is:
https://mega.nz/#!iM1VQBiT!SAnMpevz8n-KnIc6K3Nl-lVWF8_y7B_p6IyWjbRIE3I
JEDIT 2: Updated Comparison: http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/196498
There was one shot that took me out of the moment, that I seem to remember being discussed earlier, but perhaps it was lost in the shuffle. It is when the X-wings begin their attack on the base, and the weapon is still smoking. I had a go at fixing this:
http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/196391/picture:0
And I created a basic matte for the shot:
http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/196391/picture:1
I know this project has been finished, so I’m just leaving this here in case somebody wants to incorporate it into their own versions. 😃
Yes, the forum feels much more inclusive recently.
I just watched this with some friends, and we agreed that the edits are well done and improve the movie. Great job everyone!
Thanks all!
A snark-less and thoughtful Frink review.
My reviews are full of snark and lacking in thought?
It’s the combination of all three elements that I haven’t seen before.
If I could only take 10 movies with me on a 5 year mission through space:
Sunshine
The Fellowship of the Ring
Star Wars
The Princess Bride
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Dark City
The Matrix
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
The Iron Giant
I debated about having both Dark City and The Matrix in a single top ten list, but I think it’s remarkable how similar concepts can yield such vastly different films. They both stay for now.
Well I’ll be. A snark-less and thoughtful Frink review. What a day.
The edit looks interesting as well.
Some of the shots are improved, but some now have too much contrast. I think it would need a shot by shot contrast adjustment.
I wish I could edit the title of this thread. Someday. . . .
It would go a long way to making Starkiller Base a reasonable weapon if construction began just after the destruction of Alderaan. This way the first Death Star would have been a proof of concept, allowing for the massive allocation of resources to such a project as well as giving the galaxy a feared weapon in the Death Star while their ultimate weapon was being developed over several decades.
After the revelation of the Death Star’s weakness, the official answer would have been to give it an energy shield, and with most of their resources tied up in the Starkiller project, the Empire provided only a quick and dirty proof of concept for the energy shield with the Second Death star. Unfortunately for the Emperor, he got cocky and got himself killed. This had the effect of freezing innovations on the Starkiller project, which kept the planetary shield tested with the Second Death Star but didn’t boast any other defenses of note.
As the Empire lost more and more ground, their ability to complete the project was impaired, so it took 30 more years and a change of management to finally finish Starkiller Base.
Another milestone, reel 1 complete!
Reel 1: Preliminary Grade 100% - Finalized 100%
Reel 2: Preliminary Grade 90% - Finalized 20%
Reel 3: Preliminary Grade 100% - Finalized 90%
Reel 4: Preliminary Grade 100% - Finalized 100%
Reel 5: Preliminary Grade 100% - Finalized 93%
Reel 6: Preliminary Grade 85% - Finalized 85%
Total Preliminary: 95.8% - Finalized 81.3%
I’m really stressing out over something that I shouldn’t be stressing out over. I’m taking a ton of AP classes this year (and last year) which is difficult but challenging in a fun way…usually. Last year I got a 4.0. This year I have all A’s except one class. I have worked my ass off and I’m gonna be probably ending up with a B+. I know this shouldn’t mean anything since most people I know would love to have even a B in some of their classes. I’m just very worked up over this sort of shit and my parents expect a lot out of me. The most relieving thing is when I remind myself that it literally doesn’t mean shit that I’m getting a B+ in a class. All my friends are nice and try to get a good laugh out of how stressed I always am about my grades. But in a way, now I’m kind of happy that I’m losing the 4.0. A 3.95 GPA with less worrying about perfection sounds a helluva lot better.
I apologize for ranting about a god damn B+. I’m surprised I didn’t delete this post because of how much of an idiot I sound like. I just really don’t want to have people not think I’m smart just because I got one B+.
I got mostly A’s and B’s in high school, with some AP classes in the mix. Then after a few furtive attempts at college, I decided to work my ass off and get a transfer degree with all A’s. It was during one of those late nights that I developed Tinnitus, probably due to stress, which has stayed with me for years.
I guess the moral of the story is that I’d rather have B’s or C’s in all my classes than a lifelong case of Tinnitus. These are the lessons you learn afterwards.
Based on the saber colors and the color of the icing, am I correct in assuming that this depicts the Star Wars Special Edition?