But complaints about “lighting” are silly IMO.
Short of going back in time and shooting the movie in the late 70s, TFA was never going to sit perfectly alongside the OT visually. But it did a pretty good job in my opinion of looking like the modern blockbuster that it is while also fitting into the Stat Wars universe.
I’d rather Snoke be a giant midichlorian than he be Plagueis.
Quote of the week right here. I literally LOL’ed.
So they went into battle with non-lethal riot control gear? And one of them used this non-lethal riot control gear in the middle of a chaotic battle to call out and fight a dude with a lightsaber?
I really disliked that scene. Now it makes even less sense.
This page from the visual dictionary has also resurrected my confusion about who exactly the first order are. They have territory? So they are actually the ruling power in some regions? I was under the impression they were imperial remnants trying to regain the glory days mixed with young fanatics trying to emulate the empire?
Catfish (2010)
Turbo (2013)
Enjoyed them both in their own ways.
No idea how to embed an image but Han has seen the force first hand:
It was implied in TFA that he was a badass, I mean he stopped blaster bolts in mid air and telekinetically froze people and threw them through the air. Then suddenly he forgets he has these powers at the end of the movie and gets wasted by someone who has no training.
This is true. He was way more badass at the start of the movie than any previous SW villain (even Vader) and got progressively less badass (but in my opinion no less threatening) as the movie went on.
Rather than bad storytelling, I guess I saw his subsequent ‘weakening’ as a young, potentially super badass dude cracking under the weight of events and his emotions towards those events, and I found that quite fresh and interesting in a SW movie.
He wants to be a badass, and he has the power to be a badass, but when it comes to the crunch he’s not quite there yet. The intro set him up for what he could/should be, while the rest of the movie explored what he really is beneath the surface.
In a way, the OT actually did a similar thing with Vader, but spread it over 3 movies. In the first film, he was pure evil, a black and white comic book villain. In the second, events and revelations caused him to crack a little, and in the third he gave into the cracks. We don’t yet know how Kylo will deal with his own cracks, but killing his Father will either destabilise him further, or cement him into the dark side and turn him fully into the black and white villain some viewers (and indeed Kylo Ren himself) wanted him to be all along.
Bosk said:
I don’t actually care.You will care, eventually. 😉
It’s not wise to upset a wookie…
Nor a Wookiee. 😉
Touché
Bosk said:
I don’t actually care.You will care, eventually. 😉
It’s not wise to upset a wookie…
Lucas clarifies white slaver remark:
http://mashable.com/2015/12/31/george-lucas-clarifies-white-slavers-comment/#GkEas3NDwkqD
I really enjoyed reading this post. Very considered and well-balanced. Welcome to the forums.
FTR he’s been around for a long time. Just doesn’t post too often.
Ah, I see…I’ve been away. Still a great post!
consequence of a not-so-good writing, to me.
Lawrence Kasdan… what a hack…
Lucas clarifies white slaver comment:
Mod Edit: a screenshot of the above article:-
I watched ‘The Transporter 3’ once on TV and enjoyed it.
Sorry to hear that.
It’s done rather well for me this year. At the beginning of the year I was a cashier, now I’m a supervisor and manager over customer service. I don’t think I would have had the patience with customers required for that without booze and pot. Is it a lucrative, dream job? Of course not. But I’m only 22 and I’m doing reasonably well for that.
I love this guy!
Happy new year you lot.
Hi guys, I don’t post here often, but wanted to give some thoughts:
Saw it on the 17th with friends and we all enjoyed it (more on that later), and then again with my parents and we all enjoyed it.
My final say about the movie is this: “It’s SO good that it’s such a shame that it wasn’t more original.”
I wouldn’t have cared about the DS3 if they did something new with it. I was completely under the assumption that it would stick around for the other movies. I would have loved it if the rebels failed and it blew up the planet their base was on (sparing Leia, 3PO and R2 who would have been off planet for some reason) and the only survivors were those who survived the DS3 assault. Man, that would have been a nice twist and got me really excited for the next one.
Otherwise, I wish they would have just removed the DS3 and just focused on rescuing Rey as the last act (and bring Poe on the mission so he can get more screen time). But I didn’t care all that much, as the DS3 stuff seemed to be background noise anyway. Not sure why the rebels needed to be given something to do, as I thought their fight as Maz’s castle was good enough. It’s not like Empire Strikes Back was filled with the Rebellion.
I don’t have any other problems that aren’t nitpicks. I wish Rey had some moments of weakness, and I really wish they would have held off igniting that lightsaber until she pulls it from the snow. That would have been such a better reveal than Finn fighting a stormtrooper (although I loved that he was called a traitor. I like these new stormtroopers!)
I’m not gonna whine about what they MIGHT do in a sequel I know nothing about. I’ll just wait and see. All I know is that you don’t hire Andy Serkis so he can sit in a damn chair, so I have my fingers crossed there’s something else going on.
I understand why people like it, and I understand why people dislike it. When I was speculating about the movie back when it was announced, I admit I didn’t think it would be Empire vs Rebels all over again, and I don’t think this story has proven itself as something that NEEDED to be told, but I’m along for the ride. Good fun. Hope they address the backstory a tad in the next movie.
Kylo Ren is a fantastic villain, and those who don’t think so are nuts (joking). He was my biggest surprise, because I thought he looked very uninteresting in the trailers. Again, I’m not gonna cry about what they MIGHT do with him in a sequel, I just thought he was great. A pretty unnerving villain for a Star Wars movie.
My six year old son (who’s never seen the prequels) lives in Japan with my ex-wife, and I begged her to take him to it (“I don’t know…Episode 1 was on TV the other day and-” “Trust me, he’ll have a great time.”) so she did. He liked it, said it was a little scary, and said his favorite character was BB8. Even my ex didn’t hate it, which is the nicest thing I’ve ever heard her say about a Star Wars movie.
I went with my friend, who waited in line with me for nine hours to see a midnight screening of Phantom Menace. We weren’t sure if we were gonna get seats, a big fellow told me he was going to “Kick my fucking ass if I got a ticket and he didn’t” and other stuff like that…and the movie turned out to be The Phantom Menace (I don’t know what you guys are talking about when you say this film will be derided like the Prequels in five years, my friends and I hated Menace within 30 minutes (and it wasn’t some snobby reaction, we were really really sad)). Anyway, here’s a little then and now (and no, we did not wear these shirts to the actual screening of Awakens. And no, we are not lovers, nor are we virgins, despite what the commentators on Reddit would have you believe, but I admit this picture is pretty damn dorky out of context):
(I don’t know how to embed pictures)
I’m on the right:
I really enjoyed reading this post. Very considered and well-balanced. Welcome to the forums.
I got the remote control BB-8 for Christmas.
I’m 34 years old. Deal with it 😃
Luke has buggered off, The galactic peace he helped to forge is at risk and he is hiding.
Now if its just because his nephew going bad I’d be a bit let down.
If it’s because something he unearthed in his exploration of Jedi history I’d be intrigued.
But it it would be understandable that a plot point left hanging since 1983 might pay off and Leia in her studies and frustrations over bureaucracy and uniting the two halves of the galaxy took inspiration from her dad.
Big Lincoln Memorial Zombie is a better disguise than Palpatine used.
Luke nearly killed Vader just at the mention of Leia going bad, imagine what Luke would feel if he accidentally lured her to the dark side and imagine too how reluctant he would be to train a young woman strong in the Force that’s just tracked him down.
It makes for a more interesting next two films.PS. I hate typing on smart phones
I’m not feeling the ‘Leia is Snoke’ thing but everything else you’ve described would make a really interesting sequel trilogy.
I really hope there is something interesting going on with Snoke though… Right now he just feels like Emperor Mk.2
Five reasons why Snoke probably ISN’T Darth Plagueis:
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/dec/30/star-wars-the-force-awakens-villain-snoke-darth-plagueis
As for Leia’s face. Honestly the level of overlapping sexism and ageism in nerd circles is a bloody disgrace. It makes me feel ashamed to own small plastic dolls in the shape of aliens and robots it really does.
Well said.
Are you ready for some real fun?
This guy is hilarious.
George should just disappear quietly. No one needs to hear from him.
Haha. I’ve said in other threads how I actually feel kind of bad for George the way everybody’s saying how good TFA is and how Star Wars is basically better off without him (not everybody but you know what I mean).
But all this jibba jabba about a soap opera and Star Wars being the story of the Skywalker family or whatever just makes me thankful that the new trilogy has fresh eyes on it. I mean, maybe in his head that’s what it is, but…
First, I’m curious why you think it matters whether someone is a filmmaker or not when they offer criticism? There are critics who get paid for a living to critique films. They are professionals at it, and yet they don’t make any films themselves. There are countless other people who simply watch films and have a taste for what they see and what they like. Is their opinion and the way they express it any less valid?
Nope, all opinions are valid. I just reacted to your very specific points and wondered if you maybe had a background in film making. Call it professional curiosity. No offence or condescension intended.
As for the rest of this, you seem to be chiding me not so much for my admittedly excessive word choice, but more because I had the audacity to offer specific critiques. Is that right? I simply cannot understand where you are coming from, since this is a discussion thread about the film. If you disagree with me, then let’s discuss in good faith.
Apologies, I wasn’t chiding. I was just wondering where the very specific improvements you were suggesting were coming from as they seemed beyond the usual ‘this film is teh suck’ internet comments. You’ve said you’re a screenwriter and you’re also in the middle of making you first documentary, so now I know (good luck with your documentary by the way).
All kidding aside, I liked the commercial and thought it was well done.
Thanks. I posted my website purely to give some context as to why I was mouthing off about the intricacies of filmmaking and why I try not to criticise or rubbish other people’s work… although obviously as a Star Wars geek, prequel-hater and internet forum member that’s not entirely true 😉 I’m as opinionated as the next guy.
I do feel there were a lot of scenes that could’ve been handled better, with the right pacing and music, Vader’s helmet’s reveal being one of them, which felt almost casually shown on the screen.
As somebody who avoided all trailers, and had never seen Vader’s melted helmet until it’s appearance in the film (and therefore wasn’t expecting it), I thought it was just right.
But that’s just my opinion.
Obviously everybody’s entitled to an opinion. It’s just when it starts getting into frame by frame ‘they should have done it like this’ that it gets a bit tiresome. If any one of us were in the hot seat instead of JJ, I’d bet good money on the finished film being a lot worse. Sure, it would contain zero logic flaws and adhere slavishly to Jedi lore, but it would probably be dull as dishwater, appeal to nobody but hardcore fans, and be a total mess from a storytelling point of view.
I never liked Kubrick, I always thought he should have cut that damn helicopter shot from the intro of The Shining and just gotten to the ACTION! Less typewriter, more axe.
I’m joking of course 😉
Ha, thanks Silverwook.
That’s probably because Stanley made his home in England - over here Advertising is considered one step below Film & TV, but in the States I get the impression we’re one step above a crooked used car salesman 😉
The editing in TFA was terrible. I had a conversation with a top Hollywood editor and he seemed offended I would think so and said I was wrong.
But I stand by my point. It’s downright terrible in TFA.
The first sequence was a disaster and should have been cut. The rest of Act I with Rey on Jakku was done pretty well I thought. This was the only part of the film that was allowed to breathe. The bit on the freighter was intolerable. After that, the film just felt rushed and jerky, no rhythm whatsoever. As Ric pointed out, I think the editing of the space battle in the final act was really poorly done. There was no dramatic tension at all.
I remember in the trailer there is a wide shot of BB-8 in the X-wing set against the snowy landscape on Starkiller, and all these TIE fighters start closing in. Such a dramatic and foreboding shot, but it wasn’t even edited right in the final film … I remember seeing it at the theater and thinking “that’s all they did with that great shot?” Then it was just pew-pew yippee we did it! Game over.
Another potentially great moment in the film was the reveal of Darth Vader’s melted helment. As it turns out, the thing was on screen for a total of 0.5 seconds right at the end of a scene and that’s it. The camera was on Kylo talking to himself for 30 seconds or whatever, and then only so briefly do we see Vader’s helmet. There is no buildup towards this scene, no real context that Kylo wants to “finish what he started”, so this huge reveal really calls for the film to
Stop.
Call attention to the helmet. And Kylo.
Really let it sit in for a moment.
And then carry on.
…Instead, we see it on screen for half a second and then mid-transition – welp – we’re onto the next action sequence just like that, no big deal.
Just out of curiosity, are you a filmmaker?
I only ask because you’re throwing out some pretty big opinions, and I’m curious about your credentials.
For the record, I make TV commercials. Admittedly I don’t make films, but it’s the same ballpark. I write the scripts, then oversee every stage of production. I choose the director and work closely with them during pre-prod and on set, I sit in on casting and have final say on actors, I oversee the edit, post and sound (all while juggling client and audience considerations and concerns). Although my ‘storytelling’ is confined to a couple of minutes, rather than full length features, I do like to think that years in the industry have given me some insight into how these things are put together, and like you I’m fortunate to count some Hollywood directors, editors and even actors as friends (including some names you would no doubt recognise). I know effects people who actually worked on the prequels, and others who have worked on Doctor Who, GoT, The Martian, Prometheus and Gladiator, to name but a few.
Here’s my website. It includes the work I’m proud of - I’ve probably made 50 more commercials than you see here, but I’ve lost count:
[LINK REMOVED]
And you know what?.. I would NEVER pipe up about how terrible the editing was on a Star Wars movie. Sure, I might say I don’t like it, or this and that bit sucked, but real, granular filmmaking critique?.. I’m simply not qualified, and I know how amazingly hard it is to balance every voice in the room and still end up with a finished product that makes sense and entertains people.
The director of every film you’ve ever seen, even the bad ones, deserves respect simply for getting a movie made and released in the first place. That doesn’t mean we can’t critique it (that’s part of the fun), but it always amazes me how easy people think it is, and how everybody thinks they can do better.
So are you a filmmaker? I’d love to see some of your work.
