Why were they able to see the Hosnian system get destroyed from Takodana? You’d think they’d be right on top of each other for that to make sense… but according to the new maps of the galaxy there is some considerable distance between the two systems.
Don’t love it. But I really, really, really like it. I won’t go into detail, because everything I could say has been said before and better.
I think a lot of questions that came up with this movie will be answered in the next one. Rey’s vision for example. The first thing that happens when she touches the lightsaber is, she finds herself in the Cloud City corridor where Luke and Vader duel when Luke reenters the building after being thrown out of the window. It isn’t her past or her future, or is it? Is she Lukes offspring?
I am still not entirely sure what the vision Rey had means. One possible theory is it could have all had to do with events that happened at places the saber was or will be present.
I tried to pay close attention on the second viewing and I think we see in order the Bespin corridor, Luke putting his mechanical hand on R2, The Knights of Ren massacre of the Jedi, Rey being left as a child and a ship flying away, and then the future duel with Kylo.
Also during the duel Kylo says that that saber belongs to him. So I am thinking it was his at one point when he was training to be a Jedi or it could be that he just recognizes it as a Vader artifact.
So what exactly was going through Kylo/Ben’s head when he was on the bridge with Han?
According to Micheal Arndt it was something BB-8 said to R2 that woke him up.
“…but the idea was that in that scene where R2 plugged in, he downloaded the archives of the Empire, which was referenced by Kylo Ren,” Abrams said. Thirty-eight years later, in both our own and galactic time, that data becomes useful in The Force Awakens when a new droid approaches the dormant R2.
“BB-8 comes up and says something to him, which is basically, ‘I’ve got this piece of a map, do you happen to have the rest?’” Abrams said. “The idea was, R2 who has been all over the galaxy, is still in his coma, but he hears this. And it triggers something that would ultimately wake him up.”
I thought it had something to do with either Rey or the saber returning. Didn’t BB-8 communicate that he had part of the map to R2 earlier and nothing happened? Then when Rey shows up he powers up almost immediately.
Finn postponing his desertion for shore-leave isn’t exactly the best basis for an exiting movie.
True, but that’s why they should have just cut, cut, cut, and cut this whole part of the story out. Then there would have been plenty of time to give the film moments to breathe later on.
Cut it all out and replaced it with what?
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?
Didn’t Phasma order Finn to go and get re-evaluated or something? Or, maybe it was just about his blaster? I can’t remember.
It was to submit his blaster for inspection, but I got the feeling that was more just standard post-battle protocol. I guess a good question would be why he was put in charge of escorting Poe away if Ren sensed something off about him and Phasma could see he was visibly shaken.
Was he told to escort Poe? I thought that was just something he did without authorization to help him escape?
Could have been, I don’t recall exactly how that went down. The other troopers must have been just has incompetent as some are complaining about Finn appearing in a supposed elite unit if they just let Finn grab the prisoner they are guarding and stroll off without a direct order from a superior officer.
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?
Didn’t Phasma order Finn to go and get re-evaluated or something? Or, maybe it was just about his blaster? I can’t remember.
It was to submit his blaster for inspection, but I got the feeling that was more just standard post-battle protocol. I guess a good question would be why he was put in charge of escorting Poe away if Ren sensed something off about him and Phasma could see he was visibly shaken.
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?
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?
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.
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.
I think it was actually intended to be more of a parallel to ROTJ where we where the main plot focus was on the fate of the characters battling it out in the throne room, with the space battle being the secondary plot line.
One thing I still am not to fond of is the pull out of light speed behind their shields in order to bypass them… not only did it feel incredibly rushed but it seems like the Star Wars equivalent of Treknobabble, and if it was that easy why bother disabling the shields at all? Couldn’t the X-Wing squadron have just done the same thing to lead into their attack?
Yeah, I really didn’t like that aspect either.
I also hated that they kept saying the word “oscillator”- it just sounds like a word out of scifi, which does not fit in the SW universe (for me, anyway).
I know this is very nitpicky, but: I don’t think it was ever explicitly addressed in the OT, but I always assumed that when a ship was in hyperspace, it wouldn’t be possible for it to communicate with the outside world. Whether the ship is going FTL, or whether it’s in some kind of “hyperspace dimension” or whatever, I never thought they’d be able to radio other people. I think there’s a scene in TFA where the Falcon communicates with the Rebel base while in hyperspace, right?
I don’t remember that, but they did communicate with the X-Wings that were traveling in hyperspace to inform them the shields were down.
One thing I still am not to fond of is the pull out of light speed behind their shields in order to bypass them… not only did it feel incredibly rushed but it seems like the Star Wars equivalent of Treknobabble, and if it was that easy why bother disabling the shields at all? Couldn’t the X-Wing squadron have just done the same thing to lead into their attack?
Make the blaster fire sound like it did in the OT.
Something I caught during Rey’s vision when she touched the saber this time was what sounded like old Ben Kenobi saying “Rey” anyone else hear that or did I just imagine it?
Nevermind looks like it is in there and it was Ewan McGregor who provided the voice apparently? It sounded more like Alec from what I recalled.
Just got back from my second viewing, found it more enjoyable than the first.
As far as a possible in universe explanation on the Republic/Resistance/First Order situation… It could be that the New Republic, like the Old Republic prior to the Clone Wars felt that they shouldn’t have a standing army and the plan was to have Luke rebuild the Jedi order to once again be the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy.
So due to past mistakes, the idea of raising an official military for the republic could just be something they see as politically unacceptable and hence we get the Resistance which rises up independently to the fight the First Order after a few initial terrorist type attacks on Republic systems. The Resistance effort would then be secretly supported by the Republic and as stated above it isn’t too hard for the First Order to connect the dots.
The Republic probably initially just didn’t think the First Order to be much of a threat with Vader and the Emperor gone. You’d think that once they destroyed the new Jedi order that should have changed… do we have any idea how long ago that happened and how long Luke has been missing?
Anyone else catch the Bespin corridor shot during Rey’s vision?
Are you sure? I don’t remember that. I guess I’ll have to keep an eye our for that while re-watching it.
Can you describe it?
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7328/9199237479_731836035d_b.jpg
This one here right here. I am positive the hallway that Rey was in when she discovered the saber morphed into it in her vision.
Anyone else catch the Bespin corridor shot during Rey’s vision?
Would have been nice to see some ships on the resistance side besides just the x-wings. They could have finally showed some b-wings in action or included some new ship models we haven’t seen before alongside them.
I don’t get why so many people are being so hard on Carrie Fisher. Her performance wasn’t anything special, but it didn’t stick out to me as being particularly bad either. The biggest problem I had with Leia was some clunky dialog, which is much more JJ’s and Larry’s problem than it is Carrie’s (unless she did punch ups for this).
They made her character seem too gruff to me. I guess they were going for sort of an old battle hardened General feel… but it just came across as being kind of bland.
So here’s my question since we aren’t 100% sure if Rey is Luke’s daughter.
a) Rey is the daughter of Luke Skywalker.
b) Rey is the daughter of Leia & Han and we weren’t told yet.
c) Rey is the offspring of someone else.
I am leaning towards A or C being the most likely. She spent half the movie with Han so if B were the case he either didn’t know it was his daughter he had found or for some reason kept it concealed. Han and Leia talk about their son quite a bit, with no mention of a daughter.
In the flashback they showed her being left on Jakku as a very small child… so this would have presumably been before Kylo turned to the dark side and killed all the Jedi, so she likely wouldn’t have been hidden from Kylo unless they are brother and sister but end up not being twins and she is in fact several years younger.
I think A is probably the most likely… why is she drawn towards a lightsaber that based on what we know now has only been used by people with the Skywalker name. With her being the one to find Luke after he has vanished for so long it sure seems they are setting it up that way.
Come to think of it the only time we are ever even really shown Anakin’s great piloting skills in a real dog fight on screen is in ANH as Vader in the suit during the Death Star battle… when he wasn’t even written into the part of being Luke’s father yet… How sad is that.
Winning the Podrace, destroying the Trade Federation Command Centre, Battle of Coruscant? Or are you just referring to the OT? Because in that case that line about his skills was referring to a then dead character to set-up Luke having inherited his skills, hence justifying Luke’s sudden piloting skills during the Death Star attack at the end of ANH.
I did say in a dog fight did I not? Sure he drives the podracer pretty well, but I don’t think that really qualifies as showing him as “the best star pilot in the galaxy”. What did he do in the Trade Federation battle other than that neat little spinning trick… he was a little kid who just kind of lucked into destroying the command center no? What does he do in the battle of Corsuscant? I can’t really recall much besides getting some buzz droids on his ship and crashing into a hangar.
The way Vader surgically disposes of the rebel fighters in the first Death Star battle is far cooler than anything we see Anakin doing in the prequels… I always imagined him doing something similar before his turn with him coming to save the day for the good guys. I remember my first viewing of ROTS thinking we were finally going to get something like it in that battle at the beginning and just ended up being extremely disappointed.
It is just funny is all that in my mind his best moments as a “star pilot” comes from scenes when he wasn’t even intended to be the same character and that nothing even came close in the 3 movies where he was intended to be shown as that great pilot that Obi-Wan referenced.
So yes it is sad that the Vader we see in ANH better presents the qualities of Luke’s father that Obi-Wan speaks of when it is a complete coincidence given that he was a separate character at the time. It just shows how much the prequels failed to deliver on expectations.
Come to think of it the only time we are ever even really shown Anakin’s great piloting skills in a real dog fight on screen is in ANH as Vader in the suit during the Death Star battle… when he wasn’t even written into the part of being Luke’s father yet… How sad is that.
BTW, did anyone else get the same feeling that I did while watching the film that Adam Driver’s performance as Kylo Ren is more or less what Anakin should have been like in the PT?
100%, that’s one of the first things I said coming out. Confused and angry > whiny and creepy.
If by Anakin you are meaning Darth Vader… after his turn and before he got the suit and was hunting down Jedi in secret… which we should have seen in the prequels then I would agree.
Anakin Skywalker was a noble Jedi, the best star pilot in the galaxy, a cunning warrior, and a good friend right?
I guess what I am getting at is I wouldn’t have wanted to see him portrayed as angry and confused and throwing a tantrum when things go wrong until well after his character was established as the way it was originally described.
I enjoyed the movie and thought it was a fun film that recaptured a lot of the Star Wars magic. It certainly has it’s flaws but was a fun experience. I really liked the new main characters and the parts were well acted and the dialogue and the banter felt more authentic than anything in the prequels. I actually felt emotionally invested in their fate and that alone makes this movie better than any of the prequels in my opinion.
I loved Kylo Ren for the most part. It was nice to have a new Star Wars villain with a bit of personality. It worked having him be Han’s son so far as I could imagine a young Han Solo with force powers that turned to the dark side behaving in a similar manner. I thought they nailed it with some of his smug and blunt dialogue. Rey and Fin’s parts were well portrayed and they have great potential as characters and I am looking forward to seeing how they are developed as the story continues.
I enjoyed Poe’s character too and found him to be reminiscent of Han Solo. I wish he was shown a little more in the first half of the movie. We all know he didn’t die in the crash and it would have been interesting to see what was happening to him. Instead we just kind of forget about him until he just shows up out of the blue.
People have complained that Han’s death wasn’t heroic enough, but I didn’t really have a problem with it. It was an interesting twist and gives us more reason to despise Kylo Ren as a villain. Maybe if this movie was made 20-30 years ago I would have felt differently, but Ford is old and Han Solo’s run has to come to an end at some point.
Some of the things I initially am finding lacking or am not so fond of:
The story was a bit rushed and overwhelming at some points and as has been stated there is a lot of rehashing of the first Star Wars movie, although I think they managed to keep it fresh enough that I still found it enjoyable.
There isn’t really any explanation on the current state of the galaxy. Apparently a new republic does exist and ends up getting destroyed? Is the First Order in control of some or much of the galaxy or is it more like a small terrorist group? Is the Resistance the army of the republic or is it independent of the republic and in control of their own systems as well? I know they were probably apprehensive about putting any politics in after the prequels but some expository dialogue like the scene in the Death Star conference room or even something in the title crawl could have given us a quick and sufficient explanation.
I was let down by the music on my first viewing. Even the prequels had some spectacular new arrangements that gripped me immediately. It could just be that I am not as familiar with the new score, or perhaps that I was having more fun with what was being shown on screen that I just didn’t notice the score as much.
Kylo Ren’s powers were very inconsistent. In the beginning of the film they introduce him as someone who appears to have mastered the dark side of the force. We see him do something that has never been done in stopping a blaster shot in mid-air and holding it for an extended period of time and are told that he killed all of the new Jedi that Luke was training. Then later in the movie it is revealed he is not fully trained and Finn and Rey are able to hold their own against him. I found that to be a bit of a stretch, although it was hinted that Rey had some Jedi training as a very small child that she had just repressed which she then rediscovered during the fight so that makes a little bit of sense I guess.
Not sure how I felt about the force having a lightsaber calling out to a specific individual, that is something we haven’t really seen before and I found it a bit distracting. It wasn’t that big of a deal when Luke lost it… he just built a new one and moved on. It seems that the saber’s importance and the entire story of how Maz came into possession of it will end up being a mystery we will never get an answer too. Although the movie does end with Rey presenting it to Luke so possibly some of those questions will be answered in the next film.
I wasn’t to impressed with Carrie Fisher’s performance… very monotone and sounded like she was just reading the script, but her part was minor enough that it didn’t take away from the overall enjoyment too much.
Kind of nitpicky, but did anyone else think some of the blaster sound effects didn’t sound quite right?
Overall though, I enjoyed it after my first viewing. It was an overwhelming experience for sure and I am looking forward to seeing it again to see if any of my thoughts change and am already excited to see where Episode VIII takes us.
Was anyone else disappointed by the film’s score? None of the music really grabbed me like it did in the previous films.
