Star Wars: Episode VII

[Shradow]

No matter how the movie went, this was a momentous occasion for me. This was actually the first time I'd gone to see a Star Wars movie in theatres, and it was such a good feeling.

[Tentacruel]

My thoughts

 

[spoiler=]

I loved Kylo Ren.  He was threatening but at the same time was human.  Not every villain has to be a stone cold badass.  Finn and Rey were both awesome, BB-8 was funking adorable, Han Solo (rip) was Han Solo.  The movie's biggest weakness is that it was really just a flashier New Hope.  The new Death Star, as cool as it was, didn't really leave an impression.  A lot of the locations and the entire First Order/Rebel conflict felt like an afterthought while the movie screamed, "HEY GUYS, IT'S STAR WARS! NOSTALGIA!"  

 

And of course I was annoyed how Rey was able to fight Kylo on equal footing after picking up a lightsaber for the first time in her life, especially when the latter had been trained by Luke Skywalker. 

 

 

 

[Shradow]

My thoughts

 

[spoiler=]

And of course I was annoyed how Rey was able to fight Kylo on equal footing after picking up a lightsaber for the first time in her life, especially when the latter had been trained by Luke Skywalker. 

 

 

 

[spoiler=]Well, she was shown early on to be extremely proficient with her staff, and while it doesn't perfectly translate over, it's not like she was completely new to cqc with a weapon. And Kylo had already fought Finn and kicked his ass while taking some minor damage, in addition to being shot by Chewie's gun (which I had completely forgotten was so freaking strong) and dealing with that whole injury. Besides the fact he was shown to be somewhat incompetent. Overall Kylo seemed really strong but rough and unrefined, not able to use his abilities to their full potential. There's also the whole mental things he might've been dealing with just after killing his father and (apparently) cementing himself to the dark side that could've been causing a distraction or something. Compare that to Rey whose only isses were maybe some tiredness from running around everywhere, but she seems like someone who'd have plenty of stamina from her workplace and living style, and I think she might've been empowering herself some with the Force. The whole thing never broke my willing suspension of disbelief, at the very least.

 

Also, I like you describing him as "human," and I completely agree. I started to get into his character a lot more once the helmet came off for the first time, though I think it might've been a better choice to have him put it back on after he killed Han. Granted, with that big scar up his face, he'll probably keep it on more in the future.

 

The way he just flat out stopped that blaster shot in midair instead of deflecting it in the beginning part of the movie was really funking cool, by the way. And a good example of how he just likes to brute force through everything.

 

[Thar]

[spoiler=]The way he just flat out stopped that blaster shot in midair instead of deflecting it in the beginning part of the movie was really funking cool, by the way. And a good example of how he just likes to brute force through everything.

 

 

[spoiler=]Seeing that made me so funking happy. Ever since I first saw the prequels, I've always wanted to see that happen with the force. I was literally fidgeting in my seat, I was so giddy.

 

[~NOiSE~]

Agreed with pretty much everything. 

 

[spoiler=Thoughts on Kylo Ren and the plot, MAJOR SPOILERS]I think his inferiority complex is what makes him interesting. He strives to be as powerful as Vader, his grandfather while he's definitely unaware of the circumstances of his redemption and death. He'll be even more at odds with himself after being defeated by a character with no training and a minimal knowledge of the force, and he'll almost certainly start to feel guilt over killing his father.

That being said, he should be more powerful in the next film since he'll be completing his dark side training with Snoke, and Rey will definitely be leaping and bounding in levels of badass since she's training with Luke and she already has been able to defeat Kylo Ren while having no training.  

 

I think Rey defeating Kylo Ren is justified in that while he has more training and finesse, he was also wounded by Chewie's bowcaster a few minutes prior, while also being emotionally distracted since he'd just murdered his dad, Rey's natural affinity with the force and weapon skills (which we saw earlier on Jakku) were enough for her to defeat the handicapped Kylo Ren. 

Overall, I think the plot follows the original pretty closely but it was necessary to win back the very jaded fanbase. The next movies will be more adventurous and the series will come into its own for sure. I definitely want to know how Maz was able to get a hold of Anakin's lightsaber.

 

[Fusion X. Denver]

[spoiler=I liked The Force Awakens a lot]

The atmosphere and mood just felt right the whole time. Everything from the X-Wing chases/fights, lightsaber duels, and the chemistry between all of the cast made this a really solid package overall.

Rey makes for a good heroine. I was afraid she'd be a damsel in distress when she got kidnapped, but she reversed her role and managed to overpower Kylo Ren through the force. I really liked that whole struggle between them, even if it's really silly out of context, the actors and the SFX made the scene intense and engaging.

Speaking of Kylo Ren, I like his character a lot. I like that he's rough and unrefined and that he's prone to bursts of anger. He's incredibly flawed and he knows it. He's not Vader and him knowing that and feeling like he has to live up to that ideal really upholds the whole saga of legacy that Star Wars has perpetuated. I can understand him not being as competent as he could be; it makes me wonder how early on he abandoned Luke and the Jedi to join the Dark Side. It's given him benefits, but that to me showed how the Jedi outshines the Dark Side in other areas. I'm looking forward to his development and the internal struggles he'll be coping with for the rest of the trilogy.

Finn was fun too. I liked how an ordinary stormtrooper ended up becoming an important and fun character.

But man, Han. I teared up when he died. I knew it was coming when I realized the movie was paralleling A New Hope in several ways and that Han became the Ben Kenobi figure, but that didn't detract from the impact in the slightest. That whole scene with him confronting Kylo Ren on the platform and the fallout following that was probably my favorite part in the movie. 

The fights in the snowy forest were cool too. They weren't overblown and crazy like in III, but they still carried great weight and intensity behind the action and it hooked me in.

 

I'm left with a lot of questions too. Is Rey Luke's daughter? Why does C3PO have a new arm? What's Snoke's deal? Is there any reason the Resistance and Republic seem to be separate? 

 

If I had to name any sort of flaw or complaint I had with the movie, I'd say that the plot structure mirrored A New Hope a little too closely and that I was able to predict some of the surprises. But I heavily enjoyed myself and I cannot wait for Episode VIII.

 

Thanks for bringing this back, JJ.

[Shradow]

[spoiler=]I'm glad we all seem to be in agreement on Kylo Ren, some of my friends don't think he's that cool, but he'll be great to see moving forward. I wanted to say that the whole scene on the walkway where he killed Han was absolutely beautiful cinematically, I love how they did it with things like the camera angles and lighting.

 

[Mr. Hyde]

[spoiler=The Hyde Review (Spoilers)]

 

This movie was flipping fantastic!  We get a great new cast with Po, BB8, Finn, Rey, and Kylo!  But we also get to see a bunch of new faces as well, especially surprise ones including C3P0 and Admiral Akbar!  To be quite honest, I thought they were going to scrap threeps, but his introduction was quite humorous, and I was glad to see him again.  

 

Kylo Ren is a badass, not surprising seeing his lineage.  His inferiority complex is great, and he serves as the tool for some great comic relief within the republic.  That scene where he's destroying the torture chamber and the two stormtroopers walk up and go..."let's go patrol a different hallway".  I was dying!

 

BB8...I thought i'd hate him because he's just a R2 wannabe, but his character is great.  I feel like I understand what he's saying more so than I did R2.  Great addition to the team.

 

Rey's still a mystery...who are her parents?

 

This movie balances what made both trilogies great.  We get the witty humor and dialogue from the original trilogy, but we get the great action scenes from the prequels.  The balance of CGI and practical effects in this movie were just....they were just great.  For every CGI technique, there were also puppets placed alongside it.  

 

The action was amazing, and the jokes hit home.  The whole cast is memorable.

 

 

BUT

 

It's not a perfect movie by no means.  There was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much, "That's a story for another time", or "I don't know how to explain because plot!"  Honestly, Rey's transformation to a jedi seemed really rushed.  You're telling me, with no formal training, she can resist Kylo who has that training, and then overpower him?!  Not too mention she's never heard of a jedi mind trick, but she pulls it off anyways????  Okay movie...you've been great so far so i'll let it slide.  

 

9/10, would nerdgasm again!

 

 

 

 

 

[~NOiSE~]

[spoiler=End battle]End lightsaber battle was one of the best in the series, the lightsabers actually look weighted now and the choreography actually made the battle tense, unlike the prequel fights where they're basically trying to hit each other's lightsabers in the coolest way possible while doing crazy stunts.

 

[Thar]

[spoiler=real talk]Am I the only one who thought the name "Star Wars" actually fit for once considering they were USING A STAR TO FIGHT?

 

[Agro]

Honestly, by the time everyone's had time to think about this movie, it'll generally be thought of as maybe the 3rd to 5th best Star Wars film depending on the person.

 

[spoiler=the scene that encapsulated the film for me]

Was when they were planning to attack Starkiller base.

 

It was a basic admission that the were recycling something they'd done 2-3 times already in this series. "So how do we blow it up? There's always a way to blow it up."

 

And that's something most of the movie did. The best parts of this film were what it tried to do differently from IV and V, which is why the best parts of this film were Daisy Ridley and John Boyega.

 

It's part of the reason that I'm so much more excited for Episode 8 now that I feel there's a good chance it'll mainly be its own thing rather than just constantly highkey nodding to past films.

 

 

 

[spoiler=additionally]

Worst performance by far came from Carrie Fischer.

 

On the other hand, the weakest part of the film was Kylo Ren. He had his moments, like when his anger overtook him and he started smashing things, but from start to finish I was having a hard time figuring out what his motivation was for even being with the First Order. After a second viewing, I finally realized that he didn't have any. I'm assuming this is something that they'll handle in the next film, but without it here, there wasn't any connection to him really besides a kinda flimsy "vader showed him the dark side", so when he finally killed Han, his reasoning for having him help was just... awkward. In general, we just needed more exposition.

 

Which is why when I kept thinking about it, this movie felt like it should have been an Episode 9 or 10, not 7. Or at least, I don't think they should have killed Han before developing and explaining Kylo's turn and struggle more.

 

The last scene felt better the second time I watched it, but I do still have a few issues. The first is just the last shot, the circling helicopter shot that just felt out of place with the rest of the film's cinematography. Everyone I talked to seemed to have an idea of what a better shot would have been, which usually isn't a good sign. The second was just how tacked on it felt, like it should have been a part of the next film than the ending of this one. It just seemed too easy for the goal of the film to redirect and then not have some sort of conflict to get in the way. She just goes, he's there, and they meet. Lastly, I was wondering why, even though the entire resistance especially Leia was looking for Luke, she only sends Rae, Chewie, and the droids to go find him. The only possible conclusion I could think of is that she knows that she's Luke's daughter. But otherwise it seemed to go against her motivations in the film.

 

 

 

Overall I enjoyed the film and din't think it's awful like some weirdos did, but I didn't think it was as amazing as a lot of other people did.

[Shradow]

I always enjoy Andre.

[Fusion X. Denver]

As expected, this movie's breaking records and making buckets of money.

 

I hope this movie dethrones Avatar. Although if this one doesn't, Episode 9 probably will.

[Shradow]

[spoiler=Saw it a second time.]I liked it even more the second time. For some reason I found Kylo Ren considerably less of a jabroni, I really enjoyed him this time around. I also noticed the symbolism in the scene where he killed Han Solo, how the sun faded and the light from the doorway went out just before he killed him.

 

I also read about some awesome cameos in the movie. Daniel Craig (James Bond) was the Stormtrooper who Rey used her Jedi mind tricks on to release her and drop his weapon, and his stormtrooper name was JB-007. Also, during Rey's visions from touching Luke's lightsaber, you hear the line "These are your first steps." which was said by Ewan McGregor (prequels Obi-Wan). He was originally going to say, "Rey, these are your first steps." but they later cut in Alec Guinness (original trilogy Obi-Wan) to say "Rey," despite him dying in 2000, as they used part of him saying the word, "afraid" in one of the older movies. Frank Oz (Yoda) said some stuff, too, but I don't remember what his lines were.

 

[Shradow]

So I thought this was really cool, though it is just conjecture: http://www.polygon.com/2015/12/30/10690288/the-canonical-story-behind-tr-8r-the-internets-new-favorite

[Toffee.]

Went and saw it a second time.

Is it just me, or is Kylo a big baby?

[Ryusei the Morning Star]

My theory is that Ben and Rey are siblings. Ben was said to be 29-30 and Rey 19-20. Ben could be a young apprentice when he was seduced (we'll get to this) by the dark side. He was a kill all of lukes other trainees, but not his innocent little sister. So he left her on Jaaku, with the full intention of never coming back for her. Leia and Han think they've lost both their children thus their rift

 

I don't think Kylo is all evil however; the scene with Han showed the good in him and also Anakin was slated to appear in either this movie or 8, the concept art is that of a metamorphesizing Haden, which could be an allegory to Ben's fall and a warning from his hero

[Fusion X. Denver]

[spoiler=Personally]

I believe Rey is Luke's daughter. Call it a gut feeling, but I see that as more likely than being Han's daughter. I feel like he and Leia would have known it was her if they saw her. Or at least Leia, since she's somewhat force-intuitive.

I can see Luke leaving her on Jaaku to protect her if Kylo and the rest of the First Order tried finding any sort of connection to him.

 

[Ryusei the Morning Star]

[spoiler=Personally]

I believe Rey is Luke's daughter. Call it a gut feeling, but I see that as more likely than being Han's daughter. I feel like he and Leia would have known it was her if they saw her. Or at least Leia, since she's somewhat force-intuitive.

I can see Luke leaving her on Jaaku to protect her if Kylo and the rest of the First Order tried finding any sort of connection to him.

 

Han does know though. Remember Mas Kanada's cantina? The peoblem with Luke is you'd have to introduce a mother and build even more character for her

[Fusion X. Denver]

If he did realize at the cantina, I feel like he would have said something. Since he was readying himself to talk to his son after seeing Leia, I feel like he would have also felt compelled to talk to Rey.

 

And sure that's what they'd have to do, but they could totally do that if they wanted to.

[Ryusei the Morning Star]

If he did realize at the cantina, I feel like he would have said something. Since he was readying himself to talk to his son after seeing Leia, I feel like he would have also felt compelled to talk to Rey.

 

And sure that's what they'd have to do, but they could totally do that if they wanted to.

He did talk to Mas tho. Any Han unlike Leia or Ben isn't force sensitive.  

[Fusion X. Denver]

Then I'm confused, how would he know she's his daughter then? 

[Ryusei the Morning Star]

Then I'm confused, how would he know she's his daughter then?

 

I mean there's that intuitive feeling you'd get right? Also she's a damn good piolet. Maybe he had suspicions, but didn't wanna hurt leia more by getting her hopes up

[Ryusei the Morning Star]

[Hälō]

Figured all those intrested in Star Wars should check this out.

http://youtu.be/WWDey5e1uCk