Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)

[LoathedVermin72]

I really like the theory that Rey is the granddaughter of Obi-Wan. Not sure how it all fits together but I like that idea a lot.

Who's the son/daughter of Obi-Wan, then?

THIS IS MADNESS

[E.H. Ruddock]

I really like the theory that Rey is the granddaughter of Obi-Wan. Not sure how it all fits together but I like that idea a lot.

did obi-wan b*ng Padme after Anakin turned?

[E.H. Ruddock]

I really like the theory that Rey is the granddaughter of Obi-Wan. Not sure how it all fits together but I like that idea a lot.

Who's the son/daughter of Obi-Wan, then?

THIS IS MADNESS

Lando Calrissian

[LoathedVermin72]

I read last night Lucas originally planned for Vader and Boba Fett to be brothers, and for Palpatine to be Anakin's "force father."

[jwfocker]

I read last night Lucas originally planned for Vader and Boba Fett to be brothers, and for Palpatine to be Anakin's "force father."

read that too. Lucas had a lot of 'great' ideas. Too bad they all didn't come about.

[LoathedVermin72]

Honestly, Vader and Boba being brothers doesn't strike me as a terrible idea. Though I suppose it would have just pointlessly crowded the narrative.

[spike]

Honestly, Vader and Boba being brothers doesn't strike me as a terrible idea. Though I suppose it would have just pointlessly crowded the narrative.

it would've been a great way to shoehorn boba fett into the prequels. oh wait...

[E.H. Ruddock]

Guys, you know what was another character/race that was cool and in the prequels?

Spoiler: show

[Monkey_Driven]

I was really pleased with how quickly the movie got right to the intro. No fancy Disney or Bad Robot graphic. Just Lucasfilms and then A long time ago graphics. Smart move.

[darth_vedder]

So a few things I wasn't crazy about...

1) Lack of politics. I didn't wan't taxations of trade routes or anything, but some of the history of the New Republic / Resistance, and the aftermath of the Empire / First Order would have been nice.

2) The planets of the New Republic blowing up. Similar to Alderan, and just like with that planet, we never get an emotional connection to it (one of the many things the prequels failed at IMO).

3) The general story being very much like ANH. While I liked the look / feel of the movie, it was a little too close to the ANH plot line for me. Would have rather seen a more ambitious plot, but not so ambitious that it doesn't make any sense (like the prequels).

4) Snope. He looked like Voldermort, and just really felt out of place. Also, how did he come to power after the Emperor? How did he convert Ben Solo to Kylo Ren? What the hell are the Knights of Ren? Why introduce that and not just have a new Sith Order?

5) How did Rey and Finn escape Jakku? I mean in ANH, when the Falcon bolts out of Mos Eisley, the Empire is hot on their heals. Why didn't they try to get the Falcon? Where was the pursuit?

6) Han going back to being a smuggler. So his son turns evil, he and Leia separate, and he just goes back to smuggling? Seems beneath him, considering he was a general. Why not just take another position in the New Republic away from Leia?

7) The Resistance. They mention the New Republic, so it exists, why is Leia's group know as the resistance? Why not just call it the New Republic? Why have two names for essentially the same thing?

That's all I can think of now, and I'll put together a list of things I did like. Overall, I liked the film, but I didn't love it.

[McParadigm]

Honestly, Vader and Boba being brothers doesn't strike me as a terrible idea. Though I suppose it would have just pointlessly crowded the narrative.

Which makes it a terrible idea

[darth_vedder]

I read last night Lucas originally planned for Vader and Boba Fett to be brothers, and for Palpatine to be Anakin's "force father."

read that too. Lucas had a lot of 'great' ideas. Too bad they all didn't come about.

Link?

[LoathedVermin72]

Honestly, Vader and Boba being brothers doesn't strike me as a terrible idea. Though I suppose it would have just pointlessly crowded the narrative.

Which makes it a terrible idea

True. The struggle is, and should be, between Luke and Vader, not Vader and Boba.

[spike]

So a few things I wasn't crazy about...

1) Lack of politics. I didn't wan't taxations of trade routes or anything, but some of the history of the New Republic / Resistance, and the aftermath of the Empire / First Order would have been nice.

2) The planets of the New Republic blowing up. Similar to Alderan, and just like with that planet, we never get an emotional connection to it (one of the many things the prequels failed at IMO).

3) The general story being very much like ANH. While I liked the look / feel of the movie, it was a little too close to the ANH plot line for me. Would have rather seen a more ambitious plot, but not so ambitious that it doesn't make any sense (like the prequels).

4) Snope. He looked like Voldermort, and just really felt out of place. Also, how did he come to power after the Emperor? How did he convert Ben Solo to Kylo Ren? What the hell are the Knights of Ren? Why introduce that and not just have a new Sith Order?

5) How did Rey and Finn escape Jakku? I mean in ANH, when the Falcon bolts out of Mos Eisley, the Empire is hot on their heals. Why didn't they try to get the Falcon? Where was the pursuit?

6) Han going back to being a smuggler. So his son turns evil, he and Leia separate, and he just goes back to smuggling? Seems beneath him, considering he was a general. Why not just take another position in the New Republic away from Leia?

7) The Resistance. They mention the New Republic, so it exists, why is Leia's group know as the resistance? Why not just call it the New Republic? Why have two names for essentially the same thing?

That's all I can think of now, and I'll put together a list of things I did like. Overall, I liked the film, but I didn't love it.

relax, in 17 months, some of that will reveal itself

[LoathedVermin72]

I was really pleased with how quickly the movie got right to the intro. No fancy Disney or Bad Robot graphic. Just Lucasfilms and then A long time ago graphics. Smart move.

I felt just the opposite. Really missed that Fox fanfare.

[darth_vedder]

I was really pleased with how quickly the movie got right to the intro. No fancy Disney or Bad Robot graphic. Just Lucasfilms and then A long time ago graphics. Smart move.

I felt just the opposite. Really missed that Fox fanfare.

Me too, that for me was always one of the most chill bump inducing moments.

[Simple Torture]

2) The planets of the New Republic blowing up. Similar to Alderan, and just like with that planet, we never get an emotional connection to it (one of the many things the prequels failed at IMO).

Gotta disagree with this one, or at least with your assertion that there's no "emotional connection" to the destruction of Alderaan. Star Wars handled that deftly--we don't need to meet anyone on the planet, but watching Leai's reaction (her despair, her begging with Tarkin, her anger when she realizes she's been double-crossed) and Obi Wan's makes us feel its weight. But, yeah, nothing like that in TFA.

[LoathedVermin72]

I was really pleased with how quickly the movie got right to the intro. No fancy Disney or Bad Robot graphic. Just Lucasfilms and then A long time ago graphics. Smart move.

I felt just the opposite. Really missed that Fox fanfare.

Me too, that for me was always one of the most chill bump inducing moments.

Yeah. I'll never forget the feeling of seeing/hearing that in the theater for Phantom Menace when I was a little kid.

[darth_vedder]

2) The planets of the New Republic blowing up. Similar to Alderan, and just like with that planet, we never get an emotional connection to it (one of the many things the prequels failed at IMO).

Gotta disagree with this one, or at least with your assertion that there's no "emotional connection" to the destruction of Alderaan. Star Wars handled that deftly--we don't need to meet anyone on the planet, but watching Leai's reaction (her despair, her begging with Tarkin, her anger when she realizes she's been double-crossed) and Obi Wan's makes us feel its weight. But, yeah, nothing like that in TFA.

Yeah, that's true. I guess scratch that bit in #2 about Alderaan. It's really more of a PT complaint b/c I expected to see life on Alderaan and it being one of the key planets of the Old Republic.

As for TFA, I think the complaint still holds up. It was kinda neat seeing the people's reaction, but still, no real emotion went into it for me. It felt really glossed over. Some sort of connection to the planets that were blown up would have been nice. Maybe others felt it, but I didn't it. I thought it was poorly done.

[LoathedVermin72]

2) The planets of the New Republic blowing up. Similar to Alderan, and just like with that planet, we never get an emotional connection to it (one of the many things the prequels failed at IMO).

Gotta disagree with this one, or at least with your assertion that there's no "emotional connection" to the destruction of Alderaan. Star Wars handled that deftly--we don't need to meet anyone on the planet, but watching Leai's reaction (her despair, her begging with Tarkin, her anger when she realizes she's been double-crossed) and Obi Wan's makes us feel its weight. But, yeah, nothing like that in TFA.

Yeah, that's true. I guess scratch that bit in #2 about Alderaan. It's really more of a PT complaint b/c I expected to see life on Alderaan and it being one of the key planets of the Old Republic.

As for TFA, I think the complaint still holds up. It was kinda neat seeing the people's reaction, but still, no real emotion went into it for me. It felt really glossed over. Some sort of connection to the planets that were blown up would have been nice. Maybe others felt it, but I didn't it. I thought it was poorly done.

You're definitely right about this; a few Armageddon-esque shots of people looking scared of something big in the sky is a pretty flimsy way to establish weight.

I would argue almost everything else in the movie follows suit. There was very little emotional context for any of the "significant" events. Particularly, Han's confrontation with Ren. We have no real understanding of their relationship or reason to care about what happens during it; a few expository lines of backstory dialogue between Han and Leia earlier don't cut it. That is a huge moment that deserves more care and effort. Again, this is something ANH did properly with Obi-Wan and Vader's fight. Their dialogue exchange and Guiness's acting tell you so much about their history and relationship, and you understand why Obi-Wan sacrifices himself. There's earned weight.