You believe Finn is more like Han compared to the rogue pilot of Poe? Finn doesn't even have Solo's charms or moral ambiguity. Totally disagree.
Finn is to Rey, what Han was to Leia. Almost completely parallel. How they differ is almost irrelevant. They're plots' act out the same.
Woman in danger, man to the rescue. Woman don't need no help. Man is impressed.
The galaxy needs mans help, man don't want to help. Woman in danger if man don't save galaxy. Man makes pew pew.
But then woman escapes without needing help, woman defeats villain, woman saves man. That's like because Han has a similar arc to Obi-Wan, they are the same character. Personality matters.
Wasn't bad. Also wasn't so epically good that I'll watch it 1000 times like episode 4,5,6. Mostly it's disappointing since it's mostly a remake of episode 4, not really episode 7. I guess they were playing it safe and didn't have the stones to make an actual episode 7.
Mostly it's disappointing since it's mostly a remake of episode 4, not really episode 7. I guess they were playing it safe and didn't have the stones to make an actual episode 7.
I definitely noticed parallels between ANH and FA, and honestly, I loved it. Nothing threw me out of the movie, and I really liked a lot of the choices they made.
I was grinning through most of the beginning, everything felt like it was Star Wars, the humor and action were enjoyable, and a at no point did I feel bored or irritated.
J.J. Abrams did what Lucas couldn't or didn't. I feel like the franchise is in good hands and I'm all aboard any hype train for the next movie.
Yeah, Scott hit the nail on the head for me. After..what, a year of hype, I had this image of this being a new fresh thing, (kinda like how I really enjoyed the story in SWTOR, but thats down the drain now) ...but the similarities with 4 and 7 were too blatant. Some parts, like when the fissure conveniently appeared to separate Rey and Ren...I couldnt help but throw my hands up yelling "Oh Come On!". There was a lot of theatricality, and that theatricality was really old and musty.
I gave this movie a recommendation only becuase of how strongly acted the protagonists were. That includes Rey, Ren, and Finn. The story was as standard a monomyth as could be, it does not bring anything new to the table at all.
I know JJ isnt directing the next one, so hopefully there will be more balls, and less rehash. These guys have all the money in the world, and all the scriptwriters, actors and technical wizardry hollywood can buy. Actors and Technical Wizardry: A+, JJ Abrams and writing team: Playing it too safe.
Makes me wonder if the prequels were made today with this level of acting and technical wizardry, that they might not had been masterpieces in their own right. For what it was worth, I enjoyed the world and universe the prequels set up.
The film also was terrible at explaining the current state of the universe, and I was left scratching my head during the movie, especially when they destroyed the planets and I was confused over their significance. Only found out later that it was actually the planet the current senate was on, because they move the senate around or something. Ehhh...
I feel like the movie was both a reboot and a continuation of the series at the same time. Aiming to both get new fans and toss a lot out there for the old fans. Also with a theme that what has happened before will happen again. So I think it actually accomplished what it was seeking to do. The biggest issue was the plot was predictable but as a reboot of the series and a continuation of the series i think it succeeded big time. Wasn't really sure it was possible to do this successfully.
I feel like the movie was both a reboot and a continuation of the series at the same time. Aiming to both get new fans and toss a lot out there for the old fans. Also with a theme that what has happened before will happen again. So I think it actually accomplished what it was seeking to do. The biggest issue was the plot was predictable but as a reboot of the series and a continuation of the series i think it succeeded big time. Wasn't really sure it was possible to do this successfully.
It's pretty clear that a chunk of the "fan service" was there as a sort of palate cleanser - "Hey, remember the good shit in this franchise?"
But I'm not as hard on it as some. I think there could be a Thing about that. Kylo Ren is literally trying to be Vader. There seems to be a theme that isn't just BSG's "all of this has happened before and all of this will happen again" - I'm seeing a possibility for them to touch on the hazards of venerating the past.
I also see it possibly setting up some master manipulator who was working behind Palpatine the entire time, and that's why we see things being repeated. It's part of a larger meta-plot.
I wicked want Snoke to be Plagueis. Sidious could have totally built the Empire in an effort to depose his old master, and Plagueis could have totally manipulated Anakin into position as Sidious' apprentice with the eventual goal of deposing him.
I do wish they hadn't just blown up the giant space gun again, though. I wanted the space gun to wipe out the Resistance base, and the whole thing could've moved to roaming fleet-on-fleet action as each side moves to establish permanence somewhere.
Just, y'know, don't go full Battlestar with it. Never go full Battlestar.
I'm digging Starkiller Base a lot more now that I'm thinking of it less like a new Death Star and more like the galactic equivalent of the V-2 rocket. A lot of people seem to be presuming it eats multiple stars and has a hyperdrive to move around, but I think its cooler (and more likely) that it could only squeeze two shots out of the star it was orbiting and that was it. It's not the armoured death fortress the Empire liked making, its the spiteful last gasp of the Empire living out a violent revenge fantasy.
I was under the impression that Starkiller Base could still travel to some other system and eat THAT star, and just keep going. It just had a massive appetite.
What I don't get is how after the Empire was disbanded and the First Order no-longer had the legitimacy of being the galactic government and the fiat that comes with it, they manage to build an even bigger base than, as the Empire, they did twice before, when even the Death Star was ridiculously, insanely, huge.
The only explanation being that the people they hired to make those first ones were getting pretty good and had already invested in the infrastructure and as Rey shows, it's baiscally still all Empire tech that's cookie-cuttere'd into place so I guess they just kept bolting more shit together until they had the base built?
Still the budget on that has to be huge. As Regional Manager Vader said in Episode III: Revenge of Middle Management, "What's the cleaning bill on this piece of shit?"
I'm betting on Snoke propping up the First Order as a convenient front. Maybe his race or whatever has advanced tech or shitloads of resources.
It does sit strangely with me that a remnant of the Empire could build a galactic superweapon without the Republic noticing.
They had some 29 years in there to work on it, so I'm not too bugged.
There's also a lot of KOTOR allusions in TFA, not the least of which that the Starkiller has similar mechanisms to the Star Forge. It seems very plausible to me that the framework for Starkiller Base might have already been there when the First Order started work...
I'm betting on Snoke propping up the First Order as a convenient front. Maybe his race or whatever has advanced tech or shitloads of resources.
It does sit strangely with me that a remnant of the Empire could build a galactic superweapon without the Republic noticing.
They had some 29 years in there to work on it, so I'm not too bugged.
There's also a lot of KOTOR allusions in TFA, not the least of which that the Starkiller has similar mechanisms to the Star Forge. It seems very plausible to me that the framework for Starkiller Base might have already been there when the First Order started work...
For me the "bad guys (and everyone else) are looking for the last jedi" reminded me instantly of KOTOR 2.
I presumed that the Starkiller was a planet that had bits cut into and out of it so it looked like a Death Star, not a space station that had grown so big it was now the size of a planet.
The problems are in the third act, and they all relate to playing it safe. People are over the moon about this film because they love the characters they were given, and are hopeful for what will follow, as the franchise can now branch out into new directions.
The Force Awakens won't be judged solely on its own merit, and full verdict won't be reached for some time. We all know it is a good movie. But is it merely OK, or is it great? If the future for Rey, Finn, and Poe is a letdown, then Force Awakens will be judged as a huge missed opportunity. If Episodes VIII and IX knock it out of the park, then Force Awakens will be viewed with rose-colored glasses.
I don't think Kylo would have listened if Hayden Christensen looking force ghost would have come up to him and been like "Hey, I'm totally Darth Vader and I'm telling you, don't be that much of a dick."
I always thought that Anakin turning up with Yoda and Ben at the end of Jedi was a sign that he was now hanging out with those guys. As in, they had the power to come back as ghosts, and were bringing Anakin along with them, not that Anakin could do that himself.
I don't think Kylo would have listened if Hayden Christensen looking force ghost would have come up to him and been like "Hey, I'm totally Darth Vader and I'm telling you, don't be that much of a dick."
He would listen to David Prowse ghost. "Don't let them dub you over! Get paiiiiiidd while you caaaaan!" Also, that guy was enormous and scary. Ben is a little baby stick figure next to him.
I always thought that Anakin turning up with Yoda and Ben at the end of Jedi was a sign that he was now hanging out with those guys. As in, they had the power to come back as ghosts, and were bringing Anakin along with them, not that Anakin could do that himself.
You can hear Yoda and Obi-Wan talking while Rey is having that crazy vision.
Also, I am king derp derp. Just realized Leia and Han named Ben after Obi-Wan.
I don't think Kylo would have listened if Hayden Christensen looking force ghost would have come up to him and been like "Hey, I'm totally Darth Vader and I'm telling you, don't be that much of a dick."
Also, I am king derp derp. Just realized Leia and Han named Ben after Obi-Wan.
That's honestly something I found a little odd. I mean, Leia had heard of Obi-Wan, but only from her father and Luke, she'd never met him. Han knew him for all of a few days, at most. Only Luke (and presumably other residents of Tatooine) knew him as Ben. But they name their child after the guy?
Comments
That said, the explanation for just about any niggle is "IT'S FUCKING STAR WARS"
Woman in danger, man to the rescue. Woman don't need no help. Man is impressed.
The galaxy needs mans help, man don't want to help. Woman in danger if man don't save galaxy. Man makes pew pew.
Mostly it's disappointing since it's mostly a remake of episode 4, not really episode 7. I guess they were playing it safe and didn't have the stones to make an actual episode 7.
I was grinning through most of the beginning, everything felt like it was Star Wars, the humor and action were enjoyable, and a at no point did I feel bored or irritated.
J.J. Abrams did what Lucas couldn't or didn't. I feel like the franchise is in good hands and I'm all aboard any hype train for the next movie.
Hell, I'll be the goddamned engineer.
Fuck, I'll buy my own train.
I gave this movie a recommendation only becuase of how strongly acted the protagonists were. That includes Rey, Ren, and Finn. The story was as standard a monomyth as could be, it does not bring anything new to the table at all.
I know JJ isnt directing the next one, so hopefully there will be more balls, and less rehash. These guys have all the money in the world, and all the scriptwriters, actors and technical wizardry hollywood can buy. Actors and Technical Wizardry: A+, JJ Abrams and writing team: Playing it too safe.
Makes me wonder if the prequels were made today with this level of acting and technical wizardry, that they might not had been masterpieces in their own right. For what it was worth, I enjoyed the world and universe the prequels set up.
The film also was terrible at explaining the current state of the universe, and I was left scratching my head during the movie, especially when they destroyed the planets and I was confused over their significance. Only found out later that it was actually the planet the current senate was on, because they move the senate around or something. Ehhh...
It's pretty clear that a chunk of the "fan service" was there as a sort of palate cleanser - "Hey, remember the good shit in this franchise?"
But I'm not as hard on it as some. I think there could be a Thing about that. Kylo Ren is literally trying to be Vader. There seems to be a theme that isn't just BSG's "all of this has happened before and all of this will happen again" - I'm seeing a possibility for them to touch on the hazards of venerating the past.
I also see it possibly setting up some master manipulator who was working behind Palpatine the entire time, and that's why we see things being repeated. It's part of a larger meta-plot.
I wicked want Snoke to be Plagueis. Sidious could have totally built the Empire in an effort to depose his old master, and Plagueis could have totally manipulated Anakin into position as Sidious' apprentice with the eventual goal of deposing him.
I do wish they hadn't just blown up the giant space gun again, though. I wanted the space gun to wipe out the Resistance base, and the whole thing could've moved to roaming fleet-on-fleet action as each side moves to establish permanence somewhere.
Just, y'know, don't go full Battlestar with it. Never go full Battlestar.
What I don't get is how after the Empire was disbanded and the First Order no-longer had the legitimacy of being the galactic government and the fiat that comes with it, they manage to build an even bigger base than, as the Empire, they did twice before, when even the Death Star was ridiculously, insanely, huge.
The only explanation being that the people they hired to make those first ones were getting pretty good and had already invested in the infrastructure and as Rey shows, it's baiscally still all Empire tech that's cookie-cuttere'd into place so I guess they just kept bolting more shit together until they had the base built?
Still the budget on that has to be huge. As Regional Manager Vader said in Episode III: Revenge of Middle Management, "What's the cleaning bill on this piece of shit?"
It does sit strangely with me that a remnant of the Empire could build a galactic superweapon without the Republic noticing.
There's also a lot of KOTOR allusions in TFA, not the least of which that the Starkiller has similar mechanisms to the Star Forge. It seems very plausible to me that the framework for Starkiller Base might have already been there when the First Order started work...
The 'prequels' were garbage and felt like garbage.
While this movie has some niggling problems, they aren't major, it marks a return to making enjoyable Star Wars movies again.
The Force Awakens won't be judged solely on its own merit, and full verdict won't be reached for some time. We all know it is a good movie. But is it merely OK, or is it great? If the future for Rey, Finn, and Poe is a letdown, then Force Awakens will be judged as a huge missed opportunity. If Episodes VIII and IX knock it out of the park, then Force Awakens will be viewed with rose-colored glasses.
Also, I am king derp derp. Just realized Leia and Han named Ben after Obi-Wan.
Space-people are fucking weird dude.