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  • #31
    Originally posted by Stitch View Post
    I suspect Disney isn't going to "fix what ain't broken", so I'm guessing (barring any contract disputes) that they'll stick with a proven winner, and Abrams will direct at least the next movie in the series, if not all of them.
    Negative on that one, Abrams might make a future one, but the next two films have other directors attached.
    “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

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    • #32
      My take: ** spoliers **
      Apologies for focusing on the negatives

      - it lacked the depth and complexity of the prequels (not sure if that is a good thing or bad thing)
      - sick & tired of introduction of a new super weapon, only for it to be destroyed in the same episode
      - so that super weapon has been sitting there for decades getting build and no one noticed it ?
      - did not like the child playing the military top guy of the First Order -- what happened to the veterans and the more senior folks
      - what is the point of a super weapon that cannot move ... it can only destroy nearby planets
      - When Solo died, wasn't sure if that was a joke or maybe he was injured & to be picked up later --- didn't get that emotional connection that i was suppose to get;
      - how the hell a useless stormtrooper that never fired a shot was able to do sword fighting
      - why the main villain so weak
      - confused: was the New Republic a different entity than Rebellion - the movie sounded as if they were two different entities
      - what was the point of that military parade (ala Nuremberg rallies); if they all got blown away
      - if i give you a small portion of a map of planet earth; with enough time, you can figure out where the piece would fit it with out having the overall map. I reckon that a 1/8 portion of a galactic map ought to be that easy to find as well; well, apparently not, the relentless Rebels throw in the towel right away and say that there is nothing that they can do with it

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      • #33
        Plus sides: I've been to the original Jedi temple, and while I didn't see Skywalker doing his Tom Jones impersonation it's nice to know I was a Jedi and didn't know it.
        I got hands on with one of these
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        And it had good weight and balance.
        In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

        Leibniz

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        • #34
          Originally posted by Parihaka View Post
          Now that I've changed my name, country of residence and sex, (call me Samantha) I feel somewhat safer in saying I was bored senseless. Same plot as episodes IV, V & VI. I mean exactly the same plot, with 21st century gay romance including black man. Oh look, they blew up a Death Star. Bored. Bored bored bored. (Witness protection plan goes into action)
          I agree with Samantha. I actually started out excited about how wrong I would be about this movie.

          Nope.

          I hated Strong Independent "I don't need a man" Jedi girl. Hate hate HATEEEEEEEEEEE. She is an insufferable goody-two-shoes with a crappy "oh my family abandoned me" story-line tied out so they can have a seen of her running away. Get it? She's running away from her DESTINY.
          It's, like, a metaphor. Like when Luke turned down becoming a Jedi. Except then it was something called "subtle." And "reasonable."

          I hated Darth Emo-ius. Way to take your primary antagonist and turn him into a whiny bitch half-way through the movie. Even Anakin Skywalker had the knowledge to drop the teenage emo and just go full on Death once he turns Dark Side.

          I moderately liked Affirmative Action Defector. That's a character I haven't actually seen done to death. I liked his attempts to appear, uh, dashing....which absolutely fall to pieces, but he pulls it together anyway.

          The best character was obviously Han Solo. I mean they totally pissed away THREE WHOLE MOVIES of character development by having him revert to being a smuggler, but he was still the best character.


          Nothing like the complexity or richness of the first films, IMHO.

          This doesn't even compare favorably to the other major Abrams work, Star Trek. This doesn't compare favorably to Avengers, it doesn't compare favorably to the X-Men series, it doesn't compare favorably to the new Superman, IMHO.

          I am going to be honest, the characters don't even compare favorably to Chappie....except for Han Solo.

          I would be really happy just to see Han Solo and Luke Skywalker cruise the galaxy bars and pick up girls. That'd be fine. Star Wars Episode 69.

          http://uncouthreflections.com/2015/1...new-star-wars/
          The Force Awakens doesn’t have ideas, it doesn’t have a vision: it has marketing ploys. It’s a 2 hour long commercial for the new Disney Star Wars brand, which turns out to be just elements of the original trilogy that have been gussied up a little bit — Emo Vader, a fascistier Empire, a super-sized Death Star weapon — without any of those movies’ charm, narrative ingenuity, or inventiveness.
          This is a better movie than the prequels, but the prequels still strived to be something greater. This has no soul and no vision and almost no foundation for anything more.
          Last edited by GVChamp; 22 Dec 15,, 04:54.
          "The great questions of the day will not be settled by means of speeches and majority decisions but by iron and blood"-Otto Von Bismarck

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          • #35
            GVChamp, I'm pleased to see your subscription to 'Whiny Conservative Culture Warrior Monthly' has not gone to waste.

            Seriously, I haven't read a more deeply politicized & fundamentally miserable take on a piece of popular culture since the 70s style Marxist/Feminist Sociology lecturers I copped back in First year uni (not that many years after we last saw Luke Skywalker). I don't know how to break it to you, but women are allowed to occasionally do something other than be victims/sex objects in movies, and black people are allowed to have roles other than servants or being the first murder victim. Its called the 'late 20th century'. Clearly you still need time to catch up. Best stick to 'Gone with the Wind', John Wayne and 'Driving Miss Daisy'.

            The film wasn't new & original, but it was great fun for anyone prepared to just sit back & have fun. I genuinely feel sorry for anyone who spent that 2 hours just looking for shit not to like. Go back & view the originals with the same hyper-critical eyes. Granted, women & black folk mostly know their place in those films (or are simply absent), but the films are derivative, repetitive and have holes big enough to drive an Imperial Star Cruiser through.

            Some people put so much effort into sucking the fun out of life.
            sigpic

            Win nervously lose tragically - Reds C C

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            • #36
              http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cul...akens-reviewed

              It is not for that reason, however, that I salute your courage in going to see “The Force Awakens.” Something more urgent than metaphysics is at issue, namely this: paying to watch a new “Star Wars” movie, in the wake of its predecessors—“The Phantom Menace,” “Attack of the Clones,” and “Revenge of the Sith”—is like returning to a restaurant that gave you severe food poisoning on your last three visits.
              Heh
              In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

              Leibniz

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              • #37
                Lol, come on BF, I don't have an issue with women in film. I have an issue with constricted female characters and rehashing old stuff.

                We've already had a spunky girl in Star Wars. Her name was Princess Leia.

                Spunky girls in movies are old news, IMHO.

                I will agree with you on this, for the most part, with qualifiers:
                The film wasn't new & original, but it was great fun for anyone prepared to just sit back & have fun. I genuinely feel sorry for anyone who spent that 2 hours just looking for shit not to like. Go back & view the originals with the same hyper-critical eyes. Granted, women & black folk mostly know their place in those films (or are simply absent), but the films are derivative, repetitive and have holes big enough to drive an Imperial Star Cruiser through.
                I think you're underselling Empire Strikes Back, and I think you're underselling the characters of the original, who all are more interesting to watch than the characters we had in this movie.
                Except Han Solo, but he's in both trilogies.

                And the original Star Wars still had a fresh vision relative to the time and brought in some cool ideas from different genres. This movie didn't try for that at all, it's clearly just trying to establish a new trilogy and grabbing as much nostalgia as possible to get free emotional swells.

                We'll see what future movies bring, but I am more interested in the Kylo Ren and Luke Skywalker story than I am with anything related to either Finn or Rey.
                "The great questions of the day will not be settled by means of speeches and majority decisions but by iron and blood"-Otto Von Bismarck

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                • #38
                  Originally posted by xerxes View Post

                  - confused: was the New Republic a different entity than Rebellion - the movie sounded as if they were two different entities
                  There is actually an answer to this one point, although it was not covered in the movie. Novels and comic books, the new canon post Disney ownership, have established that the New Republic immediately started demilitarization following the fall of the Empire. As remnants of the Empire started to reorganize as the First Order, Leia, who opposed the demilitarization, formed the Resistance to fight them. One of the planets that was destroyed in the movie is Hosnian Prime, which was the capital of the New Republic, and home to the Senate, effectively leaving the Resistance to stand alone.

                  This is all part of JJ's attempt to reset the universe back to a state paralleling the original movie, because that is the only way he can imagine making it good again.

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                  • #39
                    BTW, I am far from the only person who doesn't like Rey. This article is more sympathetic to the discussion but at least acknowledges the, uh, issues:
                    http://www.theverge.com/2015/12/19/1...y-sue-feminist
                    Because let's face it, Rey is kind of a Mary Sue character. (That's fan-speak for a thinly-veiled, self-insertion character in fan fiction, usually written by someone who wants not just to be part of an imaginary world they love, but to be its ultimate, most beloved and respected hero. The male version is a Gary Stu.) Rey is a survivor who seems to be consummately skilled at everything she tries. She's a crack pilot. She's a skilled mechanic. She's so innately talented in her use of the Force that she figures out Jedi mind tricks on her own, out of nowhere. She keeps falling into standard-issue damsel-in-distress situations, then capably rescuing herself. Even Han Solo is vocally and visibly impressed with her awesomeness. Her only weakness is a minor and understandable one: She misses the parents who seemingly abandoned her.
                    Twitter quote:
                    My favorite part about Rey was how she was good at everything and everyone liked her...#marysue
                    I disagree strongly with the article's central conclusion, which is "all of the boys do it, too, and you love it." Almost all of the characters the author cites are in fact flawed and the movies showcase their flaws. Captain America clearly cannot lift Thor's hammer, and even Thor couldn't lift his hammer for a while, since he, you know, tried to commit genocide despite his father's wishes.

                    Rey is just a Mary Sue character wrapped up in GRRRRRLLLLL POWER!

                    For a female action character done with a little more class and depth, see Katniss Everdeen.

                    I would argue Bella Swan, who is the ARCHTYPE for Mary Sue at this point, has more flaws and deeper character than Rey. Though Rey is more appealing to me, because she kicks ass.
                    "The great questions of the day will not be settled by means of speeches and majority decisions but by iron and blood"-Otto Von Bismarck

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                    • #40
                      I watched it on Saturday night in 3D. Now that I have had 3 days to digest it, here are my thoughts:

                      1. Plot was weak. Basically a rehash of ep. 4 and ep. 6 with the "disabling tractor/shield" and then attack the super weapon.

                      2. What happened to Kylo Ren? He was able to stop a blaster shot in mid flight at the beginning of the movie and by the end he was beaten by an untrained girl? Sure, he was injured to start the fight, but he was shot by a bowcaster bolt? Couldn't he have stopped it? I guess we can explain that away by the fact that he just killed his father and was a bit off-kilter.

                      3. Was it necessary to have a white storm trooper with a baton beating the black guy lunging at him with a knife? If this storm trooper could beat Fin with a stick, why did it take Kylo so long to beat him in a light saber duel?

                      4. Where did that light saber come from? I thought Luke lost it when Vader chopped off his hand with the saber and it dropped into Bespin from the Cloud City.

                      5. Was Luke's hand still grasping onto the saber when it was found?

                      6. Why did Leia and Chewbacca walk past each other as if they didn't know one another after they came back from blowing up Death Star III? Han just died! Leia and Chewy should grief together and support each other. Instead Leia walked directly to Rey, whom she may or may not know by this time.

                      7. The ending felt hurried and anti-climatic. We blew up the regulator. Death Star III exploded. Yay! Let's go find Luke.

                      8. We found Luke!

                      Overall I would rate this movie on the level of Return of the Jedi. It was a safe bet. It didn't try to do too much. It tried to NOT screw up like episode I and III. I thought episode II was semi decent. My favorite part of the movie was actually the background story of Rey on Jakku, however brief it may be. It was like Luke on Tatooine. But instead of a boy farmer, it was a girl scavenger. Luke didn't have a luxurious life as a farmer, but he had a home and relatives around him. Rey made a meager living by herself.

                      I thought the Avengers and The Winter Soldier were better. I watched those 2 movies in the theater multiple times. Time will tell. Maybe this one will grow on me. I'm not saying this movie was bad. It's just not a life-changing movie like Episode IV.
                      "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

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                      • #41
                        The term GET A LIFE comes to mind.
                        Chimo

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                        • #42
                          -Spoilers-

                          I decided to wait until yesterday afternoon to see The Force Awakens. Overall I had a great time and thought it was a good movie despite its flaws. It did a good job of capturing the spirit and magic of the original trilogy however I don't feel like it lived up to its full potential.

                          The good: Characters both new and old are compelling and gave performances that had a lot of heart.
                          - Battle scenes were well done. Seeing the X wings skimming over that lake was awesome.
                          - The First order and Kylo Ren were probably my favorite part of the movie. I enjoyed seeing the conflict in Ren play out and I look forward to learning about the First Order.
                          -Han's death damn near made me cry.
                          -The final light saber battle .
                          -Seeing the force used in new ways (like when Ren stopped the laser blast with the force)

                          The bad
                          -For the better and the worse the film mimics the arc of A New Hope. I didn't want this to happen. My hope for this new movie was that it would do new and exciting things. Instead it kind of felt like a soft reboot. I don't want the next two movies to just follow the story arc of the original trilogy.
                          - Having Rey and Luke meet and just staring at each other was an awkward and disappointing way to cut to credits.
                          -Captain Phasma was a waste of a cool looking character. She hardly did anything except get captured and lower the Star Destroyer shields.
                          The Ugly
                          - Another Death Star? This had to be my least favorite part of the movie. Sure the Star Destroyer may have looked cool but it just came off as lazy writing. It even got destroyed the same way with a trench run. Good to know that the First Order didn't learn from the Empire and made the same major strategic mistake a 3rd time. Damnit -__-

                          Despite its flaws, I'm still going to see this movie in theater at least 3 more times and eagerly anticipate Episode 8.
                          Last edited by dan m; 22 Dec 15,, 21:08.

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                          • #43
                            JJ Abrams should forever stay away from military science fiction. The kid knows nothing about leadership.

                            And that star killer sure knows how to aim and I'm surprised firing that weapon doesn't rip the atmosphere off the base planet.
                            Last edited by Officer of Engineers; 23 Dec 15,, 14:45.
                            Chimo

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                            • #44
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                              For S-2
                              “Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”
                              Mark Twain

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                              • #45
                                Originally posted by Officer of Engineers View Post
                                JJ Abrams should forever stay away from military science fiction. The kid knows nothing about leadership.

                                And that star killer sure knows how to aim and I'm surprised firing that weapon doesn't rip the atmosphere off the base planet.
                                so you went huh?
                                In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

                                Leibniz

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