Star Wars: The Force Awakens (12/18/15)

[tylerdurden]

just got back from a screening. loved the film. it has a fair share of flaws and things it could've done without but by and large jj abrams (with lots of help from lawrence kasdan) has pulled off the herculean feat of making star wars matter once again to both longtime fans and casual moviegoers alike.

the filmmakers actually make you CARE about the characters, something the prequels failed to do. there are some absolutely beautiful moments in this film that have nothing to do with lightsabers or shootouts or spaceships. they are just scenes between two characters, talking. this may not sound terribly interesting at face value but trust me, it's powerful stuff. there is weight in the interactions, and that comes not just from our long history with well-loved characters, but also from the meaning that abrams and kasdan imbue them with, plus the strength of the performances.

i dare say the acting here is the best i've seen out of all the star wars films. there were moments where i was close to tears, and i'm not one for crying at the movies. and let me just qualify this by saying it has nothing to do with rose-tinted fanboy nostalgia. it's purely and simply to do with good filmmaking.

kylo ren is a great villain, far more complex than anyone expected, and so fascinating because of this. rey and fin are also great dual protagonists, and (without going into spoilers) i'll say that i cannot wait for how all these characters continue to be developed over the course of the trilogy.

the other thing i really appreciated was the way the force was treated. it regained its mystical, mysterious spiritual status, and i like the naturalistic way certain characters discover/tap into it.

the haters on this forum can have their hate and cynicism, but i dare anyone who is willing to go into this film with an open mind to not feel the same sense of magic that we first felt when we watched the OT. it is by no means a perfect film. it relies a little too heavily on past elements for ideas, and there are a few instances of dead space in the storytelling. but make no mistake, after so many years and so much disappointment, this is the one true return to that galaxy far, far away.

i am watching it again tonight!

 

[elämän merimies]

Okay, but...

Spoiler

...Starkiller base explodes in spectacular fashion.

Spoiler

So Phasma's likely dead anyway?

Spoiler

I think there wasn't any mention of her after the garbage shoot?
personally I think she'll be back in the next one as there wasn't a definitive "Phasma is dead" moment.

Spoiler

personally I think they'll even revive Solo somehow if Ford still wants to do it. a force-ghost maybe?

.

 

[Aliaz]

the filmmakers actually make you CARE about the characters, something the prequels failed to do. there are some absolutely beautiful moments in this film that have nothing to do with lightsabers or shootouts or spaceships. they are just scenes between two characters, talking. this may not sound terribly interesting at face value but trust me, it's powerful stuff. there is weight in the interactions, and that comes not just from our long history with well-loved characters, but also from the meaning that abrams and kasdan imbue them with, plus the strength of the performances.

i dare say the acting here is the best i've seen out of all the star wars films. there were moments where i was close to tears, and i'm not one for crying at the movies. and let me just qualify this by saying it has nothing to do with rose-tinted fanboy nostalgia. it's purely and simply to do with good filmmaking.

the other thing i really appreciated was the way the force was treated. it regained its mystical, mysterious spiritual status, and i like the naturalistic way certain characters discover/tap into it.

this is the one true return to that galaxy far, far away.

I agree about making you care about the characters. It's the small things, like when:

Spoiler

Rey hugs Finn and thanks him for coming to rescue her,

that sells the world as real to me.

The acting was really good.

I also liked the treatment of the force. More mystical, less midi-chlorians.

 

[Asta]

Spoiler

I think there wasn't any mention of her after the garbage shoot?
personally I think she'll be back in the next one as there wasn't a definitive "Phasma is dead" moment.

Spoiler

personally I think they'll even revive Solo somehow if Ford still wants to do it. a force-ghost maybe?

.

Spoiler

Phasma will probably escape a la Vader from the Death Star in ANH.

Spoiler

If Snoke reveals himself as Plagueis in another film, the cheesy fake ending might eventually have legs:

The trio arrive at a remote planet where Luke has been hiding in a throne room of sorts. The Jedi Master finally appears and reveals that Rey is his daughter, and she and Finn are destined to be trained by him. But the group relay Maz’s message and tell Luke what has happened to his good friend Han Solo.

This is no surprise to Luke. As a matter of fact, he is prepared for what must be done — and now’s the perfect time. (Luke can see what Snoke is up to, and while the Dark Sider is tied up laying waste to Kylo, Luke gets an opportunity to use his Force powers elsewhere instead of countering Snoke’s psychic attacks.) Luke presides over the body of Solo and uses the Force to recreate life and bring the smuggler back from the beyond. The poetry at play here is quite beautiful as Kylo indirectly saves his dad by attacking Snoke, which gives Luke the opening he needs to resuscitate Solo.

As for how this is possible… Snoke is actually Darth Plagueis, the only Sith to have discovered the secret to cheating death. He fooled his apprentice, Darth Sidious, into believing he had died. Once Plagueis engaged in a psychic Force battle with Luke, both warriors inadvertently become open books to the other in a sense. Over the years, Luke has been able to glean many abilities some might consider unnatural from the mind of Snoke. None more valuable than the ability to bring back the dead.

Luke has become fully trained in both sides of the Force by locking minds with Plagueis in order to counter each other’s moves and guarantee a state of paralysis. This is something Luke knew he would have to do, especially after seeing how he needed to tap into the Dark Side in order to overpower his father in Return of the Jedi. This duality of the Force is high risk, high reward, but Skywalker has managed to balance Light and Dark Sides and become the most powerful grey Jedi in history.

So those rumors about Han Solo dying… they’re true… from a certain point of view.

A Case for Han Solo Beating the Odds in The Force Awakens | Faking Star Wars

 

[tylerdurden]

I agree about making you care about the characters. It's the small things, like when:

Spoiler

Rey hugs Finn and thanks him for coming to rescue her,

that sells the world as real to me.

that was a cute moment indeed. i also loved the scenes between:

Spoiler

han and leia. there's so much implied history and backstory between them. it's nice that abrams and kasdan didn't play the whole cliche "estranged" angle and instead simply have it be that they drifted apart due to the tragedy of their son. that makes it even more poignant. oh, and when han stroked ben's face for the last time, it was so heartbreaking.

 

[Aliaz]

that was a cute moment indeed. i also loved the scenes between:

Spoiler

han and leia. there's so much implied history and backstory between them. it's nice that abrams and kasdan didn't play the whole cliche "estranged" angle and instead simply have it be that they drifted apart due to the tragedy of their son. that makes it even more poignant. oh, and when han stroked ben's face for the last time, it was so heartbreaking.

Both Fisher and Ford did really great in their scenes together. Not much talk but conveyed alot of emotions.

Also: stormtroopers that can actually hit things!

 

[olbertfrog]

The Spoilerboard has this scene:

Spoiler

Weapon Power Station Entry

Chewie, Han, Finn, and Rey run into Phasma and Chewie tackles her. They force her to open lower the blast doors and then dump her in a garbage chute.

However,

Spoiler

Her last mention by name is a little later:


Starkiller Base Command Center…

Phasma barks orders at base technicians but they flee in panic.

But ultimately,

Spoiler

In Orbit…
[FONT=Calibri,Calibri][FONT=Calibri,Calibri]The Falcon dodges and weaves through the clouds of ship debris. They make contact with Poe and together plot a jump back to the Resistance Base as Starkiller base explodes in spectacular fashion.

[/FONT]
[/FONT]

Yu actually see nothing of this.
Its implied.

Spoiler

Finn says What do we do with her, phasma, han asks do you have a trash compactor.
Camera moves toward Finn yes we do. Cut on funny nod from phasma. Next scene.

Its a no name first order officer that screams that the soldiers stay at their posts while another one escapes after seeing the base starting to crash on itself.
The running soldiers says that Hux already feed the base, then we cut to Hux talking to Snoke who asks that he bring his ass and Kylo s to him.

Star killer base explodes from far, we see the whole planet collapsing.
Then when its pure White you see the falcon and remaining xwings zooming past camera.

 

[olbertfrog]

just got back from a screening. loved the film. it has a fair share of flaws and things it could've done without but by and large jj abrams (with lots of help from lawrence kasdan) has pulled off the herculean feat of making star wars matter once again to both longtime fans and casual moviegoers alike.

the filmmakers actually make you CARE about the characters, something the prequels failed to do. there are some absolutely beautiful moments in this film that have nothing to do with lightsabers or shootouts or spaceships. they are just scenes between two characters, talking. this may not sound terribly interesting at face value but trust me, it's powerful stuff. there is weight in the interactions, and that comes not just from our long history with well-loved characters, but also from the meaning that abrams and kasdan imbue them with, plus the strength of the performances.

i dare say the acting here is the best i've seen out of all the star wars films. there were moments where i was close to tears, and i'm not one for crying at the movies. and let me just qualify this by saying it has nothing to do with rose-tinted fanboy nostalgia. it's purely and simply to do with good filmmaking.

kylo ren is a great villain, far more complex than anyone expected, and so fascinating because of this. rey and fin are also great dual protagonists, and (without going into spoilers) i'll say that i cannot wait for how all these characters continue to be developed over the course of the trilogy.

the other thing i really appreciated was the way the force was treated. it regained its mystical, mysterious spiritual status, and i like the naturalistic way certain characters discover/tap into it.

the haters on this forum can have their hate and cynicism, but i dare anyone who is willing to go into this film with an open mind to not feel the same sense of magic that we first felt when we watched the OT. it is by no means a perfect film. it relies a little too heavily on past elements for ideas, and there are a few instances of dead space in the storytelling. but make no mistake, after so many years and so much disappointment, this is the one true return to that galaxy far, far away.

i am watching it again tonight!

Man yu gotta be honest a second there.
Yes the interaction were quite cool, and sometimes moving.
Finn and Rey were really cool to watch, yu can feel the friendship, the respect, the love (at least from Finn) growing troughout the movie.
han and leia Were writing 101. It goes exactly how it should goes like it does in many movies where yu have these kind of Old flame reunion.
Yu were moved mostly because it was these two characters.
Its a very good things but dont make it sound like if yu never knew who they were you would have been THAT moved.
COME ON
As for when somebody dies yur not annoyed that its a reprise of something yu already seen?
Yeah its moving because of who but wouldnt you have liked the setting and action to be original and not just a rehash oh wait an hommage to the most famous scene in ESB?
Rethorical question
Cool yu enjoyed it.
I liked it more than i could admit.
Second screening Will probably be much better for me.
Im already rager to see Rey and Finn again


Just like JURRASIC PARK is back, now Star wars is back.
They played it safe, storywise, visually wise too.
But its a beautiful, well made come back, its like listening to a good cover of yur favorite song.
All is set to have a really original follow up, now hope they are not going to **** this up.

 

[Asta]

Some of the missing scenes...

Spoiler

EXT DAY - 198 - ACADEMY • Leia and Han Solo hand over Young Kylo Ren to his Uncle for training

EXT DAWN - 200 - ACADEMY • Young Kylo Ren being trained by his Uncle

INT NIGHT - 202 - ACADEMY • Bodies left behind -Young Kylo Ren is gone

EXT DAY - 203 - JAGGED TERRAIN/PALACE • Kylo Ren joins The Knights Of Ren

are apparently addressed in the Visual Dictionary:

Spoiler

(Editor’s note) Han and Chewie have been looking for the Falcon for years, but in the meantime have spent considerable wealth to acquire a massive Baleen-class heavy freighter – the Eravana.

No longer affiliated with the Rebellion, the former General has returned to a life as a smuggler and freelancer.

After the events of Endor, Han married an influential politician (Leia) and settled down as a family man and for a while became a racing pilot. Together, they had a son who was sent to train at Luke’s Jedi Academy.

A profound tragedy at the Academy shattered the family and changed Han’s life forever.

Han’s tried to trick out the Eravana but it just isn’t the same as his old hunk-of-junk. When he finally finds the Falcon, he and Chewie feel like they’re finally home – back where they started.

(as reported in the visual dictionary)

Link removed due to Tapatalk bug.

 

[tylerdurden]

Man yu gotta be honest a second there.
Yes the interaction were quite cool, and sometimes moving.
han and leia Were writing 101. It goes exactly how it should goes like it does in many movies where yu have these kind of Old flame reunion.
Yu were moved mostly because it was these two characters.
Its a very good things but dont make it sound like if yu never knew who they were you would have been THAT moved.
COME ON
As for when somebody dies yur not annoyed that its a reprise of something yu already seen?
Yeah its moving because of who but wouldnt you have liked the setting and action to be original and not just a rehash oh wait an hommage to the most famous scene in ESB?
Rethorical question

u mad, bro?

i AM being honest, so you shouldn't presume to tell me otherwise. and it's not "just" because i know those characters. solid writing and direction were also what really sold the emotion of those scenes. it doesn't mean that because you didn't see things the way i did --- or CHOSE not to --- doesn't make your point of view more valid than mine, or anyone else's for that matter.

and please put what you wrote in spoiler tags for the sake of those who haven't seen the film. it's common courtesy.

 

[olbertfrog]

Yeah i mad cant yu see lol.
Im a cynical hater grrrrrr my mouth is foaming when i see good stuff about this movie.
Rouaaraggagvdhhrjjfkfjfnnfjfjjfjfjfjfjfj!!!!!!!!
Whatever... Ah fanboys...

 

[GasparZizou]

DON'T OPEN TAPATALK or whatever the app is called, the pic of the thread is a big spoiler. Maybe this is pointless or maybe it was already spoiled, maybe a bug is ignoring pics posted as spoilers, idk. I don't care cause I already know what happens, just letting you know.

 

[GasparZizou]

Just like JURRASIC PARK is back, now Star wars is back.

Jurassic Park's not back though. It's still in the hole the previous sequels left it.

 

[John Nada]

****ing tapatalk just spoiled it bigtime for me

 

[GasparZizou]

Duuuuude look 3 posts above.

Sorry to hear that.

 

[crows]

 

[Asta]

Tapatalk, whatever it is, opens links automatically?

I put the link into the spoiler now. Posting spoilers from that site is problematic, as they seem to come with their own built-in spoiler tags that make a mess of things.

 

[GasparZizou]

It's an app to browse from your phone. It takes pics that are in the thread and uses them as thumbnails for it.

Btw, spoiler is still there. I think it's ignoring the spoiler tags for pics and using the pics as thumbnails anyway, tiny bug, I reckon.

 

[Asta]

It's an app to browse from your phone. It takes pics that are in the thread and uses them as thumbnails for it.

Btw, spoiler is still there. I think it's ignoring the spoiler tags for pics and using the pics as thumbnails anyway, tiny bug, I reckon.

The link's been posted before, so I guess it must be a new bug.

I've deleted it inside the spoiler tags.

 

[olbertfrog]

Jurassic Park's not back though. It's still in the hole the previous sequels left it.

I hope so.
But alas the box office says otherwise...