I would bet vast sums of money that Poe and Phasma will get extensive time and attention in the next film.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (12/18/15)
- Thread starter Khev
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Agreed. And IMO it actually made the galaxy feel a little "bigger" in that every badass now isn't always the central hero (or villain) of the story. Like LOTR we now have badasses that we don't know much about that just do their job and have their own things going on. Kind of like Boba Fett in ESB. He didn't have any significant relationships with the heroes, wasn't the primary bad guy (hell he wasn't even named on screen,) but was just someone "out there" for Vader to call on if he ever needed him. I liked that.
Agreed as well. Kind of how Batman Forever gets lumped in with Batman & Robin as collective "Schumacher crap." Maybe not the best example with regard to TFA and Star Wars but still, while not on the level of Batman or Batman Returns, if there never was a B&R and the "trilogy" just ended with Forever I think people would appreciate it more for being it's own thing. But since it ushered in B&R....
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Poe was perfectly cast - you like him immediately because Oscar Isaac has so much charisma. He sets up the energy of the movie. If you're on board when he tells Finn "we're gonna do this" you're pretty much on board for the whole thing.
So what's the money total up to?
Yeah, he adds color and texture to the "universe" and overall story. We see there are traditional bad-ass heroes still out there. And by giving us a little taste, like Boba, we want more of him. But in this movie the freaked out Storm Trooper defector, novice Jedi to be, and old fogeys took center stage. And the movie's probably better off because of that.
Agreed 110% He was great! Just need more of him next time!
The Clown Prince of Crime
Super Freak
The next film could go either way. Maybe they will "borrow" a lot from ESB, or it'll be very different. Either way, it could disappoint critics for different reasons. I can also see critics being less lenient next time, just like critics did with AOU. The same critics that loved Avengers gave the sequel a negative review in part because maybe they gushed a bit much the first time, so they felt they had to be less forgiving, even though both films are very similar in quality. Anyway, we already know Luke is far away in some island by himself, Yoda style, and Rey found him, presumably to begin her training, like Luke in ESB. We also know that the new Empire was defeated like in the original film, and if so, this will be the film where they "win", again like ESB. That's expected, but we'll see how much they borrow from ESB. I doubt they do something so obvious like Kylo saying to Rey,"I am your brother." Finn and Poe can make the next film very different from ESB, depending on how they use them.
One thing that amused me (and I'm sure some people will see it as a negative) was how "video game-y" Finn and Poe's escape in the TIE felt. You know all those Star Wars or piloting games where someone's face appears in the corner of the screen telling you "take out all the turrets" and then for that segment of the game you do nothing but shoot turrets and if you're supposed to shoot four turrets you see 1/4 then 2/4, 3/4, until 4/4 and then you move on to the "dodging" part of the level. 
The scene worked because the banter was so entertaining and the excitement was high but I couldn't help but feel like I'd lived that moment in arcades or on my couch many times over.
Also Poe's "trench run" reminded me of all the trench runs you do in SW games where they want to give you the opportunity to emulate what Luke did but for the sake of gameplay they add more obstacles in the trench to navigate around. Somehow they pulled off the whole "video game in a movie" without it being the eye-rolling Mega Man sequence of AOTC.
The scene worked because the banter was so entertaining and the excitement was high but I couldn't help but feel like I'd lived that moment in arcades or on my couch many times over.Also Poe's "trench run" reminded me of all the trench runs you do in SW games where they want to give you the opportunity to emulate what Luke did but for the sake of gameplay they add more obstacles in the trench to navigate around. Somehow they pulled off the whole "video game in a movie" without it being the eye-rolling Mega Man sequence of AOTC.
Mad Old Lu
Super Freak
WRT Poe, I just think they didn’t show enough of a personality to him. He was just basically a really good guy who happens to be the best pilot in the fleet. But everyone else in the movie was much more complex and well-drawn that his lack of personality is made more obvious, especially because he does have a decent amount of screen time. It’s not like he’s just another Wedge that you only see in the X-Wing for a few seconds at a time. So it’s not like they didn’t give him enough to do, because he does a lot and is crucial to the plot. He just felt a little underbaked.
But like I said before, that is very minor compared to how to the movie works overall. In repeated viewings, I may pick up on some more personality traits that I might have missed the first time around. And I’m sure he’ll be expanded on in the next movie as well.
One other thing I’d like to comment on was how Kylo killed Han. I remember when Episode 1 was coming out, and seeing how cool the double bladed Maul saber was, that I thought, “I bet they will have someone get killed by having a lightsaber ignited though them! That would be so cool!” Of course all 3 prequels came and went and that didn’t happen. So I’m glad it finally did! It just sucks that it was at the expense of my favorite character.
By the way, has that ever happened in the EU, a lightsaber ignited through someone? Or did I really make that up in 1999?
But like I said before, that is very minor compared to how to the movie works overall. In repeated viewings, I may pick up on some more personality traits that I might have missed the first time around. And I’m sure he’ll be expanded on in the next movie as well.
One other thing I’d like to comment on was how Kylo killed Han. I remember when Episode 1 was coming out, and seeing how cool the double bladed Maul saber was, that I thought, “I bet they will have someone get killed by having a lightsaber ignited though them! That would be so cool!” Of course all 3 prequels came and went and that didn’t happen. So I’m glad it finally did! It just sucks that it was at the expense of my favorite character.
By the way, has that ever happened in the EU, a lightsaber ignited through someone? Or did I really make that up in 1999? 
rushmore223
Super Freak
Maybe theses flaws are just nitpicks. Just cause you feel it has all these flaws doesn't make it a universal truth. It's all opinion after all. Besides, what movie has no flaws? I don't think I have ever seen a "perfect" film.
While I think AOU was crammed much fuller than Avengers, and that that is an objectively more problematic issue than we saw with the first film, I agree that those films are very similar in terms of quality level. The novelty wore off a bit, and AOU suffered because of it. By extension, I think this issue will affect Batman V. Superman. Even if it does turn out to be good, people won't "geek out" the way they did for Avengers. Because we've already seen major comic book characters get together and team up multiple times now.
I remember when Episode 1 was coming out, and seeing how cool the double bladed Maul saber was, that I thought, “I bet they will have someone get killed by having a lightsaber ignited though them! That would be so cool!” Of course all 3 prequels came and went and that didn’t happen. So I’m glad it finally did! It just sucks that it was at the expense of my favorite character.
In the 80's I remember thinking that if Luke really wanted to kill the Emperor all he had to do was turn off his saber for a split second when Vader deflected his attack then turn it on again while it was pointed at the Emperor.
The Clown Prince of Crime
Super Freak
I liked it him in the film. It was a mistake to get rid of him for most of the film, imo. And then he just shows up...
It would have made more sense for Finn and Poe to find Rey and all three of them escape together.
Khev will back me up here
You know I actually finally saw that for the first time a few weeks back. I can't remember if you acknowledged me making mention of it. A good film. The whole choking his wife during sex did kind of cross a line for me though. Even with all the nasty, vile things I can stomach in a movie there are still a few things that do prevent me from watching them again and often times it's brutal on screen violence against women. The James Gandolfini beatdown Patricia Arquette gets in True Romance is another one. But I do recognize that from a filmmaking standpoint A History of Violence was a quality film.
rushmore223
Super Freak
Khev will back me up here
Die Hard and Raising Arizona are the runners up.
As much as I like all 3 of the mentioned films, I'm sure a dedicated member of these boards could find nitpicks to make about them.
Edit - could you imagine a star wars movie directed by Cronenberg? How amazing/bizarre would that be?
I'm joking of course. But there are movies where you have to look really hard to find issues with them. And that's going to vary from person to person, but I have some that I would place in that list.
And I'm glad you finally saw it, Khev. Not to get too off-topic here, but one of Cronenberg's objectives, I believe, was to explore the truly ugly side of violence, and characters who engage in violence. The almost rape in that film was one of those. The audience has to think twice about supporting or cheering on a character of that type.
And I'm glad you finally saw it, Khev. Not to get too off-topic here, but one of Cronenberg's objectives, I believe, was to explore the truly ugly side of violence, and characters who engage in violence. The almost rape in that film was one of those. The audience has to think twice about supporting or cheering on a character of that type.
Mad Old Lu
Super Freak
In the 80's I remember thinking that if Luke really wanted to kill the Emperor all he had to do was turn off his saber for a split second when Vader deflected his attack then turn it on again while it was pointed at the Emperor.
That also raises the question: will Luke REALLY have turned to the dark side by killing the Emperor who was responsible for killing all the Jedi and destroying a planet, as well as killing all those rebels in the battle of Endor! It was completely justifiable. Like you said, all Luke had to do was ignite the lightsaber in his direction and the whole war would have been over! Or hell, Vader and Luke could have double teamed the emperor from the get go! Vader made the suggestion himself in ESB!
The Clown Prince of Crime
Super Freak
