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

[a-dev]

The First Order is even more powerful without Palpatine, how did the Republic even allow them to build Starkiller base anyways.

A major problem I have with TFA.

 

[jye4ever]

32 years explained away in just one sentence but don't worry about it, here's Rey everyone!

Wait, there were more Palpatine level Sith Lords , why didn't we ever hear about them before.

Hmmm, unless we did already.

 

[DiFabio]

Why are the good guys called the Resistance when they're the ones in charge of the New Republic?

Where did they get the resources and money to build the First Order, but an even bigger third Death Star!?

 

[jye4ever]

Just read the crawl, it's all in there.

Honestly, they screwed up.

The TFA crawl should've been the 1st act of the movie. Like 45 minutes worth of reading.

 

[a-dev]

The next 2 films have a big job to do. I'm not sure they'll do it.

 

[DiFabio]

I don't know how to read.

 

[Khev]

Why are the good guys called the Resistance when they're the ones in charge of the New Republic?

They aren't in charge of the Republic. Leia's Resistance is separate and operates under her command. The Republic was a sleeping giant that didn't want to acknowledge the threat of the First Order out of fear of starting another galactic war. So while Leia pressed them to take action they sat idle until it was too late. The dots are there in the finished film but it took 2-3 viewings for me to connect them and I agree that it should have been spelled out (literally) in the very beginning.

 

[DiFabio]

Then with that, the Republic deserved to be destroyed again. What a bunch of dummies.

 

[Khev]

Then with that, the Republic deserved to be destroyed again. What a bunch of dummies.

Yep. And word is they refused to even state the words "Radical First Order Terror." Idiots.

 

[abake]

1. Tone down Rey. As is she is good at absolutely everything and is hard for the audience to relate to.
2. Switch the actors for Finn and Poe. Gives Finn a much needed edge for a trained killer who just recently defected.
3. Pop a couple explanations in to have bits of the story make sense. How Han and Chewie found the Falcon randomly at a convenient time. How Poe made it back to the resistance base. A few basics about the resistance and first order. Why R2 randomly woke up when convenient to give the rest of the map.
4. Ditch Starkiller base. It was a beat too far taken from a New Hope.
5. Max von Sydow's character should have been someone we knew. Wedge maybe? An elderly Mon Momtha? Also it should have been explained who he was and why he had the map.

Didn't Finn mention at one point that he was just a lowly janitor or cook who had only just recently been pressed into combat service?
Still, I ****ing hate that guy... he's been taken from his parents at a young age, brainwashed since childhood, grown up surrounded by his comrades, lived with these guys all his life... and he still kills them and is exhilarated by the experience when just a short while ago he crapped his pants because he was ordered to shoot some dangerous terrorists? **** that.

Luke went insane after ROTJ, he might even have Twileks in slave bikinis in his temple basement so owl ownership might not be too far off.

Dude doesn't even care about the Republic anyways or else he wouldn't went into hiding allowing the Republic to get blown to pieces.

What is Leia even going to say to him.

Hey thanks for hiding out dear brother, btw all the planets were wiped out 100 X worse than what the Empire did 32 years ago.

The First Order is even more powerful without Palpatine, how did the Republic even allow them to build Starkiller base anyways.

Were they busy settting up a drug trade with the Ewoks to allow it to happen.

That is actually the bigger problem with all these sequels.
There is no finality. No happily ever after.
All that Luke (and Anakin) had to suffer, all the sacrifices that were made, all the carnage and loss of life.
It was for nothing.

Kinda depressing really.

 

[The Clown Prince of Crime]

Then with that, the Republic deserved to be destroyed again. What a bunch of dummies.

You'd think they would have a problem with the First Order building an even larger ball of death...again.

 

[DiFabio]

Yep. And word is they refused to even state the words "Radical First Order Terror." Idiots.

 

[jye4ever]

Who's open to seeing Ewoks again at any capacity?

 

[Prime Clone]

That is actually the bigger problem with all these sequels.
There is no finality. No happily ever after.
All that Luke (and Anakin) had to suffer, all the sacrifices that were made, all the carnage and loss of life.
It was for nothing.

Kinda depressing really.

This is why Snoke has to be Plagueis. If there isn't that connection to Anakin's creation the ST will just be a pointless afterthought.

 

[The Clown Prince of Crime]

Who's open to seeing Ewoks again at any capacity?

That's another thing they can fix. Make them evil little cannibals and show them eating people, and it makes them less pathetic, since they would still be no match for soldiers with futuristic armor and technology...and I'm guessing superior intelligence.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Who's open to seeing Ewoks again at any capacity?

What you smokin'?

That's another thing they can fix. Make them evil little cannibals and show them eating people....

Oh, I see, you two are together... Ewok Cannibal Campout!

 

[Star Puffs]

1. Tone down Rey. As is she is good at absolutely everything and is hard for the audience to relate to.
2. Switch the actors for Finn and Poe. Gives Finn a much needed edge for a trained killer who just recently defected.
3. Pop a couple explanations in to have bits of the story make sense. How Han and Chewie found the Falcon randomly at a convenient time. How Poe made it back to the resistance base. A few basics about the resistance and first order. Why R2 randomly woke up when convenient to give the rest of the map.
4. Ditch Starkiller base. It was a beat too far taken from a New Hope.
5. Max von Sydow's character should have been someone we knew. Wedge maybe? An elderly Mon Momtha? Also it should have been explained who he was and why he had the map.

I agree with this list entirely.

I was unfortunately compelled to be around a viewing of this film the other day. I stayed with it until Snoke appears, then drifted in and out.

Despite a lot of the debate revolving around Rey's character development, she is the least of this film's problems. It just fails basic world-building, especially the critical political context that Lucas quickly interjected into the OT and PT. The First Order is basically a comic-book super-villain of old (complete with death ray no less) without any of the fascistic ideals of the Empire to provide rationalizations. Snoke has a childish name and is just a shallow rift on Palpatine.

General Hux is easily the worst character in the film. The actor failed to convey any believable presence as a senior military officer, especially given his age. He's a joke compared to Tarkin, Piett, Veers, and company.

Finn's entire story is mishandled and the profound moral implications of brianwashed slave-soldiers just lies there unexamined.

After watching this, I decided to rewatch the PT. I had watched TPM last year, but finished AOTC last night. Despite its weaknesses, AOTC has some compelling moments and feels like an original take on Star Wars. TFA is decidely in the 'unwatchable' category for me, although I suspect as a parent I will end of having to watch it again and again and again.

 

[DiFabio]

Good points Puffs, though I don't think TFA is "unwatchable", even though I probably won't watch it in it's entirety ever again.

Back to Finn, I don't why they had him advocating not killing anyone in the beginning of the movie, only for him to then murder his fellow Stormtroopers like it's nothing. Those were real people under that mask, just like he was. Besides, if he was programmed since birth to follow orders, why would he break his programming for what he was always indoctrinated to do.

 

[pixletwin]

TFA should have had an opening montage showing what happened in the 30 years between it and RotJ with a voice over by Galadriel.

 

[DiFabio]

You mean the little orange lady.