Am I REALLY the only one disappointed with TFA?

[batguy]

I think the biggest sin of the Rathers was their failure to look like something from the 1980s SW movies.

They looked like something GL would have wanted to do back in the day, but scrapped the idea for SFX reasons. So why not do it now that they can? It wasn't the whole movie, it was a brief scene of something that needed to look wildly scary & threatening. They were no more un-Star-Wars-y than the look of Darth Maul or the 'Duel of the Fates' song in TPM.


I think TFA looked plenty practical & retro. It didn't need to be devoid of any & all new imagery whatsoever.

It seems like half the negative comments on the internet about TFA are complaints that it's too derivative, and the other half are complaints about every single non-derivative thing in it.

 

[Zombie_61]

...I'm talking about the Rathtar scene, that ridiculous octopus looking creature...

They looked like giant meatballs that had somehow fallen off of the plate with strands of spaghetti still attached. :facepalm

 

[Darth Lars]

I think that they should have reused one of the monsters from the Dejarik game (the "holo chess" game on the Falcon) ... if that scene would have been in there at all.

I really disliked that Han Solo and Chewie had gone back to being smugglers... They should have been high-ranking officers in the Republic military or retired. But either way, they should be well-off and not smuggling.

I would have preferred if they had shown up in a Republic Cruiser. You could have built that into the story: The cruiser was patrolling the edge of Republic Space, which was close to Jakku when they had got a report of some kind of disturbance on Jakku that they had to check out. Han and Chewie just happen to be there as observers or because they are dropping of supplies in space for the Resistance or whatever.
Han, Chewie ... and the captain of the Cruiser decide that they must bring the Rey, Finn and BB-8 to the Resistance, but 1) they don't know where that is because (obviously), the Resistance is a covert operation, and 2) they can't go into First Order space with a military vessel - which leaves: Use the Falcon to find someone who has connections to the Resistance. If you want an Indiana Jones reference, let Han Solo shout at the choice of the Falcon: "It belongs in a museum" (because it does after having been used to destroy two Death Stars ...).
There. Done! No need for any rolling meatball-and-spaghetti monster.

 

[Jeyl]

Maybe the film should have been called,

Star Wars: Hakuna Matata

If things go bad, screw it. You can just turn your back on friends, family, their struggles and not have to worry about any of it. And when you come back, no one will ever question why you abandoned everyone in the first place because you're the hero!

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

The Rathtars were just flat out a bad concept. Someone around here called them Men In Black aliens, and that's the most accurate description I've heard. They don't belong in Star Wars.

I agree, but they weren't even in my top 20 of things wrong with it.

Maybe the film should have been called,

Star Wars: Hakuna Matata

If things go bad, screw it. You can just turn your back on friends, family, their struggles and not have to worry about any of it. And when you come back, no one will ever question why you abandoned everyone in the first place because you're the hero!

As far as Han and Leia, there is real world precedent of couples who have a family tragedy and they can't stand seeing each other because it makes them think of the loved one who died. My problem was Han going back to smuggling. I get that you would both go back to what you do best, but for Han that should have been the military. That's one of the things I point to when comparing this to ANH. They wanted to reset all the characters. So instead of Han redeeming himself and being part of the Rebel military, he's back to a smuggler because boy did people love that ANH movie in the 70s! There's really no way to say that's not the reason.

 

[CessnaDriver]

Trash the OT characters and the crowd cheers. Strange days.

 

[The Wook]

Trash the OT characters and the crowd cheers. Strange days.

By design--to make Rey, Finn, et al (read: the new money-makers, and poster children) even more virtuous than they've been written, by way of comparison.

Shameful.

The Wook

 

[DaddyfromNaboo]

The Rathtars were just flat out a bad concept. Someone around here called them Men In Black aliens, and that's the most accurate description I've heard. They don't belong in Star Wars.

Yes, indeed. I have to agree, but enjoyed it nonetheless, because of the humour interspersed and the ending. The sequence was IMO not really needed, although it showed off Rey´s force abilities.

It felt "ALIENS" to me. And MIB.

And ... drumroll, please ... EMPIRE STRIKES BACK !!!

If I remember correctly, the cut scene Echo Base was constructed in a very similar way. Wampas held captive in a confinement area. C-3PO accidentally frees them, all hell breaks loose for the BAD GUYS !!! Helping the good guys to escape.

 

[glunark]

Of course if that had been included in ESB it would probably be everyone's favourite scene, but stick something similar in TFA and its a travesty.

To me the definition of something that belongs in star wars is very simple.

It it's in star wars, it belongs in star wars.

 

[Jaitea]

But they are just like mobile Sarlacc's.......100% Star Wars

Get a hold of yourselves

J

 

[The Wook]

To me the definition of something that belongs in star wars is very simple.

It it's in star wars, it belongs in star wars.

 

[joshvanrad]

Of course if that had been included in ESB it would probably be everyone's favourite scene, but stick something similar in TFA and its a travesty.

To me the definition of something that belongs in star wars is very simple.

It it's in star wars, it belongs in star wars.

Don't get me wrong. I don't belong in this thread, because I LOVED TFA. But it wasn't impervious to mistakes, and one of the few nitpicks I had with the movie was the Rathtars.

 

[crabra comander]

Rathars are related to Sarlaccs. They are also related to another Star Wars alien...anyways. The scene is a bit better upon second viewing

 

[glunark]

View attachment 581049

Jar Jar is less annoying than golly gosh spinning is a good trick boy Anakin.

 

[CessnaDriver]

By design--to make Rey, Finn, et al (read: the new money-makers, and poster children) even more virtuous than they've been written, by way of comparison.

Shameful.

The Wook

I think your right, I initially thought it was to whip up some easy drama at their expense, but yes, now the new products can be extra shiny.

 

[The Wook]

I think your right, I initially thought it was to whip up some easy drama at their expense, but yes, now the new products can be extra shiny.

Exactly.

The virtues of the OT heroes are ephemeral, expendable. Ford insists on dying, he tells them? So be it, but they won't let him go down with his ship, they way he ought to--sacrificing his life to save the rebellion/resistance. The ship must survive, to sell toys, and transport the new hero (heroine, in this case) around the galaxy.

Are they that lacking in imagination and creativity that they can't design a cool new ship for her?? I can't believe that. No, the decision was purely cynical. Timid and cynical, for the almighty dollar.

The Wook

 

[binkleywalker]

Wait- they made a movie to make money??

Next you'll tell me the Gulf War was all about oil.

Brian

 

[The Wook]

Wait- they made a movie to make money??

Brian

I'm all about studios making money. But not at the expense of artistic integrity.

The Wook

 

[batguy]

I don't mind Han dying this way and I don't mind the MF surviving without him. It's not exactly what I would have done but there were plenty of worse ideas.


Was it really such great storytelling in ANH, when Ben Kenobi went all 'suicide by cop' with Darth Vader in the middle of the good guys' escape? That was a goofy way to get rid of Ben but I guess George & friends didn't have a better idea. Justifications have been dreamed up in the subsequent years but the bottom line is it never made sense. We just put up with it because of some vague impression that Jedis work in mysterious ways. In 1977 we thought there might be a better story about Ben's death revealed later. By the time ROTJ was finished without anything better coming to light ANH was beyond criticism.

 

[CessnaDriver]

Only a kamikaze run with the Falcon into the heart of the dragon would have sufficed, given some extremely necessary re-redemption after making him into such a fouled up wretch.
Oh well, taken down by a well telegraphed sucker punch by a whiney entitled emo- (B word) it is then. Soooooooo very very lame. Ain't my Han, he would have shot first, too bad sonny, I made you I end you. Sorry 'bout the mess. Done. THAT would be Han Solo.
The whole thing was Dark Helmet vs Lonestar only Dark Helmet won because yes... good really really is dumb I guess, but then evil is dumb too making another ridiculously easy to to destroy super super but this time extra super duper weapon.