Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Post-release)

[Solo4114]

For me the funny thing is, I don't necessarily disagree with some of the criticisms leveled at the film. However, most of them I just don't find to be nearly so catastrophic as some apparently do. For me, the good outweighed the nitpicks I had and the fact that the plot borrows from ANH. It's not perfect, but I think a lot of the imperfections are overshadowed by what did work. Surely not across the board but I think a good many people that don't like it had made up their mind they wouldn't like it a long time ago and/or went in with their perceptions of how things should be in a GFFA and when that turned out not to be the case, got upset.

Yeah, my main issues with the film: pacing a little too fast, Rathtar sequence was kind of silly, Phasma criminally under utilized. She should have been the trooper who faced Finn and Finn should have barely escaped. Because we didn't know Leia's emissary on Hosnian Prime it's destruction was a bit hollow and empty emotionally.

Pretty much sums up my critiques. I could've personally used a bit more info on the state of the galaxy as a whole (I was confused about the whole Resistance vs. Republic thing), but in the end, I'm ok with it. Pacing was a bit frantic at times, but maybe I'm just getting old and this is how movies work now. In MY day, we had RESPECT!!!

Anyway, on the whole, yeah, there are definitely places that could've improved the film. But much more of it worked than didn't, so on the whole, I'm quite happy with it.

I think the real test will be...where do we go from here?

 

[kristen jones]

I think the real test will be...where do we go from here?

Indeed!

 

[annanake]

It would be more ballsy if it was a real hand. Vader probably had a closet full of robotic hands just in case a
blaster bolt made it through his powers. [emoji12]

Lol that's why fett was there in case he messed up . again lol

 

[G W Zipper]

Saw it today for the second time, this time with my boy, he got quite emotional when Han died, and I think it affected me more this time too, its a weird thing to watch a son kill a father when you are sat there with your son.
..

Similar experience, except mine was seeing it first time (with whole family) when Han shouted, "Ben!" and we all turned to look at our son, Ben. Good times, good times.

 

[Bryancd]

Not that she needs it, but I want to come to Carrie's defense. I thought she was terrific. Her sadness was palpable in her performance as well as her resolve. She wasn't given much to do but I think she delivered a poignant performance with the material she had to work with. For me the most emotional scenes in the film were between Han and Leia. Their shared grief over Ben and quiet charm of their interaction was touching.

 

[Sourdoh]

I think Han should have shouted, "Benjamin! You are such a disappointment to your mother and me! Be a Mensch and cut the Dark Side crap!".

 

[niennumb1]

What's funny is people bash on this film and say they borrowed from other films. LIKE THIS HAS NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE.

You can strip down almost every film ever made and probably match up tons of movies side-by-side that have a similar story pattern, taking away settings and character names.

Someone slipping in disguised as the enemy to save the good guy is not just a Star Wars thing.

The town "nobody" turning out to be one of the most powerful warriors ever is not just a Star Wars thing.

Maybe if the TIE Fighter reversed its programming and self-turned itself against Starkiller base would have been something new. It woudn't make any sense, but be praised as something new, right?

And TFA not taking any risks? HAN SOLO! Hello! You can't get too much more bold than offing one of the franchises most beloved characters. And not spending much time for any sort of memorial/funeral for Han.... technically Obi-Wan has now been through 4 films, yet didn't dwell long on the loss of him after the Death Star duel with Vader. I think it's just implied that they grieve/grieved between or after the events that were ongoing preventing them from being able to stop from achieving the bigger picture objectives that needed to happen to avoid others getting killed.

 

[dascoyne]

Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ secret little Ewok

http://www.slashgear.com/theres-a-little-ewok-in-star-wars-the-force-awakens-29420266/

http://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/ewok.jpg

Very funny, JJ ...

 

[dascoyne]

The quick cutting dogfight dialogue from ANH has yet to be matched. It's a terrific rhythm of voice, jargon and exposition. TFA, in all it does right, hasn't been able to recapture the frantic exchange of the ANH end battle.

So what if it's largely pulled from Dam Busters (1955)? I still think SW added a lot of depth to the basic concept with the sound design (switching between voice and transmitted voice) and the vocal performances. Just hearing it still gives me the chills. And I can hear the score in my head throughout.

GOLD LEADER: (over speaker) Red Leader, this is Gold Leader. We're starting our attack run.

RED LEADER: I copy, Gold Leader. Move into position.

VADER: Stay in attack formation!

GOLD LEADER: The exhaust post is marked and locked in! Switch power to front deflector screens. How many guns do you think, Gold Five.

GOLD FIVE: I'd say about twenty guns. Some on the surface, some on the towers.

Rebel Base loudspeaker: Death Star will be in range in five minutes.

GOLD LEADER: Switching to targeting computer.

GOLD FIVE: Computer's locked. Getting a signal. The guns - they've stopped!

GOLD FIVE: Stabilize your rear deflectors. Watch for enemy fighters.

GOLD LEADER: They've coming in! Three marks at two ten.

VADER: I'll take them myself. Cover me.

GOLD FIVE: Stay on target.

GOLD LEADER: We're too close.

GOLD FIVE: Stay on target!

GOLD LEADER: Loosen up!

GOLD FIVE: Gold Five to Red Leader. Lost Tiree, lost Hutch. It came... from... behind......

 

[SteveStarkiller]

heh, I can definitely hear it as I read it.

that was one little thing that bugged me. They kept mentioninig "shields" which has been said in star wars before, but I really prefer the sound of deflectors or deflector screens. Otherwise it just reminds me too much of trek.

 

[tcsmit29]

I will keep the gist of what I'd said: that most of us like the movie in this thread, and while we don't mind criticisms being voiced--if they are framed intelligently-- what I think most of us get torqued off at is when someone just makes a statement like "it's a recycled plot". We already know that... in the case of TFA I think it was partially intentional because this film sort of works like a bridge between what happened thirty years ago and today.

I just get sick of amateurish pot shots like that. Come up with a good critique if you're going to.

Also, I don't necessarily think ANH is "better" than TFA. They both have their strengths and weaknesses. One strength that ANH has over TFA is that it has existed for three decades, and has had all of that time to endear itself to us.

+1 to this. I would also like to add that even though the plots are very similar, it felt like a different movie to me. None of the similarities "took me out of" the emotions that come with the experience, or maybe I should say "took away from". I could nitpick, but all in all, I am happy with this product. I've seen it 5 times now. My opinions haven't changed on repeated viewings.

Others mileage may vary...

 

[The Mad Professor]

 

[Treadwell]

And I can hear the score in my head throughout.

But that scene is not scored.

- - - Updated - - -

I just realized something. The DVD/ blue ray releases are going to have the " Mandatory " Disney commercials... Enter ROTS awkward Vader NOOOOOOO!

Someone on a FB group I'm on was saying he wished the Disney logo and castle were used at the head of the film. UM, NO.

 

[Inquisitor Peregrinus]

that was one little thing that bugged me. They kept mentioninig "shields" which has been said in star wars before, but I really prefer the sound of deflectors or deflector screens. Otherwise it just reminds me too much of trek.

Yeah... Cuz they never mention deflectors in Trek...

For everyone, whether they liked TFA or not, who keeps mentioning how the story is a retread... So was the frikkin' "original"! George basically did Kurosawa's "Hidden Fortress" in space. A couple of Shakespeare's plays aren't a million miles from the plot, either. And if religious zealots hadn't burned the Library of Alexandria and all its scrolls, we might know whether one of the classical playwrites had done, as well. There are seven stories in the world. They just keep getting told over and over with tweaks to the characters, setting, and other specifics. Kinda like with music -- there are only about ten and a half octaves in the human auditory range, each comprised of eight notes. And somehow those eighty-odd notes have resulted in all the music over the millennia.

Die Hard is Robin Hood. Warm Bodies is Romeo and Juliet. The Fifth Element is Journey to the West. There are always going to be similarities in stories. Get over it and look past that. Critique the specifics of a given story, but not its resemblance to other stories.

That said... I'm amazed no one has mentioned the homage to Raiders of the Lost Ark in TFA. During the rathtar sequence, when one comes rolling down the corridor toward Han...? It's set up and executed almost exactly like another of Harrison's characters running from another big round thing coming after him down a narrow corridor... I noticed it my first viewing, but I've had other things to talk about.

--Jonah

--Jonah

 

[dascoyne]

But that scene is not scored.

I really meant the score throughout the entire battle. Initially I quoted a bigger chunk but whittled it down to the bit that didn't have much music. But you're right about that segment.

 

[Krull]

You'know one thing I haven't mentioned,if you watch carefully after Chewie,Rey,and Finn get back you see Chewie sitting by himself moping and looking really upset,I don't think the big furball really likes Leia all that much and he just went to basically cry in the corner by himself.

Then when Rey is taking off and landing the way Chewie looks at her,it's like a father looking at his kid and being proud of her you kinda get the feeling he may have adopted her.

 

[R.P. McMurphy]

For everyone, whether they liked TFA or not, who keeps mentioning how the story is a retread... So was the frikkin' "original"! George basically did Kurosawa's "Hidden Fortress" in space. A couple of Shakespeare's plays aren't a million miles from the plot, either. And if religious zealots hadn't burned the Library of Alexandria and all its scrolls, we might know whether one of the classical playwrites had done, as well. There are seven stories in the world. They just keep getting told over and over with tweaks to the characters, setting, and other specifics. Kinda like with music -- there are only about ten and a half octaves in the human auditory range, each comprised of eight notes. And somehow those eighty-odd notes have resulted in all the music over the millennia.

Die Hard is Robin Hood. Warm Bodies is Romeo and Juliet. The Fifth Element is Journey to the West. There are always going to be similarities in stories. Get over it and look past that. Critique the specifics of a given story, but not its resemblance to other stories.

--Jonah

I understand but don't agree with this point of view. Most agree that the brilliance of ANH came from the new, creative, and fresh way that Lucas was able to tie the mythos of previous cultures and stories to his visionary movie, intentional or not.

"Similarities" is too light a term. Major, mostly identical items is more accurate for me.

I can live with "Die Hard is Robin Hood" and "Warm Bodies is Romeo and Juliet" but it's too much for me to say it's cool that Star Wars is now Star Wars.

 

[Kylash]

You'know one thing I haven't mentioned,if you watch carefully after Chewie,Rey,and Finn get back you see Chewie sitting by himself moping and looking really upset,I don't think the big furball really likes Leia all that much and he just went to basically cry in the corner by himself.

Then when Rey is taking off and landing the way Chewie looks at her,it's like a father looking at his kid and being proud of her you kinda get the feeling he may have adopted her.

I could see Chewie not being too happy with Leia, she "took Han away" from him with family stuff and having kids etc.

 

[Krull]

I could see Chewie not being too happy with Leia, she "took Han away" from him with family stuff and having kids etc.

I think he'd be happy for his friend settling down and having kids,being content and all that the problem would be I imagine that when things went sour and they started fighting-who's side you think Chewie would be on? and ultimately he may see it as she sent Han to his death,I'm sure Chewie above many others would want to save Han's kid but I also think he knows it's dangerous and seeing Han go to confront him may have come across as just plain stupid-and who made him do that?

Better idea would be to try and knock him out and kidnap his crazy arse and work out the details later.

 

[Inquisitor Peregrinus]

I can live with "Die Hard is Robin Hood" and "Warm Bodies is Romeo and Juliet" but it's too much for me to say it's cool that Star Wars is now Star Wars.

Given how long Star Wars didn't feel like Star Wars... *heh* I get what you're saying. In this case, however, I think it's a familiarity the series needed.

--Jonah