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Post by sunofdarkchild on Dec 25, 2015 7:44:36 GMT -5
Thought the first half of the movie was great, the second half less so. Kylo Ren was awesome until he took off his mask, then he turned into a whiny brat. And Rey's powers are BS. At least between episodes 2 and 3 Anakin spent years on the front line. Now she's powerful just because. And the repeat of the Death Star for the 3rd time was too much.
Loved Han and he practical effects, and no one was stilted or annoying like Jar Jar.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Dec 25, 2015 21:04:32 GMT -5
Well, there you go  . But was she really more wowed by it than anything else in the past 12 months? Yes, actually.. though your point is |
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Post by Arthur Gordon Scratch on Dec 25, 2015 21:12:07 GMT -5
My point is I would have thought most kid wouldn't be as impressed with this, as there's been IMHO, some much more WOW and fun adventure movies suitable for kids in the past couple of years. I just thought it didn't win over the competition over the wow factor, and by far. I can't see a kids mind being set on fire by this as much as the original movies could with the kids of then, it's just not as "Wow"...
Even if I didn't like it, Guardians of Galaxy was a better movie IMHO, one that kids could really project themselves into for a long time.
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Post by robsuperfriend63 on Dec 25, 2015 21:59:25 GMT -5
Thought the first half of the movie was great, the second half less so. Kylo Ren was awesome until he took off his mask, then he turned into a whiny brat. And Rey's powers are BS. At least between episodes 2 and 3 Anakin spent years on the front line. Now she's powerful just because. And the repeat of the Death Star for the 3rd time was too much. Loved Han and he practical effects, and no one was stilted or annoying like Jar Jar. Agreed. However, about Rey's powers my brother-in-law explained to me how she got her powers so fast that the movie failed to make clear. When Kylo Ren interrogates Rey he using his force powers on her mind with great force to try and turn her evil. But it backfires and now her powers are for the good side. In short he was trying to enter her mind let her see what he was thinking to tempt her over, but all he did was transfer some of his powers to her and she decided to use them for good. Yeah, I was disappointed when he took off his mask. I thoght he'd be disfigured like like Darth Vader. |
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Post by robsuperfriend63 on Dec 25, 2015 22:36:26 GMT -5
The movie was ok, not great like the others, but I was glad I watched it. What I was really disappointed about was that the way they did the story, it makes what Luke, Han, & Leia went through in the original trilogy was all for nothing. I mean it's 30 years later and Luke is still called the last Jedi. And even though the new baddies are called The First Order, it's still the Empire. And like a few have said they rehashed some things from the original Star Wars like the robot carrying important info. I was sorry to see Han die, but I figured even before I saw the film that one of the original cast members could get killed. I thought the final scene with Luke was a let down. They should have at least given Mark Hamil a line to say.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 26, 2015 1:14:02 GMT -5
I thought the final scene with Luke was a let down. They should have at least given Mark Hamil a line to say. He's gonna train Rey like this guy... |
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Post by batlaw on Dec 26, 2015 2:25:56 GMT -5
I thought the final scene with Luke was a let down. They should have at least given Mark Hamil a line to say. agreed. I was absolutely certain the scene was going to end with... Rey: "you're Luke Skywalker". (Perhaps with some variation of "I'm here to rescue you"). Luke: "I'm also... your father". Or Rey: "are you..." Luke: "I am... your father". Or some variation thereof. I was so convinced that I was even more disappointed by the final scene. I'm curious if the "Knights of Ren" consist of former fellow students of lukes whome he convinced to turn, or new "students" of his own he collected after slaughtering his fellow students and defecting from luke? Most likely a mix of both I assume. I'm thinking as a result of Lukes perceived failure in restarting the Jedi, they're going to flip the script have Luke / new Jedi order assume the "rule of two". The Jedi will consist of only a master and an apprentice (Luke / Rey), and new sith / knights of ren will be a virtual army. A way to maintain balance within the force and ensure against further corruption of it. keeping it's teachings to a minimum with strict oversight and control. Then going after those who may be sensitive to it and or inclined to abuse it. |
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
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Post by Confessor on Dec 26, 2015 7:47:11 GMT -5
Even if I didn't like it, Guardians of Galaxy was a better movie IMHO, one that kids could really project themselves into for a long time. I've gotta say that, although I hadn't thought of it myself, I really agree with you on this. Guardians of the Galaxy was a much better family sci-fi, popcorn, action movie than The Force Awakens. It was just better scripted, better paced and it's central plot or narrative was much more focused. |
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Post by sunofdarkchild on Dec 26, 2015 11:49:23 GMT -5
Thought the first half of the movie was great, the second half less so. Kylo Ren was awesome until he took off his mask, then he turned into a whiny brat. And Rey's powers are BS. At least between episodes 2 and 3 Anakin spent years on the front line. Now she's powerful just because. And the repeat of the Death Star for the 3rd time was too much. Loved Han and he practical effects, and no one was stilted or annoying like Jar Jar. Agreed. However, about Rey's powers my brother-in-law explained to me how she got her powers so fast that the movie failed to make clear. When Kylo Ren interrogates Rey he using his force powers on her mind with great force to try and turn her evil. But it backfires and now her powers are for the good side. In short he was trying to enter her mind let her see what he was thinking to tempt her over, but all he did was transfer some of his powers to her and she decided to use them for good. Yeah, I was disappointed when he took off his mask. I thoght he'd be disfigured like like Darth Vader. I wasn't disappointed in how he looked, but how he acted. For the first half he seemed like a more down-to-earth Darth Vader, calculating, a sep ahaead of everyone, ect. Once the mask came off he stopped appearing smart and did little more than complain and throw tantrums. I did really like his scene with Han, but that was the only one. I'm also really glad that his name wasn't Jacen. While I am not against the concept of Han and Leia's kid going to the Dark Side, Legacy of the Force was a horrible story that destroyed the Star Wars EU and made getting rid of it necessary in the first place. Overall I liked this better than Guardians of the Galaxy. The first half was just so good that the problems with the second half don't upset me that much, and I feel that Guardians has certain similar problems, like the lack of explanations for certain things. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Dec 26, 2015 15:03:11 GMT -5
Even if I didn't like it, Guardians of Galaxy was a better movie IMHO, one that kids could really project themselves into for a long time. I've gotta say that, although I hadn't thought of it myself, I really agree with you on this. Guardians of the Galaxy was a much better family sci-fi, popcorn, action movie than The Force Awakens. It was just better scripted, better paced and it's central plot or narrative was much more focused. Different strokes, I guess. I couldn't even get through Guardians of the Galaxy it was so bad... so happy I didn't give them any money. (watched it on HBO) |
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Post by coke & comics on Dec 26, 2015 19:43:33 GMT -5
Just watched it. Never been a huge Star Wars fan. Generally like the originals, but not as much as I like actually good things like Star Trek.
This new one was pretty good. It avoided all the prequel's missteps, particularly in the visuals. The biggest failing of the prequels was the animation which made characters standing in the same room not seem to be in the same room. This created the right feeling. Puppets, robots, nature scenes. It all felt solid. Within the good effects that felt Star Warsy was a solid adventure story. Cute droid has some information in the form of a holographic message. Galactic struggle between resistance and empire. A poor teen on a desert world feels the Force, and teams with unlikely companions, getting embroiled in the struggle and helping lead a team of pilots on a mission to destroy a weapon capable of destroying worlds. Exciting, well told.
But somehow familiar. It captured what was good about Star Wars, set itself up for sequels... but I don't know why I shouldn't just go rewatch Star Wars. If this movie's greatest accomplishment was to live up to and imitate another film, then did I need to see it?
All good questions.
Guardians of the Galaxy was the superior space adventure film. It was more fun. Felt more fresh.
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Post by coke & comics on Dec 26, 2015 19:53:48 GMT -5
Just got back from seeing it. Overall, I enjoyed it much more than any of the prequels, though it didn't rise to the level of of the original trilogy. It just misses being as good as Return of the Jedi for me. I agree that it was striking how closely it followed the plot of A New Hope. I get why they chose to do this, given the way the prequels went, but I'm hoping for a bit more innovation with the upcoming films. It's striking how much the plot of "A New Hope" is a step by step following of the classic hero's journey as outlined by Joseph Campbell in A Hero With a Thousand Faces. Lucas even admits to the influence of Campbell's work on Star Wars and he consciously chose the archetypes outlined for each of the roles in the movie based on that classic hero's journey. Abrams is/was going back to those archetypes and influence here too it seems. So he's copying George who is copying Joe who is spelling out the timeless repeated patterns of heroic stories in myth. -M No, he's really copying George. Nothing in Campbell about Death Stars or droids with holographic messages which need to get to the resistance. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 26, 2015 20:16:45 GMT -5
Thought the first half of the movie was great, the second half less so. Kylo Ren was awesome until he took off his mask, then he turned into a whiny brat. And Rey's powers are BS. At least between episodes 2 and 3 Anakin spent years on the front line. Now she's powerful just because. And the repeat of the Death Star for the 3rd time was too much. Loved Han and he practical effects, and no one was stilted or annoying like Jar Jar. This sums up my thoughts as well. Ha, when Kylo Ren took off his mask I looked over at my friend and said "what a geek"! Yeah, couldn't believe the rehash of the Death Star AGAIN...also to make things even more cheesy we have Princess Leia back after 30+ years in the war room overseeing tactical...OH PLEEEEEEEEEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Should have been more emotion from Leia when she found out Han was dead, was this bad directing, bad acting, or both? At the end when Luke appeared I just didn't care, was glad it was over and I could go home. I have seen films over-hyped in the past, but this one sure does take the cake!! I really expected more & this film did not deliver. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 26, 2015 23:23:52 GMT -5
It's striking how much the plot of "A New Hope" is a step by step following of the classic hero's journey as outlined by Joseph Campbell in A Hero With a Thousand Faces. Lucas even admits to the influence of Campbell's work on Star Wars and he consciously chose the archetypes outlined for each of the roles in the movie based on that classic hero's journey. Abrams is/was going back to those archetypes and influence here too it seems. So he's copying George who is copying Joe who is spelling out the timeless repeated patterns of heroic stories in myth. -M No, he's really copying George. Nothing in Campbell about Death Stars or droids with holographic messages which need to get to the resistance. My point was George was copying someone else, so saying Force Awakens was just a pale copy while Star wars itself was original is disingenuous. -common man/woman who doesn't know he is a hero with mysterious origins -old wizened experience mentor appears and the hero's journey begins, mentor then dies -a journey/quest mulligan to recover or destroy -common man/woman steps up against a superior foe and finds a way to win becoming the hero as the journey and conflict reveal their identity as such -hero's journey concludes to acclaim of his people that's the hero's journey from Campbell, it's the beat by beat plot for Star Wars, it's the beat by beat plot to Force Awakens...as much as I love the original Star Wars, it's innovation was not in terms of plot or story, and neither was Force Awakens. Take that plot, add in some Flash Gordon sci-fi elements, some WWII dogfight footage and recreate it with spaceship models and sfx and you have Star Wars (and Force Awakens), change the sci-fi elements to something else and you have the skeleton for just about every major fantasy story (Tolkien used Middle Earth as the trappings to tell the same story for instance), sci-fi story, heroic myth, etc. It's not the plot that matters in these types of hero's journey stories, they're always the same with a different coat of paint, it't the execution, the characters, and the connection with the audience who is hardwired to receive this timeless story. Star Wars wasn't great because Lucas was a great plotter (in fact, the prequels, which depart form that mythic archetype much more and depend on Lucas' plotting, are far inferior stories, as was the original pass of the Star Wars as adapted by Dark Horse recently before he went back and revised implementing more of the Campbellian archetypes to restructure a lot of it). Lucas innovation was as a film technician, in finding ways to execute the old story in new visual ways, not in breaking new ground with the story itself To expect the movies within the framework of Lucas' trappings for telling that same old story to innovate plotwise is somewhat of an unrealistic expectation. Star Wars is not about innovative plots. Never has been. Never really will be. It's about retelling that same grand story well and in new ways, but new ways within the limitations of what Lucas established with the trappings. Force Awakens was no more or less innovative in its plotting than Star Wars itself was. If you take Lucas off the pedestal he often gets placed on for storytelling, and look what he actually did, you see story was not where his strengths and innovative ability lay, he was a great moviemaker to be certain, and in so doing told the story fairly well, but the story itself was nothing new, it was, if not the oldest story in the world, certainly one of the oldest stories in the world. And Force Awakens retold that story too. If your expectations are for something to be what it is not in its nature to be, and never had been, and you are then disappointed it is not what it isn't in its nature to be, then the problem is with the expectations, not with the thing itself. And many, many many of the criticisms I have heard are just that, it wasn't what I thought/expected it to be. And if that's how someone feels, cool, but the people who weren't expecting it to be something it wasn't, seem overall, to be quite pleased with the movie and enjoyed it fairly well. -M |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 26, 2015 23:25:30 GMT -5
Thought the first half of the movie was great, the second half less so. Kylo Ren was awesome until he took off his mask, then he turned into a whiny brat. And Rey's powers are BS. At least between episodes 2 and 3 Anakin spent years on the front line. Now she's powerful just because. And the repeat of the Death Star for the 3rd time was too much. Loved Han and he practical effects, and no one was stilted or annoying like Jar Jar. This sums up my thoughts as well. Ha, when Kylo Ren took off his mask I looked over at my friend and said "what a geek"! Yeah, couldn't believe the rehash of the Death Star AGAIN...also to make things even more cheesy we have Princess Leia back after 30+ years in the war room overseeing tactical...OH PLEEEEEEEEEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Should have been more emotion from Leia when she found out Han was dead, was this bad directing, bad acting, or both? At the end when Luke appeared I just didn't care, was glad it was over and I could go home. I have seen films over-hyped in the past, but this one sure does take the cake!! I really expected more & this film did not deliver.Case in point for my previous post. -M |
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. But was she really more wowed by it than anything else in the past 12 months?
