Star Wars: The Force Awakens Reactions - SPOILERS HERE ONLY

[goodhelmet]

OK, so news is that the film has been screened and CSC warns us that the internet is no longer safe. If you saw the film, post your reaction here. If you post them elsewhere, I may ban you. This is the SPOILERS zone. Donn't scroll down if you don't want to be spoiled. Discuss plot lines, criticisms, praises and the like here only. 

 

May The Force Be With You! 

[TheVileOne]

Well I just got out of Star Wars.  My review and detailed reactions will go up later.

[TheVileOne]

Alright, I will go ahead and get this started.  Here's my review in case you'd like to give it a look.  I won't get into detailed spoilers and what not at Disney's request.  Now granted, I don't really have to do that, but at the same time the studios don't have to grant me the privilege of early studio lot screenings and what not either.

 

My basic thoughts:

 

- I had a great time, the movie still has a lot of nice surprises.  

 

- This is always the direction I wanted Star Wars to go.  I hate prequels because I don't give a crap about what happens before.  The original films always gave you a pretty good idea to fill in the blanks.  This finally takes us to fresh stories and new characters.  That's why expanded universe was so exciting in the 1990s.  I wanted to see what comes next.  I didn't want to go backwards like the prequels.  Prequels suck and prequels are boring.  I want to see progression. I want to see the next chapter of a great story.

 

- The characters are all very likable and relatable unlike the prequels where everything is stilted, stiff, wooden and bizarrely awkward.  I will say character interactions and dialogue are a little more modern than what you would typically expect from Star Wars.  There's a lot of sort of modern punchy humor which was a bit jarring at times but that's a minor nitpick.  

 

- I like the First Order as the new villains.  They are like incredibly competent, hardcore Neo-Nazis.  These Stormtroopers know how to fight and they know how to shoot.  General Hux is kind of a badass.  He doesn't give two shits that Kylo Ren could rip him to shreds.  

 

- A lot of action that takes place on actual sets which is nice.  

 

- Here are my two major quibbles: not enough Poe Dameron.  There is also a major turning point that pretty much alters the entire fabric of the current Star Wars universe and the reaction is...well...I'm not sure.  I guess you can say it's comparable to moments in other films.  Sometimes Star Wars is all about moving the story along and not discussing the minutiae. That's arguably one of the issues of the prequels.  So take that for what it's worth.  

- But here's the deal, Poe is like the coolest new character in the film.  He's like the new Han Solo, but he pulls a plot disappearing act and he's reinserted in an awkward way.   There are some problems that you can see as script issues because Abrams and Kasdan basically wrote this from scratch in six months.

- Besides that, loved the look and aesthetic and had a great time.  

[GuerrillaMonsoon]

I'm tipping by end of ep9, Poe and Finn are in a relationship.

[GuerrillaMonsoon]

Just saw it.

 

First 2/3 of the film is just awesome. If you don't enjoy that, you had an awful childhood.

 

Then Han dies and its just one big kick in the dick from there.

[TheVileOne]

I'm tipping by end of ep9, Poe and Finn are in a relationship.

 

LOL, I know why you would have that reaction.  Fanfic writers and Tumblr people are going to have a field day with this relationship...if they aren't already.

[John Austin]

Ok I have to know and I can't wait. What does Luke do? Does he come in like Goku when ish hits the fan?

[GuerrillaMonsoon]

Ok I have to know and I can't wait. What does Luke do? Does he come in like Goku when ish hits the fan?

 

Absolutely nothing. They track him down in the last 2 minutes of the film (which really doesn't make any sense at all) and the end scene is just her and him on a cliff edge nodding at each other.

[GuerrillaMonsoon]

 

I'm tipping by end of ep9, Poe and Finn are in a relationship.

 

LOL, I know why you would have that reaction.  Fanfic writers and Tumblr people are going to have a field day with this relationship...if they aren't already.

 

 

Seemed like a big call back to Ep 4. They want you to believe a Finn / Rey relationship will happen the same way they hinted at a Leia/Luke one. But nothing ever really comes of it despite ample opportunity - continually referred to as a friend, hugs, etc.

 

Whether or not the toy retailers would pressure them not to is probably holding it back though.

[Robert S]

I am just returning home from cinema. I went there as part of a small department team event (after a round of bowling and dinner - all paid for by my company). I would say that this is the best Star Wars movie since The Empire Strikes Back. It's a pretty thin on the story side though the whole action flows well enough that this hardly matters. Some nitpickings:

- They shouldn't have had Harrison Ford run, he looks really embarrassing doing so.

- The goal in the end for the rebels is to destroy just another death star.

- Adam Driver (without mask) does not look like the menacing evil he is trying to portray. That scene with Harrison Ford did not work at all.

- Too much stupid droid humor.

[MarcosLoura]

 

Poe and Kylo were friends! I bet the dude in the middle is the Big Evil Boss.

[CrazyMax46]

It was fine.

Earlier in the day a friend of mine watched Guardians Of The Galaxy. The entire time I watched Episode VII, I was thinking of GOTG.

The more I watched Episode VII, I realized something. The Star Wars style of "Movie" is cliche. It's been over 30 years since Return Of The Jedi. Movies have changed. Shit, movies have changed several times since Episode III.

This type of movie doesn't "Fit" in today's society. It's not Star Wars fault. Society just changes. Star Wars isn't cool anymore. At least not to me. You know what is cool? Starlord and Rocket Racoon blowing shit up. The Avengers fighting bad guys.

The other side to this is maybe Star Wars just doesn't work for Me. My viewpoints on the world changed a lot since I saw Star Wars for the first time as a child. But I'm willing to bet that there are a number of people who think that way as well.

We don't need Star Wars. This movie didn't need to be made. We already have our Star Wars. It's called Marvel. This was made so that Disney could make some money. That in itself isn't bad because Star Wars has always been a product.

Now, with all that aside, I liked Episode VII for what it was. Most of the characters were good and the basic story worked. It was well made and looked great. It was kinda fun. It doesn't do anything outside of the box. It doesn't take any chances. It ticks all the boxes to be a generic popular movie that millions go to see and has a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. I liked it, even if it's not as magical as the original trilogy. Nothing ever will be for people like us.

Eh...

[Raziel]

You have no heart.

I take back half of the bad shit I said about JJ. That was a frikkin great movie. It felt way more like the Originals that the Prequels ever did. Pretty much smoked the prequels is about 10 minutes.

[Craig H]

FUCK YEAH! Is this where the party is at?

Oh, why does it look like I was crying? Uh, not sure what you're talking about.

Why did I bring boxes of tissues? That's what you're supposed to bring to parties, right?

[Craig H]

IT'S A CELEBRATION!

The prequels basically no longer exist, which is fine, because those were the farthest fucking thing from a Star Wars movie that you could get.

Thank you, JJ.

[cool arrow]

What are these... "pree-quells" of which you speak?

[CrazyMax46]

George Lucas' attempt to make Titanic.

In retrospect I really liked the look of the prequel trilogy.

I just didn't like anything else about them. They were Barbie dolls at their core.

[CrazyMax46]

You have no heart.

I take back half of the bad shit I said about JJ. That was a frikkin great movie. It felt way more like the Originals that the Prequels ever did. Pretty much smoked the prequels is about 10 minutes.

I have a brain.

JJ gets a lot of shit (and somewhat rightfully so) but he was still the right choice to set the franchise off on its way again.

[Craig H]

Starkiller Base was scary as hell. As far as doomsday weapons go, that may be the best.

And Poe Dameron is the shiiiiiiiiiit. Love that guy.

[Zimbra]

On first watch: I love it.

 

I had been apprehensive and tried to manage my expectations because of what happened with Star Trek.  Abrams made a movie that had all the signifiers of Trek, but he either didn't get or chose not to include the fundamental elements that make Star Trek what it is.  I think he really gets Star Wars.  The script really leaned into the whole Joseph Campbell heroic journey/monomyth idea that influenced the original.  I loved how they introduced these characters and used familiar story beats to match them up with the archetypes introduced in A New Hope and then played with our expectations and turned some of them totally on their head.

 

There were definitely some things that didn't hit for me, particularly Supreme Leader Whatshisname, but I'm really excited to see where they go from here.

[CrazyMax46]

Poe is the new best character ever.

Unless you are a six year old girl. Then it's Rey.

[Ace]

  I will say character interactions and dialogue are a little more modern than what you would typically expect from Star Wars.  

 

This did throw me off a bit in Poe's first encounter with Ren. Then I realized what I was missing was the stilted stiff dialogue delivery that Lucas always loves.

 

One of my biggest concerns coming in did occur, though. Carrie Fisher's post-ECT diction has her speaking like she has poor dentures. I may've only noticed it because I was specifically looking for it.

 

Did Han call Ren "Ren" or "Ben"? I couldn't tell.

 

ETA: looking at Wookiepedia, they do list him as Ben Solo.

 

I could've used more of Captain Phasma and Maz Kanata. I hope they return.

[Zimbra]

They've said that Phasma will be back in the next one.

[TheVileOne]

Pretty sure he called him Ben.  

 

So...Coruscant, the Senate and the New Republic are just nuked now?  I think the area the Starkiller attacked was the Hosnian system.  Not sure what planets are there.  

 

So is there anything left of the Republic and the Senate?

[TimLivingston]

That movie hit every possible note. Of all the movies to get rebooted, this is THE reboot, so basically, trying to separate it from your emotions does it no good. I almost cried twice. I pumped my fist a double times. I exclaimed loudly to the point where my brother hit me in the arm.

 

This is what I have been waiting for and it totally hit on every single fucking note. I'll nitpick it after six views or 12, but on first watch, it's the defining movie-going experience of my lifetime.