Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

[fryoj]

Saw it twice in 3-D. I would rank it 2cd behind Empire. The fam and I went back and we re-watched all the movies in chronological order. I really forgot how bad the prequels were. Aside from the opening in the first one and the ending in the third one, the rest was kinda painful to watch. A few scenes here and there were cool, but the dialog was especially bad.

Seeing the FA the second time was so much better. I picked up a lot of things I missed on the first round. I hope they get JJ to do the next two. I believe I read he was not going to, but with it being such a success, I hope Disney gives him a blank check.

They are already filming 8 with a different director and a third director is lined up for 9. JJ is supposed to be producing/creative consultant on all of them though.

 

[*Q*]

I hope they get JJ to do the next two. I believe I read he was not going to, but with it being such a success, I hope Disney gives him a blank check.

Rian Johnson (director of Looper) is about to go into principal photography on Episode VIII in January, and Colin Trevorrow (director of Jurassic World) is slated to direct Episode IX. Out of the three directors, Rian Johnson is actually the one I'm most excited about. J.J. Abrams delivered just as well as about how I expected he would. Colin Trevorrow has proven he can do great action sequences, but the characters in Jurassic World were very, very flat, which has me a little worried.

 

[Jymmymack]

Rian Johnson (director of Looper) is about to go into principal photography on Episode VIII in January, and Colin Trevorrow (director of Jurassic World) is slated to direct Episode IX. Out of the three directors, Rian Johnson is actually the one I'm most excited about. J.J. Abrams delivered just as well as about how I expected he would. Colin Trevorrow has proven he can do great action sequences, but the characters in Jurassic World were very, very flat, which has me a little worried.

Apparently JJ is really, really regretting not signing up for the second film. Originally, Johnson was just going to pen VIII and IX. they wanted JJ to at least do the first two, but as he was reluctant to do even one of them, he declined the second. Now, after having read Johnson's final screenplay for VIII, JJ has been practically morose over the fact that he won't be directing it. And for those that know JJ, he never really gets upset over regrets. So that speaks volumes.

 

[rhino4evr]

JJ will stay on as Exec. Producer for the entire trilogy, so there is hope that his influence carries over.

I am in agreement that I think the next film could be really, really, great. Rian Johnson is a great writer, and he does really great character pieces.

I honestly thought....Jurassic World was terrible. I disliked almost everything about it. Even the "action" scenes felt sloppy and predictable. It was lacking any real tension. Don't get me started on the awful and unlikeable characters.

 

[rhino4evr]

it would really suck if they blow this lead.....but these new folks have a lot to live up to.

I'm also worried about oversaturation. With "side movies" being released every other year. Who is to say a lot of folks will be "over" Star Wars by the time Ep 9 comes out. There won't be the same pent up demand like there was for Ep. 7.

 

[Scott W.]

it would really suck if they blow this lead.....but these new folks have a lot to live up to.

I'm also worried about oversaturation. With "side movies" being released every other year. Who is to say a lot of folks will be "over" Star Wars by the time Ep 9 comes out. There won't be the same pent up demand like there was for Ep. 7.

I think Rogue One sounds like it will be a refreshing Star Wars story. From what I've read it won't have anything to do with the force and will be a bit more gritty.

I think Episode 7 has been a huge success so far and I can see the momentum continuing into episode 9.

 

[Nick]

Too much context is what killed the PT. Like the OT this one played up the mystery of what happened.

Yeah, but the prequels needed the context - that was the entire point. To learn about what happened. It wasn't like we would ever go back to that time period again (at least focusing solely on Anakin and Obi-Wan).

 

[martymcflyy85]

I have to admit, I really regret that JJ is not doing the next 2 movies as well. I'm a big fan of pretty much everything he's ever done. And the Force Awakens was so great on so many levels.

 

[Nick]

I have to admit, I really regret that JJ is not doing the next 2 movies as well. I'm a big fan of pretty much everything he's ever done. And the Force Awakens was so great on so many levels.

TFA was great (and #ReyIsBae), however i'm hoping the next few films will take on a bit more originality now that JJ has set it up. I don't want this trilogy to be a 30 years later rehash of the Original Trilogy. TFA was a very Star Wars movie, which is great. Great characters, great dialogue, vague details, etc. However, the movie had a lot (and I mean A LOT) of similarities to A New Hope.

While that doesn't bother me for Ep. 7, I don't want another Empire/Return of the Jedi. Many of those elements will likely be used, which is fine, but we need some originality too. If I see a variation on a Death Star in Episode 8 I may well walk out of the theater. There's only so many times you can do that. They've done it three times now and every time they've fairly easily gone in and hit a "weak spot" and blown the thing up. You'd think by now they'd build something that wouldn't blow up so easily (Especially when you consider the size of the Starkiller Base).

 

[Viator]

TFA was great (and #ReyIsBae), however i'm hoping the next few films will take on a bit more originality now that JJ has set it up. I don't want this trilogy to be a 30 years later rehash of the Original Trilogy. TFA was a very Star Wars movie, which is great. Great characters, great dialogue, vague details, etc. However, the movie had a lot (and I mean A LOT) of similarities to A New Hope.

While that doesn't bother me for Ep. 7, I don't want another Empire/Return of the Jedi. Many of those elements will likely be used, which is fine, but we need some originality too. If I see a variation on a Death Star in Episode 8 I may well walk out of the theater. There's only so many times you can do that. They've done it three times now and every time they've fairly easily gone in and hit a "weak spot" and blown the thing up. You'd think by now they'd build something that wouldn't blow up so easily (Especially when you consider the size of the Starkiller Base).

I'll say that I wouldn't be surprised that Eight goes very much darker than Empire, which would make sense. It's most likely going to be the darkest moments for the New-Age trilogy of Star Wars (i'm calling it the New-Age Trilogy until they have a official name..) and what better director to do that than the man who did one of the better Sci-Fi films in the past five years, Looper.

Spoiler: Spoiler..

I am very interested to see how they handle Snoke In the terminology of teaching Kylo Ren, and the same goes for Lukes case. I'd also have a good feeling that VIII will bring some interesting aspects of lore for what happened during the time-gap of ROTJ and TFA but

 

[Nick]

I'll say that I wouldn't be surprised that Eight goes very much darker than Empire, which would make sense. It's most likely going to be the darkest moments for the New-Age trilogy of Star Wars (i'm calling it the New-Age Trilogy until they have a official name..) and what better director to do that than the man who did one of the better Sci-Fi films in the past five years, Looper.

Spoiler: Spoiler..

I am very interested to see how they handle Snoke In the terminology of teaching Kylo Ren, and the same goes for Lukes case. I'd also have a good feeling that VIII will bring some interesting aspects of lore for what happened during the time-gap of ROTJ and TFA but

I do expect 8 and 9 to follow the original trilogy in the sense that 8 will be very dark (darker than Empire as you alluded) and 9 will be all about the fighting the First Order and the Jedi coming out on top in some way after a big fight to the death at the end of the movie.

Since these are minor spoilers (casting, speculation) for Ep 8, i'll tuck these comments away just to be safe since I know some people try to stay 100% in the dark:

Spoiler

The entire cast from TFA plus others are said to be back already, which include Harrison Ford. Ewan McGregor is also signed on. Rian Johnson has said that 8 will feature something that no other SW film has ever done, which leads to the obvious conclusion (that I could assume anyway) that there will be flashbacks that will include Han, Leia and Obi-Wan that will show a young Ben Solo-Organa and what lead to him going to the dark side.

I'm also interested in something that seems obvious but still intrigues me - Rey's Parents. It seems obvious they are trying to steer us towards Luke, but I have reason to believe Han/Leia are the parents.

 

[Nico]

He's definitely not directing. The screenplay has already been written by someone else (he loves it). Maybe the third one.

 

[Nick]

He's definitely not directing. The screenplay has already been written by someone else (he loves it). Maybe the third one.

Who, JJ? Colin Trevorrow is directing Ep. 9.

JJ is a Co-Producer on 8 though.

 

[Jymmymack]

Yeah, but the prequels needed the context - that was the entire point. To learn about what happened. It wasn't like we would ever go back to that time period again (at least focusing solely on Anakin and Obi-Wan).

Learning about what happened is fine. Having somebody tell you what's happening in badly written exposition is what killed the PT. "It is obvious that our contest cannot be decided by our knowledge of the Force, but by our skills with a lightsaber." "You were supposed to destroy the Sith, not join them!" "From my point of view, the Jedi are evil!"

I wasn't aware that Capt. Obvious was still a script doctor...

 

[Nick]

Learning about what happened is fine. Having somebody tell you what's happening in badly written exposition is what killed the PT. "It is obvious that our contest cannot be decided by our knowledge of the Force, but by our skills with a lightsaber." "You were supposed to destroy the Sith, not join them!" "From my point of view, the Jedi are evil!"

I wasn't aware that Capt. Obvious was still a script doctor...

Yeah, we all know the PT had their flaws and are certainly no masterpiece of cinema. Horrible CGI and lack of physical sets. I tend to look at it as the main series is from Episode 4 onward (so 4-9 once the new trilogy is complete). The prequels were meant to tell a story and they more or less did that. Those movies still play a semi-important part. Some of the cast from those movies may be coming on in Episode 8 (Ewan McGregor specifically).

 

[Viator]

Who, JJ? Colin Trevorrow is directing Ep. 9.

JJ is a Co-Producer on 8 though.

J.J Abrams.

From what it seems; Episode 9 will have Rian write the script as Colin directs, so atleast 9 will be guarded a little bit to make sure no continuity issues occur.

 

[Nick]

J.J Abrams.

From what it seems; Episode 9 will have Rian write the script as Colin directs, so atleast 9 will be guarded a little bit to make sure no continuity issues occur.

Yep.

I think the biggest mistake mistake Disney has made with Star Wars here is doing the Anthology series in between the trilogy. I think people will start to get a bit worn out by the end. IMO, the Anthology series should've been saved until after the current trilogy to keep the Star Wars hype going and explore other parts of the Universe besides the Skywalker family (which is virtually what 1-9 are about) without the next film in the trilogy looming.

As much as I love the Concept of Rogue One, it's ANOTHER story about the Death Star.

 

[AK-Jake]

I agree with many of the reviews listed here. I saw it during the 12/17 "sneak preview" night with family at an IMAX 3D in Washington, DC (I flew down from Alaska with family to see it with my little brother, who works at the Pentagon).

It was a great movie. I consider it not as good as the OT, but better than the Prequels, so it would be my 4th favorite out of 7 for me.

Lots of issues with the plot and story, and yes, it was a total rehash of A New Hope with dashes of Empire, BUT it made me feel much happier/satisfied walking out of the theater than the prequels did (and I LIKED Revenge of the Sith). There's the "heartbreaking scene" that still tears my heart out 3 viewings in. So hard to watch. Yes, I was also irked by the final lightsaber duel, but for what it was, it was enjoyable. It was badass watching them cut entire full-sized trees down with a single swipe of a lightsaber. I thought it was a bit "too funny" for my tastes, and I still struggle to understand what Finn's role will be. He felt like a sidekick the whole film. C-3PO's appearance in the film was pointless, but he was there for nostalgia purposes. Fine, I get that. And what was up with the red arm? Luke's appearance at the end obviously sets him up for a HUGE rule in Episode 8. Can't wait to see what his role is.

The thing that bothered me most was John Williams' score for the film. Easily the weakest he's done yet for the Star Wars saga. The only original theme that stood out was Rey's Theme, the rest was nods to previous themes and mere background music. I purchased the soundtrack and have listened to it about 15 times...very disappointing. Look at the Original Trilogy: each film has at least three major themes that are memorable. The prequel scores weren't much better than this one...though we did get the epic "Duel of the Fates" and the "Anakin/Padme Love Theme" from Eps 1 & 2.

But enough nitpicking...it was a great film and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was definitely a J.J. Abrams film (it had a total different feel than the other films), but it was very well done. The wait for Episode 8 is only 18 months...half the time we had to wait for any prior installments, plus we get some other doses in-between with the "Anthology" films (starting with Rogue One next Christmas).

Bravo to all involved. The franchise is in good hands. I just hope they (Disney) don't oversaturate it like they have with Marvel.

 

[Nick]

I still struggle to understand what Finn's role will be.

Spoiler

The characters seem like a rehash of the main characters of the OT.

Finn = the Leia (mainly just there as a love interest for Rey)
Rey = the Luke with some Leia influences
Poe = new Han Solo now that he is gone.

 

[Jymmymack]

Spoiler

The characters seem like a rehash of the main characters of the OT.

Finn = the Leia (mainly just there as a love interest for Rey)
Rey = the Luke with some Leia influences
Poe = new Han Solo now that he is gone.

I don't think any of the characters were rehashes of the original. In fact, I think this is the one area where they drew a line in the sand and differentiated themselves.

Luke was a whiny, shielded farm boy who knew very little about the outside world and pretty much trusted everyone he met. His story is one of disillusionment with grand adventure.

Rey is a scavenger, rough edged and street smart. Someone who is as afraid of adventure as she is in need of it.

Finn and Leia are pretty much nothing alike. Other than the "love interest" scenario, which is itself a very high-level comparison. Leia was a strong-willed rebel unafraid to take a stand. Finn has been raised and "educated" to be a slave of the First Order. He's learning to be an individual and face his fears. I believe the next film will dive deeper into the "education centers" that Finn was subjected to as a child.

While Poe is a great pilot, he's not a curmudgeonly scoundrel like Han. He's someone who deeply believes in the cause that he's fighting for and willing to sacrifice himself for it. Other than being a good-looking pilot, he's nothing like Han. I do hope they dig into his character more next film, as his origins are very interesting.