Has TFA lost some of its luster since coming out on home video?

To make another weird statement, I like TFA as a whole, but I feel that myself or some of my close Star Wars fan friends could have written much better sequel. And I like the film, until I remember that any story or novel from the last 30 years would have been better to watch, from the Zahn novels, to Dark Empire, to the Jedi Academy novels. I like the movie, but this isn't the way I wanted my heroes to end up. Luke should be a Jedi master, not a failure. Han and Leia should be raising their kids together, and Leia should be an advanced Jedi and not a general. It's like nothing was gained in the last 30 years for the better. And, I will still argue that this movie would have been 100X better had Luke shown up at the end to save Rey with his green saber. I know people argue that we then would instantly forget Rey and her journey, but we are still going to be the same way once we see Luke at the beginning of Episode 8.

 

I was one of the people who posted too how Luke showing up at the end saving Rey way back when would be cool but the way you describe how you wanted things sounds like we are pretty concluded on everything. Han and Leia happily married and together and raising their children, Luke is a Jedi master, and then something goes wrong I guess? I think the Han and Leia situation they took is a very realist approach. They loved each other and always would but they were never going to just settle down or something. I really like where their story went. A lot of the villains in the EU seemed cheap to me. The characters might have been cool but the explanations for why they were there was very "Marvel-comic booky". Most of the villains were very heavy sci-fi like clones of old dead characters etc. are fine for comic book lovers and hardcore fans but not everyone really relates to that well. Ben Solo's story carries some weight with the OT characters and the OT in general knowing what happens to Han and Leia's son (which happened in the EU too).
As for Luke, they could have not had him in exile etc. but i think you have to give it a chance. We haven't seen what is going to become of it yet. The story is all 3 movies together. I think it's a little early for any of us to say we could do better. There is a lot to be told and TFA was kind of just to mostly get everyone in motion and set up the bulk of what it really gong to go down in this trilogy.

 

George didn't know he was going to get a sequel so it's really kind of not plausible for TFA to pan out in a way that is similar in that respect to ANH. The ST is a carefully planned out 3 part story. I get your point though. We would all like to feel like we came out of it with a little more info but like I said in my previous post in here, I think the wait will be worth it. TFA doesnt reflect the whole story obviously as it is one movie. I think VIII and IX will really leave us with a great taste in our mouths. Like Mark Hamill keeps saying ...#W8forVIII

 

I liked that they didn't go the way of the EU and had 20 years of quiet boring time. It makes more of a success of the work done by our heroes during the OT. It makes for boring stories though, which is why the books and comics are doing the rebuilding/wiping out the remnants era, and with Bloodlines, when things started to turn around. I am sure though after the movies include more of Luke, we may get an adventure in Jedi hunting or two as well. We have all seen it a billion times, and it's getting stale because of that and we want more. I was honestly traumatized by watching it the first time (and not by Han's death, I was spoiled going in) because of not understanding a few things. Things became clear though and it is the first one and questions need to be answered at a later date. However, it seems we shouldn't have to rely too much on outside sources and things like the political situation not explained (missing scene that is in the novelization) is kind of bad and confusing. It should have been more simple than that. The Thrawn trilogy was good, and Mara Jade was cool, but you know what, they are still there and in another universe, and there is more room for you to think up your own Alternative Universe if you want, because of the whole fairy tale aspect. Think how many times King Arthur stories have been written. Of course, there is canon, and canon should be taken for that, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy anything else out there. Wait for the rest of the sequel trilogy. They really have gotten some great new characters.

 

I've written similar things in other places, but I'll try to condense it here.

TFA is a good SW film. At times, very good. But it's not a great one.

A lot of the Finn stuff is trying too hard. The dialogue feels forced in some places. (the "boyfriend" line is just one example)

• Hux is an over the top nazi caricature....Tarkin was a real nazi. Piett was a nazi solider caught up trying to do his duty, etc...Hux is like a cartoon version.
• "Hey Maz!" Lame.
• "So...it's big. We'll blow it up. There's always a way to do that." Double Lame.
• "That was the deathstar major...THIS is Starkiller base." Triple lame.
• "No...it was Snoke...he seduced our son to the darkside." Major lame. That whole conversation with Han/Leia about Kylo was very stilted and forced. Actually, most of Carrie Fishers stuff was, to be honest. She was good in the Han goodbye scene and the Rey good bye scene but the rest of her dialogue just felt....off.
• Not showing any of the New Republic stuff before destroying Hosnian Prime. Major plot error...
• Not explaining Snoke or the first order, but apparently Han and Leia know all about him and talk about him to each other and to Kylo/Ben.
• Super-powered Rey.

Having said that, it's still a good SW movie. All of the Jakku stuff with Rey is money. It plays out nice and slow and her theme when first introduced is powerful. Han is good in most of his scenes. The moment from when he steps on the bridge to confront Kylo through the end of the film is all great. (because it's where the rehash ends and we get new stuff) The snow forrest battle is great. The music, setting, scene of Rey going to Luke is awesome.

All in all, it's got a lot going for it.

I rank it like this:

ESB
TFA/ANH
ROTJ
ROTS
TPM
.
.
.
.
AOTC

But just because it's tied for 2nd (currently) doesn't mean that repeat viewings haven't made some of it's flaws more obvious and annoying.

Good post.

 

"I rank it like this:

ESB
TFA/ANH
ROTJ
ROTS
TPM
.
.
.
.
AOTC" <-----Dying at this HAHAHAHAH so true though.

 

I agree with this whole dialogue! Perfect explanation.

 

Good move @FN-3263827 I feel that happy rush when I reach the end.

 

I like TFA. But I don't love it.

I think the whole movie is a bit of a mish mash. Starkiller Base outta nowhere! Cut Starkiller base completly and focus on the story. The story of finding Luke. How did everyone see "the Republic" get blown up? That whole sequence is vague and takes me right out of it. I think they just wanted a snow saber fight (which was awsome), so they made SKB. They could've just crashed on a snow planet, though.

It's an imitation movie and it shows. They played it too safe, in my opinion. JJ is just too on the nose with everything. Cut the training remote. Cut the chessboard. Cut "Twelve!". Cut Snap. Cut Poe saying buddy every 5 seconds. Just have Threepio put his hand on Artoo, he doesn't have to say "oh my dear friend". The movie needs some breathing room.
I don't think they needed to add anything. I think it needed a lot of stuff cut.

It just seemed like there was nothing at stake the whole time. (except the Han/Kylo scene).
If you must make a new Death Star and blow up the Republic...Blow up Coruscant! Have some guts! Take something away from us. Do something better than inventing a new planet nobody cares about and blowing it up. (I kinda feel the same way about Alderaan in ANH)

Or better yet, If you must have a Death Star, make Coruscant itself the new Death Star. The Emperor's true long con. And how about they actually blow up the resistence base. A big win like that for the FO would go a long way in making them scarier.

The First Order is apparently inept. The resistance shows up and owns them twice in the movie. The FO never gets a win. The villans aren't scary, and don't ever do anything. (except Kylo does some stuff here and there).

All that being said, I like the two new leads. Finn and Rey are enjoyable. The characters of TFA were alright, but the story was just too vague and rushed feeling. Which isn't surprising, they rushed the movie.

To answer the OP. It has lost some luster for me. But some of the highlights are great. The saber fight, and pretty much all of the Rey on Jakku sequences I really liked. The Jakku stuff really felt like Star Wars. Most of the rest of it felt like really expensive fan fiction.

Overall I would say that TFA is worth about...hmmm...7 portions. I give it a B+. It needs more George.

 

Spot on...

 

That's the other thing --- it's NOT a reboot ..

--- Double Post Merged, Jul 13, 2016, Original Post Date: Jul 13, 2016 ---

Though I'd say a one-half portion..

--- Double Post Merged, Jul 13, 2016 ---

Everything also felt too rushed .

 

I still adore TFA.

 

One of the things that really bugs me about TFA is how different C3PO looks; not the red arm thing, but how he looks plastic, with no sheen or shine at all... when he pops into screen between Han and Leia, he looks like a cheap mask... I know it's minor, but for me it's really a gritted teeth thing on a par with the Obi-Wan wig in TPM :/

 

Damn right, a reboot suggests franchise revitalisation. Not only have we had comics and books since the OT ended, but a PT and popular TV series. Star Wars has never 'died' since its launch approximately 40 years ago.

The thing that annoys me the most about TFA is the lack of technological progression. In the twenty years between ROTS and ANH, we see the technology, especially the ships and land vehicles 'naturally evolve'. However, in TFA we're expected to believe that The Republic and Empire are still using slightly modified 40+ year old technology. That's 30 for TFA, 9-10 for the OT, and possibly 10 for the dark times. Heck, the Y-Wings have been around since the Clone Wars: that makes them 63 years old by the time of TFA.

The praise of Kathleen Kennedy in the special features is also so annoying, as it's completely undeserved. She pretty much just oversees the whole of Lucasfilm, whereas George Lucas was involved in every single aspect of his Star Wars films, from the VFX to the script.

 

My perspective is that the Galaxy had a wealthy economic Empire keeping it going, but since the fall of the Galactic Empire the Galaxy has slipped into a 'recession'. There's no wealth to explore technological progression. I'd love for this to be explored in Canon more.

 

I rank TFA as my second favorite movie behind TESB. I agree it has it's flaws and there are things that could have been done better, but I can say that about any of the movies. I think TFA definitely delivered in capturing the excitement and getting the next series of movies off to a good start. It had me at the edge of my seat when seeing it in the theater and recaptured a lot of the feelings I had when watching the original in the theater as a kid. Since coming out on home video, I do feel it lost a little luster and some of its flaws stand out a little more. But, at the moment, I'd choose to rewatch it at home more than any of the other films. It did seem to me like it was released on home video much sooner than I would have it expected.