I have come to terms with this movie, have you?

I have now. My expectations have crashed through the ground but that's probably a good thing.

Arndt was taking too long writing the plot so instead they decided to go without a plot, just throw in vague motivations like becoming Immune To The Light or saying out-loud 'im so conflicted'. Just throw new characters into a remix of ANH and explain away all meetings and events with 'because fate and or the force'...lazy.

As impatient as I am I wish they'd have just delayed this film another year or so until they could work out a story. Episode 8 still has a chance of being epic but they've missed such a huge opportunity here for the sake of making money back asap and it's disapointing.

They have all the money in the world, they could have released this whenever they wanted and hired some more creative guys to script it. I know I'll still enjoy the film but this still feels like a cop-out

And ***-damn I hate cliffhanger endings, like despise them. Luke Skywalker reduced to a teaser for the next film. lazy.

 

Brilliant post. Yeah I don't understand how people don't this movie for what it is a reboot of ANH with a sprinkle of ESB. I agree they should have delayed the release date and took the time on the script. It was a rush job.

 

I did like the movie. One thing I didn't really like were the Kylo Ren tv sitcom moments. When he destroys the walls and tables and stormtroopers calmly stop and turn around. The audience laughed. The bad guy shouldn't have a laugh track.

 

OK boys and girls. It's been fun all these months but it's time I say goodbye...at least until after the weekend

I can honestly say I'm pretty shocked that the reviews from the critics are so great. If the major drawback many of them have is that it has too many OT themes that's fine with me. I said it before and will keep saying it, if I can leave the theater excited, wanting more and feeling like Star Wars is back; it's all good!

Peace and May The Force Be With You!

 

I couldn't agree more. But as it turns out, it's true...all of it (pun intended lol) Help us Rian Johnson, you're our only hope

 

I've come to terms that I'll most likely feel about it the same I feel about most of the Marvel films. Maybe the days of my becoming completely enamored of a film are over. The last time I walked into a movie theater feeling one way about the world but leaving feeling another was when I saw The Fellowship of the Ring. I knew the story (spoilers, essentially) and for me the film was a realization of something that had only existed in my imagination, but was in fact better in every way. God I loved that movie so hard. Or maybe the very first Matrix, that for all of its flaws (including sequels) was something totally new, synthesized from Dick and Ellison but processed through Gibson and Clancy.
The problem I have with the modern blockbuster, especially Marvel Studios' stuff, is there's just no meat on the bones that invites me to come back, even with appealing characters and cool effects. The stories are trite and repetitive, with little mystery or nuance. It's a cinematic hot fudge sundae. I think this is the Disney formula and it's probably permeated Lucasfilm.
On the other hand, I'm already wanting to rewatch both Daredevil and Jessica Jones. Those Marvel products are revolutionary within the comic book adaptations and contain so much more than just giving fans of the books and characters what they want to see. With Star Wars, they HAVE to find that same fine line between fan service (Disney era) and creating something new, weird and unique (Lucas era). I'm hoping Rian Johnson and the folks behind the anthologies can find that balance, otherwise Star Wars will always be something I loved, rather than anticipate.

 

i have no doubt i'm going to enjoy watching TFA, but i don't think it will be a movie i will want to watch over and over. i was just hoping for some creativity, i wanted the movie to do more than just look pretty.

luckily i think any disappointment i have from TFA will only last until february because this happens.....

 

I've definitely come to terms.

Spoiler: TFA

Han is my favorite character and I'm very sad to see him go but I think its necessary on a lot of different levels.

As for Luke's appearance? I'm a little disappointed we didn't get some dialogue from him but I knew whatever we would get would be minor at best. I think its a great tease for things to come.

 

While I totally agree I'm just concerned that this movie doesnt really move the ball down the field much. Doesn't help the lore almost at all. I know I opens doors but it would have been nice to step through them at least a bit.

 

The fact that they decided to focus on new characters versus old ones, how is that lazy?

The fact that the content is likely overflowing already, how is it lazy to not include one particular character?

Explaining something away with a cop out explanation, I can see where that would feel like lazy story telling. Mostly excluding a character from a particular story, that's not lazy that's a narrative decision. I think you are just projecting your own laziness onto others, that is my only explanation for you obsessive use of the term.

As a disclaimer, I have not seen the movie, but Kylo wanting to be " immune to the light" is not all that vague at all. Assuming that he wants to be like Vader, and carry out Vader's mission, whatever he believes that is, and recognizes that Vader deviated from his mission because of perceived weakness by giving into the light side again and being sentimental over the safety of his son, then this isn't vague at all, its very clear, even if there may be more information and additional motivation that is not yet revealed.

 

Not going to argue any of that. But to me personally it seemed like they signed off on a thin, incomplete script for the sake of getting the film out on time. I personally just expected something a bit more interesting and more creative for such a huge film like this.

I am lazy as hell, but I'm more proud than insecure about that. It was more about me not being bothered to come up with better words than 'lazy' as opposed to using it as a scathing insult that im insecure about myself I could have said irresponsible for not taking the time to come up with a deep, coherent story before starting filming.

I wanted this film to focus more on the new cast. But i wanted the OT characters to either have a place in the film because it serves the overall plot well/enhances and fits the story or not be in it at all than just have cameo's or be used as a teaser for a future installment.

I said before that I'm sure I'll love this film. But everyone who's seen the film so far has criticized the shallow story and I wish they'd taken more time to get it right

 

I think the first line of the un-Star Wars like crawl (Luke Skywalker has vanished) tells you a lot about TFA.

 

So far I don't think any of the main criticisms of the movie will resonate with me at all.

So the movie has parallels to ANH... I could have told you that three years ago. But it also has some very new elements that some people are overlooking:

- The main characters are very different (Finn, Rey, and Kylo are all very new characters. Rey and Kylo in particular are deeply emotional in new ways.)

- Some of the biggest themes and relationship dynamics are very new

Spoiler: Examples with spoilers

(just a few examples: the dynamics and circumstances of Han and Leia's relationship are new, Rey's mysterious "awakening" at the climax of the film is new, and everything about Luke's story is new: the fact everyone is looking for him, his painful reasons for leaving, and his emotional - though brief - reunion at the end after so many years of solitary guilt)

Really, many of the parallels are only surface deep. It parallels ANH, but it also takes it in new directions, which is precisely what I would hope and expect for this movie.

 

This is a hard blow. (Maybe even a low blow)
I understand you, but from a narrative perspective I understand them too.

My problem with this matter is this:
Was the nasty rumor true about Mark Hamill being a mess on the set and his scenes got axed?
A similar newer rumor was about Maz Kanata played by Lupita Nyong'o.

Nonetheless they should have worked a little longer on the script instead of throwing it out of the window.
The most important OT protagonist reduced to a silent cameo at the end.
A bold move and maybe a stupid one, I guess we will decide this matter when the ST is completed.

 

Where did that rumor ever come from? Why should we put weight on some baseless rumor when all the evidence seems to point to the contrary?
From all the interviews I have seen with Mark Hamill during the last year my impression is that he is a wonderful guy and probably a pleasure to work with.

 

I wish I knew everything that went on behind the scenes. Did some famous actor or actress demand rewrites? Did their agents demand rewrites? How much was really changed because of Ford's ankle injury? Did some toy manufacturer have a lot of input? Who's friends with whom, and so on.

On the other hand, I wish I was an awestruck little boy who understands none of that

 

Rest assured, you will enjoy it. There is SO MUCH to enjoy. Expectations after all this time lead many of us to want TFA to contain everything we loved about the OT, plus be a totally new experience at the same time. While there are a few (minor) quibbles I have with the use of screen time, TFA succeeds on nearly every level. The universe feels real, the new characters feel like they belong and the humor works. My biggest complaint was that I felt the movie could've have been even longer, as I wanted more screentime with certain characters. If the worst thing you can say about a film is that "I wanted even more", then that is not a bad problem to have. It definitely feels like the "first" in a series, so I expect big things from the next installments.

 

The film is incredible! I saw it last night and it has just sunk in. It is so beautiful, everything we could have hoped for.

 

Spoilers kill the feels kids. Unfortunately MSWs timeline and the spoilerboard on pastebin got a lot of things right. What they didn't get, what you can't get unless you're seeing the film or maybe reading the book, is the nuances of it all. It all made sense in it's own context - text on a screen just doesn't do it justice.

 

So much negativity. It seems like alot of people already consider this movie a failure but most still haven't seen it yet. Shouldn't we all just be happy that Star Wars is back?