Offical TFA media review thread

campea stated his review will be up 12: 01 pst. he also stated disney set the time for world wide .

 

Review taken down

Edit: Back up: http://www.thenational.ae/arts-life...akens-is-bold-but-beautiful-nostalgic-but-new

 

Just got back from the store with today's edition of VG, Norway's largest tabloid. I'm in a good mood so I'll translate the whole thing for y'all (and if you think it is badly written, it isn't a very well written review to begin with...I guess they wanted to be the first to have a review of the film; there's got to be some money in it, I know this is the first time I've bought a newspaper since, oh, around 1999 or thereabouts):

GALACTIC!

Oh yes, Star Wars: The Force Awakens invites you to more galactic fun!

It is actually quite impressive, since a new film in the Star Wars universe finds itself in a very challenging position: Between almost forty years of lore; the original Star Wars came out in 1977, and on the other hand: modern times' demands for advanced action, based on the explosion of possibilities generated by the rise of computer-generated animation.

The six previous films haven't always been logically connected, either through story or its own chronology. The Force Awakens is built upon the third movie (chronologically), Return of the Jedi (1983). We find ourselves thirty years after that movie's events, and the heroes are equally aged. But new ones are born.

Classic rivalry

The thing is, the last of the Jedi Knights, Luke Skywalker, has retired far, far away, to a dark corner of the universe. The Jedi Knights are the proponents of good and justice, and the caretakers of the overshadowing Force, the "all-god" of the Star Wars universe.

But the Force has a Dark Side too, and the agents of evil are just as interested in finding Luke Skywalker as the good guys; it is the classic rivalry between evil and good, the powers of the darkness and the light, that is going on.

There is a map leading to Skywalker's hideout. It is the hunt for this map which is the plot of The Force Awakens. We're not going to spoil much more than this, the spoiler-danger is threatening!

The "old universe" is taken care of by key actors Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill. The new age is primarily represented by British Daisy Ridley as the key character "Rey" and equally British John Boyega, as the soldier Finn, a deserting Stormtrooper with a conscience. They are two excellent figures, who both grow into the greater continuity and make it feel new. It is not difficult to foresee that especially 23 year old Ridley will be a new superstar in the movie sky after this.

Thunderous music

The action of the film can be said to be entirely adequate. A little monotonous and maybe a little too drawn-out in certain moments, but generally hitting the right notes. Superpilot Poe (Oscar Isaac) is carefully detailed, showing us the tendency of director JJ Abrams' intentions: To bring humanity into an otherwise heavily mask-using universe. The mask is taken off by "Kylo Ren" (the "new" version of supervillain Darth Vader) with great results for the impression of the movie as a whole.

John Williams' thunderous music is again vital to the film, as it was in the others. The selection of fantasy figures in the many and widespread smaller roles are impressively fanciful - but more a part of the background as opposed to the human characters.

A more playful direction

The Star Wars universe is moviemaker and empire-builder George Lucas' uncomparable creation. Disney bought him [sic] for billions. Which, for this movie, seems to be an advantage: Lucas' weakness was that his work could become humorless and drab - JJ Abrams manages the impressive feat of loosening the tale. The movie is often playful and almost simplistic in its narrative, the sentimentality has been toned down, and women given more space. And: Do we recognize a hint of love between two characters of the same gender? Time will tell, a sequel will appear.

Verily! Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a fairytale for our time, and it seems that the Force will be strong with the tales to come.

Score:
5 out of 6

The review also has an image that I haven't seen before, of Finn and Rey reaching the ramp of the Millenium Falcon (following their run out of the marketplace with TIE Fighters on their backs).

 

that bucket of bolts link does not work.

 

I actually think it's a great thing that they hold back with explanations. ANH also had very little in the way of explanations - one short explanation about the force, nothing about Obi dissappearing, very little backstory for any character, etc. This is good because:

1) They are not telling the viewer anything more than what the protagonists know, so it increases the immersion
2) They are focusing on an exciting adventure, not exposition
3) It keeps the sense of mystery about the characters, about the trilogy, and about Star Wars in general.

 

She made the kessel run in twelve parsecs, don't know what you're talking about .

 

Must have been removed

Still working: http://kdvr.com/2015/12/16/star-wars-the-force-awakens-exclusive-denver-reviews/

 

I wish this would go back up.

 

Are these reviews from the future or are the reviewers ahead of us...

 

Google Cache:
http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...akens-is-bold-but-beautiful-nostalgic-but-new

 

Wow, both positive reviews from Denver! You'd think one reviewer might play devil's advocate, but no.

 

http://www.startribune.com/review-the-force-awakens-will-give-new-hope-to-star-wars-fans/362550691/

 

Spoiler: Review

Driver and Ridley are the standout stars. Kylo Ren is probably the most conflicted and emotional villain the series has ever had and his performance was outstanding. After many wooden villain performances in the franchise, this was powerful and moving. It also helped that his mask is off a lot – which is a welcome change and helps us see his vulnerability. Ridley is a complete newcomer but you could not tell. She shines off the screen and can convey so much with her eyes. It is interesting that Rey’s backstory is not really revealed here, with just enough hints to sustain us until the next movie.

Naturally, with a cast this size some people don’t get a lot of screen time. Fisher isn’t seen much but her scenes with Han Solo (Harrison Ford) are filled with sadness, longing and regret. They share some pretty heavy moments! I would have liked to have seen more Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong’o via motion capture) Poe, and RD-D2 and C3PO, but BB-8 is a worthy substitute. It made me laugh so much.

This ticks all the Star Wars boxes – lightsaber fights, air battles, the Millennium Falcon, good vs. evil, random aliens, droids, cheesy jokes and so much more. This should please everyone and I personally don’t think you need to be a massive fan of the franchise to be entertained.

http://theworldofcelebrity.com/2015/12/16/star-wars-episode-vii-the-force-awakens-film-review/

 

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...lenty-of-girl-power-and-plenty-of-d-j-vu.html

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http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-e...is-the-sequel-youre-looking-for-a6774876.html

 

Wait they are going the gay route with Finn and Poe?

 

What a boss.

 

Doubtful. They were doing chemistry tests with Boyega and a female actress (who might be Han Solo's daughter). But I guess it's possible.

 

http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/...e?blocktitle=LATEST-FILM-NEWS&contentID=40562
http://www.insidestl.com/insideSTLc.../FILM-REVIEW-Star-Wars-The-Force-Awakens.aspx

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http://www.forbes.com/sites/markhug...returns-in-full-force-with-the-force-awakens/
http://www.theverge.com/2015/12/16/10243884/star-wars-the-force-awakens-review

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http://kutv.com/news/entertainment/hope-is-rekindled-with-the-force-awakens

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