RATE: The Force Awakens

Funny how you have a disagree...it's 5 Plageuis out of Snokes

 

It's funny. I never thought about it before the movie, but the test for me about if this is a true "Star Wars movie" is if I wanted to come here and geek out and argue and celebrate about what I watched.

Here I am, minutes after I got home from the theater doing just that. So, for me, that's all I needed inside. That feeling of joy and emotion that comes along with SW. TFA has it.

 

The movie blew me away . Its a fast paced bombastic roller coaster action adventure that takes you for a proper Star Wars ride for sure , both visually and emotionally .I might be wrong but i dare to say that this is perhaps the most action packed SW of them all so far , this new trilogy opens with a bang. It leaves a lot of questions unanswered and great forums like this will be very busy filled with endless discussion until the next episode arrives ( Eeexcelent! *mr burns impression*) . It is filled with lots of humor and both Han Solo and Finn has some great comedic moments. Kylo Ren is so badass im contemplating starting a new thread dedicated to how badass he is (The man stops a blaster bolt mid air!!!) And that voice! Star Wars has a truly great villain again. Long live the dark side.

Sure the movie takes a bit one to many story cues from the OT but we knew that already . This is JJ's love letter to star wars and once i was in that movie theater enjoying the ride it actually didn't matter one bit.

I will perhaps post a more in depth review later but i need to gather my thoughts and meditate first ,

 

It was good, very good but not awesome. Maybe I spoiled myself too much even if I tried to avoid things. I guess some people will be disappointed because they spoiled them too much. Ford is old and tired and it is well shown on the screen.

I loved Rey, Daisy Ridley stole the show.

 

Just got back about an hour ago from seeing a midnight showing. I know this is on the spoiler forum but just to be doubly careful just a warning now that this review will contain spoilers. However, I'll try not to overtly reveal anything too major

To be fair this film completely surpassed my expectations. I said to myself before I went in that all I wanted this film to feel like Star Wars, and it did. It may be post-movie hyperbole but as of now I'm ranking it probably my 3rd favourite Star Wars film. As I (and most likely everybody else) have so many feelings of nostalgia and memories surrounding the OT, it's almost impossible to start to rank them so soon. But my gut reaction was this is better than ROTJ, still need to think if it is better than Star Wars and I don't think it surpasses Empire for me.

Anyway, the positives. I adore all the new characters. Rey is amazing, I am so excited to see more of her in future movies. Daisy Ridley gave a fantastic performance. Finn was great, there was a great depth of emotion to his character, and this was especially evident in the first scenes of the film.
Poe was brilliant, I am a huge fan of Oscar Isaac's acting in everything I have seen him in and he blew me away here. His screen time was maybe shorter than expected, but I still didn't feel like he was sidelined at all.

BB8 stole every scene he was in, how can a rolling ball be so adorable?! I also thought the friendship between him and Poe was very cute, BB8 almost seemed like a wise loyal dog in some parts.

I was indifferent to Kylo Ren before I saw the film, now my views on him have completely changed. The emotional depth to his character is refreshing. He is a different kind of villian to the Star Wars universe, but a welcome one. He seems very unbalanced. I want to know how Snoke turned him. His smashing of things with his lightsaber maybe verged a little too far into comedy at some points but it also showed his childishness. He doesn't seem to know what he is doing and this makes him the more terrifying a villain. General Hux also exceeded my expectations, he was very scary in his fervor for the First Order's ideology. Conflict between Kylo and Hux was also a good addition.

Performances from the old cast were also very solid. Harrison Ford was Han Solo. I thought his scene with Kylo Ren was brilliant, it felt classic, almost like an inversion of the Luke and Vader scenes in Empire and ROTJ, but at the same time had a much more subtle emotional intensity to it. Carrie Fisher slipped back easily into the role of Leia, I loved seeing her as a General running the whole Resistance show.

The dogfights were my favourite in the series, they had so much movement and tension. Just brilliant.

I thought the issue of Luke was handled very well on screen. He is my favourite OT character but his scene at the end just felt right for the film. He didn't need to have a massive fight or save anybody. His appearance packed enough of an emotional punch as it is. Out of the old characters, this was Han's movie and that is okay, Luke will get his chance. I was pleased JJ had the guts to have Luke only turn up at the end, because in my opinion the film was all he more powerful for it.

Quick negatives

1) I really wanted to know exactly what Max von Sydow's connection to Luke and the old Rebel Alliance was. I am unsure if this was revealed / hinted at anywhere in the new canon as I am not caught up with Aftemath etc.
2) Phasma was kind of weak, not as a character, just the way her character was presented on screen. I kind of wanted more out of her. She felt a bit throwaway. Hopefully we will get more of her next time.
3) Few loose ends here and there regarding certain characters, but nothing that won't be cleared up in episode 8.

 

This!

 

9/10 for me. I loved every minute of it. Can't see it enough. I honestly can't think of any point where I'm sitting in the theater and cringing at anything on the screen: seen or spoken.

 

Loved it!!!! A lot!!!!!!
I will only share the 5 best positive points (according to me) because there is too much wonderful things to say!


A) Long live Kylo Ren! Where do I start? By the beginning? Let's go...
1) His Upsilon-Class shuttle is magnificent
2) He can easily stop blaster bullet thanks to the Force
3) His interrogation techniques are... how can I say that... funny practicals?
4) His exchanges with Hux are very funny. We can see how much they like working together!
5) He is much than just a bad guy. I mean, his character is very well written, interesting and Adam Driver portrays him perfectly (especially during THE scene when he is "being torn apart" and wants to "be free of this pain" and during the final duel).
6) I love his hairstyle
7) His lightsaber is sooooooooooo cool!!
8) He is a high level fighter and he hasn't finish his training yet...
9) His English and French voices sound both wonderfully
10) I'm pretty sure I have forgotten reasons...

B) Long live General Hux! I will not extend this time (I've got as many reasons as Kylo Ren). Let's just say that his speech in front of his troopers is wonderful like his scenes with Kylo and that he is general of a planet weapon and he also rules a starship which is about 3 kilometres long (according to me, we can call that a big ship, isn't it?)

C) Beebee Ate is so cute (I like the "thumb up" scene in the Falcon)!

D) Maz Kanata was a very fantastic character! She is very wise (a bit like Yoda) and wears amazing glasses (Glasses Possessors Team!)

E) It is part of the few films where I have at least 10 theories for EACH character's previous story (I know I'm crazy. Peoples tell me all the time )

There it is. Like I have said earlier, these are not all the reasons why I love that film but the best

 

Welcome to the Cantina, BloodyShadow! I love your enthusiasm!

As Kylo Ren is my favorite character, I agree with pretty much everything you say...except if B comes in conflict with A...well, bye-bye, General Hux! Otherwise, I enjoy the way they snark at each other.

You're crazy for having 10 theories for each character's backstory? No way! You'll fit right in with us here at the Cantina--we are all good at making theories!

 

Cool! I think I will please me here...

 

I enjoyed it from the start, inside I felt 4 simple words THE FORCE IS BACK.

 

Will ignore the unoriginality of the film for my thoughts, as the movie is still entertaining enough .

• Currently watching again right now. It seems to have grown on me with each viewing, but some of the dialogue really doesn't fit.
• It suffers from some JJism; that's when the director ignores the in-universe rules to serve the plot e.g. entering the planet at light-speed. They should all be dead!
• Rey is a little forced on us at times e.g. she knows how to operate the Falcon better than Han Solo, and sometimes the female empowerment get a little ridiculous e.g. Rey complaining about Finn grabbing her hand . What is she? 7.
• Captain Phasma: I really don't think I need to explain .
• The biggest complaint for me though, is how Rey beats Kylo Ren. The novel states that the act of killing his father weakened Ren, allowing him to lose. This however, is never shown in the films. All the audience knows is that some random force-wielder somehow beat a dark acolyte with around a decade of force training. The plasma burn from Chewie's bowcaster wasn't a sufficient explanation as well, as it should have helped channel Kylo's inner rage instead.

I'll give it a 3.5/5. That's what I gave Revenge of the Sith .

 

Wow, I have seen it only 13 times (4 in the theater, 9 on BluRay). I always thought of myself as a super-fan, but I guess I'm not a Super-Super Fan!

 

Still massively underwhelmed by this film. I try and watch it and get as excited as I am talking about it (which is a weird contradiction) but I can't.
I'm just bored by it and invariably skip to the Force back and Kylo Ren scenes.
It simply has to be because it isn't original. It's for me, a cheap imitation of the OT.

 

it's lost none of its luster for me. i still watch it at least once a week and i'm slowly getting my sister around to not hating Kylo Ren (it's going to be a long battle).
i get excited every time i see some random new piece of merchandise, and i am counting down the days (literally) to viii.

i haven't been this obsessed with a film since Nolan's TDKR. and before that, since ROTJ.