Seen anything in TFA that disappointed you?

Oh yes. The lightsaber fight was the other thing. In particular when it got to Kylo v Rey. It felt like our view of the fight got obstructed too many times. Would have bbeen nice if they had fought in a clearing in the forest or just not in the forest at all.

 

I can understand why people didn't like script. It was safe play, but still it gave us many options. Look, then ANH just arrived in 77, there was same thing - questions. They didn't explain everything - and I like it. You just a part of the world, not god like observer who knows all answers. You will get more and more info.

At first, I didn't like Ren, but then, after show I started thinking and he end up to be a good character.
Maybe, missing old school editing ( flipping pages etc)
New music didn't strike me as I wanted to.

 

Loved the Film, if I picked things I could take out it would be...

1. Scene in the freighter with monsters and 2 gangs, I would lop that out and flesh out the rest
2. Didn't need the CGI of sun being sucked, they would have told me it's powered by a star. that's enough it's Sci fi after all.
3. CGI of snoke, was relieved that it was a hologram. But looked a little LOTR.

Aside's from that, one of the best sci fi films I've ever seen, up there with ESB, ROTJ and HOPE

 

Everything except for Finn. Hes the only reason I might watch Episode 8.

 

Having read a couple of your posts in various threads, I hope you don't mind me asking if you can please bring these to the table. The screenplay was simple, concise and straightforward and when I left the theatre in 1978 I didn't have questions except "how soon can I see this film again".

 

Clone Wars - what is that? Can you tell us more about the Force and Jedi? Did Vader survive? Who is the Jabba( how he looks)? How Ben will become stronger?)
I think there was a lot of discussions at the time.

 

None that I remember, and I was actively involved in fandom, then.

• Clone Wars was an event of the past that had little meaning to the actual story
• Ben told Luke enough about the Force for audiences to understand and grasp the concept
• Obviously he did escaping in his TIE fighter (thus providing the possibility of a sequel, now that was discussed)
• Jabba was just a guy Solo owned money. The comics used "Walrus Man" as a placeholder to feature him
• That was sufficiently explained when the spirit of Ben Kenobi gave Luke instructions during the battle, i.e. only his physical self had been killed

 

Sorry for the ones that read my same post in similar topics:

Well dear family, it looks like that lot's of fans are quite happy with the film...
My opinion though is that the plot is way too superficial and would have been much more beautiful if it would have gone deeper in the force
spirit (like Ben and Yoda's teachings in the OT).
What makes SW special is that it is able to reach into our soul through some truth that resonate in us what has been the case in the OT.
I did not see any beautiful and harmonious use of the force; for example, I would have liked to see Luke using the force to bring the saber in his hand.
The whole first order thing is just repeating the empire threat and in my opinion it is quite a lack of creativity of not having things go forward
to another level.
Also,I felt that only X-Wings in the attack is a really poor diversity in comparative with the Battle of Endor. Actually I really did not like any ship (star destroyer horrible, Kylo's ship so ugly in comparative to the tydirium and then no A,B,Y wing, no mon calamari star cruiser..... arghh and this horrible han solo cargo ship..... the tie fighter, x-wings and millenium were ok).
Sorry to be so negative....
I hope the next films will become better and that we don't have to wait the end of episode 9 to see a larger new jedi generation, real peace
across the galaxy and the altar of Mortis clone wars episode resolved....
Music is great though, John Williams is a Genius!

 

When, I was wrong.

 

Thing that bothers me the MOST is the lack of explaining how Poe got off Jakku post TIE crash.

He is asked by FInn and some kind of explanation could've been done but we get Poe saying essentially "I don't know" 3

Lame.

This too.

 

Why coulnd't the film had been about Luke? Like the very plot, finding Luke in order to defeat this new threat? And having Kylo's turn to the dark side and history as the center piece to the film? Why not that?

 

Why are people so bent on whining about stuff that raised more questions? It's the point of the movie. Remember it's a trilogy, not a stand alone. Yea I'm sure there will be stuff that won't be explained in VIII or IX, but those things might be addressed in things like comics/novels since there's a limited window of explaining stuff during a single movie. Imagine you could switch the disc and continue watching the next movie after TFA. Would you be having a temper tantrum over stuff that happened or did not happen in TFA? No.
I for one felt pretty empty and not entirely happy about how things went when I walked out of the theater. Not because of the film itself, but because I knew it'll take 18 months to return to that universe and to see what will happen next.
Things in the movie itself I would've liked to be different was the fate of Starkiller base. Crippling it was a must, but completely taking it apart was a shame.
The biggest thing for me was the score. In Star Wars and movies in general the music is one of the most important thing. No one would've gotten as much goosebumps from the TFA trailers without the epic modernized star wars themes. I'm not shamed to admit that I've had my breath taken away and tears running down my face while watching the trailers over and over again. Getting emotional watching other star wars fans getting teary eyed on reaction videos. I just hoped TFA would've had the score play a part as integral as in the trailers.
It just felt like it was pushed too far back to increase the dramatic effect on certain scenes and the epicness on others. Could be due to the theater I've seen the movie in tho. Going to see it third time in few hours from a different spot, so hoping the music will play a bigger role this time around and maybe..just maybe when the force theme starts to play during the last scene, Luke while still facing away will raise his mechanic arm and force pull his fathers saber from Rey, look at it and light it up, ending the movie there
That being said May the force be with you guys, always.

 

I totally LOVED this movie but there was something that bothered me

They made it painfully obvious that Kylo/Ben was a Solo like the scene with Snoke "They were seen on the millenium falcon WITH YOUR FATHER HAN SOLO" or bs like that, the audience isn't that dumb JJ. They could have done it more subtle something along the lines "They were seen on the millenium falcon with Solo" and Ben then reacting to that.

 

A bit too fast paced....a 10 second clip of Poe emerging from the Tie wreckage and activating a homing beacon would have been good.

Didnt like how Han and Chewi initially ran into the Falcon...seemed a bit of amateurish directing. Also that whole scene on the cargo ship seemed to be just filler.

Disappointed didnt see Coruscant or the Jedi temple (even for a brief moment)

 

The clue is in the title. Star Wars is back...but nothing has changed. This is Episode IV (with touch of V) all over again.

The Force has Awakened but unfortunately it is Groundhog Day.
People have said many things about Lucas' Prequel Trilogy. The vast majority being on the money - terrible dialogue, cold CGI and the inclusion of He-Who- Should-Not-Be-Named.

However, like the original films in the 70's and 80's, the Prequels were fresh, new and innovative.
At times you could look past the terrible dialogue and be thrilled all over again. TPM end duel. The Clone Wars! Yoda vs Sidious!
In telling the story he wanted to tell, Lucas may have upset a few folks but he at least added to the mythology and expanded the Universe.

If you manage to watch Lucas' six film trilogy, you will discover a fluid story, with each film riffing off each other until we reach a truly satisfactory and epic climax to the tale that originated in Episode I.

After ROTJ the saga had essentially come to a full stop. With TFA, Like Artoo (rather inexplicably) the saga has been shut down for 30 years and then a rebooted. Whether it be down to Disney wanting to avoid at all cost another Prequel Trilogy backlash; paying too much lip-service to the old fan base; or simply because he has the originality of a Moof Milker (the best line from TFA) - the story of this latest installment is massively underwhelming. We've waited 3 years for this film. Some have waited for 30. And instead of something truly new, exciting and satisfying we have been Force fed Episode IV all over again - yet without the thrills, surprises and emotional pay-off.

Don't get me wrong. There is a lot to like about The Force Awakens.
The new characters are great fun and the actors do a good job.
The old cast didn't just turn up either, they did well to maintain their legacy - although I could've done without Carrie Fisher.
Kylo Ren offered an interesting, albeit slightly confusing, former Jedi turned evil Dark Side minion (to the poorly designed and executed CGI Snoke).
The scenes of him dealing with his Imperial cohorts was great fun and a fitting homage to the Darth Vader choking scenes of Empire.
However, a new Star Wars film should not be likeable. It should be great. And it should be memorable.

It started off well. From the opening shot up to the arrival at Maz's castle, I was hooked.
It felt like Star Wars. Modern, fresh, interesting - with some nice surprises.
I could even look past the droid that held vital information critical to the Resistance being stranded, rescued and then escaping from Jakku on the Millenium Falcon with a desert rat, a young cocky gunslinger and old mentor.
It was great fun and it felt like something was being set up.
Then however, it all fell flat. Rather than going in a new direction it carried on the same path as A New Hope.
The Evil FO destroy a planet loyal to the Resistance. Another cantina scene. The heroes have to escape from the FO and return the information hidden in the droid to Princess Leia. The Resistance then has limited time to formulate a plan (on a location very similar to Yavin) before the Super Weapon destroys them.
$4 Billion and over 2 years in the making and this is what JJ Abrams and Kasdan can muster? That's very odd. Very odd indeed.

Upon reflecting from my first, very disappointing viewing (stupidly opting to watch it in the confusing 3D format - the 2nd viewing in 2D was better) I came to realise that it was because of this repetition of the Original Trilogy - something that all us Star Wars devotees craved, that my experience fell flat. By the end I hadn't truly marveled at what was going on. I wasn't surprised. But what about Han's death scene, I hear you say?! Anyone who didn't see that coming is a half-witted nerf herder (still beats Moof Milker).
The hero mentor had to die. Just like Kenobi in A New Hope. At the hands of the Dark Lord of the film. Whilst the new hero watched on.
It's just a shame that Han's death mustered very little from his loved ones, with his ex-wife seeking comfort from the desert girl she had never met rather than Chewbacca, who idly wanders by when they return to Yavin...I mean the Resistance Base.

The final act of the movie is probably the greatest cause of my discontent.
Another Death Star to destroy (albeit one more suited to the Star Trek universe than Star Wars) with hot shot X-Wing pilots flying down a trench.
These space battle scenes were most definitely the weakest action scenes in the movie. They were devoid of originality, included characters we had barely met - although thankfully included the shamefully underused Poe Cameo Damerson. (I feel that as much as I liked Poe they could have mixed his character with Finn, allowing the former to be the one in the space battle whilst Rey battles with Kylo).
It was obvious what was going to happen. Heck, it was from the get-go - but it wasn't just knowing it that made this scene anti-climactic. It was the fact it completely missed the beat. Unlike the ending to A New Hope, this was no crescendo. It just fizzled out. The explosion happened over a period of time that allowed people to weep, mourn & then escape (I presume Kylo and Hux got off the planet...somehow). I still get thrills watching Han fly in, blast Vader and Luke hitting the sweet spot. I can't really remember the events in this climax. I could talk about the musical score at this point but I won't. Not sure quite what to make of that yet until I have haeard it a few more times. I certainly didn't appreciate it in the movie or when certain tracks were used. But I have been listening to the Empire soundtrack in my car for the past few weeks and NOTHING compares to that!

Onto the main end battle, Rey vs Kylo Ren. Rey was undoubtedly the shining star of the movie. When she wasn't around it felt very dull.
For a first time performance, Daisy Ridley was superb.
However, as a Star Wars geek I had issues that the 'normal' cinema going public wouldn't consider. But it irked me so I will say it.
In the space of a movie, Rey went from not believing the Force existed to being able to use mind tricks, telekinesis and defeating a fully trained Dark Side warrior.
Luke did that over the period of 3 movies. Many years.
It jarred. It didn't feel right. It felt, well, forced, just so JJ could have that hero using the Force moment.
But in A New Hope Luke didn't really do much with the Force other than deflect a laser blast whilst blinded and under the spiritual guidance of JEDI MASTER Kenobi, use his instincts to fire his torpedo at the reactor shaft - a target size he sued to hit time and time again in Beggars Canyon, back home.
It's not something that makes The Force Awakens a bad film. But it annoys my Star Wars sensibilities.
The lightsaber duel itself was fine. But the jarring effect of Rey holding her own and then taking Kylo out prevented me from being immersed in it.

And so onto the ending, the long awaited return of Luke Skywalker.
By this time I was feeling quite flat - so seeing a satisfactory conclusion to the mystery probably wouldn't have roused me enough to applaud the film (as I did with AOTC and ROTS at the premieres).
However, this conclusion was far from satisfactory. There was no pay-off for sitting through the two and a bit hours of meandering plot other than seeing a weepy and rather decidedly un-Jedi hero like Luke Skwyalker weep on the very Earthy medieval island as Rey arrives with his old lightsaber (we have to wait until 2017 to find out how Maz got that/for JJ and Johnson to actually come up with something that makes sense).

Once again, my Star Wars sensibilities are offended. JJ -are you telling me that Luke Skywalker, the man who conquered the Dark Side, redeemed Darth Vader and withstood the Emperor is so crippled with grief that he hides out in exile whilst billions die, Leia is threatened and his old pal Han gets snuffed out?

Whatever reason they come up with in Episode VIII, it won't ever sit right with me. The reason they left him out is because he would've dominated Rey's scenes.
But rather than having him hide out like a self-pitying coward, couldn't they have had him be the captive of the horrendously bad CGI Lord Snoke? Or badly injured? I didn't buy it and JJ shouldn't have dangled that carrot under our noses to then just see Luke all sad (or perhaps confused by how his lightsaber returned from Bespin) for 30 odd seconds.

I should probably mention the things I liked other than, like I said, the first 20-30 minutes.
- Kylo's character was intriguing. I hope they explain his turn to the Dark Side in a satisfying way. (I'd have killed Leia off pre-TFA to give him motivation to hate his father and avoid those excruciating Carrie Fisher scenes where she can't really get her mouth to move).
- The chemistry between Han and Chewie was still there and great fun. However, I did find it a bit of a shame that Han's character had regressed and they hadn't continued developing him from Jedi. I guess they wanted the same guy from A New Hope & Empire before he got all slushy?
- BB8 - fantastic design, worked beautifully.
- Rey & Finn were fantastic. Great chemistry. I can't really fault the characters or the acting in this film. Just the story and direction.
- The flashback scene - loved it. Wanted more.
- The humour, although there was a bit too much of it, worked very well.

To conclude I view this film as a failure - a failure to continue the mythology in a satisfying way, to provide something new and exciting.
Without my Star Wars goggles on, it was a perfectly good Hollywood Blockbuster. But Star Wars should be way above that.
Where the Prequels failed in character and dialogue, the sequel(s) have thus far failed equally in substance and story.
There is enough there to provide us with some light at the end of the tunnel, however. It all depends on whether Episode VIII continues in the same vein of being a remake of the original films or actually tries to be something "new".
Help us Rian Johnson, you're our only hope".

As a movie - 7.5/10
As a Star Wars Movie - 6/10

 

Great post you nailed it!

 

Apart from the fact that TFA was just a sad copy/paste of ANH, I greatly disliked that this movie was just too obvious that Disney was in trying to get rid of everything Lucas. Apart from making TFA look like an empty universe devoid of all the favorite aliens and ships that many of us grew up with, this movie made a mockery of everything ROTJ stood for. The victory over the Empire meant nothing as this New Order just popped out of nowhere and ruined everyone's lives. Luke being the symbol of the return of the Jedi was nothing as his new Jedi order was taken down by a punk John Travolta clone. Luke, the hero who overcame every obstacle tossed to him in the past three movies and who would go to any length of trouble to defend friends and family, became a cowardly crybaby who ran away from it all not caring for his friends and family just because his John Travolta clone nephew rallied up a band of dorks and slew his students. Luke failed as a teacher and an uncle, Han and Leia failed as both a couple and as parents and the New Republic was such a failure that it was even destroyed off screen in this movie before many fans had even realized it existed! Han's death sucked as they threw him out like yesterdays garbage and the main cast just moaned him a few minutes just to be happy and smiling the next minutes you see them. The use of the Force in this movie defies everything we had seen before! The movie was also filled with many things that were nothing more than just meant to be fan service and nostalgia feed. Anyone care for a single riot control Stormtrooper who's sole purpose in life was to fight Finn? Phasma was a waste of space and armor, Lor San Tekka was the same as Phasma in that he didn't do anything but leave us with more questions, R2 magically woke up at the very right time to say ''Hey everyone! You know that map to Luke that you have all been dying to find? Well guess what? I got it!'' and Maz Kanata was just a funky little alien hag that just so happened to know all about the Force, knew Han Solo, and guess what? She conveniently had found Luke's lightsaber ready to deliver it to Rey! Yay!!! I could go on and on but I guess my point is already crystal clear.

 

Max reminded me of a mixture of yoda and watto

Kylo reminded me of 9 year old Anakin in a 31 year old's body

I agree that plasma was wasted and LST didn't have to be in the movie at all as Poe Dameron could have easily acquired the information from a rogue bounty hunter and/or a R1-movie type of a character

You forgot to add that C-3PO a was there to literally remind everyone how his annoyance and all was prominently displayed throughout ESB between Han and Leia trying to kiss
-_-

Don't forget that this is money so they're trying to maximize their profit revenue stream and increase their margins on paper for the stockholders so the more they withhold the more they can make money in various other forms of media.

 

Oh man I did forget C3PO! And please don't get me started on the making money thing! It sucks big time to have to see the very same type of action figures that cost a mear $8 now at $15+ Darn! Almost twenty dollars for a dumb TFA action figure? That's what you pay for a frikin SW 6 inch Black Series figure! A stupid comic that collects two or three issues that you can read in a few minutes costs $20 or more in Walmart when that used to be the price we paid the SW Essential Guides which were loaded with info on aliens, creatures, ships ect and they had you reading for quite a while!

 

And I bet things also cost half of that $8 back in the 70s and 80s .