Very Disappointing. Shows you need Lucas to make Star Wars

I had no problem with any of the performances. If I had to nit pick it would be Boyega's American accent but that's only because being British I'm used to his natural accent.
There is a scene that I thought was "meh"

Spoiler: This bit

The whole sequence on Han & Chewies freighter

but apart from that I loved it.

 

I get that nothing is for everyone. It just seems like we are getting flooded with similar threads that just dump on the film.

https://thecantina.starwarsnewsnet.com/index.php?threads/is-the-force-awakens-meh.7609/
https://thecantina.starwarsnewsnet.com/index.php?threads/my-thoughts-on-tfa.7611/

and this one. It seems like a substantial overlap between the people hating on Finn in the Finn thread, and people making low effort threads to crap on TFA.

I generally like to engage people with different points of view in discussion. I'm genuinely interested in learning about different points of view.

I'd be just as bummed if we got a ton of threads just saying

"this movie good, acting good, plot good, everything good" or "seriously for sure this is good and I liked all of it, just all of it" because it doesn't foster interesting discussion or really even tell anyone why anything was enjoyed or not enjoyed.

Also, since this movie is getting almost universal praise, a large number of people saying its the worst thing ever and has no redeeming features smacks of trolling. Even movies that aren't very good usually have a few silver linings.

I agree. Most of the beauty of art comes from its subjective nature.

 

Well, 99% of people did.

But I remember you giving me bad rep when I said she was the key of the trilogy and not Finn.

I understand better your statement then ...

 

I did as well just btw. And no it's not because of the accent thing masking my ability to discern as I have family from Leeds and I am not automatically wowed by a non American accent.

 

My perception was that it neither lacked depth or variation.

 

I loved the Finn character but also thought his accent was a bit off. Sounded almost like a bad impression of a surfer dude. Wasn't enough to distract me though.

 

Key word: "she"

Had the lead been a man, this would've never happened.

 

Erm... pretty much everyone who saw the film did. She has had universal praise from critics and fans alike, and is considered one of the best things about the film.

So, yeah. Her performance was pretty good.

 

Of course. Did you actually see the film?
She's a very naturalistic actress. She doesn't ham it up like a lot of the big stars do these days. It's very refreshing.

 

Man, you sound like you accidently watched Bar Wars - The Booze Awakens instead of TFA.

 

She didn't own Kylo. The Force did. Her performance during the fight was far more believable than, say, little Anakin in a starfighter above Naboo, and she didn't have a deus ex machina victory like Obi-Wan did over Maul. (As an aside, that Maul fight has driven me crazy since I saw Episode III, when Anakin "couldn't" win thanks to the high ground, SMH Lucas. Does he even pay attention to his movies?)

If Han can cut open a tauntaun with a lightsaber, then anyone can use them to cut open a stormtrooper. Especially someone with existing combat training.

I'm sorry that you feel so negatively about the film, but frankly I don't understand your opinion at all. The Star Wars magic was very real here. The Force Awakens had heart. Real emotional depth. The prequels were flat, dull and hollow, IMO, with nothing that even approached "sophistication" and a mere handful of interesting sequences.

Was it a perfect movie? Hell no. It was too derivative, too fast paced, and there was no need to have a Starkiller at all. But it was superior to the Prequels in every single way. The pacing (though a bit too hectic) was better than the uneven skipping and frequently droning conversations. The dialogue was natural, not stilted and clumsy. The action sequences weren't overloaded with unnecessary flash, the direction always kept the story moving. The fighter battles were awesome (Poe could fly circles around anyone; my biggest gripe about the movie is that his role was so small). The saber combat looked more like real high-stakes fighting and less like choreographed exhibitions. The leads in TFA acted their butts off, Harrison Ford brought his A-game and Kylo Ren was more interesting than any villain since Vader (he was more interesting than Vader was during ANH, a far more developed and conflicted character). Rey was a far more engaging protagonist than anyone in the PT. The sets (especially the backgrounds) looked so much more real. Hell, even the comedy was superior, being intelligent dialogue instead of slapstick droids or poodoo jokes.

For crying out loud, the prequels made Samuel L. Jackson boring. How the hell is that even possible?

So you can wax poetic about Lucas if you want, but don't expect a lot of people to agree with you.

 

I loved RIdley's performance too - not only in terms of depth and variation, I also found her to be genuinely convincing: she made me believe in Rey's character.

To address a point raised by @Count dooku and, more in general, the way Rey ends up "defeating" Kylo Ren: the way TFA portrays the use of the Force (and, so, the reason why Rey is able to handle her own with Kylo) is the most coherent since the Original Trilogy - these two quotes

"You will know (the good from the bad) when you are calm, at peace. Passive. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack."

and

"Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is."

perfectly describes why and how Rey was able to "attune herself" with the Force - and this gave her the jump on Kylo Ren: he lost his focus, got scared (and was already badly injured). Actually, I was almost surprised she didn't kill him (not that I would've wanted that: Driver's performance was spectacular and Kylo is among the most intriguing characters in the SW universe).

It saddens me to see that there's people who understands lightsabers duels in SW merely in terms of "who has the highest Jedi level wins" - there so much more than that.

 

Don't forget that

Spoiler: Fight!

Kylo was badly injured when he fought Rey

 

Good advice, I'll take it. You should too!

 

Your preconceived negativity toward the film has clouded your judgment.

 

There are some gripes from me for sure. There was probably a ton of stuff left out of the final cut. That kind of took me by surprise as well. How can Rey know and use the force so well? Especially against a foe who has been training since childhood? It comes off as cheap. All JJ would have had to do was add a scene, a 5 second scene on Jakku of Rey moving something with the force, we understand she has a knowledge and can use it, but it just comes out of left field. I have to acknowledge this flaw, but it didn't prevent me from enjoying the movie because the acting was so strong.

 

They say if you live long enough, you get to see pretty much everything. And I've seen this exact post made many times attempting to defend TPM, ATOC, and ROTS.

It didn't hold water then, and it doesn't hold water now.

So, Count Dooku disagree for you.