Originally posted by DarthAnt66Spoiler:
Nah, he's an elite storm trooper. Despite what the movie said in the prequel novelization he was the top of his group and a super solider.
Nope.
The Novelization is only canon when it coincides with the film. Otherwise Film>Novelization.
Spoiler:
Hes a was a First Order Janitor
Originally posted by Zack M
Loved the movie, BTW. Had an old school feel to it. 2 movies in a row that had a throw back feel. Krampus and now Star Wars. I might say this is on even footing with NH and ESB. Actually, better than ESB.
Was a nice old school adventure film. Best action sequence by far was
Spoiler:.
Finn and Rey escaping Jakku on the Millenium Falcon
But too bad it was nothing original (which is what SW is known for giving us).
Abrams simply lacks Lucas's imagination.
Spoiler:
I agree with some of you that the movie felt like it was rehash of the OT. It's not a reboot, it's a sequel and a homage to the OT. The battleship fight of Rey/Han Solo, the Deathstar/Starkiller, Luke/Rey left as orphans, Luke/Rey quickly learning Force powers, Luke/Rey finding their fathers, etc.
Originally posted by AsbestosFlaygonIn no way is this a reboot so I agree with you there.Spoiler:
I agree with some of you that the movie felt like it was rehash of the OT. It's not a reboot, it's a sequel and a homage to the OT. The battleship fight of Rey/Han Solo, the Deathstar/Starkiller, Luke/Rey left as orphans, Luke/Rey quickly learning Force powers, Luke/Rey finding their fathers, etc.
Plus to me Kylo is already far more interesting and compelling than Vader ever was.,
Ultimately, I left the theater disappointed.
There were scattered signs of promise, ultimately squandered. The opening scene was killer: a tasteful homage to the Imperial Star Destroyer's inexorable approach in A New Hope, but scripted and shot so differently as to be memorable and unique in its own right. Each scene conveyed the same information, but one could not truthfully be called an imitation of the other.
Several moments gave me goosebumps: the introduction of
Spoiler:with the flickering lights and scattered shots; the various pans across Jakku's landscape, pockmarked by shipwrecks;
First Order stormtroopers
Spoiler:; and Luke goddamn Skywalker.
Vader's helmet ('nuff said)
Also, credit where it's due: the three new protagonists were well-written and wonderfully portrayed. Oscar Isaac's Poe Dameron was an instantly likable smartass, John Boyega's Finn a hilarious and sympathetic
Spoiler:, and Daisy Ridley's Rey a delightfully badass survivor tip-toeing her way down a path
deserter
Spoiler:. BB-8 was another highlight. 👆
once taken by Luke goddamn Skywalker
Spoiler:
u see wat i did thur?
From the heritage ring, Harrison Ford slipped back into Han Solo effortlessly, and reigned supreme whenever he was on-screen. He and Chewbacca made for an entertaining pair. Can't say much about Carrie Fisher's Leia:
Spoiler:. And even
she wasn't given much to do
Spoiler:.
less to say about Mark Hamill, whose sole contribution was a dramatic stare spanning 10 seconds or 30 minutes before the credits rolled. Fortunately, Luke Skywalker is appropriately a memetic badass in-universe, feared and revered by all around him. Hopefully the next episode will show us why
Beyond that, there's not much going for the film as far as I'm concerned. If the tragedy of the prequels is that the characters failed to serve the story, I submit that the tragedy of Episode VII is that the story failed to serve its characters.
This movie was marketed as a "continuation" of the epic saga; spiritually, it's more akin to a reboot. There's very little here by way of in-universe originality. For its entertainment value, I'm more inclined to thank George Lucas than JJ Abrams. That said, a reboot wouldn't have bothered me. I'd have much preferred Disney drop pretense and describe it for what it is rather than allow me 3 years of unfulfilled expectations.
Rather than the Empire, you have the First Order. The Resistance is substituting for the rebellion. No Death Star, but you have
Spoiler:.
the Starkiller Base
Spoiler:not around, but we have his honorary grandson, Hux, who could never in a million years capture the menace of
Tarkin's
Spoiler:. His speech to the rallied First Order troops was cringeworthy. Supreme Leader Snoke is desperately clinging to
Peter Cushing's Grand Moff
Spoiler:. Not to mention yet another
the Emperor'scoattailsrobes
Spoiler:....
Jedi purge
Which leads me to Kylo Ren. Much has been said about him, so all I'll say is this. Even with the concession that Kylo Ren was as cheap an attempt as any to cash in on Darth Vader, I'll admit that he was entertaining behind the mask. A curt smartass, unlike Vader, which made me think of an evil Iron Man. But when that mask came off, he lost me.
Spoiler:. Except we had three movies to acclimate to
Because Adam Driver was channeling Hayden Christensen in every scene without his motorcycle helmet, every iota the same chemically-unstable loon
Spoiler:and his struggles; we have absolutely nothing for
Anakin
Spoiler:and his, beyond a few bits of throwaway dialogue. Why should we care? Where's the investment? Any bit of appreciable emotional investment to the character derives solely from his relationship to
"Ben"
Spoiler:, not because of his own strength. Which again, would be fine, as I don't need to shed tears about a villain to find him or her successful, but as of now, Kylo doesn't do much for me.
Han, Leia, and Luke
Spoiler:
By the way, unlike the murderous outbursts of Christensen's Anakin, Driver's Kylo lashes out by randomly and petulantly attacking inanimate objects for extended periods. Not impressed.
Then there's the fact that this movie gives us startlingly little information about the state of the galaxy. Bare-bones exposition might have served A New Hope well, but that was because it was the first chronological introduction to a galaxy far, far away. The lack of information only serves to cripple The Force Awakens further, as it is a continuation of events. We need to know much more about the state of affairs, even if Disney doesn't want to dedicate a prequel trilogy explaining it.
Disney ultimately failed to give us anything new; no proper "continuation." Nor did they have the fortitude to simply drop pretense and call it what it is spiritually: a reboot.
Speaking of prequels, those movies might have been soulless; but this one was ballless. 👆
double posted it, my baaaaaad