Star Wars Episode VII Discussion ***SPOILERS***

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ptdebate
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Star Wars Episode VII Discussion ***SPOILERS***

Postby ptdebate » December 19th, 2015, 9:34 pm

Force Awakens, the first Star Wars movie with zero input from George Lucas, is finally upon us. Does it meet everyone's astronomical expectations?

I loved it. Granted, I was pretty drunk during my first viewing with my roommate. Thanks Alamo Drafthouse. I will be watching it completely sober tomorrow (with family this time). Rey picking up the lightsaber and defeating Kylo Ren was an immense payoff. Use of CGI is gracefully sparse but the actual quality of the animation did not impress me. Luckily, the film benefits from wonderful sound and visual design. Turning on a lightsaber produces a loud, almost aggressive electric buzz. Their bright appearance really pops against dark backdrops. The film's shadowy lighting scheme matches the dark tone. Note also that it is a film almost completely devoid of actual jedi. Obviously that will change in coming installments, and we will all be on the edge of our seats to find out who Rey really is. Immense payoff to a painfully long wait since Star Wars was last a great franchise. I give it a tentative "A" rating and will update when I am able to actually pay attention to events tomorrow.

I have a fun idea. What's your series ranking? Here's mine:

1. Empire Strikes Back - A+
2. A New Hope - A+
3. The Force Awakens - A
4. Revenge of the Sith - B+
5. Return of the Jedi - B
6. Attack of the Clones - C-
7. The Phantom Menace - C-

Sut
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Re: Star Wars Episode VII Discussion ***SPOILERS***

Postby Sut » December 20th, 2015, 2:50 pm

I thought they did a wonderful job with The Force Awakens. Good characters, the film and special effects had 'heft' once more making them feel a real part of the universe. I absolutely loved it and will definitely go watch it again. The biggest compliment I can pay the film is that it made me feel like a kid again - great stuff. JJ Abrams is proving a safe pair of hands for handling cherished franchises.

Empire Strikes Back - A
Force Awakens - A ( yes I liked it that much).
A New Hope - A
Return of the Jedi - B
Revenge of the Sith - B
Attack of the Clones - D
The Phantom Menace - D

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ptdebate
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Re: Star Wars Episode VII Discussion ***SPOILERS***

Postby ptdebate » December 20th, 2015, 7:10 pm

Agree 100% Sut. If I met the man, I'd shake his hand. He's made so many people feel a lot of joy this weekend.

I rewatched the film sober tonight and changed my rankings. It's an A+ alongside the other two. It IS that good.

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VideoGameCritic
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Re: Star Wars Episode VII Discussion ***SPOILERS***

Postby VideoGameCritic » December 21st, 2015, 5:40 pm

Thanks for starting the thread and putting "SPOILERS" in the subject line. I saw the movie last night so I can finally chime in.

This is the best Star Wars movie since Empire! Probably my #2 all-time. I love the new characters and the way they mingled with the old ones. The dialogue and character interaction was great - something lacking in the prequels. A lot of really funny lines! The actors seemed to be having a great time! Also I enjoyed the whole organic look of the movie, with old buildings, destroyer wrecks, and treasure chests.

If I had to complain about something, it might be the whole "blowing up the Death Star" ending. That was unnecessary, especially since I wanted to see more of that snowy planet! I love snow scenes.

I'm really glad I avoided the spoilers. When the big death scene occurred near the end, I was SHOCKED. The whole theater was dead quiet - you could a pin drop.

Now my enthusiasm for Star Wars is at an all time high. I'm really excited about playing the video games and watching the old movies. Bravo!

PS: I heard the stormtrooper who released Rey was played by Daniel Craig! Apparently there are all sorts of easter eggs in this movie.

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ActRaiser
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Re: Star Wars Episode VII Discussion ***SPOILERS***

Postby ActRaiser » December 21st, 2015, 6:37 pm

I can pretty much only respond with "Ditto".

It was a great movie. I was really nervous that it would turn out like the prequels but really it was as good as a New Hope and comes close to being as good as the Empire Strikes Back.

It was a ton of fun. Sure, there were some odd things here and there such as being able to blast off from planet Jaku with no one following you once you reached outerspace. But that also happens in past movies as well. The same goes with talking about unleashing a poison gas and then that never pops back up. Again these are more nit picks than anything.

Freaking awesome movie in every way. The cliffhanger at the end where you knew he was going to die, but really, really, did not want him to. And Kylo Ren is named Ben! I mean, c'mon that's some awesomeness right there.

I loved the temper tantrums. And when the two troopers walk up during a temper tantrum and slowly back away. Hilarious. :) I think I'm going to need to go see it again.

And I'm going with your assessment with one minor change.

1. Empire Strikes Back
2. A New Hope
3. The Force Awakens
4. Revenge of the Sith
5. Return of the Jedi
6. Attack of the Clones

I'll omit Episode 1 entirely. :D

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Rookie1
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Re: Star Wars Episode VII Discussion ***SPOILERS***

Postby Rookie1 » December 22nd, 2015, 6:26 am

I really loved it. JJ kept the spirit of the originals and yet made it his own. I was worried it was going to be an Indiana Jones 4 scenario where you had all of the original characters but the movie was awful, but JJ knows how to direct a film.

The story wasn't hoaky even with the cliche family drama. I had a hunch solo was going to bite it, but I felt it added to the film instead of being a stupid tear jerker that meant nothing.

I like how the new order was basically a rouge group and not just a continuation of the empire/clone army. I am curious how their baby programming gimmick works out though. Who takes the babies? Who programs them? And what happened to the empire? They all werent on the second death star. Where are all the clones at? Where did everybody go?

Anyone else get the feeling that Rey was solos daughter (or at least someone Han and Chewie were protecting)? In the flashback scene when she was little, the ship flying away was the same freighter Han and Chewie were in. The falcon just happened to be sitting on Jakku, and coincidentally Han and Chewie were just chillin at the same planet she was on. Han also took a quick liking to her, much faster than you would expect.

The one thing I didnt really get was Captain Phasma. Whats her deal? She doesnt put up any struggle when captured and then takes the deflector shields down no questions asked. She even defends Fin when he escaped and doesnt bring up that she saw him take off his helmet and bail out of formation in the hanger bay.

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velcrozombie
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Re: Star Wars Episode VII Discussion ***SPOILERS***

Postby velcrozombie » December 22nd, 2015, 4:01 pm

Don't have a lot of time, but I'd like to say that the movie was way more than I had any hope for after 20 years of disappointment. Watching the movie felt like running into a friend you haven't seen since high school. Still, it did feel a bit like a very well made fan-film, in the way it was constantly nudging you and saying "Look who's back! You remember so-and-so, don't you?" It needed to do this since no one trusted Star Wars as a franchise anymore, but it served more as a great re-introduction than a great film on it's own.

My rankings:
1. Empire Strikes Back, The (A+)
2. New Hope, A (A)
3. Return of the Jedi (A-)
4. Force Awakens, The (A-/B+)
5. Revenge of the Sith (C+)
6. Phantom Menace, The (C-)
7. Attack of the Clones, The (D-)*

*I don't know why everyone ranks this film above The Phantom Menace; this was truly one of the worst films I've ever seen in the theater. At least PM has some energy and sense of wonder to it; AotC is all boring set-pieces, bad acting and the worst romance ever committed to film.

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ptdebate
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Re: Star Wars Episode VII Discussion ***SPOILERS***

Postby ptdebate » December 22nd, 2015, 4:43 pm

Rookie1 wrote:I like how the new order was basically a rouge group and not just a continuation of the empire/clone army. I am curious how their baby programming gimmick works out though. Who takes the babies? Who programs them? And what happened to the empire? They all werent on the second death star. Where are all the clones at? Where did everybody go?


There are signs everywhere that the Empire suffered major defeat following the destruction of the second Death Star. Just check out all the ruined AT-ATs and Star Destroyers on one backwater planet. The Empire was left in shambles.

As for the original clones, they'd almost surely all be dead by the events of Episode VII. They were about 25 years old during Episode II. Add three years with Episode III, twenty years with Episode IV, and 40 more years for Episode VII...That would make the clones ~88 years old.

Rookie1 wrote:Anyone else get the feeling that Rey was solos daughter (or at least someone Han and Chewie were protecting)? In the flashback scene when she was little, the ship flying away was the same freighter Han and Chewie were in. The falcon just happened to be sitting on Jakku, and coincidentally Han and Chewie were just chillin at the same planet she was on. Han also took a quick liking to her, much faster than you would expect.


I actually think that Rey was taken from her family as a baby to become a stormtrooper but didn't pass muster due to having a predisposition for non-compliance. She was then sold into slavery on Jakku along with other rejected babies. If she were someone important's daughter, we'd already know by now.

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ActRaiser
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Re: Star Wars Episode VII Discussion ***SPOILERS***

Postby ActRaiser » December 23rd, 2015, 3:22 pm

ptdebate wrote:I actually think that Rey was taken from her family as a baby to become a stormtrooper but didn't pass muster due to having a predisposition for non-compliance. She was then sold into slavery on Jakku along with other rejected babies. If she were someone important's daughter, we'd already know by now.


Ahh, but I think she's Luke's daughter. In the teasers for the movie early on there's a voiceover by Luke where he's talking about the force is strong in his family. It's a play on the RotJ where he says he has it, his sister has it, and you have it. I think he's talking to Rey. As a result, at least to me, the intent is that she's of the Skywalker line.

Now, does that mean Luke is a despicable father for abandoning his daughter? Um, I'll ignore that for right now. :o

Go to 2:10 in this clip to listen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFZsQ7yxBFs

The voice work was done clearly for the teaser only as it's not used in the movie itself. But for me it's enough to show that at some point the original intent was that she's of the Skywalker family.

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Rev
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Re: Star Wars Episode VII Discussion ***SPOILERS***

Postby Rev » December 25th, 2015, 3:13 pm

I just saw the movie. It was awesome and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire film.

1. The Empire Strikes Back
2. The Force Awakens
3. A New Hope
4. Return of the Jedi
5. Revenge of the Sith
6. The Phantom Menace
7. Attack of the Clones


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