just saw the new star wars

[Ken Gargett]

i know there are other threads but i could find one about gags so i am kicking this off, though i suspect most who have seen it will have long ago commented on it.

i thought it was very good and i enjoyed it - definitely the third best - mind you, there is a massive gap between the top two and then the other four.

but i just feel a bit robbed. it seems to me that all they did was take out the original, give it a wash and a paint job and make themselves a billion dollars. nothing new. disappointing from jj abrams. i expected a lot better from him from his previous work.

think about it.

hero/heroine (with murky but sure to be revealed past/family) on a horrible old planet and wants to get off. escapes on the millenium falcon with han solo and chewy and a big battle with stormtroopers. they just also happen to be a good pilot. and it all happens when the evil empire arrive looking for a droid with plans.

bad guy who wanders around in a black cape and mask (seriously? - darth vader should sue). and he pledges allegiance to some creepy old hologram. and has absolutely nothing new to offer.

father/son issues of massive proportions.

cute little machines/droids, with the crucial plans inserted in them, which have to get to the leaders of the resistance to save the galaxy.

they go into a weird dodgy bar.

the death star/big round weapon destroys an unsuspecting planet of good guys.

the gang getting caught/escape by/from stormtroopers. on the death star/new thingee.

they have to destroy the death star/whatever to save the resistance and this happens with seconds to spare. they have to find a weakness in a big round ball to do so.

old bearded jedi wander around in capes, looking mysterious.

one of the major characters gets surprisingly topped.

it is all set up for a sequel.

did i miss anything?

it was fun and very enjoyable and extremely well done, but i expected a lot more. has left me a bit empty.

[Ken Gargett]

i would add that whatever the name of vader-lite is, what a pale imitation.

darth vader scared the crap out of kids. this bloke was about as scary and intimidating as melted ice cream.

i did like rey, or whatever her name was. thought she was a really good addition.

i suspect that they will sorely miss han solo - was always the focus for humour and action. that Po bloke the pilot is not going to cut it - i have seen han solo and he is no han solo!

[scottyfwil]

I felt the same way when I saw it, Ken. Very similar converation with all my buddies.

Here's the thing, though...

We KEPT talking about it. Really fun movie, I thought. i went to see it a second time with my wife, and liked it better the second time. I'm excited to see what follows.

[Ken Gargett]

no idea why this came up and won't go away.

[planetary]

(Kylo) Ren is "Vader-lite".

Rey is the Luke stand-in girl.

I had the same initial reaction as you regarding what we might charitably call "excessive homage", but it cooled a bit. I need to see it another time to figure out if I accept it or not.

Agree with third best, overall.

I attribute its box office success with the favorable comparison to Lucas's second trilogy. People have been waiting 30 years for a good Star Wars sequel.

[leftimatic]

The first thing I thought when Kylo Ren took off his mask was " disgruntled art student" My wife said he looked like a guy who used to work in a coffee shop she would go to.

Not exactly a scary villian.

[sharks]

Thought it was abit of a reboot myself! But like many it brought back goose bumps when I saw it.

JJ would have felt the pressure but job well done in the end .

[JohnS]

Just saw the new Star Wars...just like the old Star Wars?

[maxcjs0101]

I have not watched a single star wars movie but i know some of the references. I wonder if i'll like the new one.

[JackFNQ]

It was a homage fest. And why not.

Why can't Solo come back with a ironman centre console? Sarc.

If he comes back in ghostly form that will be a let down.

[Ken Gargett]

no problem with references to the first, taking the plot from the previous and advancing it, using characters like solo and leia and so on. love that sort of thing. all in favour.

my problem was that there was nothing new - please don't misunderstand, i thought it was done superbly and i thoroughly enjoyed it. but the early star wars were the most innovative and original films of all time, it could be argued.

john, you are spot on - just like the old star wars.

this was nothing more than a well done rehash (with a villain more likely to get a ticket for illegal parking than for terrifying the world).

for all the fuss, they could not even come up with a new plot, different bad guys...

look what they did with daniel craig and bond - revived the franchise. here, they might have but all a bit forgettable. i really hoped for more.

[Guest rob]

I liked it, but still had plenty of disappointment.

I found the majority of the movie was wash, rinse, repeat - of what had happened 10 minutes earlier:

"Get the droid, it has the map"

<run! they're going to get the droid..... Phew, got away, lucky for us>

"You let them escape with the droid.... Go get them, we need that map"

<run! they're going to get the droid..... Phew, got away again, lucky for us>

Repeat this about sequence about 5 times, and then get to the ending.

Oh ****, there are only about 30 minutes left before the credits roll....We better fast track destroying the death planet weapon, kill solo, and put a hook in to get people to anticipate the next movie. Quick, get to it!

[Bill Hayes]

I hoped for a bit more originality too but still enjoyed it. I think they are looking to create a new franchise for a new generation but first they needed a new market of younger kids to be hooked. Parents who are in their 40's to 50's would be about the same age as their kids when they saw it, therefore doubling the market and making it the biggest selling movie of all time I think. The amount of money spent on products like lego will make the whole thing worth more than some countries. My niece got a lot of Star Wars lego and figures for Christmas. I thought the new Darth was too PC and I couldn't take him seriously because the actor played the part of a deadbeat boyfriend on the TV series 'Girls'. But I guess they needed a nemesis for Rey who wouldn't scare the kiddies too much. I hope they drop the old and new a little more in the next one and focus on the new heroin, her training and why she is able to use the force. I feel it was a touch rushed but I reckon they had to edit it to fit a time suitable for kids before they get restless and to fit into TV timeslots. I still really enjoyed the experience though, even for nostalgic reasons. I guess those pesky marketers did a good job of hedging their bets.

[Ken Gargett]

I hoped for a bit more originality too but still enjoyed it. I think they are looking to create a new franchise for a new generation but first they needed a new market of younger kids to be hooked. Parents who are in their 40's to 50's would be about the same age as their kids when they saw it, therefore doubling the market and making it the biggest selling movie of all time I think. The amount of money spent on products like lego will make the whole thing worth more than some countries. My niece got a lot of Star Wars lego and figures for Christmas. I thought the new Darth was too PC and I couldn't take him seriously because the actor played the part of a deadbeat boyfriend on the TV series 'Girls'. But I guess they needed a nemesis for Rey who wouldn't scare the kiddies too much. I hope they drop the old and new a little more in the next one and focus on the new heroin, her training and why she is able to use the force. I feel it was a touch rushed but I reckon they had to edit it to fit a time suitable for kids before they get restless and to fit into TV timeslots. I still really enjoyed the experience though, even for nostalgic reasons. I guess those pesky marketers did a good job of hedging their bets.

love your optimism in them focusing "on the new heroin".

more seriously, pretty much agreed.

i actually thought rey was the star by a mile (finn was seriously wishy washy - jar jar binks made human) but she has lived as a scavanger all her life and suddenly decides she has the force and can tell stormtroopers what to do? where did that come from? even luke had to train for ages. thought that a bit weak.

i gather that the stormtrooper who did drop his gun was daniel craig, who was doing bond next door and thought that this would be fun.

[JackFNQ]

she has lived as a scavanger all her life and suddenly decides she has the force and can tell stormtroopers what to do? where did that come from?

Luke was moving her, did you miss the subliminals?

Between the 'you want popcorn', and 'this is a really good movie'.

And don't forget the 'crowd on a cloud', ob1 etc.

[ayepatz]

Let's not forget it's a Disney movie now, and we know how much Disney lives a formula...

[Baldy]

Take the original Star Wars, make it more PC. Viola! Blockbuster.

BTW - when will the genius, all powerful, all evil empire learn that Deathstars don't work. At the very least change the damn venerabilities. How many torpedoes to the exact same location before they learn?

[leftimatic]

Take the original Star Wars, make it more PC. Viola! Blockbuster.

BTW - when will the genius, all powerful, all evil empire learn that Deathstars don't work. At the very least change the damn venerabilities. How many torpedoes to the exact same location before they learn?

They must of had the same architect working on them. Darth Vader should of used the force to choke the life out of him after the destruction of the first one. Those things can't be cheap.

Not to mention using entire stars to power something that destroys other planets?!?! Do they have no environmental concerns whatsoever? Typical big business attitude. All greed and power, don't save anything for later.....

[MooseAMuffin]

I agree that it is very similar to the original story line, but I don't mind it. Considering what episodes 1-3 were like, I'm glad the new series is back on track.

[ebhead]

I liked it, but still had plenty of disappointment.

I found the majority of the movie was wash, rinse, repeat - of what had happened 10 minutes earlier:

"Get the droid, it has the map"

<run! they're going to get the droid..... Phew, got away, lucky for us>

"You let them escape with the droid.... Go get them, we need that map"

<run! they're going to get the droid..... Phew, got away again, lucky for us>

Repeat this about sequence about 5 times, and then get to the ending.

Oh ****, there are only about 30 minutes left before the credits roll....We better fast track destroying the death planet weapon, kill solo, and put a hook in to get people to anticipate the next movie. Quick, get to it!

funny...that sounds exactly like every other movie JJ Abrams has done...

[Puros Y Vino]

POTENTIAL SPOILERS

I enjoyed it. It was a total rehash of "A New Hope's" storyline mind you. But, still a fun, engaging movie. The new characters were better than I expected. Rey, Fin and Poe are going to keep the series interesting.

Kylo's character was well done too. He's a screwed up kid with a Vader fetish (his grandpa really). Everything he has is somewhat broken or worn down a bit. With the mask off he reminded me too much of Anakin in "Revenge of the Sith". Same childlike, petulant anger. A good echo to the past IMO even though I disliked the character behaving that way. He wasn't scary with the helmet off. I'm puzzled by how well two non-lightsaber wielding noobs could keep up with a guy supposedly trained by Luke. Is this the same Sith that stopped a blaster bolt by suspending it in mid air? Why show that power so early in the film only to undo it in that underwhelming duel? Sure Rey was skilled in that pogo stick, but a lightsaber is a far less forgiving weapon.

The only real criticism I have with the movie is that there wasn't really anything in it that made me go "wow!". There was a lot of moments that put a smile on my face mind you, but I was expecting the characters I loved as a kid to explode onto the scene, not casually walk in.

Harrison Ford pulled off a wiser, older, serious Han Solo. Chewie was great. Carrie Fischer seemed bored and wooden and we were robbed of Luke for 99% of the movie. BB-8 added some levity in the right spots and was a good addition.

I plan to see it again. But without the ripoff 3D. Can't stand 3D.

[rmill3r]

It was definitely a "soft" reboot... I thought it was fine and fun but not much more than that. Though on the other hand, I think what they did with Kylo Ren is the best character choices they've done with anyone in the entire series. If nothing else, I'm just really interested now in seeing what they do with that character.

[SCgarman]

Deeply disappointing

Not for Disney. This movie has already surpassed Avatar financially and will make billions and billions. Disney is a money making machine.

[LeafLover]

I was really happy that it wasn't all CGI like in star wars 1,2,3. I lost interest in those prequels. This star wars had more of that organic and real feel to it that 4,5,6 did.

BTW, is it me or does Luke kinda look like Anthony Hopkins (aka Hannibal Lechter)?

[Nrengle]

The first thing I thought when Kylo Ren took off his mask was " disgruntled art student" My wife said he looked like a guy who used to work in a coffee shop she would go to.

Not exactly a scary villian.

What I want to know is if he was using the force to keep from getting helmet hair when he took it off? I mean he looked he just combed and styled it! Either way still liked him. And of course he's Vader-lite. He hasn't completed his training and is about 20ish years old from guesstimates. Wait till the next one. Should be awesome!