Star Wars - The Force Awakens (SPOILERS Thread)

[TM2YC]

I'll quit the series entirely if Finns father is Lando.

Nah, his father was FN-2186.

 

[Neosmith]

For anyone confused by the state of the Galaxy, the planet destroyed, etc. : http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2015/12...h-the-resistance-and-the-first-order-in-the-f

 

[thecuddlyninja]

What was that? My memory is terrible.

"This will begin to make things right."

 

[Neosmith]

"This will begin to make things right."

Wait, so was the old ally a character that had appeared in the prequel trilogy then?

 

[thecuddlyninja]

Wait, so was the old ally a character that had appeared in the prequel trilogy then?

No, I just jokingly meant the movie was going to atone for the prequels.

 

[TM2YC]

"This will begin to make things right."

I just jokingly meant the movie was going to atone for the prequels.

You might be right there. Totally possible that line was chosen on purpose.

Tomorrow I'm driving to a giant theatre in a city, far, far away to see it a third time...

 

[Neosmith]

No, I just jokingly meant the movie was going to atone for the prequels.

I think the Clone Wars animated series had more than accomplished that already.

 

[Lolwut0]

I thought of a fifth edit I'd like to see. The fight between Ren and Rey. I understand that Kylo Ren was injured and in mental turmoil after killing Han but I still don't think she should have had the upper hand like that. Maybe more of a 50/50 fight, or with Rey just hanging on.

It's a crude analogy, but it would be like Luke from ANH picking up a lightsaber for the first time and beating up Luke from TESB. It also, arguably, takes away from Rey's character arc of (presumably) becoming a great jedi if she's already able to do damage to a Sith Knight of Ren.

I actually liked that Kylo was struggeling at the end. He just killed his father and is pretty unstable in general. He puts himself under too much pressure and is still learning the ways of the dark side. He's not a Darth Vader yet. So it makes sense that he failed in that specific situation.

 

[DominicCobb]

I was missing a few of the classics, especially the Imperial March.

I'm glad Williams focused on newer stuff rather than just regurgitating old themes. If the Imperial March was used as the First Order's main theme, I'd be pretty disappointed (instead it gets two little hints, one when we see Vader's mask, the other a really interesting twist on the motif when we finally see Luke).

No, you are right. The first movies showed between 3-4 planets, with this one showing. like 6-7.

Don't think so. I only counted three planets total (Jakku, Takadona, Starkiller Base), with a quick look at a fourth (pseudo-Coruscant).

JEDIT: Also the planet with the first Jedi temple, as seen at the end of the film.

 

[DominicCobb]

I remember reading an interview with Mark Hamill where he said he recorded that specifically for the trailer.

From what I've read, the original ROTJ recording was used for the narration with the new Hamill recording providing the ethereal echo.

I think that narration is VERY interesting to consider. Why was it used in promotion for the film? Who is he talking to, in the context of this movie? The only new character we know is part of the family is Kylo Ren, but obviously this is more supposed to be for the new hero, the new hope. So Rey, basically. But, as far as what the movie revealed, Rey's just some random orphan on a backdesert planet. UNLESS, she is, as I suspect, actually Luke's daughter. The film seems to hint at it a bit with the lightsaber and all, and I think it's very possible we'll learn in the next film that this is actually the case (perhaps "I am your father" style).

The big question for me is, why use the narration in the trailer if the familial linkage is not until the next film? Well, maybe if I'm wrong, just nostalgia. Maybe if I'm right, it's sort of a tease for the whole new trilogy. But maybe, and I'm just wondering this now, maybe the reveal was originally going to happen in this film? Maybe JJ and Rian Johnson decided to push it back? Maybe they decided to drop it entirely? Interesting things to consider.

I'll be very excited to read a comprehensive making of book when the whole trilogy is done and they can fully reveal everything. I'm looking forward to picking up The Art of The Force Awakens but I don't know how much that'll have. There's also apparently a Making Of book for the film coming out next year, but I don't know how much they'll be able to give away when it comes to developments that could have ramifications in future installments.

 

[Zarius]

I've read the Art book. There's a lot of great details about what the early plans were. Much different than what we got.

Reveal message

The Falcon goes underwater in the original drafts, and Han has a beard!

 

[dangermouse]

The familial linkage is Kylo Ren / Ben Solo. He's still in Luke's family (nephew). Rey is, as yet, an unknown.
I missed the Imperial March variation when seeing Luke. Going to listen out for it next time!

 

[emphatic]

Here's a theory:

What if Rey was trained somehow, then had her memories altered and touching Luke's saber brought some of it back?

 

[Aztek463]

So, does Luke's speech from the trailer actually show up in the movie or is that on the cutting room floor? And can anyone point to any deleted scenes/shots/things that don't show up but is present in trailers, tv spots, etc.?

That speech was actually from Return of the Jedi (edited a bit, of course).

So, some thoughts:

The ENTIRE cast nailed their roles (even Luke just turning around). Adam Driver was my favorite new addition to the cast. He managed to be intimidating and yet not (his constant temper tantrums) throughout the whole film. I had kind of figured out who he kills before seeing the film, the scene was still very emotional (though a missed opportunity to use the lightsaber crossguard).

The score was decent, but mostly unremarkable. Although, I REALLY dug the influences from the classic films on the main title theme. I fanboyed quite a bit during that. On the same note, I'm glad they decided to go with silence up until the main theme. An extra fanfare for the Lucasfilm logo would have been unnecessary.

I really enjoyed what they did in regards to Kylo's parentage. It might not be an especially exciting twist if you're familiar with the "Legends" continuity, but it's nice to see they still payed homage to it.

I do think there's some fan edit potential, but I need to watch the film again to see what I'd want to change.

 

[Garp]

Here's a theory:

What if Rey was trained somehow, then had her memories altered and touching Luke's saber brought some of it back?

That's my theory too. I think it's likely that Rey is Luke's daughter and was being trained along with Ben. When Ben went to the dark side, Luke hid her on Jakku so that she wouldn't be turned too. He jedi-mind-tricked her to wait for 'her family' until he had confronted Ben and turned him back. Or something like that.

 

[TMBTM]

All right... Just got back from my screening.
This review will have SPOILERS in it. I know it's the spoiler thread, but I prefer to say it again.

I didn't read what all you guys said (yet) so sorry if it's more of the same.

I LOVE IT... but I have some issues with it that don't ruin the fact that at last we have a new good Star Wars movie.

Why I loved it:
- The new cast is GREAT. I mean, they all are amazing. You like them all from the beginning. But I knew it right from the trailers. it was obvious they were good.
- Han Solo...
In many ways it is his movie (and I guess Ep 8 will be Luke's one, along with the new cast of course).
This is the Harrison Ford we wanted to see. It's strange because even if Ford is known to like more the Indy character than Han Solo, he looked way more alive playing Han Solo than Indy in Cristal Skull (I never thought his acting was bad in Indy 4, I enjoyed it, but in TFA it's a whole other level).
I was chocked by the fact he dies. I mean we all knew Harrison Ford was more than okay to let han Solo Die in ROTJ but I thought they said he was cast for Ep 8, so I thought he will end this movie alive. So in a way I was pleased to be surprised. But it also leads to one of my issues that I'll tell later.
- It is a great movie to remember everyone what Star Wars is about while sill preparing the future of the trilogy.
- The story only stops for nice characters moments. Otherwise it's told through action and it was refreshing for a Star Wars movie. Very cool.
- The visual is amazing.
- The new music is great. Although I fail to remember something as Iconic as Duel of the Fate for example.

There are so many other good things to say... We have two years to talk about it until Ep 8!
And another good thing about this movie: with an ending like this it makes you want MORE! And to me it is a good thing.
Retrospectively I find super funny that Mark Hamill was on that reading round table we all seen the picture of two years ago. Mark Hamill played tricks on us since that day... Makes me want to see him even more in EP8 now.

Now the issues I have with this movie:
- I think that even if I like watching movies in 3D, I think I'll try to watch it in 2D next time, cause I think it would feel more Star Wars to me.
- I really thought we will have some scenes with Luke and Han together again. And of course the death of Han made it not possible.
- The next problem of this movie is at the same its strength and his weakness: it is a movie made by a fan for the fans.
And it feels a bit too much like a list of scenes that a fan would want to see and a list of homages to each of the movie of the original trilogy.
Now how could that be a bad thing? Let me list it:
. Bad guys in search of a little droid with important memory.
. Droid escapes on a desert planet.
. Droid meet a young person with a heart of gold who feels alone and feel there's more to life than this.
. Trying to escape the planet, they meet Han Solo. (who is also a bit of a mentor for the young person. like Obi-Wan was for Luke)
. Space Bar scene with space band. Checked.
. Third Death Star. Wait no it's called Star Killer base and it's "Bigger"... (that line by Han Solo made me laugh though. Cause it was J.J aknowledging that, yes, it is a third kind of Death Star and yes, they could have find something else...
. Father/son scene on a bridge over a big hole with one of the two guys falling down at the end. Only this time it's the father.
. etc...

To quote an old friend of mine "It's like poetry. It rhymes". (Yeah, right.)
The same thing could have been told with something else than a third death star. With something as cool as space bar, but not a space bar, etc...
You get my point.
I honnestly think that the spirit of the movie, the actors, the story, the pace, were so good that they did not have to use that amount of homages. They should have more confidence in themselves to not use all those tricks.
Because the movie IS good and I'm sure it would have been good without all those references.

I'm SO please it didn't disappoint me.
I'm SO please I cannot wait for Episode 8 (and Rogue One)
Star Wars is back.

 

[Neosmith]

I saw it the other day in full. I like a lot of things about Force. But there are some things that irk me.

For one, I really feel like there are connective tissue scenes or moments that seem missing/cut from the movie and/or script. I mean, Kylo Ren sometimes just knows stuff with no explanation. He knows Poe Dameron's got the map, even though he didn't mind read or compel the Old Ally. He inexplicably knows that Finn's got Luke's lightsaber at the end. Such issues could've been resolved with a little dialogue, but the movie skips over them JJ Abrams style.

I mean, here's how I like to imagine the Ren/Finn thing to go.

Ren sees Finn ignite Luke's Saber. Is surprised.

REN:
A lightsaber? But how?
FINN:
It was given to me for safekeeping.
REN:
I figured it wasn't yours.
FINN:
No, it was Luke Skywalker's.
REN:
It that's so, then it rightfully belongs to me. Hand it over!
FINN:
You want it, come and get it.

I also really feel that Rey's lightsaber fight with Ren has missing potential. I mean, sure, we can rationalize, as to how she's able to fight as well she does, despite not having had any training (that we explicitly know of anyway), but given her established abilities with the staff, wouldn't it have made sense to have her fight with a saber-staff, a weapon well established in the SW universe? I hope that's something the sequels decide to capitalize on.

Also, as much as I like the final scene between Luke and Rey, I have to say - it makes no sense. I mean, the Resistance has spent so much time and effort to track down Luke - that was the whole point of the movie. And now, they send basically just Rey and Chewbacca to meet him? Why? What of everyone else?

For all they know, Rey is a complete stranger to Luke. Why isn't at least Leia on this journey? Makes no sense.

 

[Neosmith]

Here's a theory:

What if Rey was trained somehow, then had her memories altered and touching Luke's saber brought some of it back?

I think this is pretty much a given. Rey's parentage notwithstanding, she's clearly one of Luke's new generation apprentices, possibly the last.

 

[ManicGuy1989]

What was that? My memory is terrible.

"This will begin to make things right..."

 

[TMBTM]

I remember reading an interview with Mark Hamill where he said he recorded that specifically for the trailer.

In fact I heard there are two voices by Mark in the second teaser.
One straight from ROTJ (with some editing) and one that Mark recorded for the teaser. They mixed the two.
Basicaly the lines he re-recoded recently serve as the echo you can hear.