The Force Awakens: Spoiler Thread

[nevets88]

34 minutes ago, Golfingdad said:

Yeah, and the point about building a foundation is a great one.  The reeled us back in with all the nostalgia in this one that prequels lacked ... But I don't expect them to follow the 5 and 6 arc from here on out.

If Rey spends all of next episode training with Luke only to leave to go "help" her friends out of a precarious position then it will probably not be as well received as this one.

You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! 

Quote

We can argue about the effectiveness of this decision all we want, because make no mistake — recycling A New Hope's plot was a deliberate decision. For me, it didn’t work: I had come to see a new movie, not a remake, and yet, after the terrific first 40 minutes, here I was, watching another run on the Death Star, like a billion VHS, DVD, and Blu-Ray discs weren’t just sitting around as proof of the inevitability of its destruction.

Most people liked it, though. That’s fine. The movie sold $528 million in tickets in three days, which means you’re right, and I’m wrong. But that got me thinking: There’s something Disney did with the new Star Wars trilogy that’s wonderfully unique in the world of modern blockbuster filmmaking, and it hints at a possible future for the franchise that would delight even me, a Star Wars agnostic and Force Awakens denier. What Disney did is opt for potential.

...

But then, placed in charge of writing and directing Episode VIII and writing Episode IX, you have Rian Johnson — one of our best young American filmmakers, a writer-director who made Brick and Looper, two of the most innovative and unique genre subversions of the last decade. Here is a guy who makes weird, creative movies that play with and reinvent tropes rather than submit to them. He has yet to direct a movie he hasn’t also written, and Episode VIII will be the first in which he works with a preexisting concept. It was a shock when Disney tapped him.

But hiring Johnson suggests a straying from the blockbuster playbook followed by Marvel, DC, and so on. Working together, Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan turned Michael Arndt’s first draft of The Force Awakens into a successful reboot of the series. But that movie was a throat-clearing: It's larger purpose was to assure audiences that no one was going to make Star Wars about kids playing dress-up again. Abrams did establish the ground rules of the new Star Wars universe with Force Awakens — through Kylo Ren and Snoke, the First Order, Luke's reemergence, and Han's death — to ensure at least some narrative precedent. But Johnson has a tremendous amount of room to work within the larger Star Wars sequel trilogy.

...

But statements made by Kasdan at the beginning of December suggest a more nuanced reality. He told the Los Angeles Times, "These movies are going to be so different. Rian Johnson is a friend of mine — he's going to make some weird thing. If you've seen Rian's work, you know it's not going be like anything that's ever been in Star Wars." 

They're welcoming the kind of filmmaker who doesn't take the obvious or easy route, and that decision demonstrates a genuine understanding of what made Star Wars special in the first place: It showed audiences something they had never seen before. There are few directors I can think of who would be qualified to do that again. Johnson is one of them. Now let's see how far Disney lets out that leash.

I really hope Disney execs grow some balls and give the next director slack to really do something "weird".  Create something extraordinary you may, only when you take a chance. May The Force be with Rian Johnson.

http://www.vulture.com/2015/12/huge-potential-star-wars-episode-viii-rian-johnson.html

[Golfingdad]

4 minutes ago, nevets88 said:

You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! You know what's cool? A billion dollars! 

I really hope Disney execs grow some balls and give the next director slack to really do something "weird".  Create something extraordinary you may, only when you take a chance.

http://www.vulture.com/2015/12/huge-potential-star-wars-episode-viii-rian-johnson.html

Well that's exciting.  I guess a few months after we beat your asses in Newport Cup 2.0 we will find out.  Right @jamo?? :P

[saevel25]

1 hour ago, Golfingdad said:

Well that's exciting.  I guess a few months after we beat your asses in Newport Cup 2.0 we will find out.  Right @jamo?? :P

 

Your overconfidence is your weakness  

 

[iacas]

2 hours ago, Golfingdad said:

Well that's exciting.  I guess a few months after we beat your asses in Newport Cup 2.0 we will find out.  Right @jamo?? :P

2.0 was like eight years ago. Red lost IIRC.

[saevel25]

My best friend was making a good point and a reason why he didn't like the movie the 2nd time he saw it. He's a huge star wars fan and knows more about the movies and the books than anybody I know. He was upset that JJ basically copied episode 4. 

1. Droid on desert planet with plans or message that needs to be delivered
2. Droid meets a strong unknown force user
3. The Droid and Force user is hunted by storm troopers on the planet
4. They escape on the M.Falcon
5. They have a cantina scene
6. There is a giant super weapon that is able to destroy a planet
7. Planet(s) are destroyed
8,. Female character is captured and needs to be rescued
9. Shields must be lowered to perform an attack run on the giant super weapon
10. X-wing Battle with Tie Fighters, with a trench run
11. There is one weakness able to be exploited to blow up the super weapon 
12. The main bad guy kills someone very close to them personally. 

I can see his point. The story line was basically a copy of episode 4.

In the end I really liked the movie. I could have done without the bigger death star. I get they wanted to do something related to the name "Starkiller" which was Luke's proposed last name before Skywalker. I can't sit back and hate the movie because it has good actors, good writing, and is just fun to watch. I could go watch it a third time and really enjoy watching it.  

I do agree it would have been much better if they actually used some original plot devices. JJ could have easily put in some things from episode 4 and still maintain more creativity in what was driving the plot. 

[Golfingdad]

1 hour ago, saevel25 said:

My best friend was making a good point and a reason why he didn't like the movie the 2nd time he saw it. He's a huge star wars fan and knows more about the movies and the books than anybody I know. He was upset that JJ basically copied episode 4. 

1. Droid on desert planet with plans or message that needs to be delivered
2. Droid meets a strong unknown force user
3. The Droid and Force user is hunted by storm troopers on the planet
4. They escape on the M.Falcon
5. They have a cantina scene
6. There is a giant super weapon that is able to destroy a planet
7. Planet(s) are destroyed
8,. Female character is captured and needs to be rescued
9. Shields must be lowered to perform an attack run on the giant super weapon
10. X-wing Battle with Tie Fighters, with a trench run
11. There is one weakness able to be exploited to blow up the super weapon 
12. The main bad guy kills someone very close to them personally. 

I can see his point. The story line was basically a copy of episode 4.

In the end I really liked the movie. I could have done without the bigger death star. I get they wanted to do something related to the name "Starkiller" which was Luke's proposed last name before Skywalker. I can't sit back and hate the movie because it has good actors, good writing, and is just fun to watch. I could go watch it a third time and really enjoy watching it.  

I do agree it would have been much better if they actually used some original plot devices. JJ could have easily put in some things from episode 4 and still maintain more creativity in what was driving the plot. 

Yeah, this is basically what I said a few posts up after reading some negative reviews on it.  They have a point.  But I like what Steven said about it being a really good foundation for the upcoming episodes.  If they were to copy 5 and 6, then we'd have a problem but I don't think that'll happen.

[saevel25]

15 minutes ago, Golfingdad said:

Yeah, this is basically what I said a few posts up after reading some negative reviews on it.  They have a point.  But I like what Steven said about it being a really good foundation for the upcoming episodes.  If they were to copy 5 and 6, then we'd have a problem but I don't think that'll happen.

Yea I can see that point. I hope JJ does an interview or maybe they have a director's cut sometime of the movie. It would be interested to see the the reasoning behind why certain things were done. 

 

[Yukari]

12 hours ago, saevel25 said:

My best friend was making a good point and a reason why he didn't like the movie the 2nd time he saw it. He's a huge star wars fan and knows more about the movies and the books than anybody I know. He was upset that JJ basically copied episode 4. 

1. Droid on desert planet with plans or message that needs to be delivered
2. Droid meets a strong unknown force user
3. The Droid and Force user is hunted by storm troopers on the planet
4. They escape on the M.Falcon
5. They have a cantina scene
6. There is a giant super weapon that is able to destroy a planet
7. Planet(s) are destroyed
8,. Female character is captured and needs to be rescued
9. Shields must be lowered to perform an attack run on the giant super weapon
10. X-wing Battle with Tie Fighters, with a trench run
11. There is one weakness able to be exploited to blow up the super weapon 
12. The main bad guy kills someone very close to them personally. 

I can see his point. The story line was basically a copy of episode 4.

In the end I really liked the movie. I could have done without the bigger death star. I get they wanted to do something related to the name "Starkiller" which was Luke's proposed last name before Skywalker. I can't sit back and hate the movie because it has good actors, good writing, and is just fun to watch. I could go watch it a third time and really enjoy watching it.  

I do agree it would have been much better if they actually used some original plot devices. JJ could have easily put in some things from episode 4 and still maintain more creativity in what was driving the plot. 

+1.  They did have a much better actors than prequels.  I had the same feeling as your friend did that it was a similar plot line as episode IV.

But I also thought this may be on purpose to prevent a total flop and maybe as a tribute to the original.  I suspect episodes VIII and IX will be a significantly different.

[Warren Zevon]

I watched it yesterday.  And loved it.  I thought Kylo Ren is a marked improvement over the debacle that was Anakin in the prequels.  Sure he seems crazy all to hell, but he didn't seem half as whiny. 

[Golfingdad]

16 minutes ago, Warren Zevon said:

I watched it yesterday.  And loved it.  I thought Kylo Ren is a marked improvement over the debacle that was Anakin in the prequels.  Sure he seems crazy all to hell, but he didn't seem half as whiny. 

He sure threw a good temper tantrum though. :P

[Pretzel]

2 minutes ago, Golfingdad said:

He sure threw a good temper tantrum though. :P

See, the whiny bits were contained to a couple of outbursts rather than spread across three movies in their entirety. 

"I hate sand..."

" You're asking me to be rational. That is something that I know I cannot do." 

You're right Anakin, sorry to expect a rational character who doesn't whine a bunch. Other than the fact that he always acted 13, it was fun to watch his slow turn to the dark side in the prequels though.

[Golfingdad]

1 minute ago, Pretzel said:

See, the whiny bits were contained to a couple of outbursts rather than spread across three movies in their entirety. 

"I hate sand..."

" You're asking me to be rational. That is something that I know I cannot do." 

You're right Anakin, sorry to expect a rational character who doesn't whine a bunch. Other than the fact that he always acted 13, it was fun to watch his slow turn to the dark side in the prequels though.

Haha, very true.

[inthehole]

OK, so when the deathstar exploded at the end, did Kylo Ren vaporize with it, or somehow make it out & will predictably show up in the sequel ??

[jamo]

4 minutes ago, inthehole said:

OK, so when the planet star exploded at the end, did Kylo Ren vaporize with it, or somehow make it out & will predictably show up in the sequel ??

Option B. 

[inthehole]

1 minute ago, jamo said:

Option B. 

OK, but he was pretty banged up after Rey finished up with him ... how would he have possibly made it off the death star ?   Maybe I just missed something ... or maybe it was intentionally done in a way that will be disclosed in the next one.

[saevel25]

1 hour ago, inthehole said:

OK, but he was pretty banged up after Rey finished up with him ... how would he have possibly made it off the death star ?   Maybe I just missed something ... or maybe it was intentionally done in a way that will be disclosed in the next one.

Snoke told general hux (spelling?) to get Kylo and flee the planet. I presume that Kylo had some sort of tracking device on him. 

[mvmac]

5 hours ago, saevel25 said:

Snoke told general hux (spelling?) to get Kylo and flee the planet. 

Right, Snoke orders General Hux to evacuate and bring Ren to him and also mentions it's time for Ren to complete his training. We'll definitely see Kylo Ren in the next movie.

[saevel25]

Speaking of Hux, anyone notice that the actor Domhnall Gleeson has had a good year. General Hux in Star Wars, Caleb in Ex-Machina and being in The Revenant.