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Psychotic
12-17-2015, 03:06 AM
I just got back from the midnight release showing so yes, I've seen it and there will be spoilers so GO AWAY until you've been!

The first thing we both said after it finished was that it did not feel like a Star Wars movie. Actually no the first thing was "okay wow that was pretty smurfing sweet" but yeah. I guess it comes with the territory of having a different director but the tone, pacing, dialogue, everything was markedly different from the other trilogies. Even the music felt different, even though it was composed by the same guy and some themes were obviously reprised. Obviously there's a lot of parallels and borrowing from A New Hope but it still felt different from that too. Whether or not you think it's a good thing, well, YMMV, but I for one rather enjoyed it.

I love both Rey and Finn, fantastic jobs by the actors and they felt real and believable, as well as characters we could relate to - no boring stoic Jedi. And indeed the villains of the piece were suitably rotten too, no generic robots or guys with funny face tattoos who have like two lines in the whole movie to be found here.

Han picked right up where he left off, like slipping into a comfortable pair of worn shoes. Didn't miss a trick or a beat. This was probably my favourite Chewie movie too. Leia felt a bit off and different but we'll see how we go in future movies.

Without doubt it stomped all over the prequel trilogy and left them in the dirt. Like I said, it was pretty damn good. I don't know how I feel in comparison to the original trilogy yet, I will need time to process it and think about it all but what I do know is that I had a fantastic time.

maybee
12-17-2015, 03:17 AM
I just saw it as well and absolutely loved it ! One of the best Star Wars movies in a very long time imo ! The music was fantastic, the storyline was fantastic, and the characters new and old- just overall great !

Small pet peeve though K.Ren looks nothing like he could be possibly Han's son, tbh he looks more like he's Prof. Snapes's son.
:stare:

DMKA
12-17-2015, 03:19 AM
I've already had a big huge part spoiled for me. Like, what probably should have been the most shocking part of the movie has been ruined for me. I'm really hoping it's out of context and I'm concluding completely wrong because otherwise...ARRRRGGGGGGH! :mad2::mad2::mad2::mad2:

SERIOUSLY, STAY OFF THE INTERNET UNTIL YOU'VE WATCHED IT IF YOU CARE ABOUT THIS MOVIE! There's some jerks going around posting huge spoilers all over the place. I've have it presented to me three different times today.

I'm excited to see it on Saturday. I wish I could go sooner but every showing at every theater within 30 miles of me has been completely sold out up until that point for weeks now. It's CRAZY! I can't ever recall this happening with a movie in my lifetime. It may very well end up surpassing Avatar as the highest grossing film in history at this rate, and I'm willing to bet it will become the fastest film to surpass the billion dollar gross mark in history.

Colonel Angus
12-17-2015, 03:28 AM
Han picked right up where he left off, like slipping into a comfortable pair of worn shoes. Didn't miss a trick or a beat. This was probably my favourite Chewie movie too. Leia felt a bit off and different but we'll see how we go in future movies.

That's probably due to the fact that Carrie Fisher herself has been "a bit off" since the early '80s.

I'll share this here for those who may not've seen it. Colbert & JJ Abrams try to get Harrison Ford to play Han Solo again.

BrRGTEwNS2M

Iceglow
12-17-2015, 08:20 PM
I just got home from watching it. I liked it, it was good. Super surprised at the patri-cide incident. I mean sure the Star Wars lore is full of son's killing father's but damn not this, not like that.

The whole idea that through connecting to the lightsaber, Rey is able to access the memories and abilities of her father and grandfather before him felt fairly well done. It also seems like a believable ability within the context of the Star Wars expanded universe (felt very KOTOR to me) The lightsaber merely being a connection, a link to the past and her heritage. That being said, after the cannon events of the prequel trilogy, the lack of some flashier moves in the combat between Kylo Ren and Rey felt a little stoic and whilst yes the prequels did get utterly ridiculous towards the end performing feats no human body could actually manage, even if gravity and velocity requirements weren't an obstacle, it would have been nice to have seen a little more ommph in the fighting.

I also felt that the pace of the aerial combat was almost a little too fast. I fully understand that the aerial battles are meant to be fast but it was very difficult to pick out some of the action going on in the scenes (though this probably wasn't helped at all by how 3D cinematography tends to pull your forcus away from the bigger picture).

It was a relatively long film but I must say the pacing kept it quite fresh and it didn't have any moments which seemed to drag on too long (here's looking at you, awkward Gungan scenes in Phantom Menace or "romance" scenes involving a 2x4 and a girl in The Revenge Of The Sith)

Fox
12-17-2015, 09:37 PM
I really liked it. It's an odd feeling - it felt really like Star Wars. But a completely different kind of Star Wars to the original trilogy.

It was definitely at its best, in my opinion, when it wasn't worrying about trying to pay homage to the originals. The new characters, they are all strong enough to stand on their own. So while they were right to focus on the new cast, it left leaving the segments with the original cast a little hollow. They also tried to cram a little too much in I felt, which left certain areas feeling slightly underdeveloped.

Again, largely I think this was due to their feeling the need to squeeze in Leia and C-3PO and get as much bang for the buck outta Han Solo being awesome as they could.

Han and Kylo, for example. That was a really powerful moment, but it was also the first time we ever saw them speak. I didn't feel like their relationship was established enough, so it didn't have the same kind of impact as, say, Luke vs Vader. And Han's death - while very sad - felt slightly less meaningful because of that,

Having said that... Kylo Ren is amazing. In the previous films, remaining strong, noble and good was difficult, while the Dark Side was tempting and easy to fall to if you weren't vigilant. But with Kylo, darkness is his goal. His ambition. And he's seduced by the light side. He has real love for his father - a love he despises and sees as a weakness. There is good in him and he hates it. It's a great twist on the villains we've previously seen in the franchise.

G13
12-18-2015, 05:12 PM
I will do my best to be spoiler free here. :excited:

It was a great movie, but something seemed very off to me and it wasn't until I was home and in bed when it dawned on me. I wasn't paying enough attention at the time, but I believe there were none of the original screen wipes used in this film. I always felt those did a very good job on their own in setting a good pace for the movies, creating the illusion of passage of time, and indicating the jump from one story arc to another. I'll have to pay closer attention to that during my next viewing, but I think because of that omission I felt like I was going hyper speed through this movie.

Other than that, I had an absolute blast. These characters are better than I could have imagined, the story, while reminiscent of A New Hope in some oddly big ways, was exciting and had me literally on the edge of my seat, and those smurfing reveals, man! One big reveal I did not see coming, but the rest I guessed as soon as they were set up, which didn't bother me at all because I can see the plot for later movies moving forward in very exciting ways because of them.

Star Wars! :bigsmile:

Psychotic
12-18-2015, 05:14 PM
I swear I saw a screen wipe or two but now I'm doubting it!

Also Eric were you as blagged as I was as not having the 20th Century Fox theme at the start? You're my only hope.

Fox
12-18-2015, 05:21 PM
There were definitely some screen wipes! I noted them specifically! They didn't feel as commonplace as previous films, but there were definitely some!

G13
12-18-2015, 05:55 PM
I swear I saw a screen wipe or two but now I'm doubting it!

Also Eric were you as blagged as I was as not having the 20th Century Fox theme at the start? You're my only hope.

That was the proverbial staple missing from the center of the comic book! It was so weird how quickly the movie started after the Lucasfilm credit. And now that I'm on it, was there even a THX credit?

Pant Leg Eater from the Bad World
12-18-2015, 09:24 PM
This whole post is a spoiler.

I was totally expecting all of the big reveals. I knew what was going to happen before it did pretty much the whole movie. It was a big rehash of A New Hope.

With that said. I fucking loved it. Even though I expected that Kylo was going to be Han and Leia's kid (because he is basically, you know, Jason Solo), I still squealed during the reveal. I know it never explicitly said it, but Rey is totes Luke's daughter. Like Stephen said, the connection via the flashbacks made that clear to me.
As soon as Han walked out onto that bridge I knew he was going to die so that Kylo could finish his path to the dark side. Now he can continue his training with the Supreme Leader. I'm venturing to guess by the Supreme Leaders messed up face that he is in fact Darth Plageius, and Palpatine only believed he killed him. Or maybe one of Palpatine's minions who rose to power after his death.

I actually really enjoyed how much it paralleled A New Hope. It was a good homage to it. BB8 is my favorite. I'm super glad they kept with the cheesy transitions. Those only work in a Star Wars movie.

My buddy was upset with how quickly Rey came into her powers in consideration to Kylo actually having some training. But really, it didn't bother me. She is obviously portrayed as an intelligent person who catches on very quickly. And I definitely feel like she caught on so quickly with piloting because she doesn't fight the force, she intuitively lets it guide her. Kind of opposite of Luke, where he had to focus to relax so he could blow up the Death Star. She just does that naturally.

Finn was great. I really believed in his character, and I also genuinely like him. He was relatable in that he wasn't a solid brick wall of courage. He was cowardly, but when it mattered he had the courage to do the right thing. Not fire on innocent villagers. Release Poe and help him escape. Go back for Rey. Try and fight with a fucking dark side of the force using bad ass motherfucker with a sweet fucking lightsaber. Courage when it mattered. I especially loved the part when he got knocked out and Rey checked on him and he immediately asked if she was okay. :p

Also. WHAT THE FUCK HAS LUKE BEING DOING ON THAT DAMNED ISLAND FOR SO FUCKING LONG? It is pretty apparent that Rey was there with him at one point. Before even leaving Jukka (or whatever that sandy planet was) she talks about an island and a seemingly endless ocean. This also helped to convince me she is Luke's daughter. But why was she taken away and left on that dumb planet?

I'm going to go watch this movie again. I'm probably going to see it at least four times in theaters.

Shorty
12-18-2015, 11:09 PM
Was incredibly happy with the portrayal of Rey. And also every single other thing about the entire movie. 10/10

Pant Leg Eater from the Bad World
12-19-2015, 12:13 AM
I'm going to watch this again tonight.

Sephex
12-19-2015, 01:14 AM
Saw it. It was different, but a GOOD different while still feeling like Star Wars. That's exactly what I wanted.

I'll get the bad out of the way first. The pacing felt a little bit rushed at times. Also, some scene transitions were a bit jarring. That's basically the only two major complaints I have.

As for how I rank it concerning the other six? Well, it beats the prequels, that's for dang sure. In order of the old Trilogy, I like from best to least best V, IV, then VI. I would say I enjoyed VII better than VI.

Random things I liked:

*Explanation of how non clone Storm Troopers work. It totally makes sense now. Also makes the fact that there are both Clone Troopers and regular Joes more believable.

*That bad ass Storm Trooper that took on Finn. It shows how the Troopers have more of a human side. They aren't just drones so much in this movie, and I like that. I also liked how there were all kinds of humans on the star ships too.

*How conflicted Kylo Ren was and how he isn't just a DARK MAN GRRRRR!! Though he OBVIOUSLY crossed the line, I like how after that he still was acting like a real person. Also, lol, he earned his face scar because he accumulated enough dark side points.

*Harrison Ford finally got what he wanted. Though I am bummed that Solo is gone, I think he earned it. Plus, stakes were raised and a major character finally paid the price. Brings drama to the story. Again, REAL feelings!

*New cast was awesome. I am hoping they use Poe more since he was really fun to watch. As soon as I saw the guy I wanted to grab a beer with him. Rey and Finn had plenty of charisma and were fun to follow, as well.

*The light saber battle had passion behind it. Though the swift, flashy battles in the prequels were fun to look at, they were missing reason and passion. This was probably my favorite lightsaber fight since Luke vs Vader in Episode V.

*Great use of practical effects WITH CGI. The problem with the prequels weren't the fact that they used CGI, but they relied on them too hard. Though you can easily tell what is CGI and what isn't in most cases, the process is seamless.

*Ship battles were fun. That is all.

*Overall good feel. I had fun watching it and I didn't feel the length of the movie at all.

*That last shot with Luke. He didn't speak and he didn't need to. He looked devastated. He knows what happened. It was seriously a beautiful shot and I love the way both Rey and Luke just looked at each other. Actions....actions instead of words. That's what was missing from the prequels. I seriously got chills. The scenery. Man, everything about that shot was perfect.

Chibi Youkai
12-19-2015, 01:38 AM
Overall, the movie was great. I thought that it was awesome that they didn't feel the need to reveal everything in the first movie. Very glad that we still don't really know who Rey is, and that there are other questions, but that they still made the movie feel complete. Kylo's reveal came too fast, and they could have handled it a bit better, but it wasn't enough to detract from the story overall.

One question though. What is up with Luke's hair? I know terrible, God-awful hats are canon, but really?

Colonel Angus
12-19-2015, 03:25 AM
The theatre was sold out today after work, so I'm going tomorrow morning & hoping for better luck.

Raistlin
12-19-2015, 03:29 AM
I enjoyed it, and it was certainly miles better than the prequel trilogy, but it fell short of the originals. Force Awakens basically tried to cram all of the plot cycle from the first three movies into one movie, and the transitions were quick and disjointed, with some whiplash-inducing forced plot points. I did really enjoy Rey's character, and all of the returning cast.

Not worth all of the hype, but still a fully enjoyable movie.

Psychotic
12-19-2015, 09:10 AM
Now that a few more people have seen it, I just wanted to chime in and say yeah I smurfing love Kylo Ren. I really dug the set up at the start where Poe is trash talking him and it's just followed by a shot of Ren walking out with the information on BB8, and then the way it was followed it up with glimpses of the anger and insecurity was done well.

I've seen a few people confused as to how Rey beat him despite him having more training and that it was stupid, but I thought it was kinda obvious. They spent the whole movie building up the power of Chewie's Bowcaster and how it could take out three guys at once and then he took (and survived) a hit from the smurfing thing. I like that this and indeed Finn's efforts with the Stormtroopers deflated the lightsaber = you can kill everyone rule. It adds more tension to fights.

Sephex
12-19-2015, 09:29 AM
Now that a few more people have seen it, I just wanted to chime in and say yeah I smurfing love Kylo Ren. I really dug the set up at the start where Poe is trash talking him and it's just followed by a shot of Ren walking out with the information on BB8, and then the way it was followed it up with glimpses of the anger and insecurity was done well.

I've seen a few people confused as to how Rey beat him despite him having more training and that it was stupid, but I thought it was kinda obvious. They spent the whole movie building up the power of Chewie's Bowcaster and how it could take out three guys at once and then he took (and survived) a hit from the smurfing thing. I like that this and indeed Finn's efforts with the Stormtroopers deflated the lightsaber = you can kill everyone rule. It adds more tension to fights.

What else people failed to notice about Kylo sort of losing against Rey is that he was holding back because he wanted to do the typical Sith thing and lure her to the dark side. He also clearly underestimated her because she is a natural with handling the Force...which is another (in my opinion) dumb complaint people have about the movie.

Yes, Rey did just learn about the Force, but that doesn't mean she wasn't using it her whole life. She managed to survive in a harsh environment and was a skilled fighter. She also seemed to let the Force guide her in an instinctual manner which would explain how easily (but still believably shaky) she piloted the Falcon (helps that she had massive knowledge from scavenging too). So who else learned the Force very quickly in a more instinctual manner? Luke Skywalker. Hell, so did Anakin if you want to get technical. That being said, I would say her adapting to the Force as quickly as she did was a bit too much, but that's part of what I meant in my original post when I said I thought the film had pacing problems.

But yeah, while the film certainly isn't flawless, it is a bit irritating to see people complain about the film showing and not telling when the very same people got all up in arms about the prequels telling instead of showing, and having clunky exposition instead of visual storytelling.

Crop
12-19-2015, 11:11 AM
I'm going with a friend tomorrow to see it, and I was wondering if you have to have seen/enjoyed the previous movies to enjoy this one, or if its a good movie on its own? I've seen the others but was very 'meh' about them, and don't remember all that much.

Psychotic
12-19-2015, 11:20 AM
I'm going with a friend tomorrow to see it, and I was wondering if you have to have seen/enjoyed the previous movies to enjoy this one, or if its a good movie on its own? I've seen the others but was very 'meh' about them, and don't remember all that much.I think it would be fine for a "newcomer". The majority of the movie focuses on brand new characters and factions. The only real returners are Han, Chewie and Leia and all you really need to know is that Han and Chewie are bffs and Han and Leia ended the last movie all a-smoochin'.

Hope you enjoy it and please let us know what you think. I'd be intrigued to hear the thoughts of someone without the baggage the rest of us are carrying.

krissy
12-19-2015, 04:52 PM
SO GOOD


when binary sunset started playing at the end my eyes were a watery sunset

Fox
12-19-2015, 07:10 PM
I watched it again today. I think it was better second time around - I got to experience a few things I missed first time and also I absorbed some scenes that I had initially struggled with because of the fast pace.

Pike
12-19-2015, 07:23 PM
I liked it a lot. The ~BIG SPOILER~ at the end somehow managed to shock me (even though I knew IT'S A TRAP), and then I felt dead inside for the rest of the movie. I dunno, it just got to me hard, man.

I think it's because Han and Leia in this movie reminded me a lot of my grandma and grandpa. And my grandpa doesn't have a lot of time left. so......

charliepanayi
12-19-2015, 08:31 PM
So...

- Let's get the main criticism out of the way. That plot line hewed very close to the original Star Wars film (with a sprinkling of the rest of the original trilogy in there). I can understand the rationale to play it safe this time round, hence hiring a safe pair of hands in J. J. Abrams, but I hope maybe next time they have the courage to maybe push the boat out a bit.
- All that being said, I did really enjoy the film, it was a blast to watch.
- Great acting from all the main cast, especially Adam Driver and John Boyega. Even people who hate Lena Dunham should thank her for giving Driver his breakout role.
- Hope we get to see more of Poe next time, I love Oscar Isaac.
- Carrie Fisher these days is like a walking advert for saying no to cocaine.
- Did anyone see that Daniel Craig plays the Stormtrooper who is the victim of Rey's Jedi mind trick.
- Lots of very funny moments ('That's not how the Force works!').
- BB-8 is adorable.
- Domhnall Gleeson was going for full on Ham mode in his speech, huh.
- Phasma was a bit of a nothing role in the end, seemed a bit of a waste of Gwendoline Christie. Maybe she'll have more to do next time?
- Roll on Rogue One and Episode VIII

Jinx
12-19-2015, 11:58 PM
Hands down my favorite Star Wars movie. It was SO good.

I love, love, love Finn. I love that he's comedic without being a joke himself. I love how he's cowardly and brave.

I love that they made Rey the hero and not Finn. In the previews, it looks as if he's meant to be the next Jedi (as he uses the lightsaber in them), and it's so misleading in a wonderful way. Also, she's totes Luke's daughter.

BB-8 is so stinkin' cute.

We all agree that Kylo Ren is still alive, yeah?

Fox
12-20-2015, 12:08 AM
We all agree that Kylo Ren is still alive, yeah?

Oh, unquestionably. Snoke specifically said "Go get Kylo Ren and come to me," therefore it happened!

Jinx
12-20-2015, 12:10 AM
We all agree that Kylo Ren is still alive, yeah?

Oh, unquestionably. Snoke specifically said "Go get Kylo Ren and come to me," therefore it happened!

Oh, I missed that part!

He just has too much plot importance as the son of Han and Leia and the nephew of Luke to be dead.

DMKA
12-20-2015, 12:16 AM
OH MY GOD IT WAS AMAZING.

Sephex
12-20-2015, 12:33 AM
I gotta say, despite some criticisms, it is refreshing to see people enjoying Star Wars again overall. In the theater as I type this for my second viewing!

krissy
12-20-2015, 12:42 AM
the last time i cried so much at the theater was actually in my attic when i watched ff7 advent children

Mr. Carnelian
12-20-2015, 01:19 AM
Me and Formy watched it a couple of hours ago. IT WAS AMAZING! JJ Abrams, I love you. Is there no cherished childhood sci-fi favourite of mine which you can't reboot well?

Honestly, for me this film was pretty much perfect. Definitely the best film I've seen this year. It took everything good about the original three films, but still felt fresh and exciting. Even the major problem which beset the original trilogy, a bland protagonist - Luke - has been beautifully resolved with the brilliant Rey and Finn.

10/10. Watch it, then rewatch it, then buy in on DVD and watch it again.

Sephex
12-20-2015, 04:46 AM
Man, it felt downright heartwarming to watch again. This is it, folks!

Crop
12-20-2015, 06:20 PM
I saw it, and I'd give it a solid 7/10. It was a really fun sci-fi action film.

I wasn't too keen on the villain, after he took his mask off I just didn't think he looked the part (he also didn't look like Han Solo and Leia's son...like at all), but that's just a personal opinion, I didn't feel like he was a threat, especially now he lost his fight against Rey....quite badly. I actually liked the blonde General more, that guy was cold, I hope they use him more in the next films.

I really liked both Finn and Rey, hard to believe they're novice actors, they were both great! My favourite character was Poe though, so glad that he survived and I hope to see more of him in the next films too.

While you don't have to be a fan to watch and enjoy the movie (its not exactly a complicated plot), it definitely helps. Seeing Solo appear and die, seeing Leia, seeing Luke...hell even seeing the opening titles would all enhance the film for a fan, but I obviously didn't feel anything, even Solo dying didn't really bother me all that much.

A couple of questions though: Who's that main hologram villain? Are we supposed to know who he is yet? And why did R2D2 choose to wake up at that point? Also, who created the map and why was it split into two parts? Not sure if we're supposed to know any of these things yet or not.

All in all it was enjoyable. It's not going to turn me into a Star Wars fan as such, but I'll probably go to the cinema to see the rest of the films.

Sephex
12-20-2015, 06:24 PM
A couple of questions though: Who's that main hologram villain? Are we supposed to know who he is yet? And why did R2D2 choose to wake up at that point? Also, who created the map and why was it split into two parts? Not sure if we're supposed to know any of these things yet or not.



Glad you enjoyed the film overall as a neutral person. Anyway, even seasoned fans like myself don't know the answer to those questions yet, but many fans do have theories on stuff like that already. I'm more of a wait and see person, though. But yeah, don't be concerned because you have those questions because even hardcore fans aren't supposed to know.

Jinx
12-20-2015, 07:12 PM
I'm going to assume that the map was split into two parts to make it harder to find, but since both the Rebellion and the First Order were looking for Luke, I'm not sure who did it. Unless it was Luke himself.

Also, I think Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) not looking the part of the baddy was a deliberate choice. Because he actively chooses the dark side and hates that he's got good in him. He's not really SUPPOSED to be a bad guy. So I think choosing the funny looking baby-faced guy was intentional (disclaimer: I find Adam Driver ridiculously attractive).

Crop
12-20-2015, 07:29 PM
Also, I think Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) not looking the part of the baddy was a deliberate choice. Because he actively chooses the dark side and hates that he's got good in him. He's not really SUPPOSED to be a bad guy. So I think choosing the funny looking baby-faced guy was intentional (disclaimer: I find Adam Driver ridiculously attractive).

That makes sense, I guess I just wasn't a fan.

Slothy
12-20-2015, 08:06 PM
And as far as Rey beating him fairly easily, she does seem like she's had some experience with melee weapons before that, but I think the biggest part of it (aside from use of the force coming fairly easy to her) is that it's kind of implied that Ren isn't as powerful as he maybe could be and wants to be. Certainly Rey says as much when she picks up on his fear that he'll never be as powerful as Darth Vader. That and he's clearly hot headed and prone to wild outbursts of anger and may even be held back from his true power because he's unable to fully give himself over to the dark side so far. It's also made clear he isn't finished his training yet which could also help explain it.

But I think any and all of that could have held him back making it impossible for him to really reach his full potential, and taking his head out of the battle. Certainly seeing someone who's a natural with the force when he clearly struggles with his place in it may have thrown him off and lead to him fighting in a rage rather than drawing upon his knowledge of lightsaber combat.

Fox
12-20-2015, 08:36 PM
Also he had been shot with the bowcaster, which was established a bunch of times throughout the film will send a stormtrooper flying through the air as it kills them. So even just from a physical perceptive, he wasn't exactly 100%.

Sephex
12-20-2015, 08:45 PM
Yep, the guy had a ton of things going against him in that battle, and he's more of a Dark Jedi rather than a Sith Lord. Snoke even said he wanted General Hux to pick him up and take him off planet to "complete his training." It's not overwhelming in numbers, but there are still way too many people who just don't get Kylo Ren's character and it is so disappointing. I thought people didn't like the one dimension characters from the prequels or antagonists that just scowled and were just there to look "cool." I'll admit I wasn't totally in love with Kylo at first, but the more I'm thinking about it, the more I am excited to see where they go with that character. Plus, he earned enough dark side points to get a cool scar now!

Slothy
12-20-2015, 09:32 PM
I agree Sephex. He's got a lot more going on for him than the other villains tended to, especially the prequel villains. There's something quite interesting about a villain that's actually conflicted showing up in the series. I look forward to them getting a bit more into what happened with him and where he goes in the future films.

Del Murder
12-20-2015, 10:36 PM
The movie was excellent. Kylo, Rey, Finn were all superb. I hope we see more of Poe in the later films because he was great too. BB8 would have stolen the show if it wasn't for Rey being so damn intense. She was the perfect lead.

The film kept to the old themes and introduced them to a new generation, which is what I expected. I'm sure they will take more risks in the next two. It did a great job blending in the older characters (Han & Chewie) with the new. I was skeptical that Harrison Ford could play old Han Solo instead of just being old Harrison Ford but I really felt that was Han on screen.

The reveal for Kylo Ren was exactly what I thought it would be and I liked that Abrams didn't draw it out. Shows respect for the audience for not drawing out an obvious 'twist', which so many others fail to do these days. It also had to be that way so that some kind of relationship could be quickly established for Han & Klyo for when they meet at the end of the film. I sobbed out of my mind at that scene. That was probably the most I cried at a movie scene in years. It was like seeing your childhood melt away in front of you.

It was also nice that Rey's parentage was flashed upon but not confirmed (though we all know whose daughter she is). It's now one of those things where the audience knows what's up but the character doesn't, so the suspense is now seeing how she finds out (and who her mother was).

My biggest gripe was a super nerd thing where I'm not sure how Kylo Ren, obviously still in need of Sith training, can read minds when even Darth smurfing Vader couldn't do that. Otherwise, he would have found out the hidden base from Leia in Episode IV!

Sephiroth
12-20-2015, 10:50 PM
Anakin could read minds. He read Luke's mind about Leia. He was even so powerful he did not need this whole hand thing.

Crop
12-20-2015, 10:53 PM
Just to clarify, I do 'get' Kylo Ren's character, especially now I've managed to read some explanations, I just didn't like him as a villain.

I guess in Star Wars it's been mostly bland one dimensional villains? I dunno, but I didn't think there was anything spectacular about him, especially since the level of his strength seemed all over the place...then again I only have a limited understanding of The Force so it might make sense.

G13
12-20-2015, 11:16 PM
I'm 100% alright with Rey beating Kylo during the lightsaber battle. Luke and Anakin both did impossible things through the Force when they were untrained, why couldn't Rey? Besides that, Kylo Ren doesn't seem very disciplined, and I'd be willing to bet he didn't finish his own training before falling to the Dark Side. His adoration of Vader's accomplishments and complete disregard for Anakin's return seems to have given him delusions of grandeur about the Dark Side, and I've never really considered the Dark Side to be stronger. It makes sense to me that Rey got the drop on him this go around, but I'm fully expecting an Empire moment next movie. He'll come back and he'll be better prepared.

Speaking of the Dark Side, I love how Rey was tempted by little things throughout the movie, like selling BB-8 for more food, and how easily she overcame these temptations, but during that fight it seemed very likely that she was Dark for a bit, but stayed completely in control. It's probably a stretch, but the fan in me was going nuts during that fight.

Sephiroth
12-20-2015, 11:20 PM
Well, but the Dark Side is stronger. Because of the imbalance. But Rey is the successor of the chosen one, obviousy the new chosen one. Of course she has incredible power.

Fox
12-20-2015, 11:25 PM
In terms of throwbacks to the original films, I am very surprised we didn't get a "Lock S-Foils in attack positions".

I mean... we clearly saw the S-Foils being locked in attack positions. That would've been an easy win, surely! ;) I certainly would've liked to trade that line for... any or all of Threepio's. Something seemed off about him in this film, and I'm not talking about the arm. Which had turned back gold for the final shot, so I'm guessing it wasn't a particularly interesting backstory there.


But Rey is the successor of the chosen one, obviousy the new chosen one.

I strongly hope I don't hear the words 'Chosen One' at all during the sequel trilogy.

The whole concept has been annoying me from day 1. "The chosen one will bring balance to the Force". OK, Windu, here's the thing: balance means an equal amount of light and dark, not 100% light. There are thousands of Jedi in the galaxy and approximately two Sith. How much more 'balanced' do things need to get?

Sephiroth
12-20-2015, 11:29 PM
In terms of throwbacks to the original films, I am very surprised we didn't get a "Lock S-Foils in attack positions".

I mean... we clearly saw the S-Foils being locked in attack positions. That would've been an easy win, surely! ;) I certainly would've liked to trade that line for... any or all of Threepio's. Something seemed off about him in this film, and I'm not talking about the arm. Which had turned back gold for the final shot, so I'm guessing it wasn't a particularly interesting backstory there.


But Rey is the successor of the chosen one, obviousy the new chosen one.

I strongly hope I don't hear the words 'Chosen One' at all during the sequel trilogy.

The whole concept has been annoying me from day 1. "The chosen one will bring balance to the Force". OK, Windu, here's the thing: balance means an equal amount of light and dark, not 100% light. There are thousands of Jedi in the galaxy and approximately two Sith. How much more 'balanced' do things need to get?


Yeah and Sidious was the most powerful force-user of all. Those puny Jedi were not even comparable for the balance. This entire stuff is part of Star Wars even if it is probably never mentioned again. But it pretty much is always "mentioned" by the Skywalkers being incredibly powerful.

Fox
12-20-2015, 11:35 PM
Yeah and Sidious was the most powerful force-user of all. Those puny Jedi were not even comparable for the balance.

I dunno, Windu defeated him one-on-one! If not for Anakin getting in the way peace and justice would have been restored to the galaxy ages ago ^^

Sephiroth
12-20-2015, 11:37 PM
Because Windu is the best lightsabre duelist, not force user in general. Also I do not know if you have noticed but Sidious has played his little game in the entire scene to wait for a good moment. Also you have pretty much taken a bad example because with puni Jedi I did not mean the creme de la creme. And even those - I mean, Yoda tried it. And he failed. Hell, he even owned the Jedi in Clone Wars when he tested something (well, he considered it theoretically a failure but you can watch the battle yourself also he does other incredible stuff in Clone Wars).

Del Murder
12-21-2015, 12:00 AM
Anakin could read minds. He read Luke's mind about Leia. He was even so powerful he did not need this whole hand thing.
He read Luke's thoughts and feelings. It was more like a sensing. As opposed to reaching into someone's mind and extracting the information you need. 'We don't need no droid, I can just read her mind!' In the end he couldn't because she's strong with the Force but the confidence that he could get something as detailed as a map she saw briefly is unlike anything Anakin ever did.

Sephiroth
12-21-2015, 12:21 AM
Anakin could read minds. He read Luke's mind about Leia. He was even so powerful he did not need this whole hand thing.
He read Luke's thoughts and feelings. It was more like a sensing. As opposed to reaching into someone's mind and extracting the information you need. 'We don't need no droid, I can just read her mind!' In the end he couldn't because she's strong with the Force but the confidence that he could get something as detailed as a map she saw briefly is unlike anything Anakin ever did.

I see no difference between extracting the information "i have a sister" and "i know map x". It was not specified if Ben actually can get access to the total database. And well, he was not able to do it anyway. Also even if he can do some stuff - he once was the apprentice of Luke and now of this Captain Snoopy guy who people even consider to be Darth Plagueis the Wise (Sidious' master and the only one comparable to him).

Not that it matters. Ben still has no chance against Rey. Luke's child > Leia's child. That was more than clearly shown. Now a trained Rey might be the one the force needs (and I am pretty sure that is what is gonna be it anyway as she is the main chara, et cetera - typical good people win story).

Fox
12-21-2015, 03:47 AM
So, question!

Who was your favourite new character from The Force Awakens?

I'm gonna put Rey at the top, followed by BB-8. I'm amazed just how much they managed to do with that little droid, I wonder if he might even be a more effective screen presence than R2-D2 was in the originals. And Rey is just amazing; skilled, fun, confident, compassionate. I prefer her in this to Luke Skywalker in ANH, and she and Finn have great chemistry. She and BB-8 have great chemistry to. She and Han Solo also have- OK, basically she just seemed to go really well with all the other characters.

Rostum
12-21-2015, 04:12 AM
I swear I had the biggest trout-eating grin on my face when "Star Wars" and the accompanying music came on. I thought this film was beautiful and amazing, I've never been so excited before and after. I'm still trying to let it sink in that Han Solo is gone, I was hoping they'd at least put off main character deaths until the second film. :(

Also after his death the interaction, or lack there of, with Chewy and Leia seemed really off.

Mr. Carnelian
12-21-2015, 12:45 PM
I certainly would've liked to trade that line for... any or all of Threepio's. Something seemed off about him in this film, and I'm not talking about the arm. Which had turned back gold for the final shot, so I'm guessing it wasn't a particularly interesting backstory there.



I'm pretty sure they were deliberately making fun of him. He represented the hammy acting and clumsy dialogue of the A New Hope (which was there, let's not let nostalgia completely blind us), and we're all meant to think "Get back in your box, ham!" whenever C3PO started to speak. Which I did.

charliepanayi
12-21-2015, 01:08 PM
C-3PO has always been the annoying one. It helps that nobody much likes the guy who plays him either.

Fox
12-21-2015, 03:11 PM
C-3PO has always been the annoying one. It helps that nobody much likes the guy who plays him either.

I always found him obnoxious but never too annoying. I did watch the old films in and around the new ones, and although I was never fond of C-3PO as a character he was markedly less irritating in the old ones. I won't complain if he doesn't show up in VIII put it that way.

Psychotic
12-21-2015, 03:17 PM
Who was your favourite new character from The Force Awakens?Finn. Veeeery tricky question to answer as Rey, Kylo Ren, BB8 and Poe are all superb in their own ways. I'm just going to give you my favourite quote from A Song of Ice and Fire to explain why.

Bran thought about it. 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave,' his father told him.

On a vaguely related note to that, who else was disappointed with Captain Phasma? Oh man, Brienne of Tarth as a badass Stormtrooper leader! And then, eh.

Formalhaut
12-21-2015, 04:00 PM
Who was your favourite new character from The Force Awakens?Finn. Veeeery tricky question to answer as Rey, Kylo Ren, BB8 and Poe are all superb in their own ways. I'm just going to give you my favourite quote from A Song of Ice and Fire to explain why.

Bran thought about it. 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave,' his father told him.

On a vaguely related note to that, who else was disappointed with Captain Phasma? Oh man, Brienne of Tarth as a badass Stormtrooper leader! And then, eh.

True, I do think they underutilised her in that role. Hopefully she escaped the trash chute of doom and and is still kicking around, I would have liked for her to be involved more in the plot.

Del Murder
12-21-2015, 04:41 PM
Captain Phasma's armor is too cool to waste on just one movie. She'll be back.

Rey was my favorite new character. She's so damn intense but also full of wonder. Perfectly played by Daisy Ridley. Kylo, Finn, and BB8 were great too.

I'm looking forward to what new characters the next film introduces. The second Star Wars movie introduced greats like Yoda, Boba Fett, and Lando, so I hope it continues that tradition by beefing up the cast.

Jinx
12-21-2015, 04:43 PM
Yeah, both Rey and Finn were fantastic. Poe was great too, but wasn't around really enough to qualify as a new favorite character (I can't wait to see him in the next films, though).

I have to say Finn, though. For the reasons Psy gave, but I also loved how he was funny and humorous without being annoying or having his only role being comic relief.

Sephex
12-21-2015, 11:00 PM
I love all the new characters. I already feel as if BB-8 has been apart of the Star Wars family for years. I also liked Finn's perfect balance of being comedic, but still a compelling character instead of simply comic relief. Rey is simply awesome. I am glad that they kept her backstory to a minimum for this film, and I am looking forward to where they will take it. As I said in my original post, I would like to share a beer with Poe. The way he acts and looks just screams classic Star Wars.

Man, I'm having so much fun with the Star Wars universe again because of this movie. Haven't really felt that way in years, honestly!

Jinx
12-21-2015, 11:31 PM
Oh hey, I'm starting to see people come out and talk about how this movie sucks, and it's boring, and it's a flop. Because it's cool to hate things that are popular. :greenie:

Sephex
12-22-2015, 12:14 AM
Oh hey, I'm starting to see people come out and talk about how this movie sucks, and it's boring, and it's a flop. Because it's cool to hate things that are popular. :greenie:

A...a flop? If you took everyone who is complaining about it and combined them all of them wouldn't see half the money this movie is making.

That was going to happen no matter what type of movie they made. The fact that several reviewers that are normally very hard on films like it or love it is really telling in my eyes. As I've said before, the film isn't perfect--far from it. However, neither was the Original Trilogy.

One of the most major complaints I have seen (again, I said this before in the thread, but I am bringing it up again to compare something) is how quickly Rey adapts to the Force. Well, if you really want to give a character in the Star Wars universe some grief about that, why not Luke? He had ZERO idea of what the Force was at all. Rey heard it as a myth that she wasn't entirely sure if was real or not. But point is, Luke did NOT KNOW AT ALL what the Force was. Not too long after (possibly in the same day) when Han questions the Force during the hyperspace ride, Luke gets all indignant that Han dared to question something he literally just learned about.

All the films have flaws, and I think most people get way too lost in some idea that the Original Trilogy was some holy grail of film making. Look, I am a Star Wars nut. But what made the original films great weren't supposed flawless executions. They were solid stories (albeit flawed and contradictory--yes--BEFORE the prequels came into play), great use of practical/special effects, editing that saved everyone's ass (especially concerning A New Hope), wonderful sound editing, and a powerful score to tie everything into place. Lucas simply took a very familiar hero's journey story and tried to recreate the cheesy serial sci-fi stuff from his childhood. That's it. The old movies accomplish that, and The Force Awakens accomplishes that.

Jinx
12-22-2015, 12:21 AM
Oh hey, I'm starting to see people come out and talk about how this movie sucks, and it's boring, and it's a flop. Because it's cool to hate things that are popular. :greenie:

A...a flop? If you took everyone who is complaining about it and combined them all of them wouldn't see half the money this movie is making.

That was going to happen no matter what type of movie they made. The fact that several reviewers that are normally very hard on films like it or love it is really telling in my eyes. As I've said before, the film isn't perfect--far from it. However, neither was the Original Trilogy.

One of the most major complaints I have seen (again, I said this before in the thread, but I am bringing it up again to compare something) is how quickly Rey adapts to the Force. Well, if you really want to give a character in the Star Wars universe some grief about that, why not Luke? He had ZERO idea of what the Force was at all. Rey heard it as a myth that she wasn't entirely sure if was real or not. But point is, Luke did NOT KNOW AT ALL what the Force was. Not too long after (possibly in the same day) when Han questions the Force during the hyperspace ride, Luke gets all indignant that Han dared to question something he literally just learned about.

All the films have flaws, and I think most people get way too lost in some idea that the Original Trilogy was some holy grail of film making. Look, I am a Star Wars nut. But what made the original films great weren't supposed flawless executions. They were solid stories (albeit flawed and contradictory--yes--BEFORE the prequels came into play), great use of practical/special effects, editing that saved everyone's ass (especially concerning A New Hope), wonderful sound editing, and a powerful score to tie everything into place. Lucas simply took a very familiar hero's journey story and tried to recreate the cheesy serial sci-fi stuff from his childhood. That's it. The old movies accomplish that, and The Force Awakens accomplishes that.

I love the original trilogy, but they're kind of bad movies, honestly. Very campy. But still fun.

And I think the person who said it was a flop meant from the perspective of how it was received (it's objectively NOT a flop from a financial aspect), but I think he's wrong on that account too. I've only seen overwhelming positive reactions about the movie until today.

Shiny
12-22-2015, 04:23 PM
Biggest shocking moment wasn't shocking because it was spoiled for me by some dude on Instagram but I will say either way I saw it coming once it was revealed he was his son. Once he died I didn't really care tbh and wondering why Chewie didn't shoot that dude sooner. Might have saved his life, but oh well. Most shocking thing to me was the reveal as Adam Driver as Kylo Ren.

That was oddly disappointing. I knew he was casted but I didn't know who he would be playing and then aptly forgot that he was even in the movie once I started watching. He has a stupid dopey non-menacing face and maybe that was partly intentional since he up until that big murder was mostly just some boy playing evil and having temper tantrums while fighting an internal struggle within himself. Anyway, it was good.

I really liked BB-8, Poe and Rey. I like BB-8 more than R2D2 because he will burn you if you get smart. So sassy. Finn I'm on the fence about. He's funny but his constant need to hold Rey's hand annoys me and the fact that he thinks he can just wield Luke's light saber. Who the hell do you think you are bruh?

SammieBabe
12-22-2015, 04:58 PM
Saw it last night in a Dome IMAX theater and loved it. I rarely want to see movies twice in a theater, but this one might warrant it.

Honestly I had never heard of Adam Driver before this movie, but I thought he played the flawed villain quite well. But, I'm a fangirl for villains as a whole. :D

Aerith's Knight
12-22-2015, 11:41 PM
That was, without a doubt, the worst movie experience I've ever had.

A half hour of bloody commercials, a guy next to me smelling like someone threw up on him recently, people leaving the theater every 3 minutes, and a guy pulling up a bloody hoodie in front of me, blocking a part of my view.

God, I know it's been a while since I went to the movies, but why do we want to spend money on that again? I'm not watching anything anymore that I can't in my own home. This is just getting ridiculous.

Oh, the movie? It was alright. Not the best, not the worst. I would watch it again some day (in my own home), which is more than I could say for the 2nd and 3rd prequel.

Ayen
12-22-2015, 11:51 PM
I liked it enough. Felt like Star Wars to me. Don't know how I feel about how much they took from A New Hope to the point you could see certain plot points coming a mile away. The original characters were great, and I thought the lightsaber fights were better this time around because there was actual emotion behind them instead of perfectly choreograph fight scenes from start to finish like in the prequels.

DMKA
12-23-2015, 02:59 AM
Who was your favourite new character from The Force Awakens?

BB-8 :heart:

Sephiroth
12-23-2015, 05:27 PM
Favourite new character is easy - Rey. Or should I say Rey Skywalker?

Pant Leg Eater from the Bad World
12-23-2015, 06:11 PM
I'm going to see it a third time on Christmas in DBox seating. And then again on January 2nd in IMAX.

Freya
12-23-2015, 09:53 PM
Just saw it in IMAX! I really enjoyed it! Finn, Rey, Kylo, Poe, and BB8 were great. I loved it.

Colonel Angus
12-26-2015, 09:20 PM
OMG I loved it! I :love: Rey. I think her & Finn have great chemistry. I really hope they get those two crazy kids together. Also love BB-8 & Poe is great!.

If Ren, Finn & Poe are the future of the franchise, this will be an epic trilogy.

Feel @ some point Kylo will turn, despite what he did to Han. It seems to me the draw of the darkside is pretty weak in him if he keeps feeling tempted by the light.

theundeadhero
12-27-2015, 06:53 AM
I overall loved it. It was so much fun to watch and I want to watch it again. Nearly every actor did a great job. I say nearly because I don't think Kylo was done well. His fits of rage were great, and he did an alright job of projecting a menacing appearance, not quite as well as Vadar but that's expected, but I felt he did a horrible job delivering his lines. I would have preferred a different actor.



WHAT THE smurf HAS LUKE BEING DOING ON THAT DAMNED ISLAND FOR SO smurfING LONG? It is pretty apparent that Rey was there with him at one point. Before even leaving Jukka (or whatever that sandy planet was) she talks about an island and a seemingly endless ocean. This also helped to convince me she is Luke's daughter. But why was she taken away and left on that dumb planet? Luke was training :p Like everyone else, I'm predicting Rey is his daughter, and he hid her away to protect her from Kylo. After murdering all his other students, I imagine the daughter of Luke would be a pretty high priority target as well, but you can't murder what you can't find/don't know about.


One question though. What is up with Luke's hair? I know terrible, God-awful hats are canon, but really? to be fair, Luke has always had pretty horrible hair :p


I'm going to assume that the map was split into two parts to make it harder to find, but since both the Rebellion and the First Order were looking for Luke, I'm not sure who did it. Unless it was Luke himself. I'm guessing Luke did it, and he used the force to tell R2 to power up. He was observing everything happening with the force and decided the time was right.


"The chosen one will bring balance to the Force". OK, Windu, here's the thing: balance means an equal amount of light and dark, not 100% light. There are thousands of Jedi in the galaxy and approximately two Sith. How much more 'balanced' do things need to get?This is why I will always argue that Anakin really was the chosen one. Balance is equal. There were plenty of Jedi running around doing all kinds of things in the Galaxy, and only a handful of Sith. After Anakin's betrayal there were only two Sith (him and palpatine), barring any hidden Sith hanging out wherever in the galaxy uncanonically, and two Jedi (Ben and Yoda), barring any hidden Jedi hanging out wherever in the galaxy uncanonically.

Sephiroth
12-27-2015, 06:03 PM
This is why I will always argue that Anakin really was the chosen one. Balance is equal. There were plenty of Jedi running around doing all kinds of things in the Galaxy, and only a handful of Sith. After Anakin's betrayal there were only two Sith (him and palpatine), barring any hidden Sith hanging out wherever in the galaxy uncanonically, and two Jedi (Ben and Yoda), barring any hidden Jedi hanging out wherever in the galaxy uncanonically.


But plenty of Jedi are totally irrelevant when the master of the Sith has manipulated the force so much that he alone is able to use it to perfection (or pretty much) and is superior to the Jedi.

Sephex
12-27-2015, 06:14 PM
This is why I will always argue that Anakin really was the chosen one. Balance is equal. There were plenty of Jedi running around doing all kinds of things in the Galaxy, and only a handful of Sith. After Anakin's betrayal there were only two Sith (him and palpatine), barring any hidden Sith hanging out wherever in the galaxy uncanonically, and two Jedi (Ben and Yoda), barring any hidden Jedi hanging out wherever in the galaxy uncanonically.


But plenty of Jedi are totally irrelevant when the master of the Sith has manipulated the force so much that he alone is able to use it to perfection (or pretty much) and is superior to the Jedi.

It's dumb, but the Jedi interpreted the prophecy and "balance" as ridding of the Sith entirely. I still have no clue why they would think that, but I guess when you are in control for thousands of years even Jedi gets a bit of an ego.

Fox
12-27-2015, 06:22 PM
An ego which was ultimately their downfall.

Of all the things the prequels did, making the Jedi surprisingly weak and gullible is one of their more interesting sides. I wonder if it was deliberate or a side effect of bad film making? I quite like it, thinking after Return of the Jedi that "Aha! Luke Skywalker is a Jedi now! The galaxy is saved!" and then realizing that actually, Jedi are still very fallible and, in many ways, closed-minded.

Formalhaut
12-27-2015, 06:27 PM
The Jedi are by no means perfect and in some ways are just as bad for the galaxy as the Sith/Dark Side. I wonder if they will explore in any depth any negatives of the Light, and whether embracing both Light and Dark together is actually a better way to go than being 'fully Light' or 'Fully Dark'.

Films love 'third way' solutions to things, anyway. :p

Sephex
12-27-2015, 06:30 PM
The Jedi are by no means perfect and in some ways are just as bad for the galaxy as the Sith/Dark Side. I wonder if they will explore in any depth any negatives of the Light, and whether embracing both Light and Dark together is actually a better way to go than being 'fully Light' or 'Fully Dark'.

Films love 'third way' solutions to things, anyway. :p

One of the very few things I liked about the expanded universe were the type of Force users that incorporated both the Light and Dark side of the Force into their practice. I think one of Luke's kids basically went, "Welp, my family has a history of bouncing back and forth from the Light and Dark, so why not both?" It more or less makes a Force user act like a normal person, rather than a monk or a sociopath.

Freya
12-27-2015, 06:34 PM
I'm going to assume that the map was split into two parts to make it harder to find, but since both the Rebellion and the First Order were looking for Luke, I'm not sure who did it. Unless it was Luke himself. I'm guessing Luke did it, and he used the force to tell R2 to power up. He was observing everything happening with the force and decided the time was right.



Rey was there. She hadn't been there yet. It supports the Rey = Luke's daughter thing. He wasn't on before, but when Rey was int eh area bleep bloop he's back. R2 was there to lead Rey to him not anyone else. :D Or that's my theory.

Formalhaut
12-27-2015, 07:11 PM
One of the very few things I liked about the expanded universe were the type of Force users that incorporated both the Light and Dark side of the Force into their practice. I think one of Luke's kids basically went, "Welp, my family has a history of bouncing back and forth from the Light and Dark, so why not both?" It more or less makes a Force user act like a normal person, rather than a monk or a sociopath.

That sounds good, actually. I've always found 'All Light' and 'All Dark' to be a bit extreme on both ends, to be honest.

Fox
12-27-2015, 07:17 PM
One of the very few things I liked about the expanded universe were the type of Force users that incorporated both the Light and Dark side of the Force into their practice. I think one of Luke's kids basically went, "Welp, my family has a history of bouncing back and forth from the Light and Dark, so why not both?" It more or less makes a Force user act like a normal person, rather than a monk or a sociopath.

That sounds good, actually. I've always found 'All Light' and 'All Dark' to be a bit extreme on both ends, to be honest.

It's like a bad game mechanic. I think KOTOR suffered with this and I know Mass Effect did, where the systems would basically force you (hah) to go all good or all bad, as that would unlock you cool stuff on the good/bad skill trees. So if you weren't either a total saint or space hitler you were playing the game inefficiently, which is pretty awful when you're trying to bill it as a 'moral choice' system.

Tl;dr - I agree, middle ground is important and makes for more interesting and believable human beings.

Formalhaut
12-27-2015, 07:25 PM
It's like a bad game mechanic. I think KOTOR suffered with this and I know Mass Effect did, where the systems would basically force you (hah) to go all good or all bad, as that would unlock you cool stuff on the good/bad skill trees. So if you weren't either a total saint or space hitler you were playing the game inefficiently, which is pretty awful when you're trying to bill it as a 'moral choice' system.

Tl;dr - I agree, middle ground is important and makes for more interesting and believable human beings.

Pardon me for going vaguely off-topic in a Star Wars thread, but I actually rather enjoyed going full-on paragon in the Mass Effect trilogy. I did the occasional bad-ass renegade prompt (as long as it only killed bad guys anyway) which was fun, but I basically played full on space saint throughout 1, 2 and 3.

Being good is, well, good, but I feel like in Star Wars, the Light is seen as a beacon of justice, which can be misleading. I'm sure there must have been bad Jedis who have done questionable things. I don't like the essentialist dualism that Light = Good, Dark = Bad, I guess is what I'm saying. Being all Light and Jedi-like is fine, as long as that doesn't lead to a complacent assumption that means you are automatically a good person.

The Shin Megami Tensei series, from what I hear, does interesting takes on morality as well.

Fox
12-27-2015, 07:42 PM
Pardon me for going vaguely off-topic in a Star Wars thread, but I actually rather enjoyed going full-on paragon in the Mass Effect trilogy. I did the occasional bad-ass renegade prompt (as long as it only killed bad guys anyway) which was fun, but I basically played full on space saint throughout 1, 2 and 3.

Being good is, well, good, but I feel like in Star Wars, the Light is seen as a beacon of justice, which can be misleading. I'm sure there must have been bad Jedis who have done questionable things. I don't like the essentialist dualism that Light = Good, Dark = Bad, I guess is what I'm saying. Being all Light and Jedi-like is fine, as long as that doesn't lead to a complacent assumption that means you are automatically a good person.

The Shin Megami Tensei series, from what I hear, does interesting takes on morality as well.

Oh yeah there's nothing wrong with choosing to go all out goodie-two shoes, but it's a shame when a game forces you down that route. For more middle of the road players like myself (I roleplay the trout out of these things, so I always do what I think is contextually the best thing at the time, which sometimes involves going a bit renegadey) it makes things more difficult.

And in Star Wars, it would be cool to have a few fully light, pure, Jedi like they had in the Republic, but maybe some more leeway for some middle of the road types as well. I have a hypothesis that maybe if they embraced that a little more, they wouldn't have to worry so much about the Sith. When you set such high standards as the Jedi do with no compromise, if you fall you're probably gonna fall all the way. I think if they were a bit more open, more forgiving, it would be harder for the likes of Sidious to tempt the likes of Anakin in the first place. I always felt Luke Skywalker got it right at the very end of Return of the Jedi - he used his anger to beat Vader down, but then he refused to turn to the dark side.

That to me seemed far more constructive than the 'bottle up your dark feelings and try to wish them away' attitude of the old Jedi order.

Ayen
12-27-2015, 07:46 PM
So if Rey is Luke's daughter, who did Luke get jiggly with?

theundeadhero
12-27-2015, 07:47 PM
But plenty of Jedi are totally irrelevant when the master of the Sith has manipulated the force so much that he alone is able to use it to perfection (or pretty much) and is superior to the Jedi.Strong, yes. Superior? Very questionable. He was persuasive enough to seduce Anakin to the dark side, but that's more charm than power. He claimed he learned how to preserve life before killing his master. Sith lie, and we never saw it happen. We can't even argue Plagueis really knew how to do it since there's no canon books to back the claim up. All we really know is that he could make force lightning and he was cunning. However, Yoda and Obi were strong enough in the force to become ghosts.


Rey was there. She hadn't been there yet. It supports the Rey = Luke's daughter thing. He wasn't on before, but when Rey was in the area bleep bloop he's back. R2 was there to lead Rey to him not anyone else. Or that's my theory. Luke told R2 to activate because Rey was there :p Both guesses fit together into a single solid reason.

I hate paragon playthroughs in Mass Effect. They're so obscenely candy sweet that it makes me sick. I do prefer middle of the road choices, but I'll take renegade over paragon.

Mr. Carnelian
12-27-2015, 07:48 PM
So if Rey is Luke's daughter, who did Luke get jiggly with?

That's the big question, isn't it! I'm thinking it might end up to be a character who we've already encountered. Not a clue who that might turn out to be, though.

Fox
12-27-2015, 07:56 PM
So if Rey is Luke's daughter, who did Luke get jiggly with?

That's the big question, isn't it! I'm thinking it might end up to be a character who we've already encountered. Not a clue who that might turn out to be, though.

It's gotta be someone else whose strong in the Force to maximise Rey's awesome force power.

So either Leia or Maz. Take your pick.

Ayen
12-27-2015, 07:58 PM
Ew, twincest!

I'm going with Maz. Luke's a super freak, and she had his lightsaber!

Sephiroth
12-27-2015, 08:03 PM
This is why I will always argue that Anakin really was the chosen one. Balance is equal. There were plenty of Jedi running around doing all kinds of things in the Galaxy, and only a handful of Sith. After Anakin's betrayal there were only two Sith (him and palpatine), barring any hidden Sith hanging out wherever in the galaxy uncanonically, and two Jedi (Ben and Yoda), barring any hidden Jedi hanging out wherever in the galaxy uncanonically.


But plenty of Jedi are totally irrelevant when the master of the Sith has manipulated the force so much that he alone is able to use it to perfection (or pretty much) and is superior to the Jedi.

It's dumb, but the Jedi interpreted the prophecy and "balance" as ridding of the Sith entirely. I still have no clue why they would think that, but I guess when you are in control for thousands of years even Jedi gets a bit of an ego.

Plagueis/Sidious were responsible for the imbalance of the force. With them gone the power that manipulated them would be gone as well. Sith being gone is not the same as the Dark Side of the Force being gone, just the cause of the imbalance being gone - and probably also the balance restored.

You may also not misinterpret Dark Side Users as Sith. Sith are not all Dark Side Users and Padawan and Jedi are not all Light Side Users. Those are ideologies and not the terms for everyone using the force. Kylo Ren is also not a Sith (except if Snoke is one). I know in general those terms are used, I also used to do that but my brother who is more familiar with Star Wars told me.

Mr. Carnelian
12-27-2015, 08:08 PM
So if Rey is Luke's daughter, who did Luke get jiggly with?

That's the big question, isn't it! I'm thinking it might end up to be a character who we've already encountered. Not a clue who that might turn out to be, though.

It's gotta be someone else whose strong in the Force to maximise Rey's awesome force power.

So either Leia or Maz. Take your pick.

I was thinking it might be someone a BIT more obscure, possibly from the extended universe.

Sephiroth
12-27-2015, 08:10 PM
I was thinking it might be someone a BIT more obscure, possibly from the extended universe.


That one is no longer canonical according to Disney. They de-canonized everything except the movies, Clone Wars and Rebels when they bought Star Wars.

Mr. Carnelian
12-27-2015, 08:15 PM
I was thinking it might be someone a BIT more obscure, possibly from the extended universe.


That one is no longer canonical according to Disney. They de-canonized everything except the movies, Clone Wars and Rebels when they bought Star Wars.

WHAT IF IT'S AHSOKA?!

theundeadhero
12-27-2015, 08:15 PM
The force is a power without denomination in good or bad in any way. It isn't two powers vying for control. What matters is how you use it. It's true because my neighbor told me.

Sephiroth
12-27-2015, 08:17 PM
The force is a power without denomination in good or bad in any way. It isn't two powers vying for control. What matters is how you use it. It's true because my neighbor told me.

Your neighbour is Sidious.

Ayen
12-27-2015, 08:41 PM
You know, one of the best parts of the movie for me was all the humor. When Kylo Ren is going on one of his angry tantrums and destroying trout with his lightsaber, and the two Stormtroopers are walking towards the room, hear the commotion, stop, and then turn around, I laughed my freaking ass off. That was so hilarious.

Then there's the scene where the guy is telling him all the bad news and he's freaking out on him with his Force Powers and then he's all, "So, what else do you have to report?" all calm like nothing happened.

Fynn
12-27-2015, 09:07 PM
Just saw it.

Pretty easily my favorite Star Wars yet.

Formalhaut
12-27-2015, 09:17 PM
You know, one of the best parts of the movie for me was all the humor. When Kylo Ren is going on one of his angry tantrums and destroying trout with his lightsaber, and the two Stormtroopers are walking towards the room, hear the commotion, stop, and then turn around, I laughed my freaking ass off. That was so hilarious.

I like that as well. It's good to show that the Storm-troopers are not just faceless soldiers. They did that with Finn, and with the quite natural reactions of the Storm-troopers.

Colonel Angus
12-27-2015, 09:44 PM
Ew, twincest!

I'm going with Maz. Luke's a super freak, and she had his lightsaber!
If Maz is her mother, I'll die.

I'm betting that Disney will make her mother Black Widow, who used the infinity gauntlet to get her groove on w/ Luke, then had his baby & went back to the MCU. This will be explained in a Netflix Movie. This would explain Rey's kickassery & be a "nice" crossover between Disney properties.

Excuse me while I go & delete all these death threat messages.

Ayen
12-27-2015, 09:48 PM
You know, one of the best parts of the movie for me was all the humor. When Kylo Ren is going on one of his angry tantrums and destroying trout with his lightsaber, and the two Stormtroopers are walking towards the room, hear the commotion, stop, and then turn around, I laughed my freaking ass off. That was so hilarious.

I like that as well. It's good to show that the Storm-troopers are not just faceless soldiers. They did that with Finn, and with the quite natural reactions of the Storm-troopers.

There's already a gif of it:

https://45.media.tumblr.com/9e2ac930a6876727da79d5558f17f5ab/tumblr_nzueq4qH1X1rjojofo1_400.gif

Thank you, Tumblr.

Pant Leg Eater from the Bad World
12-27-2015, 10:33 PM
So if Rey is Luke's daughter, who did Luke get jiggly with?

That's the big question, isn't it! I'm thinking it might end up to be a character who we've already encountered. Not a clue who that might turn out to be, though.

I HAVE A THEORY!

Rey is definitely Luke's kid. Through Kylo reading her mind she obviously remembers the first temple where she found Luke at the end. The whole island and endless ocean moment.
But more importantly, in all of the Star Wars movies, who are the only people to speak in an English accent? Rey, one of the red X-Wing fighters, and OBI WAN KENOBI. Rey has a connection to the lightsaber that her father (Luke) and grandfather (Anakin) held. But who else held it for a bunch on years? Her other grandfather (Old Ben Kenobi). Yup. I think that Kenobi had wasn't always an old hermit and had kid while waiting around for Luke to grow up.
I also think because of Rey knowing of the original Jedi temple, that she had some padawan training as a Youngling, but probably blocked that part out of her memory.

Psychotic
12-27-2015, 10:39 PM
But more importantly, in all of the Star Wars movies, who are the only people to speak in an English accent? Darth Maul. Count Dooku. Emperor Palpatine. C3PO. COINCIDENCE?

Pant Leg Eater from the Bad World
12-27-2015, 10:40 PM
They all bred Rey.

I still think it is important. After all, they had John Boyega change his accent.

Psychotic
12-27-2015, 10:41 PM
Exactly, she's a Sith Protocol Droid. Search your feelings, you know it to be true.

Ayen
12-27-2015, 11:13 PM
The only thing that guts me is that we'll likely have to wait until 2018 for the next Star Wars movie.

I don't know if I can wait that long.

Colonel Angus
12-27-2015, 11:13 PM
They all bred Rey.

I still think it is important. After all, they had John Boyega change his accent.
If George Lucas made this, he'd have Finn be like, "Yo yo yo, where da white bitch?"

Fox
12-27-2015, 11:28 PM
I was thinking it might be someone a BIT more obscure, possibly from the extended universe.


That one is no longer canonical according to Disney. They de-canonized everything except the movies, Clone Wars and Rebels when they bought Star Wars.

WHAT IF IT'S AHSOKA?!

I would be genuinely cool with this. Although depending on what happens in Rebels (I've only seen half of this season so far) that might turn out to be impossible! Ahsoka is one of my favourite characters from the canonical extended universe, because she seems to *get* the whole light/dark balance, not every Jedi is a saint, not every Sith is pure evil thing. She got screwed by the Jedi order and is well aware the Jedi Order isn't perfect, and went her own way to pursue her learning of the Force.

Also White Lightsabers. If Rey ends up with a double bladed white lightsaber I will die of joy.

SIDE NOTE: OK, I went to see this for my third time today, hence my absence from this chat for a page or so. Pro tip for parents! I don't care if you bring your young children, it's great to have them experience the magic of Star Wars. I don't mind if they boo when the villain does something evil or cheer when the good guys do something amazing - I love seeing enthusiastic young people engaging with these characters! Having said that,

DON'T GIVE THEM A FLASHING BLUE LIGHT SABER TOY AND THEN SIT IN THE FRONT ROW. I WILL FORCE CHOKE YOU.

Ayen
12-28-2015, 12:11 AM
You know, one of the best parts of the movie for me was all the humor. When Kylo Ren is going on one of his angry tantrums and destroying trout with his lightsaber, and the two Stormtroopers are walking towards the room, hear the commotion, stop, and then turn around, I laughed my freaking ass off. That was so hilarious.

I like that as well. It's good to show that the Storm-troopers are not just faceless soldiers. They did that with Finn, and with the quite natural reactions of the Storm-troopers.

Yeah, I enjoyed Finn's character because we got a perspective from a Stormtrooper and they felt like actual characters this time around, instead of just being cannon fodder.

I also like Kylo Ren being tempted by the Light. Normally when the movies have these talks it's about the Dark Side. I never really seen the reverse where it's the Dark Side user being pulled towards the Light. It was honestly refreshing to see. With all the New Hope throwbacks whenever they did something new it really stood out.

theundeadhero
12-28-2015, 12:51 AM
But more importantly, in all of the Star Wars movies, who are the only people to speak in an English accent? Rey, one of the red X-Wing fighters, and OBI WAN KENOBI.In the original trilogy Kenobi didn't have an english accent :p


I also like Kylo Ren being tempted by the Light. Normally when the movies have these talks it's about the Dark Side. I never really seen the reverse where it's the Dark Side user being pulled towards the Light.We saw Darth Vader being tempted by the light before his eventual return throughout RotJ.

Ayen
12-28-2015, 01:02 AM
But more importantly, in all of the Star Wars movies, who are the only people to speak in an English accent? Rey, one of the red X-Wing fighters, and OBI WAN KENOBI.In the original trilogy Kenobi didn't have an english accent :p


I also like Kylo Ren being tempted by the Light. Normally when the movies have these talks it's about the Dark Side. I never really seen the reverse where it's the Dark Side user being pulled towards the Light.We saw Darth Vader being tempted by the light before his eventual return throughout RotJ.

This one felt more apparent to me, and depicted as a bad thing (as it would be for the Dark Side) whereas Vader was more like, "Come on, Vader! Help Luke!"

Pant Leg Eater from the Bad World
12-28-2015, 03:00 AM
But more importantly, in all of the Star Wars movies, who are the only people to speak in an English accent? Rey, one of the red X-Wing fighters, and OBI WAN KENOBI.In the original trilogy Kenobi didn't have an english accent :p

Are you sure that Sir Alec Guiness didn't have an English accent as Obi?

Start at 4:08 for Sir Alec, Ewan comes right after.

https://youtu.be/D3JEU8Cqroo?t=4m8s

Fox
12-28-2015, 03:06 AM
But more importantly, in all of the Star Wars movies, who are the only people to speak in an English accent? Rey, one of the red X-Wing fighters, and OBI WAN KENOBI.In the original trilogy Kenobi didn't have an english accent :p

Are you sure that Sir Alec Guiness didn't have an English accent as Obi?

And like... Ewan McGregor is Scottish! That's not his natural voice in the PT. He modeled his Obi-Wan accent after Alex Guiness's specifically. Also as a British person I can confirm we all pronounce the word 'evil' with three syllables.

Pant Leg Eater from the Bad World
12-28-2015, 03:17 AM
Holy shit, somebody else agrees with my theory enough that there is an article on it. http://bgr.com/2015/12/23/star-wars-force-awakens-rey-background/ (http://bgr.com/2015/12/23/star-wars-force-awakens-rey-background/)

theundeadhero
12-28-2015, 03:47 AM
I guess that is British. It never really sounded like so to me before hearing it next to the others.

Pant Leg Eater from the Bad World
12-28-2015, 04:05 AM
I actually never really noticed either, but after watching Episode VII for the third time and thinking about accents I went back and listened to Obi from Episode IV.

SammieBabe
12-28-2015, 08:38 PM
The only thing that guts me is that we'll likely have to wait until 2018 for the next Star Wars movie.

I don't know if I can wait that long.

According to what I'm seeing, you won't. Just a mere year and a half. Currently scheduled for May 26, 2017.
http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Star-Wars-8-Release-Date-Set-Other-Details-Made-Public-70269.html

Ayen
12-28-2015, 09:06 PM
The only thing that guts me is that we'll likely have to wait until 2018 for the next Star Wars movie.

I don't know if I can wait that long.

According to what I'm seeing, you won't. Just a mere year and a half. Currently scheduled for May 26, 2017.
http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Star-Wars-8-Release-Date-Set-Other-Details-Made-Public-70269.html

That's interesting. They usually wait at least three years before releasing the next one.

Well, I'm not complaining. YAY MORE STAR WARS!

Bubba
12-29-2015, 03:59 PM
Most of you have summed up my feelings so I'll keep it short. Film was awesome. Finn, Poe and Rey were inspired choices. Definite Star Wars feel.

Two further points. I wasn't massively bothered with the death of Han. MissH said before we went last night that she thought he would die. The more I thought about it, the more it makes sense. Harrison Ford wanted Han to die at the end of Empire but George Lucas said no smurfing way. He's getting on a bit now so it makes sense for him to only sign up for one film. It was just great to have him back one last time :D

Kylo Ren seems to be dividing opinion and I have to say I agree with Shiny. I couldn't get on with him at all. I understand he's young and not fully trained in the force. He just acted like privileged youth that has tantrums whenever things don't go his way. I agree that seeing someone dark be tempted by the light is refreshing... but it was so poorly executed it wasn't even worth it. Plus yeah, he looks nothing like Han or Leah. Horrible casting. His one plus is that he has a deep, evil voice (if it wasn't altered post-filming) that suited the character. It's a shame as before he took off the mask I actually thought Kylo Ren was going to be awesome.

sharkythesharkdogg
12-30-2015, 07:51 PM
Finally saw it last night. I'd give it a 7/10. Maybe a 7.5/10. I thought it was pretty darn good.

I really appreciated the General Organa-Solo character. I suppose some fans expected her to still be Princess Leia, but this is a woman who has been a mother, a wife, a Senator, a key military leader, lost her planet, lost her son (basically), lost her husband (basically), and lost her brother (basically). I liked that they let her age. A person in her position isn't concerned with trying to chase youth. She knows who she is and her purpose.

It was great to see Ford again. It made sense for Han Solo to go back to his smuggler roots after his loss. It was his way of coping and finding something familiar after losing Ben. He had a good arc. You saw the old smuggler return to his higher purpose, and you knew the moment he set foot on the planet that he wasn't coming back. It was also time for the character to go.

To make room for Fynn. I also liked this character a lot. He's certainly not Han, but I feel he has a lot of Han in his character in that he struggles with only worrying about himself vs. answering the call to a higher cause. He also had some good, funny scenes without making the character too hammy or useless. He just felt like the average man put in extraordinary situations. It's not a new concept, but the actor did it well. I appreciated things like how he kept trying to hold Rey's hand. At first you think he's trying to be heroic, but I think the point was he was scared. A lot of people find courage through cause, and I think it was supposed to be a physical representation of Fynn reaching out for support and focus from Rey.

I appreciate the Rey character. I think she may be my favorite new character. People are probably right that she's supposed to be Luke's daughter, but I'm too stuck on Luke having a son from the books (yes I know the books are not cannon), so I still think she'll wind up being Han and Leia's other child. In the books, they had three kids so it's probably me just projecting what I'm used to.

Speaking of Ben, I find it interesting that they chose to name him Ben Solo instead of Jacen. Once again, probably because of the books, but also because Luke's son was named Ben Skywalker (after Kenobi). It was Jacen Solo who fell to the Dark Side in the books, and Ben Skywalker who worked to defeat him. I wonder if we're suppose to try and guess anything from them naming him Ben instead of Jacen, or if it's just coincidence. Overall, Kylo Ren was a decent baddie. As has already been stated, I think Rey's natural talent was able to momentarily overpower the trained Force user because Kylo Ren clearly isn't naturally inclined to the Dark Side. Natural talent at what your inclined for vs. trained talent in something you're not inclined for.

I found Poe Dameron to be woefully underdeveloped. It left me wondering if he's supposed to be one of the new main characters or just a secondary character that got more screen time for some reason. What I saw I liked, but so far he's more of an archetype than real character. Just the gung-ho, charismatic, fighter jock (Iceman, Starbuck, etc.) Speaking of underdeveloped....

I think the pacing was a bit rushed, making the relationship developments between some of the new characters rushed.

I think the music didn't add much to the series as a whole. Say what you will, I think the second trilogy did more for the music score, at least.

I'm a little disappointed in the overall plot. I'm not surprised, and I can appreciate the idea behind it. Classic story-telling, poetry, music, etc. repeats themes with variation.

You can definitely tell the whole point of this movie is a set-up for the next one. It still felt like like A New Hope version 2.0. I'm hoping the second one will really take the momentum and run. I don't want another Empire Strikes Back, but I hope it's as strong as Empire Strikes Back.

I really appreciated that they went with a lot of unknown/lesser known actors again. Just like the originals. I think the new blood did a great job, and the characters should grown and develop well.

Night Fury
12-30-2015, 09:14 PM
Have seen this twice now, first watch I really thought that Rey might be Luke's daughter, but my second watch I am leaning more towards her being a child of the force sent to bring balance once again similar to Anakin. I also think Kylo Ren may cross over between good and bad through this trilogy, he was very conflicted in TFA.

I liked the fight with Rey and Kylo, she was definitely going to kill him if it wasn't for the ground cracking and splitting them up. She has a lot of anger.... Interesting indeed.

The shot of her walking through the dunes of Jakku with BB-8 though was one of my favourite shots in the movie. :)

Laddy
12-30-2015, 11:05 PM
It's very rare for me to form attachments to characters this quickly. 9/10

Scotty_ffgamer
12-30-2015, 11:41 PM
From what I've read, Poe Dameron was actually supposed to die on Jakku. The actor was conflicted about taking the part because he didn't want to be this character that dies right near the beginning. They came up with an idea to have him play a bigger part. I'm not sure if that just meant more screen time in the first movie or if they had a bigger role for him to play in the future movies as well.

Sephex
12-30-2015, 11:51 PM
https://marciokenobi.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/24.gif

Mirage
12-31-2015, 12:05 AM
Watched this yesterday, and I am pretty satisfied. Unfortunately, I had to go with the 3D version, which I rarely feel like adds anything to movies, and definitely not in this one.

I liked most of the new characters, but if I had to pick a favourite, I'd probably end up at Rey. Finn was pretty cool too. Kylo was ok, but there was something about his appearance that just didn't work for me. Maybe it's just what others have said, that it's just really unlikely that the child of Han and Leia would end up looking like that. I'll probably get used to him in time.

Definitely felt like a proper Star Wars movie to me, and I feel that the characters and writing is a step above most of the original trilogy.

Pant Leg Eater from the Bad World
12-31-2015, 01:59 AM
I am really hoping Poe has a good part in the Rogue One movie.

Fox
12-31-2015, 02:10 AM
I am really hoping Poe has a good part in the Rogue One movie.

Rogue One is set before the original Star Wars so... Poe would have been about -2 years old at that point. He's a damn fine pilot but there are limits!

Pant Leg Eater from the Bad World
12-31-2015, 04:47 PM
Well poop. I hadn't realized that.

Ayen
12-31-2015, 05:32 PM
I am really hoping Poe has a good part in the Rogue One movie.

Rogue One is set before the original Star Wars so... Poe would have been about -2 years old at that point. He's a damn fine pilot but there are limits!

No excuses. Rogue One ends with 2 year old Poe aiding the Rebels against the Empire making cute toddler noises, OR WE RIOT!

Psychotic
12-31-2015, 05:48 PM
Or minus two year old Poe flapping about as a giant space sperm.

Iceglow
12-31-2015, 06:13 PM
I doubt her mother is Maz. There's a reason for that aside from "clearly human". Maz states to Rey in the scene where she tells Rey to take Lukes Lightsaber, that she does not have the force but that she understands it thanks to her long life.

I also am of the opinion that Anakin did bring balance to the force. Despite it being not what the council of Jedi wanted from him. It was an interesting display of the fact that the force must be balanced. Though as has been proven by the story's development of Leia's character where it's made clear she has the force but is not trained in it's use. She simply has an awareness of the force and possibly, as seen by her immediate reaction to Han's death a connection to those whom she loves dearly enough. That would include Luke so she knew him to be alive simply lost by his own choice.

The map to Luke I don't doubt he hid in 2 parts deliberately. I also think this was a double edged reasoning. Firstly it'd keep him isolated from the rebels demands of a Jedi to fight alongside them and also successfully hide him from the First Order since, even an old Imperial map (which would have been created in the 2nd Galatic Republic) possibly may not show the precise location of the system he headed to.

Jinx
12-31-2015, 08:31 PM
I read a theory that Shiny Brienne is her mom.

Night Fury
12-31-2015, 10:04 PM
Eh who said Maz was her ma?

Formalhaut
01-01-2016, 12:21 AM
Eh who said Maz was her ma?

Well Maz is basically 'ma' with a Z on the end. Is there hidden subtext, mayhap!

No, probably not. Maz is just the new wise Yoda character I think. :p

Ayen
01-01-2016, 12:24 AM
Fox was the first to mention it, I just went with it for comic effect.

I did forget that piece of dialog about her not being force sensitive, though.

Fynn
01-01-2016, 01:23 AM
Maz is pretty Chewiesexual though

NeoCracker
01-04-2016, 05:46 AM
Having watched it, Ray is about the only thing seriously dragging the movie down for me.

Everyone immediately loves her, she instantly excels at any task put in front of her regardless of how believable it is (Everything she did on the Falcon, immediately learning how to both defend her mind AND in turn read the mind of Kylo Ren, having never even seen it done before she was able to pull off a Jedi Mind trick on the storm trooper, both of these done without any kind of training, and after Kylo Ren is clearly beating her in their duel she's all 'hey I can just use the force' and proceeds to immediately kick his ass badly. I know he'd already been shot by Chewie and cut by Finn, but that fight was still so one sided up until 'lol force' that it still felt ridiculous.) And among all these things, there seems to be no flaws. You get one brief moment where she has a hard time accepting her past after grabbing the light saber, but that's pretty much it, and it's not really a flaw its an entirely believable reaction to what happens, yet is never touched on again.) The actress was great, but the character itself was just terribly boring.

Outside of that and a couple minor issues here and their, I thought it was pretty great. Casting was excellent, I loved Han and Chewy's comeback (Even Laia was pretty awesome), the call backs were amazing (I laughed so damn hard at the Trash Compactor line), Finn and Co (The Pilot Finn escaped with) were both fantastic, the action was great, and so long as they don't mess it up I think Kylo Ren has a lot of potential in this story.

And I had the Han thing spoiled for me before hand, but it still hit me hard when it happened. :cry:

NorthernChaosGod
01-04-2016, 08:24 AM
I just saw this finally. It was a pretty good movie overall, but I dislike how much of a rehash it felt like. I think I can forgive it later if they move away from that in later films though. I swear to God though, if Kylo gets some sort of redemption I'm going to be pissed.

NeoCracker
01-04-2016, 11:35 AM
Also, this is now the greatest Meme

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CX1GGYoUoAAyZJO.png

http://funnyjunk.com/channel/starwars/Starwars+tr+8r+strikes+back+part+4/iLxfLvY/

Fynn
01-04-2016, 11:47 AM
I do kind of hope Finn gets some Jedi powers, too. I don't know why, but I feel as if he and I have some sort of... connection. Hell if I know what it is.

Sephex
01-04-2016, 12:06 PM
I do kind of hope Finn gets some Jedi powers, too. I don't know why, but I feel as if he and I have some sort of... connection. Hell if I know what it is.

Well, you were in the movie so you should know already.

Fynn
01-04-2016, 12:10 PM
I do kind of hope Finn gets some Jedi powers, too. I don't know why, but I feel as if he and I have some sort of... connection. Hell if I know what it is.

Well, you were in the movie so you should know already.

Holy carp, I'm adorable

Slothy
01-04-2016, 12:17 PM
Having watched it, Ray is about the only thing seriously dragging the movie down for me.

Everyone immediately loves her, she instantly excels at any task put in front of her regardless of how believable it is (Everything she did on the Falcon, immediately learning how to both defend her mind AND in turn read the mind of Kylo Ren, having never even seen it done before she was able to pull off a Jedi Mind trick on the storm trooper, both of these done without any kind of training, and after Kylo Ren is clearly beating her in their duel she's all 'hey I can just use the force' and proceeds to immediately kick his ass badly. I know he'd already been shot by Chewie and cut by Finn, but that fight was still so one sided up until 'lol force' that it still felt ridiculous.) And among all these things, there seems to be no flaws. You get one brief moment where she has a hard time accepting her past after grabbing the light saber, but that's pretty much it, and it's not really a flaw its an entirely believable reaction to what happens, yet is never touched on again.) The actress was great, but the character itself was just terribly boring.

Im not seeing how any of that is very different from Luke. In episode IV he learns about the force and a matter of hours later he is deflecting blaster bolts literally blindfolded. While escaping from the death star he fights off (supposedly) highly trained soldiers with ease. At the end of the movie he's expertly flying an X-Wing, a ship he's never even seen until that day, and manages to nail a small target with a weapon he's never used by using the force instead of a targeting computer.

And keep in mind, he's basically had no training either. And by the time he reached empire he still has fairly little training (a short time with Yoda compared to a lifetime of training) and holds his own against Darth Vader.

So I'm not really sure where people get this idea that a character being a natural with the force is a deal breaker. It's literally the premise of the main characters of the last two trilogies.

NeoCracker
01-04-2016, 01:03 PM
Having watched it, Ray is about the only thing seriously dragging the movie down for me.

Everyone immediately loves her, she instantly excels at any task put in front of her regardless of how believable it is (Everything she did on the Falcon, immediately learning how to both defend her mind AND in turn read the mind of Kylo Ren, having never even seen it done before she was able to pull off a Jedi Mind trick on the storm trooper, both of these done without any kind of training, and after Kylo Ren is clearly beating her in their duel she's all 'hey I can just use the force' and proceeds to immediately kick his ass badly. I know he'd already been shot by Chewie and cut by Finn, but that fight was still so one sided up until 'lol force' that it still felt ridiculous.) And among all these things, there seems to be no flaws. You get one brief moment where she has a hard time accepting her past after grabbing the light saber, but that's pretty much it, and it's not really a flaw its an entirely believable reaction to what happens, yet is never touched on again.) The actress was great, but the character itself was just terribly boring.

Im not seeing how any of that is very different from Luke. In episode IV he learns about the force and a matter of hours later he is deflecting blaster bolts literally blindfolded. While escaping from the death star he fights off (supposedly) highly trained soldiers with ease. At the end of the movie he's expertly flying an X-Wing, a ship he's never even seen until that day, and manages to nail a small target with a weapon he's never used by using the force instead of a targeting computer.

And keep in mind, he's basically had no training either. And by the time he reached empire he still has fairly little training (a short time with Yoda compared to a lifetime of training) and holds his own against Darth Vader.

So I'm not really sure where people get this idea that a character being a natural with the force is a deal breaker. It's literally the premise of the main characters of the last two trilogies.

Luke is under the guidance of Ben since the first got together. They weren't together for 'hours', they were together for a prolonged stretch of time. Do you really think that off screen Obi-wan, the Mentor, did absolutely no Mentoring? Cause that would just be silly.

Luke had some time to actually train his abilities under Obi-Wan before we got to see him put his skills into action. Rey experienced a guy doing one thing to her once, resisted it, copied it nearly perfectly, picked up an entirely different trick (The Jedi Mind trick), and then picked up on how to use it in what was only the span of a few hours. This is hardly comparable to Luke.

Furthermore, it's that paired with all of those other things that bothers me. It's an absurd level of natural ability to use the force compared to anything else we have seen in the original Trilogy, an extremely high skill with mechanics (again, look at all she managed to pull with the Falcon), She can understand a large variety of languages, she's a strong fighter, everyone loves her immediately, and all of this paired with pretty much no flaws.

The only flaw I've heard pointed out is she is a bit hot headed, but at what point has this ever even come close to causing a problem? Hell, her 'mistake' of letting out the beasts wasn't really a hindrance, it saved their asses.

Also, Luke had been established as an good Pilot by that point. I can agree it's a bit strange that is a bit silly, but it doesn't really compare with Rey's accomplishments, not even close.

That first Star Wars Movie takes place over a rather prolonged period of time, where as The Force Awakened takes place over the course of a few days.

Mr. Carnelian
01-04-2016, 01:17 PM
Rey clearly already knew how to fight. We saw her beat up those guys with her staff on Jakku. Why would fighting with a lightsaber be that different? If anything, it would be easier: surely a lightsaber is super-light, what with the hilt being the only physical element of the whole shebang.

That combined with Kylo's heavily injured condition, the fact that he wasn't trying to seriously hurt her but rather turn her to the dark side and her digging into the force made it seem completely believable that she would beat him.

Old Manus
01-04-2016, 01:24 PM
I watched it (my debut experience with IMAX and the verdict is 4/10 why did I pay all that extra money) and enjoyed it thoroughly. It definitely didn't feel like a George Lucas film. In fact, I thought it was pretty amusing that it seemed to avoid reference to anything that happened in the prequels altogether. I liked the return to actual sets and actors rather than full-greenscreen CGI armies bollocks. I liked the character of Finn, and his stormtrooper background which gave a bit of depth to an enemy (ie. Empire/First Order) which has always been nothing much more than a group of faceless goons intent on nothing but evil.

I thought Kylo Ren as the new bad guy was really cool...up until the scene where he took his mask off, after which it was as if the writing of his character had been passed off to somebody else entirely. The film starts with him literally ordering the massacre of a village of unarmed prisoners, stopping a sniper bullet in mid air, chopping fools up and just generally being a psychopathic badass, but then ends with him being this utterly weaksauce screamo frontman who's previously impressive Force powers are overcome with absurd ease by those of some half-conscious woman who only learned of the concept of the Force twenty minutes earlier - then later he suddenly forgets how to use his lightsaber in a duel with a guy who has no force abilities whatsoever. What the hell, man. It was pretty jarring.

I liked the bit where that floating ball that Luke first practiced lightsabers with fell out of a sack on the Millenium Falcon, though.

Mirage
01-04-2016, 01:32 PM
hey we don't know that finn isn't sensitive to the force yet!

Fox
01-04-2016, 01:37 PM
That first Star Wars Movie takes place over a rather prolonged period of time,

Does it?

Luke meets Obi-Wan. Finds his Aunt and Uncle dead. Meets Han Solo in Mos Eisley. Flies to Alderaan, whereby they are caught in the Death Star's tractor beam. Upon escaping, they go to the Rebel Base, where they plan the assault and then execute it.

I'm only seeing three spots where any meaningful time elapses at all. 1) In hyperspace on the way to Alderaan. 2) In Hyperspace on the way to Yavin. 3) At the Rebel Base while the Death Star plans are being analysed. I can't see any of of those being more than a day or two, tops. Hardly enough for hardcore force and/or X-Wing training. We see ships Hyperspace around a lot in Star Wars, and its generally not a particularly long term thing.

My perception is not so much that Rey has a natural ability with a million different things, but that she has a natural ability with one: learning.

Fynn
01-04-2016, 01:46 PM
hey we don't know that finn isn't sensitive to the force yet!

You bet your ass I am! :stare:

NeoCracker
01-04-2016, 03:12 PM
Rey clearly already knew how to fight. We saw her beat up those guys with her staff on Jakku. Why would fighting with a lightsaber be that different? If anything, it would be easier: surely a lightsaber is super-light, what with the hilt being the only physical element of the whole shebang.

That combined with Kylo's heavily injured condition, the fact that he wasn't trying to seriously hurt her but rather turn her to the dark side and her digging into the force made it seem completely believable that she would beat him.

I already adressed him being hurt. While hurt, when they first started the fight he was clearly superior. Then one moment later she's all 'I can use force to help' and then immediately whooped his ass.

And honest, her already knowing how to fight, that is true. My issue isn't that she already knew how to fight, it's that she just suddenly gets the Idea to use the Force to help her fight and is suddenly so adept at it a guy who was actively trying to not harm her before just had no hope of fighting on. This is bounds ahead of anything we see from the first Star Wars.




That first Star Wars Movie takes place over a rather prolonged period of time,

Does it?

Luke meets Obi-Wan. Finds his Aunt and Uncle dead. Meets Han Solo in Mos Eisley. Flies to Alderaan, whereby they are caught in the Death Star's tractor beam. Upon escaping, they go to the Rebel Base, where they plan the assault and then execute it.

I'm only seeing three spots where any meaningful time elapses at all. 1) In hyperspace on the way to Alderaan. 2) In Hyperspace on the way to Yavin. 3) At the Rebel Base while the Death Star plans are being analysed. I can't see any of of those being more than a day or two, tops. Hardly enough for hardcore force and/or X-Wing training. We see ships Hyperspace around a lot in Star Wars, and its generally not a particularly long term thing.

My perception is not so much that Rey has a natural ability with a million different things, but that she has a natural ability with one: learning.

Luke has a few days to train regardless. Hell, he is ABLE to train at all under an actual Mentor.

Further more, Luke isnt' really fighting off hordes of Storm Troopers, under constant guidance of Hans they manage to high tail it the entire time they are on the Death Star.

And there was never a huge need for hard core training, because what Luke was doing wasn't really that hard core. He used the force to target one shot, a target we have learned Luke was already capable of hitting in an aircraft of some kind. The only real issue here is the different type of craft, and that feels more like a 'the writers felt like different space crafts in Star Wars operate similarly enough' then 'Luke was able to master this entirely new craft in like no time cause he's so rad', a bit of lazy writing on their part.

To add, Luke was also being covered by three other ships. The Two Ex-Wings that followed him in, and the returning Millenium Falcom which shook off Vader, giving Luke the time he needed to actually concentrate on the shot. He wasn't so good he could just up and do it.

To Recap what each person accomplished.

Luke after a brief amount of time training
- Was able to fend off Storm Troopers Well Enough to run away, with the guidence of an experiences smuggler
- Was able to use the force to make a very difficult shot, one he was already some what able to do prior to force training

Rey with exactly Zero Training and all within the span of a few hours
- Was able to block a trained force user from probing her mind, and in turn was able to read his, something he could not stop
- Learned how to do the Jedi Mind Trick
- In a fight against a far more experienced foe (who, regardless of Injuries, was easilly beating her) suddenly goes 'I can use the force to help me fight' and it instantly became a one sided fight in the opposite way.

The accomplishments of Rey FAR outshine the accomplishments of Luke, and that is without any semblance of Guidence or Training where as Luke did in fact have some.

And again, all of this wouldn't be nearly as bad if we at least got to see Rey showcasing some kind of character flaw that is an actual detriment, but we don't see anything like that. All we see as a person excelling at anything and everything they try. That is simply not interesting to me.

Luke, on the other hand, was clearly a fish out of water the entire first movie. He was constantly having his hand held, and nothing he accomplished that first movie was done without someone constantly having his back.

Jinx
01-04-2016, 03:21 PM
Leia has exactly zero training and didn't even realize she was Force-sensitive, yet was able to use the Force to find her brother in The Empire Strikes Back. So.

NeoCracker
01-04-2016, 03:25 PM
Leia has exactly zero training and didn't even realize she was Force-sensitive, yet was able to use the Force to find her brother in The Empire Strikes Back. So.

Still not something that I feel is even on par with what Rey did.

Fynn
01-04-2016, 03:28 PM
Rey being skilled with a staff before and being desperate to break out, and then furious, and Kylo being injured and holding back are enough justification for me :monster:

I'm still hoping Finn gets to be a Jedi too, though :bounce: Seriously, all joking aside, I think he was my favorite character in the movie.

NeoCracker
01-04-2016, 03:32 PM
Rey being skilled with a staff before and being desperate to break out, and then furious, and Kylo being injured and holding back are enough justification for me :monster:

I'm still hoping Finn gets to be a Jedi too, though :bounce: Seriously, all joking aside, I think he was my favorite character in the movie.

Again though, it's that paired with things like it consistently happening, and the lack of flaws. Were it just this one thing on it's own, it wouldn't have bothered me as much. :p

Fynn
01-04-2016, 03:34 PM
Well, she is pretty hostile to strangers, I guess? That's a flaw, maybe?

Mirage
01-04-2016, 03:38 PM
She almost sold BB8 for food! That's a flaw i guess.

Psychotic
01-04-2016, 03:44 PM
Yeah Ren was hurt at the start of the fight - but you're only going to get weaker and weaker - especially with physical exertion - when you're bleeding out.

NeoCracker
01-04-2016, 03:48 PM
Well, she is pretty hostile to strangers, I guess? That's a flaw, maybe?

And I would be fine with that if it ever actually caused a problem. A flaw is pretty irrelevant if it never acts against you. :p



Yeah Ren was hurt at the start of the fight - but you're only going to get weaker and weaker - especially with physical exertion - when you're bleeding out.

It's still a bit Jarring to instantly go from kicking that much ass to getting your ass kicked that badly in mere moments.

Freya
01-04-2016, 04:00 PM
He got shot with chewies blaster which was shown several times to knock people through the air. It was a surprise Ren was walking much less fighting. It's why it showed him pounding on it and blood falling. Plus he tried the whole "I can teach you" thing. He wasn't in his best fighting status.

Also, Ren is shown to naturally use the force rather than fighting it. She let's it guide her instead of fighting against her intuition. That was the point of how she figured out how to fly the falcon. After it was confirmed that it actually exists instead of "that's silly!" it was "well let me try it." Both Anakin and Luke also were force sensitive, Rey just let it lead her rather than thinking she couldn't or wasn't good enough to use it.

NeoCracker
01-04-2016, 04:57 PM
He got shot with chewies blaster which was shown several times to knock people through the air. It was a surprise Ren was walking much less fighting. It's why it showed him pounding on it and blood falling. Plus he tried the whole "I can teach you" thing. He wasn't in his best fighting status.

Also, Ren is shown to naturally use the force rather than fighting it. She let's it guide her instead of fighting against her intuition. That was the point of how she figured out how to fly the falcon. After it was confirmed that it actually exists instead of "that's silly!" it was "well let me try it." Both Anakin and Luke also were force sensitive, Rey just let it lead her rather than thinking she couldn't or wasn't good enough to use it.

That first tibit doesn't really change my point. Even with those Injuries, he was wiping the floor with her. Yet in but an instant, she's all 'let me try force' and the fight completely 180's.

And going by your description of what she did, that really kind of explains exactly why I don't think she's an interesting character. She's just naturally so good and wonderful at everything she is trying immediately.

Luke worked because he struggled throughout that entire movie and his rise was all the better because of it. It actually felt he had to work for his accomplishments.

Rey achieves her accomplishments because she's just that good, and is never portrayed as anything but.

Freya
01-04-2016, 05:04 PM
So you're not a fan of her character cause she's good at what she does? You'd rather her be horrible and have lost to Ren and what, died? I don't think they are going for a GoT feel of killing off main characters here. Yeah han died but Ford has been wanting and out for a while.

It just seems very nitpicky to me.

Old Manus
01-04-2016, 05:11 PM
It was just daft the ease with which she defeated him. I thought at the very least she could take a hit or something (at the time my money was on her losing a hand, seeing as SW is so fond of those injuries), or maybe come up with some Predator-style trap, or have somebody come and save the day. I just always had the assumption that a lightsaber was something that was supposed to require proper training and expertise to wield, otherwise why wouldn't everyone be waving them about?

Also, wasn't Luke Skywalker's lightsaber supposed to be green?

Psychotic
01-04-2016, 05:21 PM
His lightsaber in the first two movies was his father's and blue, the same one used in the infamous "YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE" 15 minutes of ballet in a volcano fight. He lost it with aforementioned hand down a giant shaft (lol) at the end of Empire and so he built his own green one in time for Jedi.

Come on son, play Hoth on Battlefront II and you'd know this. :colbert:

Old Manus
01-04-2016, 06:06 PM
So you're saying somebody found that thing? Damn son, no wonder he looked amazed at the end of the film when she waved it at him.

Fox
01-04-2016, 06:37 PM
So you're saying somebody found that thing? Damn son, no wonder he looked amazed at the end of the film when she waved it at him.

Yeah. Han asks Maz where she found it. "That's a story for another time".

DAMMIT MAZ

Night Fury
01-04-2016, 06:49 PM
It was just daft the ease with which she defeated him. I thought at the very least she could take a hit or something (at the time my money was on her losing a hand, seeing as SW is so fond of those injuries), or maybe come up with some Predator-style trap, or have somebody come and save the day. I just always had the assumption that a lightsaber was something that was supposed to require proper training and expertise to wield, otherwise why wouldn't everyone be waving them about?

Also, wasn't Luke Skywalker's lightsaber supposed to be green?

I thought she was pretty sloppy with the lightsaber actually, she kept trying to stab him with it and it was similar to how she weilds the staff,

Ayen
01-04-2016, 06:50 PM
I thought Kylo Ren as the new bad guy was really cool...up until the scene where he took his mask off, after which it was as if the writing of his character had been passed off to somebody else entirely. The film starts with him literally ordering the massacre of a village of unarmed prisoners, stopping a sniper bullet in mid air, chopping fools up and just generally being a psychopathic badass, but then ends with him being this utterly weaksauce screamo frontman who's previously impressive Force powers are overcome with absurd ease by those of some half-conscious woman who only learned of the concept of the Force twenty minutes earlier - then later he suddenly forgets how to use his lightsaber in a duel with a guy who has no force abilities whatsoever. What the hell, man. It was pretty jarring.

Yeah, I agree. And frankly, he looks so much better with his mask on it's not even funny.

Mirage
01-04-2016, 07:06 PM
It was just daft the ease with which she defeated him. I thought at the very least she could take a hit or something (at the time my money was on her losing a hand, seeing as SW is so fond of those injuries), or maybe come up with some Predator-style trap, or have somebody come and save the day. I just always had the assumption that a lightsaber was something that was supposed to require proper training and expertise to wield, otherwise why wouldn't everyone be waving them about?

Also, wasn't Luke Skywalker's lightsaber supposed to be green?

I thought she was pretty sloppy with the lightsaber actually, she kept trying to stab him with it and it was similar to how she weilds the staff,

yeah i noticed that too. It was pretty obvious this was the first time she had really fought with any sort of long blade.

Sephex
01-04-2016, 08:26 PM
>people still wanting Star Wars to over explain things about the Force when one of the worst aspects of the prequels was them trying to over explain the Force

Fynn
01-04-2016, 08:32 PM
Hey, leave Kylo Ren's face alone. I guess he's pretty good looking, if unconventional.

Although it was a pretty weird decision to have him just remove the mask like that. I mean, what was the point of it in the first place then?

Ayen
01-04-2016, 08:40 PM
Hey, leave Kylo Ren's face alone. I guess he's pretty good looking, if unconventional.

Although it was a pretty weird decision to have him just remove the mask like that. I mean, what was the point of it in the first place then?

That I actually do get. He wants to be like Vader. Vader wore a mask, so I wear a mask too. Look at me I'm just like Darth Vader, I even have Skywalker blood in me! YAY!

-is suddenly unable to breathe-

Fynn
01-04-2016, 08:53 PM
Okay, that actually does make sense. Thank you!

Night Fury
01-04-2016, 08:57 PM
He removed it to appear more human to Rey, I'm also fairly sure he removes it when he is conflicted. When his mask is off he always looks on the verge of crying - aka weak, with the mask on he can massacre a whole village....

Fynn
01-04-2016, 09:00 PM
He removed it to appear more human to Rey, I'm also fairly sure he removes it when he is conflicted. When his mask is off he always looks on the verge of crying - aka weak, with the mask on he can massacre a whole village....

That ALSO makes a lot of sense. Thanks for pointing that out, Night :up:

Fox
01-04-2016, 09:09 PM
I really enjoyed the different kind of character he was with the mask on and off. With it on, you knew what you were getting. Mysterious bad guy, kills people, no mercy, yada yada yada. Scary enough. But when he takes the mask off... he's unpredictable. And that's even more scary.

Like, I don't think that scene on the bridge would have worked if he had left his masked on, because masked Ren is evil Ren, so you know how it's going to go. But with the mask off, there was conflict and doubt, which made the moment more uncertain and tense.

Night Fury
01-04-2016, 09:12 PM
Also tie that to his fight with Rey. I think Kylo, despite being a cracking force user was really not an overpowered villain. In that battle he had just killed his father - it definitely affected him somehow. and he'd been shot, and he was emotional, and he was maskless

Slothy
01-04-2016, 09:41 PM
The things people seem to keep forgetting about the lightsaber duels at the end are pretty numerous honestly. He had just killed his father, and was shot by Chewie of course which really fucked him up. Anyone who thinks they didn't apparently wasn't paying attention. But there was more to his loss than that.

We also know at least two other things about him. Namely that his training isn't even finished and he's prone to losing his cool. A force user in general, even a Sith or Jedi aren't unbeatable. One who's not fully trained, injured, conflicted over his place in the force, conflicted over killing his father, and also enraged? Frankly he may be lucky he beat Finn. And if that aren't enough we're outright told his biggest fear is he won't live up to Vader and he's just been faced with a woman who is clearly able to more easily tap into the force, likely in part because she isn't uncertain about who she is and knows what she's fighting for. So clearly self confidence is an issue for him as well on top of everything else. And it makes sense that would cause issues since the only times Luke ever struggled with the force in the original trilogy are when his own mind and ego worked against him.

Long story short, there are a lot of reasons that he lost and almost none of them have to do with Rey being perfect. The only thing she really was when she turned the ride of the battle was calm and focused. Before that she was lashing out as wildly as he was.

Sephex
01-04-2016, 10:04 PM
Ya'll need a reminder of other crap that is actual Star Wars cannon instead of complaining that a bad guy is sort of dopey looking and that someone is a bit too good with the Force.

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/George_R._Binks

Fynn
01-04-2016, 10:06 PM
But yeah, why isn't the lightsaber green?

sharkythesharkdogg
01-04-2016, 10:07 PM
Often story-telling uses the mask to make us see a character as a simplified ideal.

Evil, bad, the enemy, the opposition.

I agree with Fury that in this instance, Ben was using the mask to make himself that ideal. He's clearly conflicted, and struggles to accomplish this goal that he thinks needs to be achieved (for whatever reason.) He has doubts.

However, with the mask he is the dark side. He is his grand father. The mask represents the simplified ideals that he wants to embody instead of the weak, unsure character he is without the mask. It's almost two personalities.

Pant Leg Eater from the Bad World
01-04-2016, 10:10 PM
During the fight between Kylo and Rey, Kylo was beating ass because Rey was panicky and unfamiliar with the weaponry. But once she reached for the force, I took that as her calming her mind down and getting back to the basics of fighting she knows. That, along with everything else previously mentioned (being shot/personally distraught/et cetera)went into her defeating Kylo there.
When I was wrestling and practicing jiu jitsu/muay thai, one of the things I always had my coaches/trainers tell me was to get really good and comfortable with the basic stuff. During wrestling matches and fights, my corner man was there not only as an extra set of eyes, but to say things to help keep me calm. The Marines I teach martial arts to I always tell that the most important thing is being calm during a fight and practicing 'brilliance in the basics'. Being calm and knowing the basics techniques really well is the best way to win a fight.

I know some people have been upset about Kylo's appearance and the actor who portrayed him not looking like Han or Leia. But guys, remember, he has too much Vader in him. I'm pretty sure he is designed to look more like Anakin than his parents, and I think that works for him. He is not only as emotionally unstable as Anakin was, but he has a similar look as well, and not just the one with the mask that he copies from Vader.

Ayen
01-04-2016, 11:33 PM
After watching the movie a second time I get what you guys are saying, but they really should have saved the unveiling for the confrontation with Han Solo.


But yeah, why isn't the lightsaber green?

This was answered a while ago, but it's the lightsaber from Empire that Luke loss after he got his hand chopped off which was blue. I'm assuming he still has the green one.

Speaking of the hand, didn't he get a replacement that looked realistic? Why does is it all metal now?

Slothy
01-05-2016, 12:46 AM
I'm guessing he didn't keep up with his manufacturer recommended maintenance schedule.

Serious answer is he's been gone for a while and the thing doesn't exactly heal if the skin gets damaged.

Colonel Angus
01-05-2016, 01:26 AM
After watching the movie a second time I get what you guys are saying, but they really should have saved the unveiling for the confrontation with Han Solo.


But yeah, why isn't the lightsaber green?

This was answered a while ago, but it's the lightsaber from Empire that Luke loss after he got his hand chopped off which was blue. I'm assuming he still has the green one.

Speaking of the hand, didn't he get a replacement that looked realistic? Why does is it all metal now?
Because technology is better & movie makers don't have to fake that the actor's real hand is a fake hand anymore.

I'm hoping by Ep. IX, they replace it w/ an Iron Man hand. #Crossover

sharkythesharkdogg
01-05-2016, 04:41 AM
After watching the movie a second time I get what you guys are saying, but they really should have saved the unveiling for the confrontation with Han Solo.


But yeah, why isn't the lightsaber green?

This was answered a while ago, but it's the lightsaber from Empire that Luke loss after he got his hand chopped off which was blue. I'm assuming he still has the green one.

Speaking of the hand, didn't he get a replacement that looked realistic? Why does is it all metal now?
Because technology is better & movie makers don't have to fake that the actor's real hand is a fake hand anymore.

I'm hoping by Ep. IX, they replace it w/ an Iron Man hand. #Crossover

Repulsor Blast!!

http://orig04.deviantart.net/974f/f/2012/206/8/2/marvel_vs__capcom__iron_man_blasting_sprite_by_speedthehedgehog101-d58m5x3.gif

Sephiroth
01-05-2016, 05:28 AM
It would not make sense for the Lightsaber to be green because it is supposed to be this Lightsaber:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xP3fI7yn5s

blackmage_nuke
01-05-2016, 12:02 PM
I saw it and I liked it. Rey is a bit too perfect (Being a master combatant, amazing pilot and technician from the get go) and Kylo wasn't great at doing stuff after the first 10 minutes so I didn't feel a great rivalry between them.

NeoCracker
01-05-2016, 12:39 PM
So you're not a fan of her character cause she's good at what she does? You'd rather her be horrible and have lost to Ren and what, died? I don't think they are going for a GoT feel of killing off main characters here. Yeah han died but Ford has been wanting and out for a while.

It just seems very nitpicky to me.

It's not that she is good at what she does. She is immediately Great at everything she does, or so much as tries out, without any flaws of note. Quite a bit different then what you're saying here. :p

Freya
01-05-2016, 12:48 PM
Naaaaah still seems nitpicky.

NeoCracker
01-05-2016, 02:22 PM
Can't we all just agree TR-8R is amazing.

http://images-cdn.9gag.com/photo/adjY08M_700b.jpg

Fynn
01-05-2016, 02:36 PM
Ugh, that meme is so bizarre. I don't get why people got so hung up on this random stormtrooper. So he swung around a stick. Whoopity-doo :p

NeoCracker
01-05-2016, 02:42 PM
https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xpf1/t51.2885-15/s320x320/e35/10570040_155022884864221_1117499618_n.jpg

Formalhaut
01-05-2016, 02:56 PM
That meme seems a tad misogynistic, unless it's actually parodying misogynists. Phasma was underused, though.

Ayen
01-05-2016, 06:51 PM
You gotta keep in mind that Rey was on a junkyard planet her whole life and had to learn to survive. Everything she's good at likely came about on that backstory we haven't seen yet. I don't think it's a stretch she learned a great deal about ships in her lifetime. If anything's she's the most mysterious character of the bunch. For all we know she's a smurfing Sith Lord who was captured, brainwashed, and isolated on a desert planet thinking she was there since she was five.

Furthermore, she mistakenly releases those aliens Han Solo had locked away, and tried to fire a blaster with the safety still on...

Psychotic
01-05-2016, 06:58 PM
Let's not forget she's gullible and naive - she willingly believes Finn is in the resistance and waits for her family to come home, day after day. Rey isn't some perfect princess, she's a flawed character just like anyone else and that's what makes her both likable and believable.

Aerith's Knight
01-05-2016, 07:20 PM
She's a character? I've never seen such an empty mind since I still had to teach math.

Ayen
01-05-2016, 07:26 PM
Let's not forget she's gullible and naive - she willingly believes Finn is in the resistance and waits for her family to come home, day after day. Rey isn't some perfect princess, she's a flawed character just like anyone else and that's what makes her both likable and believable.

Poor girl probably thinks Greedo shot first =/

Ayen
01-11-2016, 04:47 AM
Had to share:

https://media.giphy.com/media/3oxRmvRVlj31BKXvm8/giphy.gif

Wolf Kanno
01-11-2016, 05:58 AM
Finally saw this the other day, still processing all of it. While I can say I enjoyed it for the most part, I kind of just wished it was a bit more than a rehash of A New Hope.

Christmas
05-03-2022, 03:31 PM
Rey is my fav character and I like her more than the other posters (which I did not read your comments) that have a problem with her. I am inviting her to my Birthday Party and the rest of you haters are not invited! :bigsmile:

PS: We have the blue milk that Luke likes to drink at the party.