posted 10-19-2015 11:55 PM            

Trailer looks sparse on dialogue.

posted 10-20-2015 06:33 AM               

Mine are printed out and ready ... for December 16th.

posted 12-16-2015 01:23 PM               

I really enjoyed it - the new actors are great, directing (and I'm not a huge fan of Abram's Star Trek reboots) very effective, some nice humour, I didn't really notice the score too much on a first viewing so I'd say it was unobtrusive. Of course the music goes back to the old themes at key moments but it's not overused and at one point in particular the effect is very powerful.

I saw it in 3D but would probably have opted for 2D if I'd had the option. Don't worry, there's no gratuitous in your face 3D effects and it's true that the dogfights are nice to see this way.

I have a few complaints but overall it was a great experience and my 11 year old daughter said it was the best movie she's ever seen and couldn't be better. Don't forget - the Star Wars films are supposed to be for kids too!

posted 12-17-2015 06:14 AM               

For The Empire Strikes Back he passed on the baton to others who made a great sequel based on his story idea but no direct input from Lucas to the screenplay.

He had more writing input on Return of the Jedi (which shows) but he didn't direct it and it was still a very good film.

However, by the time the prequels rolled around things had changed and Lucas both directed and wrote the screenplays for all three films.

Now obviously there's no objective way of judging how good the results were (Rotten Tomatoes gives the original 3 movies 94%, 94% and 79%, and the prequels 55%, 66% and 79% ) but I don't think there are many people out there who think the three prequels were as good as the original trilogy.

Personally I was deeply disappointed by them and I don't think you can blame anyone but Lucas for the quality of those prequels. Just listen to the dialogue he wrote and watch the faces of the poor actors who had to deliver it.

posted 12-17-2015 03:08 PM               

'The Force Awakens' in space: Astronauts to watch Star Wars on station

As it turns out, the allure of "The Force" can out pull even the force of gravity.

The cultural impact of Star Wars, including episode 7 "The Force Awakens," premiering in theaters on Thursday (Dec. 17), has escaped the Earth and extended all the way into outer space.

"I am told that 'Star Wars' will be waiting for us up there," British astronaut Tim Peake wrote on Twitter on the eve of his launch to the International Space Station on Tuesday (Dec. 15). "What a place to watch it!"

posted 12-17-2015 05:52 PM               

Just got back from the theater about 30 minutes ago. I thought it was really good. Not the best movie I've ever seen, but you get what you think you should. The main villains are a little weaker than the original movies, but it's still really good. By the end of the movie, you totally understand why Mark Hamill isn't on the poster, but it's not a bad thing, trust me. It has some real shockers, stuff I totally didn't see coming. Don't worry, I won't spoil it. I think many of you will like it.

posted 12-17-2015 11:32 PM            

Don't expect any award nominations for this film, if they do they are stealing it away from other more worthy films.

posted 12-18-2015 08:07 AM               

For what it's worth, I had no problem with the 3D or sound.

I won't post a spoiler here, but after you're done watching it, look online for a secret cameo. It adds a bit more fun to an already fun scene.

It was great seeing "old friends" up on the big screen again, and making some new ones. I now want one of those roving BB-8 toys...

quote:

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Originally posted by p51:
The theater I went to had a special Star Wars swag booth, like at a concert.

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posted 12-18-2015 10:23 AM               

The story was slow, especially the start. Other than Harrison Ford (being Harrison Ford) none of the actors were very good or all that likable. Two out of the three new leads I would say were very miscast. The antagonist was totally miscast.

Too much was crammed into the too long 2 1/4 hours with a plot line that has been told before.

posted 12-18-2015 11:42 AM               

The bad guys are downright Emo and not very threatening to see, there are plot holes and you wonder why some characters are doing what they do, but just go see it. I think most SW fans will like it.

posted 12-18-2015 01:40 PM               

In a misguided attempt to keep fans (and Disney) happy, director J.J. Abrams and script writer Lawrence Kasdan have rehashed the basic storyline of the very first Star Wars so as not to rock the franchise boat. Ironically, the more of a fan you are, the more this film will bore you.

posted 12-18-2015 06:50 PM               

I enjoyed parts of the prequels but none of them were as fun to watch as the originals. "The Force Awakens" is now my third favorite after Hope and Empire.

As for the new characters, yes, they fill the earlier roles of Luke, Han, Leia, R2-D2 and Darth Vader, but I also felt they took their stories in different enough directions to be intriguing. I left the theater looking forward to the future adventures of Rey, Finn, Poe and BB-8.* And I wasn't turned off by Kylo Ren's trappings.

(*My favorite Star Wars character is R2-D2, so I was prepared to not like BB-8. But the little droid quickly grew on me.)

posted 12-18-2015 08:43 PM               

It was a great! I like the integration/transition of the old characters with the new. Like Robert, I read the reviews today and realized some plot holes but I also agree it was a great set-up for the films to come.

posted 12-19-2015 03:26 AM               

Short version: It's far from perfect but I had a great time. Long version: First, the negs... A few of the most common criticisms I've heard/read aren't wrong:

1) Despite near constant action, the first third of the movie still sometimes feels like preamble. This might have been hard to avoid entirely; In 1977 Lucas dropped his audience into an entirely new universe while Abrams and co. had to introduce new characters into a cinema mythology that was already embedded deeply into our cultural firmament. It might have been too much to expect a fluid, seamless transition.

2) The final act is indeed a pretty shameless re-packaging of same from "A New Hope" and/or "Return of the Jedi."

3) "Snoke" is a really stupid name for your new big bad guy.

All that said, I was thoroughly entertained by "The Force Awakens" despite it being constructed on an obvious template and offering no real surprises.

I'm 100% on board with the new core characters... John Boyega was a natural as a willing but imperfect action hero with great comic timing. (If Finn had a flaw here, it's that the role made his transformation from a programmed-from-the-cradle killer into a charismatic swashbuckler a bit too quick and smooth.)

Oscar Isaac as ace X-Wing jock Poe Dameron didn't get as much screen time as I expected, but was absolutely in command when he did. I still can't believe this was the same guy I saw in "Ex Machina." Chameleon.

And Daisy Ridley as Rey...It wasn't clear from trailers that her character was the protagonist of the new trilogy, but she obviously is, and the actress is more than up to the task. No idea what she has going aside from Episodes VIII and IX, but all I can say is "Check your rearview mirror, Jennifer Lawrence."

Biggest revelation for me was Kylo Ren. I was ready to dismiss the character, but I actually found him intriguing. Without getting spoiler-y, the most I can say is that a bad guy with both a deep internal conflict and serious insecurity issues has far more potential for development than a one-dimensional black helmet.

posted 12-21-2015 09:58 AM               

In my opinion they have not made a good one since Empire Strikes Back, but I had hoped they might surprise me.

Did not happen.

Disney managed to reboot the franchise judging by the box office. But in my opinion Star Wars has become formulated now.

Another isolated desert planet with the inhabitants living abstract poverty, which does not have the feel of what real poverty looks like.

The bad guy... we know he is the bad guy because he wears a black mask (why do the bad guys or semi bad guys all wear black masks now in films now? Years ago the Long Ranger was a good guy and he wore a mask?)

A new cute little droid, obviously directed at the toy market. The regular face to face confrontation high about some bottomless abyss (to take advantage of 3D). Another scene with a ferocious critter trying to eat the humans.

The normal epic Death Star battle scene with the underdogs battling the empire in an all or nothing gamble. (When will the Empire realize that having lost a major weapons system like a Death Star in nearly every movie — with the exception of Empire Strikes Back — that that Death Star strategy is not working for them?)

And another climactic lightsaber battle (how does everyone know how to use a lightsaber when it is such a rare weapon?).

It was fun to see the old characters back on the big screen once again. But to be honest I thought the two new characters Rey and Finn were more interesting.

posted 12-21-2015 10:19 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by alanh_7:
(When will the Empire realize that having lost a major weapons system like a Death Star in nearly every movie — with the exception of Empire Strikes Back — that that Death Star strategy is not working for them?)

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