[SPOILERS] Star Wars movie thread... [Don't read this thread if you haven't seen the movie yet]

I have also enjoyed the new characters Poe, Finn and Rey (in that order) to the point of picking up Greg Rucka's "Star Wars: Before the Awakening" to get even more backstory on those three. Yes, they are junior novels, but quite good. Rucka also wrote Star Wars: Shattered Empire, Star Wars: Smuggler's Run, which I also highly recommend if you are so inclined.

I'm finally getting around to reading Wing Commander: End Run and playing through Wing Commander 2. Don't ask why, but there's something in my brain that's broken and I don't like the #2 of anything.... though I'm seeing how that has robbed me of some enjoyment as I'm enjoying both book and game immensely.
back to star wars real quick I keep hearing one of the best books out right now is a young readers book called lost stars, it ties into the new movie in this way. very minor spoiler INCOMING

The star destroyer that Rey explores on Jakku is heavily involved in this said book.

here is a quick review of it
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25067046-lost-stars
 
Yes! I have heard only good things about this book. I've finished Smuggler's Run, working through Weapon of the Jedi and will likely hit up Lost Stars soon after.
 
Yes! I have heard only good things about this book. I've finished Smuggler's Run, working through Weapon of the Jedi and will likely hit up Lost Stars soon after.
let me know what you think. My new years resolution is to finish games and books I have started. so thats going to take a 6
months at least
 
Good luck with that.... I think I've been attempting that for 20+ years now.

Anyone else think that Han Solo's last conscious act (touching his son's face) is going to haunt Kylo Ren and have the opposite effect he (Ren) was trying for?
 
Hey everybody! I have been trying to avoid sharing spoilers on my bizarrely popular social media presence, but it seems safe to share my thoughts here. What follows are my takes on what most everyone is talking about, but not in any specific order.



By way of background: I’ve seen The Force Awakens three times now and am genuinely excited to see it again. I’m hard pressed to come up with another movie since Wing Commander that I’ve felt that way about (though I doubt I’ll break the five-times-in-one-day record I set back then!) And I don’t especially say that as someone who went in wanting to like everything… but I also can’t think of the last time I truly wanted to know about scenes that were cut and things in the background and to speculate about what’s next. I have no memory of coming out of the prequels with anything but moderate contentment and a hope that the next film would move the story forward a bit.



That said, the first time I saw Force Awakens on opening night, I wasn’t sure whether or not I liked it at all. A LOT of the flaws everyone has mentioned stuck out on the first viewing vanish by the second or third. For all the fury everyone (myself included) made of not spoiling the film, knowing the emotional beats beforehand going in the second and third time helped a LOT. Leia and Han’s awkward conversations go from being poor exposition to meaningful emotional beats, for instance. After all, think about how you watch previous Star Wars movies: you go into them knowing what happens by rote, but still incredibly excited to see what you know is coming. Watching the original trilogy, you’re constantly both enjoying the part you’re in and you’re counting the time to the next familiar favorite part. The great, classic Star Wars movies are sort of like a really, really good five-course meal. I still watch the original trilogy with that mindset: I love this part, but I can’t wait for the next sequence, and I can’t wait until the five seconds my favorite character shows up! And so on. (The prequels fall down there; there’s brilliant stuff in there, but there are also sequences that you just want to be over with.)



I loved the new cast, and desperately want Episode VIII to focus on them instead of the old guard. Which is a pretty impressive feat for a movie, as the big selling point up until last week was getting to see Han and Leia and Luke again. Now I want them gone and I want to see Rey and Finn and Llewyn Davis having galactic adventures. Heck, I desperately want them to do a 1970s-style Marvel series about their quest for Luke between the movies. (I have never come out of a movie wanting MORE EU than I did this one.)



Carrie Fisher was clearly the weakest part of the cast, to an unfortunately noticeable degree. Please Jar Jar her into the background the next time around. (There’s one incredibly awkward cut during one of her conversations with Han that suggests that’s the case… where they must have recognized she was doing such a bad job that they couldn’t make a mid-conversation cut better hidden.)



As most have noted, the Starkiller base came off as a major failure of the imagination. I should say I might have had the same criticism of the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi, but I that film did a much better job of establishing the threat. If anything, Starkiller base feels like something everyone involved, including the characters in the universe, were embarrassed about. Where RotJ opened with an establishing visit to the Death Star II, TFA didn’t even mention it in the first act (or the crawl!) despite following a character who apparently has intimate knowledge of the thing. The end result is ‘oh by the way there’s a Death Star,’ which is unfortunate (down to the passive aggressive ‘no, no, it’s bigger, just look at this chart!’ in the briefing.) In spite of all that,



I don’t hate the base or the battle, though. The idea of one-upping Jedi by having a file battle that’s one seamless battlefield instead of three simultaneous set pieces is pretty cool… they just needed to set it up better. It’s a very satisfying visual (with appropriate immediacy) when the lightsabre fight and the covert operation and the space battle are all literally/visually overlapping. And I was impressed by how non-toyetic it all was: X-Wings and TIE Fighters, no new fleets of ships we can buy in plastic form (genuinely; I went in expecting we’d see the TFA version of the A-, B-, Y-Wing and any variety of other TIEs.)



What I DO hate is Abrams’ aggressive post-twee ‘science doesn’t matter!’ attitude that gives us a weapon that isn’t explained with effects that don’t make sense (everyone in the galaxy, look up, in the sky! There’s a laser!) It’s one thing to tell myths surrounding murky impossibilities and another to continually glory in your ignorance. The latter is a pretty lame leitmotif (and one that already did structural damage to the Star Trek universe, what with red matter and cross-galaxy beaming and instant warps to everywhere.



Were I in Kasdan’s place, I probably would have reversed the ending and in the process explained a little more seamlessly the state of the galaxy in the movie. Why not have the First Order rushing to interrupt some movement of the Senate, dispatching their forces to stop a vote or the activation of a peacekeeper force or some such?



I have some harsh words for the score: it was boring. God bless John Williams, but I didn’t leave the theater humming anything and I’m still hard up to identify a particular new piece of music. He did such a good job with the prequels, his work made then inordinately better and you left with it in your head… but it wasn’t up to snuff here.



Looking back at the original movies, the first three do each have a distinctive flavor. Just compare the three sword fights to see it; Star Wars feels wide-eyed and new, full of potential… Empire is this brilliantly shot, smoky, artistic piece… and then Jedi is dark and utilitarian. I do think that having each episode come from another director is the way to go; the prequels sort of slosh into a single cube of indistinguishable prequel goo for lacking that touch.


On the whole, though, it was wonderful. And Admiral Ackbar! Woo! I feel like the last four months of catching up on the Star Wars canon was worthwhile, and I'm so excited about what's next. That's a pretty good start to this thing!
 
Hey everybody! I have been trying to avoid sharing spoilers on my bizarrely popular social media presence, but it seems safe to share my thoughts here. What follows are my takes on what most everyone is talking about, but not in any specific order.



By way of background: I’ve seen The Force Awakens three times now and am genuinely excited to see it again. I’m hard pressed to come up with another movie since Wing Commander that I’ve felt that way about (though I doubt I’ll break the five-times-in-one-day record I set back then!) And I don’t especially say that as someone who went in wanting to like everything… but I also can’t think of the last time I truly wanted to know about scenes that were cut and things in the background and to speculate about what’s next. I have no memory of coming out of the prequels with anything but moderate contentment and a hope that the next film would move the story forward a bit.



That said, the first time I saw Force Awakens on opening night, I wasn’t sure whether or not I liked it at all. A LOT of the flaws everyone has mentioned stuck out on the first viewing vanish by the second or third. For all the fury everyone (myself included) made of not spoiling the film, knowing the emotional beats beforehand going in the second and third time helped a LOT. Leia and Han’s awkward conversations go from being poor exposition to meaningful emotional beats, for instance. After all, think about how you watch previous Star Wars movies: you go into them knowing what happens by rote, but still incredibly excited to see what you know is coming. Watching the original trilogy, you’re constantly both enjoying the part you’re in and you’re counting the time to the next familiar favorite part. The great, classic Star Wars movies are sort of like a really, really good five-course meal. I still watch the original trilogy with that mindset: I love this part, but I can’t wait for the next sequence, and I can’t wait until the five seconds my favorite character shows up! And so on. (The prequels fall down there; there’s brilliant stuff in there, but there are also sequences that you just want to be over with.)



I loved the new cast, and desperately want Episode VIII to focus on them instead of the old guard. Which is a pretty impressive feat for a movie, as the big selling point up until last week was getting to see Han and Leia and Luke again. Now I want them gone and I want to see Rey and Finn and Llewyn Davis having galactic adventures. Heck, I desperately want them to do a 1970s-style Marvel series about their quest for Luke between the movies. (I have never come out of a movie wanting MORE EU than I did this one.)




Carrie Fisher was clearly the weakest part of the cast, to an unfortunately noticeable degree. Please Jar Jar her into the background the next time around. (There’s one incredibly awkward cut during one of her conversations with Han that suggests that’s the case… where they must have recognized she was doing such a bad job that they couldn’t make a mid-conversation cut better hidden.)



As most have noted, the Starkiller base came off as a major failure of the imagination. I should say I might have had the same criticism of the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi, but I that film did a much better job of establishing the threat. If anything, Starkiller base feels like something everyone involved, including the characters in the universe, were embarrassed about. Where RotJ opened with an establishing visit to the Death Star II, TFA didn’t even mention it in the first act (or the crawl!) despite following a character who apparently has intimate knowledge of the thing. The end result is ‘oh by the way there’s a Death Star,’ which is unfortunate (down to the passive aggressive ‘no, no, it’s bigger, just look at this chart!’ in the briefing.) In spite of all that,



I don’t hate the base or the battle, though. The idea of one-upping Jedi by having a file battle that’s one seamless battlefield instead of three simultaneous set pieces is pretty cool… they just needed to set it up better. It’s a very satisfying visual (with appropriate immediacy) when the lightsabre fight and the covert operation and the space battle are all literally/visually overlapping. And I was impressed by how non-toyetic it all was: X-Wings and TIE Fighters, no new fleets of ships we can buy in plastic form (genuinely; I went in expecting we’d see the TFA version of the A-, B-, Y-Wing and any variety of other TIEs.)



What I DO hate is Abrams’ aggressive post-twee ‘science doesn’t matter!’ attitude that gives us a weapon that isn’t explained with effects that don’t make sense (everyone in the galaxy, look up, in the sky! There’s a laser!) It’s one thing to tell myths surrounding murky impossibilities and another to continually glory in your ignorance. The latter is a pretty lame leitmotif (and one that already did structural damage to the Star Trek universe, what with red matter and cross-galaxy beaming and instant warps to everywhere.



Were I in Kasdan’s place, I probably would have reversed the ending and in the process explained a little more seamlessly the state of the galaxy in the movie. Why not have the First Order rushing to interrupt some movement of the Senate, dispatching their forces to stop a vote or the activation of a peacekeeper force or some such?



I have some harsh words for the score: it was boring. God bless John Williams, but I didn’t leave the theater humming anything and I’m still hard up to identify a particular new piece of music. He did such a good job with the prequels, his work made then inordinately better and you left with it in your head… but it wasn’t up to snuff here.



Looking back at the original movies, the first three do each have a distinctive flavor. Just compare the three sword fights to see it; Star Wars feels wide-eyed and new, full of potential… Empire is this brilliantly shot, smoky, artistic piece… and then Jedi is dark and utilitarian. I do think that having each episode come from another director is the way to go; the prequels sort of slosh into a single cube of indistinguishable prequel goo for lacking that touch.


On the whole, though, it was wonderful. And Admiral Ackbar! Woo! I feel like the last four months of catching up on the Star Wars canon was worthwhile, and I'm so excited about what's next. That's a pretty good start to this thing!


wow we see pretty much eye to eye here ben. fischer was def the weakest link, its like she just didnt care to be there aka just collecting a paycheck. Im almost convinced there was a more emotional scene after Han's death that was cut bc of her poor acting, it was really bad.

I also agree with the score of the movie to a degree. My wife got me the soundtrack and I listened to it in the car and I love it, it is def more of a somber score than any star wars music but on its own it works, but your right in the movie it is almost too quiet. the mixing seems a bit off

One of my few disappointments in the movie though was the x wing fight scenes, just didnt grab me like they should and it might be because the opening tie fighter escape scene with poe and finn was epic and the flight of the falcon with rey and finn was even better, that by the time the x wings fights happened it was more ho hum, with no scene of them sticking out besides, of the tracking shot on the ground with finn looking at poe's fighter.

the only other thing that bothered me was the pacing. I break the movie down in two halves, the first half is a 10/10 to me honestly. poe, finn, and kylo's introduction is awesome, the escape from the star destroyer was epic, how they showed rey's isolation on jakku was amazing. the banter between rey, BB8, and finn was good. the escape in the falcon was even better but then............ it goes down hill to me to an 8.5/10 the rest of the way. I hated the whole men in black scene on the cargo ship with han, and the story I thought just started jumping around too much, plus you add in the star killer base (aka death star 3) fischer's sub par's acting, and some other minor stuff and it suffers slightly. The stuff that really works in the second half are all the scenes with kylo and Rey and Chewy. I really do love what they do with chewy in this movie.

I also agree Im more excited to see where the new characters go from here, this movie fully fleshed out the new cast in such a great way that I cant wait to see what is next, but im not gonna lie im still excited to see what they do with luke.

my rankings go

empire strikes back 9.5/10
force awakens 9.2/10
Return of the Jedi 8.5/10
A New Hope 7.5/10


Revenge of the Sith 6.5/10




Phantom Menace 4/10











Attack of the Clones 2/10
 
Your rankings match my own Jdawg.... though I don't know what those last 3 titles are...
do you watch the show rebels and what do yall think of it.

It started off kinda shaky and too "disneyfied" with ezra seeming like a poor man's Aladin, going even as far as a storm trooper calling him a street rat in the opening episode. I though by episode three it had really found its footing and now is one of my favorite shows on Tv. The animation gets better and better, the show is not afraid to go a little dark, and even kills people. The end of season 1 was great, and the Siege of Lothal was a great opening for season 2.

anyways what do you guys think
 
I enjoy Rebels, especially after bringing Captain Rex in. I really like how they incorporate a LOT of the concept art for the original Star Wars by Ralph McQuarrie.
 
Back when waiting for the movie, I was thinking it might be good idea to kill Luke, Leia and Han in each film of the trilogy. I even had a storyline in mind, with Han dying in VII (nailed it!), then his son falling to dark side (wrong order, but close enough) and killing Luke in VIII (may happen) and eventually in IX Leia would sacrifice herself to bring him back among heroes.
I kind of hope it goes like that, Luke and Leia die in the two films. However I think now there can only be one end to Kylo Ren: Vader replay. You can't leave Han and Leia's son as evil monster, he must redeem himself. Yet, after all he's done, he can't just walk away and be forgiven; he must die heroically. So Ren dies killing Snoke - there, I spoiled IX ending for you. (Unless Ren dies in end of XIII, trying to kill Snoke.)
 
Good shot of being accurate too - especially if the next two movies continue to follow the original trilogy as a guide. Given the ending of TFA, it's reasonable to assume we'll see Luke training Rey as a Jedi - or at least beginning that training, perhaps having to be convinced to begin that training - at the beginning of VIII. Rey senses Finn in some kind of danger (maybe he's been captured by Ren and company) and wants to rush off to help him, Luke tags along so she don't make the same mistake he did rushing off to Bespin, and winds up sacrificing himself to cover their escape ala Kenobi. Then metal space camels, because reasons...
 
all great theories but I see the new one going more into uncharted territory bc as much as folks try to claim force awakens was a remake of new hope, so that means 8 has to be a remake of empire strikes back, it was not. the force awakens was an homage to the entire original trilogy. the second half had way more in common with empire than it did with a new hope. yes starkiller base is destroyed, but a main character is killed off, finn is barely alive, like luke in empire, and everything is left in the air on a cliff hanger, like empire. even though the planets blowing up scene doesnt carry the emotional weight it should have; the new republic is still wiped out and all that is left is a very rag tag group of Resistance fighters, so actually the starkiller base proved to be effective even though it is a rehash. The movie ends on a great scene with luke, but is still a downer to an extent much like empire strikes back

plus you dont hire johnson to direct if all you want is a rehash thats not his deal
 
The word round these parts is that Johnson turned in a draft with an apology for being 'too out there' and that the powers that be loved it and told him to run with it. Take what you will from that! I would not expect to see a direct rehash of the OT going forward.

As for Rebels, I love a lot about it... especially the look, where they style it as though you're watching someone play with old Kenner toys. There have been some fantastic episodes. The current weakness is the Rebels themselves, I just have a hard time caring about Ezra, Kanan, etc. The very best episodes so far have been the ones that call back characters from the Clone Wars (which will get old soon!) and the ones anchored by guest stars (Lando, new canon B-Wing inventor, etc.)

The last few episodes have felt like treading water; I hope they move everything forward a bit soon. I think we're all a lot more interested in seeing Vader face Ahsoka than we are the leads fighting endless mini-sith right now! (Also, their writers room desperately needs to introduce a "NO CAPTURING EZRA" rule...)
 
The word round these parts is that Johnson turned in a draft with an apology for being 'too out there' and that the powers that be loved it and told him to run with it. Take what you will from that! I would not expect to see a direct rehash of the OT going forward.

As for Rebels, I love a lot about it... especially the look, where they style it as though you're watching someone play with old Kenner toys. There have been some fantastic episodes. The current weakness is the Rebels themselves, I just have a hard time caring about Ezra, Kanan, etc. The very best episodes so far have been the ones that call back characters from the Clone Wars (which will get old soon!) and the ones anchored by guest stars (Lando, new canon B-Wing inventor, etc.)

The last few episodes have felt like treading water; I hope they move everything forward a bit soon. I think we're all a lot more interested in seeing Vader face Ahsoka than we are the leads fighting endless mini-sith right now! (Also, their writers room desperately needs to introduce a "NO CAPTURING EZRA" rule...)
bandit thats great do you mind if I pm you and ask you about the EU I dont want to post it here bc it might contain spoilers that some dont want to see

as far as rebels I love kanan but that might bc I really like his comic as well. Ezra has grown on me a lot. and see I love the mid season finale bc it went against the grain, was there some fight scenes yes, but it was a very quiet episode in tone and I really enjoyed the change of pace
 
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