I liked them as well. You really felt the danger and the violence in the fights, in basically every fight of every sort in this film, really. They gave everything proper emotional weight but still moved the film at an incredibly brisk pace
I really hope Captain Phasma wasn't killed off. I'd really like to see more of her. In this movie, she seemed like the new Darth Maul character. Pretty cool design, not much character development.
They confirmed Captain Phasma will return in Episode VIII. I really enjoyed the movie, especially the Battlefront-style X-Wing scenes and the lightsaber duels. The visuals in Han's death was amazing - something you don't normally see in the prequels, or even in the original trilogy. I did feel like it was too much like A New Hope, but it was amazing nonetheless. I do like how the ending was open-ended though.
She'll be back, obviously. Anyways, goddamn this movie. Hit all the right notes for me. As soon as the title sequence came on, I got the biggest smile on my face. Finally we have characters who talk like humans again. Finally we have emotional weight and depth again. Even BB-8 is more expressive than any of the prequel characters. I can say I loved pretty much every character in this movie (except for one, but I'll get into that later). Rey? Awesome. Finn (love why he has that name)? Great. Poe? Likable as fuck. I love that the fighting sequences aren't choreographed as fuck, it makes those sequences way more visceral. I also love the tasteful approach they took with the old characters. The only thing I didn't quite like, was Kylo Ren sans-mask. But I don't see it as a bad thing, I just thought he was pathetic (which is exactly what he is) and that was quite surprising to me. So I think that dislike will go away as time goes on, when I get more accustomed to the character's personality. Another thing I was kind of iffy about, was the way it ended. For me personally, they shouldn't have shown Luke at all. I would've been perfectly fine with Rey and Chewie flying off into space and ending it right there. Or at least, not show Luke's face. Just him standing there. That last shot was so long and kind of awkward lol The movie has flaws (R2-D2 being part of the biggest one), but I don't really care. This is the movie I wanted. I can only hope the sequels are gonna be as good.
I'm surprised they also used elements from the non-canon Expanded Universe/Legends, particularly the bad guy being the whiny son of Han and Leia. However, I did like how Kylo Ren acted - it felt more natural and a more realistic take if a confused, angsty, hormonal (?) person struggles with bad and good.
Well that's good. She has a lot of potential. Those unchoreographed fight scenes happened from awesome choreography. It was refreshing to see that the choreographer had enough foresight to take the characters and really bring that character to a fighting style. For example, how would some noob use a lightsaber? Fan-freaking-tastic. The thing with Kylo Ren and his mask, how you say he looked pathetic, that is exactly what I was looking for in a masked villain. It reminded me about how Vader looked when he had his helmet off. Also, him having his helmet off for his ultimate betrayal and seemingly reassuring his path towards the dark side really holds weight when you think about it. He looked his father right in the face and his father looked at him right back. That really is a son of a bitch move. As far as R2-D2 is concerned, I wonder if Luke activated him, thus wanting to be found. You have to remember that when you become force sensitive, you can potentially feel every living being's aura. Obi-Wan felt it when the Death Star destroyed Alderaan. Master Yoda felt it when Order 66 was initiated. With the destroyed planets, Han Solo's fate and the awakenings/disturbances within the Force, Luke had to have felt. He had to know that something had to be done.
When Kyle and Han are having their confrontation and half the shot is lit and the other was dark... then the moment where you knew what was going to happen because the light from that star faded completely to dark. Absolutely stunning cinematography.
Yeah, that scene was incredible. The amount of expression on Chewie's face in that scene was also incredible.
I can see that. I suppose, when you think about it, Luke did not have a crazy amount of training either before his first battle with Vader. And yes, Finn gets wrecked pretty easily but that makes sense considering he has no acquaintance with the Force or lightsabers. I think it just astonished me how easy it was for Rey to overpower Kylo. It really is going to put a lot of weight on the question of whether or not Rey is Luke's daughter. It was pretty much the new version of A New Hope. A message is given to a droid to carry out, a larger equivalent of the Death Star is exploited for its weakness and destroyed, Han and Kylo meet on a bridge, only for Han to die and for it to be witnessed by Finn, Rey, and Chewie. And then Rey goes off to find the last remaining Jedi Master in the universe. At the same time, though, I think that's what it was meant to be - a reborn franchise with the intent of making homages to the previous series and at the same time captivating newer viewers. I thought it was very well done. This is very true. At the same time, I knew from the moment Han got on that bridge that he was going to die - but the transition from the light to the dark signaling Han's demise was very well executed.
Even if she's not, it has been noted in both The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels that Force-sensitive people and children still remain in the universe. She could be one of them too. But, yes Rey's parent's history is quite the mystery...
See, a lot of people I've seen have complained that TFA is ANH2.0 are just looking at it from an overall scenario viewpoint of the movie. Is the overall plot the same? Yes. A resistance group is going against a dictator-run power with a huge superweapon that needs to be destroyed. A wise man dies. Et cetera. But the meat of the film is completely different. The focus is different. What is TFA? It's a story about a man who defects from a brutal lifestyle because of his humanity, and finding out who he is outside of that world. It's the story of a woman who finds out her fairy tales are true and is thrust into that lore after (supposed) years of solitude. It's about a couple dealing with the loss of their son. It's about a man who feels he's failed his family and his student and disappeared from civilization, and everyone trying to FIND him. It's about a man who fears he is falling towards the Light and is completely insecure. The shell is the same, but the content and context is completely different and will show in future films. Introducing these character arcs in the context of a familiar scenario is a fantastic way of mixing old and new. And the best part of that, is guess what we have to look forward to in the Episodes VIII and IX? - Leia and Chewie dealing with the death of a loved one. - Luke. Just... Luke. - The fate of Finn. - Learning more about Poe. - Learning more about the war. - Rey's training. - Kylo finishing his training. - General Hux's need for revenge against the New Republic and the Resistance. - Captain Phasma's need for revenge against the traitorous stormtrooper. - Snoke's overall plan for Kylo and the galaxy. There are so many character and expository threads set up with this movie that will be a pleasure to see develop in the future.
You're definitely right, but what I am saying is that even in saying that it was very much like A New Hope, that's perfectly fine. I'm very okay with that, and I can appreciate how new and old elements are interwoven together very well in this movie.
It's an absolutely incredible movie but I hated Death Star attack 3.0. Just, why? It turns a potential 10/10 or 9/10 into an 8 for me. It was that bad in my eyes. ''This thing is like the death star right? We destroyed two of those!'' ''No, it's..... BIGGER!'' *gasp* Also, did anyone else thing 2:15 was too short? The original cut was 2:40 according to JJ, maybe that would have worked better? Because some things needed to be fleshed out more. Like, how did Poe get back to The Resistance? How did Maz get Luke's saber? What's the deal with The New Republic? How did Kylo get out alive? What happened to Phasma? Ray is amazing. I loved her throughout the whole thing and her theme is beautiful. Kylo Ren is one of the best Star Wars villains yet. In my opinion, the opening scene is the best of the entire saga. The lightsaber fight was perfect.
Oh, my message wasn't targeting you specifically, just a strand I was using to weave my post into being. Had nothing to do with you. Although, since you're here...
My god, I enjoyed this film so much. Rather than just going on and on about that, I'll list some of the things that I liked the most, things that get me excited for future films, and some things I didn't like. Kylo Ren / Ben Solo. Man, I fucking loved this character. I loved how his mask almost empowered him in a way. Without it, he just seems like a undertrained, pathetic, almost childish man, which is shown greatly in his "destroy everything with lightsaber" tantrums. Adam Driver could have been a great Anakin Skywalker. I can't wait to see more of this character. Rey's parentege greatly intrigues me. Her family must be extremely strong in the force if she was able to pick things up so quickly. Going in, I thought it was a given that she was going to be either a Skywalker or a Solo, with her being probably a sister to Kylo Ren, which suprisingly, never happened. Even in the beginning of the film, Kylo Ren seemed to be really taken aback when he was informed of "the girl," as if he knew who she might be (his sister). I can't wait to see how this plays out in future films. Here's a controversial opinion. BB-8 > R2. I know right? Blasphemy. One of (my many) favorite scenes of the movie was when Poe and Finn stole the TIE fighter. That scene made me absolutely giddy. It was that scene that made me realize that Star Wars was back. Leia feeling through the force that Han died almost left me in tears. What a well done scene. Starkiller Base wiping out the Republic. Seeing The First Order destroy what I assume must be Coruscant really got to me. Almost on par with Order 66. In the future, we need a hell of a lot more of Captain Phasma and Poe Dameron. Also, how the hell did Poe get back to the Resistance? I really like Snoke, but I do not like the way he was realized on screen. It was really odd to see a very obviously CG character in a film putting a huge focus on practical effects. Hopefully he looks better in the coming films. I liked the very last scene with Luke, but it felt very tacked on. The film would have ended much better if it ended with Chewie and Rey entering hyperspace. But, they've gotta set up Luke. Having Episode VIII being the search for Luke would have been really lame. I'm glad that isn't what they're going to do. I LOVED the lightsaber battles. They weren't overly-choreographed dances like the prequels. I felt like there was real danger in them. It felt very real and brutal.
About you saying BB-8 being better R2-D2. BB-8 definitely lived up to all of that merchandising. He wasn't annoying at all, every single moment he was on screen was great, everything he did made me smile. Even something simple like him slowly bouncing down the stairs when Rey's in Maz's dungeon/basement. That planet was not Coruscant. The New Republic isn't based on Coruscant.