The Force Awakens Post YOUR review of 'The Force Awakens' (NO SPOILERS)

[Broseph44]

"Oh no, NOT MARVEL!" is becoming the knee jerk reaction whenever anyone mentions humor in a blockbuster anymore. It was a thing before Marvel, folks.

Thank you

 

[flickchick85]

Well, there's a difference between the humor in the original Star Wars movies and the the type of nonstop "jokiness" that's permeated films such as The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Thor: TDW, etc.

I trust JJ completely to get the tone right, but it is just a bit surprising to see the humor coming up fairly consistently in reviews as if it plays more of a role than it did previously.

There's a total earnestness about Star Wars in spite of its humor- JJ himself specifically noted that. It's not winking at the audience- which is what Marvel does all the time with its humor. That's what I hope to stays out of it.

Fair enough, I'm just saying that "jokiness" ain't exclusive to Marvel and never was.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

"Oh no, NOT MARVEL!" is becoming the knee jerk reaction whenever anyone mentions humor in a blockbuster anymore. It was a thing before Marvel, folks.

Yeah. These people need to watch the original trilogy if they think humor is a Marvel thing.

 

[BatLobster]

Again, it's not about there being humor but the type of humor. Fundamental difference between Marvel's style of humor and how it was used in the OT.

 

[flickchick85]

In fact I'd say Marvel CHOSE that tone for their universe BECAUSE it had been so popular in blockbusters past.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

In fact I'd say Marvel CHOSE that tone for their universe BECAUSE it had been so popular in blockbusters past.

Nah. Hollywood used to be grimey as hell before Marvel ruined it. Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Back to the Future, Jurassic Park....all grim and gritty films on the level of Lord Nolan and Zack Snyder.

 

[BatLobster]

Marvel has taken that tone a few steps too far in places, IMO. That's been the problem for me. You're literally counting down towards the inevitable punchline as soon as things get dramatic.

I’ve got to say, I don’t think there’s winking at all in the original Star Wars. What I feel is everyone is playing it a hundred percent legitimately. What I think is happening is these characters are funny. Even Mark Hamill, when you really think about what he has to do, who he has to play in that movie, the scenes early on when he’s dealing with R2 and 3PO, I think he is underrated in terms of his playing a straight man to these droids.

- JJ Abrams

Again that's all I'm looking for. What Marvel does is make they often cram in jokes and make winks at the audience at questionable moments that can sometimes undermine the stakes.

 

[Napoleon]

From what I've heard, the humor in this film by and large hits it's mark, so I wouldn't worry about that.

I spoiled myself and watched some of the Snoke scene. I think it's because he comes off as classic Disney animated villain.

To be fair, Disney's animated villains (Scar, Shere Khan, Frollo) were quite memorable.

 

[flickchick85]

Marvel has taken that tone a few steps too far in places, IMO. That's been the problem for me. You're literally counting down towards the inevitable punchline as soon as things get dramatic.

- JJ Abrams

Again that's all I'm looking for. What Marvel does is make they often cram in jokes and make winks at the audience at questionable moments that can sometimes undermine the stakes.

Marvel has a similar straight man in Captain America. Even when he jokes, he makes them earnestly (with the exception of that arguably OOC "you didn't finish" line in AoU). Same goes for Banner. But no matter, we get it, you don't like Marvel's brand of humor. Hopefully TFA's humor appeals more to you.

 

[BatLobster]

Marvel has a similar straight man in Captain America. Even when he jokes, he makes them earnestly (with the exception of that arguably OOC "you didn't finish" line in AoU). Same goes for Banner. But no matter, we get it, you don't like Marvel's brand of humor. Hopefully TFA's humor appeals more to you.

The thing is, Tony Stark has really been the star of MCU and that's crept into the overall tone a lot. And he's more of a "Han" to Cap's "Luke". That's the difference. It's just a personal taste thing on my end, sorry if it came off like a random Marvel bash.

And thanks, I hope so too. And I'm willing to roll with this movie being more of a Han-centric movie this time which might have an effect on the overall humor. Just as long as that balance is there, I'm happy.

 

[StarLord]

For the record, I wasn't criticizing the type of humour, just that there was a little too much for my tastes. Not a big deal overall.

 

[flickchick85]

The thing is, Tony Stark has really been the star of MCU and that's crept into the overall tone a lot. And he's more of a "Han" to Cap's "Luke". That's the difference. It's just a personal taste thing on my end, sorry if it came off like a random Marvel bash.

And thanks, I hope so too. And I'm willing to roll with this movie being more of a Han-centric movie this time which might have an effect on the overall humor. Just as long as that balance is there, I'm happy.

Well I too have Tony Stark fatigue so I can sympathize there. And yeah, I'm thinking Han's probably mellowed out and gained some gravitas so most of the humor won't even be coming from him this time, but time will tell. Either way, I agree in hoping they strike a good balance.

 

[BatLobster]

Yeah, I def agree that Han is gonna add gravitas. Ford seems like a universal highlight from what everyone is saying, I'm really looking forward to his performance. But I do think the "DNA" of Han might be more engrained in this movie, so to speak. Literally and figuratively.

For the record, I wasn't criticizing the type of humour, just that there was a little too much for my tastes. Not a big deal overall.

Good to hear.

 

[Gianakin_]

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens

Alright, I'll just break it down.

Direction - JJ at his most mature. He prefers to forego some of the quieter moments and offer them mid-action, but he knows how to do it and it works well. It's clearly a movie by JJ done in 2015 and that's a good thing. He's at the top of his game.

Music - Worst soundtrack of the 7. John was sleepwalking or just tired. Nothing too memorable outside of Rey's theme and MAYBE the Scherzo for X-Wings. Snoke's theme is bleh.

Acting - Best acting of the sage. Weak link was Andy as Snoke. But, frankly, he couldn't have done much more with what he was given. Daisy/Rey is a natural. John/Finn; perfect comic timing. Oscar/Poe, I have a man crush, goodbye Cavill. Adam/Kylo steals the show with the depth he adds to a slightly underwritten role. Gwen/Phasma is there. Gleeson/Hux was perfect for what they were going for. Lupita/Maz elevated the role. Max/Lor he's fine for the 4' he has. Carrie/Leia, I'm amazed at how they made her look like not-Carrie and like wide eyed Leia that's aged 32 years. She also acts the part and brings a lot of heart! And finally, Ford/Han: Han Solo is back and better than ever. It's the ANH/ESB Han only older and wiser. And funnier! JJ smartly relied on the actors and their amazing chemistry to hide the screenplay's flaws. In the end, it's what will make the movie hold up.

Writing - That's the biggest problem of TFA, but at the same time it works so much on so many levels. It does almost every character justice, does a proper job setting up the new state of the galaxy without it being convoluted (a trait way too common with blockbusters the past 5 years) and blends old with new. It's a requel of ANH, no doubting that, but I gotta admit it didn't bother me in the end. Starkiller was an afterthought and, ironically, that helped the movie eventually. To those who said 6 months is plenty... THAT'S what happens when you have 6 months. It's fair enough. TFA is a bridge film, leaving the heavy lifting to Rian and I'm more than ok with that.

Cinematography - Stunning. Absolutely beautiful. It's 2015 OT, that's the best way I can describe it. It's the most beautiful movie alongside ESB.

Lightsaber fights - Perfect blend between OT/PT. They do twirls and acrobatics but keep the OT weight of the sabers in mind. I have to watch again to fully process it, but I loved it.

Space fights - They were fine. Something was off. They're worse than RotS' opening one and RotJ's climax, but on par with ANH.

Mythos - Adds nothing other than: There's a faction called Knights of Ren.

Villains - Phasma was serviceable. Don't let real life hype fool you, she's a glorified cameo that doesn NOT count as a pro or a con for TFA. She's there and she's ok. Hux, like Kylo, are wannabes of they Tarkin/Vader counterparts. That REALLY works cos it gives you the feeling that it's the First Order that are the underdogs now. Hux is power hungry in a rash way, unlike Tarkin's cold tyrant, and Kylo... well, I'm SO glad I love Kylo. He's complex, he's troubled, to many he'll be Anakin done right, he's the anti-Luke in terms of him having him be tempted to fall... to the Light Side! I can't begin to tell you how relieved I was! Snoke is an Emperor stand-in. Even if the look had impressed me, I wouldn't have cared about him. He's generic, clearly awaiting exploration in 8-9.

Heroes - Wow. Just wow. I'm in love with Poe. Finn is the viewer's eyes into the ST. Rey is... undisputed. TFA Rey > ANH Luke. If her arc is half as interesting as Luke's was in the OT, then we're SO DAMN LUCKY we got her. Kudos. Leia brought unexpected warmth and heart in this. Han is more Han than ever. Chewie.... I never liked Chewie, to be honest. TFA changed that. I see now what people did in 1977-1983. They've done a good job making him and Han an old married-ish couple.

Humor - Funniest SW movie alongside ESB, in terms of quantity and quality. Bravo.

Droids - I was never fond of the droids. I love BB8. He's feisty and cute, but not a c**t like I always found R2. I don't even like 3PO. Anyway, BB8 is an actual character. 3PO is barely in it and does his schtick a couple of scenes. R2 is even less in it than 3PO and is related to a big plot hole regarding the main story. Too bad, cos it was easily fixable.

Dat Star Wars feel - It's there. It's familiar, but it's also new. I love the PT and the OT and I love what TFA had to offer. The lightsaber duels marries elements from both trilogies, and the music's overall feel was as PT-ish as it was OT-ish (dare I say, even more so). All this, along with the JJ touch and Larry's input, gave me a unique tone for the film; perfect for a new generation of characters and viewers.

Overall, I immensely enjoyed it. It delivered big time, even if it didn't go the direction I had hoped for (that's 8, I think). Great characters, emotions, moments, action... really, what else is there to hope for? For those that dislike the PT... SW IS back after 32 years. For the others... SW is back after 10 years. But it's here and it's SW and it's great!

Ranking - Without the PT, my first viewing makes me feel this is about right: ESB - TFA - ANH - RotJ.

 

[BatLobster]

Nice review Gianakin. I'm glad the ANH thing didn't bother you too much in the end.

 

[Fallen Angel]

Short and simple review from me.

TFA is definitely an upgrade on the prequels might have to see it one more time to see if it can crack the OT placements. Everyone was great but for me Rey and Kylo Ren were the standouts.

9/10

 

[Deserana]

There's only one way to sum up this movie and that's that it's a great ride. And most importantly it's a memorable one. In particular the first and last shot of the movie will stick in my mind.

It's hard to say how it compares to the OT as I only saw them for the first time this year but this movie fits very much with them. In fact I think a marathon of films IV to VII would be pretty damn seamless. The pacing of the film is perfect. It builds, pays off, slows down, builds up etc etc but times everything brilliantly.

It takes awhile to get introduced to the old trio but it's not a matter of simply just waiting for them to appear, it's being excited for them to appear. You WANT to see these characters interact with Han, Leia and Luke because they are so damn likeable and fun. Both Boyega and Ridley carry the film and are clearly having a blast and as a result it's a treat to just watch them. Same with Oscar Isaac who I can really see developing into something special in the future. That guy has enough of natural charm to just be cool in a Solo way and not a "look how cool this guy is" way.

As for the old crew, every single introduction brings a smile to my face. And that's from someone who is only a few months away from seeing the OT so I can't imagine what it's like for people who've been waiting 30 years. My favourite intro was probably C3-PO's. Harrison Ford was clearly into it and had a few great lines, like everyone said he felt like Han Solo. It's hard to talk about Luke so I'll avoid that but I must say my favourite of the 3 was probably Leia. I wasn't expecting it but I was amazed and how much she and Abrams just pulled it off, that was an old Princess Leia. Everything her character did and the way she acted and interacted with other characters, the way she spoke, how she spoke it all just felt really right. Whilst Han was great it wasn't like he changed much which is what we all love about him but with Leia it felt she had a life in these 30 years that changed her and now this is her.

As for the bad guys this is where things get a bit more negative. I loved Kylo Ren, Driver was excellent however the people I was with (3 guys all 21 like me) loved him till a point which I won't delve into. Hux was a nothing character, I like Gleeson but there was nothing much here other than your typical Star Wars "READY EVERYONE FOR BATTLE!" dialogue. Snoke was very intriguing but not enough here to judge.

My other main negative was an aspect of the third act but even that was intertwined with some REALLY good stuff. And the last negative would shamefully be the music, if you love the classic score you'll love this and I did but don't think there was anything remotely as memorable as anything from the OT trilogy in that regard. There may be on the score itself but watching it there wasn't any one moment where I was thinking "wow that music was cool" that didn't include an OT theme and I normally like listening for score.

Something that surprised me was just how funny it was too. I mean there were some gut busting laughs in this film that I personally never saw as being close to parody. Chewwy and Boyega probably had some of the best laughs.

But in the end I just have to give this film a 10 (I'd probably give 2 other films a 10 this year) Even with the flaws, it did something that so few films do for me, about an hour and a half in I stopped and just thought "I am absolutely loving this". There was no cynical thought of "how is this... What is this... How did you get this.. Why didn't you do this" it was just "I'm having so much fun!". Everything fits, the new and the old they just found a way to crack it and make it work whilst setting up a future series. This is once again a world you just cannot wait to go back to!

 

[BlackFox]

A solid entry into the SW world.

Enjoyed it for the most part with some really great moments for old fans as well as new. Liked pretty much all the new characters, Rey was a standout and looking forward to see what they do with her next the most, but everyone appeared to be interested and having fun with it, old cast and new.

Yes the plot does feel a little too much like a retread at times and I think/hope the best is yet to come but this has a nice feel to it and is inkeeping with the SW world a lot more so than the prequels at least and is a nice set up for the future, just come up with something new plot wise next time is all.

8.2/10

 

[sueb1863]

PSA: Do NOT go into the #starwarsmarathon tag on Twitter if you're avoiding spoilers, as somebody is posting spoilers in there (with images no less!).

 

[Samurai_Adam]

Man, I just got back from seeing it and I absolutely loved it. Excellent film. I'm not really a review type guy, but I thought I'd share my reaction. Can't wait to see it again and I really can't wait until Episode VIII!

 

[antonydelfini]

I really love this movie.

Rey, Finn, Kylo, and BB8 are gonna be iconic characters.

I hope they give Poe Dameron more to do aside from action scenes in the next ones. Oscar Isaac makes the most out of his role.

The original trilogy characters were scene stealers. It felt surreal seeing them back in character. Goosebumps galore. They really worked well with the new characters.

Great heart, humor, action.

Best-looking Star Wars movie ever. The practical effects and real sets make a lot of difference.

I liked Episode V and IV's pacing, music, and editing better.

Ep V : 9/10
Ep IV : 9/10
Ep VII: 9/10
Ep VI : 7/10
Ep III : 6.5/10
Ep I : 5.5/10
Ep II : 5/10

 

[The Shape]

Just a fantastic movie and movie-going experience all around. 9/10 from me.


I really don't even know where to begin in terms of praising it. Too much to type at once right now. The only thing keeping it from being a 10/10 in my eyes is the fact that I wish the main storyline was a little less of a "rehash" (the word everyone hates) of ANH and ESB. I think the story could have taken just a few more interesting and unpredictable turns, and I also think it was a bit lame to do the whole "destroy the Deathstar" thing again right away like this. I do believe the next film will be much different from any of the previous film, due to many of the things that were set up by TFA, and I'm looking forward to it immensely. I think that after this one, Episode VIII has the potential to be the greatest of them all.

The acting, music, action, practical effects, cinematography, costumes, sound effects, tone, homages -- all top notch in TFA.

 

[flickchick85]

Just got back and I have to say that was probably my 2nd favorite overall movie-going experience ever (Avengers being the first). The crowd I saw this with was the absolute best, and I can't count on one hand the amount of times they broke out into joyful applause throughout the film. That experience will obviously impair my ability to look at this film through an objectively critical eye, but I'll do my best. But I should preface this by saying I absolutely adored this film, and it's reignited a love for this franchise I haven't felt since I was a kid.

The Bad:
-Yes, this is almost beat for beat a New Hope "rehash" with new pieces thrown in to make the beats feel fresh. Those criticisms aren't unfounded, and in a couple instances, I even found the similarities distracting. But outside of those couple of instances, this honestly didn't bother me the way it did with, say, Star Trek Into Darkness.
-There were definitely a few moments that were too fan service-y for my tastes.
-Adam Driver's performance was good, but I guess I just have a hard time taking him seriously with that face. Sorry, I know he can't help it, but neither can I. Kylo is an interesting character I'm eager to learn more about, though.
-The cinematography was often excellent, but at times it just didn't feel...Star Wars-y enough for me I guess.

The Good:
-Rey, Finn and Poe. All excellent new characters played perfectly that I can't wait to see more of. The acting in this movie was probably uniformly the best in the series, honestly.
-The old guard. They still got it.
-The music. Loving Rey's theme and Resistance March.
-The humor was spot on in this.
-BB8!!!
-Everything else. Basically, I'm just dying to see what happens next. And it feels so great to say that about Star Wars again.

Right now, I'd rank it pretty much side-by-side with A New Hope, and just behind Empire as my favorite of the saga. And I'm now madly in love with Poe Dameron. I mean, I've loved Oscar Isaac for a while now, but this character took it to a whole other level. Anyhoo, can't wait to see it again, and bring on Episode VIII!

 

[ih8nyy]

First and foremost I was so happy to enjoy this with my 2 daughters, my brother and nephew. Made the experience even better to have it not only stretching across generations on the screen it doing so in the audience as well.

With that said. I loved the way they integrated the new with the old. Leia/Han first scene was a little forced.

Spoiler

Appreciate that they didn't drag the Han/Leia/Kylo connection out.

Thought BB-8 was FANTASTIC! Rey is a very strong character and Driver was great. Tormented, cold, calculated and unstable.

 

[Drizzle]

This was the experience everyone was dreaming about in 1999. And to think I was skeptical about this when it was announced (At least until J.J. Abrams was on board). J.J. Abrams did it. He delivered the best Star Wars film since The Empire Strikes Back.

Everything was firing on all cylinders, the new characters were incredible. Not much I disliked about the film other than it should have stopped to breathe a few more times. The end felt very rushed. Maybe that was because I didn't want it to end.

I don't know where it would rank right now, I need another viewing (tomorrow, in fact), but it definitely stands on its own against A New Hope and Empire.