Renault on 22/12/2015 at 16:41

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Some people out there get really hung up on the EU and that fact that Lucasfilm has declared it as non-canon. First, why is this a surprise? Second, who really cares? Fans should be able to enjoy novels like Zahn's trilogy or the Jedi Academy trilogy for what they are - great stores that just won't ever be part of the movies. Much ado about nothing if you ask me, and I'm a lifelong SW fan.

It's like people getting upset because something that occurred in a Thief FM conflicts with the official games, or vice versa. Even the nerdiest TheifGener wouldn't' give a crap about that.

zombe on 24/12/2015 at 11:23

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Just watched ep. 5 after this for comparison and ... i think i like the new installment even more. I always hated the bumbling bots in the 4-6 and that stuff has not aged well.

The new bot is fun ... actually, all of the new characters are interesting. Especially the angsty wannabee vader :D. While the movie did not do much new in grand-plot - it used the time well to introduce and reintroduce a bunch of likable characters. It aint perfect, but neither were the 4-6 eps.

Jason Moyer on 24/12/2015 at 23:35

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I grabbed a torrent to watch it again (I don't have a readily available theater) and I think on a second viewing my favorite scene is the Kylo/Rey interrogation. By that point in the film we've spent so much time with Rey and gotten to see how she's kind of a self-conscious prodigy, while we know that Kylo is an immature twat, and the tension of that scene is incredible. What's really great is that the final line of that scene isn't even particularly great or memorable, but it fucking WORKS because we're already so invested in the characters (and also, presumably, because of the actual direction that was being given).

henke on 25/12/2015 at 09:26

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Clicked on thread expecting to see what GBM thought of the new Star Wars movie, found but whinging about our whinging. HRHM! >:|

rachel on 25/12/2015 at 18:02

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To expand on my thoughts, I'll probably see it a second time next week but this is a solid 8/10 in my book. The most important thing I took out of the movie is that Star Wars was FUN again. Great banter, great chemistry, lots of really really fun moments not just in dialogue (Finn's bro moment with BB8) but also in reveals (the Falcon! YEAHHH).

It's not a perfect movie but it doesn't need to be, and none of the issue are structural issues that affect the whole thing, except perhaps the score, which I found underwhelming though adequate. I honestly cannot remember a single original theme of the soundtrack, it was very bland.

Thoughts

Rey is luke's daughter. I am open to whatever they're going to find, but as of now, that's pretty much where I stand. There are so many clues and bits of dialogues from both the movies and the trailers that I find it hard to believe otherwise. The other possibility that she might be Ben/Kylo Ren's sister doesn't fly because neither Han nor Leia acklowledge the existence of another child of theirs. They only talk about Ben. If they had lost two kids, I'm sure they would have mentioned it.

I loved the way Rey awakened to the Force. She does pick it up very quickly, but I think there's an untold part of her past that explains that; Regardless, most of the critics I've read compare her arc to Luke's (with reason) but this has its limits: her whole attitude regarding the Force is completely different from his. She's open to the idea of the Force, she doesn't doubt its existence, and most of all, none of the things she does in the movie happen before someone else (namely Ren) demonstrates it before in her presence. She's extremely gifted in picking up cues and working her way to understanding how the powers work, and we'll see where it leads her, but this, combined with her expertise in melee combat, explains how she could easily handle her own against an admittedly trained, but weakened and doubting, and ultimately inferior opponent. When all is said and done, this was first and foremost a battle of the mind and she won that by a mile before the actual fight even started.

It's pretty obvious when Ren straight out wants to just stop fighting and proposes to train her in the ways of the Force. He knows she's fully capable of kicking his ass.

The Starkiller planet... OK. Another easily defeatable planet-sized superweapon, I can deal with it; I wish they had spent a bit more expo time on a sitrep explaining where Republic and Empire stand and what the Rebellion and First Order represent exactly in terms of forces and territories and whatnot. Destroying five planets in one go in evil cool, but without any knowledge of who they are, it's a bit hard to feel affected.

As soon as Han stepped on that bridge you know how it's going to end. I did keep hoping maybe I was wrong, but it was after all inevitable. It's incredible that some people still think he can have survived just because Luke did in a somewhat similar situation. I disagree, first because Luke wasn't stabbed through the freaking heart with a light saber, second because the entire planet completely disintegrated after he fell down that chute, and last but not least, Leia felt his death through the Force. There's just no argument there, he's gone and he's not coming back unless they do flashbacks. Chewbacca's rampage afterwards is EPIC.

Loved the scenery of Jakku and the dogfights. Wasn't a fan of the whole freighter bit with the tentacle monsters, that's probably the weakest bit in the movie in my opinion. Loved Han's pulling his own version of the Adama maneuver on the Starkiller base, that was ballsy like only Solo could do.

As I said before, disappointed in Phasma. Sorta disappointed at first with Kylo Ren but the more I think of it, the more I come to change my mind about it. Adam Driver's done a great job and he's pretty much giving us the Anakin Skywalker we expected in the prequel trilogy: a troubled, doubting young man pulled by both sides and not knowing which way to go, but pretending to be all evil badass.

One of my favourite Kylo Ren momen is when he goes on his second tantrum and calls the guards and you see the guards turning the corner and just look at each other and go, "Nope", and leave. Brilliant.

There's probably gonna be more thoughts later... I plan to see it at least once more in the theater to try and catch up on stuff I may have missed the first time around. But the cast is great, the story's there, the passing the torch moments are well handled and it just felt like the good old Star Wars fun from the first trilogy, which was such a relief.

If there was one movie that deserved to be called A New Hope, it's Episode VII.