8:30pm showing tonight! Taking a full car to the posh XDX theater with power reclining seats. Sweet!
Star Wars The Force Awakens Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Anthony Martino
- Start date
Ben
Full House
I'll be sure not to open this thread for the next few days until I see it. If anybody spoils anywhere else, I WILL cut you. 
Mr Tree
Straight Flush
So stoked to take my little girl to see this tomorrow
tommythecat
Flush
links_slayer
4 of a Kind
Is this the one were Spock and Dumbledore allegedly take the ring back to Mordor?
Starting now!
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bivey
Full House
30 minutes to start. My 9 year old to my left and giant tub of popcorn. In heaven.
manamongkids
Full House
No, this is the one where they find the great yogurt and his schwartz
WOW. That is all
brianb10
Pair
Saw it last night, very awesome. Well worth a watch IMO.
I think all the dad's out there can appreciate this...the very best part for me was the big, goofy grin my daughter had for 2+ hours watching it. Every time someone or something familiar made an appearance she would smile and clasp her hands together. I probably watched her more than the movie. Easily the best part of the movie for me
For a couple hours I think she was truly happy which made it all worthwhile. Not sure how many movies these days have that sort of effect.
I think all the dad's out there can appreciate this...the very best part for me was the big, goofy grin my daughter had for 2+ hours watching it. Every time someone or something familiar made an appearance she would smile and clasp her hands together. I probably watched her more than the movie. Easily the best part of the movie for me
For a couple hours I think she was truly happy which made it all worthwhile. Not sure how many movies these days have that sort of effect.Some observations without spoilers:
- Great performances all around. That black guy was honestly hilarious at a couple points and not in a so-cheesy-it's-funny way. Just really funny.
- That escape scene from Jakku was amaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing.
- So, so, so many plot points/sets/scenes that matched almost identically with A New Hope. Not sure whether this is good/bad/neutral yet.
- The use of practical effects and costumes instead of CGI really made the difference. This actually looks like Star Wars.
I'll be seeing this in the theater at least once more before it leaves and I can't wait for Episode VIII.
- Great performances all around. That black guy was honestly hilarious at a couple points and not in a so-cheesy-it's-funny way. Just really funny.
- That escape scene from Jakku was amaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing.
- So, so, so many plot points/sets/scenes that matched almost identically with A New Hope. Not sure whether this is good/bad/neutral yet.
- The use of practical effects and costumes instead of CGI really made the difference. This actually looks like Star Wars.
I'll be seeing this in the theater at least once more before it leaves and I can't wait for Episode VIII.
Mr Tree
Straight Flush
So non spoiler question that is going to skirt up to spoilers. I am taking my nearly seven year old daughter to see this tonight but have been warned there will be some tough stuff for her in the movie. Someone told me "there's a point in this move that rips your heart out." Without revealing anything concrete will she be ok?
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I think she will be okay. There is a dramatic climax to one character's arc, but I don't think it's inappropriate for a young child. Certainly if you don't think Empire was too "dark" for her, this one will be totally fine.
brianb10
Pair
My daughter is 12 so that's not much help but FWIW I'd take her if she was 7. There was nothing inappropriate in the movie for kids. The scene you mention is not anything you can't discuss with her afterwards if she were to have questions plus she's likely seen far worse on TV or the news. Agree with @jbutler if you watched Empire with her this is fine.
palindrome
Two Pair
I think the similarities to A New Hope are great! Some of the darker scenes echoed Empire as well. Great start to the new set. I was excited to see it but I really didn't think it would affect me as much as it did.
For how long the movie was, it was paced perfectly.
I remember watching this a while back and thinking, "God, I hope he's right." If Kevin Smith doesn't grate on your nerves (I know he does grate on plenty), check out his enthusiasm having been on set of Episode VII. He was totally right that JJ Abrams captured what was special about Episodes IV-VI.
bergs
Royal Flush
Going tonight at 11:45p at one of the AMC theaters where you get to recline. If CLB passes out before then, then I'll have more room to stretch out
Meant to mention before that when I got out of the movie at 1:55 last night I ALMOST tried to get into the one starting at 2:00 to watch it again immediately. I was psyched to see a couple other things this weekend, but to be honest I just want to go back and see the Force Awakens again...
bivey
Full House
I think you're ok. My 9 yo hid a few times for intense scenes and sound effects. Speaks to the gripping narrative. He loved it and the scene to which you refer is emotional but not scary
atomiktoaster
Full House
It rubbed me the wrong way, unfortunately. Sort of felt like Abrams was poking me in the ribs and going "Hey, remember when this thing happened in Star Wars? Watch! It's happening again! Remember how awesome that was?" He did the same sort of thing with Into Darkness and Wrath of Khan... make your own moments, JJ, don't reuse all the old ones cuz they're cool. It makes it feel like a fanfic. When he does it with sets, costumes and and matching the look and feel, I loved it. Plots and scenes are a different matter (especially when the characters are the same in a lot of instances, don't they remember this stuff?). Jurassic World felt a little less clunky doing the same kind of things, for whatever reason.
I still don't have any clue what the hell the First Order is or the relationship between the republic and the resistance. Maybe that's fine to leave for the other movies though. Could have borrowed one long exposition conversation in front of a green screen from the prequels to explain some shit, maybe.
At least Abrams got rid of his lens flair fetish before doing this one. I think my expectations and anticipation were a little too high going into it, looking for the wrong kind of payoff. It was a Star Wars movie that felt like a Star Wars movie, which is an amazing thing considering Lucas failed to make one three times in a row.
The thing about JJ Abrams as a director (substantially distinguishable from JJ Abrams as a producer/writer) is that he is essentially a cipher. He can present other worlds created by other people and even mimic directorial styles almost identically. That style applied to the Star Wars world almost inevitably leads to the type of film as we have here.
As I said earlier, that's not by definition a bad thing to me, but it is what keeps this, a great movie, from being one of the best movies of the year. While I disagree that the movie needed expository conversations of the kind found in the prequels, I will say that the movie could have used the more complex world-building that George Lucas is good at. Lucas has the structural ability to put all those things in place, but is fairly incompetent at executing on the story and script once the worlds are built where Abrams, who didn't here exhibit the broad structural talent of Lucas, can execute nearly perfectly on the story and script. That, when paired with his general directorial skill, makes for a much more satisfying experience than the prequels.
And that's what I found the Force Awakens - a joyously satisfying experience. But even that feels like I'm putting it too softly. It was absolute, unmitigated fun, probably the most fun I've had at the movies this year, perhaps apart from Mad Max: Fury Road, but very close just in sheer enjoyment.
I think it would be fun on a second and third watch (or maybe third and fourth so I can just enjoy the second again without thinking too much) to try to find all the nearly exactly analogous scenes, lines, settings, edits, etc. that match between the Force Awakens and the original trilogy. There are many. And sure, that keeps it from being a transcendent film, but the ability of JJ Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan to bring the perfect spirit to the story and the movie comes from the same place that drives them to match so much from the previous films, so it's hard to look that gift horse in the mouth.
pokerplayingpisces
Full House
In line, 45 min and counting! Can't wait!
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