Posted: 18th December 2015 21:25
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Black Mage Posts: 170 Joined: 30/10/2015 Awards: |
Happy to say I'm one of these innovators or first-claimants or first-come-first-serve people that ended up watching the latest in the ever infamous Star Wars trilogy.
I'm currently in a headache from all the driving, so I'll only post this up. What do you think of the movie? And what other thoughts do you have about it? -------------------- I am Exdeath. Step aside pesky clowns, or your warranty is Void! |
Post #210116
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Posted: 18th December 2015 23:46
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I'm old and have a kid and no babysitters. So, friendly reminder for this thread: mark your spoilers or even better avoid them entirely. Fail to do so and I will reap your CoN account straight to hell, as is my God-given right as stupid evil site admin.
-------------------- "To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN? |
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Post #210117
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Posted: 19th December 2015 00:31
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Quote (Pooka @ 18th December 2015 16:25) Happy to say I'm one of these innovators or first-claimants or first-come-first-serve people that ended up watching the latest in the ever infamous Star Wars trilogy. I'm currently in a headache from all the driving, so I'll only post this up. What do you think of the movie? And what other thoughts do you have about it? I refuse to watch it. Disney has obtrusive DRM in the theater. I'll wait for it to come out on GOG.com. Moderator Edit I had a hunch someone was gonna troll this in this way. No plz. - R51 Edit Sorry, Josh.... This post has been edited by laszlow on 19th December 2015 02:51 -------------------- |
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Post #210118
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Posted: 19th December 2015 02:35
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Cactuar Posts: 263 Joined: 26/5/2015 Awards: |
Quote (laszlow @ 18th December 2015 19:31) Quote (Pooka @ 18th December 2015 16:25) Happy to say I'm one of these innovators or first-claimants or first-come-first-serve people that ended up watching the latest in the ever infamous Star Wars trilogy. I'm currently in a headache from all the driving, so I'll only post this up. What do you think of the movie? And what other thoughts do you have about it? I refuse to watch it. Disney has obtrusive DRM in the theater. I'll wait for it to come out on GOG.com. Moderator Edit I had a hunch someone was gonna troll this in this way. No plz. - R51 Hate to be that guy, but I thought it was pretty hilarious, haha. Sorry! But yes please, no spoilers or create a separate thread for discussing plot, etc... Personally, I'm pretty stoked. I didn't hate the prequels. I thought TPM was the most well shot of the three and the only one that really captured the feeling of the original trilogy. There was something about it that was very well done, but it was incredibly sloppy that being said. Plot was weak, dialogue was bad and the acting was terrible. AotC was pure garbage. RotS was actually pretty well done, but it just didn't feel like Star Wars anymore at that point. Even though it has the best lightsaber battles of all the movies combined. But it had too much going on most of the time. One thing I think most people fail to realise about the Prequels is that it shows just how corrupt the Jedi were. That Anakin did, in fact, bring Balance to the Force, as the force was overwhelmingly light/Jedi at that point. He brought balance by destroying force sensitives and Jedis (I have seen a security hologram of him...killing younglings...). Mace Windu basically falls to the dark side himself when he tries to kill Palpatine, and almost single-handedly pushed Anakin fully dark. As for TFA, I hate, hate, hate, that name. I hate, hate, hate, that the EU is non-canon now. I hate, hate, hate, the aesthetic style of the Gisney marketing and I hate, hate, hate the idea of Gisney having final say in all future Star Wars endeavors. But I will see it and I will like it. -------------------- |
Post #210119
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Posted: 19th December 2015 02:37
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Cactuar Posts: 263 Joined: 26/5/2015 Awards: |
Quote (Dynamic Threads @ 18th December 2015 21:35) (I have seen a security hologram of him...killing younglings...) Had to quote this. -------------------- |
Post #210120
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Posted: 19th December 2015 05:40
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Black Mage Posts: 170 Joined: 30/10/2015 Awards: |
Quote (Dynamic Threads @ 19th December 2015 04:37) Quote (Dynamic Threads @ 18th December 2015 21:35) (I have seen a security hologram of him...killing younglings...) Had to quote this. To the very very very first quote above, well I'm paying a one-time view price for a one-time view, so its fair-game. Comically missing the point huh? But yeah, that one scene was gruesome. Basically, I don't hate the prequels or anything. They were good stuff, especially the third, but at this point episode VII came and I've to say its the best since The Empire Strikes Back, which is the peak of the series. The Jedi had to be corrupt by not allowing marriage or love, riiiiiight? Wait! Are you implying that having a balance in the force means destroying all Jedi and having an overflow of Sith? Is that true? Anyways, yeah, The Force Awakens isn't exactly a good name for a title, but its pretty much my only criticism of episode VII. Other than that its pure Star Wars, and its VERY GOOD at that. -------------------- I am Exdeath. Step aside pesky clowns, or your warranty is Void! |
Post #210121
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Posted: 19th December 2015 22:58
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Cactuar Posts: 263 Joined: 26/5/2015 Awards: |
Quote (Pooka @ 19th December 2015 00:40) Quote (Dynamic Threads @ 19th December 2015 04:37) Quote (Dynamic Threads @ 18th December 2015 21:35) (I have seen a security hologram of him...killing younglings...) Had to quote this. To the very very very first quote above, well I'm paying a one-time view price for a one-time view, so its fair-game. Comically missing the point huh? But yeah, that one scene was gruesome. Basically, I don't hate the prequels or anything. They were good stuff, especially the third, but at this point episode VII came and I've to say its the best since The Empire Strikes Back, which is the peak of the series. The Jedi had to be corrupt by not allowing marriage or love, riiiiiight? Wait! Are you implying that having a balance in the force means destroying all Jedi and having an overflow of Sith? Is that true? Anyways, yeah, The Force Awakens isn't exactly a good name for a title, but its pretty much my only criticism of episode VII. Other than that its pure Star Wars, and its VERY GOOD at that. No. Not allowing marriage or love wasn't or isn't a great example of their corruption, though that is a part of it. More like their Fascist tendencies, their struggle for control of the Senate, corruption of youth/separation of "force sensitives" from parents at a young age (causing an early trauma), complete authority to do whatever the Efck they want, willingness to go into war/absolute refusal to go to war based on their interests and their interestst alone. I'm not just talking about the Prequel films. Even if the EU isn't Canon anymore, there are still some wonderful stories to be had in both video games and novels. KOTOR for example, and especially it's sequel make you question even the kindest acts, or the pure acts or "good" or "light" actions. Think what you will, but the Jedi are more corrupt than the Sith and their tendencies border on Fascism. Sith, on the other hand are the complete opposite. They allow freedom of love, speech and emotion. They allow leaders to be challenged as absolute rulers. They come in twos. I'm not saying they aren't corrupt, but they aren't hiding their corruption, nor sugar-coating their recklessness. Two characters from the KOTOR series stand out particularly. Jolee Bindo and Kreia. Both former Jedi/Sith who walk as "neutral" a path as a force wielder can. Both offer opinions on the Light and Dark side, saying neither absolute is right or wrong and that the best path to being a responsible user of the Force is to walk both sides cautiously and find a happy medium. Of course, one is actually Light while the other Dark and their influence can be seen as manipulation but in the end, that manipulation is no different from the Jedi. I think what most people fail to understand is that there are Force sensitives who aren't Jedi or Sith. Who aren't Light or Dark. Force users who don't wield lightsabers. In fact, there were both Jedi and Sith BEFORE the lightsaber was invented. The Star Wars universe operates around a very basic principle: Once a race has achieved the ability to travel at light speed, technology hits a plateau and all further technologies are derived from a basic template. There IS a limit to "natural" power that only the Force itself can break. Both the Jedi and the Sith manipulate the Force and use it as a tool to gain power. They are yin and yang. One cannot exist without the other. And if we are following George Lucas's canon, there is no grey, only Light or Dark. Even a so-called "grey" Jedi simply walk a line between Light and Dark, their actions driven by the influence of the two conflicting sides of the Force. They will make either a Light choice or a Dark choice and it is their balance of the two that makes them "Grey". As far as I know, there are only a few characters in the entire EU that are unaffected by the force. The most well-known of these characters is the Jedi Exile, or player character from Knights of the Old Republic II. In that game, it is mentioned that under rare circumstance, the Jedi forcefully REMOVE the Force from certain criminals, Sith or fallen Jedi. That it takes a group of Jedi Masters to strip someone of the Force and there really aren't (if I remember correctly) any examples of this actually being done, just folklore. The Jedi Exile however, is a special example. After the Mandalorian war, where thousands of Jedi went to war against the Jedi Council's will (they chose to remain "Neutral" while the Mandalorians systematically wiped out entire civilizations, planet by planet) and many of them subsequently fell to the Dark side. All were charged with war-crimes by the Jedi Council, and called back to face their charges. The only Jedi to return and face the Jedi Council, was the Exile. The Jedi Council was flabbergasted that anyone dare face their charges and were torn on what to do. In a final defiant act, the Exile calls the Jedi Council out on their facade, walks to a ceremonial stone, and penetrates it with her Lightsaber, releasing it only after it is locked in the stone. Then, she very literally and willingly gives up the Force. She rejects it and creates a hole, or tear in the Force that starts to kill the Force itself. This act also made her completely invisible to other Force users. Its really hard to explain, but the Exile is probably the one and only actual "Neutral" character in the entire EU or otherwise. A character completely devoid of the Force itself, which threatens to kill the Force. It is an incredible story. But I'm not here to convince you. You must see the corruption for yourself through the words and actions of those who are corrupt. This post has been edited by Dynamic Threads on 19th December 2015 23:28 -------------------- |
Post #210126
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Posted: 20th December 2015 05:37
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Black Mage Posts: 170 Joined: 30/10/2015 Awards: |
Hmm, I see. One really needs to look at the prequels again, but it seems I already remember the early trauma from the separation of force-sensitives part, mainly Anakin.
I wonder what would happen if Anakin wasn't separated from his mother because he was a force-sensitive. In the end though, the way you put it reminds me of a quote from Squall. There is no good or bad side, just that both of them have agendas, or something. The Jedi and the Sith. -------------------- I am Exdeath. Step aside pesky clowns, or your warranty is Void! |
Post #210127
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Posted: 20th December 2015 14:56
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Cactuar Posts: 263 Joined: 26/5/2015 Awards: |
Quote (Pooka @ 20th December 2015 00:37) Hmm, I see. One really needs to look at the prequels again, but it seems I already remember the early trauma from the separation of force-sensitives part, mainly Anakin. I wonder what would happen if Anakin wasn't separated from his mother because he was a force-sensitive. In the end though, the way you put it reminds me of a quote from Squall. There is no good or bad side, just that both of them have agendas, or something. The Jedi and the Sith. The Squall quote is right on. Although there are certain things that are blatantly horrid, most of the time it is but contrasting beliefs. I do think if Anakin was never separated from his mother, he may have turned out different. He was old for a Padawan, maybe 10 or so when Qui Gon and Obi Wan found him? Usually the child is much, much younger and able to forget their memories of family. But at 10 you've had a good 5 years of solid memory development and to then completely separate the child from mother would create an immense trauma. I always had a problem with the end of Episode 1 and the start of Episode 2. Unlike the orginal trilogy which jumped maybe a year or two between films, from Ep.1 to Ep,2 there was about an 8 or 10 year jump and it left the trilogy an instant mess. Because like I said, The Phantom Menace really wasn't all that bad. -------------------- |
Post #210129
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Posted: 20th December 2015 16:37
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Post #210130
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Posted: 20th December 2015 17:29
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Black Mage Posts: 170 Joined: 30/10/2015 Awards: |
Quote (Narratorway @ 20th December 2015 18:37) Episode VII? Ya mean it wasn't a remake of A New Hope? Could'a fooled me! I very very very very very much mean Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Whether or not its a remake of IV is of no concern to me. The movie was so good I'd be hard pressed to find anything to criticize it for. Why are you guys making a huge problem outta this non-problem? Quote I do think if Anakin was never separated from his mother, he may have turned out different. He was old for a Padawan, maybe 10 or so when Qui Gon and Obi Wan found him? Usually the child is much, much younger and able to forget their memories of family. But at 10 you've had a good 5 years of solid memory development and to then completely separate the child from mother would create an immense trauma. Perhaps it was only the beginning of his way to the Dark Side, that is being separated by his only family? Indeed. The loss of his mother made him fuss over the potential lose of his wife, which already brought him to the dark side... hmm.. Quote I always had a problem with the end of Episode 1 and the start of Episode 2. Unlike the orginal trilogy which jumped maybe a year or two between films, from Ep.1 to Ep,2 there was about an 8 or 10 year jump and it left the trilogy an instant mess. Because like I said, The Phantom Menace really wasn't all that bad. We'll see how that plays out in the next episode, which will be coming in.... 20 what again? But yeah, solving that problem would be nice. And on the Phantom Menace, do you believe in the theory that Jar Jar Binks might as well be a villain in disguise? This post has been edited by Pooka on 20th December 2015 18:32 -------------------- I am Exdeath. Step aside pesky clowns, or your warranty is Void! |
Post #210131
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Posted: 20th December 2015 18:32
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Post #210132
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Posted: 20th December 2015 18:45
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Black Mage Posts: 170 Joined: 30/10/2015 Awards: |
Quote (Narratorway @ 20th December 2015 20:32) Huge problem? It was one post dude... Being in one post doesn't mean its not a huge problem So yeah, just talk me outta it with all your might. No, your Yoda memes can't save you (they don't even have Yoda's way of speaking!) -------------------- I am Exdeath. Step aside pesky clowns, or your warranty is Void! |
Post #210133
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Posted: 21st December 2015 04:49
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Cactuar Posts: 263 Joined: 26/5/2015 Awards: |
Literally just got back from TFA.
What a pile of shit. Seriously. -------------------- |
Post #210136
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Posted: 21st December 2015 05:18
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Black Mage Posts: 170 Joined: 30/10/2015 Awards: |
Quote (Dynamic Threads @ 21st December 2015 06:49) Literally just got back from TFA. What a pile of shit. Seriously. So, what's the problem? Possible spoilers: highlight to view in spoiler tags of course -------------------- I am Exdeath. Step aside pesky clowns, or your warranty is Void! |
Post #210137
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Posted: 21st December 2015 05:41
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Cactuar Posts: 263 Joined: 26/5/2015 Awards: |
Quote (Pooka @ 21st December 2015 00:18) Quote (Dynamic Threads @ 21st December 2015 06:49) Literally just got back from TFA. What a pile of shit. Seriously. So, what's the problem? Possible spoilers: highlight to view in spoiler tags of course It was a pile of shit. Plain and simple. Everything people bitched about the Prequels applies to this. And it wasn't better than ANY of the prequels. In all honesty, this was the worst Star Wars yet. Don't get me wrong, it being Star Wars makes it awesome. But this as a Star Wars movie completely lacked the feeling of Star Wars. I'm actually very pissed off. It. Fucking. Sucked. -------------------- |
Post #210138
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Posted: 21st December 2015 06:00
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Black Mage Posts: 170 Joined: 30/10/2015 Awards: |
What is this 'feeling' of Star Wars precisely? Its very much Star Wars.
-------------------- I am Exdeath. Step aside pesky clowns, or your warranty is Void! |
Post #210139
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Posted: 21st December 2015 19:38
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It was easily better than all three of the prequels.
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Post #210142
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Posted: 28th December 2015 22:38
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Quote (Cefca @ 21st December 2015 12:38) It was easily better than all three of the prequels. Truly, the highest of bars to set. Now, since I never did give a proper sum up of the movie: TFA is a shallow corporate product more than it is a film, but it is a well crafted and entirely enjoyable corporate product, so I have no prob giving it both a thumbs up recommendation to go watch and good smug reaming. -------------------- |
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Post #210173
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Posted: 29th December 2015 05:12
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Black Mage Posts: 198 Joined: 17/2/2015 Awards: |
I know that it didn't have Boba Fett in it.
It didn't have Boba Fett in it. He's still alive by that point in time, and if I remember any of the (possibly no longer canon) books I'd read years ago, he was important as hell. -------------------- "I'll be judge, I'll be jury," said cunning old Fury: "I'll try the whole cause, and condemn you to death. |
Post #210174
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Posted: 29th December 2015 21:21
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Cactuar Posts: 263 Joined: 26/5/2015 Awards: |
Quote (Ker @ 29th December 2015 00:12) I know that it didn't have Boba Fett in it. It didn't have Boba Fett in it. He's still alive by that point in time, and if I remember any of the (possibly no longer canon) books I'd read years ago, he was important as hell. Gisney confirmed Boba Fett is alive in their new-canon. You can't kill Boba Fett. Plus. Money. Or something. -------------------- |
Post #210183
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Posted: 29th December 2015 21:39
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Well, now that I've seen it, I really see no reason why there's so much profanity in certain posts about it. I can get why people would not like parts of it, but I don't think they all together add up to that kind of hatred. Of course, I'm too lazy to enforce the rules at the moment, so whatever.
Quote (Ker) It didn't have Boba Fett in it. Yeah, but there are two more movies, and I'm pretty sure all the important stuff you mention around him is in the non-canon (now) EU. Just go watch Clone Wars and get annoyed with young Boba like everyone else. I managed to go see it last Saturday night with my brothers-in-law, as we talked the ladies into a night at the wine bar. I had some problems with it, as I'll detail as best I can remember, but I can't really do much but disagree with Dynamic Threads - note, I'm not going to debate him on it, since he clearly hated it so much that it would just be brick walls. Just saying that my experience was pretty opposite of his. I will also note that if you were to search the annals of the forums or chat or both, you'd probably find that I'm hard to upset in terms of my entertainment, so you might think I'm giving it too much of a pass. Such is life! So, here are the issues I had with it. Possible spoilers: highlight to view BB-8 is too fanservice. I thought he was great, but he was definitely a little over the top. Too much making him do the cute thing in every situation, and too much magic around him with pulling Artoo into the plot. Possible spoilers: highlight to view No real drama around Poe's disappearance. It happened too early for anyone who hadn't been following the news around the movie to care about it, and anyone who had been following the news knew he was a huge deal already. Possible spoilers: highlight to view Way too much pace in getting Rey from scavenging orphan to force-sensitive to "I can do mind tricks!" Possible spoilers: highlight to view Stop giving Harrison Ford his wishes. He is required by law to be Han and Indy until he keels over on the set. Possible spoilers: highlight to view Yeah... that's a lot like A New Hope, isn't it. That might seem like a lot, but on balance, I really liked it. I had middling expectations due to the prequels, but I see no way in which it fails to surpass all three of them. I can't judge it against the originals. It's apples and oranges to me. However, I can say exactly what I told my brothers as we left - this is the exact Star Wars that Episode IV would have been if it had been made in 2015. If it's not good to you, I posit that it is a product of the time and less that of the movie itself. Here's some stuff I particularly liked. Possible spoilers: highlight to view Even if you can make the argument that Rey is Mary Sue, so be it. Aside from her development's pace as mentioned above, she's a quality heroine from the jump. She's not dissimilar from Ahsoka in that way, and that's a good thing. Someone has already guessed how she ended up on Jakku. The info is out there. But nobody is going to have any clue they're right for a couple years, and that is fantastic. It was IMPOSSIBLE for the prequels to do that. Finn fills that Han Solo hole left by a big red lightsaber. I think some people are annoyed that Poe doesn't get to do more of that, but Poe IMO isn't meant for that life. He's cocky and all but he's a loyal soldier first. Finn has the capacity to be more of a wildcard. Kylo Ren is a villain that hasn't been done much in the visual universe of Star Wars. It's easy to mock him for being emo, and that Twitter account is hilarious, but I like him. He's utterly unhinged by his place in life and in the force, and frankly, there's really no telling where he's going to end up. That's a fair sight more interesting to me than Vader (once you get to RotJ), or Dooku, or Grievous, or Palpatine. Even Maul is a clockwork Sith. And I think Adam Driver was great casting. He's so creepy on his own that in this context, it's just piled on. -------------------- "To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN? |
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Post #210184
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Posted: 30th December 2015 02:18
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Quote (Rangers51 @ 29th December 2015 14:39) I can't judge it against the originals. It's apples and oranges to me. However, I can say exactly what I told my brothers as we left - this is the exact Star Wars that Episode IV would have been if it had been made in 2015. See, this is something I absolutely have to disagree with. A New Hope was revolutionary sure, but it was also renegade. Movies didn't look like or get filmed like Star Wars did back when it came out. This movie? This movie is 100 pre-cent Modern Hollywood Blockbuster and it feels it in every generic action tropey frame. This movie feels like it could swap its story out into the Mad Max universe and nothing would be really lost. I can't say that about A New Hope. -------------------- |
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Post #210185
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Posted: 30th December 2015 02:35
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I don't think that actually disagrees with what I'm saying at all, NP. ANH was what it was back then, but if this were a brand-new series in 2015 without the history or expectations, I think you could expect it to look like TFA.
-------------------- "To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN? |
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Post #210187
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Posted: 30th December 2015 04:28
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Black Mage Posts: 170 Joined: 30/10/2015 Awards: |
I certainly don't know why all of this hate got generated. The movie's good, and I simply can't find a small hole that'd let me hate it all day.
-------------------- I am Exdeath. Step aside pesky clowns, or your warranty is Void! |
Post #210188
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Posted: 30th December 2015 13:36
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I think my take on the whole thing is pretty similar to Rangers. It seems pretty clear both Pooka and DT are looking at it through rose-tinted and, well, brown-tinted specs respectively. Fair play to them if they're happy with that.
The film was good; I enjoyed it. It didn't feel like the original trilogy, but then I don't think anything can in the modern world of Hollywood. It was unequivocally better than the prequels. I loved Poe; and whilst I agree with the pacing issues Possible spoilers: highlight to view I think each of the new characters work well. Kylo is getting a lot of stick, but I think his arc and actions (success and/or lack thereof) gel really well to give a villain with actual depth.Rey going from knowing nothing to out-forcing Kylo? Admittedly justifiable in context if you try hard enough, but it still left me in some disbelief) My take on the big spoiler would be: Possible spoilers: highlight to view Han was always going to die - Harrison Ford is a grumpy bastard who clearly doesn't want to make films any more. For my money, killing off the original characters is a necessary move anyway - for character motivation, to allow the new characters to escape from their shadows, and to avoid practical issues with the actors. I thought there was a chance Leia would buy the farm too - and I'm sure she still will sooner or later. The problem was how Han died. I see what they were working towards, and it was a neat idea (if painfully easy to predict) - but I think the execution was a little...limp. It could have done with more gravitas, more build-up. Also, Rangers, with regard to your Poe gripe: Possible spoilers: highlight to view It's apparently been revealed by Abrams that Poe was meant to die and stay dead. They brought him back as a last minute thing - I think that explains his long unexplained absence and rather shoehorned-but-not-really-discussed return pretty well. HOpefully he gets a bigger, more developed role in the coming films -------------------- We apologise for the inconvenience |
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Post #210189
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Posted: 30th December 2015 22:41
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Cactuar Posts: 263 Joined: 26/5/2015 Awards: |
Quote (Narratorway @ 29th December 2015 21:18) Quote (Rangers51 @ 29th December 2015 14:39) I can't judge it against the originals. It's apples and oranges to me. However, I can say exactly what I told my brothers as we left - this is the exact Star Wars that Episode IV would have been if it had been made in 2015. See, this is something I absolutely have to disagree with. A New Hope was revolutionary sure, but it was also renegade. Movies didn't look like or get filmed like Star Wars did back when it came out. This movie? This movie is 100 pre-cent Modern Hollywood Blockbuster and it feels it in every generic action tropey frame. This movie feels like it could swap its story out into the Mad Max universe and nothing would be really lost. I can't say that about A New Hope. Gotta say, this. Hate is a strong word, I didn't hate this movie. But it was a pile of crap. On Stiltzkin's first spoiler tag: Possible spoilers: highlight to view This was a problem that personified the entire movie. The whole thing felt forced, thrown together and it was terribly sloppy as a script. Rey all of a sudden knows the Jedi Mind trick and practices it 3 times on James Bond dressed as a Storm Trooper, then kicks a dude's ass with a lightsaber she refused to hold but can now out-force-pull said dude's force pull of that same lightsaber. It doesn't matter how trained or not trained in the Force you are or Wookie-Bowcaster wound punched you are and over-confident because of Dark Side you are and it doesn't matter how force sensitive and brave and possibly trained as a child in the ways of the force but mind wiped you are, Kylo Ren absolutely kills both Rey and Fin handily. Literally no other Jedi or character who has less training, let alone just picked up a lightsaber for the first time, in any of the movies doesn't lose the battle they are clearly out-matched in. At the very least not face-wounding an antagonist so he has a scar to make him more sinister in the next couple of movies. Also, Kylo Ren looked like a Gisney prince ready to burst into song at any moment. And the whole thing was a predictable and not very engaging remake of Star Wars. And this produced by the same guy who did such a fantastic job with his first Star Trek remake, in my opinion. And again, I don't hate the film itself. I really liked Rey, Fin and Poe. Especially Poe. But BB-8 was way over-the-top. This film's Ewok or Jar Jar Binks. No joke. But this is coming from a guy who likes both the Ewoks and Jar Jar Binks. It doesn't matter which way you spin it, the creation of and inclusion of the BB-8 character was the same exact marketing idea as the Ewoks or Jar Jar Binks. I even watched The Phantom Menace again since seeing The Force Awakens and it isn't even close, the Phantom Menace is beyond better. Way cooler Darth Maul, however "underused", way more likely, simple and coherent story (Power struggle in Senate, trade Embargo and war). Okay the midichlorians scene is absurd but it doesn't ruin anything except the sense of wonder that surrounded the Force and it hardly does that. But the Pod Racing scene is a delight, with outstanding choreography and pace and more engaging than anything in The Force Awakens. The lightsaber battles are great, with good choreography. And the CGI has held up incredibly well since 1999. The story climaxes and concludes in a coherent manner and the acting isn't nearly as bad as everyone claims. There are just as much practical effects in The Phantom Menace, with great costume design and set design. Literally everything about it from a cinematography, editing, direction and script standpoint as a film, The Force Awakens is easily the weakest of the 7 Star Wars films. I'm glad some people really enjoyed it. I think Star Wars is awesome so obviously I got a hard on seeing lightsabers and Tie Fighters and stuff. But the entire thing was so amateur, coming from an experienced filmmaker who has made some very great Sci-Fi films. Inexcusable. It looked cheap. Cheap set design, cheap costume design, cheap CGI. I even looked up the budget and was surprised to see a budget of $200 Million USD. That seems a bit low, doesn't it? In the late 1990's when George Lucas started shooting the new Trilogy, the budgets for each film averaged around $120 million. So between 15 and 16 years ago, plus inflation, plus estimated $1 Billion Box Office that was almost guaranteed and only a $200 Million dollar budget for TFA? It really lacked love. Say what you want about the Prequel Trilogy but there was love put into it. Its like a good Chef. His food will just suck if he doesn't cook with love. And J.J. Abrams in his current forme is a Scientology supporting, abusive past-his-prime director who makes Hollywood fodder for a nation trapped in the swell of Modern Escapism. Only this time we didn't get no Wizard of Oz (figuratively). Well, not a good one anyway (Literally). -------------------- |
Post #210190
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Posted: 30th December 2015 23:54
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When it comes to something as technologically intensive as movie making, I'll take proficiency over "love" any day of the week. I mean, yeah having both are preferable, but George's 'loving' prequels were boring, convoluted messes that looked just the gawdawfulest.
This movie was shot better, paced better, acted better, edited better and structured better than any of the prequels and TPM most of all. This doesn't make it any less slick and shallow AF, but sentiment is not enough to catapult the prequels into anything better than limp bores. -------------------- |
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Post #210191
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Posted: 9th January 2016 23:36
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Black Waltz Posts: 953 Joined: 23/2/2005 Awards: |
I honestly do not enjoy most of star wars. I like the three originals and the shadows of the empire story in all its forms.
But I saw TFA last monday and I thought it was awesome. I can't find anything that l didn't like in the film. I was surprised at how good it was. Going in I thought "may not be good, but there is no way it can be worse than the last three films." And I was totally blown away by how much I enjoyed it. Loved the new heroes and villains, was overjoyed that the original cast got to shine (for the most part) and it kept me wanting more. This is a film I'll be seeing many more times. 10/10 would recommend. -------------------- "You know that feeling you get when you're on a merry go 'round, and you want to jump off to make the spinning stop, but you know it'll suck when you land? I feel like that all the time"- Keno "I stab my girl until I fall down" -Yukari Do you like Horny Bunnies? |
Post #210241
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Posted: 10th January 2016 03:30
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Unrelated, brutal spoilers and conjecture.
Possible spoilers: highlight to view http://i.imgur.com/u7HcWOx.jpg -------------------- "To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN? |
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Post #210242
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