So how is Force Awakens?

[UtwigMU]

So how is Force Awakens? Anyoen seen it yet? Or should I just go watch Terminator 1 in retrospect cinema?

[Fat Tone]

Saw it in 2D as a family on Saturday morning. The multiplex are doing about 20 showings a day. Even at 11:30 in the morning most tiered seats were full.

It's far more like the 4,5,6 trilogy than the 1,2,3 trilogy. Back to basics, you might say. I don't want to give anything away yet, but I imagine the story line could be easily guessed, especially if you've seen a trailer.

Maybe see T2, but not T1

[Dr Mordrid]

Ezzzz gooooddddd

[SitFlyer]

Just saw it today and it it is really good.
It is comparable to the very first....in many ways....Still better though IMO...the trailers deceive a bit..lol and thank goodness

[UtwigMU]

I read some of the negative reviews and lowered my expectations before watching and it was good then. Though if they spent 5% less on FX and put that money into writing it would have been even better.

[Jammrock]

I read some of the negative reviews and lowered my expectations before watching and it was good then. Though if they spent 5% less on FX and put that money into writing it would have been even better.

Well, it's JJ Abrams doing a franchise reboot, so don't expect an original story. Haven't seen it yet, but from what I hear it's a very "safe" movie. Using the tried and true formula from A New Hope, with some twists thrown in for good measure. Enjoyable, yes. Unique, no.

[Umfriend]

Now I will go and see this movie and enjoy it and I did like Star Wars ep. IV-VI quite a bit but, really, it's not that much of a story or a movie at all, is it? I mean, take Dune for instance. Terrible movie but it inspired me to read the book and it was awesome. Had they had three movies for that story it would have been far better then SW. Which is not that hard actually. IMHO.

[Delany]

I saw it the other day with a mate. I really enjoyed it, what people are saying about it being comparable to ANH is right, and to be honest, it still works.
The only thing I found disappointing was the score. Don't get me wrong, Williams' musical score is still spot on and all the music is great and in the right spots etc, what I mean is, there is no piece that just jumps out and grabs you like when you first hear The Imperial March or Duel of the Fates, you hear those and you just know that they are something special.

All up though, well worth going to see and very enjoyable, I'll probably even go see it again whilst it's still in cinemas.

[UtwigMU]

If you want to catch up on the previous movies there is a phantom edit of the prequels:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9LEhOZZbuk

That focuses more on Anakin and cuts Episode 1 almost entirely.

[cjolley]

Saw it Christmas night. The general consensus was a solid "B". The first two hour went by amazingly quickly for me.
Some of the plot seems outlandishly improbable, Rey's flying abilities for example, but I trust Kasdan to bring it all home.
Definitely will see again.

[UtwigMU]

What I find different with this one and what has brought me out of immersion multiple times (I was sitting in 6th row with NO ONE in my row or between me and the screen) is the improbability of the speed the characters acquire skills.

If in the original story it took Luke who was a son of most talented Jedi requires two whole movies, training with Yoda and multiple battles to be confident to use a light saber, here Finn just picks it up and is natural. Also talented and predisposed Rey may be, she too was too quick to develop. Still it's better than Anie destroying a star ship before reaching puberty.

Another thing that irked me was the new "empire." They were all fascist for no reason and incompetent at that. If the previous movies bothered to explain the reason for transition from a republic to empire and empire seemed somewhat more competent, here we just have a bunch of wannabes. They just seem like we're going to act like a bunch of intergalactic trolls and make everyone hate us just because we can.

[cjolley]

Speculation is that she's an escaped youngling who's already received jedi training. Maybe hidden on that planet the way Luke was.
Or, maybe a sister. I think Ford is confirmed for the next movie, so there may be flashback scenes.

As for wanabe "empire", well there's a literal wanabe Vader. So why not?

[Umfriend]

Meh. Better than all others but still mwoah. Spoiler alert...


To bad solo died, only fun character and certainly in this one.
Also, _why/how_ does R2D2 wake up when he does?

[UtwigMU]

I to was saddened by death of SPOILER. IMO the best character in the movie.

I edited, sorry VJ.

[VJ]

NOOOO!!!! The post popped as the first on the opening page, without whitespace... and I read the spoiler...

Ah well, just a movie... I'll survive...

I'm currently rewatching all previous episodes (one more to go) and while the original trilogy holds up well, it is a bit weird to see Darth Vader in them: he seems much weaker in Episode 4 than at the end of Episode 3. He is taking orders from a general?!? 20 years after Episode 3, he should be right hand of the emperor, not taking orders. It improves a bit in Episode 5 though, but still surprising that he is doing the dirty work personally (esp. after Episode 3).