*** Official Star Wars Ep. VII: The Force Awakens Review Thread (1 Viewer)

[Robert Crawford]

As a reminder, please use spoiler tags when discussing plot points in this review thread.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

Reviewing the film spoiler-free will be a bit of a challenge, but here's to it!


So I stewed on it the film a bit. My overall impression is quite positive, and I'm very happy Star Wars is back. Earlier this week, I said I expected a nostalgic rehash and that is basically what we got...ANH:Redux. However, there were enough new elements and storytelling choices to make me excited about this film, and more importantly, the films that follow. The new actors carry the weight, and they do so capably and with grace. They are a welcome addition. There is a good deal of humor in the early phases, and I really enjoyed that (especially the initial Poe line to Kylo).


The narrative elements are mostly pretty derivative (mostly of ANH; there are a few callbacks to ESB as well), but the direction is energetic and creative. I may not love JJ as a storyteller, but he is a talented director. I tend to dislike fan servicing, but to the filmmakers' credit, the frequent fan service in this film was incorporated well and was periodically charming. Getting the characters right makes it a lot more tolerable.


There was a tactile feel to the sets and in-universe technology, and the designs were pretty great. I actually quite liked Kylo's ship, which reminded me of a bat more than once. His lightsaber, of which I was critical initially, looked pretty good. I loved the jagged energy vibe, if not the crosshandle. Speaking of which, I thought Driver did a very good job. I wasn't expecting that.


There was still the patented lull in the middle of the film. The final battle is familiar, but the elements with the new characters during it were quite good. Some characters are clearly placeholders for later, including Phasma (who I have some thoughts on) and Hux.


In short, this is a good film, a good Star Wars films, and a very good start to the ST (sequel trilogy).

 

[Mike Frezon]

As a reminder, please use spoiler tags when discussing plot points in this review thread.

And since spoilers aren't the most user-friendly device on the forum, here's how to use 'em.


Click on the third icon from the left (in the upper left corner of the editor). This will provide a pop-up box called Special BB Code. From the drop-down menu, select SPOILER. This will, in turn, present a text box in which you can enter the text you want to hide.


Basically, that is the automatic way of placing old-school [ spoiler ] and [/spoiler ] tags (without the spaces) before and after the text.

 

[Carabimero]

I've seen it three times and except for the spoiler comment I made in the discussion thread, I really don't know how they could have made a better movie under the circumstances, given the crazy expectations. I'm already counting the days until the Blu-ray releases.


I wish Larry Kasden could be a co-writer on episodes VIII and IX. You rarely hear his name mentioned, but for my money, he's the reason we have another Star Wars episode to be cherished, an episode right behind A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back.


In my opinion, the movie is good because of Larry Kasden and the masterful influence he had on the screenplay.

 

[Sam Favate]

I saw it today, and thought it was actually very good. I have been worried about the movie, given the synopsis and spoilers I've read (most of which were true). But the performances, the photography and, especially, the tone of the movie won me over. The tone fits in so well with A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Revenge of the Sith that it's like the other films come from some other series. That said, TFA has one particularly dark scene (and those who have seen it know what it is) that doesn't fit the tone of the movie, which is pretty dark, but not that dark.


Daisy Ridley is outstanding. The movie puts a lot on her shoulders and never in the film did I think she wasn't up to it.


Now, the story. Well, here we have some problems. Abrams is from the school of screenwriting that says you don't have to explain everything, but there is far too much missing here for it to be satisfactory. Teasing the audience is one thing, but having so many gaps creates stuff that will never be explained. We needed more substance, particularly in reference to the characters.


But it's a great film, one that will ensure that Star Wars movies are made for a long time to come.

 

[Bryan^H]

I sure as hell didn't like this film.


What a dark, and miserable entry into the Star Wars universe. Uninteresting villains, and for the most part the heroes as well(I liked Finn,and Poe) but I could do without the return of Han Solo, Leia, and Chewbacca. The character of Han Solo especially felt clunky, and poorly written for this film. Kylo Ren was not threatening at all. The main villain was portrayed as a schizophrenic, mentally ill soul that needs meds rather than a formidable enemy leader fighting the Resistance. I hated the look of all the pink, and orange CGI aliens (more Harry Potter than Star Wars)


John William's score was for the most part forgettable except for my favorite part of the film the introduction of Ray scavenging on Jakku. That scene was great, and the music was fantastic. But eight minutes don't acount for an entire movie dredged in grim tedium. Overall The Force Awakens felt like glorified fan fiction run amok, and I will never revisit it, or hold it as canon for that matter. I'm very disappointed, and I'll be Dammned-I really wish George Lucas would have continued with his vision. I'm sure I would have liked his film better.

Grade-D

 

[Dave H]

I just got back from seeing it and really liked it. It was a great way to bring Star Wars back.


I do agree the score was a little bit disappointing and the weakest of the seven movies although it had its moments at the same time.

 

[Mark Booth]

Other than some minor quibbles, which I can't go into detail about without spoiling parts of the film, 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' was absolutely fantastic! Just go see it!

The Booth Bijou gives it 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Mark

 

[Reed Grele]

Saw it yesterday afternoon with a group of my friends at a good theater, on a huge screen, excellent 7.1 sound system, and 3D. Really enjoyed it!


Glad John Williams was back for the score, but only liked the legacy characters themes. Nothing too memorable about the rest. Missed the 20th Century Fox fanfare at the beginning, but I had prepared for that long ago.


Lots of unanswered questions, so can't wait for the next installment.

 

[steve jaros]

I enjoyed this film much more than the second trilogy. It had the look and feel of the original trilogy and it was awesome seeing Solo and Leia back on the screen. At the same time, the new young characters had appeal as well, something for everyone.


No, it's not as good as its astounding box office numbers, but it is well above average, IMHO. Probably will see it again, in 3D.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Any posts that are not an actual review or have a review linked to it will be deleted from this review thread. So please, save yourself some time and make such comments in this discussion thread. Thank you.

 

[Brian Kidd]

I first saw Star Wars as a five-year-old in 1977, so it's important to understand that my perspective is that of someone for whom the original Star Wars films permeated his formative years. I lived, ate, and breathed Star Wars as a young person. With that in mind, I think The Force Awakens earns a solid B. It's a film that I adored while watching it but that immediately begins to show cracks in its veneer upon reflection. I loved the new characters and the return to genuine humor as opposed to "stepping in poo-doo." I do wish that Disney (This is definitely a film-by-committee.) had been willing to trust the creative people they hired to tell a completely new story as opposed to hiding behind the safety of replicating scenes and events from the original trilogy. With that said, I truly fell for the new cast and characters, especially John Boyega and Daisy Ridley, and really look forward to seeing where the next two films take them. In Adam Driver's Kylo Ren, Star Wars finally has a villain who is played in shades of gray, rather than as a symbol of pure evil. I was moved to both tears and laughter several times while in the theater.


Make no mistake, the film is a crowd-pleaser and 100% better than any of the Prequel films; it simply has some glaring flaws that, while they don't come close to ruining the film, can't just be ignored. It's a good and, at times, even great start to a new series. Star Wars is in good hands. Now, Disney just needs to trust those hands instead of playing it safe.

 

[Carlo_M]

I was planning to wait until week 2 or 3, but friends began warning me how secrets were being leaked, so rather than impose an internet ban on myself, I checked online and was surprised that I could easily score a 3D showing yesterday at 4:30pm. Nearly ideal seats: dead center, 1/3 of the theater away from the screen. God bless reserved seating, I didn't even have to show up early.


Disclaimer: this will be a superficial review as I won't really have more in-depth to say until I'm able to view it again and digest some of the plot points I may have missed.


It's not a perfect film. But as others have said, it feels like Star Wars. In every way the Prequels did not. Humor. Warmth. Characters you care about. Old friends. New and promising stars to carry the franchise into the future.


Yes it's self-referential. But in many ways, I feel it had to be. Had the Prequels been what Star Wars fans wanted, this film could have taken more risks, distanced itself from the OT. But the PT has been divisive, to put it kindly. And this film was tasked with not just getting new fans on board, but bringing old ones back. And I thought Abrams and Kasdan handled that as well as they could. This truly felt like a "handoff" film in the best sense of the word.


With regards to "the big secret"

Spoiler

Being a SW fan since my youth in the 80s, I knew all about Ford's desire to die in Jedi, well in advance of the recent interviews. I heard it back in the 80s/early 90s. He wanted to give the character a fitting end, and he didn't get the girl...which then led to Lucas giving him the girl by making Leia Luke's sister (which she originally wasn't planned to be). Which resulted in retroactively making two awkward kissing scenes in SW and ESB, ruining the romantic tension of what started out as a classic movie love triangle dilemma of "who will the princess choose, the straight laced hero or the dashing swashbuckler?"...but I digress.


Ever since this movie was greenlit, and I heard the original cast were going to be included, I knew Solo would die. I just didn't know how. I had been steeling myself for it for years now. And I wasn't let down. The way he died, at the hands of his own son, whom he knew deep down was capable of going either way, was perfect. Here we have this selfish smuggler who has excelled at saving his own skin, finally recognizing there is something he cares about more than himself. His son. He even left Leia and the Rebellion Resistance to go back to smuggling and swindling. But at the end, he chose to reach out to his son, to try and save him, and failed. And even with his last dying act, he caresses his son's cheek in love and forgiveness. Perfect.

Rey and Ren do make for a most compelling duo. I think Finn's arc is just getting started, and I can't wait to see more of him in the future. Poe is mostly screen dressing, I wonder if future writer/director will expand or contract his character. Snoke...well I'll need to see more before making a decision, remember that we didn't see much of the Emperor in ESB either. People complain about Phasma not being fleshed out, neither was Boba Fett or Jabba early on in the original trilogy. Remember we aren't in this for one movie, but several.


Major kudos to Kasdan and Abrams for re-mystifying the Force. No mitochondrian counts here! And also for not taking shortcuts and actually using (and subtitling) alien languages as opposed to taking the lazy way out and giving them racially stereotyped foreign accents speaking broken English. Alien languages were prevalent in the OT and touches like that give movies that otherworldly feel.


My initial score is a solid 8.5 out of 10 ranking. Not as good as ESB (10), but better than RoTJ (7). And while it can never have the initial influential impact of the original Star Wars, it's execution is about as good in terms of acting and directing (but with obviously much better effects, as is to be expected).


The happiest moment for me though is realizing that the franchise is in the hands of people who care. And that I can officially ignore the PT forever. For me, Star Wars is now officially 4, 5, 6 and 7+. I have no reason to believe that Rian Johnson will let me down. I loved Looper and look forward to seeing what his writing and directing skills will bring to the Star Wars universe.


Come on Disney, bring out the OOT on HD/UHD and make this Star Wars fan's journey [to the light side] complete.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Saw this film a few days early at a NYC screening. Was not allowed to talk about it online.


It was a last-minute invite, so I had already purchased tickets for the opening day show as well.


So, now have seen it twice.


Absolutely loved the film. I would say that it is as good as Episodes IV and V.


Abrams had a huge burden on his shoulders to deliver, and I believe he surpassed all expectations.


The prequels are absolutely dead in my mind, so this is the first film to actually feel like a Star Wars feature since the original trilogy.


3D was "okay." Could have used more depth. There were two prominent pop-out moments -- very well placed -- and I am very thankful that Abrams threw them in. You may laugh at this, but I think the 3D will look better on the home screen. Looking forward to it.


I am really amazed that Abrams pulled this off. Kudos to him for going back to the basics without a wealth of CGI.

 

[Jason Charlton]

Just got back from a showing with the family. My efforts to remain spoiler-free really paid off (as others have mentioned).


Loved the movie. It's right up there with the best of them. Strong performances by new blood ensures the franchise is poised for future success, provided the quality of the writing remains high.


See it on the big screen. Take the kids and enjoy every moment of it.

 

[Steven Simon]

I absolutely loved the movie. It had so many of the original Star Wars elements. The OT actors were great, and the transition of the new actors, Rey, Finn and Poe were great. A Star is born with Rey... I thought Kylo's character was also very well done.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

This might be the first Star Wars film I went into completely cold. I had the deaths of Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul spoiled for me in the food court shortly before I saw The Phantom Menace. I was really happy that I avoided having any major reveals spoiled. The advertising campaign was really adept at showing us a lot but framing the footage in ways that led to incorrect assumptions.

The Force Awakens is an interesting exercise in contrasts. The things that the prequels were dreadful at, this movie excels at. The things that the prequels excelled at, this movie doesn't quite pull off. It speaks to the idea that J.J.

Abrams is a superior director -- especially working with actors -- but George Lucas may be the superior craftsman.


This review is going to be littered with spoiler tags, but I didn't know a way to dive into it without discussing the things that happen. If you haven't seen the movie yet, I would hold off on reading my review all together. While the really big stuff is all safely behind spoiler tags, even the general comments might point toward ideas that you're better off being gobsmacked by.

First the good:

The movie's number one responsibility was to give us a new generation of characters to care about and root for during this third trilogy of films, and at that it succeeded brilliantly. Rey may be my favorite protagonist in the series so far. Other movies and television series have tried to pull off a mysterious protagonist, but I can't think of a single one that did it as well as this did. By the end of the picture, we really only know a handful of things about Rey:

Spoiler

That she was abandoned on Jakku as a young child; that she's enormously gifted both mechanically and linguistically; that she's an adept fighter; that she had plenty of opportunities to get off Jakku, but stayed put out of a belief her family would return for her; that she knows more about the Force and how it works than a scavenger on a backwater planet ought to; that she's tremendously powerful in the Force, perhaps more so than Darth Vader's grandson.

Despite that, she's somehow tremendously relatable as a protagonist, not really any less so than Luke was in the original Star Wars. And unlike Luke, she'd been independent for a long time before destiny came crashing into her life. Daisy Ridley's performance is fierce yet emotionally present. You can read what's going on with her at all times. Her emotional through-line carried me through the film.

Spoiler

The moment when Rey, drawn to the catacombs under Maz Kanata's pirate base, opens the weathered box containing Luke Skywalker's lightsaber is the closest any of the movies have come to giving me a sense of what it's like to experience the Force. Just a brilliant combination of music, visuals, editing and emotion. And I love that it triggers Rey's flight or fight response; faced with the enormity of such a thing, I would bet that a lot of other people would too.

John Boyega was also tremendously engaging as FN-2187 aka Finn:

Spoiler

His character reminded me a bit of the slaves during the American Civil War who fled their plantations to join the Union Army. At first it's just about seizing the opportunity to escape, and only once some distance has been gained from the oppressor can more esoteric moral considerations come into play. The script let Boyega down a bit by trying to shove in one more funny line at some moments that would have played better straight, but that's only because he pulls off so many of the other funny lines so well. And it's humor that rises organically from character; as a born and raised Stormtrooper, he has a completely different perspective and worldview than the other characters. I love that he's a stormtrooper whose formative military engagement is basically a Mỹ Lai Massacre, and his response is to say: No, I will not be a party to this. Stormtroopers have always been anonymous before, so it was kind of exciting to meet who has committed the crime of non-conformity -- a conscientious objector, no less!

Given the events that transpired with Han Solo in this movie, the sequel trilogy was going to need a pilot with swagger, and Poe Dameron pulls that off in spades. Oscar Isaac is terrific in the role, which is completely unlike anything else I've seen from him.

Also given the events that transpired with Han Solo, I'm so happy Abrams brought Lawrence Kasdan in to write the script. Among his other accomplishments, he's always been the best writer of Harrison Ford's two most iconic characters, Han Solo and Indiana Jones. It's hard doing justice to a cinematic icon, when the originals are put on such a pedestal. The writing for Han Solo here is as good as its ever been. Much like Rocky Balboa in Creed, every moment, every line is exactly right. He's not a regurgitation of the Han Solo from the original trilogy; the intervening events weigh heavily on him, but he's exactly like you'd expect a Han Solo in his late sixties/early seventies to be like. His banter with Finn is great. His concern and affection for Rey is great. His reunion with Leia is perfect.

Spoiler

If this is to be the last Han Solo movie with Harrison Ford, I'm so happy that it's a great showcase for the character.

Carrie Fisher is terrific as Princess Leia. You feel the weight of all those years of responsibility in a way you don't with any other character. Her performance in Return of the Jedi was a step down, but she's really great here.

As Kylo Ren/Ben Solo, is an underwhelming villain, and a much better character for it.

Spoiler

How many children of extraordinary and prominent parents have we seen go astray? Growing up in the shadow of Han Solo and Princess Leia couldn't have been pleasant. In New York recently, the former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos just got convicted on corruption charges for using his influence to get his son Adam a job. Kylo Ren reminds me a bit of what I know about Adam Skelos: he grew up with enormous priviledge, and rather than seize the opportunities that afforded him, he let it spoil him and took advantage of cheap shortcuts rather than putting in the work. It's a different kind of selfishness to the sort that transformed Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader, but it's no less useful to the Dark Side.

The confrontation between Kylo Ren and Han Solo is electrifying. As the scene played out, my sense of dread built and built at the increasingly inevitable. And when the act of patricide happened, I was sick to my stomach not because it was surprising, but because it wasn't. Right up there with Anakin's assault on the Jedi Temple among the ugliest acts played out on screen in this series.

Now, the not so good:

This film is neck and neck with Attack of the Clones for the worst story of the series. It's too overstuffed, too heavy on events at the expense of narrative. The Phantom Menace, Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi all have strong narrative spines that can be summed up in a sentence or two. There's a lot of good stuff here, but it's a lot this happens, then this happens, then this happens in a way that feels cluttered and unsatisfying. A big part of it was

Spoiler

the decision to take a third bite at the Death Star apple with the Starkiller Base. That subplot gave us a lot of the X-Wing/TIE Fighter/Star Destroyer action that a lot of fans undoubtedly craved, but it was a big magnetic drag in the film that pulled the other story elements off course, and it didn't add any dazzling action that felt new and exciting. Without the Starkiller Base subplot, the film could have focused on the search for Luke Skywalker, which would have made a much stronger narrative spine for the film.

The beginning of the film was jarring, because it breaks the rules of how Star Wars films are constructed. For the first six films, the rule is that the film can't introduce us to a character except through a character we've already been introduced to. In Episode I, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan introduce us to the Trade Federation who introduces us to Queen Amidala. We don't meet Anakin until a third of the way into the picture, because it's not until then that our other characters meet him. In Episode II, we start with Anakin and Obi-Wan, and encounter all of the other characters. The same is true for Episode III. In the original Star Wars, we start with C-3PO and R2D2, through which we encounter Darth Vader and Princess Leia. Then, once they're on Tatooine, we meet Luke Skywalker through them, who introduces us to Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Empire Strikes Back comes closest to breaking this rule, but all of the characters at the beginning are characters we left off with at the end of the prior film, and new characters are introduced solely through them. In Return of the Jedi, we again start with C-3PO and R2D2, and the world widens through their perspective. The Force Awakens starts by crosscutting between people we've never met before. It would have slowed down the first act a bit, but I would have perferred it if we'd started with Poe Dameron, met BB-8 and Finn through him, and then Rey through BB-8. I think it would have flowed better than dropping us into the mix with all of these new characters at once.

I think the decision to play the mystery of what happened to Luke Skywalker

Spoiler

after such a devastating setback was a smart one, and I don't mind building to a late introduction in order to heighten the stakes. But because of the Starkiller Base distraction, the unveiling of Luke Skywalker's location feels like a cheap deus ex machina, and the journey to find him rushed and unearned. Instead of the culmination of everything the movie has been building toward, it feels tacked on as an extended postscript after the main story is over. And there isn't enough payoff when we finally reach him. Apocolypse Now makes you wait for Colonel Kurtz, but when he arrives we get Marlon Brando in one of his best-remembered performances. When Harry Lime appears in that doorway wearing the visage of Orson Welles, it kicks The Third Man into a whole 'nother gear. The Force Awakens spends so much time on the Starkiller Base plot that we only reach Luke Skywalker in the final moments of the film, and before he can say a word, we cut to the credits. It certainly builds anticipation for Episode III, but as a viewer of this movie, I felt a little gipped.

Rian Johnson is writing and directing Episode VIII, and he is one of the most unconventional filmmakers comfortable within the commercial studio system. The Brothers Bloom left me cold, but I loved Brick and was quite engaged by Looper. None of his film or television work, even the stuff I didn't like, has been conventional or predictable. I can't wait to see where he takes

Spoiler

Rey and a heartbroken Luke Skywalker.

I hope he gives us a plot we haven't seen before, without sacrificing the incredibly strong character foundation that The Force Awakens provided.

 

[Kevin Collins]

I saw it yesterday at the first daylight showing at the epic Cinerama in downtown Seattle with Dolby Atmos. The Cinerama is the best Atmos theater in the state of WA.

There was also a wonderful guest that sat right behind me.


https://www.facebook.com/kevincol/videos/10153265933661129/


Overall I think the hype had me coming in with greater expectations than could have been met. I thought it was a fun movie with the unfortunate ending of having a guaranteed movie. I guess good vs. evil can only go on so long before you want one of the two of them to win for good and be over.


I did enjoy the new characters, but was less impressed with the characters in the First Order.


Having Dolby Atmos made a HUGE impact on the immersive experience and I hope that everyone ONLY sees it in an Atmos theater. Well worth the wait to get into that type of theater.

 

[DaveF]

I’ve been traveling a bunch this Fall, and didn’t want to think about Star Wars until I was done. I got home last night, realized I had to see it this weekend or else I’d have to turn off the Internet next week. My wife found us two seats dead center in a full auditorium for this afternoon.


I thoroughly enjoyed it. What I liked is this is the J.J. Abrams that gave me “Alias” and 2009’s Star Trek. It’s a Star Wars movie in tone and style, while being wholly contemporary. The physicality of the scenes and aliens and technology is fantastic. The casting of Finn and Rey is brilliant. The story was fun as it hit cultural touchstones, while bringing in new elements and twists. Got to rescue the girl; except she executes her own immediate escape.


I’m looking forward to the sequel!

 

[Bryan Tuck]

I thought the movie was good overall. Not great, but good, and that's okay. I agree with some of the comments that they may have been trying too hard to replicate the specific beats of ANH, but that's kind of what this movie is for: to reintroduce and re-establish the world and the tone. Now they can get adventurous with the upcoming sequels and spin-offs (of course, whether they will or not remains to be seen). At times, the filmmakers do seem to be working from a Star Wars instruction book, but it at least feels like they've memorized the instructions and are doing it by heart, rather than just slavishly following a template.


I really liked Rey, Finn, and Poe. They certainly have some room to grow, but there was enough in each of them here to be endearing. Harrison Ford looked like he was having a blast, and I loved the reveal of the Millennium Falcon.


Some of the Star Wars-like elements that felt out-of-place in J.J. Abrams's Trek films of course feel a little more at home here, but there are a couple of plot points that stretch the credibility of even this universe to the breaking point. Star Wars has never been overly concerned with the laws of physics, but I'm actually starting to wonder if Abrams is even aware that there is such a thing as physics.


I really did love John Williams's score. Rey's Theme is terrific, rightfully taking its place among other iconic character themes in the series.


Pretty good movie.