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

[Carabimero]

The movie is better than Return of the Jedi. Much better. And Williams's score rivals Empire. I'm dying to see it again in the theater. More than twice. Haven't done that since Empire.


Earlier I asked my wife why she was smiling. "Star Wars," she said, a full day after we saw it. "It left me lit up inside."


That's my review.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Please post film reviews only in this thread.


This thread is for film discussion.

 

[Mark Booth]

The first critic review that I've seen so far (might contain spoilers):


http://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/movies/2015/12/16/tom-long-star-wars-review-force-awakens/77395392/


The guy posted it at 12:03am eastern, which is 3 hours before the embargo was lifted (it's supposed to be 12:01am PACIFIC).


I didn't read the entire review because it was clear he was giving away some of the plot outline and I'm not really sure I want to read about any of that before the movie. I read a little of the beginning and then skipped to the end for his rating.


He gave the film a B+.


Mark

 

[Carabimero]

I think it's better than a B plus. I give Empire an A plus, A New Hope an A, and The Force Awakens an A minus. Of course the real test is how I feel about the movie after I've seen it a lot and time goes by. All I know is that I haven't stopped thinking about it and can't wait to see it again on Thursday. And I desperately want the soundtrack, which Amazon promises to deliver to me on Friday.


At least this time I can read the track names without worrying about the movie being ruined by titles like "the Death of Qui-Gon Jinn," or whatever it was.

 

[SamT]

No spoilers. Saw it. It is indeed good and I give it 8/10 at the moment. Its somewhere between 7-8. I am no fan of J.J. Abrams Star Trek movies but this works. It has some weak moments and one bad actor that you can never guess beforehand but contrary to my doubts, Daisy Ridley is good and it's miles miles better than the Prequel Trilogy, even Revenge of the Sith.


Everything looks real and the lightsaber fights are great. Not like those dancing glowing stick numbers in the prequels. The integration of the legacy actors is done real well and surprised me the most. One scene brought tears to my eyes which you can never guess even if you have seen the movie. This is a great start and a better director can do wonders. This makes the prequels look even worse. Only now you will realize what could have been done.

 

[Mark Booth]

With 114 critic reviews (so far), 'Star Wars:The Force Awakens' has a whopping 97% rating at Rotten Tomatoes!! Some quotes from reviews (no spoilers):

"Star Wars feel like Star Wars again ..."

"Star Wars has come roaring and soaring back with a fabulous, bountiful, richly rewarding payoff for anyone who's been waiting, patiently or otherwise."

"This is a movie you don't want to end, despite a final shot that is one of the greatest in the franchise's storied history. Abrams has righted the ship. The "Star Wars" saga is back, and we are gleefully in it for the long haul."

Oh yeah, baby! I predict it is going to top Avatar at the box office!

Mark

 

[Robert Crawford]

A reminder, this thread is for reviews only. Please post other comments in this thread.

 

[Yavin]

The embargo is finally lifted, so here's my spoiler-free review, which has been truncated and encapsulated below:

Ever since Revenge of the Sith, the Star Wars film franchise has been slumbering. Now, thanks to director J.J. Abrams and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan, the time has finally come for the Force to awaken. Set 30 years after Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: The Force Awakens reunites Star Wars fans with their favorite characters from George Lucas' original trilogy, including Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), C-3P0 (Anthony Daniels) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew). At the same time, it also introduces audiences to a new group of galactic heroes — X-Wing pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), Stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega) and scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley) — who find themselves facing a common enemy in Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), a villain following in the footsteps of none other than Darth Vader. Of course, there's much, much more to be said about the plot. But to do so would be like flying the Millennium Falcon directly into spoiler territory. Suffice to say, The Force Awakens has resoundingly succeeded in achieving what the prequel trilogy could not, which is to capture the feeling of the first three Star Wars films. And it does so not only by harkening back to beats from the originals, but by drawing a strong emotional through line in the sand, one that links both the old characters and the new. Aside from that, The Force Awakens contains plenty of Star Wars goodness. And with Episodes VIII and IX — not to mention, spin-off films — on the horizon, that's great news for longtime fans, who can rest assured that the fate of this galaxy far, far away is in good, good hands.

Review Score: 4.5 out of 5

 

[Mark Booth]

More than 238 Critic reviews in at Rotten Tomatoes and it's still holding at 95%! Awesome!


Mark

 

[Tino]

I loved it. It hit almost every note I wanted it to as a Star Wars fan. I went in completely spoiler free and it paid off.

It had plenty of action, humor and especially heart. How wonderful it was to see our heroes again and the film paid them the proper respect.

Everyone was great in it especially Daisy Ridley's Rey and John Boyegas Finn.

And Harrison Ford. In many ways this is his film. His Han is just as we remembered him.

Felt like my Star Wars again. Thanks JJ. Thanks to George too as none of this would have been possible without him.

One of the years best films.
out of

 

[Wayne_j]

You'll laugh, you'll cry.


It definitely had the spirit of Star Wars but was also definitely a JJ Abrams movie.


I'll give it an A.


The 3D was intense.

 

[Chris Will]

I'm at a lost for words other then I loved it!!

Dare I say the best SW film since TESB. Maybe it's a little to soon to throw that label on it, only time will tell but that's how I feel 30 minutes after leaving the theater.

I loved the old characters, they never felt like they were there just for fan service. The only one that felt a little tacked on was C3PO but that is just a minor nitpick. Loved the new characters as well, Poe, Rey and Kylo were especially great. Finn was really good as well buy Boyega had a few rough line deliveries, though nothing near as bad as AOTC love scenes. Some great humor as well which just rounded out a great and fun evening at the movies. Can't wait to take my kids!

Guess I found a few words.

 

[Patrick Sun]

I went in relatively spoiler-free (which took some self-control and will power) and was entertained for the most part, though some casting did not impress (mostly Adam Driver's performance). It was great to inhabit the "world" of Star Wars again, though I feel it mimed ANH just a little too much for my taste. I was hoping for a little more complexity in plot, but it does a good job introducing the audience to the new cast of characters, while integrating the OT characters into these new episodes.


I give it 3 stars, or a grade of B.

 

[Craig S]

Just got home from my 8:30 PM showing. Managed to see it spoiler-free, which paid off during a couple of key moments.


Loved it, loved it, loved it. The single best thing I can say is - it feels like Star Wars - something the prequels never did. That leads to the biggest complaint (which many have already pointed out) - that it hits too many plot points we've seen before, especially ANH. But in the face of so much that's good to great, I can forgive that.


What's good?


Harrison Ford. Daisy Ridley (A star is born. Seriously). The Millennium Falcon. Chewie. BB-8. Harrison Ford. Carrie Fisher. John Boyega. Adam Driver (I'm not a fan of him in general, but I thought he was surprisingly effective as the not-fully-formed villain Kylo Ren). Harrison Ford. The final rage-fuelled lightsaber duel. No trade federations, midichlorians or vaguely racist CGI characters. The final shot. Did I mention Harrison Ford???


What was not-so-good?


At this point Poe Dameron is a bit of a cypher. We got great character intros to Rey & Finn, but all we know about Poe is he's the greatest pilot in the galaxy and he's a friendly, gung-ho kind of guy. At this point Oscar Isaac, who is a fine actor, is a bit wasted. I hope & expect that Rian Johnson & the writers of episode VIII will flesh out Poe and give Issac something to sink his teeth into.


Also, I had THE worst seat in the house, First row, far right seat. My own fault for not getting there sooner. No worries, I will be seeing it again in the theater several times, I expect.


Final verdict - 9/10

 

[Adam Gregorich]

I agree with Patrick that it had a lot of Episode IV in it. I had a lot of deja vu moments, but it felt good. I also went in spoiler free. I really enjoyed the film and can say with no hesitation that Star Wars is back.


I'm afraid I will drift into spoiler territory if I say anything else. In conclusion GO SEE IT!


PS I saw it in 3D and it was worth it. Mostly used as depth, but there were some good pop-out effects. I also loved the evolution of the ship and uniform designs.

 

[mattCR]

Exceeded all of my expectations, and that's saying something. At then end I was hoping for just another half an hour to figure out what happens next.

One of the best of the year.

 

[Tony J Case]

Midnight -

I get to the theater for my Super Seven Movie Marathon, only to find it a ghost town. Wait, a Star Wars movie with no line? Am I in the right theater? Nope - that's the one. I guess that 1 AM is too much to ask of people to watch the Phantom Menace. So in I go.


1:00 AM -

As the lights go down, it's a moderately packed house, not quite 75% full or so. Also, apparently we get doughnuts later. The MC comes out and says "You guys are crazy".


True dat.


4:00 AM

One down, six to go - and the toughest one is behind us. Mind you, I made my peace with the prequels ages ago, so I have no animosity here. Also, there is not a damn thing open in Downtown at 4. This town really needs a 24 hour greasy spoon.


7:00 AM -

Despite my best efforts, I nodded off during the Padme/Annie love scenes. So off to get myself a massive mocha with four shots of Wake Up! Also, snoring people at movies suck.


10:45 AM -

The halfway mark, more or less. With a longer than usual intermission, I wander off to walk and wake up. I find a bored Santa with no kids and get his picture with my lightsaber. He asks what I want for Christmas. I reply "Sleep".


1:30 PM -

Dear god, New Hope really is a perfect Movie, isn't it? That opening shot is still a religious experience on the big screen. Also, may need to caffinate again - I nodded off during the shootout in the detention block. Only 9 hours left to go. . . .


4:15 PM -

The fever dreams are kicking in. Bea Aurther and Harvey Korman are singing to me. Sanity is slowly slipping away


Almost there

Allllmost there

Stay on target!


8:00 PM -

Man, if I fall asleep during Force Awakens, I am going to be so pissed. . . ..


10:30 PM -

Oh my goodness - I'm all done! One brand new Star Wars film under me! So how was it? It was weird as hell coming into a story where I knew none of the characters, none of the settings, none of the aliens and droids. Weird and kind of cool. The movie has a whole bunch of great moments and the dialog was witty as hell. And I love BB - that lil' fellow can emote! The script on the other hand? I'll need to see it again, but I don't think much of the third act.


Consider Star Wars for a moment. Its a pretty linear progression of events: Get off the Blockade runner, find Kenobi, get off Tatooine, rescue Leia, blow up the Death Star. A, B, C, D. But here, we have a "Shoot the Macguffin" goal, but suddenly we're all over the place. Blow this up, find this person, do this, do that. We're here, we're there. Oh and then shoot the Maguffin.


Like I said, I'll have to see it again (two or three times) and not in a sleep deprived state before I pass final judgement. . . . .

 

[Tommy R]

Just got back from it and I enjoyed it. I hardly think it's the second coming like some reviews seem to say, but I do think there are some amazing aspects, mostly from the cast (Ford and Ridley in particular). I'll enjoy following them along into Episodes VIII and IX. I also really like the light saber stuff towards the end and the music gave me chills multiple times throughout. But overall I still think the movie could've been better with a director other than J.J. And I was pretty numb towards all the X-Wing action.


I did enjoy it none the less and I'd give it a B+

 

[Robert Crawford]

I liked it a lot! I was at the midnight 2-D showing. I'm seeing it again at 9:15 a.m. in 3-D at an IMAX theater 45 miles away. I might end up loving it after that viewing. The Driver performance didn't thrill me. The rest of the cast was really good especially Ridley and Boyega. Also, kudos to Harrison Ford.

 

[marjen]

Awesome, just awesome. I felt JJ knocked this out of the park. Great mending of the new cast with the old. Great throwbacks to the original. The new comers were excellent. Loved the way they introduced the old cast. Great action and humor. I have a couple small nitpicks but overall I think it might be the best of the entire series!