So Episode 7 apparently is pretty damn good

[Johnny Novgorod]

Sounds too good to be true, so anyone who've seen it tell me, is the girl jedi in this film is an actual good character or her only character attribute is being a girl? You are my only hope.

Well, she's going to please a lot of people, simply on the grounds of being The Girl That Can.

Spoiler

People go to her rescue, but she doesn't need to be rescued. They take her hand when running away from danger, and she yells "I know how to run! Don't take my hand!". She beats the crap of the guy that beats the crap out of another guy. She also bests Han at fixing/piloting the Falcon, and he's so impressed by that he offers her a position on the spot. In many ways she reminds of Lieutenant Mary Sue, "the youngest Lieutenant in the [Star Trek] fleet - only fifteen and a half years old".

You have that much to look forward to.

I'm too scared of reading the spoiler...

Basically she's the best at everything and beats every character - old and new - at what they do, much to everybody's impression.

Oh god, no, no,

Damn it, why can't hollywood write a female character that is not shit.

Well, maaaaaaybe that's just my cynical interpretation of the character. I'm sure a lot of people will fancy her. Don't despair just yet.

 

[Naraka]

Page two and already it's "Thurs a laaaady in thuh show!!!"

/wrists

 

[Fox12]

Sounds too good to be true, so anyone who've seen it tell me, is the girl jedi in this film is an actual good character or her only character attribute is being a girl? You are my only hope.

Why would you even draw that assumption? Women make up, like, half the population. It's not exactly weird for there to be a prominent female character in a film...

It's the same reaction we got after Mad Max came out. If she's a bad character, it's because of the writing, not because she's a woman. People are acting like it's the death of film for there to be a female character outside the kitchen. Besides, Princess Leia had that whole spunky feminist thing going for her too, and no one cared then. Even if this new girl fits into that mold, it would actually be in line with the original trilogy.

 

[circularlogic88]

I feel vindicated in my opinion that Force Awakens was going to be nothing but circle jerking around the original trilogy and lo and behold I was not proven wrong in the slightest. This whole movie pretty much waits until the last 10 or 15 minutes to decide to push the plot forward into new territory. The rest of the time is spent spinning it's wheels in callbacks and references to stuff from the original trilogy.

Don't get me wrong, it's visually stunning, the cast is good, and the whole movie feels more true to the series than any of the prequels.

I wouldn't say it's pretty damn good. It's okay provided you've never seen anything Star Wars up to this point. I mostly found it tedious and yeah the female lead mildly irritating.

My problem with this movie and with Abrams is this: I've seen this before and it isn't hard to mimic what's already been done. Abrams' big "mystery box" moment is left until the very end and it's only then that I'm actually interested in what's going on as its not cribbing off of the original trilogy.

 

[Battenberg]

Just google how people originally reacted to Phantom Menace when it came out. The hype was always going to influence initial reactions positively. Looking back over the variable quality of Disney sci fi films I'm happy to let this one pass me by and maybe pick it up on blu ray a year or so from now if people still think it's good then.

 

[cooperb21]

The only negative i have seen is that it has alot of fan service.

 

[FirstNameLastName]

From the various sources I've read it seems to be exactly what I expected; a competent film that takes refuge in the original trilogy in order to convince us that this won't be another prequel trilogy. I never expected it to be bad, but I never expected it to be anything other than a decent, safe introduction to this new trilogy. I hope the next installments can disentangle themselves from the original trilogy and take on an identity of their own.

 

[Hawki]

So, I saw the movie today. And if I were to sum it up in one word, it would be "meh." If I were to sum it up in three words, it would be "Star Wars fanfiction."

Now, to start off, here's how I rank the now main 7 Star Wars films:

7) Attack of the Clones
6) The Phantom Menace
5) The Force Awakens
4) The Empire Strikes Back
3) Revenge of the Sith
2) Return of the Jedi
1) A New Hope

Please ignore how low I've ranked Ep. V (that's a whole other story), and focus instead on where it is - right next to TPM. If anything, this is on par with TPM, but for different reasons. TPM is a film with good ideas marred by poor execution. TFA is a film with good execution marred by a lack of ideas.

I can't go in depth without spoiling things, but let me establish this - this film has little to offer. It is practically a copy of A New Hope. Not exactly, but for instance, it has a cantina scene. The scene is much later in the film than it was in ANH, but it's still there, leads to similar conversations, and similar outcomes. This film operates on the principle of "remember when that was a thing? Well here's a similar thing to that thing in the OT? Look, don't you see how much we love Star Wars? For God's sake, the Kessel Run line is practically repeated verbatim. Say what you want about TPM, but at least that was distinctly its own era with its own style and worlds. This is practically Original Trilogy Mk. II with different paint jobs for the X-Wings and TIE fighters.

Yes, I do see how much you love Star Wars, Disney. What I DON'T see is a reason for this film to exist. There's lines from the trailers that never make their way into the film. There's contrivances galore (there's literally a line that says "that's a long story" as to how x retrieved y). The New Order are trigger-happy morons. If TPM has over-choreographed lightsabre fights, this goes so far in the opposite direction that it's a headscratcher as to how x could last so long against y. In short, the film is competent. If this were the first in a series, I'd be far more receptive to it. But as it is, this film has nothing new to offer. If certain plot ideas are developed in further installments, there's hope for this new trilogy, but right now, this is an average film with nothing new to offer the Star Wars franchise. Not the worst film I've seen all year, but easily the most disappointing.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I think I liked him the most out of anyone.

Spoiler

He's just this wimpy stormtrooper who fancies himself a hero, but is terribly ill equiped at being one.

That... doesn't sound too good. Especially given the marketing.

I'm sure some people will feel lied to that he's not a more capable hero, but he's one of if not the only character who isn't just another simple archetype. Rey is basically just Luke Skywalker, Poe is Han Solo, Kylo Ren is Vader, some other guy is the Emperor, and Han Solo is Obi Wan Kenobi. Finn is kind of a mixture between C-3PO, Luke, and Han. And he is heroic, he's just way in over his head. And it's sort of fun watching him make a brave face against all odds.

 

[Guffe]

Saw the movie yesterday (16th of December) and I was hyped, all my friends have HYPED it even more, and even then, it still exceeded my expectations.
I was pleasantly surprised and it was a good movie.
Not going to go into detail or anything since I don't want to spoil for anyone who doesn't want to get spoiled

 

[Buizel91]

Seen this film twice already, and it's great! Perfect? Not a chance. Just Great and that's all it needs to be.

It's funny when it wants to be and serious when it needs to be, no character has been included simply for comic relief, all characters have at least one purpose in the film.

Could more characters have gotten screen time? Sure. Phasma doesn't even have a fight scene, but then did Boba in ep 5? Nope. When she was on screen however she did feel very intimidating.

Seen a complaint about how

Spoiler

Rey was able to defeat Kylo and do everything. To answer the first Kylo had been injured...Twice, he would of been exhausted concentrating on the fight and ignoring the pain. And for the second part, she was a loner, living on a world that seems more hostile than Tattooine, and she obviously new her way around a ship because of the fact she had been looting wrecked ships for however long, living on a world like that she obviously learned a thing or 2 about defending herself, Hell we see her take on 2 bandits who try to steal BB-8 but she overcomes them with near no trouble.

It wouldn't be hard for her to pick up a lightsaber and use it, especially when she has just learned she can use the force, heck we see her using it way before she knows! her reflexes are far to quick, like Anakin in ep1 she can see things before they happen, it's not mentioned but its pretty obvious with some of the things she does

Overall its great fun, and if this trilogy keeps up the good work, it will be far better than the prequels and more on par with the originals. This is just the first film, kicking off a new trilogy, some things will be unanswered and some things will have been left hanging. Sure there are plot holes

Spoiler

how the fuck did poe get off jakku and back to the resistance? felt a bit force, and R2-D2 having the rest of the map to lukes whereabouts was random as fuck

But did they ruin it? No, it does nothing wrong that the originals and prequels didn't do, (the resistance and first order always having intel etc, but then the rebels in ep 4/5/6 always seemed to pluck info from thin air as well)

It's fun, its well made and is the film we have been waiting for, perfect? Not a chance. But then no Starwars movie is (Empire stikes back is the closest followed by ep6 and this one)

 

[Scarim Coral]

Ok I see people are talking about the film now (I just come back watching it)-

Spoiler

I liked how most of the creature/ aliens were guys in suit and animatronic (the animals) than CGI.

Look like that guy who posted that conspircy thread on here was right about Kylo Ren identity but not about that character death and Luke reappearing.

Sure I wasn't suprised at his death since afterward I realise his role in the film was Obiwan Kenobi. I was however suprised that Rey was force sensitive (aka Jedi) than Finn who I was expecting to be the one. I assume it was him cos of those still shot holding the lightsaber.

The reference to the old films were fine (about the 12 parsec and Finn finding that training ball).

Whose that old guy at the start of the film or just some random guy? I thought he appear in the old triliogy somewhere.

Heck even the location were pretty much a call back to the old films like Jakku aka Tatooni, the Resistance base is Yavin and the new Deathstar was Hoth I guess.

Speaking of the new Deathstar, I did find the new one more intimatating seeing how it was an actual planet this time round than an artifical moon. Also it shoot long range and the bean can be splitted. Still I hoping it won't return in the sequels. Oh did Courasant get destroyed or was that some other city like planet?

Made sense that Luke didn't appear in the poster as the scene of him in it was just a vision and only truly appearing on screen right at the end.
I liked the new twist of stuff like this time round that Porkin character survived!

Also I bet if George were to reedit the film, he will make it so that random guy try to attack Han first before he shove him into that alien path! #Hanshovefirst!

I thought the new TIE Fighter were cool at first for having a rear gunner but once again it proven to be ineffient against the new X Wing eventhought they got their engine cut in half!

Also how come the resistance are alot smaller to the Rebel and what happened to the A, B and Y Wings? Also I guess it was called back to the first film in that it look like only 3 X wings survived but only to reveal there were 3 more at the very back!

The new cast were ok. I want to know Kylo Ren motive to joining the dark side which I can guess he got that inferior complex going on (he doubted that he can lived up to Luke expectation to be a great Jedi). Also did Kylo got his hand chopped off and I can bet he may have the "Darth" title in the next film. Lastly he doesn't look like as if he was Han and Leia child.

Kylo lightsaber does proved to be effective for having that light crossguard afterall when it come to the blade clashing by having the side stabbing the other person!

Lol I thought Snoke was a giant which I also guess he got some kind of intimation complex going on aswell if he need a giant life size hologram build in that room!

If that "Life debt" is still canon (I mean they never mention it in the triliogy) is Chewie fee now or will he stick to Rey or Luke now? Speaking of Chewie, was his crossbow always that powerful?

I can guess there is a conspiricy going on that Rey is Luke daughter now.

Overall it was ok/ good but it was just similar to the old films.

 

[ed_phelan]

I went to the midnight showing, obviously, and think that there will be two schools of thought when it comes to the reviews.

People who want to see their heroes from the original trilogy will be well chuffed. "The gang get back together" and save the day.

People who want to see the next stage in this epic may be disappointed. I felt like I was watching a re-hash of A New Hope meets Phantom Menace. People are praising them for using Lawrence Kasdan to bring the new trilogy back in line with the originals, which it does. BUT he could have come up with a slightly different plot to A New Hope. I mean come on! But the film flows nicely from the chronological prequel, unlike the prequel trilogy which don't flow into the originals at all well. So, we'll have to see where they go with episodes VIII and IX.

I guess it is for each person to decide but it is a good watch either way...

 

[Jute88]

It was a good, fun film. Not great, just good. I was actually surprised how many comedic moments this film had. Even the villain had a couple of funny lines and scenes, which I appreciate. And as some have already mentioned, yes, it tries hard to resemble A New Hope. But it my opinion, I think this one might be better than episode 4, time will tell. Though the attack against the first Death Star is still one of the most intense moments in this franchise. The Force Awakens lacks that nail biting moment. But in short, a fun good movie.

 

[ed_phelan]

It was a good, fun film. Not great, just good. I was actually surprised how many comedic moments this film had. Even the villain had a couple of funny lines and scenes, which I appreciate. And as some have already mentioned, yes, it tries hard to resemble A New Hope. But it my opinion, I think this one might be better than episode 4, time will tell. Though the attack against the first Death Star is still one of the most intense moments in this franchise. The Force Awakens lacks that nail biting moment. But in short, a fun good movie.

Nice summary, I think you've got it exactly

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

It's pretty good, although as everyone said, it's a bit too derivative of EpIV. The cast is arguably the best of any SW film- John Boyega as Finn is great, Oscar Isaac steals every scene he's in, Harrison Ford is the best he's been in god knows how long,

Spoiler: Kylo Ren spoilers

Adam Driver's acting saves Kylo Ren from being as irritating as Anakin, he's far more believable as someone torn between the dark side and the light.

.
The script is great, the CGI isn't too intrusive (even the 3D was good), the practical effects are welcome and the action scenes are good.

Basically, it's far, far better than we were all worrying it could be, but not quite amazing. That said, I'm not entirely sure the original trilogy were either.

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

Abrams making a truly good movie (Even great judging from some of the reviews)? something is wrong here... Might be a trick of some kind.

But do i dare to hope? Have to look how People react to it. I am not going to watch it just yet.

Abrams is a terrific director, but his films have often been saddled with mediocre at best scripts and writing. Bringing in an old veteran like Lawrence Kasdan as well as using Pablo Hidalgo's encyclopedic Star Wars brain definitely helps

He's not a terrific director. Star Trek Into Darkness had bad writing - really bad writing, but it was also poorly paced, hard to follow and featured insane lights shining at you like an epileptic's nightmare. I wouldn't call that terrific directing.

 

[MiskWisk]

snip

Spoiler: Kylo Ren spoilers

Adam Driver's acting saves Kylo Ren from being as irritating as Anakin, he's far more believable as someone torn between the dark side and the light.

.Snip

Eh, I'm a bit torn on Ren.

Spoiler: More Kylo Ren spoilers

While I agree on the acting, unless we get a massive info dump in the next movies about his motivations I would honestly say go back to whiny Anakin. Right now, all I'm getting from his motivations is, "Waah! Daddy doesn't love me because he sent me off to be a space wizard with my space monk Uncle." Maybe it's a little cynical of me and because we really only had half (or is it a third or less?) but either they need to avoid taking that helmet off and just remain this intimidating presence or give a better reason than is currently implied by Han and Leia.

Also, I've realised that they should just avoid talking philosophy in these films because every time they tried to get philosophical with the Force they fell flat on their faces.

 

[Plinglebob]

Just got back from seeing it and while the visuals were great and the the score was awesome, the film itself was pure, unadulterated, fan-wank.

Spoiler

While they did a good job with the returning cast (sans C-3PO) and worked them into the story relatively well, the plot felt like it was purposely taking things from the 1st film or putting ing story elements that would please the fans instead of because they served the plot. Examples include Kylo Ren being Han and Leia's son, a new Death Star style Weapon, the Millenium Falcon just happening to be on the planet, a new Cantina and an ending that made me want to throw a chair at the screen for being so shit. Finally, we have Rey who, while well acted, was shit. While I get that its in the nature of Star Wars to have the whole "Chosen One" stuff, she was boring. When the orange ball is more interesting then the leading lady, you have a problem. On the upside, Finn was a great character with a nice arc and I hope he doesn't stay dead for too long. BB was entertaining, something I was pleasantly surprised at, and the new villan Snoke was awesome!

To round this off, I guess my problem is good fan wank should be inviting to new people to show them how great the series is and get them interested in discovering what came before as well as excited for whats coming (for example, The Muppets and The Peanuts Movie). This just locked out anyone who hasn't seen the 1st Trilogy.

Also, again, John Williams is a God.

 

[Josh123914]

Sounds too good to be true, so anyone who've seen it tell me, is the girl jedi in this film is an actual good character or her only character attribute is being a girl? You are my only hope.

Well, she's going to please a lot of people, simply on the grounds of being The Girl That Can.

Spoiler

People go to her rescue, but she doesn't need to be rescued. They take her hand when running away from danger, and she yells "I know how to run! Don't take my hand!". She beats the crap of the guy that beats the crap out of another guy. She also bests Han at fixing/piloting the Falcon, and he's so impressed by that he offers her a position on the spot. In many ways she reminds of Lieutenant Mary Sue, "the youngest Lieutenant in the [Star Trek] fleet - only fifteen and a half years old".

You have that much to look forward to.

I'm too scared of reading the spoiler...

Basically she's the best at everything and beats every character - old and new - at what they do, much to everybody's impression.

Oh god, no, no,

Damn it, why can't hollywood write a female character that is not shit.

I'd say she's not shit.
Everything about Rey's strengths as a character makes sense with her backstory. She's been pretty much on her own without any kind of parental figure for almost as long as she can remember. She's a survivor, all her skills come from a need to survive on a day-to-day basis, no hand-holding or social etiquette or anything along the way. This also makes her a loner and an outcast in many ways, weary of attachment and even afraid of embracing the Force, rejecting it on many occasions.

So when she first clashes with Finn, who is trying to redeem his previous life by playing the hero, she ends up reacting with a "who are you and why are you trying to help me?". Nobody's ever helped her before, and being slightly socially awkward, she's not afraid to show that she doesn't need help and that she appreciates the recognition she can get from showing off her skills.

This tbh

If she didn't have all these skills (and given her lifestyle, these things are probably her only skills) she would've been dead years ago.

Also,

Spoiler: The rest of my thoughts

She's probably Luke's daughter. I say this because of the Luke Skywalker monologue from all the trailers that never appears in the movie, and also because leaving orphaned children in the desert seems to be a Skywalker family tradition. Plus, it would add depth to Kylo Ren and Rei being first cousins, and also explain why she is so proficient with the Force if Vader's her grandfather.

Other than that, the only issues I had with the movie was down to pacing.
Captain Phasma needed more screentime. She's probably gonna be this generation's Boba Fett, but I was really wanted to see Shiny and Chrome kill some people.
Poe the Pilot also needed more screentime. When he "died" I was really disappointed, and I think he's going to be Backup Love Interest at this point for Rei.
And they need to commit to the Finn/Rei thing or not. It's pretty clear Finn has feelings for Rei, but it looks like Rei's friendzoned him. Personally I'd rather that for once a female main character doesn't "get" with one of the lead males, but I figure this'll resolve itself as the movies progress

Oh, and I'd like to know more about the political situation in the galaxy later. It seems the New Order and The New Republic are separate states, so I assume there are others like Mandalore out there. The Rebels this time seemed to be Republican funded insurgents or something? Again, pretty vague.
Oh, and RIP in Pieces Coruscant. That's like 100 trillion deaths but lol what can ya do? "This is for being central to the Prequels!" Kylo Ren shouted. Finally, I don't think JJ knows how space works. That laser could not shoot across the galaxy without hitting something along the way, and I won't even get into the perspective of seeing 5 planets blow up at once.

Just keep in mind everybody that while point for point this is pretty much a retread of A New Hope, but it's got 2 more movies for the story to build upon.