Non spoiler review thread

DAHHHHH!!! (that' is a positive review)

 

I loved it! This movie has what a lot of movies these days don't: Heart.

 

Okay, real review.

I'm conflicted. Because on one hand it did a lot of things really well and I liked it a lot. On the other hands it has some major issues.

First, the good. The characters are great, likable and interesting enough to keep you engaged and rooting for them. The acting was excellent - along with the dialogue it was just cheesy enough to feel like Star Wars. The pacing is tight and spot-on. The jokes are genuinely funny and don't overshadow the drama. The visuals are satisfying and the action scenes are entertaining.

The fatal flaw is when the third act starts, and the film no longer parallels A New Hope but simply copies it. I hardly remember the final battle because it wasn't very distinctive or memorable. There are two big reveals, and the first is hardly a reveal at all, it's essentially just a plot point, which would be fine if it wasn't so hamfisted. The second big shocker feels like it was only in the movie to be a big shocker, and there's no real emotional impact.

Some characters, at least one in particular, were very much underused and I hope they play a much bigger role in the future.

Most lacking is a sense of scale. It's almost claustrophobic - it's a little too low-key and understated for Star Wars. I didn't get much of a "mythopoeic" vibe. Likely, they tried too hard to avoid similarities with the prequels and ended up overdoing it.

Overall it feels very much manufactured, designed to please as many fans as possible. It doesn't take risks, it doesn't break new ground. There are some interesting concepts introduced, and it's certainly a fun ride for the first two acts (and probably the third as well if you aren't as jaded). I have trouble fully appreciating the pros because of how artificial the movie as a whole is, but it does leave me eager for Episode VIII.

It wasn't as fanservicey as I worried either.

 

It was really good. A worthy sequel that won't disappoint. [It did have a few issues, but nothing unforgivable.] Can't wait for the next one!

 

At least the 3rd best in the series. Better than all the prequels and Jedi...

 

It was just OK. Worse than the originals, better than the prequels. Some things they did right, some things that were terrible. Quality was too erratic for me to give it a rave review, but as long as you don't expect a masterpiece it should be enjoyable enough.

 

The Force Awakens: I clapped, I laughed, I was blown away... and I cried. I cried so hard! I cried harder than I ever have over any fictional story! The story is fantastic, and so well written I don't even mind that a few of the scenes rehash from the OT a bit. The effects were absolutely flawless, I couldn't find a single thing I disliked about them even if I tried. I guarantee, the trailers and TV spots only show 10% of what's there! Absolutely lives up to the hype, I guarantee it!

10/10 - I didn't even give that to Jurassic World!

 

If Star Wars was originally made by Steven Spielberg this is what it would have been.

 

Agree

 

hmm, the film was pretty good. Too early to say how well it stands in relation to the other films in the saga, but it was rather fine-tuned, "polished", and had lots of homages to the original trilogy.

I would say that the vast majority of moviegoers would find this film entertaining, and might even bring along a new generation of fans and followers. Thankfully, it turns out that I didn't spoil myself too badly, with at least one piece of speculation turning out to be incorrect, and I was able to follow my advice to have an empty bladder for the most part.

 

So yeah, ... that was a pretty damn good Star Wars movie. Really enjoyed myself.

Even my mom at 60 years of age liked it!

 

It was great. I loved it. That said. Glad Abrams is not directing the sequel. He's mainly good at hyper ramping up the nostalgia for other franchises and other creative minds such as ST2009. By then like redlettermedia says, he gets caught up in overhyping aspects and left unchecked can start ruining the franchise like ST:ID. There were already warnings such as destroying Vulcan which was unnecessary. For those who haven't seen TFA, you will definitely see some controversial hyper-ramping Abrams does in the SW universe although at least its far more restrained than what he did in ST and in TFA it isn't so bad enough to be a deal breaker, I would shudder to think if he continued going overboard in the sequel if he continued directing and writing. One review correctly reminded that JJ has more of a closeup tv sense background. He's tried to be bigger, but like in a post above, he runs out of creative gas after a while. So he did his great job revitalizing the franchise and looking forward to Rian and a different crew who can hopefully add more of a different and epic scale in the Ep. VIII

 

My review in one line:

A bad remake of A New Hope with none of the actual thematic unity or coherence.

 

What it lacks in originality, it makes up in enthusiasm.

It kind of reminds me of Roadrunner cartoons. It's a given that the coyote will fall off the cliff every time; the fun is in seeing how it happens this time.

 

I would say it’s about on par with Return of the Jedi for me, which means I think it ties for 3rd best Star Wars movie.

 

After seeing TFA a second time, I think I'd rank it 2nd in a 2 way tie for second in terms of enjoyment (ROTJ, SW & TFA, ESB,.....................PT). In terms of the quality of the overall movie, its a good, solid movie with a couple flaw. Which puts it in a 3 way for 2nd for me (ESB, SW & ROTJ & TFA...........PT).

Somethings that seem like flaw now probably won't once the new post-ROTJ EU and rest of the ST are fleshed out. My biggest complaint is that it lacks some of the artistry in composition and filming that are present in the OT and PT, but its more of a nitpick than anything else.