ST The Impact of The Force Awakens on non and casual Star Wars fans

I took my step daughters to see it. They didn't really want to go and thought they would hate it. They absolutely loved it! Disney certainly gave people what they wanted. It wasn't what I really wanted, but this was for a new generation and the casual fans who may have given up with the prequels.

 

I took my family to see it (mother, sister, teenaged nephew) and none are Star Wars fans. They still aren't. No one fell asleep and I guess they thought the action was good. When I said I gave it a 7/10, my mom said, "Really? That high?". They are just not into it and that's fine. My nephew said Guardians of the Galaxy was much better.

I'm going to see it again tonight by myself.

 

My old friend enjoys the movie and is a proclaimed 'fan'... Except he likes Jar Jar Binks and doesn't have a clue about anything Star Wars, just this movie.

I hope we draw proper fans, AKA people that join this forum. People that know it's more than a movie and that Star Wars is a culture. People that understand the concepts behind Star Wars. People that appreciate those that gave us Star Wars. People like us...

I am certain that as long as people like us are going strong, Star Wars will have the life span of stone and the will of stars!

 

Never thought I'd be saying this but my wife actually loved it! She's never really been interested in Star Wars but is now really looking forward to Episode VIII. When I told her the next one was going to be a stand alone called Rogue One she said she'd probably watch it too. She still hasn't seen any of the prequels or Return of the Jedi, but, I'm working on it

 

YES! Victory has never tasted so sweet! LOL.

But in all seriousness, it's a great feeling, "turning" someone, making them see the "light", and they become as enthusiastic about Star Wars as you. Right now, it's a little hard in the office talking about TFA. Some co-workers haven't seen it yet, so we have to instant message one another or wait until they leave to get into deep conversations. At one point, we just made up the lie towards our co-worker that "Luke, Leia and Han died at the end", because he still hasn't had the time to see TFA. And we also followed it up with the "joke" that towards the end of TFA, Finn was frozen in carbonite after Rey confessed her love for him, and guessed that he would probably end up with Grabba the Hutt in Episode 8. Hopefully he's seen it by the end of the year (or else we'll probably have to drag him there ourselves), but I digress...

I surely hope Episode 8 will be met with as much attention, if not more, and the same people who really liked TFA will watch the next one!

 

I noticed it as well. Good! I like having more people into star wars.

 

The fourth time I went I saw it with my brother who is a big fan, and his wife who we were both surprised wanted to go and she loved it.

 

So many people from my school saw it. A lot of people say its "one of those movies you have to see in theaters".

 

My father's very similar. He's an artist and a smart guy, but also much more of an earthy type. I'll have to try it on him when it comes out on Blu-ray. (Strangely, he loves Terry Gilliam and David Lynch, which I can't really explain. Straight SF leaves him cold, however.)

My wife is also a realist. Also artistic, however. After seeing TFA, she's a SW convert.

Fans can grumble about lore and rehashes, but this is a film that transcends all that nitpicking.

 

I think this will be difficult to deny in a few years when TFA starts making "most impactful films of the past two decades" lists.

 

My mom watched TFA with me. She remembers the OT and PT visual and story stuff, but isn't really interested in the lore, names, etc.

I think she enjoyed it quite a bit more than I did!

I've tried to show my little nieces and nephew the OT, but they got bored when Luke was on Dagobah. Tried them on the Phantom Menace, and, again, boredom hit before the pod race. The movies they like — Despicable Me, etc.— dish out entertainment and sight gags every few seconds; they don't respond well to '80s stuff in general, with its slower pace.

Maybe my nieces will like Rey and the up-tempo nature of TFA and become part of an "ST generation?"

 

There are people I didn't even know were fans of Star Wars previously that are coming out of the woodwork and absolutely gushing about the movie. It's really bringing fans back into the fold.

I myself was more of a casual fan until we got a trailer and I've been more of a mega fan ever since.

 

My husband and I went and saw TFA with a really great couple. He's on caliber with stuff, but she's 33 and had never seen any SW movie. In fact, he made her watch everything before (started her in October) we went, and while watching it she kept calling Kylo Darth Jr. . Knowing her history with any sci-fi and fantasy (he's gone with us to see all the Marvel, Hobbits, LoTR and left her home), she genuinely enjoyed TFA. I think that's the beauty of JJ Abrams, too! He can attract and hold the attention of a wideeeee audience. She's the type to pay attention to the "cute little droid" and the little nuances that maybe a hard core fan don't appreciate as much, or we're too busy deciphering everything else going on.

People that know me and my nerdfest of SW, the first thing they ask when they've seen me recently is what I thought of TFA and how much they enjoyed it.

I also love seeing people wearing SW apparel now too! I always felt like a minority before. I was 9 when TPM came out, so I think I kind of missed out on that huge Star Wars trend. So whatever gets people into it, excites me! I'll take that victory any day.

 

If anyone thinks this is a bad thing you should just leave the forum and get some fresh air.

 

Went with the family on my 3rd viewing. My sister had never watched a Star Wars movie and she loved it. My dad was confused at the ending until he learned it was a trilogy...

 

I haven't really noticed more people talking about it beyond just asking "did you see Star Wars?" I don't normally hear that about every other movie that comes out. In a way, the impact is like what it use to be.

 

A topic I can actually contribute to! Didn't think that was going to happen for quite some time.

Anyways, I am (was?) one such individual. I've never been a big fan of sci-fi. Also, SW isn't nowhere near as deeply rooted in the collective mind of the denizens of my home country as it is in the American pop culture, for example. So I was already in my twenties when I first saw a SW film, ANH, a few years ago. A classic, I expected to enjoy it at least to a certain amount, in spite of not being an admirer of the genre. And I did. More than I thought I would, to be honest. I gave it a 8/10, according to IMDb. And yet I never got around to watch the rest of the series. Because while I did enjoy ANH and thought it was a great film, it didn't get me hungry for more. Thinking back to it now, I guess it had to do with the lack of connection I felt towards the characters (I bet you don't hear that often here--no throwing rocks, please!).

Well, years went by and along came TFA. An avid moviegoer, there was no way I was going to miss out on one of the biggest films of the year. My attempt at getting into the SW universe might have ended in a failure, but all the buzz had still gotten me excited for the film. So I went and saw TFA last Tuesday ... and loved it! The characters, the visuals, the humor--all of it. Objectively speaking, I don't think it's as good of a film as ANH as a whole, but the impact it had on me on an emotional, psychological level, even, blew me away.

It started gradually. I had my eyes locked on the screen throughout the film (heck, I wasn't even bother by the 3D glasses, which I dislike with a passion) and was extremely satisfied upon leaving the cinema. Satisfied and, this time around, dying for more. But that's not the first time something like this has happened to me. I wanted more after seeing the first Hunger Games movie, for example, but the feeling soon passed, never growing into anything bigger. With SW, it seems, it is. After getting home from the theater, I found I couldn't stop thinking about the film and before I knew it, I was binge-watching TFA reviews on Youtube, eagerly filling in the many blanks in my SW lore (I was overall familiar with the story before seeing TFA, despite not having seen the other films) and impatiently planning a second viewing (which I was finally able to get around to on Monday).

This forum felt like the next logical step--I've done some extensive lurking this past week. In a way, signing up felt like sealing the deal, admitting the fact that I'd become seriously hooked and that I was alright with it. I don't know whether that makes me a prime example of the film's potential impact on a casual viewer or disqualifies me. I guess you can say I'm a fan in the making. One thing's for sure: I'm coming down with a bad case of SW fever. Help?

 

My other-half hadn't really watched Star Wars, So we watched all of the movies in the weeks leading up to TFA. She was indifferent to the prequels, Liked the OT quite alot. But TFA is her favorite of all the SW movies she's watched.

A close friend who had never watched Star wars went to see it and said for him it was "decent" / "ok"

 

Took my girlfriend to see it in the 3D IMAX and she really enjoyed it. Previously she had only watched ANH a few days earlier and was falling asleep when that was on. Its probably better to get new Star wars converts just starting them with E7 in a decent cinema than getting them to watch E1-E6 beforehand.

 

It's not just for casual fans. I'm more than a casual fan, and I loved it. Same with my friends in my local 501st garrison/rebel lebion base.

 

A work colleague whom I would barely describe as even a casual fan rushed up to me today having just seen TFA for the first time and was so enthused with what she saw that the words just tumbled out of her. She absolutely loved it. One of the things she mentioned and something that cannot be repeated enough is the sheer impact of now having a female Jedi front and centre in this trilogy. Seeing Rey Force grab the lightsabre was a big 'YES!' moment for her.

Now she's a fan big time!

 

One of the things I immediately thought after my first viewing was this is going to make a lot of new female fans, especially little girls.

 

I took my mother to see it yesterday (she's also a senior citizen, she just retired as well). She's not at all a hard core fan. Barely even a casual fan. She has seen them all, but not all were seen in theaters by her. She was iffy on seeing this one for a long time, I think the great reviews swayed her finally.

She absolutely loved it, and told me she will see it again next week! I was shocked to hear that, she never sees any movie twice in theaters!