Spoiler Dicussion of The Force Awakens

Quote: Nareed

But in the first place, we did not see what happened after the parties all over the galaxy. For all we know, stormtroopers swept through the revelers at Couruscant, Bespin and elsewhere right after the camera cut to show Kenobi, Redeemed-Vader and the Annoying Green Jedi greeting Luke from beyond the grave.

What did the Empire lose at Endor? A death star, an emperor and a Darth Vader, plus some ships (remember the super Star Destroyer that crashed into the death star?) One supposes that the bulk of their fleet is safe elsewhere, augmented by whatever ships retreated from Endor. And their ground forces, minus one (count 'em, O-N-E) garrison is largely intact.

Contrast we don't know how big the Rebellion was relative to the Empire.

So, surely, an ambitious, capable leader could grab a hold of the Empire's remnants and built them up. In particular if he signed a truce or armistice with the Republic

Oh, and Ep. VII is the movie you just saw. Jedi is Ep. VI

Just watched it at an IMAX Dome
I was very entertained
They borrowed a lot from the 1st Star Wars but then, why not use plot elements from the best episode.
I am hoping a lot of the above will be answered in a - Directors cut release long version

Quote: terapined

They borrowed a lot from the 1st Star Wars but then, why not use plot elements from the best episode.

Like Lucas did in 1983 with "Return of the Jedi" :) Only they were not trying to escape the Empire that time, but rather went to meet it in battle.

Quote:

I am hoping a lot of the above will be answered in a - Directors cut release long version

As I understand, there are new "canonical" books out now, with more to come. But some questions need to be addressed in the sequels.

Having thought still more about it, I think I liked it almost entirely because of Rey. To paraphrase, she's the hero we were looking for. As female heroes go, she's nearly perfect. She shows skill, ability, initiative, courage, compassion, kindness, resolution, determination and never really needs to be rescued (big plot hole: why is she held at the auxiliary installation the Resistance needs to be taken out?)

I said before SW has strong female characters. True. But usually relegated to secondary roles, like Leia and Padme. Consider "Jedi." Han is a pilot and a smuggler. How come he's leading a landing force on the ground? I'd have had Leia do so instead, even though that would have required retroactively imbuing her with ground combat experience.

Rey, then, is very rare: the lead in an action adventure movie. Good for her, and for the movie's writers and even its director.

I'm more intrigued that Rey's also a big hit with men, as judging by some FB posts I've come across. I'm not complaining, though. Perhaps now filmmakers won't be afraid to cast a female lead in this type of movie anymore.

Quote: Nareed

Like Lucas did in 1983 with "Return of the Jedi" :) Only they were not trying to escape the Empire that time, but rather went to meet it in battle.



As I understand, there are new "canonical" books out now, with more to come. But some questions need to be addressed in the sequels.

Having thought still more about it, I think I liked it almost entirely because of Rey. To paraphrase, she's the hero we were looking for. As female heroes go, she's nearly perfect. She shows skill, ability, initiative, courage, compassion, kindness, resolution, determination and never really needs to be rescued (big plot hole: why is she held at the auxiliary installation the Resistance needs to be taken out?)

I said before SW has strong female characters. True. But usually relegated to secondary roles, like Leia and Padme. Consider "Jedi." Han is a pilot and a smuggler. How come he's leading a landing force on the ground? I'd have had Leia do so instead, even though that would have required retroactively imbuing her with ground combat experience.

Rey, then, is very rare: the lead in an action adventure movie. Good for her, and for the movie's writers and even its director.

I'm more intrigued that Rey's also a big hit with men, as judging by some FB posts I've come across. I'm not complaining, though. Perhaps now filmmakers won't be afraid to cast a female lead in this type of movie anymore.

I liked Rey a lot also
Got to be Luke's daughter
She had his old helmet and put it on.
Interesting bit of trivia. Mark Hamill during the filming on Force Awakens is older then Alec Guiness was when he filmed original Star Wars

Quote: terapined

I liked Rey a lot also
Got to be Luke's daughter

I hope not. IN the second place, it gives Luke a horrible image. I could buy Han or Lando might father a child and never find out they did. Luke would know. But in the first place, is the galaxy so small that all crucial events are driven by one single family?

Quote:

She had his old helmet and put it on.

Amid all that wreckage, I'm sure the last owner of that Rebel Alliance helmet came to grief.

BTW, did you notice the home-made rebel pilot doll at her place?

Quote:

Interesting bit of trivia. Mark Hamill during the filming on Force Awakens is older then Alec Guiness was when he filmed original Star Wars

Did you know less time elapsed since the end of WWII to the premiere of Star Wars, than from Star Wars' premiere to this day?

Star Wars Boosts Harrison Ford To Highest-Grossing Actor Of All Time

Yet another article with another variation on the look how much money Star Wars #7 is making. The list in question refers to the amount of domestic (USA & Canada) sales made by the film unadjusted for inflation, and excluding appearances in films judged to be "cameos".

STW#7 is at $812m @24 days for USA and Canada. Jurassic World earned 14.68% additional revenue after 24 days, implying STW#7 will end up at $951.7m . But I think that Disney will run promotions to try and push it past a BILLION dollars domestic. I am fairly sure that being this close they will want the title of the first film to make a billion dollars domestically.

It will have to earn another $billion worldwide to push past Avatar. Avatar earned 73% of its box office from foreign theaters, so it is difficult to believe that Star Wars will achieve the massive popularity in foreign countries (other than the Britain) that will unseat Avatar.

AVATAR --- COUNTRY - STAR WARS FORCE AWAKENS
$150,025,197 United Kingdom $152,000,000
$175,615,305 France $72,400,000
$171,990,531 Japan $59,700,000
$162,333,962 Germany $88,000,000
$204,129,854 China $53,000,000 (JUST OPENED)

Am I the only one who thinks the lady who ran the bar looks like Hatti on NCIS LA?

A minute leak developed among the armor and barriers erected around Episode VIII. According to John Boyega, the next film will be "darker."

I know that's very vague, and very early, and very little, and very not much, but, wasn't Ep. V "darker" than the original movie?

No, I don't think we're in for a bout of "The First Order Strikes Back." Except that of course we kind of are, because the next logical move is for the bad guys to try to further harm the good guys, particularly before the Luke comes back, maybe, and throws a Jedi wrench in their plans.

Oh, and going by the previous trilogy (as well as the trilogy that never truly was), Rey is due to lose her dominant hand near the end of the next movie.

Quote: Nareed

I know that's very vague, and very early, and very little, and very not much, ...

I think "darker" is a required adjective for most films of this genre to be commercially successful .

The revival of the 1978 Superman series in 2006 with "Superman Returns" produced a film that was ranked #6 for the year domestically, but did very poorly overseas. The new actor for James Bond in 2006 had a darker tone, and did fantastically in the foreign market.

2006 Casino Royale = Domestic: $167,445,960 + Foreign: $431,600,000
2006 Superman Returns = Domestic: $200,081,192 + Foreign: $191,000,000
2014 Man of Steel = Domestic: $291,045,518 + Foreign: $377,000,000

The idea of a more lighthearted film for the next Star Wars would be commercial suicide.

Quote: Pacomartin

I think "darker" is a required adjective for most films of this genre to be commercially successful .

In Ep. V Luke gets stuck with an annoying puppet-like alien in an awful planet, Han and Leia first run for their lives and then get captured. Han is betrayed and tortured, then "frozen" somehow. Luke goes on to fight his father and loses a hand (BTW, I'm convinced if Vader had wanted to kill him, he'd have wound up dead), besides finding out the most feared and hated man in the galaxy is his father.

That's "dark," no question.

It's not the only way to "go dark." In B5 the episode with the inquisitor turns the Vorlons from mysterious, vaguely benevolent figures into frightening and very alien people. Or the turn Garibaldi takes in the last season (the fourth), though not his fault, makes things very dark for everyone. Plus the war becomes slaughter and is followed by a fratricidal war against Earth (oh, there may have been spoilers for a 20 year old show, BTW).

Bottom line is the good guys are bound to suffer a defeat next movie.

So the new SW film fell off the number one spot.

I've heard much about the Leo Dicaprio film. Does anyone know what it's about? I saw the trailer, twice, while waiting for The Force Awakens to start. It struck me as a pointless copy of "Death Wish" set in the Old West. Not that it matters, as it's the kind of trailer which tells me "STAY AWAY FROM THIS MOVIE!"


I may go to the movies again when the Batman vs Superman movie comes out in March, pending a spoiler which might make me want to wait for it to come out on cable in a few years. I doubt it will be better than the animated Batman and Superman movie, but I'm intrigued that Wonder Woman is in it.