star wars thread

[Isfahan]

(Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull really made me worry.)

Unlike in Crystal Skull, Harrison Ford appeared to be having fun and to actually give some semblance of a shit about playing his character. That counts for a lot.

[Nikaer Drekin]

I liked it a lot.
Sure it wasn't without flaws, but I had a blast and I really liked the new characters.

Same for me, basically! My only hope is more Captain Phasma for next time.

Problem is, we don't know for sure she evacuated starkiller base in time. We know Kylo Ren and the blond aryan guy were ordered to evacuate, but fittingly enough - we don't actually see it happen.

Well, according to this casting call, Gwendolyn Christie is confirmed to return for Episode VIII, so it looks like I may get my wish! Also seems like Harrison Ford will be back, oddly enough.

[Isfahan]

Also seems like Harrison Ford will be back, oddly enough.

Well, I guess it'll be as a Force ghost.

[Nikaer Drekin]

Also seems like Harrison Ford will be back, oddly enough.

Well, I guess it'll be as a Force ghost.

Yeah, or a holo-recording or something like that. Basically something blue and glowing.

[Vinny Possum]

I really liked how the trailers set up Kylo Ren to be this Vader-esque badass, but he turns out to be a kinda pathetic deconstruction of the Vader type villian

[Isfahan]

On that note, youthful inexperience and insecurity seems to be a big theme in Episode VII, on both sides. Rey is holding onto a childish and willfully naïve hope that her family will come back for her; Finn blusters and bluffs his way through his adventure, motivated through most of the movie by his own sense of self-preservation; Kylo Ren is the biggest example of all, having a poorly-built lightsaber which reflects his own instability and prone to immature emotional outbursts. Rey and Finn are new at being good guys, and Kylo is new at being a bad guy.

[Dawnswalker]

They definitely could not have done Kylo Ren if Anakin Skywalker had not existed as a previous character to draw certain aspects from. And I'm not just talking about "I wanna be so cool like Grandpa! FUCK YOU MOM"

[Digital Walnut]

I kept my expectations low, and I came out of the theater enjoying this one. Digital muppets mugging at the camera and racial caricatures were mercifully confined to the minimum of screen time that could be considered faithful to the Lucas tradition. Harrison Ford played to his strengths (as an old man stumbling toward death) and Carrie Fisher was great as both a mother and a general. If you enjoyed episodes 4-6, this one is worth seeing.

[Mu.]

Saw it today, it was really good. A lot of fun to watch, really good performances and effects. I saw it in IMAX 3D, which looked great as the film just used it for depth and none of that popping out of the screen bollocks. It was exactly what I'd expected. Probably a bit conservative really, maybe the next one might take a risk or two.

I did notice that there was absolutely no concept of distances taking time to travel though. The amount of times where you'd see something miles off from a character and it'd just cut to them there was unreal. Same as that really long "2 minutes" that the new Death Star had before blowing up/charging up it's cannon (I forget which). It's just silly movie logic but it started sticking out really badly after a while.

I love how every time there's a thread about anything, at least a few folks run in to just say "I'M SKINNY GOODBYE!" and nothing more as if that's part of having a discussion.

Not sure what you mean here.

[Kaleidoscope]

We went to see Star Wars on Christmas Day and it was so much fun. Everyone kept losing their mind when charecters came on the screen. And honestly, I felt happy. Like I wasn't that hardcore into Star Wars when I was kid but I did enjoy it and I was really disappointed on the prequels. So I was happy that not only was this movie good but I was happy to see people enjoying it. Because Star Wars is something that anyone can really enjoy. You can be a nerd or not and still like it. I also really like how this movie was able to have humorous moments without pulling a Jar Jar Binks. Thank god they didn't pull another Jar Jar Binks

[NutshellGulag]

I saw it tonight and liked it. It was definitely better than the prequels; the care they took with the effects work really showed. Luke looked a little dyspeptic when he showed up at the end.

[Ashto]

I'M SKINNY, GOODBYE I don't like Star Wars.

Speaking as an outsider though, I recall hearing an interesting theory about why the movie's plot is the way it is. By revisiting the plots from Episodes 4-6, the directors are hoping to prove to audiences that they are capable of making and old-style Star Wars movie. Yet, by revisiting all those plots in one film, they're making it clear that the movies have no choice but to move forward in the next set of films.

[Fanzay]

I'M SKINNY, GOODBYE I don't like Star Wars.

Speaking as an outsider though, I recall hearing an interesting theory about why the movie's plot is the way it is. By revisiting the plots from Episodes 4-6, the directors are hoping to prove to audiences that they are capable of making and old-style Star Wars movie. Yet, by revisiting all those plots in one film, they're making it clear that the movies have no choice but to move forward in the next set of films.

Setting aside the fact that you don't like Star Wars (HEATHEN), I agree but I'm going to challenge you on this: "the movies have no choice but to move forward in the next set of films." What are you even talking about here?

I liked it. More screen time for the mosquito aliens in the pub, less Maz Kanata.
More X-wings thank you bye

[Ambious]

Just came back from my 3rd viewing.
Still loving it.

[Mu.]

It's close; Sheev is the viewpoint character in all three prequels. That's to say the reason the prequels have this hyperreal aesthetic in the props, set design, etc., is because you're watching those events through Sheev-o-vision. He is watching events and saying 'look at these fucking puppets, with their plastic cars. What a bunch of maroons. This is going to be easy.'.

The reason fans reject the prequels is that they denial of Sheev's basic observation that Star Wars is fake, crass, silly.... It's a multibillion franchise with logos on fruit. Lightsabers are stupid. But Sheev revels in that stuff: "fuck it - I've got a lightsaber too!"

The correct response to Sheer's challenge would be to agree. And that's precisely what Luke does: he attempts suicide in order to reject Star Wars and everything it stands for. He's like "fuck this universe. If the entire stupid universe is set up to reward only violence and power, then I quit." He throws his lightsaber away.

But Vader steps up and does something far more radical: he dies for Star Wars' sins. And, as a consequence, he redeems Star Wars.

But that's only if you truly believe.

First things first: the narrative structure of the Star Wars film series is ever-shifting. As each film is introduced, the meaning changes.

Three extremely different films were grouped together and are now understood as 'The OT', the story of how Luke Skywalker killed the evil robot Darth Vader and saved his father - Anakin. This killing of the robot ultimately represented the triumph of liberal democracy over the various failed utopian projects of the past. In general, the OT can be summarized as naïvely optimistic.

Subsequently, three films were introduced that called out the OT for its naïveté. The human Anakin, it reveals, was a fascist stooge. The bad robot monster that everyone had rejected was none other than Christ Himself. We were fooled: liberal democracy was the enemy. It was all a sham. We killed Him for plastic toys, and His blood is on our hands. With the addition of these three films, the context of the originals had changed. The entire six-film series became the tale of Darth Vader's crucifixion. It can be summarized as brutally honest.

And now we have a seventh film.

The Force Awakens is a story of willful ignorance and self-deceit.

Who are the Republic? Who are the Resistance? Who are the First Order? People are confused because they are not reading the imagery.

The basic story is simple: it is the story of a USB key that travels across the galaxy and gradually morphs into a laser sword. Max Van Sydow is the personification of this object; it respresents his legacy. And he explains exactly what he stands for: "only the Jedi can bring balance to the force." He supports Leia's Resistance because 'she's royalty to him.' The Resistance heroes are all working to bring back feudalism, and the New Order is working to prevent that.

If you've read the previous thread and seen the previous films, you know that nobody ever mentions a 'light side', because there isnt one. The entire Force - the entire universe - is darkness, and to believe otherwise is to have your vision clouded. The light side exists only as the holy spirit - the community of believers in Christ/Vader. Vader was the incarnation of the Force and, when he died, the Force died with him.

Force Awakens, on the other hand, is constantly talking about the light side, and visualizing it as literal light: the ships all have massive headlights attached, the recurring image is of a dark ball of tentacles being obliterated by a burst of light (e.g. When that thing is attached to the windshield). The light cleanses, and the light purifies. this is what Van Sydow means by 'balance'.

But this literal light is not the Holy Spirit. It's the dark side, rebranded. It's sheer, burning power. Audiences cheer when Rey displays her insane power. Her mutant powers, aka 'force sensitivity', aka midichlorians - make her stronger than anyone else. Her mind-tricks are not subtle manipulations, but a direct reprogramming of the enemy's mind. She wins by being darker than Kylo.

So: why would a family abandon their child in a junkyard?

The simplest answer is that they're terrified of her.

Basically, JJ Abrams has tricked you into worshiping the dark side. Maz runs a temple devoted to herself, and nobody is suspicious? Whoops!