<![CDATA[Star Wars, The Force Awakens Review]]>Star Wars The Force Awakens

Lucasfilm

Pg -13. 135 min

First kind of sort of a spoiler alert and second kind of sort of an apology.

I realize that the Star Wars legend looms large in the hearts and souls of many of you. I'm sure there are entertainment series that have been lots more to me then they probably should have but to each his, her or its own.

Its not that I have any disrespect nor do I think that this is anything less than a series of monumental proportions, but I suspect that many of you may feel otherwise and probably know a hell of a lot more about it than I do and will love or be bothered by things that I'm not particularly aware of, like deeper meanings or geneology etc.

That being said I'm just going to give a superficial take and I will let the rest of you argue over the minutiae.

This episode, much like the first, and almost every other episode, revolves around the battle between the good and bad sides of the force. Very little pondering is necessary, since the good guys and the bad guys are pretty damn obvious.

Both JJ Abrams and Disney are committed to delivering a product that will satisfy the memories of the first generation of fans and hopefully recruit new ones. You already know that Han Solo and Princess Leia are still around. Harrison Ford still looks great , Carrie Fisher , sadly, not so much . You also know that the film will center on the destruction of the new and improved Death Star. And you know tribute will be paid to the most memorable line of any of the films: "Luke, I am your father" so since we find that captain Solo and the princess have a child, guess who that turns out to be.

Daisy Ridley and John Boyega as Rey and Finn seem to be set up as the new generation of possibly romantic protagonists as Disney relaunches the series. I didn't seen much chemistry from these two so far but to be fair, few relationships will outshine by the one between Ford and Fisher.

After this time I have assumed that most of you who plan to, have already seen it so let me mention this:

Since this revolves around blowing up the new and improved Death Star wouldn't you think that its designers would have taken note of the way the first one was destroyed?

"Hello, Engineering? Hi this is Dark Leader with a suggestion. Remember that ditch in the old Death Star that the fighter pilots could fly down and shoot into that little red hole? Do you suppose we could eliminate that when we build the new one?"

Unfortunately for the bad guys that conversation apparently never took place. STAR WARS, THE FORCE AWAKENS isn't bad at all. Not nearly as groundbreaking as the first one but still entertaining enough whether you are an apostle or a casual viewer.

B+

WSS

]]>https://brownsboard.com/topic/39352/star-wars-the-force-awakens-reviewRSS for NodeFri, 02 Oct 2026 11:57:38 GMTSat, 16 Jan 2016 23:18:36 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Star Wars, The Force Awakens Review on Wed, 03 Feb 2016 09:22:46 GMT]]>

@tour2ma said:

Share your overall take on the story line...

My personal theory on Rey is that the practitioners on the "good side" of the Force are now so few that it strengthens them to a far greater extent than it did when you could not swing a dead cat without hitting a Jedi.

All the midichlorians, so few jedi?

]]>https://brownsboard.com/post/575102https://brownsboard.com/post/575102Wed, 03 Feb 2016 09:22:46 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Star Wars, The Force Awakens Review on Wed, 03 Feb 2016 07:57:19 GMT]]>

@gftchris said:

Pretty much every element of the story was taken from one of the previous films...[/size]

On top of that, Rey is just a bit unbelievable. She is not only an expert mechanic on everything, apparently, also know how to fly the falcon, easily fights off two guys, is now a jedi and within a couple of hours of finding that out she's already stronger than Darth Kylie?

Share your overall take on the story line...

My personal theory on Rey is that the practitioners on the "good side" of the Force are now so few that it strengthens them to a far greater extent than it did when you could not swing a dead cat without hitting a Jedi.

]]>https://brownsboard.com/post/575094https://brownsboard.com/post/575094Wed, 03 Feb 2016 07:57:19 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Star Wars, The Force Awakens Review on Tue, 19 Jan 2016 05:56:13 GMT]]>

@the-gipper said:

@gftchris said:

Emo Kylo Ren is really emo. I get that he's a sith, so emotions->anger->hate etc, but it was very in your face.
Except some say he is not really a sith.....and neither is Snoke....but that they are something else. I guess we shall see.

I guess we'll find out who Snoke is in a couple of years- other than being Gollum (Andy Serkis). 🙂

]]>https://brownsboard.com/post/570858https://brownsboard.com/post/570858Tue, 19 Jan 2016 05:56:13 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Star Wars, The Force Awakens Review on Mon, 18 Jan 2016 18:42:33 GMT]]>Try mass effect. It's both a brilliant stand alone action Sci fi epic (it never gets slow in my opinion like final fantasy) and also highly reminiscent of star trek although it builds it's own mythology.

]]>https://brownsboard.com/post/570682https://brownsboard.com/post/570682Mon, 18 Jan 2016 18:42:33 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Star Wars, The Force Awakens Review on Mon, 18 Jan 2016 17:38:02 GMT]]>

@the-cysko-kid said:

Steve did you ever play "mass effect"?

Nope. I buy these fucking games and then they don't keep my interest. I finally got PGA Tour golf up and running. Disappointed that I couldn't make my character have long hair or a beard. 🙂

If I get to a spot where I can't figure out the illogical puzzle I just give up. When I was younger I would turn down the sound crank up the stereo and keep going back in the building, recharging and then coming back out to kill more and more monstersecretive until I had a shitload of gold and weapons.

I bought Witcher and gates of Mordor, or something like that, and the newest version of Final Fantasy X 1.

WSS

]]>https://brownsboard.com/post/570656https://brownsboard.com/post/570656Mon, 18 Jan 2016 17:38:02 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Star Wars, The Force Awakens Review on Mon, 18 Jan 2016 17:27:28 GMT]]>Steve did you ever play "mass effect"?

]]>https://brownsboard.com/post/570647https://brownsboard.com/post/570647Mon, 18 Jan 2016 17:27:28 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Star Wars, The Force Awakens Review on Mon, 18 Jan 2016 17:25:35 GMT]]>

@the-cysko-kid said:

I'm going to go against the grain here and say I liked Abrams' 'star trek' more than his 'star wars'

Oh I liked it a lot better, but I like Star Trek better than Star Wars in the old days.

and both those series are great and groundbreaking pieces of work while the new ones are an artist rendition of the old.

WSS

]]>https://brownsboard.com/post/570643https://brownsboard.com/post/570643Mon, 18 Jan 2016 17:25:35 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Star Wars, The Force Awakens Review on Mon, 18 Jan 2016 16:52:21 GMT]]>They were both good, I just prefer the Star Wars universe.

]]>https://brownsboard.com/post/570628https://brownsboard.com/post/570628Mon, 18 Jan 2016 16:52:21 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Star Wars, The Force Awakens Review on Mon, 18 Jan 2016 16:47:37 GMT]]>I'm going to go against the grain here and say I liked Abrams' 'star trek' more than his 'star wars'

]]>https://brownsboard.com/post/570626https://brownsboard.com/post/570626Mon, 18 Jan 2016 16:47:37 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Star Wars, The Force Awakens Review on Mon, 18 Jan 2016 16:45:38 GMT]]>

@the-gipper said:

It has been a JJ Abrams trait to recreate with twists previous work. Obviously done so in the Star Trek movies.

Sure, and as stand alone movies, those have all been great. But like I say, if the next two are just more re-telling, I'm going to be very disappointed.

]]>https://brownsboard.com/post/570624https://brownsboard.com/post/570624Mon, 18 Jan 2016 16:45:38 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Star Wars, The Force Awakens Review on Mon, 18 Jan 2016 16:37:05 GMT]]>

@gftchris said:

Yes Gip, my point was that it's a generic version of the older films. This was hopefully intentional, to tie things together and after they will go off in new directions that don't rely on the same narrative, but this one was a bit of a let down for me, and a bit lazy, creatively.

It has been a JJ Abrams trait to recreate with twists previous work. Obviously done so in the Star Trek movies.

]]>https://brownsboard.com/post/570619https://brownsboard.com/post/570619Mon, 18 Jan 2016 16:37:05 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Star Wars, The Force Awakens Review on Mon, 18 Jan 2016 16:34:26 GMT]]>Yes Gip, my point was that it's a generic version of the older films. This was hopefully intentional, to tie things together and after they will go off in new directions that don't rely on the same narrative, but this one was a bit of a let down for me, and a bit lazy, creatively.

]]>https://brownsboard.com/post/570616https://brownsboard.com/post/570616Mon, 18 Jan 2016 16:34:26 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Star Wars, The Force Awakens Review on Mon, 18 Jan 2016 16:23:21 GMT]]>

@gftchris said:

This movie was at the same time entertaining, gripping (for what direction they were going to take it) and a big let down. As a stand-alone movie, it was really great. Solid action, an ok-if-not-amazing plot, some good character development. But, the biggest thing for me, it was as if - and I've thought a long time about this - the original trilogy was a low budget japanese/eastern european version, and then hollywood got the rights to it, and just retold the same story with a bigger budget/better acting.

Copy and pasted from an email I sent at the time:

Pretty much every element of the story was taken from one of the previous films:

- bigger death star
- need to take out the shield generator
- unwilling hero comes back to save the day - Fin/Han
- servant on desert planet happens to be awesome pilot, mechanic and have the force - Rey/Anakin
- fat alien boss on said planet is a dick - this one/the flying blue one from TPM
- Darth Kylo Ren... "I know there's some good in him, he can be turned back to the light, we have to try!"
- Mos Cantina II - the small alien woman is even called 'Moz Katana'
- new jedi has to go to random undeveloped planet to find jedi master - Rey/Luke
- need to get some crucial piece of information somewhere, hide it in a droid
Did you not think that all that was not done purposeful? Clearly the writers/directors were intent on mimicry of the original.
The question is not: didn't they realize this follows the same script as the original? Of course they did. The real question is: how did they pull off this refabrication of the tale? I would say: pretty damn well.
On top of that, Rey is just a bit unbelievable. She is not only an expert mechanic on everything, apparently, also know how to fly the falcon, easily fights off two guys, is now a jedi and within a couple of hours of finding that out she's already stronger than Darth Kylie?
I think it may be clear that they are setting up Rey to be Super Special with the force. My favorite scene was when Ren was reaching for the light saber and attempting to teleport it to himself....and it zips right by him into Rey's hand. THAT is when you begin to think: she is something beyond what we have seen.
BB-8 looks like R2D2 and Wall-E had a baby. He is now forever known to me as 'Roll-E'
Again, you talk like that is a bad thing.
The film's humour seemed really contrived, like, we're stopping the action to deliver a one liner, here it comes, *one liner* ok, we'll get back on with the action. Never mind that you're trying to blow up a planet in the next 3 minutes, by all means stop and chat. In the old movies, the humour was in keeping with the environment - in a big fight? Situational humour. In safety? Got time to deliver a joke.
I disagree.....the method of delivering the one liners is just about the same. The original movie was campy as hell. Did you forget about that?
It was *really* convenient that Fin got marked with blood at the start, so we could tell it was him all the time. Definitely couldn't have picked up on it without that, unless I'd maybe thought a little.
I will only agree to the point of saying that Fin seems to me to be a forced character. I guess he is supposed to be the newer Han Solo.
Or, is that the role of Poe Dameron. He does not quite have a corresponding role from the original...though he gets to do some of the "Luke-ish" things.
Emo Kylo Ren is really emo. I get that he's a sith, so emotions->anger->hate etc, but it was very in your face.
Except some say he is not really a sith.....and neither is Snoke....but that they are something else. I guess we shall see.
]]>https://brownsboard.com/post/570609https://brownsboard.com/post/570609Mon, 18 Jan 2016 16:23:21 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Star Wars, The Force Awakens Review on Mon, 18 Jan 2016 16:22:54 GMT]]>

@the-gipper said:

Nothing like that was iterated in this movie that I recall.

That's from the old series Gipper.

It's that plot device that's been resurrected. Not the exact language.

WSS

]]>https://brownsboard.com/post/570608https://brownsboard.com/post/570608Mon, 18 Jan 2016 16:22:54 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Star Wars, The Force Awakens Review on Mon, 18 Jan 2016 16:11:12 GMT]]>

@the-cysko-kid said:

Well actually the line wasn't "luke, I am your father" it was "no. I am your father"

Ok.

WSS

Nothing like that was iterated in this movie that I recall.

]]>https://brownsboard.com/post/570606https://brownsboard.com/post/570606Mon, 18 Jan 2016 16:11:12 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Star Wars, The Force Awakens Review on Mon, 18 Jan 2016 13:16:04 GMT]]>It's a little bit like the stories I've heard from fan conventions, and even fictionalized accounts of the same, in which the attendees get irate because the actors don't remember their emotions and reactions in the plots of the TV shows they did decades before.

🙂

WSS

]]>https://brownsboard.com/post/570562https://brownsboard.com/post/570562Mon, 18 Jan 2016 13:16:04 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Star Wars, The Force Awakens Review on Mon, 18 Jan 2016 12:40:18 GMT]]>

@the-cysko-kid said:

As I mentioned in another thread it annoyed me that Rey was all "Luke Skywalker? He's not just a legend?"

It's only been thirty years. Han and Leia are still alive (she knows who han is, at least, and later implies she knows who vader was) it hasn't been LONG ENOUGH for luke to be that guy where it's like "was he real it just a symbol" the guy blew up the death star and took down the empire. He was like the only other guy in the universe that used a light saber besides vader. He was pretty visible.

That's true, but annoyed me less. I can suspend the disbelief that the 'first order' covered up all of that shit somehow (lots of executions?), and the truth got buried. I liked that it added mystery, like 'wow, is all that real?' but you're right, it really hadn't been long.

]]>https://brownsboard.com/post/570554https://brownsboard.com/post/570554Mon, 18 Jan 2016 12:40:18 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Star Wars, The Force Awakens Review on Mon, 18 Jan 2016 12:33:12 GMT]]>As I mentioned in another thread it annoyed me that Rey was all "Luke Skywalker? He's not just a legend?"

It's only been thirty years. Han and Leia are still alive (she knows who han is, at least, and later implies she knows who vader was) it hasn't been LONG ENOUGH for luke to be that guy where it's like "was he real it just a symbol" the guy blew up the death star and took down the empire. He was like the only other guy in the universe that used a light saber besides vader. He was pretty visible.

]]>https://brownsboard.com/post/570551https://brownsboard.com/post/570551Mon, 18 Jan 2016 12:33:12 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Star Wars, The Force Awakens Review on Mon, 18 Jan 2016 11:59:40 GMT]]>This movie was at the same time entertaining, gripping (for what direction they were going to take it) and a big let down. As a stand-alone movie, it was really great. Solid action, an ok-if-not-amazing plot, some good character development. But, the biggest thing for me, it was as if - and I've thought a long time about this - the original trilogy was a low budget japanese/eastern european version, and then hollywood got the rights to it, and just retold the same story with a bigger budget/better acting.

Copy and pasted from an email I sent at the time:

Pretty much every element of the story was taken from one of the previous films:

- bigger death star
- need to take out the shield generator
- unwilling hero comes back to save the day - Fin/Han
- servant on desert planet happens to be awesome pilot, mechanic and have the force - Rey/Anakin
- fat alien boss on said planet is a dick - this one/the flying blue one from TPM
- Darth Kylo Ren... "I know there's some good in him, he can be turned back to the light, we have to try!"
- Mos Cantina II - the small alien woman is even called 'Moz Katana'
- new jedi has to go to random undeveloped planet to find jedi master - Rey/Luke
- need to get some crucial piece of information somewhere, hide it in a droid
On top of that, Rey is just a bit unbelievable. She is not only an expert mechanic on everything, apparently, also know how to fly the falcon, easily fights off two guys, is now a jedi and within a couple of hours of finding that out she's already stronger than Darth Kylie?
BB-8 looks like R2D2 and Wall-E had a baby. He is now forever known to me as 'Roll-E'
The film's humour seemed really contrived, like, we're stopping the action to deliver a one liner, here it comes, *one liner* ok, we'll get back on with the action. Never mind that you're trying to blow up a planet in the next 3 minutes, by all means stop and chat. In the old movies, the humour was in keeping with the environment - in a big fight? Situational humour. In safety? Got time to deliver a joke.
It was *really* convenient that Fin got marked with blood at the start, so we could tell it was him all the time. Definitely couldn't have picked up on it without that, unless I'd maybe thought a little.
Emo Kylo Ren is really emo. I get that he's a sith, so emotions->anger->hate etc, but it was very in your face.
]]>https://brownsboard.com/post/570549https://brownsboard.com/post/570549Mon, 18 Jan 2016 11:59:40 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Star Wars, The Force Awakens Review on Sun, 17 Jan 2016 00:21:54 GMT]]>Well actually the line wasn't "luke, I am your father" it was "no. I am your father"

Ok.

WSS

]]>https://brownsboard.com/post/570136https://brownsboard.com/post/570136Sun, 17 Jan 2016 00:21:54 GMT