Star Wars The Force Awakens Thoughts Thread (Spoilers Inside, Beware!)

[Jayce]

That was fantastic! It was really good! I think there was just lots of good decision making by the people involved in the film to make it enjoyable.

They introduced the film with BB8 in the beginning, and it was just so cute! It was almost impossible to dislike the film after those sequences with it and the other characters. The backgrounds were shot very beautifully (I felt like it borrowed a bit from The Hobbit's lovely backgrounds), the lonely sand dune desert of Jakku, the earth-like greenish environment of Maz Kanata's planet, the icy lands of the First Order base.

I almost cried a couple of times when Han reunited with Leia and they talked. The red banners for the Empire looked like a scene from V for Vendetta. And that laser beam stop from Kylo at the beginning. The last showdown at the Snowy forest with lightsabers clashing against each other was so cool. The music definitely felt like Star Wars to me.

Rey and Finn were amazing, I hope that this shows Hollywood that non-Western European male characters can also carry action series, fantasy series, sci fi films or just films in general and we could still like it. This film would not work without them. Finn brings a unique experience of being a rogue storm trooper and he also provides comic relief. He's a big deal. Rey is a stoic, strong warrior that is smart but also someone who is looking for connection with other human beings since she starts out as a very lonely person and I really felt like she was very relatable. Both of them are very likeable characters.

I didn't expect any sort of humour from this movie at all, I loved the "nope" scene with the storm troopers turning a 180 when they hear that Kylo was having one of his tantrums.

I'm left wondering if Snoke is an actual Sith Lord or is he just an alien using Kylo. It would seem hard to teach Force powers to yourself. The one master, one apprentice rule wouldn't fit but that rule always seemed dodgy since Dooku and Maul were both Sidious' apprentices.

Only thing that didn't felt clear, I thought storm troopers were all supposed to be clones, that's why they are all so lifeless and emotionless. Why didn't they just keep making more clones instead of using human soldiers?

[Archetype694]

I get filled with the warm fuzzies whenever I think of this movie.  

I got to remember what it feels like to be a little child filled with wonder and awe at the strange locales, races, and epic story in front of me. The entire theater room was giddy with excitement, sharing whoops and hollers of laughter. Oddly enough I didn't mind the noise from the crowd, it felt like a wonderful shared experience with fellow fans.

I also greatly enjoyed how much my friends who went with liked it, some of them are hard core star wars fan and seeing their faces fill with joy made me smile.

I didn't expect any sort of humour from this movie at all, I loved the "nope" scene with the storm troopers turning a 180 when they hear that Kylo was having one of his tantrums.

Oh god this was so awesome, I love seeing some of the troopers have personality.

I'm left wondering if Snoke is an actual Sith Lord or is he just an alien using Kylo. It would seem hard to teach Force powers to yourself. The one master, one apprentice rule wouldn't fit but that rule always seemed dodgy since Dooku and Maul were both Sidious' apprentices.

I'm curious about how this will all play out, from the old discarded lore the Sith are about racial purity and did not care (but allowed) non pure bloods access to their ranks. Perhaps I am misremembering Knights of the Old Republic MMO sith lore. I would like to know more about Darth NotVoldemorts background.

I would wonder if it's safe to assume Kylo while gifted, is closer to the ranks of Adept or Knight then a Sith Lord. Even with the injury I was expecting near Force Unleashed Hulk Smashing when he seemed rather weak considering two talented rookies fought him to a standstill. He sure does have Anakins whiny streak though.

Only thing that didn't felt clear, I thought storm troopers were all supposed to be clones, that's why they are all so lifeless and emotionless. Why didn't they just keep making more clones instead of using human soldiers?  

I might be misunderstanding you here but it is my understanding that the Clone troopers were only in use during the Prequel eras. The current crop of troopers are forcefully recruited from planets that the Empire has dominion over, though if I recall Finn said that the Stormtroopers were taken as children similar to Halo's spartan II's.

I was a bit bummed how apparent it was Harrison Ford has crossed over into the geriatric years. That's not a criticism mind you, I'd love to look as good as him at his age. It's more of how slowly he was able to safely move and run somewhat broke my suspension of disbelief. For this reason I am somewhat glad his character went out in such an endearing way.

Overall it felt like a retelling of Episode IV but I didn't mind that and would argue the necessity of such to establish the next two movies and cement the passing of the torch between an old and new generation of fans.

Edit: If I recall the previous non Disney lore reason for the switch from clones to the pressing of their subjects into service was that Fetts DNA had started to deteriorate to the point where it was becoming unuseable. Or something to that effect.

[Caffeinated]

Watching it, I felt like a kid again.

I loved Finn, his whole character arc, I thought he was the best part of the movie. I hope that in the next movie we get more of his backstory, how the stormtrooper thing works in the First Order, what happened that made him able to break away, etc.

[Wondering]

I like Rey. A lot. A whole lot.

But I'm not a JJ Abrams fan, and I saw a lot of his handiwork that I didn't like here. Like, trying to remake A New Hope much? A robot with important documents lost on a desert planet again, really? And so so Abrams: A death star's not good enough for me, gotta make one huger and that kills whole systems, not just a single planet! Really? (And did they blow up Coruscant and no one batted an eyelash?)

Not okay with someone who doesn't have the force being able to wield a lightsaber. Maybe they'll go the route that Finn also has the force and that's why he didn't condition as a storm trooper correctly.

And I thought the point of the end of RotJ is that they defeated the Empire. So how is it back only 30 years later, with a whole army and a giant system-killer? It would make more sense if the First Order were the rebellious group and the Republic was trying to defeat it. But they made Leia the resistance, not the Republic's actual army.

Worried, since Abrams seems to be revisiting the well of the original movies so heavily, that they're going to make Rey and Ren twins. I hope not, since that would be stupid. Her being Luke's daughter is what makes sense.

Would be happier if they weren't going the love-at-first-sight thing with Finn and Rey, at least from his part. Can we have male and female leads who are close friends and not in love, please?

Things I liked:

Rey. Did I mention that I like Rey? I like Rey. Two more movies with her as the central character, please.

BB8. It's cute. And seems to have a bit of hero worship of R2D2 to show its good taste.

C3PO still popping up and interrupting at all the wrong moments.

That the wizened old person who imparts mystical secrets is a female character. And as such, the movie just barely passes the Bechdel Test.

I liked the battle in the snowy forest visually. That was cool.

It was Star Wars.

The music definitely felt like Star Wars to me.

John Williams had the music credit.

[eselle28]

I really liked it! I do agree that it was a retelling of Episode IV, and there were a couple of times I thought it leaned a little too heavily on old elements.

I strongly enjoyed both Rey and Finn and thought they had great chemistry together. I liked that our spunky young hero is female, not for plot specific reasons but simply because she can be. I thought her arc as a character was strong, and the ending of the film was really moving. I'm really hoping they don't go with the twins angle. I wouldn't scream if she were Luke's daughter, I also wouldn't mind it if she ends up being a favored pupil of his who survived or if her family history is something else altogether. Not everyone needs to be related!

As for Finn, I've always cringed at the way the storm troopers are always quickly killed off flunkies, and I appreciated that someone took the time to flesh out one as a person who has a completely different set of motives, lots of useful knowledge, and a different sort of history. For whatever it's worth, I interpreted him being able to use the light saber as being as sign he's Force sensitive. I think it means something that Maz Kanata, who seems to have more knowledge than many of the other characters, told him to use it.

I would have liked more female tertiary characters, but the movie passes the Mako Mori test with flying colors, and I do understand that there were lots of moving pieces with the old cast and that this movie ended up being busier than most due to that.

BB-8 is cute and funny. I think this is more important in this series than some others, because there is a it of a history of them shooting for amusing, child-friendly comic relief and landing on characters who are annoying or offensive.

Kylo got his act together in a couple of big scenes toward the end, but there were also a couple of times when he really got stuck with the Idiot Ball. If you've just learned someone is Force sensitive and has a ton of untrained power, why on earth are you leaving them to be guarded by a storm trooper? Wouldn't it make more sense just to restrain her and station troops outside the door, outside of the range of hearing?

[celette482]

I started calling my cats BB-8. So I was clearly enamored.

Kylo I think isn't stuck with the Idiot Ball. I think he's SUPPOSED to be stupid. Not well trained. Impulsive. Driven by emotion rather than anything resembling logic or good sense. It makes him scarier, because he is like this tornado- an unpredictable force of nature that could strike at any time.

But also because I think he's being set up to be redeemed. And "stupid because not well-trained and in need of guidance" is easier to redeem than "cold and calculatingly evil, chillingly competent"

I mean, look at how he fought! He looked like a kid swinging a stick around. (I mean they all did, these are not trained jedi using "an elegant weapon") And I thought that was plot/thematically relevant. They know there's a Force, and they're all just muddling through the best they can with what knowledge they have.

[Wondering]

I feel Rey needs to be Luke's or Leia's daughter because of how adept she was at using the force with no knowledge or training whatsoever. She did the mind control thing. She beat Ren -- even though he's poorly trained, he's still trained -- in the duel. She pulled the lightsaber to her. That's a level of skill that I would think an average force user would not be able to pull off with no training. And she didn't even really know what the force was. So I have to assume she's a Skywalker, and that means either Leia's kid (please, no) or Luke's.

I realized today that BB8 reminds me of Mo the cleaning robot in Wall-e. Cute and mission-oriented.

[Aggrax]

I liked it quite a bit. The part of the that's a fan of the old Extended Universe is amused by a bunch of little things that seem to echo it, at least in parts.

The First Order being a successor to the Empire built off of it's soldiers makes a lot of sense. While a good portion of the empires power was based in the Death Star, it did have fleets and soldiers all across the galaxy. The death of the Emperor and Vader completely destroyed the current power structure and allowed the Rebels to restore the Republic, they couldn't hit everyone and space is a big place to hide.

Also, I get the feeling that Fin is going to be Force sensitive. The way he reacted to the deaths on Jakuu makes me think of someone not just seeing senseless death, but feeling it through the Force. Even if he isn't though, I still think he's a great character. The fact that he can fight with a light saber makes a bit of sense. You don't need the Force to use them and the Stormtroopers were probably trained to fight against them with those baton things that the one trooper fought Fin with.

I also don't have any problem with how quickly Rey learned to use the force. Part of being a Jedi is surrendering to the will of the Force and allowing it to move through you. Luke had to come to terms with the existence of Force and his ability to use it. He doubted the very concept. Rey, on the other hand, knows the Force exists. She has seen its power and know that she is strong in it. She believes, both in it and in herself. That's why the Force persuasion works the second time. She is not discouraged by her failure, she does not doubt the Force.

Lastly, and this is probably me being weird, but I love how the movie handled C-3PO. He's a character that's hard to get right and the movie nailed it. I found it extremely ironic when he shouts out "Thank the Maker" at one point, considering how actually made him.

[Enail]

I really liked it too! The plot wasn't terribly original, but it didn't really need to be. They handled the hand-off between the old and new characters well, without either diminishing the old ones or overshadowing the new (oh, Han ). The new characters were likeable and sympathetic, they balanced competence and flawed human-ness well, and there's plenty of potential for further development. The settings were dramatic, the action exciting and the world felt huge and full. It felt like a Star Wars movie to me. I hadn't realized how much I missed that.

There were some bits and bobs that were a little messy. I couldn't tell if they wanted us to understand that Finn can use the Force or if we were just not supposed to think about the lightsaber as something only Jedi can use. And that old dude at the beginning seemed like he was supposed to be someone we know and care about (my mom, who hasn't seen the originals in a long time, actually thought it was Obi Wan until I mentioned he'd died way back when!)

I think Finn's defection story could have stood to be larger part of his plotline in the movie rather than just the character intro, but then, I'm a bit of a sucker for traitor stories. And it did make a good character intro. Rey got very good at the force very quickly, but as long as they give her something else to do Jedi plot-wise (struggling with the dark side, maybe?) rather than have her regress and spend a lot of time on mastering the skills in the next movie, I think it works fine. I didn't find Finn and Rey had huge amounts of chemistry but they didn't have non-chemistry either; I'd prefer if they didn't jump to "the first significant characters of the opposite sex who meet each other instantly fall in love" which is what they seemed to be going for, but if we have to have a romance, I won't hate them as a couple.

I'm not quite sure how to take Kylo Ren. It was an interesting choice to have the main bad guy be an ill-controlled, angsty, petulant Vadar-worshipper, and I do agree with you, Celette, that he makes stupid choices because he's full of rage and power and is in love with the idea of himself as an awesome villain but not that great at the reality of it. I think I like it more than not, and the inevitable redemption arc should be interesting.

[KitKat]

I wish I liked it more than I did. Kylo Ren just didn't read as scary, intimidating or all that powerful which, combined with the obvious, very abruptly introduced power creep lowered the overall gravitas in the movie. His line "I just want this pain to end", combined with his emotional tantrums just seemed played for laughs more than a serious character moment. Everything seemed very telegraphed (I would have loved if Han had displayed some genre-savviness for example and punched Darth Angst out, brought him aboard the ship and then there would be havoc wreaked there in the next movie).

The three new protagonists did a good job. I bought Finn and Poe's quick bromance because of the circumstances in which they met, but less so for Finn and Rey because where Poe was proactive, friendly and outgoing, Rey is initially presented as the complete opposite but Finn still latches on to her like a puppy in a way I think most find hard to relate to or find that endearing? The movie also bordered on trying too hard to showcase Rey's talents and awesomeness sometimes. The actress sold it well, I just wish we'd seen her do more engineering-related things in the introduction like she does later rather than giving her plot-appropriate engineering powers.

Plus for the female background characters amongst both rebels and storm troopers.

[Enail]

I bought Finn latching onto Rey just because of who he was, he seemed like almost a blank slate rather than a full person that I could believe he would kind of leap on anyone who assumed he was one and treated him as such. Even being called by his new name instead of a number seemed to give him a thrill, it seemed like it would create an instant emotional connection. I assume the storm troopers must be discouraged from socializing too much or having hobbies or whatever.

[reboundstudent]

I got the impression Rey was suddenly good at certain aspects of the Force because Kylo accidentally conditioned her to be.

In the interrogation scene (and can I say how gross it'd be if it turned out they were related, given how that scene was shot; rather suggestive and seductive?) he's wandering around in her mind until she is finally able to resist him, push him out, and accidentally stumble into his mind (Similar to Harry and Snape in the Order of the Phoenix). I got the impression that she figured out how to do a few nifty Force tricks from seeing inside his mind, almost as if he HAD trained her. Similarly, I totally buy Rey's engineering awesomeness given that her survival depending on her knowing parts and how valuable/useful they are.

Anybody else get a serious Zuko vibe from Kylo? I really dug him as a tantrum-throwing, impulsive, villainous but idiotic guy.

[Enail]

Really? I didn't see it as at all suggestive or seductive. You might have a point about the accidental training, though, and I definitely think Kylo could pull a Zuko. He's a lot further down the bad path than Zuko, though, he always had some pretty solid redeeming traits and had a lot more reason to be misguided.

[Wondering]

I'm with Marty on the suggestiveness of that scene. I would go farther; I thought it was rapey. I was worried that was what was going to be threatened there.

[PintsizeBro]

I liked it. I was prepared to like it as long as it wasn't terrible, and it ended up being pretty good. It hit all the beats of Episode IV, but that's what the fanbase needed after the horror that was the prequel trilogy. The opening line had meaning not just to the characters, but the fans: This will begin to set things right.

General thoughts, in no particular order:

Captain Phasma is the Boba Fett of the new movies. Looks super cool, has 3 lines, doesn't do very much, but there's a lot of potential there.

Kylo Ren is trying really hard to be an evil badass, but he's just not very good at it. Rey spells it out: "You're afraid that you'll never be as powerful as Darth Vader." He's a scared bully who desperately wants to feel strong. He is a scary character, not because of his power, but because like Celette said, he's unpredictable and destructive like a tornado. I love the Emo Kylo Ren parody Twitter.

Rey is probably Luke's daughter. Daisy Ridley looks a lot like Natalie Portman, and Luke's saber calls to her. It would make more sense than having her and Kylo be twins. I wouldn't mind having her not be a Skywalker, but when Luke sees her in the last scene... he looks like he's seen a ghost.

I wouldn't hate Rey and Finn as a couple, but I think they work better as friends. At the end, Rey kisses his forehead, which strikes me as more an affectionate gesture than a romantic one. I'm totally on the Finn/Poe train, but I'll be genuinely surprised if that ship gets launched.

The mind-reading scene was totally rapey.

Han and Leia are both still hot.

John Boyega's American accent is really good.

The lightsaber cross guard that a bunch of us hated so much in the preview suddenly makes sense: it's trying way too hard, just like Kylo.

[waxingjaney]

If that scene is rapey, then the earlier one with the pilot guy is also rapey. He was bloodied up, too, so bdsm rapey?

[reboundstudent]

If that scene is rapey, then the earlier one with the pilot guy is also rapey. He was bloodied up, too, so bdsm rapey?

For me, it wasn't exactly the blood or even the mind-reading. It was the.... intimacy, of the scene between Ray and Kylo, that shaded it as suggestive. He's standing super close to her (without his helmet), whispering about how she was lonely, as she's crying and turning away. With the pilot, he had his helmet on, was standing at a distance, and only seemed to be poking around for relevant information.

(Just to be clear, it is absolutely possible there is no subtext intended by the filmmakers, and I'm reading way too much into the framing/staging.)

[Wondering]

For me, it wasn't exactly the blood or even the mind-reading. It was the.... intimacy, of the scene between Ray and Kylo, that shaded it as suggestive. He's standing super close to her (without his helmet), whispering about how she was lonely, as she's crying and turning away. With the pilot, he had his helmet on, was standing at a distance, and only seemed to be poking around for relevant information.

This exactly. It was a) standing close, b) helmet off, c) whispering that made me squirm uncomfortably in my seat and think, "Please don't go there." The earlier scene wasn't like that.

[bomaye]

Decided to go see it. With my mom. My neckbeard level is over 9000 B)

- Kylo Ren was the best part of this movie. This was the Anakin Skywalker we should've gotten in the prequels. Throwing temper tantrums, bitter, hacking shit up when angry, having to fend off the Light Side. Dat voice . Darth Vader was too cool of a character to hate, Kylo is hateable as fuck and a villain I really want to see taken down
- "BEN!" I had that scene spoiled for me and it didn't matter. That was so well done. Han doesn't give up on his son, and then the sun goes out, the room goes red, and his son gives up on him. Han's body just callously falling into the abyss afterwards. FUCK. This villain.
- I also really liked the twist on the old staple with that scene. Vader the fallen apprentice strikes down Old Ben while a new hope watches, now Ben the fallen apprentice strikes down old Han while a new hope watches.
- I really loved the Starkiller base. A super-duper giant Death Star that can shoot multiple planets with it's light speed cannon. Giant super weapons and tiny rebels figuring out how to blow it up is in the DNA of Star Wars, you couldn't have this movie without it. It reminded me of something from Macross/Robotech, too
- Really liked how the New Order was shades of Nazi Germany. A saw some political backstory thing for the different factions posted elsewhere that made that even more apparent. That Nazi-Rally while the Starkiller fired was pretty spectacular visually
- Every kid in the world is going to want a BB-8 toy. Every one. Including the 30 year old ones
- Lot of good banter and comedy with Han Solo and Chewie
- Finn kept fucking up and I kept going "I really like this guy." Maybe he had a bit of combat training as a Stormtrooper janitor, but his panic attack in battle (I think he mentioned that stuff at the beginning of the movie was his first time?), his trying to escape with his life any way possible, his overcompensating for not being all that cut out for this. Dat everyman character
- Poe was everything 1970s about Star Wars rolled up into a physical character. I want to play as this guy in a new Rogue Squadron game.
- My favourite stuff with Rey was her evading that last TIE Fighter with the Falcon, the awkwardness when using Han's blaster, and the duel in the snow with Kylo (hacking him up, scarring him, eventually he'll need the same kind of mechanical shit that Vader needed, he'll get his wish ). And more the mystery of where they're going with her. She seems kind of like the original Han/Leia/Luke trio mashed all together, and I kind of feel she's gotta be a Skywalker somehow. I saw a joke-image about how she's pretty much a Mary Sue, and I kind of agree with that so far, but they've also got to be building her up for something in the next movie or so to offset it, that "Luke, I am your Father" Empire moment where that fear she had when picking up Luke's lightsaber finally comes to pass.
- Except for the oldies getting together and the stuff with Kylo and Han, I didn't totally buy into the emotional stuff between the new and old characters, and the new characters between each other. Like, they barely know each other and Han somehow becomes Rey's father figure over one hyperspace jump and Finn leaving was some kind of like emotional moment when they barely knew each other. Poe and Finn shared a hurried walk and frenzied escape in a TIE Fighter and they were hugging like old friends and Poe let him have his jacket. I guess battlefield adrenaline and shared experience is a thing, but I just kinda don't buy it whenever I see things like this in anything
- Noooooo I wanted Luke to go Vader styleeeee. That's prob a bit too hardcore of a thing to do though, so Old Ben-style Luke, sad old man who fucked up when doing Jedi shit should be p. gud too. Next movie better start with Rey running through a jungle swamp with Luke piggybacking on her and talking in backwards sentences
- I thought the movie was a little too long, there was a middle portion where it was kind of like "Okay guys, let's get going now" but I'm not sure what you really could've removed from it to still keep the story the way it was. It might also be because the theater seats were destroying my tall-guy back
- The ending made me want more in a very good way (LUKE VS KYLO WHEN, WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH SNOKE etc)
- The fuzzy neckbeard in me can't wait for EU shit involving all of these characters

[Enail]

I saw it with both my parents, I win

[celette482]

I saw it for a second time with both my parents, Mr. Celette, my brother and his wife, HER parents, and HER aunt and uncle. ...I actually don't know how to describe that whole.... thing. we were a row.

[Enail]

You definitely win!

[nearly_takuan]

I went with my parents, too. And they paid.

I agree it's strange that Kylo saw Finn being weird and did nothing at all about it, but he does have two possible motives I can think of post-hoc. One being that he apparently feels "called" to the Light Side and has to willfully resist it, so confronting Finn and demanding that he shoot people may not have been his first instinct. The other being that he has some rivalry going on with the army leadership and may have been told either that it wasn't his place to interfere with something like that or that if one of the soldiers screwed up he'd have the advantage in said rivalry.

First Order just can't seem to stop royally fucking up everything to do with strategy. Apparently their one advantage is ludicrous technological advancements in warfare.

I hope they can explain at some point what it is that makes Kylo Ben think he's "in so much pain" or whatever, besides being a teenager who thinks Anakin was edgy and cool. Because the best justification that's been shown so far is that his parents are slightly dysfunctional and the Jedi Code seems to have been designed specifically for the purpose of teaching people not to be good parents. And that's... okay, I guess, but going from that to cold-blooded murder and general creepiness always feels like a bit of a leap.

[bomaye]

I hope they play into the war-time romance thing. I think Cracked did a thing about it once, before they were Rebels, Han was a criminal and Leia was a politician and diplomat, once they return to "normal" life, that relationship was going to fall apart because he doesn't know how to live like a normal person with responsibility and she doesn't know anything but, and they're both too headstrong to really give in to each other.

[WJMorris3]

I thought the movie was awesome; out of respect for those reading this thread who haven't seen the movie, I refuse to post any spoilers.

[Sponsored content]