I have a bad feeling about this.

[Commando]

Empire is 8.8.

If 3 is 7.7, then 7 will settle in Return of the Jedi range. It's definitely a better movie by solid margin than 3. 3 to me is at best a 7.

Saw it again today and I'm solidly in the camp that 7 is right behind Empire. And really, that's pretty good for a movie that had to dedicate the majority of its run time to expository endeavors.

[Commando]

I thought 3 was pretty good. Had some nice dramatic tension. 7.7 sounds about right to me.

I liked a lot about 3. It's problems are more sizable than ones we spot in the latter 4, but it was cool simply b/c it covered ground. I felt like I and II were dicking around making stuff up so they could get to the good part that was teased for almost 30 years, all of which took place in III.

[Commando]

The sass and witty banter between her and Ford was gone. Perhaps that was intentional to show that the sexual tension had gone since they were married and had extinguished that flame, but Ford's lines were pretty typical of what Solo would say. Fisher was very matronly and almost nurturing, which, to men, might seem less martial, and more marital. We expect generals to be more resolved--though in Star Wars Ackbar is almost comical, especially in E6.

I did watch it today with this board's assessment of Carrie fresh in my head and it was weird-- she really was wooden and emotionless with Han for most of her dialogue. She squeezes out a drop of emotion when they come to an understanding of why they went their separate ways when he says, "I guess i went back to doing what I did best" and she replies, "we both did" The rest of it seemed clunky and unnecessarily expository. All of that information could have been conveyed less clumsily-- through Snoke, etc. but I understand why Han/Leia had to deliver that information, though. It would seem too cold and distant for the one time we see KR's parents together to not talk about him as their chief concern and address his departure. I did love the part when Adam Driver is reading her mind and says " you see Han Solo as the father you never had, do you?... He would have disappointed you." Great writing to deliver an insightful expository moment that doesn't get obvious and patronizing. i hate when Leia says "THAT'S WHY I SENT HIM TO TRAIN WITH LUKE" and "NO IT WAS SNOKE THAT SEDUCED HIM TO THE DARK SIDE" after Han says "he had too much Vader in him." Somehow I think that's too much info/or a weird way to put it to/for Han and therefore patronizing to the audience.

But I did like her moment with Rey- one of the emotionally impactful moments I noticed this time around-- along with Han bearing his testimony on the MF and Han talking to his son on the bridge. I also loved Hux's speech-- dude killed it- just sheer hitler rage going on there. I also liked Finn when he gets serious and says "you don't know a thing about me, etc." I like that he's a goofball but can flip a switch when called upon.

[Commando]

-though in Star Wars Ackbar is almost comical, especially in E6.

I chuckled to myself thinking how Ackbar/the writers really looked like they were trying hard to suppress the word, "magnitude." He says 'size' instead.

[Jeff Lebowski]

One of the things that will hurt 7 over time is that it was so derivative of earlier episodes when it didn't need to be. How many of these big planet-sized weapons are they going to destroy using the same basic approach? And another father-son conflict? Kind of a shame they didn't think of something new. Once the thrill of having the series rebooted wears off, the lack of originality will become more of an issue.

Swish.

https://www.thewrap.com/inevitable-s...urn-on-reboot/

After nearly unanimous praise and feverish buzz, the J.J. Abrams film takes a beating.

For Disney’s record-setting “Star Wars” reboot, the Force isn’t strong enough to stave off Internet haters and critics waking up to hangovers from the lengthy hype.
The J.J. Abrams film was almost universally praised ahead of its Dec. 18 release where it went on to shatter domestic and global records, including the biggest opening weekend of all time and the first film to ever gross $100 million in a single day.

Now that the dust has settled, criticism over the film’s weaker plot points and pacing issues have cropped up in second takes from critics and fans on social media.

[YOhio]

Swish.

https://www.thewrap.com/inevitable-s...urn-on-reboot/

Haha. That article is great. It notes that the RT rating is holding strong at 94% and it's broken loads of box office records. But wait a minute! Some people on the internet don't like it! Holy shit! Who could have predicted that would happen?!?!?

[Omaha 680]

Nah-- it's generally agreed amongst us nerds that 2 is the worst. This is the low point of the series due to so much damn cgi you can almost see the tennis balls everyone is supposed to be talking to. This is the one w the whole ridiculous sequence of C 3PO in the droid factory getting worked over on the assembly line -- ALL cgi special. It also has the worst dialogue in the series-- "Sand gets everywhere," "Hold me like you used to back on the lake on Naboo," "m'lady" etc., along w Obi Wan's fake beard, whiny skinny anakin, and the horrible mistake (according to me) of Yoda wielding a light saber.

Episode I had a few things going for it: 1. A lot more practical effects and on-location sets 2. Darth Maul. 3. Qui Gonn 4. the Pod race

Episode II had a couple good things, but I mostly only like the fight between Obi Wan and Jango Fett and Anakin killing sand people.

I'm glad to see you share my opinion of E2. Just awful. The Droid factory scene was the low point of the entire series for me. I remember seeing a behind the scenes piece on E2 and they were interviewing Natalie Portman between takes in that Droid factory crap. She said something like "this can't be serious".

[Moliere]

Saw it again today. It really is a very good movie. I caught a number of new things, but nothing really big. Just some tidbits here and there that make the movie better. It's definitely not the perfect movie that some people want, but JJ did about as good of a job as he could have done with it. I even took my daughters and they ate it up and I don't think they've even seen ESB or RotJ. The biggest weakness was the music. John Williams didn't have anything new to add. Even with the prequels he came up with some compelling scores.

My ranking of the Star Wars movies is:

1. A New Hope - I like this one better than ESB
2. Empire Strikes Back
3. The Force Awakens
4. Revenge of the Sith - This one was good in spite of the awful script and it's really the only one of the prequels I'll watch several times
5. Return of the Jedi
6. The Phantom Menace - So much promise and even some decent ideas (speeder race, Darth Maul, etc.) ruined by all the other crap
7. Episode 2 (what was it called again??? Also, the only Natalie Portman movie that I despise...)

[Jeff Lebowski]

Haha. That article is great. It notes that the RT rating is holding strong at 94% and it's broken loads of box office records. But wait a minute! Some people on the internet don't like it! Holy shit! Who could have predicted that would happen?!?!?

You are whiffing on the main point. It has been so long since a Star Wars movie that people are overlooking things that will weigh it down over time.

Another take:

http://www.vox.com/2015/12/26/106648...ens-derivative

By now, more or less everyone has acknowledged that Star Wars: The Force Awakens closely echoes A New Hope — so closely, in fact, that "echoes" does not quite do it justice. It lifts most of its major plot points from A New Hope (and a few from that film's two sequels), sprinkling in some new characters.

Some reviewers have dismissed this lightly; others have dwelled on it a bit, but ultimately forgiven it. Vox's own Ezra Klein has argued that it is a feature, not a bug, a way of bringing comic-book sensibilities to the Star Wars franchise.


I find it a little weird that this doesn't bother critics more. I'm with Brian Merchant: the movie's "predictable, nostalgia-reliant, repackaged thrills" are "a defeat for what made the trilogy extraordinary in the first place—its madcap sci-fi originality and genre-bending experimentation."

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it. But much of the current hype is unsustainable.

[YOhio]

You are whiffing on the main point. It has been so long since a Star Wars movie that people are overlooking things that will weigh it down over time.

Another take:

http://www.vox.com/2015/12/26/106648...ens-derivative



Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it. But much of the current hype is unsustainable.

Vox. Lol. Keep up the hot takes!

[Jeff Lebowski]

Vox. Lol. Keep up the hot takes!

I am a patient man. Time will prove me right and once again you're going to look like a knucklehead for having doubted me.

[YOhio]

I am a patient man. Time will prove me right and once again you're going to look like a knucklehead for having doubted me.

I will never again doubt you that some people on the Internet get mad about some things! I'm just disappointed that the popcorn movie about spaceships and aliens with laser guns didn't have the plot depth that you and topper were looking for.

[Moliere]

Talking about plots holes

Spoiler for plot hole:

I'm still confused on why they needed the map from R2D2. Sure the map from BB8 wasn't complete, but he basically had Luke's location and a map of a lot of the galaxy around that point. It's like trying to get to Disneyworld and all you have is a map of Florida. Do you really need a map of the rest of the USA to get there? It seems they could have just checked some star charts and figured out where BB8s map was located in the galaxy and then just go there

[Jeff Lebowski]

I will never again doubt you that some people on the Internet get mad about some things! I'm just disappointed that the popcorn movie about spaceships and aliens with laser guns didn't have the plot depth that you and topper were looking for.

Don't be so dramatic. I've said several times that I liked it.

[San Juan Sun]

I will never again doubt you that some people on the Internet get mad about some things! I'm just disappointed that the popcorn movie about spaceships and aliens with laser guns didn't have the plot depth that you and topper were looking for.

I agree with John Stockton. You guys probably didn't like Independence Day either. Plot holes, etc, etc.