Force Awakens in Theaters (all spoilers here!)

[Kingpin]

Anyone seeing it? I'm seeing it twice today, once at an early 7 showing and again at midnight. Can't wait!

[TheMastermindOfMaom]

My country will be getting it in the 24th...so no :/

Just a little spoiler though (in coded form).
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Hidden/Spoiler:

salary dies by kilograms

[Maveritchell]

I'm sitting in the theater now, t-minus 5 min. Make sure to keep the spoilers in this topic, please! I've updated the first post to reflect this.

Future readers, feel free to post spoilers without boxes, and be warned that others are doing the same!

[ZoomV]

Observations
-Kylo Ren has curly hair.
-Kylo Ren is "the master of the knights of Ren"
-TIE fighters apparently have hyperdrives now, as implied by Fen wanting to take their stolen TIE to another system.
-The First Order officer uniforms seem to be inspired by Cold War Soviet uniforms.
-Females can serve in both soldier and officer positions in the First Order.
-Nobody was killed by Force Choke, although many computer consoles died horribly.
-Blaster bolts can now cause bleeding.
-5 "republic" planets all in one system where destroyed, one of them was a planet city. (did they finally destroy Coruscant?)
-No space dogfights, they like their atmo.
-random TIE fighters can still consistently 1v1 random unnamed X-wings.
-Poe is blatantly OP and probably needs to be nerfed.
-No Sith references, no Darths or Lords, although the Supreme Leader seems to be another Palpatine character.
-The big bad plot mechanic is..... A Death Star, but BIGGER
-Stormtroopers are not clones although it is implied that returning to clones could be possible
-Han Solo got rekt
-Kylo Ren got rekt
-Fen sucks with Lightsabers
-Something very bad happened between ep VI and ep VII
-Kylo Ren sucks vs Bowcasters
-It totally feels like a Star Wars Movie.

I liked the opening shot, the moment I heard those engines I was like "seriously? another overhead?" But then it came from the bottom and I was like "well played JJ Abrams"
I was disappointed with the Luke scene, I felt like that was tacked on for no other reason than to have a shot with Luke. Imo it should have ended when Ray flew off in the falcon to find Luke.
I did like that the new main characters had a lot of the characteristics of the old three, but swapped around. Fen is like a combo of Han Solo and Luke, but Ray got Han Solo's rough side with Leia's practicality.

Best line has to go to:
"We'll use the Force"
"That's not how the Force works"

[Maveritchell]

I agree with a lot of that, notably:

Imo it should have ended when Ray flew off in the falcon to find Luke.

First thing I said to my buddies after the movie - "Welp, that was a Star Wars movie."

I'm not 100% sure whether it was Coruscant or not that got exploded. It looked like it, but it had more moons than we saw in Episode III and there was a big water feature in one of the ground shots. It was admittedly hard to tell, though, with all the "being destroyed" going on. I know that my first reaction was to think that it was probably Coruscant.

I'm now also really bummed that they couldn't get Denis Lawson for this movie. I feel like it was probably a significant role they wanted him to fill (boy, it would have been great to call Poe "Antilles" instead of "Dameron").

I also can't read Aurebesh quickly enough to read the holomap they showed at the end. It's kind of a moot point, since they showed Luke anyway, but as best I could tell, the planet name ended with "er."

I couldn't get over how much Rey looked like Kiera Knightley. This confirms my crackpot theory that she's Luke's daughter, given her vision, and the fact that it's hard canon that Kiera Knightley looks just like Luke's mom.

The movie felt very fast. I could have gone with maybe one less set-piece. Probably the scene with the pirates on Han's freighter (and, of course, the last scene).

[ZoomV]

I couldn't get over how much Rey looked like Kiera Knightley. This confirms my crackpot theory that she's Luke's daughter, given her vision, and the fact that it's hard canon that Kiera Knightley looks just like Luke's mom.

I don't think so for no other reason than having Ray be Luke's daughter is the obvious play. And if this movie did one thing, it was making us think it would do the obvious and then go in the exact opposite direction.

It's also worth noting that Ray's vision showed that she was given directly to that thug on Jaku. I highly doubt either Luke or anyone Luke would be willing to sleep with would abandon their child to a thug.

[Twilight_Warrior]

I'm with Mav on this one. I think Rey is Luke's kid and the reason they left her on Jakku (presumably under the discrete supervision of that Resistence ally from the beginning) was the same reason Luke was hidden on Tatooine. To protect her from being found by the First Order.
(Also, Ben Skywalker was my favorite character in the old EU and I really hope they bring that character back in Rey.)

Speaking of old EU, Kylo Ren is basically Jacen Solo, and I love that.

[TheMastermindOfMaom]

Kylo's real name is Ben Solo,so you kinda got Ben Skywalker lol.

[Kingpin]

Agree with everything said so far! Was really excited to see JJ manage to do such a fantastic job. Might be my third favorite Star Wars!

[ARCTroopaNate]

Saw it last night, I was really impressed, but was I the only one bothered by the seeming lack of an original plot?? A lot of it felt like I was watching the story from A New Hope with some new names and graphics.

[TheMastermindOfMaom]

That was kinda the point of Abrams I believe.

[AceMastermind]

I just watched it and i'm still trying to process everything I saw, but my first overall impression of the movie was it looked like a Robot Chicken version of Episode 4. I was also thinking Kylo and Rey were probably brother and sister for some reason, don't know. I need to see it again to make better sense of some parts.

[Twilight_Warrior]

Kylo's real name is Ben Solo,so you kinda got Ben Skywalker lol.

No, Ben Skywalker was amazing, Jacen Solo was a whiny ungrateful child who decided to turn sith

Kylo may be Ben Solo, but he's no Ben Skywalker

I was also thinking Kylo and Rey were probably brother and sister for some reason, don't know.

I thought this at first, as well (if they're drawing inspiration from Jacen Solo, why not Jaina, as well?), but then I thought Leia and Han would discuss having a daughter that they abandoned, too. And if Rey showed up, they'd recognize her if she was their daughter.

[Eggman]

Definitely a fun movie. I'm looking forward to seeing it again on Saturday morning. I feel like I'm still processing it a lot...what I liked, didn't like, etc. I saw it in the middle of a busy work week, so odd as it may sound, I didn't feel mentally prepared to watch a new Star Wars movie.

While it had quite a few similarities to A New Hope, I thought they were tastefully done. The nostalgia and fan service were all kept in moderation, and I didn't think they detracted from the film at all.

There are tons of things I loved about it. The action scenes were beautiful, the lightsaber duel was intense, the new actors were great, and Chewie really had a chance to shine as a character!

If I had to give one thing I didn't like about the film, it would be: the pacing seemed too fast. The film seemed to skip over a lot of potentially interesting material (if internet rumors are to be believed, it seems somewhere between 10-30 minutes of film was cut in editing...I wonder if they cut too much). Even the beats within scenes felt too quick...moments that seemed really big in the trailers ("Chewie...we're home" / "It's true...all of it...the Dark Side...the Jedi...") just flew by casually within the film. But maybe that's just the reaction of someone who wanted to take his sweet time to relish in the wonders of a new Star Wars movie. I imagine the pacing will feel more appropriate after I've seen it a few times.

Oh, and one other thing I didn't like: that helicopter 360 shot at the very end. Ugh...felt so out of place for Star Wars.

I'm not 100% sure whether it was Coruscant or not that got exploded. It looked like it, but it had more moons than we saw in Episode III and there was a big water feature in one of the ground shots. It was admittedly hard to tell, though, with all the "being destroyed" going on. I know that my first reaction was to think that it was probably Coruscant.

From what I've heard, that was not Coruscant. It was some new planet that was the current seat of the New Republic. I feel like the whole situation with the Republic could have used some more exposition...without it, I really didn't have any reason to care about the entire planet or system being destroyed. It was just a brief shot of a few characters I had never seen, followed by a bunch of pretty explosions.

[RevanSithLord]

I realize that you said we can post without spoiler boxes, but I feel more comfortable putting my thoughts in them. Including relevant details from past Star Wars movies, in-case, for whatever reason, someone here didn't see the original trilogy, which is possible.

Hidden/Spoiler:

[quote="Maveritchell"]I'm not 100% sure whether it was Coruscant or not that got exploded. It looked like it, but it had more moons than we saw in Episode III and there was a big water feature in one of the ground shots. It was admittedly hard to tell, though, with all the "being destroyed" going on. I know that my first reaction was to think that it was probably Coruscant..[/quote]


"The Hosnian system was a system under the control of the New Republic roughly thirty years after The Battle of Endor. The capital planet of the system, Hosnian Prime, and four other planets were destroyed by the First Order's Starkiller Base. The system was home to the Republic's new capital, and hosted its fleets, all of which were destroyed upon the firing of the Starkiller Superweapon, leaving the Resistance without the aid of its primary official backer." - Wookieepedia source

They even mentioned the name of the planet (and the rest of that system) destroyed in the film. Some details were mentioned a bit too fast, I have to admit, and were easy to miss. It's hard to process all the little details when someone is pumped up from the hype of a new film as big as this. Also, if there's anything left of the New Republic, they'd better find a new planet to rebuild.

Something I would like to have known is how Anakin's/Luke's saber ended up in the hands of Maz Kanata (that female alien pirate who owns the castle on Takodana. [PS - for accurate spelling - admittedly I am using the Wiki, but I paid as much attention to detail during the film as possible.]).

We all remember seeing the saber fall in the shaft on Bespin after Luke's right hand decided to go on vacation. Did she just happen to be on a lower level where it might have landed? Did an Ugnaught find it in a junk bucket somewhere and decide to sell it as scrap? I'd really like to know that detail. Because I had thought that the saber was lost forever, perhaps falling out a shaft at the bottom of Cloud City into the gas planet's atmosphere. Maybe I missed a detail. Who knows? The pacing was a bit fast in parts.

I am quite happy that the New Republic is still a thing and is in current canon continuity. I wonder if they'll mention the Imperial Remnant, because obviously The First Order derives from the Galactic Empire, but are there still other Imperial-related factions out there dedicated to doing the same thing The First Order is doing? Well, at least the New Republic is there. Maybe they can still bring in Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors, even Dash Rendar, in the next films. :p

Overall, I think J.J. nailed it and it definitely gave me a proper OT-style vibe. The movie definitely didn't disappoint. So many people wanted an Episode 7 for so long and now we finally have it.

[quote="Eggman"]Oh, and one other thing I didn't like: that helicopter 360 shot at the very end. Ugh...felt so out of place for Star Wars.[/quote]

I have to admit that it felt a bit...off...and weird. If they didn't do the shot like that, it would have been a bit better there and it wouldn't have lost the dramatic feeling of Luke turning around to see Rey with his old saber.

[Eggman]

Saw it in IMAX 3D this morning. The second viewing definitely allowed me to appreciate the film more. As I expected, the pacing felt better this time around. Maybe the only places I still wish it had slowed down was the dialogue in some scenes - still felt like some of the beats flew by too quickly. Just a word of warning in case you go to see it in 3D: try to get a seat at least halfway back in the theater. I was in row E, and it was way too close. Anything not in the foreground or in the center of the screen was a bit blurry or in double-vision for me, and it was difficult to track everything on screen at times. It's a shame, because I thought the 3D was well done (and I don't usually care for 3D). I'm glad my first viewing was in 2D. If you plan to see it twice, I highly recommend seeing it once in 2D and once in 3D.

Spoilers regarding Maz below:

Hidden/Spoiler:

I've seen some people complaining about how Maz has so little screen time and just disappears after Takodana. I disagree. If additional scenes with her were cut, I think they were justified. She fulfills her purpose in the film, and then the story moves on. We don't need to see how exactly she, Han, and Chewie dug their way out of the rubble, and we don't need to see where she went after the battle. I don't see why she would travel to the Resistance base. While she does firmly state they need to fight the First Order, she doesn't strike me as the kind of character who would align herself with any specific faction in that fight. I imagine she stayed behind to gather whatever other relics she had hiding in her basement, then went to some new hideaway.

All that said, I think she is a fascinating character, and I can't wait to see more of her - whether in Episode VIII/IX, an anthology film, an episode of Rebels...who knows. Considering that she is at least 1000 years old, there are so many possibilities. Did she help fugitive Jedi after Order 66? Did she ever meet Anakin Skywalker, or Obi-Wan, or Yoda? How long has she known Han Solo? And I have no doubt that we will find out how she acquired the lightsaber.

[JimmyAngler]

Soo just saw this beut and now I can peruse the thread with a full mind.

To keep it short and sweet, I think the movie was amazing, but there were some scenes and characters I disagreed with.
Kylo Ren was everything I wanted him to be, until he took the mask off. I mean, Adam Driver's face is not my type of raging furious villain, sorry.
Second, What HAPPENED TO PHASMA? I thought she was going to play a semi-important role in XII, but she ended up being a dump (no pun intended).

Saw it last night, I was really impressed, but was I the only one bothered by the seeming lack of an original plot?? A lot of it felt like I was watching the story from A New Hope with some new names and graphics.

I am right there with you, it was too original. (Let'ss go blow up the giant ball of death by hitting the weak spot after our dudes go disable the shields, all in "15" minutes!)

Well now that the bad is out of the way here comes the good.

Rey and "Fin" were great characters, especially with the witty humorous remarks and their conduct in intense battle scenarios. They should have kept the "Fin's crush on Rey", but I really didn't want Rey to "like" him. Oh well.
I loved the return of all the old characters (and even some old props and everyone in the theater clapped every time some old face graced the screen.
Gotta say Ford still has it (anyone notice the strained old smirk he hit on the falcon?), but I almost lost it when he died.. I thought he deserved and different peaceful death, not by his own son.

BB-8, by far the most perfected little ball droid out there.

Poe and Maz were great aspects to the cast and I thought they played their parts well and added a good touch to the movie.

And lastly, THANK HEAVENS THAT SNOKE'S SIZE WAS A HOLOGRAM!! If it wasn't and he was literally that size, it would have a no-go for me.

(Did anyone else dress up for the midnight showing? I wore my Clone Helmet and other SW apparel to the show)

[AnthonyBF2]

I just got back from seeing this. I have to say this is my favorite Star Wars from all seven. When the dvd comes out I will binge re-watch this for about 3 days. I really like Chewbacca was given some time, Wookiees are known to pull arms out of sockets when getting beat an electronic hologame but what happens if you kill his life time pal???

Hidden/Spoiler:

Now I really wanna go waste troopers with Chewie on Battlefront 2.

[Kingpin]

And lastly, THANK HEAVENS THAT SNOKE'S SIZE WAS A HOLOGRAM!! If it wasn't and he was literally that size, it would have a no-go for me.

I KNOW. The first time around I didn't even hear what they said since I was freaking out about it. Diet Dr. Pepper JJ, WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS!??!?!

[ZoomV]

All that said, I think she is a fascinating character, and I can't wait to see more of her - whether in Episode VIII/IX, an anthology film, an episode of Rebels...who knows. Considering that she is at least 1000 years old, there are so many possibilities. Did she help fugitive Jedi after Order 66? Did she ever meet Anakin Skywalker, or Obi-Wan, or Yoda? How long has she known Han Solo? And I have no doubt that we will find out how she acquired the lightsaber.[/hide]

I have a theory that Maz given her age and height, might be a female of Yoda's species.