UPDATE 2! Star Wars: The Force Awakens Has Crossed $300 Million Domestically in Just 5 Days! Also Breaks Weekend, Monday, & Tuesday Records.
Yesterday, it was reported that the final numbers for the worldwide opening weekend of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens were $517 million – just $8 million short of clearing the record established by this year’s Jurassic World. However, a newer report has just clarified that the estimate was actually a bit short of the mark, and that The Force Awakens has claimed both the largest domestic opening weekend and the largest worldwide opening weekend!
From Entertainment Weekly:
Yesterday, Star Wars: The Force Awakens made breaking box office records look easier than bullseyeing womp rats in a T-16, shattering just about every record on the books. Not only did The Force Awakens become the first movie to make more than $100 million in a single day, but it earned the biggest domestic opening of all time, pulling in an estimated $238 million for the weekend. But even with its massive domestic debut, its international opening wasn’t as strong, and as a result, it looked like there was one record it couldn’t break: Jurassic World’s $525 million global debut.
Guess we should all remember not to underestimate the Force. Initial Sunday estimates indicated that The Force Awakens would finish the weekend at $517 million globally, but the final total ended up at $529 million. That means Jurassic World’s record is officially history, and we can now add “biggest global debut ever” to The Force Awakens’ long, long list of box office accomplishments.
The only opening weekend record that wasn’t cleared was the record for the amount of money made in international territories on their own. It sits comfortably at the #3 spot there, behind Jurassic World and Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows – Part 2. It is likely that the film would have cleared this record as well if it had been released in China this weekend (it wasn’t able to due to China not screening foreign films around this time of year). In any case, it looks as though Star Wars has returned in a really big way – and it should be interesting to see how the movie continues to soar in the coming weeks.
UPDATE 1!
It sure didn’t take too long for the movie to break yet another record – biggest single-day domestic gross for a Monday. The previous record-holder – 2004’s Spider-Man 2 – made $27.7 million on the Monday after its debut, a record that not even recent box office titans like The Avengers or Jurassic World managed to break. Star Wars, however, nearly doubled that with a massive $40.1 million Monday, bringing the domestic total to $288 million. The drop from the film’s Sunday gross to its Monday gross is 33.8% – interestingly, that’s the proportionally the same drop in attendance that Avatar had in the same time period. However, Star Wars has had a substantially larger opening weekend than Avatar ($248 million versus $77 million), so that’s a very good sign that the movie will make truckloads of money (even by Star Wars standards). Overseas, the movie made an additional $41.7 million, bringing the worldwide total to $610.8 million. This weekend is also slated to be a huge for Star Wars, as it is expected to make a little over $160 million as it retains the #1 spot.
UPDATE 2!
With Tuesday’s returns comes another new record broken – biggest single-day domestic gross for a Tuesday. Amusingly enough, this beats another record previously set by a Spider-Man film – namely, by making $37.3 million against The Amazing Spider-Man‘s $35 million opening day. Unfortunately, this trend is not likely to continue against the Wednesday (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse – $68.5 million) and Thursday (Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith – $50 million) records, but at the rate the film is making money, it ought to be nearing or even passing the $500 million domestic mark by the end of the weekend. Right now, the movie’s sitting comfortably at a most impressive $325.4 million domestically – a feat which also cleared the fastest-to-$300-million record three days ahead of its previous holder, Jurassic World.
Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.
In case you guys haven’t seen this.
@7:35
http://youtu.be/K8_2rzOvPDs
So I guess they just went ahead and spoiled the “what happened to Han?” question.
:-O It was foretold!
‘Foretold’…
Is that how they’re spelling spoiled now?
Have you felt it?
*Deepening my voice in homage to the voice of Kylo Ren.*
“Yes.”
🙂
*Deepening my voice in homage to Supreme Leader Snoke*
“Even you have never faced such a test. It is time.”
rey is the one person that can make it rain on jakku. 😉
She made me rain on my face. Deep in the feels
I’m not surprised. Now we’ve just gotta beat Avatar 🙂
I could stomach Titanic being in first. Obviously due to teen girls, but the movie, at least the first time you saw it was a very interesting film, far beyond just the sinking. But Avatar, just a horrible movie all around.
such a waste of an interesting planet design and james camerons talent
I thought Avatar was ‘ok’ for what was essential looked like a computer game. I don’t get all the hype about it. If they wanted to make a statement about Native Americans they should’ve made something like ‘bury my heart at wounded knee’ not a space adventure. And ‘unobtainium’? Crikey… was that the best they could think of?
Avatar’s big claim to fame was its technology. It was the pioneer of modern 3D in the main stream. Kinda like how Wizard of Oz was the first color film in the public consciousness.
I agree. It still boggles me how people were able to excuse the mediocrity of that film just because it has fancy outdated 2009 PS4-level CGI.
I remember being impressed by the film, but I would have rolled my eyes if it actually won the Oscar – that would have been a complete disaster.
Honest question – why is this a thing that you care about? Avatar made an obscene amount of money, TFA made an obscene amount of money, there’s no danger of Disney not cranking out more and more and more of these things every year for the forseeable future, and you’re still not getting any of the dosh, so who cares?
I never got it either. My guess is “ownership” since we all paid for those tickets. Same deal with elections, sporting events, and “My God can kick your God’s ass”. Basic tribalism.
It’s a bragging rights thing…..like Ford vs Chevy, Coke vs Pepsi, Yankees vs. Boston, Giants vs. Cowboys. You want the thing that you love and associate with to be the best.
Couldn’t agree more. Been that way since prehistoric times and will be long after everyone here is gone.
I don’t need to financially profit from something to enjoy it, I think that’s the case with almost everyone. This is exactly the same as how people view sports events and whatever. Irrational competition that generates excitement is seemingly innate. I find some satisfaction in the fact that my favorite franchise or a movie I waited a couple years for is back in full force thrashing movies I didn’t like such as Jurassic World, Avatar and so on. Enjoying almost any movie, especially one like Star Wars, is just as irrational but you don’t seem to have a problem with that considering you’re on a site dedicated to Star Wars news.
Just leave me and others in peace to celebrate the staggering return of a great franchise! 🙂
Because Star Wars is the true kind of the world.
yep
Lmfao right now!!
LOL
Avatar was nominated for the Oscar.
Let’s laugh at that for a second. And then giggle at Crash.
I just learned that Episode VIII will be released in May again not December which is good since that means only a year and a half wait but it also means there will be less time to finish it than Episode VII. Also, Rogue One comes out a mere 6 months before, I’m guessing since they want the Episode VIII teaser attached to it.
i wouldn’t worry about it too much, just look it how the marvel machine keeps pumping out movies every year. now if it was JJ and kasden having to do the quick turn around i’d be concerned, but rian johnson has been on this since before they finished filming VII.
I think the MCU is a little different since comics are basically soap operas and there are so many different titles to focus on whereas until now Star Wars has always been an epic event type thing.
As for Johnson, I just hope the next one is really good since he’s also writing IX. For what it’s worth, I’ve enjoyed all his films so far even though he has not made many yet.
2 years between 8 and 9. That’s enough time.
I mean between VII and VIII. No official release date for IX yet.
Not 2 years at all. 1 year , 6 months, and 8 days exactly.
True that we don’t have a release date for IX, but I think May of 2019 is a safe bet.
I hope we get a change of director but before they are too far into preproduction.
I absolutely trust Kathleen Kennedy, who’s one of the best producers in the business. If she’s confident in hiring Colin Trevorrow, then he’s a good choice. There’s no need to replace him.
I’m just glad he’s not involved in the script process. Really does seem like they are patterning this new trilogy after the OT…
IV/VII – Popcorn director
V/VIII – Actorly director
VI/IX – Journeyman director
Maybe not. I just want IX to have more substance than Jurassic World.
Ive had bowel movements that have had more substance than Jurassic World. 😉 Having Colin Trevorrow directing episode IX scares me … But Rian Johnson directing VIII calms me … maybe theyll change directors within the time frame OR Trevorrow will possibly prove himself
Except they aren’t just starting to work on Ep 8 after Ep 7, as with most sequels. They’ve already been working on preproduction for almost a year, and begin shooting next month (not to mention the scene they already shot on Skellig Michael). So the actual time working on the film will have been more like 2 and a half years, which is more than enough.
Yep. The only downside to that would be that if there’s a big problem with VII, they can’t fix it in VIII. Luckily, there isn’t a huge problem with VII, so everything is okay.
I think the Skellig Michael stuff was cut from TFA. I remember Hamill raving about Ridley’s performance when it seems very odd that he would for a scene where no dialogue is between them, So I think there were more scenes of Luke initially. Especially if a 4 hour cut is to be believed.
I bet they filmed some of the scenes where Luke “hijacks the movie” or whatever.
I really hope you are right since that would mean Hamill is at the top of his game now. He looked awesome in it, I just wanted to see how he looked minus the robe.
They already started. They start shooting in 2 weeks I believe and the film will only shooting will only take about 3 or 4 months. Rumors or “spoilers” for episode 8 are already around the corner which is pretty crazy. Rogue One news should be popping up any day now. I have no idea what to expect from episode 9 though, too far ahead.
Still not a great deal of post-production time, Especially if they fall behind schedule. Long as the film is good then I don’t care, I’m also glad that it will be released in the summer again since the December release just felt off with all the holiday stuff going on now.
i actually think episode 8 will both be a great movie AND make more money…the 40th anniversary will get some to star wars out
i was going to point out that coming out in may means stiffer competition… then i looked it up and saw there’s pretty much zip coming out for the next month(no disrespect to kingsmen 2) to compete with it. so its definitely possible. 🙂
dont know if kingsman 2 would do jack shit…the first movie was great but i dont think matthew ever made a sequel to his own movie
Or it will be noticeably rushed since it come out a year and a half from now
Rian Johnson’s been working on the script for over a year or something, it will be finely polished. After filming they’ll have a full year of post production. It’ll be fine.
yep a full year…they even changed the movie to cater to rian
Yeah, 7 came out late, 8 is coming out on schedule.
Should be enough to buy Trevorrow out of his contract
For those really skilled in number crunching, I’d love to see how much this is adjusted for inflation.
The only thing that will keep TFA from being the all time box office king that we all want is that Star Wars is a very specific niche story. It’s not going to draw the older folks and the young girls like Titanic and Avatar did. It’s just he nature of the beast. I predict number 3 all time after Titanic….
i think Titanic is a given, it will make 1 billion before the week is done, that’s absurd and without China, China only opens in January
Adjusted figures now have the weekend total at $247 million.
I want to see TFA surpass avatar at box office
and the imdb rating keeps getting lower -.-
It has a higher imdb rating than Citizen Kane, Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind.
which just suggests that you can’t do a unitary top 10 for films… not even if you divide by genre (sci fi is soooooo varied while being a single genre)
The rating goes down to balance out the people who preemptively gave the movie a 10/10 or whatever. Right now, it’s sitting at a very good rating.
– Pomojema
It levels down a bit with any movie.
IMDB is one of the biggest trolled websites.
IMDB ratings are pretty meaningless. I completely ignore them.
Even Rotten Tomatoes is more accurate in my opinion.
agree fanboys are using multiple accounts
I said two months ago: it will break records in less than 14 parsecs…
I said 14? Ups sorry. In 12…
“Pswh… 14…”
Make all the cash in the world.
The best films are not the ones that made the most cash.
Make 4 or even 5 billion.
This is the Farce Awakens, and a crap movie.
But if you do make 5 billion, I would like A billion for the pain I had to go through watching this junk claiming to be Star Wars
Do us a favor and stop talking.
Do me a favor and get back to me with a suitable response. Unless you don’t have the capacity to discuss? In which case, maybe you should stop talking
You’re not discussing. You’re bitching, moaning, and complaining. You didn’t even say why you didn’t like the movie, you literally said “This movie is crap because it’s crap. GIVE ME ATTENTION!!!!!”
Forgive me for not seeing the validity of that argument.
Please tell me where I said….”Give me attenition!”
You have proven you’re a liar who does not have the capacity to discuss and engage with an opposing viewpoint
Explain why you feel this movie is crap. Assuming you are a SW fan(why else would you visit this site, unless it’s to satisfy your inner troll) you must have liked at lease one of the movies. I think this episode falls squarely in the middle of the rest, so I find your classification of it being a crap movie invalid. Maybe not as good as your favorite(s) but definitely not crap.
Boring one-dimensional hero with no charisma who is too strong, thus no drama.
A weak villain who isn’t very strong
A plot that is a rehash of A New Hope, complete with anothe death star
Not ONE memorable moment in the film
A finale void of any drama due to the hero easily overpowering the villain.
Can I go on?
Think you’ll find that the plot of The Force Awakens, the race to find Luke Skywalker, is not the same as ANH.
Well, it would have been kinda funny if R2D2 woke up while BB8 is riding shotgun with Poe, and then he just decided to go back to sleep for another 15 years. lol
They didn’t do a good job of explaining the convenience of R2 waking up when he did – presumably the presence of Rey, I guess…..maybe…I dunno. Thats the only big problem I had with the film.
I wonder why someone that loathes something so much and to the point that you supposedly do, why do you continue to piss and moan and cackle and bellyache and babble on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on about it? I mean I know Ive done things in my life that I’ve regretted doing (which makes me wonder why Im replying) but what Ive tend to have done was not keep going back to the “scene of the crime”, if you get my meaning. Heck Ive watched some pretty awful movies in my time but you will never find me at any of the Adam Sandler movie forums professing my hatred towards them because I have other things with my time Id rather do.
Because he’s weak.
I’m sorry you didn’t like the movie. I do not agree with your assessment.
Assuming that you view Rey as the hero, I found her to be a charming character that was played very well by Daisy Ridley. In the beginning of the movie she lives a dreary existence but soon embarks on an adventure that opens her eyes to a much larger world. She is not too strong but develops into a strong character by the end of the film. It is her grasping that the force is real and beginning to tap into it that is the awakening that Snoke and Kylo have felt.
Kylo is a conflicted villain by his own admission. When he is in full dark side mode he is very powerful, and able to stop blaster bolts in midair, draw an subordinate to him through the air, an extract information from people’s mind. But he is constantly struggling with the light side calling to him, and in the end when battling Rey he was wounded by Chewbacca. And he is not fully trained, as Snoke said at the end of the movie. He needed to prove himself worthy to Snoke by killing Han before Snoke was willing to commit his resources to train him.
As for plot rehashes, yes it does have many plot points that are similar to ANH. When Jedi came out I remember people bitching that a second Death Star was in that movie as well. Still made for a good movie.
I think there were many memorable scenes in this movie. The Falcon escape from Jakku, the lightsaber battles in the forest, Han confronting Kylo, all were very well done and were dramatic, exciting, and memorable.
Again, sorry you didn’t like the movie. You are entitled to your opinion.
Perfect response. I wish I could be as levelheaded and mature as you.
He’s just a troll. Best to ignore him until he slinks away back to his hole.
Will do.
http://a.disquscdn.com/uploads/mediaembed/images/2967/5158/original.jpg
We all know what happened to Scott Farkus.
..
Perfect response.
Your posts are getting tedious man, just gtfo, you’re adding NOTHING constructive, just whining like the little dick you are.
Right?! There’s like 5 of them. This asshole, that Snark asshole, and a few others. They literally are posting all the time with nothing but nastiness. Total trolls. I wish there was a mute button.
Here here. Much needed.
So what you are saying is that you want a mute button because someone on here disagrees with your opinion? I think we know who the one with insecurity issues is here.
the point is, if you don’t like the movie, why do you keep coming back here to talk about it? if i don’t like a movie i just move on with my life and forget about it
I can easily ask you the same question. Pot or kettle?
Deserves it. First film I’ve ever seen twice in the cinema. A thrilling, delightful film. Kasdan and Abrams both succeeded in making Star Wars fun again. I’m so thrilled my daughter now has an icon like I did as a child. Rey is a beautifully constructed character that captures the essence of a Star Wars hero.
This will be the second moved I’ve ever seen twice in-theater. It’s definitely worth it; what a wonderful film .
Its the first time I saw a movie twice in one day at the theater
Reminds me when I bought 3 tickets for Revenge of the Sith on opening day. By my second watch through I couldn’t be bothered to see the film again. The only reason I’ve not seen TFA again yet is that all the best seats are sold out for every single viewing I’ve looked at.
I love having that problem. Good for Star Wars!
3 times, gone to a 4th next week
I really hope with this money and fame, Daisey Ridley doesn’t turn into this mega pre madonna bitch.
Uh…what?
Haha Prima Donna
sorry thats what I meant. You know what I mean. That would be heartbreaking. Turns into Lindsey Lohan, stumbles out of limo with coke all over face and with soem greasy meatball boyfriend. Then tries to get into some exclusive club or event and the door man won’t let her and she pulls a “Do you know who I am!!!!!!”
Daisy and John didn’t make shit. Just like the newcomers in the original movie. Variety reported a couple days ago Daisy and John made only between 100k-300k (standard for untested actors with little to no resume). Their paydays will come now going forward as they’ve both proven they can act and carry a big budget movie.
Still most than 99.9 percent of actors in SAG make.
True, but that’s not what we were discussing.
Not everyone is film literate or understands how the industry really works, If there was a way for me to comment without replying to you I would have but it’s something for those who don’t already know to bear in mind anytime an A-Lister whines about “not getting their fair share” like they so often seem to do these days.
https://youtu.be/ltl7a4oTxgQ
quirky yet emotional at the same time
Nice. It’s certain!y an interesting spot to look at. And on a side note, the CGI in this commercial is comparable to that of the prequels, lol.
clap
I’m surprised the Chinese government allows a story about hopeful freedom fighters challenging an oppressive regime to be told.
As long as they get money from it I don’t think they really care. They’re willing to show Hunger Games, after all.
and that is more like china than the empire was
One could argue that the whole freedom fighter vs. oppressive regime dynamic is closer in similarity to the Vietnamese, Chinese, or Korean revolutions than it is to the American Revolution.
I’m frankly surprised that the US government allows a movie about a political extremist (originating from a desert climate, mind you) that gets indoctrinated into an ancient religion and commits an act of terrorism on a military base.
My local paper is now saying it has raked $731 million.
I think this is the first film in the entire saga to NOT have some living part dismembered by a lightsaber……
TPM – Darth Maul’s body
AOTC – Anakin’s arm
ROTS – Anakin’s arms and legs, Count Dooku’s hands and head, Mace’s arm
ANH – Ponda Baba’s arm
TESB – Wampa arm, Luke’s hand
ROTJ – Darth Vader’s hand
I can’t think of any here. Kylo and Finn seemed to get cut up pretty bad but you never really see that they are missing anything at the end.
I thought Rey sliced off his saber hand right before she got him across the face. Might be wrong though.
The editing got choppy at the end so I really wasn’t sure how badly injured he was there.
Yes, it wasn’t clear. My thought was that the hand was cut off but they didn’t want to show it too clearly in order to not risk getting a higher certificate rating. I think we’ll have to wait for the DVD/Blueray and pause the scene.
If the mystery of Luke is the plot of the next one then I understand why his fate was left so vague but not Finn other than for the reasons you stated.
I just really hope they don’t cop out by having him in a coma until VIII opens years later. That would be so cheap.
George Lucas has some sort of dismemberment fetish. It got repetitive in the prequels.
I was hoping to at least see some Stormtrooper limbs fly off at some point but I didn’t see any. It’s one of the most common things in the films so odd that they didn’t use it all.
Does Finn getting his spine sliced count? 😉
Meant more of lost limbs hence not including Han.
You forgot jango’s head
Yup! We have seen nearly everytime of dismemberment…..except maybe vertically which would get an R rating for sure.
You’re wrong, Snark Vader. Rey clearly removed Kylo’s balls.
No arguements here!
LOL
I thought Finn lost his arm. Kylo nearly severed off his whole left arm from the back. If you look after the final fight, you never see Finn’s left arm again.
May be right. It sucks the last time we see him is when he’s unconcious. They could have just showed him with a mechanical arm in bed concious and healing. That whole scene was shot wrong.
Sorry to say guys, but you all are forgetting that Han was brochetted, so many parts were dismembered in that moment.
True but we did not get to see it in any real detail other than it coming out the other end.
Well, where I live is PG 7, in USA PG13.
I think Han was the real reason they went PG-13/7. Qui-Gon was stabbed too but this was straight up murder by lightsaber of an unarmed man which we never seen on screen before. Even worse that he was his Father.
I was meaning that more blood would have implied PG18, a disaster for Disney.
Which is why he had to fall so we couldn’t see it. Funny to think he’s the first main hero character to die falling to his death like that.
I don´t understand the second part.
Obi Wan died, his master died too, Palpatine, Vader… all in duels.
As in literally falling to his death. We only seen that happen to Maul and Palpatine. Coleman Trebor too but he was a bit character.
May be he died in his way to the floor, the injuries were big enough.
I think I saw him flaling a bit but can’t remember. He’s the first non-force user to not leave a corpse as well which I think is why it was so weird.
I think you are hoping for a resurrection.
I wouldn’t go that far but a forceback will suffice in the next one, Especially if the rumors of Ford being in the cast list is true. Even if it’s stuff he already shot or unused.
Well, I guess Kylo will hear his father voice in his head and will have regrets.
Someone said he does in the book. I wouldn’t have mind seeing a scene or two in the film where he does if only to show he’s not as one dimensional as the other villains.
In what book? The Force Awakens?
You mean after he kill Han, isnt it?
I am not sure that the book is revealing what happened to him after the duel in the forest with Rey.
Yeah Voldemort was the evil,to infinite.
Yes. I think the scene felt odd because it was his only scene with Han so it felt more like he killed an enemy more than his own Dad. I think they should have kept it in.
Well… I guess the dark side is like that.
Luke met his dad the first time and he almost killed him.
Han met his dad in law and he carbonized him.
Leia met his daddy and he tortured her to get some information.
I believe the scene was well explained.
I suppose that’s true though Luke had more screentime with Vader in Empire and later Jedi. Leia and Han had less but more than a single scene,
They never met rescuing Leia, although they were in the same ship.
Luke watched Vader killing Obi Wan.
And the first time they truly met, Vader inmediately carbonize Han just to try the carbonizing machine.
Han and Leia never met again Vader.
The fact is that in the begining of ANH the dialogue between Leia and Vader imply they already knew each other, and Vader didn´t suspect she was his daughter.
Also true, I thought you meant they had no other scenes together like Kylo and Han.
Well, we can suppose Ben and Han know each other better 🙂
If they can make Micheal Douglass look decades younger in Antman then I hope they do with Ford and Driver just to show them in happier times via Forceback.
It would go a long way, It wasn’t really till Episode III and the Clone Wars that we saw how close Anakin and Obi-Wan were. They seemed indifferent towards each other until then.
Well Star Wars never made flash backs until this movie. Of course if we consider Rey dream touching the saber as a kind flashback.
So for that reason for me it is kind of funny they hired Rian Johnson, his movie was about time travels!
It may be why they hired him though even in the EU, I never cared for time travel. I’m not a huge an of flashbacks either and hope they don’t go overboard with them in the next one. The only film I really enjoyed that used a ton was The Godfather Part II but fans are even more divided on that than this one.
I don´t mind flashbacks, but it was not the language of Star Wars.
The truth is that may be Rian Johnson will need them.
I remember the OT usually was 2 actions alternatively, for example, Luke with Yoda and the Millenium Falcon dealing with an asteroids field.
I think I was able to slightly tolerate them since they were force induced and we already saw a Flashfoward in III that way.
I was telling someone else on here that an Empire remake is almost impossible not to do…..
– Rey training on a hidden planet with a lost Jedi Master
– The new romance between Finn and the next female character
– Kylo will likely be obssessed with finding Rey
– The Resistance will need a new headquarters
Just hope there’s no “I am your cousin” revelation at the end like the new game supposedly had.
Well, I could understand why Kylo had not said Rey that they are cousins.
I could understand Han, Leia and Chew not telling Rey instead of her “supposed hidden dad”.
But I could not understand why Kylo didn´t tell anything to Snoke, “hey supreme leader we have captured Luke´s daughter”…
You are forgetting Poe, he, his team and Chew were THE GUYS who saved us.
Only explanation is that like his hero, He has plans to turn her and overthrow him. Which I kind of hope happens just for the sake of originality.
It was mentioned on here that they are casting a love interest, May change but it’s what they know right now.
Not again! I think part of why Empire holds up the best is that it’s the only one with no desert planet in it. Lol.
Which they did with Obi-Wan even though we never see any reference to it again. I’m not sure what kind of injurt they could do at this point without repeating themselves though and still get a kids rating.
Mmm if he has playing with Snoke he convinced even me.
If he would want to cheat on Snoke he would not tell him he was not able to read her mind. He just would have said she had not the map in her mind.
Well, people hoping Rey is daughter of Luke have their reasons, but their arguments are weak in that part.
Following your theorym about throwing up Snoke and becoming master of Rey, I believe not being cousins could be better for the story.
I think script writers can still do anything they want, making her a skywalker or not.
Empire had a Desert Iced Planet… 🙂
What did they do to Obi Wan?
It’s possible that also ties into his whole conflicted nature as well.
Well, There is no smoking gun that they are related other than the game as of yet but there are a lot of interesting coincidences at the same time. It’s less crazy and unfounded then the Snoke is Plagueis one.
From a surprise perspective you are probably right since that’s what everyone is predicting right now that it would be more surprising if they don’y go that route.
Then again, Most of us saw Han dying in this one too and they stayed true to that prediction.
Damn it! I guess that’s technically true. Well, I’m still holding out hope that the spinoffs won’t have any.
He got sliced in the knee in II by Dooku but that film’s duels were so embarrassing that I don’t blame you for blocking it from your memory. I really wish they’d release that mising footage of Dooku fighting Anakin with two lightsabers someday. It’s not even on the Blu-Ray.
I think people want him to be Plagueis, because if you have a bad guy why to invent a new one.
But like you I believe it is a bit random, the same you can say Plagueis survived to Palpatine, you could say Palpatine could have survived to Vader too. Palpatine would have not kill Plagueis if he would not know the living from death technique. Even that technique was one of the candies he offered Anakin to atract him to the dark side, because Anakin was seeing Padme dying in the future.
But… in ROJT they didnt know about that technique yet :))))
From some point it was kind of logical that Han had to die. The fact is that how the business have developed since ROTJ, you couldn´t have Harrison Ford in a secondary role for 3 movies, it was more intelligent a most important role in one and a give sense to all the trilogy.
Script writers always can change the script until the the film is released. It would not be the first movie they film different endings or different options. Even as we know they have changed some of the scenes in TFA, for example the one of Maz Kanata giving the Lightsaber to Leia.
That fact can make us think a lot.
Because of course it made sense that Maz Kanata adressed the Anakin lightsaber to his daughter.
But then, what would have been the reason of Finn bringing it to the Starkiller Base. If it was an important “fetish” to bring to Luke, there was no reason of Finn carrying it if Leia already had it.
Only the special relationship of the lightsaber with Rey is the argument of Finn carrying it.
So removing that scene gave a better sense to the movie.
It would have been weird, Maz Kanata giving the lightsaber to Leia, and Leia giving it to Finn, we don´t know exactly why… Maz Kanata had a reason, she saw how the Lightsaber wanted Rey, but Leia didnt know Rey yet.
So the way of the movie was simpler and cleaner.
Well, the footage i know is when Anakin cut Dooku´s head but we just watch the lightsaber closing like a scissors, not really the head being removed… we see it on the floor rolling.
And if it were really him then he’d be trying to revive the Sith when all evidence suggests he’s just a dark side user.
Which is why Luke will probably die in the next since he’s too powerful to have around, Though I’d prefer he would have died in this and Han in the next.
I still don’t know how she got it considering we saw it fall into Bespin’s core with Luke’s hand still attached to it where I assume it would have burnt up. I never even bought it when they used it to build a clone of him like they did in the EU.
Oh, I meant in AOTC. Apparently the duel between him and Anakin went on much longer originally.
Well, it would have been weird if Yoda couldn´t beat a tired Count Dooku. I suppose that can be the reason they cut the scene.
Well, you can believe it or not. But… where is the hand?
Probably the lightsaber had a similar way to Luke and someone found it, and what did they do with the hand? In middle ages that would have been a precious relic :))… “the hand of Saint Luke Skywalker, most pilgrimage relic in the Cathedral of Master Yoda, father of the force in Corouscant…”
I think that if you want to start with a noob jedi you need Luke 2 movies… imagine if now they say the movie is too similar to ANH, how similar it could be if Luke met a young future jedi and give her some training like Obi Wan did with him.
And I am not sure that Luke is dying in Episode VIII, lets see.
ESB was epic because there was almost 2 casualties, and that changed in ROTJ.
People loves ESB because it has a more romantic ending in the way is not a good-hero ending, as the romantic Operas in the XIX.
That is a fact the writers cannot waste, Ep IX will have a beautiful hero ending, so Ep VIII can have more drama.
Well, they have that risk now, Snoke out of the hologram being ridiculous. Lightsabr duels in SW are interestin when the fighters have a body… I am not sure the animation techniques have improved too much to make that cool.
Palpatine versus Yoda was for example cool, but unreal.
Maybe so. I think better duels might have improved my opinion of that film but it’s still my least favorite to this day.
Haha, Very true. As long as it’s better than the stupid space hand theor theory talked about then I’m cool with it.
Maybe you are right, If so then maybe Leia should die since she did not add all the much to the new trilogy thus far.
Yeah, I’d prefer if Snoke were really human and hiding behind a fake digital avatar so that they can make that happen.
Which movie?
The attack of the CloneS?
I think Leia must meet Kylo, probably that is mandatory for the plot, but we don´t know what will happen. I believe Han dying will add a plus of uncertainty about that meeting.
They have inserted in all of us the idea that this guy can walk a path to the light side, so we are expecting about it.
Yes a duel is almost like dancing… I believe it is difficult to reproduce digitally, but lets see, may be they can surprise us, may be this guy is not using lightsaber but other kind of weapon, may be mind tricks, may be thunders like Palpatine…
Yes.
It would be cool if she tried to kill him for a change since like you said, Everyone will be expecting her to redeem him.
The scars on his head did look similar to the lightsaber wounds Anakin had on his.
I hope he didnt make the scars to himself 😀
The ony thing that could make my opinion of him be lower than it is already. Lol.
Well… pushing the wrong button in a lightsaber can make that…
Ha! Man, So much important info I learned in the books that they should have kept in the film like…..
Apparently there was a truce between the Rebellion and The Empire after Jedi which is why The First Order/Resistance are splinter groups and The Awakening refers to the fact that the force has been dormant since it balanced out.
They don’t even really touch on those in the film.
That point of the awakening was told by JJ in some interview.
Not only the light side but also the dark is awakening.
Well, I think the movie come first and then the book is written in Star Wars. Always have been like that. So it is not possible to follow a book that was not written, I believe the book is completing the story made by JJ and Kasdan.
This is not Hunger Games or Harry Potter, here the whole thing come from a limited in time script movie. Even in Harry Potter movies they made 3 or 4 different version of Hogwarts.
That is the reason the PT could be anything they wanted to imagine. Sadly even they didn´t follow the OT dialogues sometimes.
I really wish they had included that even in some throwaway lines or something.
There’s a lot of good stuff in the new books that answer a lot of the questions people might have but I know not everyone will read them either.
I think the OT was the best in terms of explaining things. Not too vague like this film but not too much like the PT.
Well, I believe they made a good effort, there was too much to tell and short time, and it is an action movie, mainly.
Probably people don´t want to hear about Republic-Resistance and Empire-First Order if that is complex. Because if they make it complex they could made it simpler…
I have not read the books because they are still only in audio, and I am not sure if ebook is ready, not the last time i checked… may be I will read them when they are on paper.
I hope they spend more time answering the questions than raising them in the next one but we’ll see.
Well worth it when you can. Not just the novelization but the guide books as well. The Art one has some really interesting ideas too.
I see you are more addicted than me to this.
Well, it is a comercial trilogy, it is normal they leave unanswered questions so all of us go to the next movie… how survived Kylo and his injuries, why the lightsaber wants Rey, what this has to do with Anakin… I find it more interesting questions. I know that it will be a good explanation for the political situation around the galaxy…
I do prefer the episodes that answer the big questions rather than raise them (even when those answers aren’t the best like in the PT) and I’m sure the next ones will do just that.
Well the only movie that worked to be continued in OT was ESB, and it is the best SW movie for most people.
The Godfather is a trilogy and each movie works alone. Same Indiana Jones, I believe good works can be done in both ways.
I am not sure Ep VIII will not leave you without questions, I believe it will.
A New Hope is the only one I think that can be enjoyed on it’s own. I think The Phantom Menace does too if you forget it’s a Star Wars film. The rest are all pretty directly tied to each other.
Well, for that reason they are a trilogy of trilogies…
At some point that is normal. First Harry Potter movies and books can be read watched alone, but if you go advancing in the plot you will need some previous information.
Those new movies are so far from the first trilogy that I guess they could be watched separatedly. You can watch TFA without watching the others I think.
Although they even don´t mention that Luke and Leia are sibblings, and the guy of the burned mask was their daddy.
I’m coming around to the idea of Plagueis being Snoke the more I think about it. Especially since McDiarmid said that Plagueis originally created Anakin or at least in an early draft and it would make sense for Kylo to join who would essentially be his Great-Grandfather who would know a great deal about him.
Well, that is a good idea but I guess it is not “oficial” yet.
So the dark side could feel like the Skywalkers are some kind of “dark side-property” and the light-jedi order stealed their product.
We always watch in SW more a light-side point of view… we receive more information from them. But I wonder if Yoda, Obi Wan… have a ghost presence, if Vader, Palpatine have it too, in case Vader would have come back to the Dark side as ghost.
I guess that if Kylo hear her gradfather voice they would be humanizing him like in the case of Rey ro Luke.
True, I figure that if he is Plagueis then he’s trying to trick him into believing he’s not really a Sith even though he is in actuality.
Why not a Sith?
And who cares?
I guess it is not about the name but about the facts.
I guess because balance was supposedly brought to the force in Jedi and it’s possible he’s starting a new sect of the dark side.
Either that or he’s planning on rebuilding under the radar again.
It is clear that Snoke has started something new again!
The same way Luke started something new too.
Not sure. The dialogue was so vague and the books don’t give any further detail on that. Though I’d prefer Luke had died since it would have been way more shocking than Han dying and Rey would then truly be the last Jedi. We’ve never seen one train on their own either before which would have been cool.
I just watched the movie again yesterday.
I gave it 2 weeks and read all the reviews, the good and the bad reviews.
Yesterday was the day I liked more the movie. My third time.
Actually I believe is a very good movie.
I have it fresh, there is a dialogue in the Millenium Falcon between Rey, Finn, Han and Chew, then Han says something like this, Luke started a Jedi School, a student detroyed it and he felt responsible of it and disappeared.
From my point of view that is enough information about Luke starting something. He wanted to restore the Jedis.
You are right but I was referring to Snoke. I don’t think he said anything about what he was doing other than wanting to finish Ren’s training.
Knights of Ren and First Order seems to be enough too.
Not sure if he was the last Knight Of Ren though.
Who, Kylo? Snoke?
There is a dialogue between Snoke and Kylo about meeting his father, it is like, this is going to be tough even for you “master of knights of Ren”… if he is the master we can suppose there are more…
The book says that they existed before him so it’s possible he either corrupted them or took the title after killing the rest of them. I’m sure it’s related to Benecio Del Toro’s character in some way.
Interesting, I still have to receive the book. I ordered it but I prefer paper and until 5th January was not ready.
There is thread where people are complaining about the holes in the movie and the solutions given in the book.
Me too. I’m just going by the source books and what has been confirmed on here. One hole I can’t figure out is why Rey who grew up on a desert planet her whole life like Anakin isn’t affected by the freezing weather on Starkiller Base. Lol.
Haha well, can you imagine a metal hut in the dessert?
That is called oven, she would have not need gas to fry the eggs she could do it on the top of her house, and bake pizza in the inside.
But you have forgotten a detail!
There are missing scenes in the ice planet, probably cuts for the blueray.
Han Solo says “chew has a bag full of explosives, lets go back and help the X-wings”… then there is a jump, Han and Chew are inside the thing to destroy all they can, Rey and Finn are anywhere else opening the doors for them. And another jump, Han and Chew are still inside, Han is going to meet Ben, and Rey and Finn are arriving, it seems they have used some motorbikes and Rey is wearing Poe/Finn jacket when they start to climb the building by a ladder… when they appear up to watch how Han dies Finn is wearing the jacket again.
Soooo for your information, Finn was more used to the ice planet, he worked there, and he gently lended his jacket to her so she was not so cold.
I didn’t see the jacket but I’l have to look at those pics again.
I still don’t get why Finn went from being so afraid to killing anyone to just the opposite on Takodana though. Especially since they were the only family he ever really had and was quite close with them in the book.
It is not in the pictures, it is in the movie.
It is a very short scene when they arrive to the complex where Han and Chew are locating the explosives. They approach to it and start climbing by an exterior ladder. Rey is wearing Finn/Poe Jacket. The next scene is in the up door with a balcony from where the sunlight is entering to the complex iluminating Han and Ben, the sun is being sucked so the light is ending, when the light ends Ben kills Han.
In the movie he said that he didnt want to kill inocent people for the First Order, I am not sure it was a fear circumstance. They kidnapped him. I think in Kanata Castle he is fighting to survive and defend his new friends.
But you are right I though the same.
Well, I did look it up and she has it on in the snowspeeder too which we never saw. I wish they had kept that scene to explain the jacket and we never really seen a snow chase before.
Yes I heard about those deleted scenes for blueray I dont remember where.
For example Kylo and stormtroopers visiting the MF in the snow, then they see X-Wings coming and they have to left quickly. But that explain why Kylo meet Han Solo more clearly.
They have pics of both in the Visual Guide. I hope we see Coruscant again at some point but considering it’s all CG which they are trying to stay away from and no longer the capital, I highly doubt it,
Yes, I highly doubt it too.
Also I think it is not in the way they are making things in this new trilogy.
Well I have an updating about the jacket, I watched the movie yesterday again:
While Han and Chew are entering to the Oscilator complex where Han die, Finn and Rey are entering in the complex where they must open them the doors, so at the entrance you can see some snow motorjets in the dorr and Finn is removing his jacket, the scene jump to the place where they are unplugging anything to open the doors and Rey is now wearing the jacket, so in those 20 feet Finn removed the jacket and gave it to Rey.
The next time we see them again is climbing to the door where they will watch Han die, in the climbing Rey is wearing the jacket, in the door is Finn.
They should have kept the deleted scene in. We seen speeder chases before but never in the snow, I think it would have been a lot of fun too.
I am not sure they chased anyone but move faster to the place where opened the doors to Chew and Han.
There is a whole set of scenes when Kylo finds the Millenium Falcon.
The pictures of Annie Leibovitz of Adam Driver are of that moment, Kylo in the snow, not in the forest, with stormtroopers and still daylight.
The movie first cut was 2h 50 minutes.
I’m not sure if the snow one was ever in the film since the Episode I one had Maul and Kenobi in the deset but we do never Kylo with his hood on in the snow like we did in the trailer.
I though the desert scene of Maul was with Qui-Gon Jinn.
No they didn´t meet in the Falcon or the desert, Kylo just found and visited the Millenium Falcon empty, when they were inside they see the X-Wings coming and they have to run to their base, and yes the moment Kylo blade his saber in the forest is missing in the movie, but not the scene, clearly it was the final fight scene.
I think they deleted Kylo visiting the Falcon because we all would have asked why they didn´t destroy it so they had not way to scape from the planet.
In the film but they have a pic of him fighting Obi-Wan in the 1999 Vanity Fair.
I think the Falcon should be destroyed in the new trilogy at some point along with the rest of the OT characters other than maybe the Droids.
If Rey gets the Millenium Falcon and also Anakin lightsaber, C3PO, R2D2… someone is going to be very very angry and jealous.
Haha. I’m sure she’ll build her own saber at some point too and the Anakin one will get lost again in case they ever do another trilogy.
Yes, from Rebels now we know that is a jedi thing, to get a crystal.
Hopefully not Ilum. I’ve had it with snow planets at this point.
This was the first planet destroyed by the rebels-resistance I guess…
I saw pics of a cool restaraunt somewhere in Italy where they built it into these caves on the water. Would be a nice idea for a future Resistance/First Order hideout.
I am not sure but probably is Campania, Capri island is there, near Napoli. It is a region of cliffs with many villages in the border and a road that goes by the line coast.
I think you are right. I just learned that Ben is 30, Poe’s 32, Rey is 19 but no idea how old Finn is.
Where did you learned it?
I think Poe must be for Leia the son she has lost, even I don´t know where I have read it, he regards her her brother.
And also I think he might be force sensitive as it seems he was conceived in the ewok party post death star explosion when Vader was being burned… forgetting midi-chlorians counts, it would make sense if the forze transmuted in some way from Vader to the embryo.
Finn cannot be very old as it was his first masacre.
Do you know how old is Hux?
The visual guide. Well, You may be right about the first part and now that he’s got his own comic, We’ll probably be seeing a lot more of that too.
No idea about Hux either but it said his Dad was part of the Empire so I’m guessing he can’t be older than Jedi.
Some guy has told me that Poe is older than ROTJ, he is between ANH and ESB?
Is that right? If it is like that… Kylo should have been born before ROTJ I think, and that is not possible with the ages you have told…
I read that Luke gifted the family a force sensitive tree, because he and her mother rescued the original tree from Corouscant temple.
That would be about right for Poe. Kylo was born right after Jedi though.
Where did you read that?
Wookiepedia I believe, or wikia, the tree is appearing in The Clone Wars and someone had it after it.
Well, Poe and his family lived in a farm on Yavin IV where they plant the tree and they had a X-Wing or A-Wing, not sure.
I never saw the Lost Missions so it must have been the those?
Yeah, I don’t think the Massassassi Temple is a Sith one any longer like in the old EU but just a random one now.
I am not very acquainted with EU, I believe it is going to be a big mess in Star Wars sites… it will be very difficult to know what comes from EU and what comes from Disney in some years.
Well, I guess it’s all one canon though which I don’t like since now if something sucks it’s still official. In the old EU, I just forgot aout the stuff I didn’t like as if it never happened but now it can affect the films. The YA material has been mostly good though.
What is YA material?
Young Adult. Btw, I just noticed my visual guide says that Finn is 23 too.
We see stormtroopers are separated from their families and trained when they are young, obviously as a bad thing… but Jedis were supposed to do the same.
I also heard that they are test tube babies just not clones. No mention of that anywhere in the guide though.
I though that was in the book about Finn, I think I readed it in the site.
There is no blood from lightsaber wounds. The lightsaber cauterizes the wound and prevents bleeding.
Very true, my bad…
My friend nearly cried during that scene…it was heartbreaking!
It was kind of a downer. I think because unlike other characters onscreen he wasn’t trying to protect himself and we have never seen Patricide onscreen before.
You missed General Grevious’s arms.
That I did! Although, Maybe not since I think I said living and I’m pretty sure his were mechanical.
He’s a Cyborg. His race is Kaleesh. So, he counts.
His brain, guts, and eyes were but I think the rest of him was droid.
And heart. Obi Wan shot it with his blaster.
Tried covering that with guts since I never bothered to look what exact organs he had or if they were the same as humans.
If he doesn’t count, Darth Vader doesn’t count. He was more machine than human
Good point! I guess we’ll say any limbs then. Mechanical or living,
well, the tentacle monsters had their tentacles severed, if that counts
Clever. Will have to do. Hate when they break tradition. Glad “I have a bad feeling about this” was left in though I would have preferred someone new say it.
There is a cut scene where Chewbacca rips the arms off the big guy who was the last owner of the Falcon. A dropped plotline had him follow Rey to Maz’ joint.
I heard about that. I think I’m anticipating the deleted scenes more than the film. So much good stuf on the cutting room floor.
Unkar Plutt. That’s why we saw him in Max’s castle in that featurette.
Huh. I guess a bunch more people screamed “Just take my money!” yesterday. 😛
Since I can’t figure out how to use the cantina, I’ll post what I want to say here.
What is the preferred viewing order for the Star Wars films? Currently, it is machete order, chronological order, or order in which they were made. But with 8, 9, rogue one, Han Solo, and a third spin off movie coming, in what order would you watch the movies then? The order in which they were made would be kind of random and jumping all over the place. You could start with the anthology movies for a better introduction to the empire. There will be so many ways to watch he Star Wars movies in the coming years. How would you watch them? My order is:
1. A new hope
2. Rogue One
3. The empire Strikes Back
4. Attack of the Clones
5. Revenge of the Sith
6. Return of the Jedi
7. Third anthology movie
8. The force Awakens
9. Han Solo movie
10. Episode VIII
11. The phantom Menace
12. Episode IX
It combines the main stories with prequel and anthology flashbacks. What is your order to watch the Star Wars movies?
I think we would have to wait to see what exactly is in the anthology movies before an order could be established. But I am curious why you put TPM so late.
Easy… OT and then the NT. If you feel like playing KOTOR before then… I can get behind that too! 😉
Playing KOTOR never hurt anybody 😉
It hurt me. I received a bad case of xbox thumb….
Watch them in the order as they came out.
Just my humble opinion…
1) Rogue One
2) Han Solo (maybe? Possibly before Rogue One?)
3) A New Hope
4) Empire Strikes Back
— Vader Back Story—
5) Phantom Menace
6) Attack of the Clones
7) Revenge of the Sith
— Back to “Current” Events—
8) Return of the Jedi
9) The Force Awakens
10) Episode 8
11) Episode 9
All I have to say is this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCVmTPvS6ew
;
JJ’s job was to make money and get the public interested again and in that sense he surpassed all expectations.
Johnson’s is to flesh things out and expand the story. His films while mostly acclaimed make very little money, So he will take all the chances in the trilogy.
Colin will be to end it with a bang.
Gareth’s job will be similar to JJ’s. Except test the market for nonforce user films.
I think the Han team will deliever the comedy and see if everyone will buy a character prequel.
I’d very much like to see Blomkamp, Vaughn, or Miller do the final spinoff.
I honestly believe Rogue One can deliver a meaningful glimpse into the early Empire days while staying true to the Star Wars name. Hopefully it doesn’t try to hard to be “dark” or “edgy”.
Seeing as how they borrowed so much from the EU in TFA. I wouldn’t mind them borrowing from the Rogue Squadron books/comics which was among the finest stuff that is no longer canon anymore.
I wouldn’t mind that either 🙂
Disappointed that from what we know, There will be no alien rebel pilots in the main cast but hopefully they have supporting roles. It’s something we never really seen in the films till TFA.
I think that Johnson’s film will be the most developed and gripping film of the Sequel Trilogy…simply because he can capitalize on the likable new cast and give them all more screen time (looking at you Poe).
In many ways, VIII will be more anticipated than VII or at least among the hardcore base.
Got sold out of an 8:15 Tuesday show last night. Ratters aren’t this fierce!
Glad to hear it! Truthfully I felt a bit letdown the first time I saw TFA but after taking some time to digest it and seeing it again yesterday I have to say that I really enjoyed it. A worthy Star Wars movie and I’m legitimately excited for Episode VIII.
VIII can’t be further away 🙁
***SPOILERS***
Here’s my review:
This film was awful fan-fic.
This film had so many problems, that the Sequel Trilogy now
has the potential to make the Prequel Trilogy look like the Original
Trilogy.
The Star Wars saga traditionally has had both a macro, and a micro story. The
macro story is about the rise and fall of democracies and empires, while the
micro story is about the Skywalker family’s journey into and out of
darkness.
The macro story here was perhaps the most disappointing. I was intensely
interested to see what happened to the galaxy in the power vacuum that the
decimated Empire left behind. Many will argue that just because the Emperor was dead, that the Empire wouldn’t necessarily die with him. But I’d argue that
when you have any kind of centrally planned fascist government, when you take out the center, the rest caves in like a house of cards. This is particularly
true with a fascist movement that is dependent on a kind of quasi-zealotry that
is dedicated to a central figure, namely the Emperor. Once that figure dies,
and is revealed to be a mortal man like any other, that zealotry fades.
It’s highly unlikely that the average soldier would continue to fight in the
name of a dead emperor. Far more unlikely, is the notion that any remaining
soldiers and officers would stick around without an Imperial infrastructure
intact to pay, feed, house, and clothe them. Remember, an “entire legion” of
the Emperor’s best troops were decimated on Endor, along with massive amounts of hardware in the way of Star Destroyers, the flagship Super Star Destroyer, not to mention the second Death Star. This is quite a bit of capital for the Empire to lose, and be able to bounce back from. Plus, bringing back the Empire is just about as boring as bringing back Jason Vorhees after he dies in every movie.
But we’re stuck with a remnant of the Empire 35 years later nonetheless, in the
form of the First Order. What is their relationship to the Resistance, and the
Republic? Apparently there’s a new Republic formed? If so, then how does this
First Order operate so freely, and where and how does it raise the capital to
build its ships and maintain troops? Why is the Resistance, presumably funded
by the Republic, operating out of a tiny rec-room as though the good guys are
still in hiding? Frankly the First Order and the Resistance sound like names
given to similar themed entities in Star Wars knock-off films from the 1978 to
1985 era.
The micro story about the Skywalker family, attempts to rekindle the same
devastating twist/revelation with regards to who is related to whom that we all
saw in the Original Trilogy, but it mostly falls flat here. We simply aren’t
familiar enough with any of the new characters for it to have any real
weight.
The plot of this particular film is essentially the same plot from Episode IV,
with some minor variations. There’s a new, bigger, badder Death Star, this time
capable of destroying entire systems. Why on Earth didn’t the Republic deal
with these people before they became a real threat? And why does the new
superweapon have to be so derivative of the old super weapon in terms of
design? Then you had all of these ridiculous convenient coincidences. Oh
look, the Falcon just happens to be on Jakku, along with a droid who just happens to have a map that leads directly to Luke. You have a map that leads directly to you, don’t you? Oh by the way, I just happen to have Luke’s
lightsaber right here too.
The characters are mostly boring.
Both Poe and Finn have a chance at developing some chemistry, and although they do the best they can with the material they’re given, there’s never enough
interaction between them to fully realize that.
Rey is dreadfully boring, with two primary facial expressions; deer in a
headlight stare, and gritting teeth. The writers were so anxious to prove that
girls can be “even more so” than men, that they’ve forgotten the first phase in
the hero’s journey. When we first meet Luke, he’s a naive inexperienced farm
boy, who complains about wanting to hang out with friends, and plays with Model T-16s, gets scolded by his Uncle, gets knocked unconscious by a Tusken Raider, gets pushed down in a bar by a drunkard, has to be defended by an elderly Jedi, and has his hand slapped by Han Solo when he points at the flashing light on the Falcon’s dashboard. Even in the second film, Luke gets mauled by a wampa and stuffed into a taun-taun carcass, and has his hand cut off in his first lightsaber fight.
Not Rey though. She gets to skip this first phase of the hero’s journey because
girl power, so hear her roar! Somehow, she can pilot the Millennium Falcon and
use a lightsaber all without any training at all. Not only is she Han Solo, but
she’s also Luke Skywalker too! Effectively fighting off a trained Knight of
Ren, whatever that is, in her very first lightsaber battle. But don’t you dare
question her girl power you misogynist, even though it doesn’t leave much left
for Finn to shine with since Rey can apparently do it all. At least Kathleen
Kennedy and Disney will be selling plenty of Cover Girl Star Wars make-up, as
they rewrite the EU to appeal to teenage girls.
Some folks have argued that Luke blew up the Death Star with no training or help, but that just isn’t the case. Luke had experience flying his T-16 through
Beggar’s Canyon shooting womprats, which weren’t much bigger than the exhaust port on the Death Star, remember? Additionally, he had the aid of many wingmen who simultaneously drew fire away from him and fought next to him. Furthermore, Han Solo returned to take Darth Vader out of the fight, who would have likely picked off Luke otherwise. And finally, Luke was guided by the spirit of Obi-Wan. Contrast this with Rey, who although has some initial difficulty getting the Millenium Falcon off the ground, is soon evading fire from multiple TIE fighters and deftly flying through the tight interior spaces of shipwrecked Star Destroyers. I don’t have the stomach to brave this film a second time, but I’d like to see some other intrepid viewer track how much time is spent focusing on Rey piloting the Falcon. It felt like that was the entire first half of the movie.
Luke didn’t use the Jedi mind trick until the third film in the original trilogy. But supergirl Rey uses it only a couple of days after finding out that the Jedi weren’t just myth.
There are good ways to introduce strong female characters. This just wasn’t it.
The final lightsaber battle reeked of parental finger wagging, which seemed to
dictate that each of the kids got to play with Luke’s lightsaber equally. So silly. As was the lightsaber battle between Finn and the Stormtrooper. Since when were rank and file Stormtroopers trained in the art of Jedi swordsmanship? And why would the First Order spend funds on arming Stormtroopers with lightsaber resistant weaponry? Are there really that many Jedi around at this time, because it doesn’t seem like there are.
Han Solo was Han Solo. But nearly every line of dialogue was some Original
Trilogy in-joke, and his interaction with an aged Leia was facilitated with
painful on-the-nose dialogue.
R2D2 and C3PO are absent nearly the entire film, replaced with BB-8 for no
apparent reason other than to generate a new design for toys. They pop in
at the end almost as if to say, “Hey, don’t forget to buy our action figures
too!” BB-8 himself has no real character to it, and frankly looks very reminiscent of The Black Hole’s Vincent robot. Maybe Disney should sue itself.
Captain Phasma seems intended to be the next BobaFett/Darth Maul, but doesn’t seem to have any real function in the storyline, except to hang around for when the shields need to be shut down, and to present a new piece of pop culture which frankly seems to be appropriated from 1978 Battlestar Galactica’s
cylons.
Lupita Nyong’o’s character was probably the most interesting new character, and criminally underdeveloped.
Hux and Kylo; who would follow these kids, or obey their orders? Aren’t there
any adults with more experience to lead this First Order? Kylo’s design
reminded me of the many, many knock-off action figure designs of the 1970s and 1980s.
Snoke looks like a rejected Grendel concept from Zemeckis’ Beowulf.
George Lucas’ incredibly interesting art direction is sorely missed here. Most
of the film felt like Star Wars went to TV series, with the feeling of a small
contained-within-a-movie-set universe. Many of the sets reminded me of the
Draconian sets from 1979’s Buck Rogers TV series. In fact, much of the art
design had that Ralph McQuarrie leftovers feel which so much of late
1970s/early 1980s sci-fi television utilized. I love Ralph McQuarrie’s
work, but I would rather see the story and design pushed forward in new
directions to give each trilogy a different visual feel.
John William’s score was so uncharacteristically underwhelming that I have to
wonder if he too was uninspired by this horrible mess.
At no point did this film feel like a genuine Star Wars movie. Ultimately this
was cobbled together by people who think that stormtroopers, death stars, dudes in black robes, tie fighters, and x wings is all that Star Wars amounts
to.
Disney should consider giving Star Wars back to Lucas.
Your review is mostly boring.
Don’t you think this is not the appropriate place for it? Create a blog and post it there.
Fortunately, you’re just one small negative voice in an ocean of voices that are gleeful that Star Wars is back.
Would you be willing to tell me where I insulted readers of this blog or lashed out at them in my review?
Would you be willing to admit that you are, in-fact, placing this “review” in an inappropriate place?
Plus, I never said you insulted any readers. I said your review is mostly boring… because it is.
Honestly those arguments could be made for any of the films in several places.This just again tells me the obvious, no matter who writes or directs or is put in control of a SW movie, there will be reviews like this. If we are waiting for the day everyone is pleased, we are are going to be waiting an eternity.
I have to respectfully disagree. I don’t think those arguments could be made for any of the films.
Not the same ones, but different ones.
Where did you hear that?
I asked that question, because I’m wondering why you feel comfortable insulting me and lashing out at me, when I haven’t written anything that would warrant that kind of behavior from you.
Seems to me, that people are posting their opinion about the movie pretty much everywhere on this blog. So What would be the appropriate place to post my review?
Look buddy, I can’t help you in reading comprehension. You’re going to have to work that one out on your own.
Also, ask yourself a couple of questions… When did I insult you? When did I lash out at you? The answer to both is never. What I did do is tell you your review is boring and this is the wrong place to post it. I can’t help it if you wear your heart on your sleeve and get hurt when someone calls you out.
You insulted me by stating that my review was boring, then went on to suggest that not being a part of the consensus means something, and that I’m the odd man out for not complying with that consensus. These are personal attacks rather than responding to any points about the film that I made.
If you’re going to lecture people on reading issues, it might be beneficial for you to learn the proper use of quotation marks. Remember, reading comprehension begins with writing comprehension.
Grow up, petulant child.
Writes the guy who doesn’t understand the correct usage of ellipses.
Petulant child indeed. lol
What’s that? You’re responding again? Didn’t I dismiss you? You may now cease and desist. Respond again and I will report you for harassment.
Really?
If it walks like a duck and talk likes a duck, it is most certainly a troll.
Critical reviews equate trolling?
Even though your review lost me at (I’m paraphrasing here) the prequel trilogy being better and I completely think youre way out of your mind in your thoughts about TFA … I at least have to defend the simple fact that you’re NOT a troll. It f**kin’ grinds my gears when people toss around the troll word simply because they have differing opinions. Trolls do not compose essay length posts and reply. Trolls start fueds by using the least amount of effort as possible and they very rarely come back and reply with more than 3 words posts.
Although you’re unwilling to consider my perspective, I appreciate you recognizing me as just another dude with a different opinion. Thank you.
Me too, I wholeheartedly disagree with your stance but I won’t insult you for having a different opinion/perspective.
Thank you kind sir!
Yeah man, power to you for your opinion. I disagree with it, but that’s okay. I’m one person, you’re one person, and at the end of the day, Disney still got our money and we’ll keep getting Star Wars films for at least a few years to come.
You’re absolutely right. Everyone is perfectly entitled to like or dislike whatever they wish. My opinion is only one.
There’s lots of movies I like that others dislike, and some that I like that others view as cheese fests. That’s the nature of personal taste.
I only offer my own perspective. Folks are entitled to disagree, but I’d be more interested in reading their reasoning for disagreeing, rather than reading adolescent personal attacks for merely having a contrary opinion about a movie.
…
….
No… just posting it in an area that has nothing to do with what you are posting. That makes it trolling.
A lot of the “problems” you speak about occur in the original trilogy aswell.
For example, the convenient occurances.. Ever thought it was convenient that R2D2 and C3PO were sold to the family of Darth Vaders son? Or that R2D2’s message for the princess of Alderaan was for a certain Obi-Wan Kenobi, that was a neighbour to said son?
You’ll never enjoy a new star wars film if you go in to critical.
Yes, but there’s no coincidence with regards to R2-D2 and C-3POon Tatooine. It was all quite deliberate. Ben Kenobi came to Tatooine to escape the reach of the Empire in exile, while also simultaneously watching over Luke’s upbringing from a distance, deliberately waiting for the day that he might be trained. R2-D2, was deliberately programmed to seek out Kenobi, which is why Leia’s Corellian Corvette deliberately flew towards the Tatooine system. C-3PO merely followed R2-D2 against his better judgement. Luke and Ben were in the same vicinity for these reasons.
Critical analysis of film is a fairly common practice.
Lol then you would have to persuade Lucas to give back the $4billion dollars with interest back 1st. Lucas would cry.
You might be right.
He gave all that money to charity.
This review is gaaabage!
Why?
I couldn’t read anymore of your “review” after the first few paragraphs.
You want to know what happened to the empire after Vader and Emperor died? Read the Journey to the Force awakens. Particularly Lost Stars, its one of the best new cannon books currently out (majority of people rate it in top 3 under Tarkin and Lords of the Sith) It follows two children born around 8 years after the events of episode 3 and follows their growth as they become soldiers for the empire and eventually one joins the rebellion and the other sticks with the empire so we can see both sides of their story through the events of ANH, ESB, and RoTJ, up to a year after RoTJ when the Battle of Jakku occurred. To sum up why people were still fighting for the empire after its fall, why do you think there were still Nazi’s after hitler’s death? Why are there still KKK members in 2015? They didn’t just follow the leader. They believed in what they were doing and that it was the right thing. They believed THEY were the good guys and they had good reason to which you’ll understand when you read that book, it makes you realize that the Imperial soldiers and commanders were just human beings but allows you to understand their reasoning and their perspective. Something that’s never actually really given to us in the films aside of through the eyes of a hero who’s never really on the front lines like the average soldier.
Secondly, Ben Solo-Skywalker’s reveal was in no way shape or form meant to have emotional impact like the Vader-Luke-I Am Yo Daddy reveal. They friggin tell us Han Solo is his father what? 35 minutes into the film? We were all expecting to get at least one kid between Han and Leia, everyone knew it. Our only guess was whether it would be Rey or Kylo.
Rey was left SPECIFICALLY on Jakku. Lor San Tekka had the plans and knew of Kylo’s upbringing which meant he knew the holy trinity (Leia, Luke, Han) which means he must know something of Rey, which would make sense as to why he was on Jakku. Honestly I don’t think there’s any denying the holy trinity know of Rey. Whether or not she’s Luke’s kid, all three of them have given her powerful stares that none of the other characters got, those stares that say “I know something but I’m not gonna say a damn word so the audience can squirm till Ep VIII”
As for the starkiller base. I wasn’t the biggest fan. But again, I’m sure it’ll be explained in CANON novels. Like A LOT of things are. Because the films are only TWO HOURS long and can ONLY EXPLAIN SO MUCH. And if you READ any of JJ’s Interviews you’d understand after 30 years they just improved on the technology they had previously. I don’t think I saw you complaining about why the storm troopers still have the same outfit even though they’ve been in the same damn outfits for what…80 years now? Its simply evolved with the time. Just like how they expanded on the Death Star. Clearly they though going planet size was the way to go. And in my opinion it could have worked. My one gripe would be that if they had a full planet, why didn’t they have a shit ton of tie fighter pilots on hand? And why did you have to make the planet explode too? Couldn’t we have just crippled the weapon and continue the fight another day?
I had responded to someone talking about Finn having jedi training before saying it made no sense. Again. You DON’T need to be a Jedi to pick up a damn lightsaber and fight. I am confident enough if you and I picked up a sword and I was on the offensive, you’d be able to block my moves. Then you factor in the idea that you and I have been kidnapped since birth and trained to be soldiers for years. Again. YOU DON’T NEED TO BE A JEDI TO BE ABLE TO FIGHT WITH A SWORD. If I’m wrong. Go talk to all the professional fencers in the world because I’ve seen youtube videos of teenage fencers who have better swordplay than Finn or even OT Luke and they aren’t a damn jedi.
Rey’s fast gaining force ability is unusual. But tell me the last time everyone learned something at the same rate? I was taking ap calculus and physics in 8th and 9th grade. My dad was an African immigrant and he didn’t touch that until late high school. Does that mean because of what came before me my limits are already established? I don’t think so. Rey has probably heard all sorts of stories about what the Force could be used to do if she knows about the myths of the Jedi. And also if she was Luke’s child or an apprentice who had her mind wiped, it would make sense that she would unconsciously be able to recall how to reach into the force. Just because you don’t learn something until a certain time doesn’t mean you couldn’t do it sooner (aka just cuz luke didn’t try using a mind trick until a certain episode doesn’t dictate when rey can use it)
I can go on and on about your comments. You need to not just take the film at face value but use SOME thinking on your part to try putting the pieces together. Nobody is gonna spoon-feed you connections. You need to think for yourself and then discuss to see what the general consensus is. Then you can make an argument about what makes sense and what doesn’t.
And read the cannon if you want to actually get a deeper understanding. The films are only going to highlight parts of the deeper undercurrents of everyone else and other establishments in the SW story but at the end of the day its about the heroes and villains and they’ll always be the main story and plot points.
You need to re evaluate the way you judge things before you make a call on em friend. May the force be with you.
If you were unable to read my review after the first few paragraphs, then how can you be certain that I need to reevaluate the way I judge things? And why are you taking my review of a movie so personally and reacting in such an emotionally unhinged manner?
The reason that there are still a very few straggling neo-nazis and KKK members, is because mental illness still plagues humanity. But pay particular note how rational people no longer follow those movements in any great measure. Also pay particular note, how since those movements are not of a size to warrant significant attention, that they are unable to raise funds to maintain armies and develop the technological hardware that such armies use, such as battleships, fighter planes, or super weapons.
In regards to the relationship reveal, it’s pretty clear that the relationship between Ben and Han was supposed to be a revelation. Attempting to say that it wasn’t after the fact doesn’t lessen how flat and predictable this revelation was. Furthermore, that wasn’t the only revelation heading our way. They’re clearly foreshadowing some relationship revelation for Rey too. Since everyone and their cousin is predicting that Luke is her father, that revelation will likely fall flat too.
The problem you’re having with your explanation for Rey’s abandonment, is that if the “holy trinity” all knew of Rey, then why would they allow her to be abandoned and orphaned? That doesn’t really say much for their parenting or familial skills does it? Even Luke was placed under the care of caretakers in the way of Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen. Regardless, how do we know that Rey was abandoned on Jakku deliberately?
I’m not reading any Star Wars books, the cannon of which might be vaporized tomorrow at Kathleen Kennedy’s whim.
The commonly parroted “do your research” retort used to excuse plot holes and other problems with narratives is always pure nonsense. Everything needed to enjoy a film needs to be contained within that film. That’s not my opinion. That’s basic remedial screen writing and story telling.
To say that someone can use a sword effectively without training is mostly silliness. Sure I could pick one up and maybe get lucky with a few swings. But if I meet a trained swordsman, I can almost be certain that I will lose. Fencers may not be Jedi, but they are fencers. How do you suppose that would someone who never picked up a foil fare against a professional fencer?
The reason they were going for another Death Star is because this was a soft reboot and the writers/producers are unimaginative. It’s not any more complex than that.
Rey’s force learning ability wasn’t just quick, it was almost instantaneous. She went from one day thinking that Jedi were pure myth, to the next day using the Jedi mind trick, without even ever having seen it done herself. That’s not a different rate of learning. That’s pure magic.
Before attacking someone personally for their contrary viewpoints, it might behoove you to brush up on basic grammar such as the intended purpose of quotation marks and so forth, so you can convey a sense of coherence.
I’ve done plenty of thinking both with this comment and in my original review. Critical thought and film analysis was what I was trained to do in film school. Reverse engineering excuses to explain poor screen writing was not a part of my formal training.
Shallow and pedantic.
How so?
fuck off prequel lover
Yikes, Over a movie?
I was going to read and respond accordingly but just that line stating mental illness is the reason for kkk members, nazis, or basically any racist group not only makes no sense but is a cop out. What does that say about the plenty of racist people out there that aren’t a part of the groups? Are they ALL suffering from a mental illness that makes them dislike other races or is it the joining of the group that means they have a mental illness? Either way your argument is unsound from the start so I’ll look at this later. The problem isn’t mental illness but a rational choice to have a biased decision. If you literally blame every ideological issue on mental illness you should honestly never explain things or debate them because that’s just total cop out city. It’s like Oprah handing out excuses to everyone.
Ps I clearly read your review because I somehow managed to talk about things that weren’t in the first paragraph.
Please explain how my argument with regard to the mental instability of fascist kooks is unsound. Are you suggesting that the KKK members and Nazis are mentally stable? Are also then suggesting that racists who aren’t part of those groups are mentally stable as well?
Although it was better than the prequels, simply due to better script and a more natural Star Wars feel, I agree with pretty much everything you said. TFA is bloated fan fare to the extreme with a heavy hand to appeasing female viewers. I am a big fan of Rey, although under developed, and ridiculously powerful at this early stage, Daisy does a great job acting her part. That being said lets be honest about what Disney was trying to do with her character and the globbering pandering it was meant to elicit.
My kids and I saw the movie for the second time on Tuesday at 10:00 am and the theater was more than half full. This is a movie theater that is usually mostly empty for weekday matinees, even when school is out. Lots of kids and college age people were in the audience, but plenty of older adults without kids too. Judging by the reactions of the audience, some were seeing the movie for the first time, but many were repeat viewers.
I’m going to see this movie tonight for the 10th time. However, it’s my first time checking out the large IMAX 2D screen that’ll highlight the Falcon chase sequence. xD
That Millennium Falcon chase sequence is EPIC in IMAX…something completely unforgettable 🙂
I dunno.. I took my kids for my second viewing today at 11:05 in IMAX at the Dulles Air and Space Museum. That show was sold out. One of the attendants mentioned that folks were lined up at 9:00 AM.
The show after that was also sold out.
I went to the IMAX showing on Tuesday. It was fantastic and the film held up on the second viewing.
I saw the movie for the she if time with my dad yesterday. It’s just as wonderful in Round 2, and I was able to pick up more small easter eggs, and to appreciate Kylo and Smoke even more. I’ve already pre-ordered it on iTunes.
Episode VIII title predictions, ideas? Mine:
Star Wars: The Triumph of the Order
Title prediction: I like yours. Something along those lines. They just wiped out the Republic. My only other thought is if they go more personal like TFA, but I haven’t digested it enough to come up with something good.
Plot prediction: Kylo spared/saved Rey and put her on Jakku. Doubt Luke would’ve left her with Plutt. Something weird going on there.
A quick retooling:
Star Wars: Order of Triumph
Star Wars: Triumph The Insult Comic Dog
So mission accomplished Disney. Bring in a director who will create a flashy, cool REBOOT of existing material (which he has shown he can do), market as new “cute” droid and a strong new female lead, have almost zero originality, take no risks, and sell millions of toys, other items, and tickets, and rake in the cash!
The masses are eating up the dribble, as they did during the first few months of TPM despite how horrible that movie is; and because of clever film making (leaving so many unanswered questions), and poor character development, the masses, even after reality sets in months from now, and they ralize that TFA isnt very good; will grab onto the mantra that EP VIII will somehow correct all the misgivings of VII and in 2 hours answer all the unanswered questions. Effectively assuring millions and millions more in ticket sales and overblown hype.
Go ahead and insult me. Call me a troll. In a year most of you will be agreeing with me exactly as it happened with TPM. Those who refuse to agree will simply be lying to themselves and inside will know the truth.
What damn shame. So much could have been done……
94% on Rotten Tomatoes.
You may now crawl back into that Troll Hole.
Actually its okay that he didnt like it … Its just part of the cynical society we live in these days … I finally made peace with that once I started hearing/seeing these negative reactions … theres no way any medium of entertainment can please every single person these days. All I know is that I so thoroughly enjoyed TFA that I couldnt give a simple rat fuck what others had to say about it … I know for a fact that it wasnt the embarrassing shitfest that the prequels were and Im just purely happy about that. The movie entertained me (5 times now) like no other movie has in a long time and no amount of bashing TFA can take that away from me. The lovability of the characters is what was completely missing from the prequels and now its finally back.
Perfectly said! You, sir, are a true wordman.