The Critical Consensus – Star Wars: The Force Awakens is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes!

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It’s official – Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens is a Certified Fresh film on film review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. Click ahead to read the highlights of their coverage of the film.

 

As of this writing, the movie has a 95% approval rating from a selection of 185 reviews from critics – 175 of which are “fresh”, and the remaining 10 “rotten”. In terms of an average score, critics place the movie as a respectable 8.2/10. The top critics are slightly more favorable toward the movie, with 36 out of 39 reviews being positive and the aggregate score being 8.3/10. The approval percentage is the highest out of any Star Wars movie featured on the site by a small margin (and a greater number of reviews). The consensus reads as follows:

 

Packed with action and populated by both familiar faces and fresh blood, The Force Awakens successfully recalls the series’ former glory while injecting it with renewed energy.

 

Not all of it’s positive, however. The most frequent criticism I’ve seen out of the reviews is that the movie does a little too much in terms of reusing story elements from the Original Trilogy – a criticism that Viral Hide actually had in his own review. Another is that the movie played it too safe and didn’t take enough creative risks. But as it stands, it seems as though this movie is set to be a strong foundation for the revived Star Wars film franchise for years to come – one that will focus more on breaking new ground and surprising audiences now that we’re all together again.

 

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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.

Grant Davis (Pomojema)

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.

88 thoughts on “The Critical Consensus – Star Wars: The Force Awakens is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes!

  • December 17, 2015 at 10:05 am
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    I think they played it safe to start with so as not to turn off fans of the original trilogy.

  • December 17, 2015 at 10:39 am
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    Come On Guys! Was there ever any doubt? = P The Force is STRONG with this one!
    = ) If you like it ( Like me ) fantastic, if not oh well = ( maybe you’ll like the next one. For me this movie is a great start to a new trilogy. I can’t wait to see if it
    smashes the box office records! May the Force be with you… always.

  • December 17, 2015 at 10:40 am
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    And there are apparently still people who think RT ratings mean anything.

    • December 17, 2015 at 10:53 am
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      its an aggregate of critical opinion, nothing more, nothing less.

  • December 17, 2015 at 10:43 am
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    I didn’t see being similar to original trilogy as setback. Prequel trilogy disappointed many fans and many others lose their fate in Star Wars. Force Awakens playing it safe building bridges which prequel trilogy destroyed.

  • December 17, 2015 at 10:52 am
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    “played it safe and didn’t take enough risks.”

    it is the first act in a trilogy, its job is to set stage. we don’t need everything at once.

    • December 17, 2015 at 1:28 pm
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      Exactly… We have Avengers and other Marvel movies for that. Always a bombardment of info and new stuff every movie, hard to digest… Watched the Brazilian premiere yesterday, it was awesome. Now giant wows, but huge emotions scene after scene. Lots of references to the hardcore fans, to be delightfully digested!

    • December 17, 2015 at 3:20 pm
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      Exactly. It’s like the Lord of the Rings (even though LotR is an adaptation of a book) the first part 1 screamed for part 2, just like Ep.7 needs Ep.8 I think we have to judge the trilogy as a whole in a couple of years. Ep.7 is the beginning, act 1, now what we need is the middle and the end.

  • December 17, 2015 at 11:21 am
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    This is the first movie I will re-watch in theaters. saw it in 3D Atmos, want to see it in 2D IMAX now.

  • December 17, 2015 at 11:25 am
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    I would like to say a big thank you for everybody on this website, mods, fellow commenters, this two years of waiting has been fantastic. I’ve never been so excited about any movie in my whole life, and I managed to ignore almost every spoiler. Less than 14 hours till the midnight premiere!!!!!

    • December 17, 2015 at 4:57 pm
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      Have fun! Hope you’ll enjoy it as much as me and my friends did. 🙂

  • December 17, 2015 at 11:50 am
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    http://www.braingush.com/2015/12/star-wars-episode-vii-force-awakens.html

    6.5 / 10 Stars – Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Ep. VII) is an above average “summer blockbuster” that has perhaps built a level anticipation that is impossible to fulfill.

    The film starts out on Jakku, where Resistance pilot Poe Dameron has come to get a missing link in the map to locate Luke Skywalker. The First Order is hot on the heels of Dameron, and pursues him to a small village on the planet’s surface. A battle ensues, and Dameron is captured, but not before putting this vital information within the BB-8 droid. We also witness stormtrooper FN-2187 (Finn) unwilling to fire on unarmed civillians, which is the beginning of the end in his loyalty to the First Order. The scene feels a bit awkward, and forced at times. They should have spent a lot more time on the initial dialogue of the film, instead of filming battle sequences.

    After Dameron is captured, Kylo Ren is able to discern, through use of the “Force Chair” that the information about Luke Skywalker has been placed within a BB-8 droid. Shortly afterwards, with the assistance of FN-2187, Dameron is able to escape in a TIE Fighter, which crash lands back on Jakku. The duo are separated in the crash, and when Finn inspects the wreckage, he discovers Dameron’s jacket shortly before the rubble is consumed by the desert. Dameron is believed to have perished in the crash.

    We then cut to Rey, a scavenger on Jakku, who had stumbled upon BB-8 being taken by another scavenger. Rey “saves” the droid from being sold for parts, which later leads to BB-8 recognizing the jacket worn by Finn, as belonging to Poe Dameron. Rey and Finn seem to have an immediate spark. Finn tells her he is a member of the Resistance, and that they need to return the BB-8 droid back to the Resistance Base.

    It is not long before we see TIE Fighters on the horizon, and our two heroines, with BB-8 in tow, need to to make a quick escape. They steal the Millenium Falcon, or what is left of it, and escape after some rough piloting on Rey’s part, and a little bit of luck. Once free of the First Order, the Millenium Falcon is captured by Han Solo and Chewbacca, who had been tracking the ship, with the intent on re-taking it once the opportunity arose.

    Han agrees to take the trio to Maz Kanata, who will assist them in acquiring a new ship to get back to the Resistance Base. It is here that Rey discovers the lightsaber of Anakin and Luke Skywalker. Upon touching the lightsaber, she is overwhelmed with visions of her past, present, and an unknown future. Maz finds the child, and encourages her to take the lightsaber, but a scared Rey flees just as the First Order arrives.

    It seems a hopeless situation for Maz, Han, Chewbacca, and Finn, but in what was on of my favorite scenes of the film, we see a formation of X-Wings on the horizon. The Resistance has arrived, but Kylo is able to capture Rey and escape, believing he can withdraw the information about Luke Skywalker’s whereabouts directly from Rey. Kylo takes Rey back to Starkiller Base, which perhaps derives it’s name from Anakin Starkiller, the initial name of Luke Skywalker. It is, of course, a really big Death Star.

    Finn reunites with Dameron, who is alive. In a plot to save Rey, Finn is able to convince Resistance leaders (i.e. General Organa) that he will be able to lower the shields to Starkiller Base. It’s a bluff, but it is the only chance he has at rescuing Rey. With the assistance of Han Solo and Chewbacca, the trio crash land the Millenium Falcon, infiltrate Starkiller Base, capture Captain Phasma and say, “Hey, lower the shields!” Which she promptly does.

    Meanwhile, Rey has been able to resist Kylo’s attempt to extract information from her using the “Force Chair”, and evens turns the tables on him, letting him know that she can see into his mind, as well. When Kylo leaves, Rey is able to use Jedi mind tricks on a stormtrooper to escape, and be reunited with Han, Chewbacca, and Finn. The reunion, however, is short lived. Upon seeing Kylo, Han goes out to meet his son and attempt to convince him to turn away from the Dark Side. Kylo, of course, completes his transformation to the Dark Side by murdering his father in cold blood.

    Outside, a squadron of X-Wing pilots, who seemed more akin to gamers livestreaming on Twich than battle hardened veterans, attacked Starkiller Base. It hardly seemed appropriate to do bombing runs with X-Wings, but with Dameron at the lead, the squadron is able to destroy Starkiller Base with heavy losses. Chewbacca goes back to the Millenium Falcon. Finn and Rey battle Kylo, and Finn appears to have been fatally injured. Rey then rocks Kylo with Luke’s lightsaber, before the world is pulled apart and the two are separated. Chewie flies in, rescuing Finn and Rey.

    The film closes out with R2-D2 awakening, and combining the information from BB-8 to create the map to locate Luke Skywalker. Rey leaves Finn, and pilots the Millenium Falcon with the assistance of Chewbacca to return the lightsaber to the last Jedi, Luke Skywalker. Roll credits.

    The film felt a lot like fan service, and while the story was interesting, the dialogue left a lot to be desired. Director J.J. Abrams took a safe approach to Ep. VII and in a lot of ways, fell short of delivering a film that stands up to the legacy of the original trilogy. For what it is, the film is a wonderful new chapter in the Star Wars saga, and a breath of fresh air, though I wish they took a page out of George Lucas’ book and took a few more risks with the film.

    You will notice a lot of parallels and similarities between Ep. VII and the original trilogy. There are a lot of new and old characters taking on familiar roles:

    Poe Dameron: The character of Poe Dameron seems to fill a similar role to Luke Skywalker, and Wedge Antilles. Dameron is an expert pilot, who single-handedly destroys Starkiller Base. I thought Oscar Isaac fit exceptionally well into the pilot role, but his dialogue was not all that believable in the opening sequence.

    Finn: In addition to Dameron, the character of Finn fills out the role of Han Solo. Finn is a bit of an outsider, and often wants nothing to do with the Resistance, but always does the right thing in the end. The blossoming “relationship” between John Boyega’s character and Rey seems rushed, and forced at times.

    BB-8: BB-8 fills the role of R2-D2, the faithful droid that carries vital information. In the end, it is the two droids together, who reveal the information about the whereabouts of Luke Skywalker.

    Captain Phasma: Captain Phasma seems to be the new Boba Fett, though a very weak character at this point. For those who were disappointed with the silver ships of the prequel trilogy, the character of Captain Phasma seems as though it could have been entirely left out.

    Maz Kanata: Maz is this wonderful alien character, who has lived for over a thousands years. In some ways, she tells the story of the past in advances the story, in a way that we might see Yoda, but her palace and relationship with Han Solo remind us of Jabba the Hutt, on a much smaller scale.

    Rey: The character of Rey is clearly based on Luke Skywalker. Rey is an orphan child, left on Jakku by her parents, but her destiny to bring balance to The Force will effect the entire universe. Daisy Ridley’s perfomance is one of the best of the film, but her almost immediate transformation as a master of The Force seems all too rushed. Signs seem to point to her being the daughter of Luke Skywalker.

    Han Solo: Han seems to take on the mentoring role of Obi-wan Kenobi. He’s not much as of a mentor, but his death aides Kylo Ren in completing his passage to the Dark Side. I think Harrison Ford was wise to pass the torch, and bow out of the franchise.

    Kylo Ren: Kylo Ren is the main villain of the film, and fills the role of Dark Vader. Though not nearly as mysterious as Vader, and more of an angsty teen. I would put Kylo somewhere between Anakin (Ep. III) and Darth Vader. I think Adam Driver fit well into the role, but almost every aspect of his character has already been explained, leaving little to no mystery to Kylo, and nearly half the move spent unmasked.

    Luke Skywalker: Luke has become Yoda. Mark Hamill makes a short appearance mid-film, and then we close the film as Rey returns his lightsaber. I’m interested to see how the relationship between Luke and Rey unfolds, though I doubt we’ll see Rey carrying Luke around in a backpack through the forrest anytime soon.

    I will admit that my rating is a bit harsh, but I had a lot of expectations for Ep. VII, and came away with little more than an action film based on the Star Wars universe. It was unfortunate to see Chewbacca sidelined, and his presence was almost entirely for nostalgia purposes and comic relief. It was Rey who informated General Organa of Han’s passing, and it was Rey who was the pilot of the Millenium Falcon in the final scenes. In addition, a lot of the action sequences seem heavily dependent on CGI, and there were a lot of action sequences. The Millenium Falcon also seems to be always skimming over the water, or anything else it can.

    Overall, The Force Awakens is a lovely trip down memory lane, with a new cast to carry the torch.

  • December 17, 2015 at 12:34 pm
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    Just home from seeing it. I don’t want to give anything away for those who have yet to see it. My girlfriend had to stop my knee from wobbling a few times while I was holding in the emotion. And you will experience a range of emotions. All I can say at the moment is Im ready to see it again.

  • December 17, 2015 at 1:18 pm
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    I still cannot stomach the fact that I will have to wait 8 whole days to see it n Greece. It’s just wrong.

    • December 17, 2015 at 5:09 pm
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      its too long to wait we cant hold the spoilers that long
      kylo wren is Ben solo, han and leias son, he was seduced to the dark side by snoke, hans mission is to turn his son back to the light side he almost does it but ben ends up killing his father, rey is the next jedi, luke has 30 second screen time and zero dialogue, finn is left fighting for his life by kylo wren, and kylo wren is left for dead by rey

  • December 17, 2015 at 2:07 pm
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    The Force Awakens is the best movie I’ve seen in a long long time

  • December 17, 2015 at 2:54 pm
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    Loved the movie. But do agree with the some of the reviews about lifting too much from previous films. Also didn’t care for Starkillerbase, which I fault the movie for. Would have been nice if the film also had more breathing room and time for contemplation…No binary sunset like scenes here. And what was up with the score of John Williams? Nothing really sticks to memory except the music at the last scene of the film which was nice and memorable. Do really like the film but really good could have been great. I am excited for the next film, thats for sure.

    • December 17, 2015 at 5:03 pm
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      ive got to agree with you on the john williams score, for the first half am hour it just sounded like ET

  • December 17, 2015 at 3:03 pm
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    from having a look around some places and reading some reviews and comments it seems you cant please everyone (nor should you)

    pt – those films are too different from what we know , do some more like those ,.. st – no those films are too much like the ones we know, do some thing different.

  • December 17, 2015 at 3:12 pm
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    I am not sure if this so-called “consensus” will hold in the long run. If you read the forums, there is already a lot of (justifiable) controversy surrounding this film and I’m pretty sure the controversy will only grow over time. My impression is that critics and the general audience are just being slow to get it.

    • December 17, 2015 at 3:44 pm
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      Hmm controversy ? There are some elements which some don’t like it. But controversy ? What are you talking about ?

      • December 17, 2015 at 3:48 pm
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        I cannot comment without spoiling the movie, but I’m pretty sure there will be plenty of opportunities to discuss it in the weeks and months ahead.

        • December 17, 2015 at 3:49 pm
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          I saw your other comment and already saw the movie and i still dont know what are talking about.

          • December 17, 2015 at 3:51 pm
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            I actually deleted the other comment, because although it was vague, it could imply a spoiler.

          • December 17, 2015 at 3:54 pm
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            Yeah and I still dont get WHAT THE FUCK YOU TALKING ABOUT. Either said your point or stop trolling.

    • December 17, 2015 at 3:57 pm
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      No, it’s just a bunch of forum trolls who think it makes them important to disagree with everything that is not the OT or the dreadful EU. If you want to find the bad in something you can find it every f___ing time! I mean you could say that The Godfather is a bad movie and support it with nit-picking points like Italian stereotypes, glorification of violence and predictability. Forget George Lucas, Star Wars fans are ruining Star Wars.

      • December 17, 2015 at 6:44 pm
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        Its tough – for the most part we recognize that the first film is a classic and the second is a masterpiece, but really….what has it really done after? ROTJ was saved by Hamill’s performance, then the prequels were mostly miss with a momentary hit here and there.
        Nothing will live up to two masterpieces in a row. Nothing. Half of why we love ESB so much is because it actually succeeded as a sequel (not like Jaws 2, lolololololol). Just being a good sequel is a novel thing (See: Lost World).

        • December 18, 2015 at 10:09 am
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          I will say that Ford and Fisher were better in this this one than Jedi but that’s not saying much at all.

      • December 17, 2015 at 10:57 pm
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        Yes, people who can articulate perceived flaws in an entertainment product must obviously be trolls. It can’t be that there are weaknesses in the film. These people just can’t let go and accept whatever is fed to them. It says STAR WARS so it must be praised, and yet they bully their way onto a message board to suggest that Snoke looks like Voldemort and Gollum’s love child.
        /s

        • December 20, 2015 at 1:43 am
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          You can’t please everyone. Best one since Empire. Would you rather Snoke look like Palpatine so you could bash them for rehashing palpy? Please! (eyeroll).

    • December 17, 2015 at 10:18 pm
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      Are you trying to say that some internet trolls will use mind tricks to convince the one’s who like/love it that it sucks? lolololol

  • December 17, 2015 at 3:19 pm
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    Almost every review I’ve read is “Luke”warm. Will the criticisms grow or diminish with repeated viewings? I’m sure it’s better than the prequels but I do remember very well that they were well received

    • December 17, 2015 at 3:24 pm
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      Will depend on how good the next film will be. The Force Awakens could very well be a good foundation for the next films to build on. But as a stand alone film it nowhere feels as complete as a new Hope.

      • December 17, 2015 at 4:55 pm
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        It doesn’t feel as complete, I agree. And that’s because A New Hope was created without knowledge if there would be sequels or not, while TFA is already know to be the first of three.

        • December 17, 2015 at 5:00 pm
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          We can say that Fellowship of the ring too doesn’t feel as complete movie but it is first part of the trilogy. And in that aspect both movies success perfectly.

          • December 17, 2015 at 5:39 pm
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            Yeah but Fellowship did take it’s time to setup the story with Frodo (just like ANH with Luke). In comparison A force awakens moves very fast. (Sometimes a little to fast)

          • December 17, 2015 at 6:40 pm
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            I guess it was a decision made to pace it like that because: ‘Hey, most of the audience knows what we’re hinting at, let’s just get to the good stuff’.

            I recently watched ROTJ, and anything outside Luke’s journey is really a slog to get through (save Lando and Nien in the Falcon – that should be a one shot comic).

          • December 17, 2015 at 10:15 pm
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            I agree. After Han is unfrozen it gets really good for a little while and the dialogue is good and funny then it just crawls until Luke vs Vader.

      • December 17, 2015 at 11:11 pm
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        TFA is a standalone movie in the context that you don’t need to have seen the previous trilogies. It’s main objective was to set a solid foundation for the next two episodes.

    • December 17, 2015 at 3:31 pm
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      There’s more humour and heart in this film from any 5 minute segment you could choose from it, it eclipses the prequels entirely. Sorry but it’s true. I’ve seen staggering comments from the usual prequels folk online trying to say this is the worst Star Wars film and even citing Attack of the Clones as better… I mean. Deluded doesn’t even begin to cover it.

      This film is a rip-roaring adventure with heart and soul, friendships, a brutal twisted enemy… and BB-8! It is Star Wars. It is entertaining as hell, not a dull bland crapfest like TPM or AOTC, and the acting, across the board, is exemplary, really making you love all these characters and care for them and what happens next. And I cannot wait to see what happens next.

      And yes this film isn’t perfect, it won’t please everyone, but my god it’s on a different level to the prequels, all the love for it now is not misplaced. I think we all knew the prequels were a dud, we were just too afraid to admit it. I have no such qualms about that happening here. If it was a dud we’d all be shouting about it.

      • December 17, 2015 at 3:40 pm
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        I’m not a prequel guy, but I dislike movies that promote stereotypes or push an ideological agenda. In that respect, TFA is a huge disappointment to me.

    • December 17, 2015 at 6:24 pm
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      The Prequels had a better basic plot – hidden away underneath all the garbage, the bad direction, hammy dialogue… you name it. But make no mistake, EP7 is by far a better film.

      • December 17, 2015 at 6:32 pm
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        I’ve always thought the PT was superior in plot. Just unmitigated disaster of execution.

        • December 18, 2015 at 12:14 am
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          Yep. If there’s any movie in need of a remake, it wasn’t ANH, it was episdoes 1-3

      • December 17, 2015 at 10:36 pm
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        Better film with NO content at all.

        • December 18, 2015 at 12:12 am
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          STOP TALKING.

    • December 17, 2015 at 10:23 pm
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      It is great. The tepid, reserved reviews are the product of our hypercynical/dead inside internet culture. Any review below 8/10 is a case of unconscious (or very conscious) sour grapes; AKA “I wish I’d made it and I didn’t.”

      • December 18, 2015 at 1:22 am
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        Well, you know, there’s no accounting for taste.

  • December 17, 2015 at 3:24 pm
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    Well I loved it. Not a perfect film by far. There’s a scene or two that felt out of place, there’s the big twist which really felt quite depressing, but could have great payoff in the long run, no doubt. There’s the TOTAL under-utilisation of one of the promoted characters and there’s the parallels with A New Hope.

    Most of the callback to the older films I absolutely adored. This definitely feels like a modern film in the Star Wars universe, but that’s the important thing: IN THE STAR WARS UNIVERSE.

    The films positive elements absolutely outdo the negatives. The film is such an exciting, rip-roaring adventure with many absolutely epic kick-ass moments, and the humour spread throughout feels genuine and 99% of the time hits the right spots. Even moments you don’t expect humour at all work really well. I mean this is hands-down the most entertaining Star Wars film to date. Some people think it went too far, I think it was absolutely fine, indeed benefitted from it.

    Now, my favourite element of this film, and something sorely SORELY lacking from the prequels, is emotion. Seeing real friendships form, seeing people really care for their new found friends. All the new characters and old are a real benefit to this movie. There’s so much heart in every scene it really kept me on the verge of tearing up many times. These friendships, formed perfectly in this film, will only go on to make the stakes much higher in the next instalments. I also loved what is in effect the light side of the force embodied by the earnest, heart on your sleeve friendships and care for fellow beings, up against the tortured conflicted darkness of the dark side embodied in Kylo Ren, played absolutely fantastically, and uniquely, by Adam driver. The prequels were wooden in this regard to a staggering degree. There’s a moment where Kylo Ren says a line, indeed just one word, in a very similar way to the way Anakin does in ROTS. At that moment I craved someone with that acting talent replacing Christensen in the role back in the prequels. Real terror, real hatred, real fear…

    So yeah, I definitely need to see this a few more times, I need to own it on Bluray and watch it in my own living room up against the OT. The film on the big screen can be overwhelming at times, and the pace of this pace never let up, which is perhaps one thing I missed from the OT. I’m sure though Rian Johnson will bring some of that back with the middle instalment of this new trilogy. JJ gonna JJ, lol.

    I loved it, there was just too much heart and soul and too many fantastic moments to let the downsides overshadow it for me.

    • December 17, 2015 at 4:55 pm
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      I totally agree with everything you said, i like you felt it was too overwelming on the massive 3D imax screen i saw it on need to see it again and again on blu-ray, i thought carrie fisher was a tad wooden, but apart from that the acting script and emotion and comedy were spot on, some of it was ott, and i thought some of the battle scenes were rushed and passed me by> not perfect but better than any prequel, adam driver was fantastic, you could say he has a temper on him lol , i judt felt at times it didnt feel like a star wars movie but was reminded when i saw the constant presence of storm troopers, im just wandering why mark hamil turned up for the script readthrough lol

    • December 17, 2015 at 7:51 pm
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      i have the exact same feelings mate. Yes it had problems, and left me with more questions then awensers. (also the parralels with a new hope where very noticeable). But i had great time.

  • December 17, 2015 at 4:07 pm
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    Bear in mind early reviews are bound to have a tinge of bias or preconception. Usually it takes a month or two for a proper consensus to be drawn — usually in the downward direction. I’m not expecting perfect though, I’m easily pleased.

    • December 17, 2015 at 5:07 pm
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      I don’t expect it to drop that much, maybe not even dip below 90%. But I think a bulk of the reviews for RT are already out.

    • December 17, 2015 at 5:22 pm
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      Well TFA already have 196 reviews out that is quite big number. 186 are positive and 10 negative. So TFA have 11 more positive reviews and 0 more negative reviews.
      Hunger Games have for example 228 reviews to this date so highly doubt Force Awakens will have much more than that.

  • December 17, 2015 at 4:34 pm
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    Keep in mind – Creed’s average rating is a 7.8/10 – also a reboot (if we’re calling this a reboot – which I don’t necessarily agree with but I’m not going to argue semantics on the internet – that’s useless).

    There’s no good way to translate a 3.5/4 or a 3.5/5 to 10 other than saying: ‘great’ and ‘good’. (Either of those, I’ll be satisfied with).

  • December 17, 2015 at 5:02 pm
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    Well I’m done with social media for a while. I’ve got a feeling the fanboy’s and trolls are going to run rampant for the next few weeks here and on other sites. Trolling and nitpicking every part of this film ( it’s already started ) See you all when the Rogue One’s teaser drops. Till then may the force be with you… always.

  • December 17, 2015 at 6:16 pm
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    Just a heads up. If you have not seen the movie, and want to read some of the negative review on RT just to see what their beef is, DO NOT read the one from Time Magazine. Moron spoils the movie

  • December 17, 2015 at 6:28 pm
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    One thing that needs to be said: It’s pretty damn depressing when the trailer music is better than the actual score.
    Perhaps they should get Hans Zimmer for the next installments.

      • December 18, 2015 at 12:13 am
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        Funny, but misses the target. Those bass stabs are typical for Steve Jablonsky and were first popularized by Zack Hemsey.

        JW’s music is almost pure classical, whereas Zimmer is not just a composer, but also a sound engineer. He is less of an auteur than JW, frequently enlisting the help of other musicians (such as Thomas Bergersen for Dark Knight, Da Vinci Code and Pirates of the Caribiean). The end result is undeniably incredible. And I’ll take Zimmer’s contrabass arpeggios over JW’s trumpet overkill any day.

    • December 17, 2015 at 7:58 pm
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      get out…john williams could fall asleep and it will still be better than that hack

    • December 18, 2015 at 7:17 am
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      Loved the movie but the score was lacking. Couldn’t hear a definable theme. Maybe upon future viewings. There was SO much to take in.

    • December 18, 2015 at 10:07 am
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      At least the old themes were at least okay.

  • December 17, 2015 at 8:03 pm
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    I’m happy it’s like the OT. It needed to be to bring it back to its former glory and build a new foundation for the new series. I can’t wait! Gonna see it @7:00 tonite!!

    • December 17, 2015 at 11:00 pm
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      Enjoy.

  • December 17, 2015 at 10:39 pm
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    Let’s please retire this sentence: “It wasn’t perfect.” There’s an old Latin maxim, lost on today’s careerist porn-addicted hipster-millennial style-frauds: De gustibus non est disputandum. “In matters of taste, there can be no disputes.” I’d love to be pointed to this ideal, perfect film against which younger io9-type “critics” are measuring the merit of The Force Awakens. Starkiller Base *is* a horrifying threat — isn’t it nice, though, that JJ’s invested us so fully in the living heart of this film that we can’t care so much about an inert death-dealer? This is an accolade, not a detraction.

  • December 17, 2015 at 10:51 pm
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    It’s going to get some stiff competition from the Chipmunks movie, which currently holds a whopping 100% rating. Oops, did I write 100%? I meant 10%. Put an extra “0” in there…

    • December 17, 2015 at 11:28 pm
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      Its up to 18%!!!!

    • December 18, 2015 at 12:57 am
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      sisters is at a surprising 67%. 😉

  • December 17, 2015 at 10:58 pm
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    Saw it twice today in Edinburgh. Simply magical. For me, it never once felt like a rehash of ANH, there were parallels and nods to, but at no point was I taken out of the movie. Rey, Finn, Poe, and Kylo Ren were all characters that emotionally engaged me. Special praise should be reserved to Daisy Ridley, who stole the movie. There were a lot of wonderful scenes, with some really nice nostalgic moments. The lightsaber duel is up there with the best of them. Both Maz and Snoke were really well done in my opinion.

    There were a few problems with the movie, the gangs scene were a little underwhelming, and Hux and Phasma were too one dimensional for my taste.

    Can see how this movie could divide fans, with all the unanswered questions, and the development of certain characters. However, the ending was exactly how I wanted it to be.

    Enjoyed it a little more on the second viewing, and left the theatre feeling giddy like I did as a kid. The movie is still buzzing away in my head, and for that J.J. Abrams has my eternal gratitude.

    If Episode VIII is a good as TFA, then I’ll be more than happy.

    • December 18, 2015 at 12:57 am
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      In deed is not a rehash of ANH, has a couple elements, similarities but definitely not a ripoff. The movie shocked me, made me laugh, brought me lots of nostalgia, it gave me lots of feelings at the same time.

      • December 18, 2015 at 1:48 am
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        Likewise mate, not too proud to admit that my eyes watered up a few times during the film. Got goosebumps as soon as ‘A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far Far Away… ” appeared on the big screen.

    • December 18, 2015 at 12:20 pm
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      I don’t know about the whole discussion “is it a ANH rip off?” all I know is that the plot is pretty bad. The context is inexistent, the tension (for the overall fight, not for the small character pieces) is not there, the universe building is claustrophobic. Everything else is better than ANH so it’s too bad that these elements hold the movie back.

      Overall, still as good as any but Empire in my book. Loved it, possibly loved the character even more than the ones from the OT. Cannot wait to see what’s next.

  • December 18, 2015 at 6:57 am
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    Loved it. Minor quibbles. Mainly not happy with the score. That’s about it! A worthy addition. Can’t wait to see it again.

    • December 18, 2015 at 9:40 am
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      Just going to say this before i comment.

      (MIGHT BE SPOILERS. IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE MOVIE, MOVE ALONG!!!!!)

      Although.. why would someone who hasn’t see the movie click this page? lol

      OK, So….. I was also a little disappointed with the score. It wasn’t bad… i just don’t remember a catchy melodic tune.

      The other thing i slightly disliked was not so much the lightsaber coreography, but i would have liked to have seen an epic camera angle like a wider shot like in Empire (across the platform bridge) and in Jedi (the final part before Luke kills vader).

      And then my final grievance was that there wasn’t enough Phasma… I know we will see a LOT more of her in VIII….. but that is 2 years away! D:

      (side note.. the trailers attached to my ATMOS screening were crud. some alien invasion flick, the OLD Batman V Superman, and no Star Trek, Rogue One, X-men, or even the new BvS….. oh well.

      Other than that….. 9/10, EASILY my fave film of the year ^_^
      Seeing it again tomorrow!

      • December 18, 2015 at 10:06 am
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        There were no memorable new themes at all. Even the PT was better in that regard. I’m not sure what happened, Maybe he redid the score at the last minute?

        • December 18, 2015 at 11:17 am
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          idk. But i was at least hoping for an epic First Order March.. but i just don’t remember one. although, he had a neat melody for Rey’s theme. Still, i think we are all nit-picking because this movie was awesome 🙂

          • December 18, 2015 at 11:51 am
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            I think reading the novelization before would have helped me enjoy it a lot more like I did with the others but it’s not even available till next month. I have a lot of basic questions and not the big ones I know will get answered in the next two films.

          • December 18, 2015 at 12:06 pm
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            like what?

          • December 18, 2015 at 12:13 pm
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            Where to start? Lol.

            For starters, I found it very lame that such a supreme bad ass like Snoke was okay with Hux randomly interrupting Kylo’s private conversations with him. Sidious would have outright killed him had he done that had Vader not.

            I’m hoping that Snoke is just a puppet of Kylo’s like Shimraa was to Omni in the EU of which many, many, many ideas were borrowed in this film.

          • December 18, 2015 at 5:59 pm
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            Like Ben? 😉
            lol

            Naw… Snoke is running the show. And i don’t think so. Just remember Tarkin and Vader. Tarkin gave vader commands. It wasn’t till he died that Vader took over command. Hux is the new Tarking, and i dare say he has more power than any imperial from ESB and RotJ. he IS a general after all.

            I just want to know Why/Who left Rey (thinking Luke might be her father). I want to see some Knights of Ren, and i just want more!

            Not that i don’t like the Hobbit movies… but if any movie needed to be longer, it was this one. I had turned my phone off, but i wanted to check it around the starkiller fight because i was all “Please let there be an hour more left!” lol

          • December 19, 2015 at 7:46 am
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            Yup, Basically Jacen but with a “new” name,

            Grand Moff was created just for Tarkin and Admiral is basically a General but for the Imperial Navy. I always felt like Snoke was some ancient old man taking a long dump and recording himself while doing it. I’d be more scared of Kylo than him.

            She’s obviously not a Solo and I’m guessing that the Ren thing will be explored in the next one.

            If anything I was more interested in the return of the Jedi order that happened in between trilogies but unlike with the OT, There’s no room to have a PT to explain that.

  • December 18, 2015 at 7:55 am
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    Saw TFA today in Rio de Janeiro. no spoilers . REY IS AMAZING one of the best star wars caracter ever. but the curse of KYLO is for me a sad choice from JJ and Kasdan for this time of the year. Seen with your kids is dunno. AND I was imagining a more epic final shot. HAN SOLO is so there /CHEWIE….I LOVE THE FORCE effects on this movie. It s so cool the freezings

  • December 18, 2015 at 2:43 pm
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    Saw it for a second time today. To my surprise a lot of the things (to much rip-off ANH, the pacing, and the score) that bothered me during the first viewing seemed ok now. Wasn’t expecting that. Do however still feel that Starkiller base being a clone of the deathstar was a mistake. By making it resemble the death star automatically reminds us of ANH in which this was all executed much better. By not making it like the deathstar and way less powerfull they could have avoided the comparison. It’s crazy that a device so powerfull and big of a threat was handeled in a such insignificant trow-away way.

  • December 19, 2015 at 12:30 am
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    Why does TFA have more than thirty more reviews than Mocking Jay? 95% with a count of 261 reviews. Just surprised. Not complaining. Thought they’d be closer to the same number and I’d guess it will go higher than 261 before it stops.

    • December 20, 2015 at 12:17 pm
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      It has 275 now. Looking at Spectre, it has 285 reviews. Maybe it wasn’t odd…

  • December 19, 2015 at 7:49 am
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    Still don’t understand the title. Does it refer to Rey’s abilities or something else? I really thought they would adress that like they did with the titles of the other film albiet indirectky after watching them.

    This better not be a red herring like the whole “prophecy” shit was in the prequels,

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