New "Star Wars" Movie

[jochanaan]

Thanks to Karl Henning for the link:

See:

http://www.vox.com/2015/12/22/10649574/star-wars-force-awakens-comic-books

What say ye who have seen the movie? 

And CAUTION: the link provided in the article takes you to the previous essay, which contains some huge spoilers!

Not so much a "reboot"; more a "Next Generation" without quite the originality and boundary-pushing of STNG.

[Purusha]

Despite my wishes, i actually got to see it (joys of being an uncle). Terrible doesn't even begin to describe it. Literally the worst pile of crap this side of the prequels. Compared to those it looks a little nicer, and the direction seemed to be better. Aside for that, it is on the same level of bad. Unbelievable. Wasn't expecting much but man. The only thing that holds the film together is fan service and nostalgia, which felt massively exploitative. Everything new in the film is just plain forgettable, down to the rat-faced Anakin redux.

[Cato]

Despite my wishes, i actually got to see it (joys of being an uncle). Terrible doesn't even begin to describe it. Literally the worst pile of crap this side of the prequels. Compared to those it looks a little nicer, and the direction seemed to be better. Aside for that, it is on the same level of bad. Unbelievable. Wasn't expecting much but man. The only thing that holds the film together is fan service and nostalgia, which felt massively exploitative. Everything new in the film is just plain forgettable, down to the rat-faced Anakin redux.

WOW!  So far yours is the most negative reaction I have read!

To be sure, the previous article showing the (many?) parallels to the first (IV) movie has me both intrigued and a little less enthusiastic.

But I remain open to being impressed!  0:)

[lisa needs braces]

That comparison to Michael Bay is uncalled for, Purusha.

Michael Bay made some good movies!

(Though I don't agree with the resentment you're showing to the race of one character. Suddenly "token" means every black character that's part of an ensemble. Also there was a lot of racist grumbling from certain corners of the web about this character being black.)

[71 dB]

J. J. Abrams is like a more technically proficient Michael Bay.

I agree.

Everything in the film is calculated to make money and nothing more. No artistic integrity whatsoever basically, just fodder for the lowest common denominator wrapped in a pretty exterior.

I agree again. Fortunately it's Star Wars so there's a lot to enjoy (if you are a Star Wars fan).

I watched episodes I and II again on Blu-ray very recently. Compared to episode VII they look almost like European art movies, especially the scenes with Pernilla August. Disney could use Lucas's creative mind, but their goals are so different. Disney wants to please the fans and make money while Lucas wants to tell the story.

[Mirror Image]

Disney wants to please the fans and make money while Lucas wants to tell the story.

I don't agree. What Lucas wanted was to let a great series sit in the dustbin of yesteryear and let it simply lie dormant until he felt the need to make another film, which would have been perhaps never. I haven't seen the new film, and will reserve judgement until I've actually seen it, but I think it's a positive thing to see other directors/writers take a crack at this franchise. Would it be nice to have Lucas onboard as a some kind of creative consultant? Sure, especially since this entire universe came from his mind, but I think prior to The Force Awakens, Lucas himself was the only hinderance in regard to moving this story forward.

[Mirror Image]

WOW!  So far yours is the most negative reaction I have read!

To be sure, the previous article showing the (many?) parallels to the first (IV) movie has me both intrigued and a little less enthusiastic.

But I remain open to being impressed!  0:)

Is there anything that Purusha has posted that isn't negative? I take everything that guy says with a grain of salt.

[Cato]

The reviewer for the Vatican's newspaper was not very impressed: Aligreto would probably agree with it!

..."Not a classy reboot however, like Nolan's Batman, but a twisted update which fits today's tastes and a public more accustomed to sitting in front of a computer than in a cinema," the anonymous reviewer said, adding the film seems to draw from the "sloppiest current action films derived from the world of videogames."

The L'Osservatore Romano review also laments too many close-ups, and even faults the "much-publicized" return to in-camera effects, saying they are "often anonymous and lacking in dramatic value."...

...the caustic critic claims that "Darth Vader and above all the Emperor Palpatine were two of the most effective villains in [the sci-fi] genre of American cinema." But the film's new villain, the Darth Vader-inspired Kylo Ren, is slammed as "insipid;" while Supreme Leader Snoke – the Emperor Palpatine-like character, is called "the most serious defect of the film," with his representation described as "awkward and tacky."...

See:
http://variety.com/2015/film/global/vatican-newspaper-review-slams-star-wars-calling-it-confused-and-hazy-1201667084/

[71 dB]

I don't agree. What Lucas wanted was to let a great series sit in the dustbin of yesteryear and let it simply lie dormant until he felt the need to make another film, which would have been perhaps never.

Lucas retired from directing after Return of the Jedi and concentrated on being a father and running his companies. When Jurassic Park came out he realised the technology had matured enough for him to make the prequal trilogy. He came back as a director. Lucas says making a trilogy takes 10 years of his life (he started writing the script for The Phantom Menace in 1994 I believe and the trilogy was finished in 2005). It's like a marriage. One has to be careful stepping into such a commitment.

I didn't mean telling stories is the only thing Lucas wants to do. I mean when he makes movies, telling stories is what he wants to do rather than just pleasing fans.

[lisa needs braces]

Is the film problematic to you because it has a black guy and a female as heroes or would you have been more satisfied if everyone in it was more Caucasian and more male? The film would play exactly the same regardless of the gender or race of the new central characters.

[71 dB]

The objection with Fin being black is based on the fact he was put in the movie solely for that reason and nothing else.

I was sceptical about John Boyega's Finn (not Fin) character after seeing him in trailers, but in the movie he was better than I expected.

Nobody had a problem with Dee Williams, so all accusations of racism are just meant to deflect criticism in the face of a blatant politically correct agenda that obviously had higher priority over artistic integrity.

Are you saying the character Finn would have had more artistic integrity had the actor been white? Or are you saying the character wasn't needed in the movie?

Abrams even went on record saying Star Wars was "too white" for him.

So? He is entitled to feel that way.

I'm assuming that's also why the Luke character is now a woman. And why Rey sucks as well, because she is token strong woman and was cast for political rather than artistic reasons (think of Ripley from the Alien series for an example of the contrary).

I thought Rey was a good character played very well by Daisy Ridley. My only complaint is how the script makes her suddenly become a half Jedi in 15 minutes. That was unrealistic and silly.

I would have had Luke come from his hiding place to help Han Solo after foreseeing Han's death and after being unable to save Han for some reason, save Ray and take her as his apprentice.

[Cato]

You seem pretty obsessed with what others think about it, have you seen it yourself? Just do it already, seems like you're really curious about it.

No, not obsessed, just stimulating the conversation.  That's what teachers are supposed to do!   

We will wait a few months for the movie to grace our $2.00 theater!   0:)

[Karl Henning]

(he started writing the script for The Phantom Menace in 1994 I believe and the trilogy was finished in 2005).

He had time to improve the script. But didn't. 'nuff said.

[Karl Henning]

You seem pretty obsessed with what others think about it

[Karl Henning]

No, not obsessed, just stimulating the conversation.

Something which copying and pasting movie reviews which are available elsewhere, e.g., does not particularly do.

There's the difference in a nutshell: Cato is interested in sparking conversation; James tells people what they should think.

I know which one I had rather have a cup of tea with  0:)

[Cato]

Her character is based entirely on the fact she is a woman filling a masculine role, and Abrams just feels compelled to hammer that point relentlessly. Luke from the originals was a vastly more compelling protagonist.

I completed a novel last year with a fairly brutal woman as the central character: one problem is that such a character must remain a woman, despite the male aspects, and that the combative aspects of the woman must have a logic to them, and a plausibility, which is often lacking in e.g. kung-fu movies, where the 95-pound female warrior is defying the laws of physics.

The "tom-boy" girl is a known personality: I have more than a few in my 7th and 8th grade classes!  I believe they halfway scare some of the boys, and with good reason!      Given that I have not yet seen the movie, I have no opinion: if Daisy Ridley's character tends toward the above comments, then no problem.  If the character simply is a woman "filling a masculine role," then you have a point.

Oh I see, well teachers are never really good at that. (i.e. "stimulating conversation" ) Perhaps you should take off the "I'm a teacher" hat just once (leave it in the classroom of 5 year old kids or whatever) and go out and actually watch it. Live a little.

You have never visited my classrooms, so please refrain from telling me that I could not be good at stimulating conversations.

Allow me to repeat: I intend to see it at a fair price: $2.00. Not $12.00! 

[Karl Henning]

Mercy, James telling anyone else to get out and live a little!  How nice to start Christmas Eve off with such a hearty chuckle!

[Rinaldo]

I take everything that guy says with a grain of salt.

Just a grain? More like buckets of salt. I was waiting for the BS 'Mary Sue' argument to show up and wasn't surprised that it did courtesy of good old Purusha.

Rey is Luke, but since she has a vagina, she doesn't get a pass to being a zero-to-hero character? Get a life.

I thought Rey was a good character played very well by Daisy Ridley. My only complaint is how the script makes her suddenly become a half Jedi in 15 minutes. That was unrealistic and silly.

Don't forget that her foe was a lousy wannabe. And she simply responded to being pushed by pushing back, instinctively, through the Force. There's also a scene early on where you can see she's preeeetty competent with a battle-staff.

Anyway, both Finn and Rey are easily the best thing about the new episode: Boyega's chemistry with anybody else (Poe, Rey, Han) was tremendous and Ridley stole the show completely. The interrogation scene was particularly great. Can't wait to see where Ep VIII takes them.

[Cato]

Oh so your a frugal teacher, how charming & witty.

Yes, I tend to be charming and witty!  0:)

And I wouldn't have to visit, seeing you on this forum for years is indication enough. Just because your day job is teaching doesn't make you particularly interesting or stimulating.

True: some teachers are boring and dreadful!  However, being interesting and stimulating always seemed to come naturally to me!   0:)   Perhaps it is why so many of my students - even well after they have graduated - and their parents have told me how much my classes were appreciated, especially in realms beyond the subject matter.

"No brag, just fact!"   

A.And are they actually 'your' classrooms or the institution that you work for? 

B.(notice these questions will give you a further opportunity to gloat about your job, something you excel at).

C.  Your job being largely your identity and all.

DYou probably have been regurgitating the same canned curriculum for decades like a parrot, like the majority of teachers.

A. Yes, according to Common Law, I have established a "right-of-way" after a decade!   

B. See the winking comment above!

C. You cannot possibly know that, since you have never met me, or observed me in any way, especially since I could be inventing everything about the persona of "Cato." 

D. Why is that a probability?  Any teacher who does that should be fired!  No, I stay fresh...feel free to visit my classroom here in Ohio, after you pass a security and sobriety check!      

[Karl Henning]

It's that time of year, when James grasps yet more wildly at more straws than usual