Official: STAR WARS THREAD. These are the droids you're looking for. **WARNING MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

[Jr Mouse]

Reviews are flooding in. Here's a good summary of 38 of them that avoids spoilers.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2015/12...ed-38-reviews-of-star-wars-the-force-awakens/

Vast majority of them are positive. Out of the ones that assign a numerical value to their ratings most are 4 to 5 stars. One and only one gives it a 3. Plus there is a "B", whatever that equates too.

The hype is real.

Looking forward to Ataturk cherry picking out the criticisms and reminding us that reviewers are never to be trusted.

 

[Jr Mouse]

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]

 

[why]



Super 8 is a lot of fun. It feels like a call back to the 80's when we got films of kids going off on adventures. I rather liked it. Star Trek (2009) is excellent and J.J. directed the best of the Mission Impossible films.

He directed arguably the worst one (3) and comes from the Jerry Bruckheimer School of Film.

 

[LordWanker]

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

 

[Ataturk]



Looking forward to Ataturk cherry picking out the criticisms and reminding us that reviewers are never to be trusted.

Star Trek Into Darkness: 87% positive on Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_trek_into_darkness/

Need I say more?

 

[why]

Anyway, this happens with most big movies. The critics invited to the premieres surprisingly all come out with positive reviews. By the next week or so scores drop.

I'm sure I'll enjoy this exactly the same as I've enjoyed DisneyMarvel's latest whatevers.

 

[Jr Mouse]

nm. really not worth it.

 

[Ataturk]

The point is that the bar for a "good" action movie these days is very low.

 

[Ataturk]

Here's a sample from a "positive" review of the movie (taken from one of spoiler-free review summaries; I'm not reading the actual reviews...):

"Risking heresy, it's worth noting that Abrams actually did smarter, more inventive work on his 2009 reboot of "Star Trek," no doubt in part because he was working with a less heavily guarded enterprise. "Star Wars," at once a cultural juggernaut and a sacrosanct institution, resists any attempt to reimagine its landscape too aggressively or imaginatively; that may be to the detriment of this diverting first effort, but Abrams has more than stoked our anticipation for what his successors may have up their sleeves."

That's the bar, folks. If you liked Star Trek 2009, this one is almost as good!

 

[Jr Mouse]

Ah the cheery picking. Glad to have you around Ataturk.

One day left guys. Who else is seeing it opening night?

 

[Ataturk]

I want the movie to be good, too. But I'm just realistic about it. Or maybe I have higher standards.

Like I said, if you liked Star Trek Into Darkness, I'm sure you'll love this movie. But in 40 years will anyone remember it fondly? Not a chance.

 

[Jr Mouse]

I thought the 2nd half of Into Darkness was a mess, but didn't hate the film. I've said before that the first of the rebooted films was very enjoyable.

I do know one of the biggest criticisms i've seen of the rebooted Star Trek universe from some of the more hardcore fans of the franchise is that J.J. turned it into a Star Wars movie. Well now he got his chance to play around in that universe. He's always felt like the right pick to direct the first one to me, but I hardly expect you to agree on that.

 

[Kaplan]

Just back from the cinema. Spoilerless thoughts below:

Spoiler: ...

Not as bad as I had feared, not as good as I had hoped. Better on all accounts than Lucas' last three abyssal fan-fic attempts (how could it not be?), but fails to instill the sense of magic the original trilogy did when viewed back then, in the cinema, by my pre-teen self (but then, how could it?).

Most of the stuff looks great - it's good to see stormtroopers, x-wings and tie-fighters again, and old Han Solo works better than expected (Leia less so). A predictable over reliance on big action pieces makes them have less of an impact, would've been nice if they'd dared to slow everything down a bit to build more of an emotional connection to the characters and story. As it is, even the (supposedly) big emotional moments fail to have much of an effect. It did put a smile on my face a couple of times, though. 3/5

 

[otc]

From Ebert's 1977 review of the original Star Wars:

"Star Wars" is a fairy tale, a fantasy, a legend, finding its roots in some of our most popular fictions. The golden robot, lion-faced space pilot, and insecure little computer on wheels must have been suggested by the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow in "The Wizard of Oz." The journey from one end of the galaxy to another is out of countless thousands of space operas. The hardware is from "Flash Gordon" out of "2001: A Space Odyssey," the chivalry is from Robin Hood, the heroes are from Westerns and the villains are a cross between Nazis and sorcerers. "Star Wars" taps the pulp fantasies buried in our memories, and because it's done so brilliantly, it reactivates old thrills, fears, and exhilarations we thought we'd abandoned when we read our last copy of Amazing Stories.

I think there is no way the new movies capture this. They simply have too much riding on the nostalgia and presence of pre-existing characters to do anything groundbreaking.
I also think that the magic of star wars dies with this new trilogy and to any new generations experiencing it, it will just be a cash driven chain or something like Bond--You know what to expect, you'll see it in a theater and be entertained, but it won't be like the following of the original Star Wars.

Pretty clear Disney is fully cashing in on this and going the super hero movie direction. For people who experienced it before, there's magic in the OT. And even for people who experienced the prequels, they are easy enough to write off as a delusional Lucas given too much free reign. But once a new star wars movie starts hitting every single year like Micheal Bay films...its all over.

But hey...Disney bought the rights and they want to get their money's worth, and the OT will always be there.

 

[lawyerdad]



From Ebert's 1977 review of the original Star Wars:
I think there is no way the new movies capture this. They simply have too much riding on the nostalgia and presence of pre-existing characters to do anything groundbreaking.
I also think that the magic of star wars dies with this new trilogy and to any new generations experiencing it, it will just be a cash driven chain or something like Bond--You know what to expect, you'll see it in a theater and be entertained, but it won't be like the following of the original Star Wars.

Pretty clear Disney is fully cashing in on this and going the super hero movie direction. For people who experienced it before, there's magic in the OT. And even for people who experienced the prequels, they are easy enough to write off as a delusional Lucas given too much free reign. But once a new star wars movie starts hitting every single year like Micheal Bay films...its all over.

But hey...Disney bought the rights and they want to get their money's worth, and the OT will always be there.

To your point: I was 10 or so when the original Star Wars came out. And while it's completely reasonable to compare the various iterations on their qualities as movies, part of the popularity of the franchise is rooted in something that simply cannot be replicated -- the original was such a groundbreaking movie-watching experience that it's hard for people who came to it later to fully appreciate it. Not only did my little brother and I happily see it several times, but after we dragged my grandfather to see it he ended up choosing to see it like 9 times of his own volition. Some of that is probably because it was truly innovative (albeit far from perfect) filmmaking, some of it perhaps just right time right place. But a very real phenomenon either way.

I suspect the impact has also been diluted by the fact that we now regular watch movies on high quality video at home, on our laptops in Starbucks, or wherever, much the way classic Disney animated movies came to seem less special once released from their "catch it in the theater or wait seven years before your next chance" cycle.