Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Movie review)
If you liked the original Star Wars trilogy, you’ll enjoy the sequel, The Force Awakens. But I argue that J.J. Abrams offers confused politics and misses a chance to offer something really interesting and thought-provoking.
The movie had too many bridges to cross (from the old movies) to get the politics involved in this installment. Remember, as opposed to Lucas and Spielberg teaming up on all of the six previous movies, this time each of Episodes VII, VIII, and IX will be directed by different visionaries, allowing each to focus on the aspects they are good at. Abrams is a master with action films and Star Wars: Episode VII was no different. There was very little CGI: the actual planetary battle scenes - though obviously choreographed - used actual explosives in most instances. I think it worthwhile to point out as well that in Lucas' original version called "Star_killer_" actually was a planetary super-weapon being used - exactly like that in Episode VII. The Death Star was monumental, yes, but small potatoes compared to Lucas' original military monstrosity as unveiled here.
If I had to quibble with the movie, I wouldn't quibble about the way the original actors (Hamill, Fisher, Ford) played their roles or the storyline being set up. I would ask Where the heck are the Y-wing and B-Wing bombers? You're attacking a planetary installation with fighters??? And where are the Republic Mon Calamari cruisers which formed the heart of the fleet in Return?
As a corollary, I would ask where the TIE Interceptors were. They gave a new look to the TIE Fighters by making them black instead of the utilitarian grey, but the curved-wing ships were the newest thing in the Empire's arsenal - built specifically to tangle with the highly maneuverable and more heavily armed AND armored X-wing (similar to the Japanese Zero and American Hellcat fighters of WWII). It also looked like the entire fleet of the New Order consisted of a single Star Destroyer. I'm sorry, but did they just place so many of their resources into the planetary hyperspace laser that they had nothing left for space defense - or is there actually another fleet out there somewhere guarding the new Sith Lord? (And PS - but Kylo Ren's ship is ridiculous - it functions like a shuttle but has the size of a destroyer or small cruiser.)
The last quibble was in the lightsaber battles. I can totally understand Rey and Finn being amateurs, but Kylo Ren should have been mowing people down right and left. The hallmark of a Sith was their prowess in battle. I don't buy the line that stormtroopers had some training or that Rey used a staff. Rey wasn't using a double-bladed, Darth Maul-style lightsaber, which one could argue would parallel with her staff. If Ren could stop a blaster bolt with the Force, he really should have been able to handle a not-even-padawan in a lightsaber duel with ease. He could choke someone, but couldn't use a more basic Force Push? Talk about needing significantly more training!
That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and think it bodes well for the future of the Star Wars Universe. I'd happily go back and see it again in theatres.
I think that DrEH's analysis is good in general; I really like the analogy with the French Revolution. I believe that a significant point that was missed, however: a major purpose of this episode was to 'pick back up the threads' of the universe and plot sequence and to introduce new characters who are strong enough to carry the action forward. I think that is why there were so many 'shout outs' for geeks and fans in the script.
Insofar as the lightsaber scenes are concerned, I have fought with both a staff and a greatsword (I won a greatsword lyst once, many years ago) and I can affirm that a lot of the moves do transfer over (more so than between broadsword fighting and greatsword fighting). I have also seen the bloody-damn 'naturals' who pick up a sword and start fighting as if they were born to it (the rest of us mortals have to struggle up the learning curve). These dratted people do exist. I will allow that Rey is one such, for the sake of the plot.
I am planning to go see it again on XMas day.
Jan
As far as the rest of the fleet, there is some backstory stuff floating around, supposedly the "Resistance" is an unsanctioned group, the real government had some kind of peace treaty with the 1st Order, and was the system they vaporized in the process. So the fleet apparently had gone the way of most military when peace breaks out. Of course that also means the X wings were pretty long in the tooth by then, so they should have again dipped in the novel bag and pulled out the Jedi versions (black and supped up) to help even things up. I also agree you are dead on right with the Force issue, there is so much that the Jedi and Sith supposedly do with the Force in combat, Kylo Ren was almost painful to watch, looking like a kid who just found a gun and is gone off killing everyone. Rey you expect to be the novice, as she has no idea what to do with the Force, thus leading us into next movie, which will probably be another close copy of Empire. Luke teaches Rey to use the Force, Rey runs off to help momma who she feels is in danger or something, Luke lies down to die peacefully, big station where Kylo Ren does bad things in a sneaky way. Hopefully Finn does not get flash frozen...
Having tinnitus and 45% of my hearing along with defective hearing aids that I trashed, I was reluctant to see the flick at a theater.
But my son had learned of a theater that offers special closed caption glasses and/or ear phones for someone with issues like me.
A PC search located this theater is located in a satellite city on the north side of Birmingham.
My son wants to come with me to see it a third time!
I told him we we will do that after Christmas on a school day afternoon.
Old dino does not have masochistic tendencies.
It's not the action sounds I had a problem with.
It was the dialog.
I kept missing bits of spoken sentences.
But missing parts of dialog is very frustrating.
http://www.magnepan.com/
Voices are so real you will think they are in the room with you.
I catch up on current movies with Netflix and try to make sure the DVDs have subtitles.
Sometimes I slip up and I can twice recall a false claim of having English subtitles.
Way before I developed hearing problems, I got used to subtitles during my 20s for watching samurai classics on PBS.
Get a loyal fan base. you can go on a show like 20/20 or 60 minutes after you're a success and let the interviewer draw you out about "hidden" meanings.
There are some legitimate points to be drawn too, however. Often indvidualists or advocates of reduced government want to impose that change politically, and this shows how imposing a lack of control that outstrips societal understanding of correct philosophy will just open a power vaccuum.
Also, there are some VERY interesting speeches by the villians (supreme leader Snoke and others) in the book that didn't make the film, which decry individualism. The book has a much more overt pro-individualism theme than the film did (probably due to it's trimming down of the dialogue).
Oh. I will have to read the novel, then.
One of the side effects of the existence of THIS Gulch is that the randist philosophy per se is getting some alpha testing in an environment that is semi-open. That is to say, the people who are here have a generally similar philosophical perspective, but different experiences and vastly different opinions on some of the parameters and details of implementation. I am constantly refining and revising my premises due to the input from people on this site.
If this philosophy someday/somewhere gets the opportunity to become a major player in the social and political arenas, some of the bugs may have been shaken out of it by this virtual gulch. It is crucial that what you have described in the TFA universe not happen – that we get the ball and then fumble it because we do not know ‘how to make it work’.
Jan
Jan
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There just is not much science in this science fiction.
Glad to hear though, they didn't change the characters into a liberal utopia...that would have killed the whole thing.
Maybe, like so many great works...the ending, it's resolution, is up to us and worthy of yet another sequel.
I suppose that will get the ire of SW lovers.
The one thing I will say is that at least this time they were able to hit things (Chewbacca). One of the running jokes of past episodes is just how bad of shots they supposedly are despite the fact that Obi Wan Kenobi sees the slaughtered Jawa sandcrawler on Tattooine and points out the "precision" of the blast marks as the hallmarks of Imperial troops.
Presentation: A
Story/plot: D
Spoilers in your column??