Star Wars: SPOILERS!!!! DO NOT OPEN!!!!

[Garga]

Ok. About to burst. Need to talk about the movie, but don't want to give anything away to those who haven't seen it.

 

But if you have seen it...let's talk!

 

Ok, some things I loved:

 

That It's-A-Trap-Fish-Guy was back. I love It's-A-Trap-Fish-Guy!!! So glad to see him again.

 

I loved it when Ben was mind reading Rey and she pushed back and read his mind. Ooooo! Shivery! That was so well done. I mean, we knew she would resist and some of us knew she'd read it back, but I didn't so it was fun to hear her say, "I sense fear in you..." (or whatever her exact words were.)

 

I completely did NOT know that Han Solo would have such a big part. Absolutely didn't know that. I honestly thought he'd have his quick cameo from the trailers, "Chewy, we're home," and that would be it. I was delighted that he was in so much of the movie!

 

But....his death! Oh My Goodness! AAAAHHHH! I mean, we knew that Han Solo could never die in his bed of pneumonia, and we know that the older generation has to make room for the younger generation, but man, oh, man was that hard to watch.

 

As soon as I saw him heading toward Ben on that walkway, I knew Solo was going over the edge. I was cringing the entire scene.

 

Oh, and I don't want to give something away, but I figured out something that DH didn't about Rey's family. I don't want to say something that will give away a future spoiler, but...did anyone else consider Rey's family? (I'm being vague.)

 

And Rey! Oh, I loved her character! I just loved her. And Fin, too. There weren't any characters that I didn't like.

 

DH said that he thought Ben was like a Severus Snape character (probably the way his robes fit and the black hair.) I thought Ben was perfect as an immature, childish man trying to prove himself. He was weak what with all his little tantrums. If they were going for weasily child-man, then they hit the nail on the head. DH hadn't thought they were going for that at first, so he didn't like the character, but when I pointed out to him that the character was meant to be weak and pitiful, he said it made more sense and that, yes, if that's how they wanted the character to be, then they nailed it.

 

Oh, I'm so tired now and need to sleep. Someone else take over and tell us what you thought!

 

(Ok--to be fair, the constant running into characters from the past (humans or droids or falcons) and the fact that the droid held the secret plans/directions (like in Ep 4) was a bit cheesy. But...who cares!? I was willing to indulge the bits of cheese.)

Edited December 18, 2015 by Garga_

[gardenmom5]

I believe they did have to scale back harrison ford's part after his accident on the set.  they did have to do some rewritting to have someone else do it.  and they also had to film around him only being able to hobble.

 

but it was great.

[Corraleno]

I was surprised by how close it was to the original (now #4 in the series) — very simple, very similar plot. I like that they seem to be taking the series "back to basics." It does crack me up, though, that they have all these super advanced weapons and aircraft, but everything is still so crappy and rusty and mechanical. 

 

And yes, I totally picked up on the family thing, and that she recognized the ocean and the island when they flew over it, as well as the visions of Luke and the fact that his light saber called to her.

 

And I agree about Ben, I think he will probably turn good in the end, and die in his mother's arms or something. 

Edited December 18, 2015 by Corraleno

[hopskipjump]

Oh my gosh. I'm going to type a lot of random words here so spoilers won't show up if someone happens to hover over the post. But I'm not sure how many words to type, so I'll just start typing ***************************************************** ******************************************************** ************************************ ********************************** ************************* ******************************************** ********************************************* *******************************************************

 

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ok - hope that's enough!

 

I loveloveloveloved EVERY SINGLE THING ABOUT IT! Finn was SO much fun to watch. Kylo Ren broke my heart and made me unbelievably angry all in the same moment. I see why they cast Adam Driver - his face is so very emotive... he's the bad guy with too much humanity left behind - desperate to prove himself to someone who is no longer around to care. He's the actor they'd HOPED to find for Anakin (and missed the mark by about a hundred thousand miles).

 

Rey was perfect. BB8 was perfect. Han Solo was perfect. Loved seeing General Leia Organa. Lupita Nyong'o --- I was originally bummed that she was a CGI character because she is so exquisitely beautiful and it would have been awesome to have another person of color in the film... BUT her CGI character was amazing!!! So I won't complain anymore about them CGI'ing her. The Supreme Leader Snoke was freaky - Andy Serkis is brilliant, as always.

 

The tips of the hat to the Original Trilogy were perfect. The fighter scenes, darting through narrow passages in the Millenium Falcon, the Cantina band scene, the lurking bounty hunters, the It's a Trap guy....

 

Figured Han would be gone after the first movie - but was SO glad I wasn't spoiled with the when/where/who/how before seeing the movie! Because, even though you KNEW what was gonna happen... it was still gut-wrenching to see. :(

 

Oh - and UNLIKE the prequels (gag) - the costuming was PERFECT! None of this over-the-top Amidala business (how DID she sleep with her hair fixed like that, or in a nightgown with chains for straps? Honestly....) No one nicknamed "Ani." and Best of all - NO JarJar Binks!! Wahoo!!

 

Did you read that Daniel Craig was the Storm Trooper in the room with Rey when she was testing out her Jedi skills? :D

 

We absolutely loved it and plan to see it again ASAP. Want to know more about Rey's family NOW!! When does the next movie come out?!?!?!?!

 

(one teensy quibble - ummm, did they ever tell us how the jet pilot Poe Dameron get out of the ship and off of the planet? Is "he's just that awesome" enough?)

Edited December 18, 2015 by hopskipjump

[hopskipjump]

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(Ok--to be fair, the constant running into characters from the past (humans or droids or falcons) and the fact that the droid held the secret plans/directions (like in Ep 4) was a bit cheesy. But...who cares!? I was willing to indulge the bits of cheese.)

 

:iagree:
 

[PinkTulip]

Just some words at the top to avoid spoiling it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We saw it last night - LOVED it! I felt like they did a good job of setting things up for the next generation. I had purposefully avoided all trailers, all spoilers, etc. so I was so shocked and sad when Han Solo died.

 

I cheered when I saw characters that we know and love, like R2-D2, the fish dude, etc.

 

I loved how when Finn & Rey first met and were being attacked, she kept saying, "why do you keep grabbing my hand? I can run by myself!"

 

I definitely want to see it again to focus in on some details that I am left wondering about.

 

Edited to add: I think Poe said he bailed out before the ship crashed, but it was dark when he woke up and neither Finn nor the ship could be found.

Edited December 18, 2015 by Pink Tulip

[Garga]

Ok---bumping my own thread in case people who saw it last night have woken up and are ready to reply.  I can't talk about it IRL with anyone and want to hear what everyone here thinks!

[Garga]

Oh!  And getting to hear Leia's theme again.  Oh, that was lovely.  I had missed that theme.  I love it.

 

Did they play Luke's theme at the end?  They must have.  I'll need to go back and watch the movie again and listen for it.

 

I'm such a geeky fan.  I loved the movie and can't stop thinking about it. I need someone IRL to dance around with and talk about it with.

[idnib]

We're in a rush to finish some stuff but I'll be back later!

[JFSinIL]

So - is Rey Luke's kid? Who dumped her on the desert planet and why? Am I missing something?

[catz]

I thought Rey is Luke's kid too and just said it on the way home from the theater.  Who knows, they could twist it on us, but that's what I got!   There was a reference to her being taken from an Island and she had a look about her as they approached at the end.

 

I LOVED it.  The original #4 was one of my very first movies at about age 6.  I almost cried when the music started and the opening scroll began.   I loved the cheesy bit!  The old movies were totally cheesy! :hurray: :001_wub:

Edited December 18, 2015 by WoolySocks

[Corraleno]

I LOVED it.  The original #4 was one of my very first movies at about age 6.  I almost cried when the music started and the opening scroll began.   I loved the cheesy bit!  The old movies were totally cheesy! :hurray: :001_wub:

 

:iagree:

 

I think what made the original movie so special was that it combined a very simple, classic "epic hero" kind of plot with a lot of humor and self-awareness of the cheese factor. It was myth-making with a wink. Then Lucas lost that factor in the three "prequel" movies, which took themselves waaaay too seriously and lost the epic simplicity that made the original trilogy work.

 

Now it seems that JJ Abrams has gone back to the original vision, choosing a simple epic plot that was basically a "variation on a theme" of the original plot, including the self-awareness and knowing winks at the cheese factor. I think that was a brilliant choice, and I'm so glad he went in that direction instead of copying the disastrous, bloated style of the prequels. 

[6packofun]

Gosh, I just think the acting in this by the gal and guy playing Rey and Fin was SO much better than most of the other SW films!  My girls and I were cheering for a female lead that could kick butt (and not die of a broken heart, GAG).  LOL  I think their facial expressions really said a lot, like after Rey and Fin are running from Storm Troopers on the desert planet and I think they are both knocked down...he asks if she's OK and there is a sort of puzzled and surprised look on her face to see that he was worried for her first.  I dunno, little things like that made the quality of the movie better for me.  The writing was better and the humorous bits felt like the original SW movies...and were actually funny but not distracting in the moment.

[idnib]

We had a great time at the movie! My brother was a bit bummed that the plot was so similar to Episode 4 (it's a bigger Death Star!) but I think it was good to back to the basics everyone loves in order to introduce the new characters. I loved all the new ones. 

 

I do think maybe they dropped the ball explaining the politics of the Republic for a new audience. It's as if everyone decided episodes 1-3 were too political and went too far the other way.

 

Ok. About to burst. Need to talk about the movie, but don't want to give anything away to those who haven't seen it.

But if you have seen it...let's talk!

Ok, some things I loved:

That It's-A-Trap-Fish-Guy was back. I love It's-A-Trap-Fish-Guy!!! So glad to see him again.

As soon as I saw him heading toward Ben on that walkway, I knew Solo was going over the edge. I was cringing the entire scene.

 

Our entire theater burst into applause when "It's-a-trap-guy" appeared.

 

I'm an idiot because I really didn't realize Han was going to die. I can see it in retrospect (why do these architects make so many bridges without railings?) but at the time I figured this is a trilogy and Ben would walk away, conflicted, only to join the good guys in a later film.

 

I have to admit I wasn't excited about Han and Leia having a son who went to the dark side. I guess I was a bit gobsmacked that after seeing Annakin's tendencies running in their family, they would procreate. Maybe it's just me....

 

I was surprised by how close it was to the original (now #4 in the series) — very simple, very similar plot. I like that they seem to be taking the series "back to basics." It does crack me up, though, that they have all these super advanced weapons and aircraft, but everything is still so crappy and rusty and mechanical. 

 

And yes, I totally picked up on the family thing, and that she recognized the ocean and the island when they flew over it, as well as the visions of Luke and the fact that his light saber called to her.

 

And I agree about Ben, I think he will probably turn good in the end, and die in his mother's arms or something. 

 

I was laughing at the rusty/mechanical but it was comforting to see a grittier look return.

 

Kylo Ren broke my heart and made me unbelievably angry all in the same moment. I see why they cast Adam Driver - his face is so very emotive... he's the bad guy with too much humanity left behind - desperate to prove himself to someone who is no longer around to care. He's the actor they'd HOPED to find for Anakin (and missed the mark by about a hundred thousand miles).

 

Agree x 1000.

[Laurie4b]

I loved the movie and was surprised by how it deeply it affected me to see such a strong female heroine in a mythical type movie. Leia was strong in her way, but nothing like Rey. 

 

Why could Rey use the force so well without any training at all? When she got angry and went after Kyro Ren, it didn't appear that it took her toward the dark side... 

 

We were all talking about who Rey's family could be and why they would leave her alone in the dessert. Was she Luke's child? If so, who is her mother and why did they leave her? (or perhaps it was after Ben went bad and they thought they could protect her that way?) Ds said she might have been muggle-born! There were some crossovers with Harry Potter, like Snape and Voldemort and Harry with the mind reading backfiring kind of thing. Dh said, "Looks like Voldemort had one more horcrux that we didn't know about" with regard to Snoke. 

 

The theater made a mistake with our tickets that we had bought in Oct and put us in a 3 D showing, so we all want to go back and watch it again in 2D. I'll keep an eye open for the scene where she recognizes the island. I missed that. 

Edited December 19, 2015 by Laurie4b

[Carrie12345]

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I don't see how there's any question about Rey's father.  The lightsaber made me think it, but seeing the island after Ben pulled those "dreams" out of her?  Well, where'd she get those dreams, growing up in the sand???  Only one way, imo.

 

I am struggling with the time frame.  I'm under the impression that Rey was left after Ben went bad (and Luke left), but he just didn't seem old enough to have been in training when she was still so little.  Maybe I just need to suspend disbelief?  I'm looking forward to learning how it all came to be.

 

Han's death did surprise me a little bit.  I thought the "favor" that was asked just might have been to put him out of his own misery.  Dh thinks it may have been up until the very last second.  (And he's really mad that Han didn't say anything about Leia wanting him to bring their son home.)

 

All in all, we loved it.

Edited December 19, 2015 by Carrie12345

[La Condessa]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, I LOVED it! I LOVE that it has the same look and feel as the original films! Maybe this was what it was like when people got to watch those in the theaters.

 

And I love that they have a strong, tough, female role that is still feminine, who wears reasonable and practically modest, feminine clothes. That is so bizarrely rare.

 

Why could Rey use the force so well without any training at all? When she got angry and went after Kyro Ren, it didn't appear that it took her toward the dark side...

 

I didn't read that moment as her getting angry. He mentioned the Force, and she suddenly stopped to think. Then her face went all calm and her eyes all strong and forceful, and she went on the offensive. She was attacking, but I don't think out of anger.

[hopskipjump]

nm since my memory wasn't correct!  :)

 

 

Edited December 19, 2015 by hopskipjump

[dancingmama]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I was wowed. So much to talk about but so late. Dd was the first of us to put together the island vision with Luke's island. Definitely want to know who mom is and where is she? Did something happen with Ben and mom/Rey that turned Ben and forced them to hide Rey? Did Leia recognize Rey when she saw her? Dd says that Leia had a look of recognitition in her eyes, or was it just acceptance of Han's death? And his death. Oh, I cried. I knew as soon as I saw Ben on the bridge. I just knew and the tears just came. The whole move just brought me back to the original. I can't wait to see it again. So many little details.

 

"Chewie, we're home".

[dancingmama]

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This might be spoiler-y even for those who have watched the movie! So, read at your own risk. :) After the +++++ signs, highlight the space and the words should show up. I don't want to give more info than some might want to know...

 

In the "old" novels that told the stories of what happened after the original trilogy (as well as I or dh can remember... it has been eons since we read the novels)...

 

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This is a mix of correct and incorrect info but specifically Ben was not who you said, although you are correct about the who Ben represents. Dd was very upset with the name change. And she knows because she loves those books and was prepared to hate the movie as Abrams has continually said those books are no longer canon and they are not being followed. And she was Jaina for Halloween two years ago and Mara Jade this year. She knows her stuff. My little geek. However, I will say that they I (and she) believe they will play a role in the story,. We are going to see some of it. And she hopes she sees a Mara Jade character.

[sparrow]

I couldn't believe how strongly I was affected by Rey.  Star Wars was such a huge part of my play as a 70s-80s kid. I am thrilled for little girls that will get to play Rey!

 

 

 

 

(I'm not convinced Rey is Luke's daughter. It seems too easy.)

[dancingmama]

I couldn't believe how strongly I was affected by Rey. Star Wars was such a huge part of my play as a 70s-80s kid. I am thrilled for little girls that will get to play Rey!

 

 

 

 

(I'm not convinced Rey is Luke's daughter. It seems too easy.)

Yes and yes. Where did she get her mechanical skill, especially specifically the Falcon? Hubby says its from scavenging. I'm not so sure. Dd thinks Finn and Rey may be siblings. Finn was kidnapped from his family, as was Rey...

[hopskipjump]

. And she knows because she loves those books and was prepared to hate the movie as Abrams has continually said those books are no longer canon and they are not being followed.

 

JJ Abrams also said that Benedict Cumberbatch wasn't playing Khan in the last Star Trek movie. ;) So saying and doing aren't always the same with him. :ph34r:  I can't wait to see what he'll come up with and what elements of the "old" he will continue to keep or give a nod to! :D

 

I'll be spending the next year-and-a-half (or however long) re-reading those books!

 

Sooooo happy there are going to be stand-alone movies to break up the time before the second movie in the trilogy!

[hopskipjump]

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(I'm not convinced Rey is Luke's daughter. It seems too easy.)

 

DH doesn't think so either - also says it's too easy.

 

She seemed awfully attached to her family - a very strong pull to stay and wait for them. So.... if Luke WAS her father, she wouldn't have thought he was just a legend.  Hmmmmm.... did she ever say she was waiting for her *family* specifically? I can't remember. Time to watch the movie again! :)
 

[idnib]

I forgot to mention my favorite lines:

 

"We'll just use the force."

 

"That's not how the force works."

 

That's been used a few times around here today.

Edited December 19, 2015 by idnib

[PeacefulChaos]

This is a mix of correct and incorrect info but specifically Ben was not who you said, although you are correct about the who Ben represents. Dd was very upset with the name change. And she knows because she loves those books and was prepared to hate the movie as Abrams has continually said those books are no longer canon and they are not being followed. And she was Jaina for Halloween two years ago and Mara Jade this year. She knows her stuff. My little geek. However, I will say that they I (and she) believe they will play a role in the story,. We are going to see some of it. And she hopes she sees a Mara Jade character.

 

Ok so we just were able to see the movie tonight and *I'm* curious about what hopskipjump (that's who you quoted, right?) had said beforehand because I've read all the books you're referencing (For both Link and Astro, Jaina was at the TOP of my list of girls names lol - they were both boys, though, and then a video game name moved to the top of the girls list instead ...plus I was a little worried that people would look at Jai and see Jy, since Kai so often represents Ky - and I didn't want to imagine anyone messing up my daughter's name as Jyna. :lol:  But I digress...), as well.  So I really want to be in on this conversation lol and see what others are thinking about it.  

 

Book referencing aside (since it's supposedly not canon, though I saw some definite similarities - my BIL and I have both read tons of the books and we were doing some discussing as we left the theater; DH has read a little/is aware of a lot through me and we were on the way home, too)....

 

 

IT WAS JUST...  BEAUTIFUL.

 

I have been so excited all day.  Well, since last night, really.  It was shown in town at 7 last night but both BIL and I were working (SIL isn't interested in the same movies we are - BIL, DH, and I have been the movie trio for the last 14 years lol: Harry Potter movies, Star Wars movies, etc :) ) so we went to the 10pm showing tonight.  We took all 3 kids, too.  Astro was reading their Star Wars encyclopedia tonight, I guess 'brushing up' on his knowledge of the galaxy.  :lol:

 

There was a lot of speculation that Han was going to die, and I was kind of expecting it, so I can't say I was surprised.  As soon as they walked into the place laying bombs - before Kylo had even come in, before he walked out on the walkway - I could feel it coming.  I couldn't help wishing that I was reading it wrong, but I knew what was coming.  

 

I cried.

 

I loved the banter.  I loved that Rey was kicking butt.  When Finn goes like he thinks he needs to help her and instead she defends herself awesomely... LOVE it.  Love that Pink gets to see that.  Star Wars has always, IMO, been good for strong characters regardless of gender, but there was something just so great about seeing her not need anyone's help for anything.  And at the same time that Rey was kicking butt, it didn't feel forced.  Like, I feel like sometimes in other movies, they try to make a kick butt female character and it just feels forced, and they don't do well with it - like someone said to them, 'hey, we need to be more equal here and not have the women being weaker all the time' and so they spit something out that isn't genuine.  This felt genuine.  I don't know how to describe it well lol.

And the 'Stop grabbing my hand!' was hilarious.  DH and I were cracking up at that.

There were just a lot of really good lines.  Where Anakin and Padme were horribly forced and their stuff was just not well-written, the way everything was flowing with everyone in this one was just top notch, IMO.  

 

I kept calling the captain/general guy 'Captain Weasley' because I thought he looked like Bill Weasley.  Didn't realize till afterward (officially, anyway) he actually is.  :lol:  And Link joked about the main bad guy looking like Gollum without realizing anything about the actor lol.  :)

I didn't know about Daniel Craig until I came home and was on IMDB lol.  I also forgot that Brienne of Tarth (because I can't remember her real name lol) was Phasma.  I knew I recognized the voice.

 

We were lol'ing at KR and his temper tantrums.  Going in I didn't know that was going to be his personality, but it was good. It gave a different angle to the character and we really enjoyed it.  

 

It never even occurred to me that Rey could be Luke's daughter.  At one point, when they were talking about KR being Han & Leia's son, I raised an eyebrow because I wondered from the beginning if maybe Rey was their daughter - which would have been interesting, given book history.  But it was pretty clear as the movie progressed that she wasn't.  I did feel like there was recognition in Leia's eyes when she saw Rey, but yeah, like I said, never occurred to me that Luke could have kids in this storyline.  An interesting possibility, for sure - though I can't imagine why he'd desert her on Jakku if that was the case.  Time will tell!!!   I feel like she's a very Jaina-ish character (even though I know the books aren't canon, etc) regardless of whose daughter she is. 

 

 

It was just... wonderful.  I came home and there was no way I could just go to sleep, despite it being 1am.  On one hand I just adored the movie but I can't help but feel actual sadness about Han lol... and that's always a sign of good stuff, right?  :lol: 

[hopskipjump]

I'd read the books some time ago and got people/facts mixed up, so I deleted it so I didn't confuse anyone! :) Seems I've forgotten enough that they're worth re-reading! :p

 

 

Ok so we just were able to see the movie tonight and *I'm* curious about what hopskipjump (that's who you quoted, right?) had said beforehand because I've read all the books you're referencing (For both Link and Astro, Jaina was at the TOP of my list of girls names lol - they were both boys, though, and then a video game name moved to the top of the girls list instead ...plus I was a little worried that people would look at Jai and see Jy, since Kai so often represents Ky - and I didn't want to imagine anyone messing up my daughter's name as Jyna. :lol:  But I digress...), as well.  So I really want to be in on this conversation lol and see what others are thinking about it.  

 

 

[Chelli]

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My initial thoughts were that Rey was Han and Leia's child as well. Maybe someone took her from them after Ben's turn to the dark side, and they believed she was dead all this time. Possibly even Luke took her and dropped her off on the planet since he felt like he'd already lost his nephew, he didn't want to lose his niece as well. But then again, when we first saw Poe I thought he would be Han and Leia's son because he was an awesome pilot, leather jacket, and a smart @ss. I even leaned over to dh and said, "That's got to be Han's kid!" Wrong.  :lol:

 

Reasons why I initially thought that: 1) Ben (Kylo Ren) seemed to know her (or feel something) when he interacted with her more than just that they both had the force. 2) Her flying and mechanical ability is very similar to Han. Although Luke was known for his flying and mechanical ability somewhat in episode 4 as well so that could actually go either way. 3) The fact that she seemed to just click with Han. Han is generally not a very open, warm guy but he was with her. Even to the point of offering her a job on the Falcon. Possibly he sensed that he knew her even though he might not have known it was his daughter.

[nevergiveup]

OK all you nerds--

If one wanted to rewatch some of the SW movies to refresh one's memory of the story line and characters, which would you recommend and in what order?

[Carrie12345]

OK all you nerds--

If one wanted to rewatch some of the SW movies to refresh one's memory of the story line and characters, which would you recommend and in what order?

 

If specifically for memory, I'd say 1-6, because 4-6 are going to be the most important.  But, imo, you could still skip 1-3 all together.

We did 4 on Tuesday, 5 on Wednesday, 6 on Thursday, and saw 7 yesterday.

We keep the others in the car for when the kids get bored. :-p

Edited December 19, 2015 by Carrie12345

[sparrow]

If, specifically for memory, I'd say 1-6, because 4-6 are going to be the most important.  But, imo, you could still skip 1-3 all together.

We did 4 on Tuesday, 5 on Wednesday, 6 on Thursday, and saw 7 yesterday.

We keep the others in the car for when the kids get bored. :-p

 

This is exactly what we did last week.  It kept me in my happy little Star Wars bubble. 

 

I'm glad we saw it early, so nothing was spoiled. My daughter was playing Minecraft last night and in the chat someone yelled HAN SOLO DIES and quit the game.  :cursing:

[Carrie12345]

This is exactly what we did last week.  It kept me in my happy little Star Wars bubble. 

 

I'm glad we saw it early, so nothing was spoiled. My daughter was playing Minecraft last night and in the chat someone yelled HAN SOLO DIES and quit the game.  :cursing:

 

Oh, wow!

 

We went out to dinner afterward, and had a dead serious talk with the kids before getting out of the car.  I had horrible visions of the 5yo blurting something out.  Fortunately, it went well.  Perhaps it was because I told them we may have had to visit Daddy in jail for Christmas if someone had been mean enough to spoil it for him.  :lol:  :o  :cool:

[gardenmom5]

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DH doesn't think so either - also says it's too easy.

 

She seemed awfully attached to her family - a very strong pull to stay and wait for them. So.... if Luke WAS her father, she wouldn't have thought he was just a legend.  Hmmmmm.... did she ever say she was waiting for her *family* specifically? I can't remember. Time to watch the movie again! :)

 

 

yes - I thought that was interesting when she said it.

 

 

[Serenade]

 

 And at the same time that Rey was kicking butt, it didn't feel forced.  Like, I feel like sometimes in other movies, they try to make a kick butt female character and it just feels forced, and they don't do well with it - like someone said to them, 'hey, we need to be more equal here and not have the women being weaker all the time' and so they spit something out that isn't genuine.  This felt genuine.  I don't know how to describe it well lol.

 

 

 

 

This exactly.  I dislike it when characters are added in a very obvious attempt to make things politically correct.  It fails every time.

 

In this movie all the characters seemed natural and the way they interacted with each other seemed pretty near perfect.  

 

I really appreciated the way most of the characters were developed.  They seemed like real people who I would like to know, except for the bad guys, of course!

[Carrie12345]

This exactly.  I dislike it when characters are added in a very obvious attempt to make things politically correct.  It fails every time.

 

In this movie all the characters seemed natural and the way they interacted with each other seemed pretty near perfect.  

 

I really appreciated the way most of the characters were developed.  They seemed like real people who I would like to know, except for the bad guys, of course!

 

I firmly believed the female characters were going to work perfectly fine because JJ Abrams has pretty much always done right by female characters. And, by right, I mean normal.

 

While I loved the hand/running line, being so early in the movie, a piece of me worried they might go down the "even though I'm a girl" route. Instead, overall, I think it was the perfect "normal" with a perfunctory nod acknowledging the existence of stereotyping.

 

Please forgive any grammatical awkwardness there, lol.

[goldberry]

DD is having a horrible time not giving spoilers to her friends who haven't seen it. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time!  I found it very satisfying.

 

 

 

I will say at first I didn't know what to do with the Kylo Ren character.  I was expecting him to be more Darth Vaderish in that totally scary and intimidating mode.  When he was somewhat vulnerable and immature, it made me not as afraid of him as a bad guy.  He's growing on me though.

 

Question for you geeks... where did the Snoke guy come from?  When last left off, the Emperor and Vader were gone.  So where did the new bad guys come from?

[gardenmom5]

 

I loved the banter.  I loved that Rey was kicking butt.  When Finn goes like he thinks he needs to help her and instead she defends herself awesomely...

 

 

I kept calling the captain/general guy 'Captain Weasley' because I thought he looked like Bill Weasley.  Didn't realize till afterward (officially, anyway) he actually is.   :lol:  And Link joked about the main bad guy looking like Gollum without realizing anything about the actor lol.   :) 

 f

 

my thoughts when finn kept grabbing her hand to drag her away was: he's a stormtrooper he knows what they can do, and how singleminded they can be.  as far as he knows - rey doesn't.  she's on a backwater desert planet and survives as a scavenger.  not alot of experience with stormtroppers.  even when he though he knows she can handle herself (she did a number on him enough to have him running for safety) - he wasn't armed, and stormtroopers are.

 

glad you placed cpt. weasley - it was bugging me becasue he looked familiar, but I couldn't figure out why.  especially some of the last scenes he looked like gollum - and I've only watched tlotr once becasue my kids made me.

[sparrow]

DD is having a horrible time not giving spoilers to her friends who haven't seen it. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time!  I found it very satisfying.

 

 

 

I will say at first I didn't know what to do with the Kylo Ren character.  I was expecting him to be more Darth Vaderish in that totally scary and intimidating mode.  When he was somewhat vulnerable and immature, it made me not as afraid of him as a bad guy.  He's growing on me though.

 

Question for you geeks... where did the Snoke guy come from?  When last left off, the Emperor and Vader were gone.  So where did the new bad guys come from?

 

*sigh* I'm so predictable. My son asked if Kylo Ren was going to be my new Snape. :lol:  

 

I saw some theories suggesting that Snoke's battle scars are from Luke, but how, or if, that happened, I guess we'll have to wait to see!

[idnib]

Oh, wow!

 

We went out to dinner afterward, and had a dead serious talk with the kids before getting out of the car.  I had horrible visions of the 5yo blurting something out.  Fortunately, it went well.  Perhaps it was because I told them we may have had to visit Daddy in jail for Christmas if someone had been mean enough to spoil it for him.  :lol:  :o  :cool:

 

I read the kids the riot act before we walked into the theatre lobby and into the throngs of people waiting for the later shows.

 

Relevant:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDEuS5wIk5Q

[Truscifi]

I also loved it. Loved. It was amazing.

 

I'm not convinced Rey isn't Leia and Han's daughter. I sort of expected her to have twins to match her and Luke. That's probably just me though, lol. 

[monstermama]

I do think maybe they dropped the ball explaining the politics of the Republic for a new audience. It's as if everyone decided episodes 1-3 were too political and went too far the other way.

 

Dh and I were talking about this afterwards.  Besides the fact that JJ Abrams tends to be very people-focused, the main characters are a stormtrooper and a kid who's been stranded on a backwater planet for who knows how long.  They probably have very little idea of the current galactic political structure.

 

In reference to Rey's flying/repairing abilities, a big deal was made of Anakin's technical abilities in the (ugh) prequels, so that would support her being Luke's daughter.

[Meriwether]

I *loved* Rey. I liked everything about her character, and I think it was well cast. I liked Finn, but it took me a few scenes to figure out that Rey was going to be the more forceful lead. I kept waiting for him to become more assertive, like Han Solo was. I'll like him better the second time around. I liked Maz. I did not like that Hans died. I would have really preferred never seeing his death scene. At the end of 6, they were supposed to live happily ever after. Hans was not supposed to be killed by his own son. :glare:

[Pippen]

We had a great time at the movie! My brother was a bit bummed that the plot was so similar to Episode 4 (it's a bigger Death Star!) but I think it was good to back to the basics everyone loves in order to introduce the new characters. I loved all the new ones. 

 

 

The parallels to Episode 4 just kept coming and coming, and I was okay with them right up to Death Star 2.0. So many creative minds working together, I thought surely that they could have come up with a new weapon of destruction to set this age apart. 

 

My other criticism is that Snoke so closely reminded me of Lord Voldemort that it was a huge distraction whenever he was on screen.

 

Mostly I thought they got it right. I loved how skilled the young actors were in their roles, and having a kick butt yet still vulnerable female heroine. I was over the moon having the new generation on board the Millenium Falcoln with Han and Chewie. Loved that the effects seemed so natural. Glad that they made the decision to unmask Kylo Ren so we could see what a conflicted character he was.

 

Award for the most adorable scene has to go to BB8 trying to interact with R2D2. :001_wub:  It was an action packed film and I appreciated the brief cuteness break. 

[flyingaway]

This movie really upset my girls. The first thing the youngest said to me afterward was "Han died" and she burst into tears. My older girl cried so loud and long in the shower that a neighbor came over to see if everything was OK at our place.

[Garga]

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Edited December 20, 2015 by Garga

[Another Lynn]

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My initial thoughts were that Rey was Han and Leia's child as well. Maybe someone took her from them after Ben's turn to the dark side, and they believed she was dead all this time. Possibly even Luke took her and dropped her off on the planet since he felt like he'd already lost his nephew, he didn't want to lose his niece as well. But then again, when we first saw Poe I thought he would be Han and Leia's son because he was an awesome pilot, leather jacket, and a smart @ss. I even leaned over to dh and said, "That's got to be Han's kid!" Wrong.  :lol:

 

Reasons why I initially thought that: 1) Ben (Kylo Ren) seemed to know her (or feel something) when he interacted with her more than just that they both had the force. 2) Her flying and mechanical ability is very similar to Han. Although Luke was known for his flying and mechanical ability somewhat in episode 4 as well so that could actually go either way. 3) The fact that she seemed to just click with Han. Han is generally not a very open, warm guy but he was with her. Even to the point of offering her a job on the Falcon. Possibly he sensed that he knew her even though he might not have known it was his daughter.

 

This was the same point of view from several in our family after we saw it tonight!  We even joked about "send your kid to slavery on a desert planet" day-care / boarding school option.  Best day care in the galaxy! 

 

 

ETA:  Loved Rey and Finn.  Loved the references to IV.  Hated Han's end. 

Edited December 20, 2015 by Another Lynn

[musicianmom]

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I haven't been this bothered by a character death since reading the end of Half-Blood Prince. Ugh! I had been sitting there for an hour plus thinking "Wow, JJ Abrams really did it. He has pulled off this perfect Star Wars movie." And then whiny emo guy who looks like Benedict Cumberbatch and Alan Rickman had an ugly baby together KILLS Han Solo. Are you kidding me? To make it worse, he then dies 30 minutes later, so his whole "I have to kill my father so I can resolve this inner conflict and go completely dark side" was for nothing, story-wise.

 

Han Solo's death should have been an epic, going-out-in-a-blaze-of-glory event that left the audience happy for him.

Edited December 20, 2015 by musicianmom

[JFSinIL]

I do not think Rey is a Solo - the little girl in the dream vision was old enough to have remembered her folks, and Rey did not recognize Han as "daddy" at all, much less Leia. Nor they her.

Now - she did have flying skills pretty fast - and was able to help repair the M. Falcon...kinda like her grandpa Anakin? So maybe she is Luke's dd, who was sent to live in a safe place (that must have fallen through) after Ben went bad and Luke decided to go all hermit-Obi-Wan like "old Ben" back on Tatooine? Which I think I spelled wrong...

 

But wouldn't Han or Leia have recognized their now grown niece at all?  

 

i suspect she did inherit Jedi skills...from another non-Skywalker family.  Or maybe those midicorwhatsamacallits just developed in her like in Anakin?

 

Now - who thinks the little old woman who ran the Not-Cantina bar place had to be the same or similar species as Yoda?

 

Oh, and my adult son with autism is still upset about Han Solo. :-(  

But it fits the narrative to have the Wise Older Guy die (as did Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon Jinn and Yoda in other films).

Although what in tarnation made the Solo kid turn to the dark side?  Did he resent leaving his mom (like Anakin) or was he just a spoiled brat gone bad?  Sure did look like a young Snape! When Han tried to talk to him on that narrow walkway, I kept thinking "Han - tell the kid his mom wants him to come home!"   Shoulda played the Mom card!

 

Edited December 20, 2015 by JFSinIL

[Corraleno]

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I haven't been this bothered by a character death since reading the end of Half-Blood Prince. Ugh! I had been sitting there for an hour plus thinking "Wow, JJ Abrams really did it. He has pulled off this perfect Star Wars movie." And then whiny emo guy who looks like Benedict Cumberbatch and Alan Rickman had an ugly baby together KILLS Han Solo. Are you kidding me? To make it worse, he then dies 30 minutes later, so his whole "I have to kill my father so I can resolve this inner conflict and go completely dark side" was for nothing, story-wise.

 

Han Solo's death should have been an epic, going-out-in-a-blaze-of-glory event that left the audience happy for him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kylo Ren is definitely not dead.   :001_smile:  

 

[flyingaway]

I doubt Kylo Ren is dead.

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I haven't been this bothered by a character death since reading the end of Half-Blood Prince. Ugh! I had been sitting there for an hour plus thinking "Wow, JJ Abrams really did it. He has pulled off this perfect Star Wars movie." And then whiny emo guy who looks like Benedict Cumberbatch and Alan Rickman had an ugly baby together KILLS Han Solo. Are you kidding me? To make it worse, he then dies 30 minutes later, so his whole "I have to kill my father so I can resolve this inner conflict and go completely dark side" was for nothing, story-wise.

 

Han Solo's death should have been an epic, going-out-in-a-blaze-of-glory event that left the audience happy for him.