Read User Reviews and Submit your own for Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens - Page 15

4

Shadiac1985Mar 26, 2016

What an awful awful Star Wars flick. In fact, it looks and feels like a remake of the first film rather than something fresh and new. We got a dude who just figured out he doesn't want to be a soldier (after years of training and practiceWhat an awful awful Star Wars flick. In fact, it looks and feels like a remake of the first film rather than something fresh and new. We got a dude who just figured out he doesn't want to be a soldier (after years of training and practice right when his first mission - surprise! - turns out to go kill some innocent people), an Anakin/Luke girl hybrid who, instead of being discovered and raised to be strong with the Force (at least an eary green creature could've been somehow involved), just, well, figures it out eventually. And apparently she knows how to fly the Millennium Falcon even though she never left the planet she was told on to "wait" for... Luke? Okay, Han and Chewie do manage to make a spectacular entrance and to remain genuine in this film. Leia is there just because, and the droid "crew" are clearly made fun of by a single rolling ball model pretty much able to replace both of them. Some Resistance, huh? Anyway, the biggest, the ugliest and the most obnoxious problem with "The Force Awakens" is Kylo Ren. I'm not kidding! He's meant - at least the way I thought it started out - to be an intimidating yet somewhat still humane villain looking for his ways to accept the Dark Side (Anakin from Ep. III, anyone?)... except all he really does is parody Darth Vader from later movies until he removes his mask, at which point he just starts looking like Severus Snape very unsure of himself. Um... what the flying heck?! This guy can't even manage his acting in this one, how can he "be one with the Force"? In fact, what unbright leader ever thought of putting him on the job ordering the whole stormtrooper army around? Seriously, there wasn't ONE SINGLE scene I didn't find myself laughing at him without his mask on. Most ridiculous villain ever! You have to see the movie just to see Kylo say "pphhlease?" at the end. Aw god. So yeah, spoonfed cameos of old actors (in both senses), nothing explained, good visuals, musical score, lots of plotholes and sloppy acting. Oh J.J., you can blame it all on Disney. We'd forgive you.… Expand

8 of 37 users found this helpful829

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4

SlanethDec 27, 2015

I found the movie... boring, just boring. I liked the two main characters, however the bad guy was lacking and so was the plot.

It felt like the original trilogy forced into one movie, everything was rehashed.

25 of 44 users found this helpful2519

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4

lightbetsoinJan 18, 2016

the main problem i have with this movie, is the lack of context we have. what is the state of the galaxy after episode 6? if the republic have been restored, why is there still the rebellion? what hapened to the empire, how is the first orderthe main problem i have with this movie, is the lack of context we have. what is the state of the galaxy after episode 6? if the republic have been restored, why is there still the rebellion? what hapened to the empire, how is the first order related to it?
at some points the new super weapon destroy a full system, at first i thought it was coruscent, but the lore seems to pretend its an other planet. the thing is, theres nothing we know on this planet.
its just an other mindless destruction some group that looks related to the empire, even if we dont know exactly how..

you know nothing about the universe you enter in.

after that comes the obvious for anyone who likes star wars first trilogy.
the movie is a carbon copy of episode 4.
the main protagonist is stuck on a desert planet that feels like tatooine.
theres a search for a rebel robot on this planet.
theres a "death star" the destruction of a solar system.. everything just look way too close to episode 4.
its almost like they were doing a complete reboot of star wars instead of doing the episode 8.

the music is not memorable, theres really no great theme. sometimes you are happy to listen to the old era themes like leia's or luke's, but theres no new imperial march, no new duel of the fates. you'll forget everything, and 1 month after seeing the movie i still havent had the drive to listen to the ost.

finally, and that is very subjective, but i hate the fact that the main character is a woman.
its just impossible for me to identify as rey.
i believe sf is mostly appreciated by men, and especially star wars.
i see the choice of the main character beeing a woman, and the choice of his black partner as a strategy to attracts those 2 demographics that are historically not attracted into star wars.… Expand

19 of 33 users found this helpful1914

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4

DreadsmiteDec 21, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. -SPOILERS-

This movie was awful, not just for a Starwars movie. The character development was laughable, the introduction the movie made to old comers such as Han Solo, Chewbacca, and R2D2 was insulting. The others were just bad, not enough to mention. There was only a few good things the movie had going for it, in which they shat on towards the end or right after.

First off, short to long battles. Practically every fight that happens looks amazing, except for the final lightsaber duel. The small 2 on 1 fight with the Falcon Vs. the Tie fighter was incredible The way the gun was jammed so Rai had to flip the Falcon upside down so Fin could fire a blast and kill the pilot, that was incredible. Nothing better could have been done. Now it is what happened afterwords that got me.
"GOOD JOB!" "YEA YOU TOO!" "WE'RE A GREAT TEAM!" "YOU WERE AMAZING OUT THERE!" "SO WERE YOU!" *Circle jerking intensifies* They took an outstanding moment in the movie that really opens your eyes, and they just milk the **** out of it, to the point where it makes you hate that scene in itself for the way they made the characters pull off that scenario.

The potential of a storm trooper and Kylo Ren. Call me picky, but that scene with Kylo Ren Vs. Fin in that 20-30 second lightsaber duel was just appalling. How does a regular STORM TROOPER LAST THAT LONG, VS. A SITH. Storm Troopers are push overs, they die to the dumbest living things out there. Wampa's, Rebel soldiers, EWOKS. You name it. Now, when a Sith comes to mind, your first instinct is an unstoppable Jedi killer who can take on hundreds of regular people. Not this guy, you see; Kylo Ren actually struggles to kill 1 measly Bad turned Good Stormtrooper in a duel, and this Stormtrooper has never held a lightsaber in his life. My god.

The sound development . The sound they made and used throughout the movie was incredible, outstanding, amazing, fantastic, top notch. I could think of thousands of appropriate slang for the thought they put in for everything in the movie when it came to sound. The helmets being taken off, the weapons firing, the sabers clashing, all of it.

The Stormtroopers. The Stormtroopers were a hit and a miss at the same time. They gave too much humanity into them. For instance, the scene where Kylo Ren is informed of the bad news about who escaped and who the people were. He begins slashing everything like an autistic, then after learning one of the escapee's had to have been his sister, he screamed. Now, the part where the Troopers are walking, then they turned around. That was just ridiculous. Storm Troopers are suppose to be heartless killing machines disciplined by the darkside, not a bunch of **** This especially goes to Fin, who in a very short turn of events decides he wants to help a guy he doesn't even know. Yes, he did watch a comrade die, and yes, he did watch as Kylo Ren ordered his squadron to summarily execute tens of innocents. Either way, you think the training that would go into a Storm Trooper would be more intense than having your stomach turn when one guy dies next to you that you probably just knew and not cared for. Now, putting aside the negativity, the captain was fantastic until the last scene you see her. From the trailer I expected some cliche hefty angry disciplinary drill Sargent voice of a man. I was shown otherwise. They actually pushed the boundaries on what an Imperial / First Order can be, and proved to me that they could take a high ranking class captain of the Sith faction and make it a woman's role, and at the same time give that strike of fear that viewers like I felt at the beginning.

Kylo Ren in general. My god, they couldn't have made a Jedi turned Sith look any more retarded. Lets have a nod to the lore of the Sith. When you abuse the force, your body slowly turns for the worse, making you look like a diabolical abomination in a matter of years. Not with Kylo Ren though, he gets to be evil, cruel, heartless, and abuse the **** out of his force powers, but still looks regular. I don't know if it was just me, but from what I was expecting his face to look like from all the crap he did throughout the movie was a wrinkled, dirty washcloth. What we got instead was **** Ringo Starr incarnate. The worst part is that from all the horrible things he committed, Abrams made him look like a push over in half the scenes of the movie. Threatening to kill an Officer if he didn't succeed, and then not. To make things worse, the Officer stood there and told him the bad news on a **** grocery list, and all he says is: "Anything else"? Dear lord is this the Jedi turned Rogue that makes people swallow their spit in horror, or just a bantering easy going Brit.

I would say more, but I hit 4800+ characters, the limit is 5000. The movie is garbage, and I haven't even gone through half of what I wanted to criticize… Expand

11 of 19 users found this helpful118

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4

MagicpickleJan 14, 2016

Very unoriginal and uninspired. "Star Wars" used to be a space opera with regal dialogue, fantastic musical themes, and a plot sticking to the traditional mythology of "the hero's journey" while being innovative in exciting new ways. "TheVery unoriginal and uninspired. "Star Wars" used to be a space opera with regal dialogue, fantastic musical themes, and a plot sticking to the traditional mythology of "the hero's journey" while being innovative in exciting new ways. "The Force Awakens," on the other hand, just sloppily cuts and pastes together different parts of the already existing Star Wars Expanded Universe (which is excellent, by the way) and Lucas' mythos in the Original Trilogy. At least the prequels explored new territory in terms of story and lore; this movie did not.

Overall, it's very lazy and intellectually boring. It's quite clear that this movie was made for the lowest common denominator, and thus is why the movie is doing so well. However, if you're able to turn your brain off and just enjoy the mindless ride of explosions and blaster shots, you might enjoy it.… Expand

32 of 53 users found this helpful3221

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4

OSWDec 26, 2015

TL;DR. Effects are very well done and it's nice to see actual props again instead of complete CGI like the prequels, but the story is way too similar to A New Hope. Comedic portions come off as forced and ruin parts of the movie that areTL;DR. Effects are very well done and it's nice to see actual props again instead of complete CGI like the prequels, but the story is way too similar to A New Hope. Comedic portions come off as forced and ruin parts of the movie that are trying to be more serious. Also Kylo Ren has to be the most disappointing Star Wars villain to date(which the end of the movie makes his story line seem a little too similar to another Dark sider we all know and love.....).

There are many inconsistencies in this movie related to the Star Wars universe which many fans will probably catch. Overall it didn't even meet my very moderate expectations, I'd say I'll give Disney one more chance to redeem themselves and come up with an original story, but if they mess another one up I won't bother with any more Star Wars titles under their ownership.… Expand

23 of 38 users found this helpful2315

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4

GranulesDec 18, 2015

THE COLD DARK HEART OF BIG BUSINESS JUST MOCKED YOU WITH THIS OFF THE SHELF EVANESCENT CROWD-PLEASER

(no plot revealed) So I've seen it. Finally. Today I felt as intrepid and wide-eyed entering the cinema as I did back in the 70s, whenTHE COLD DARK HEART OF BIG BUSINESS JUST MOCKED YOU WITH THIS OFF THE SHELF EVANESCENT CROWD-PLEASER

(no plot revealed)

So I've seen it. Finally. Today I felt as intrepid and wide-eyed entering the cinema as I did back in the 70s, when I first entered the galaxies far far away as a young boy. I'd seen the trailers of course. The anticipation was palpable. And then things all went butterscotch icecream on me, and my face fell into a rigid mask of indifference. There is no steadiness at hand here, no atmospheric silence, no tremors itching their exciting path through your innards, strumming at your strings like a virtuoso. Grievously, I must question the point of this film, its lack of fantasy, its lack of wonderment. The lack of awe.

I must admit I would have preferred a visionary sci-fi director like
Duncan Jones, I've never been a fan of JJ Abrams. He makes popcorn munching 2 hour vacations for irritating attention lacking whiny tech nerds, used to learning life's lessons through hyper-chipped colourful touchscreens, either them or tired depressed overworked middle-agers looking to make as little effort as possible while they gorm at a bright screen. That lot probably loved it. But Abrams doesn't make films that affect, that bolt your childhood into another world, that open your eyes and identify you with something wondrous and uniquely personal. And he's produced a plate of his standard fare chicken wings right here, steaming hot and ready to gnaw on and toss into the trash. The busy rotating camera shots, the zooming in and out and all about - here here and here check. But, and it's a big but, a butt big enough to crush the prequels, he HAS got the aesthetics right. The look isn't overly digital, marvel fanatics might even find it too last century, maybe it isn't all Abrams' fault after all.

I mean the film certainly has the icy spectre of a corporation lurking at its heart. You can sense each shot was discussed and fine tuned in a committee and half a dozen subcommittees. Subsequently, there are well formed clean and tidy scenes plopping straight off the factory line. Like only corporations know how to do. This film has no bleeding heart maverick at its core. No singular vision. This is not a film dragged out kicking and screaming from the mind of a lone wolf, this is NOT a personal love affair. This is firmly and unashamedly for the masses.

So what do the people think? The critics seem to like it, or is that just peer pressure? The audience I saw it with seemed pretty mixed. Three teenage boys sitting near me declared it to be a "pile of steaming $%#&", yet a few others cheered at the credits. Well, one other actually, and I suspect he would have cheered at anything.

I'm coming across really negative here I know. It wasn't all bad. There are some really good bits, and even some moving bits, just an awful lot of bad ones. Hammy moments, american jock moments, action B movie moments. Yet I liked the new characters. The female lead is strong and bold and it was good to see the returning characters again, especially the ones that hadn't aged. It's just what's with THAT script? oh how naive, how sequacious, nothing new to see here, move along. And in keeping with the pandering rushing storyline, the camera is also dancing about like a perfect twit. Gravitas may be provided by the characters and the highly skilled production engineers and designers, but that isn't enough to shake off the influence of Abrams and Disney. They wanted to give us what we want so desperately they forgot to take risks, they forgot to break boundaries. In trying to make something so authentic, so much like the originals, they betrayed the very essence of what we loved.

But I was always going to say that wasn't I? I'm not that boy entering the cinema all those years ago. The real test will be whether the new generation take it to heart. Will it define them and last a lifetime? I suspect not.… Expand

84 of 146 users found this helpful8462

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4

trooperdeniedJan 28, 2016

Film was conceived with the idea of diversity in mind and incorporates stupidly large amounts of plot points from 'Star Wars: A New Hope'. The prequels were poorly acted at times but were new, bold, and showed the Star Wars galaxy at a scaleFilm was conceived with the idea of diversity in mind and incorporates stupidly large amounts of plot points from 'Star Wars: A New Hope'. The prequels were poorly acted at times but were new, bold, and showed the Star Wars galaxy at a scale we hadn't seen it before. The visuals were great, but the story and soul of it wasn't. Disney should've had a closer look at Lucas's ideas or at least taken inspiration from the enormous amount of content created over the years in the extended universe.

If I had submitted this plot/screenplay to my media teacher as an original sequel I would've been chewed up, spat out and told to use my imagination.… Expand

19 of 95 users found this helpful1976

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4

starkitecktDec 18, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Poor writing, acting, and a lousy story ruin this otherwise fun jaunt through this Episode 4 remake. Yes, it is a REMAKE. There's a death star (I DON"T CARE WHAT THEY CALL IT NOW, ITS ROUND AND IT SHOOTS LAZORS!), there's a droid with info on it, and there's people that have to rescue other people. Its comically unoriginal and boring... except for the nostalgic throwbacks and one-liners.… Expand

38 of 72 users found this helpful3834

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4

fr0sty500Dec 18, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. In short: The movie is just some mix between nostalgia/triggering of fanboy feelings and really silly comedy.
In general some gags are good and I was even looking for nostalgia, but it could have been implemented in a much more subtle way. Instead it is feeling like someone is waving at you with a banner, saying that now its time to recognise and regard that J. J. Abrahams integrated good things from the old movies.

It has almost zero to none story. The only story that is there is taken from episode IV and mended loosely together, without any real development of it. Same counts for characterdevelopment, which is simply not existent - and that despite some 180° turns in the attitude of some characters. The struggle Ben/Kylo Ren has with himself is not noticeable from his actions, behaviour or expression - although there is a like 2 min closeup of Adam Driver's face. The movie just plumply tells you via a dialoge between Kylo and his master (Smaug like the Dragon from The Hobbit or sth.) that he has these struggles, so you know later what is happening.

One good thing about the movie: The last scene. It is quite good (not totally, but it is rather well done). It is the only scene that creates somewhat of an atmosphere and (this may be the reason) uses music to do so. This makes the scene seem less plump and passionless made than the rest of the movie. Still it is a litte bit too long and I asked myself why Luke was standing with this stoner look on an island watching the sea and then staring at his daughter.

PS: Some unanswered questions which make me think they really were short of time and wanted to get the movie done as fast as possible:
Why does R2-D2 at some point just start to live again?
Why should they not stare at the small alien with the small/big eyes (which was some mashup between Yoda and the oracle from Matrix)?… Expand

21 of 46 users found this helpful2125

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4

theforcesucksDec 18, 2015

Mixed bag for me. The visuals and action were great. The characters were okay, though I thought Rey was overpowered and Kylo Ren/Supreme Leader Snoke were fairly meh. The story though was sub-par, nothing but a retelling of Episode IV AMixed bag for me. The visuals and action were great. The characters were okay, though I thought Rey was overpowered and Kylo Ren/Supreme Leader Snoke were fairly meh. The story though was sub-par, nothing but a retelling of Episode IV A New Hope with no suspense or excitement.

I really wonder how this one will be remembered in the end. You know, after all the excitement has passed and viewers start to be honest about what they thought of the actual movie.… Expand

12 of 29 users found this helpful1217

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4

dob111283Dec 18, 2015

If I wanted to watch Episode IV, I could have stayed home. Say what you will about Lucas' prequels, but at least he took chances on new storylines. This is rehashed garbage that was meant as a cash cow. Ignore all the idiot fanboys who screamIf I wanted to watch Episode IV, I could have stayed home. Say what you will about Lucas' prequels, but at least he took chances on new storylines. This is rehashed garbage that was meant as a cash cow. Ignore all the idiot fanboys who scream "haters gonna hate". They're pretty much in complete denial because they expected so much. After this movie gets out via word of mouth, it'll just be a decent movie, nothing more. Someone needs to bring in Christopher Nolan or give Lucas another shot.… Expand

65 of 110 users found this helpful6545

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4

PerezDCDec 19, 2015

The Force Awakens is a dumb, lazy revival of the Star Wars franchise. The film wishes to draw your attention away from its unforgivingly weak plot and characters by bashing your head in with iconic Star Wars imagery.

Throughout the ForceThe Force Awakens is a dumb, lazy revival of the Star Wars franchise. The film wishes to draw your attention away from its unforgivingly weak plot and characters by bashing your head in with iconic Star Wars imagery.

Throughout the Force Awakens, you'll find an absurd amount of plot conveniences that solely exist to integrate beloved characters from the franchise's past into the new story. New characters like Rey and Finn are interesting in concept: A self-sufficient scavenger in search of her family and a soldier with nothing to fight for. The problem with these new characters is the lack of time they're given to be properly developed. The film wastes no time in thrusting these new characters into the Star Wars universe by way of forced conveniences. How else could the film fit in the rest of its seemingly mandatory cameos within its two-hour runtime?

Compare this to Episode IV: A New Hope. The characters in Episode IV are gradually rolled out in a way that feels natural and seamless. We're given time to get to know them. We don't actually leave Tatooine until about 40 minutes into the film. Episode IV bothers to create a great foundation and atmosphere for the rest of its story. It takes its time. And so, we BELIEVE in the story. Episode VII, on the other hand, expects you to believe this story before you even enter the theater.

The Force Awakens is essentially in a rush to check off all of the boxes. "Well, we need Han Solo in the film. And the Millennium Falcon. And Chewbacca. And Princess Leia. And C3P0. And R2D2. And Luke Skywalker. And Darth Vader's charred helmet. Because that's what people want, right?"

The real problem is that this IS what people want. In that sense, The Force Awakens exceeds with flying colors. Audiences have embraced these tricks that have been conjured by Hollywood's brilliant corporate minds. It is now the norm to sacrifice originality for nostalgic pandering.

The Force Awakens is a well-made film in the physical sense. Its cinematography and direction is thrilling. The set design is as top-notch as ever. But, films should strive to touch us emotionally, and this is where Force Awakens fails. The film seems to trust that the bulk of the audience's emotions will come from the re-introduction of classic characters. To the objective, unbiased viewer, however, there is little in this film that will stir up one's emotions.

If names like Han Solo and Chewbacca don't mean to much to you, then it is likely that The Force Awakens will also mean little to you.… Expand

39 of 73 users found this helpful3934

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4

CriviewerDec 19, 2015

Nice effects, nice landscapes and nice designs, it definitely looks cool, evidently way better then the predecessors. This is just enough for a decent, average movie. But not enough for people that want to see a great movie.

The massiveNice effects, nice landscapes and nice designs, it definitely looks cool, evidently way better then the predecessors. This is just enough for a decent, average movie. But not enough for people that want to see a great movie.

The massive letdown is the plot and the script. Characters are introduced without any connections, they can perform just as good (actually even better) than well trained villains in terms of using the Force. Silly jokes and cliches are abundant and there are no hints of even the most basic explanations. Ex-machina screenplay tricks are also shamelessly used to introduce convenient plot developments.

Overall, a disappointment. I'm not a star wars fan, but this one is way below most of the others. It is a dull remake of the 4th episode with no innovative thinking.… Expand

23 of 46 users found this helpful2323

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4

hraM7Dec 20, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I honestly tried to make myself like this film, but unfortunately by the time i left the Theater i was empty and disappointed, here is why:

1) I already saw this film, a long time ago on a VHS. The storyline was just taken from episodes 4 and 5 so hard, that i could predict everything will become later.
2) I understand that the crew wanted to create more SW fans from those who are not familiar with the universe, but gosh why everyone in this either alien or youngster 30< y.o. ? Cmon thats now it should be done.
3) Most popular - Villianactor dont match, no way to fix it TOTAL fail
4) Jedis and sith were always smth special of this saga. This film has no respect for Master, knights, padawans and younglings. Just tell me, pls tell me: how is that possible that sith (which was trained by Luke Skywalker and Sith lord) could lose a duel to a girl that holds a lightsaber for like 10 seconds? it took Luke 2 episodes to fight properly, young padawans were trying to build their style of sabefighting for years and here we are - a girl with 0 experince destroys a well trained young sith... WTF.
5) Im not against a black ppl in the movie (hello magister Windu) but why that guy was heavy breathing for like 90% of the film? astma? he should visit a doctor i guess. That was annoying
6) im not gonna complain about small mistakes i think everyone saw in this movie (like Luke waiting for his new padawan on an island without food for many years WTF) but pls, leave SW saga alone or reconsider the way you want to continue with this =(… Expand

22 of 43 users found this helpful2221

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4

wcladleyDec 20, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After months of anticipation and waves of hype, Star Wars: The Force Awakens comes off as a very meticulous attempt at cultivating a valuable piece of intellectual property, but falls noticeably short of meaningfully extending the mythology on which the property was based. One can almost imagine the meetings that generated the concept for this film: The directive seems to have been to create a Star Wars film that would be thoroughly digestible to new audiences, while having such a heavy coat of nostalgia that those who grew up with the series in the 70s and 80s would not be able to hold back a smile. This strategy benefited the Force Awakens in its art direction, which powerfully captures the magic of the originals while managing to seem completely at home in today’s sci-fi action genre. It really was beautiful to see. Sadly, however, this strategic approach was a narrative failure; creating a film so safe and so attached to slightly altered retreads of scenes and scenarios from the first film that audiences are denied a real opportunity to learn more about the history of this narrative universe and how these new characters fit into it.
We finally get to see a human being behind the storm trooper armor, but aside from a few forced lines about being “robbed from a family” he’ll never see again and “programmed” to fight as a storm trooper, Finn’s character serves as nothing more than a side-kick who offers muted comic relief and poorly conceived romance. Han and Leia don’t feel meaningfully attached to their son, and their son seems to mimic Darth Vader more so because he was challenged to do so by a gigantic, balding supreme leader, rather than out of a deep-seated adherence to the Dark Side. In fact, Kylo Ren seems more like a cosplayer who takes things too far than an ultra-violent initiate of an ancient, dark religion. And then we have Rey, played to great effect by Daisy Ridley. She is, arguably, the only character with emotional believability and narrative substance in the film, and yet her epiphanic moment comes in the midst of others saving the day. Her obviously crucial backstory is only dealt with in the briefest of terms, and she is inexplicably robbed of the clichéd Hollywood kiss with Finn, opting for a safe peck on the head as her love interest lies unconscious in a healing chamber-equally an admission of the lack of ideas for her character as it is of the subtle racism that is still alive in Hollywood. Had the film dispensed with rehashing old scenarios and focused more on her, tons of interesting narrative possibilities could have been opened up. Instead, I suppose we have to wait for the next installment to see how-or whether-these possibilities are realized.
And, surely, the wait-and the narrative crafted to generate that wait-is part of the overall marketing strategy. What the Force Awakens gives us is a brief taste of what might come in the series, in its history, and in its universe-banking, perhaps, on the undying passion of its hardcore fans to pick apart every frame of this one as they theorize about what might happen two years from now. But this fan devotion does not simply exist on its own. It was born out of the artistic originality and feeling of unlimited potential that existed within the original trilogy, but could not be realized due to the technical limitations of the medium at the time. And sadly, 32 years after Return of the Jedi, we are still waiting for that potential to unfold. The prequels offered the visual scope and technical sophistication that the originals were lacking, but failed miserably as an origin story. The Force Awakens, released at a time when all such limitations could have been easily cast aside, instead opts to be highly polished, but ultimately soulless, “content”- when it could have been the beginning of a grand, culminating story arc for a series that deserves one.… Expand

8 of 20 users found this helpful812

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4

TubaFettDec 20, 2015

Just another Star Wars remake, right down to rescuing a damsel in distress from a Death Star knockoff. The characters were not convincing, which I pin more on the script than the acting, and the entire film seems rushed. It's good for smallJust another Star Wars remake, right down to rescuing a damsel in distress from a Death Star knockoff. The characters were not convincing, which I pin more on the script than the acting, and the entire film seems rushed. It's good for small children or those who've never seen the original trilogy and don't know any better.… Expand

12 of 26 users found this helpful1214

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4

chrisselthDec 22, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. When is a remake less than a remake? When it pretends that it isn’t, thinking by reshuffling almost every element, every shot, from Star Wars, and a touch of Empire, in a new order, changing the sexes of some of the main characters, that makes it new. When it tries to compensate for this by making everything bigger and glossier, while losing all real excitement. There is not the edge of the seats experience that marked the originals, just big bangs. When the script falls repeatedly into lame. When all the main characters are pitched to the teen audience, a cross between Hunger Games and Harry Potter. Adults are left embodied in the aged performance of Harrison Ford, confirming how tired this film is for anyone over 30. Disney has successfully revamped its merchandise business with this leaden loud movie, but I was left watching engineering competence with no excitement.… Expand

28 of 50 users found this helpful2822

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4

v0idDec 21, 2015

The whole episode is built on the fact that there were a lightsaber Luke inherited from Anakin. Although in 5th episode, he lost it (with his hand) in the scene "Luke, I am your father".

12 of 25 users found this helpful1213

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4

catfishdavidDec 21, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. To put it all in one word, I would say "Disappointed". From the beginning I was extremely excited to see the new Star Wars movie. The entire series (games, books, TV series, toys, and more) were a big part of life for since my childhood. They guided my dreams to reach space, led me to attempt an aerospace degree and eventually got me an internship at NASA. And that's not counting my Star Wars Jedi Outcast tattoo. So, it was bad enough that Disney made the decision that my childhood was now no longer connon, then to have this movie slap me, my wife, and two oldest boys in the face made me upset. The entire movie is filled with plot holes, unexplained events, and science far-fetched even for Star Wars. An apathetic-at-times performace from the veteran cast made it all the more disappointing. For starters, why is there a third death star? From a writing perspective, it's unimaginative and lazy, from a plotline perspective it's just plain dumb. The previous two failed with an entire fleet backing them up, not to mention bankrupting the entire Empire. Oh, by the way...there's more, it's an entire planet this time that somehow took less than 30 years to build, can suck the power from the sun and can shoot multiple planets at the same time. Next, why is the new empire basically a color version of WW2 nazi footage? Seriously, they have a parade, a screaming leader, a giant flag, and a speech about taking over the universe. They even steal people and brainwash them to fight for them. (Which means the good guys are killing innocent people by the way) Then, they replaced Yoda with a new character named Maz Katana, who can't use the force, but seems like she can use the force and somehow has lukes old lightsaber. She never really clicks as a character and isn't explained well. And that brings me to my next point, the cantina Maz operates. It's a cut and paste from Episode 4 cantina scene and was lazy writing. Im getting tired so I’ll wrap up the last complaints. The entire movie takes place in one star system???? The New Republic isn't explained or showed, and why is the resistance (lazy writing and basically the Rebellion) separate from the Republic and only has a dozen x-wings? Why is a 60 year old princess the only general shown in the resistance? How can Finn use a lightsaber? Why does the only First Order Trooper with a stun baton find Finn and know who he is and beat him in a duel? Why does Ray learn how to use the force as good as a Jedi Master in a few minutes. Why does Kylo (Adam is terrible for this part by the way) get beat by Ray even though he has years of training and is in the Skywalker bloodline? Why is Ben Han and Leia’s kid in this universe when he is Luke’s son in the original universe? (lazy writing) Why was R2-D2 in low power mode? (lazy writing) Snoke is a new emperor, they didn't even try to be creative (more lazy writing)

I will say that i enjoyed some of the visual effects and the four newest stars were actually very good. And when i say the four newest stars, I of course mean Daisy, John, Oscar, and BB-8. Gwendoline Christie was underutilized and should have seen more screen time.… Expand

10 of 17 users found this helpful107

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4

resetxresetDec 21, 2015

After all the hype, just BLAH. Same 'ol stuff--just a continuation of 4 and 5, ANOTHER "mo better" Death Star and Evil Government, same old "some pilots fried" attack on the Death Star, and same old double cross and nuts crawled up in theAfter all the hype, just BLAH. Same 'ol stuff--just a continuation of 4 and 5, ANOTHER "mo better" Death Star and Evil Government, same old "some pilots fried" attack on the Death Star, and same old double cross and nuts crawled up in the belly Jedi wiping his hinny in the woods waiting for somebody to beg him to train them story. Guess JJ played it safe and stuck with the party line, introduced a pc cast and cashed the check.… Expand

12 of 22 users found this helpful1210

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4

bvaldobDec 23, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A movie for our age of distraction: frantic, often incoherent and unbelievably shallow. I cannot fathom how it got the reviews and ratings it did. It’s frustrating and sad to think of the missed opportunities: there was an ardent fan base, large preexisting mythology to draw ideas from, huge budget… And this is all they could come up with? What a shame - the trailers had been so enticing!

TFA starts off well enough but quickly becomes predictable and uninteresting. Basically, there’s little originality in the story, and no credible motivation to drive all the action we see. It’s an incoherent, loose plot, highly unsatisfactory, mostly made up of bits and pieces lifted from Ep IV and V, strung together anyhow in what seems in retrospect to be one long chase scene with some boring dogfights and battles here and there. Oh, and a cantina scene -pretty good, actually. Oh, and some Nazi imagery for the baddies. Oh, and a Death Star. It feels as if the script had been written in haste the night before the deadline - or has had far too many people have a say/interfere/edit it. Who was it that said “the worst risk is not taking any”?

The result is, alas, flat and unimaginative. Nowhere are we given any real sense of depth: not in the plot, nor the characters, nor the universe all this is supposed to be happening in. Or, for that matter, how it’s supposed to be linked to what happened in ROTJ and before: the few hints given here and there are ludicrous and scant. Admittedly, visually it is rather good, and on the whole faithful to the Star Wars style; and a big plus is the restrained use of CGI effects. And while some character choices are ridiculous, there are some good, even brilliant ideas concerning many new characters, their interactions, the (very) little we are told about their past. It’s a pity that this potential is thrown down the drain by mishandling, such as a total lack of character development. As a result characters are unconvincing, and there is no good reason to really care about what happens to them. Even the heroes from the past are given such a bad deal, to the point that only nostalgia lights them up. A bit. It must be stressed that the actors themselves mostly do a super job, doing their best with the available material (and direction?).

The villains are a particular example. While the concept of a young dark lord, still unsure in the wielding of his powers and undergoing a personal inner crisis, could have been very, very interesting (especially when it turns out he is somebody’s estranged son), this concept then gets expressed so artlessly and clumsily, and in such fragmentary haste- it turns into a farce. And while it could have been a nice touch, and one faithful to the origins, to have the Big Bad Boss deliver instructions and dress-downs in hologram form, what we are then shown in the movie looks like a cross between Voldemort and an oversize Gollum. Grotesque perhaps but not one bit intimidating.

Any good moments are also quickly treaded into the dust of mediocrity by facile plot jumps and glib twists. That the proximity of somebody’s old lightsaber triggers an avalanche of visions and flashbacks in the lead character, though it leaves much unexplained, could at least have been a splendid way to introduce some “first-steps-in-the Force” sequence; even clumsy experimenting might have done; but no, this character seems to suddenly become a master with no explanation given, and this is then shamefacedly overused in the plot to further the action. A likeable alien character with a lifespan of centuries could have been the vehicle for much background information, in some way or other; but she disappears having said, or done, very little. A potentially emotional and fateful confrontation is so emphatically anticipated over and over again, and is so clumsily contrived when it finally does happen- that it loses all pathos.

TFA is probably what it’s meant to be: a heavily commercial operation, which was never intended to be creatively respectful of its predecessors, and carefully planned around a boardroom table to make sure of most possible viewer-clients (particularly the age-groups more likely to then go out and buy merchandise). The cannibalising of previous movies is so pervasive and unsubtle that it becomes almost offensive. The movie comes across basically as a mediocre remake; briefly entertaining, quickly boring, rather soulless. Forgettable.… Expand

46 of 74 users found this helpful4628

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4

KeihndethDec 23, 2015

While this is not a bad movie, it is not a great movie either, and it certainly isn't a Star Wars movie. This was a sci-fi action movie based in the Star Wars universe, not the epic space operas of old we all grew up with. This film was moreWhile this is not a bad movie, it is not a great movie either, and it certainly isn't a Star Wars movie. This was a sci-fi action movie based in the Star Wars universe, not the epic space operas of old we all grew up with. This film was more of a 'Greatest Hits: Episode IV-VI' than its own standalone movie. A shell of a movie with the depth of something we'd expect from Michael Bay, not J.J. Abrams.… Expand

27 of 45 users found this helpful2718

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4

SiMarcosDec 24, 2015

The good reviews were bought and sold by Disney. The truth: Terrible writing, plot holes galore, and you will have not the slightest care for why Rey and Finn are doing what they're doing. Nor is there any aptly justified reason for whyThe good reviews were bought and sold by Disney. The truth: Terrible writing, plot holes galore, and you will have not the slightest care for why Rey and Finn are doing what they're doing. Nor is there any aptly justified reason for why certain things happen. The entire plot is a shoddy rehash of Ep. IV plot. Nothing original. Cartoonishly bad casting/acting/direction for all bad guys. I mean, it's just really bad. Watching that ginger-haired general and twitchy, uncertain Kylo Ren was like seeing scrappy adolescents playing Star Wars in a basement.

Horrific plot twist that went totally unjustified by its doer. Who we don't grow to fear, anyway.

Other reviews say it all. Solid 4.0 out of 10 for the film, 1.0 out of 10 for Star Wars.

Also, funny to note: all of the GOOD and seemingly very plastic reviews written on here have generally 1/20 ratings as "helpful" while all of the BAD reviews have like 16/20 on average. Use that as a metric for what the truth actually is. It's impossible to be intelligent and like this film.… Expand

52 of 86 users found this helpful5234

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4

vonMistontDec 25, 2015

Starformers or Star Wars for Marvel fans (with ADHD) - SPOILER FREE
It was so action packed yet so forgettable that in retrospect I begin to look more fondly on prequels. It's based on homages to the original trilogy and references belongingStarformers or Star Wars for Marvel fans (with ADHD) - SPOILER FREE
It was so action packed yet so forgettable that in retrospect I begin to look more fondly on prequels. It's based on homages to the original trilogy and references belonging rather in the realm of Robot Chicken Star Wars than in actual movie. This homages and great Harrison Ford performance may be what eluded some fans to liking this movie, but I'm sure that after you cooled down you will realize what are we dealing with here. Except for the very beginning there were no moments of peace, where you could just watch sights and listen to John Williams music. It was one big roller-coaster of events yet we are left with no explanation to why balance of power in the universe is the way it is. What's The Order, what's the Resistance, what's the Republic, who is more powerful and why. While The Empire was well established authoritarian state with it's own character The Order seem to be just blunt obvious Nazi reference. Villains are pitiful, when we meet them for the first time they seem really intimidating but when it comes to anything they just loose their steam. The worst part is with all this positive feedback the film gets the rest of the movies may be as shallow and badly filmed as this one. I'm afraid we forever lost the Star Wars just like Star Trek fans lost Star Trek for the transformers clone. Transformer liking audience seems to be more profitable. At least George Lucas was creating his own vision and not just delivering to the market... Let's just hope next movie will try to be a film on it's own without spending half it's time to show that the director did watch original trilogy.… Expand

74 of 126 users found this helpful7452

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4

xaxiomaticDec 26, 2015

I'd say it's a good Star Wars movie but the problem is that it's not a good movie.

It has all the things we love about the setting but has many problems as a film. The script is bad, the characters are underdeveloped, the pacing is toI'd say it's a good Star Wars movie but the problem is that it's not a good movie.

It has all the things we love about the setting but has many problems as a film.

The script is bad, the characters are underdeveloped, the pacing is to fast, the score is forgettable, plot holes,
throwaway lines of dialogue instead of proper setups etc...

There are parts that are certainly well made like the sets, costumes, practical effects, some of the acting was better than I was expecting from the new crew.

If you took away the Star Wars elements and put in generic space ships and villains it would tank by itself.

It's not a remake but relies so heavily on the original source that you're not really sure if you're watching one or not and that's probably the major issue right there. A bland copy which has no identity for itself.… Expand

38 of 63 users found this helpful3825

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4

RMIngriaDec 26, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I just saw this movie on Christmas Eve in IMAX with a packed house expecting great things from all the talent represented that contributed to the making of the film. The writing team seemed to be a perfect fit with Kasdan, Abrams and the others, which in my opinion were a good choice to fuse the old with the new. Also, George Lucas was brought in as a consultant.

WTF happened????? I am certain, that if the filmmakers went by the original script for Star Wars, which was so long originally that it had to be broken down into 9 episodes, that the last 3 episodes had little, if anything in common with this new release.

I find it hard to believe that these characters are part of the original story. It appears that all that was done was to look at what is needed to market a old product in a new market. Now we have a young girl (an orphan, who has Force powers with no training because she was told so by a stranger) we have a Black Leading man, no doubt for the cross marketing, who never comes across as a believable defector from the Empire, now reborn as the First Order) and a cute droid that has a secret map to Luke Skywalkers location. This begs the question, why is he hiding? 30 years later after he defeats the Empire and blows up their stronghold, and the death of the Galactic Leader and his father Darth Vader is he cowering alone at some remote island. Why would he not be with his sister? Han Solo, a hero, is now a bad dad? Leaves his wife for whatever reason and abandons his son? Hans Jr. has the power of the Dark Side? So strong he can stop a phase blaster in mid air but can beat a novice at a mind game or with his light saber? The girl happens to find one and master it in 1 lesson? I wouldn't be surprised is the orphan girl is none other than Luke's little darling. She was born with the force that was passed on. Stay tuned for another mystery reveal like Luke and his Da da.

Leia had zero charisma or strength as she did as Princess Leia. The chemistry between Hans and her was sadly lacking. Its was as if the actors said, "hey they paid us a lot of money to redo this, so let's just make the most of it and get it over with". I felt uncomfortable watching those two for a extended period of time.

There were entertaining moments, but I kept feeling that there were too many attempts at tossing in elements for the sake of a modern viewing audience and foregoing any real attempt and making clarity of a 30 year gap in the story line.

Death Planet was absurd and its effects barely noticed. The race against time was too trite this time out. Recall that the plot point of SW4 was the plans of the Death Star in R2 and the retrieval of those were needed to save the Rebellion. Now we have a Droid with plans to protect the Location of Luke. Is that even close as a plot device?
I don't get it. The massive hunt for the droid and subsequent failure by the First Order to capture it is beyond any logic. And who is the Great Overlord? I guess we needed him as the old leader was killed. This is a big hole.

And how is it that Master Luke did not foresee the arrival of the girl and the light saber. Why was the light saber left in a box in a bar? Hmmm, was this done by Luke as a prevision to his daughter finding it and ultimately bringing it to him. Let the training begin. Hence the beginning of SW8.

All this commentary for naught. I am but a single ticket sale in the host of millions that will be sold. I am glad the movie is making a lot of money. Disney paid 4 Billion up front to by Lucas Film. That took Star sized balls to do!… Expand

22 of 37 users found this helpful2215

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4

Alaska_WolfDec 28, 2015

It was a fun movie, there's no doubt about that; even so, I am not sure yet, but I really don't think I liked it. I really felt let down at the end of the movie, so much of it felt like it was simply a complete rehash of previous movies. ItIt was a fun movie, there's no doubt about that; even so, I am not sure yet, but I really don't think I liked it. I really felt let down at the end of the movie, so much of it felt like it was simply a complete rehash of previous movies. It felt completely disconnected from Episode 6, Return of the Jedi which we watched the night prior. Do I want to see this again? Not really, which is really unusual considering how many times I have watched the other six movies. I just don't know, but the ageless, enduring qualities of the first movies were simply missing. To me, The Force Awakens ended up feeling like an attempt to mash all of the major plot points of the previous movies into one new one all the while completely discounting the volumes of Star Wars written materials out there. Now George Lucas' comments prior to the release make perfect sense. I can only hope they do a better job with the next two shows.… Expand

24 of 40 users found this helpful2416

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4

Eyeball_PaulDec 29, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After watching Episode VII, here is my synopsis for Episode VIII:

The movie begins on an ice planet, where a First Order probe has landed. The probe identifies the new location of the Resistance base on the planet. Meanwhile, inside the base, Finn wakes up and finds out that Rey has left. He then indicates his wishes to find her. Before he sets off, the base is attacked by First Order troops. Cue battle scene where Poe and Finn kick ass. Finn then sets off to find Rey.

Back at the Island planet seen at the end of Episode VII, Luke trains Rey in the ways of the Force. Luke is amazed that Rey grasps the concepts of the Force so easily and already knows so much. Luke naturally thinks nefarious thoughts and thinks something is not quite right.

Back in space, Finn is captured by the First Order. Rey senses this through her incredible knowledge of the Force and sets of to find him, despite Luke's warning that she is not ready and she needs to complete her training.

Rey flies to the Star Destroyer Finn is held on. After kicking Stormtrooper ass, she comes face to face with Kylo Ren (again). Ren gives a speech about how he is now more powerful since he has completed his training. Cue the inevitable lightsaber fight where, at the end of the battle, it is revealed that Ren and Rey are siblings. "Noooooooo" proclaims Rey who then proceeds to slice off one of Kylo Ren's limbs. Finn and Rey then escape.

Kylo Ren then slumps off to Snoke. Snoke then orders a full scale attack on the Resistance with their new superweapon, which we will see in Episode XI..... THE END.… Expand

11 of 25 users found this helpful1114

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4

bullywugDec 29, 2015

So, basically this is a remake of Episode 4. What people are calling nods are actually the entire movie. There is almost no original content. As with all Star Wars films the action is plentiful and fun but the acting is weak and the storySo, basically this is a remake of Episode 4. What people are calling nods are actually the entire movie. There is almost no original content. As with all Star Wars films the action is plentiful and fun but the acting is weak and the story filled with holes. I don't want to sound too critical. I think it's at least as good as Hunger Games or Maze Runner but it is certainly not an amazing piece of art.… Expand

25 of 42 users found this helpful2517

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4

RAGrierDec 29, 2015

I am still not certain which is the more fitting descriptor, "forgettable" or "disappointing." Let's go with both.
The plot was rehashed and the characters were flaccid. The bad guy character, ummm, what's his name? Mike? Billy? Anyway, he'sI am still not certain which is the more fitting descriptor, "forgettable" or "disappointing." Let's go with both.
The plot was rehashed and the characters were flaccid. The bad guy character, ummm, what's his name? Mike? Billy? Anyway, he's the type that would be at a Gender Dysphoria Emo Rave telling everyone how dark, deep, tough and oh yeah… how misunderstood he is.
There were no "wow" moments. I really didn’t see anything new. There were only a couple of thrills (CG stuff mostly) and you could cut the suspense with a jelly bean. It felt like a cheaply and quickly made mashup of Harry Potter meets a few guys from Lord of the Rings in space with some faces you knew in 1977 so you can say it is Star Wars. Oh and the cliff hanger ending. Hmmm… golly, how dramatic and symbolic. The biggest symbol was the actual cliff. Made me want to jump off…
The Clone Wars cartoons are much better with storyline, character and plot development. Heck, Star Wars Rebels has more depth. LEGO Star Wars has better jokes...… Expand

74 of 122 users found this helpful7448

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4

misterbrisbyDec 29, 2015

There are no magic, no imagination, no tension, hardly any memorable moments or ideas. The script is amateurish.

People who praise this mindless, shallow remix of Episode IV are just desperate for their overdue Star Wars fix and would tryThere are no magic, no imagination, no tension, hardly any memorable moments or ideas. The script is amateurish.

People who praise this mindless, shallow remix of Episode IV are just desperate for their overdue Star Wars fix and would try to love EVERYTHING as long as it is called "Star Wars" and isn't connected to the prequels (which are better than their reputation, btw).

But without nostalgia, Episode VII sadly has little to offer. I like some of the new actors, some of the dialogue is good and the effects are okay - though pretty standard.

Overall, this is just a lazy cashgrab. Abrams is playing it way too safe and the result is boring and disappointing.

This is the weakest Episode of Star Wars.… Expand

96 of 159 users found this helpful9663

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4

Twisted_StoneDec 30, 2015

Watch episode 4 just before you see the new movie and tell me your not watching the same thing again..

The accidental switch on of the chess game, "I have a bad feeling about this," even the droid's mission is the same, far too much usedWatch episode 4 just before you see the new movie and tell me your not watching the same thing again..

The accidental switch on of the chess game, "I have a bad feeling about this," even the droid's mission is the same, far too much used from the old movie.… Expand

38 of 65 users found this helpful3827

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4

wonfishJan 1, 2016

I saw the first Star Wars movie when it first came out. Sitting through this -- and I did check my watch a few times -- I wondered if I was in a time warp and was watching the first one over again. All they did was "change the names andI saw the first Star Wars movie when it first came out. Sitting through this -- and I did check my watch a few times -- I wondered if I was in a time warp and was watching the first one over again. All they did was "change the names and faces to protect the innocent." At least redesign the outfits of the soldiers! I think they just brought the costumes out of storage since 1978 for this production. I actually liked the prequel versions better. The plot was completely formulaic. Very disappointed.… Expand

25 of 43 users found this helpful2518

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4

GeekInDisguiseJan 7, 2016

Visually stunning but extremely vapid. No substance under the surface of this perfectly recycled addition to the franchise. This movie came out looking like twice baked potatoes.

36 of 59 users found this helpful3623

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4

GringolocoJan 3, 2016

Liked the movie but it was to slow, and i hated that they killed han solo. I think they should look back to the old movies, and look at the pace they had on them for the next movie.

14 of 27 users found this helpful1413

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4

DarkSideOTForceJan 6, 2016

This movie was so disappointing. Abrams can't compete with the mind of Lucas. This was clearly a rip off of New Hope and Empire. Ren's voice sounded so lame and not controlling like Earl Jones. The plot was boring and movie very predictable.

52 of 93 users found this helpful5241

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4

Splee_SpreeJan 6, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's pretty clear that the critics are out of touch with the public on this one.

There were many mistakes made in this film, from the decision to completely eradicate all Star Wars works before it accept the 6 films (which alienated all of Star Wars's biggest fans), to not having a single threatening villain that could be feared, to the protagonist inexplicably gain the powers of Jedi knight in a single day with no training, to basically ripping off the plot from Episode IV in one of the most lazy writing stunts in cinema history.

But it will be easier and faster to talk about what they did right. For one thing, Harrison Ford's writing and performance were both pretty great, up until that one part. It may have been done purely to get people talking, but it's also possibly that Harrison Ford simply made them do it. So I can't fault them for that.

Carrie Fisher, on the other hand, felt kind of subdued. But that was more the writing than any fault of hers. All the spunkiness, cleverness, and intelligence of Leia seems oddly absent in this film.

The visuals were almost perfect. Just about the only flaw was the First Order's appearance. They don't look like they belong in Star Wars. They look like walking iPods. The creator even admitted he wanted them to look like they were designed by Apple. For some reason. If you are going to change something as iconic as Storm Trooper armor, it should be an improvement. Not a downgrade.
Still, the rest of the film largely looked and felt like exactly what you would expect from a modern Star Wars film.

While it resulted in the unforgivable reality that Luke will never be reunited with Han, Luke's appearance was also well done. It's one of the few things that felt like it was in the direction of the original trilogy.

And that's about it. The two new leads were acceptable, but totally unremarkable. There was no real humor in this film, too, which felt wrong for a Star Wars movie. There were attempts, but most were bland and obvious. There was only a single time when I managed a grin in this movie.

So much was wrong. Like I said before, the first glaring problem is that there is no competent enemy. Throughout the entire movie, they are shown to be completely inept at literally everything except killing civilians, and even this they struggle with. There was no tension, because there was no threat! We knew how the movie would end, because by that point, it was clear that it was just a repeat of Episode IV with some pointless new things thrown in.

Kylo Ren. Well, he actually does have POTENTIAL. But none of it was seen in this film. As the movie started out (basically up until the point he removed his mask), he actually wasn't that much different than Darth Vader in episode IV, at least on paper. He hasn't really done anything on screen to establish his importance or badassness, he's really just like a brute that the Empire uses to thrash people. He's angry, and bad, but not THAT special. Only thing is, James Earl Jones is a little bit cooler than angsty, nerdy looking white kid who gets his ass handed to him by a couple of nobodies in the end. And he didn't exactly pull of the strong, quiet, reserved side that Vader at least occasionally managed to in episode IV.

Now maybe the writers knew there was no way to make us care about Ren that much in the first movie of this new franchise, and so they are saving more for later. Could work out well. I actually like seeing the "villain" who is kind of under-powered, and who knows it. We get to see that frustration of a person who actually is trying their best and coming up short. It is interested if it's done right. But we will just have to wait and see about that for Kylo Ren.

Anyway, he just seems like the embodiment of impotent rage to me. Maybe they will actually run with that and make it interesting. But for the purpose of this movie itself, I just felt like there was no real villain, because the villains were so damn pathetic.

The hyped up Captain Phasma, who was literally made female because they were accused of being sexist, was pathetic. She didn't do anything the entire film accept get captured, and give in to all her enemy's demands. Isn't she supposed to be fanatically loyal to the Empire? Instead, she is willing to sacrifice them all to save her own skin.

Hux wasn't even a real character. Just a parody of one.

And what's the deal with Finn? In the tens if not hundreds of millions of Stormtroopers out there that are totally loyal, there is ONE that is the exact opposite? In the first scene, he seemed to have attachment to his comrades. But within minutes, he is gleefully blasting his former comrades to bits with no sign of mixed feelings or remorse.

Why did that one trooper have a weapon capable of blocking a lightsaber? They established that they thought there were no more Jedi except Luke, who had vanished from the galaxy. And what kind of material is that thing made out of, anyway?… Expand

38 of 64 users found this helpful3826

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4

AmazonianJan 8, 2016

Lucas Film's Star Wars vs Disney's Star Wars....Well, I still prefer Lucas Film's Star Wars

Lucas uses his creativity to introduce metamorphic societies/civilizations/unions/armies in his Star Wars films (such as Mafia - The Toydarians,Lucas Film's Star Wars vs Disney's Star Wars....Well, I still prefer Lucas Film's Star Wars

Lucas uses his creativity to introduce metamorphic societies/civilizations/unions/armies in his Star Wars films (such as Mafia - The Toydarians, Mongols - The Gungans, Samurai - The Jedi Knights, Roman Senate - The Galactic Senate, Third Reich - The Imperial Armies etc etc) that were drawn across from the library of our human's history and civilizations which made his Star Wars film unique as compare to other Sci-Fi movies. Watching the latest Disney's Star Wars is just like watching Hunger Games...It is just another Sci-Fi with a plot.… Expand

32 of 53 users found this helpful3221

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4

AquaMorphJan 11, 2016

The Force Awakens had good production value and likable characters but tripped over itself by pandering and recycling overused plot devices. Overall worth watching once.

25 of 44 users found this helpful2519

All this user's reviews

4

DounutsMCJan 17, 2016

Ok so i thought that the movie is gonna be great But i expected better . The story is stupid . I wanted a good movie and i got exactly the oposite of a good movie . The charecter Finn is just not key to the story spoiler alert i didnt likeOk so i thought that the movie is gonna be great But i expected better . The story is stupid . I wanted a good movie and i got exactly the oposite of a good movie . The charecter Finn is just not key to the story spoiler alert i didnt like how they just killed off han solo . i hated that Captian Plazma just left the movie . the only thing that was good in the movie was BB-8 he was funnny and just good . I leked that there was the famous frase I've got a bad feeling about this This is a movie thats just an attempt at a star wars film this movie doesnt even deserve this rating At least JJ.Abrams tried to make this movie good but he just failed… Expand

13 of 19 users found this helpful136

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4

NoelManojJan 19, 2016

The Force Awakens is a let down - repeating same concepts and story from from before - having like another death star 2 - another attempt by rebels to destroy it but the bigger oversight here is not having any important character destroy it -The Force Awakens is a let down - repeating same concepts and story from from before - having like another death star 2 - another attempt by rebels to destroy it but the bigger oversight here is not having any important character destroy it - so the excuse of showing the former glory of star wars in the movie is baselessly inadequate- the decision to have Luke Skywalker wear a beard is ridiculous considering that as an actor in real life, he looks great and the same thing was done for Han Solo and it worked....seems unclassy ...again despite Leia appearing , she seems so ordinary - earlier in previous star wars movies whenever u see her, she would appear dressed in a regal manner- Even now as the leader of the new republic(which they show no evidence of in the movie) , she should have been given a better look - plot wise- the story is really makes a senseless appeal which only true star wars fans would recognize - in the previous movie , with the fall of Darth Vader and the emperor , we saw all planets celebrating so we feel the empire is over but now again they continue this so called empire like an unnecessary charade...it seems pointless- the new evil sith warrior dressed like darth vader is a disgrace to the movie - he doesnt have great looks - luke and anakin ( Mark Hamill and Christen Haydensen) were absolutely great looking characters but the new guy looks pathetic and the way he uses the force is a disgrace to both the sith and jedi order - he has to reach out his hand so close to the face or body to make it work - that totally ridicules the ability of the force....the new actor does not resemble Han Solo , his supposed father in any way too ....u might suppose that with handsome and great parents, this new guy would look great too but unfortunately that s not the case, - another point is that the story is kind of flawed by making this guy appear everywhere like a magnet - he didnt even have a glorious stage entrance ( i mean like a suddenly dramatic appearance)....he becomes like a clonetrooper going everywhere in the movie, really not impressive....also the acting of han solo and leia seem forced - han solo's class and charisma doesn't appear much - its only his memory in previous star wars that seems to carry him through the movie - when Han dies , there doesn't seem to be a big reaction ....even leia's reaction seems unprofessionally subdued in terms of acting.....as for the new girl actress, she seems kind of too good to be true - its very irrational the way she suddenly becomes so adept at using the lightsaber especially against a sith warrior ...its a hypocrisy - she also uses the force as if she knows it well...its not like she discovered it in a great way....even anakin skywalker and luke were shown to have receiving training and almost were destroyed in their first fights ( against Count Dooku and Darth Vader respectively)....That she even suddenly using force on the clone trooper to release her without using her hands withh such confidence - it should be considered blapshemy for a person who is not yet a jedi to do all this....- another plot wise blot is the clone army - it is supposed to be consisting of clones but suddenly that famous concept seems to be a risk with the new guy coming out as a clone soldier, when he is not a clone.....the addition of the new guy actor who leaves the clones seems good though,,,,,,another disappointing fact is that the filmakers didnt seize a crucial way to represent the glory of the earlier star wars movies - the moment she touched the lightsaber , she has visions of the past - but it only is concerned with herself and slightly on luke....that moment should have been used to display the actual legacy of star wars heroes , by showing the flashbacks of anakin skywalker using the lightsaber ...him fighting obiwan..becoming darth vader....luke receing the lightsaber from obiwan ....using it in battle...so all this coupled with what was shown in the movie at that moment would have made it a truly dramatic moment so that Rey (the new girl) would truly understand the terrible yet great legacy attached with the lightsaber ....but the filmmakers dont do this and this makes rey 's fear of touching it somewhat unreasonable ..Again plot wise- the finding of luke skywalker seems so easy - the way he was standing there in the island makes it appear like he was there all along, aware of everything going around in the universe...and thus he should have come to the aid of his friends like han solo..... The filmmakers should have left finding him for the next movie , maybe make it a heroic quest for rey and others , which would have built the mystery and the powerful significance of him being a great jedi , being a key to the first order's defeat....but they don't do this ....even finding and recognizing yoda was not an easy task for luke but this dampens it all .The only two thumbs ups for the movie would be the funny moments and Han Solo's dramatic death on screen… Expand

14 of 26 users found this helpful1412

All this user's reviews

4

MooseNineJan 21, 2016

I don't even know where to start. This movie is so huge disappointed. I was waiting for new star wars movie for so long and now... i wish "this" would never happend. Most of this movie is "copy&paste" from the old trilogy. Just look on theI don't even know where to start. This movie is so huge disappointed. I was waiting for new star wars movie for so long and now... i wish "this" would never happend. Most of this movie is "copy&paste" from the old trilogy. Just look on the first scene from "A new hope" and then on "Force awakens" - exactly the same schematics.
Another terrible matter is political correctness - especially exaggeration of women role and minimalized men role.

And of course there's a lot of plot gaps , big changes making no sense in relation to old trilogy, and a lot of funny scenes where Abramas tell us "one thing" and later in the movie make "other thing" where in relation to the "one thing" makes no sense.

Two good things i can tell about Force Awakens is pretty good directing and nice looking special effects but that's all.

And i know that so many people defend this movie and sayin' "it is good" or "IT'S AWESOME". That's what 2 years of commercials, good PR, marketing and "HYPE" doing with customers brain. I was great fan of Star Wars franchise since 80'. But now? I am still a HUGE fan of Star Wars... but not Force Awakens.… Expand

20 of 40 users found this helpful2020

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4

FuzzyWahJan 22, 2016

Star Wars is now just like Transformers. All the cool and pretty stuff thrown about over a story and characters you couldn't care less about because clearly nobody is trying to make anything beyond a "good" Star Wars film. No amount ofStar Wars is now just like Transformers. All the cool and pretty stuff thrown about over a story and characters you couldn't care less about because clearly nobody is trying to make anything beyond a "good" Star Wars film. No amount of searching through the original trilogy will net you a magical formula for making a good movie, because you still need a vision and a passion for creative storytelling.

Everything about the movie was good: the acting, the sound, all that stuff. All the pieces were well made, but there was nothing for them to come together for.

At least the film was fun to watch.… Expand

26 of 52 users found this helpful2626

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4

JudgyMcJudgeJan 28, 2016

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is an enthusiastic, big budget fan film. The story is forgettable, the main characters are a) a too-perfect damsel who is never in distress, b) a wide-eyed bad guy turned good who acts like he was kept in solitaryStar Wars: The Force Awakens is an enthusiastic, big budget fan film. The story is forgettable, the main characters are a) a too-perfect damsel who is never in distress, b) a wide-eyed bad guy turned good who acts like he was kept in solitary confinement before being let out into the cruel Storm Trooper world, c) a whiny good guy turned bad who is rebelling against his parents. And every few minutes there's a cameo. Look! It's Han Solo! Look! It's Leia! Look! It's C-3PO! Look! It's the Millennium Falcon sitting in a very convenient place for the girl who's unreasonably good at absolutely everything (including staying warm in cold climates without actual sleeves) to steal and escape at the last possible second!

The dialogue is bland. The exposition necessary to explain the political goings on is lacking. I'm not even sure I understand who the giant hologram guy was, but my attention had begun to wane by that point. The movie is moderately entertaining, but much too long.… Expand

22 of 115 users found this helpful2293

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4

JoroAMar 21, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. What can be said that already hasn't been? This is the anti prequel sequel. It is the complete opposite of the prequels and is a useless reboot of the original with no identity of it's own and in 5-10 years will be a weak movie that is just "part" of the skywalker saga. Forgettable, bland, unoriginal and lazy is the best way to describe. At best it is "ok" or "mediocre".

Also the dialogue is too modern for Star Wars. In every media it has a specific dialogue but here we have things like "your cute boyfriend" which is very out of place.

The music, like the movie is forgettable and disappointing.
Everything in this movie is the same as IV but bigger and not better. You have the Luke character but he is a always winning woman now, a comedic black character and the worst death star clone i have ever seen.
J J did the same with Star Trek and now Star Wars...… Expand

9 of 40 users found this helpful931

All this user's reviews

4

duckfJun 23, 2016

While it's not completely horrible, it is rather bad. It's entertaining but not what I would expect from a starwars movie. The plot is completely predictable and rather in interesting. When the movie finally started to get interesting...itWhile it's not completely horrible, it is rather bad. It's entertaining but not what I would expect from a starwars movie. The plot is completely predictable and rather in interesting. When the movie finally started to get interesting...it ended. I'm glad I torrented the movie instead of giving a cent to disney.… Expand

6 of 9 users found this helpful63

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4

SavageYetiAug 9, 2016

This movie plays like a bad fan fiction rewrite of a new hope, with the main character who is the definition of a Mary Sue. The fact that this movie was so well received by fans is just and insult to the original trilogy. I wouldn't recommendThis movie plays like a bad fan fiction rewrite of a new hope, with the main character who is the definition of a Mary Sue. The fact that this movie was so well received by fans is just and insult to the original trilogy. I wouldn't recommend this film to anyone EVER, instead go watch new hope again.… Expand

9 of 15 users found this helpful96

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4

metrofunDec 16, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The story line is by at-least irrational and at most BS. The main character without any training after few weeks masters the force and defeats the main antagonist – dark master. Just for comparison, in the original Star Wars serie, it took years of training for Luke and two teachers to at-least take a stand against the dark master, but he still lost his hand.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

All this user's reviews

4

varmadmcgooDec 23, 2016

While I enjoyed watching TFA and many moments contained therein — Harrison Ford’s reprisal as Han Solo comes to mind — I cannot look back on it favorably. So much of it seems, quite simply, cheap: The recycled plot. The inexplicablyWhile I enjoyed watching TFA and many moments contained therein — Harrison Ford’s reprisal as Han Solo comes to mind — I cannot look back on it favorably. So much of it seems, quite simply, cheap: The recycled plot. The inexplicably reincarnated Empire by another name. The tragic loss of a key character in a way that doesn’t seem earned or even believable. The injection of clumsy, modern 'romance' into a series that was just fine without it. The fight between a Sith lord and someone who has never used a Lightsaber before. I could go on. The short of it is: If I were an exec and Disney reviewing a submitted script like this, I would give it back, rejected, with the notes: “A new Star Wars movie must be true to the Star Wars universe and legacy, and it must also be original and compelling. Your script is neither.” But somehow, this turd of a movie was actually made.

I don't understand why critics have rated this disaster so well. I guess a lot of the analysis didn't get much deeper than “it’s nice to have a strong female lead.” Sure. True. But Luke trained hard to become a Jedi. There is nothing empowering about someone just lucking out with magic powers without earning it — and that doesn’t change just because that someone is a female lead!… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

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4

BroyaxJan 11, 2017

Me voilà bien surpris : cet épisode VII est sensiblement moins pourri que la prélogie démoulée par le nain de jardin habituel et la grosse patte de Disney a su d'une certaine façon raviver quelques braises de la première trilogie, la vraie.Me voilà bien surpris : cet épisode VII est sensiblement moins pourri que la prélogie démoulée par le nain de jardin habituel et la grosse patte de Disney a su d'une certaine façon raviver quelques braises de la première trilogie, la vraie. En outre, de la part de JJ Abrams, tâcheron maladroit qui a sévi sur le déterrage des Star Trek, on pouvait s'attendre au pire mais contre toute attente, il délivre un filmage assez soigné et très présentable, aidé évidemment par la débauche sidérante des effets spéciaux (ça pète de partout, c'est trop magnifique de sa race).

Autre point d'importance, le rythme est excellent et ne se perd jamais en bavardages ou longueurs inutiles, on retrouve là le dynamisme de la vraie trilogie, celle du temps où Georges n'avait pas le fric qui lui était monté à la tête et transformé son cerveau en beignet.

Cette resucée numéro 7 est l'occasion de nombreux clins d'oeil (forcément nostalgiques...) mais aussi de nombreux recyclages et à ce train, lorsqu'on regarde bien, ce n'est plus de l'inspiration mais une photocopieuse qui fait du neuf avec du vieux. Pourtant ils s'y sont mis à 3 sur le scénario... qu'est-ce que vous avez branlé les branques ? vidé tous les sucriers de coke ? ou vous vous êtes roulé des joints avec les feuilles de la machine à écrire ? ou torché avec peut-être (une enquête est en cours).

Oh bien sûr, pour combler le vide, vous avez balancé une révélation et un coup de théâtre, du genre de celles ou ceux qu'on avait pu expérimenter avant, dans le temps que Georgie... mais vous connaissez la chanson : un homme averti en vaut deux et on était déjà averti... alors vos révélations à deux balles qui sentent le réchauffé (encore !) vous savez où vous pouvez vous les mettre...

Alors évidemment, on a ces pauvres vieux qui sont venus faire leur ultime baroud d'honneur -sauf Mark Hamill qui fait juste un caméo- mais que voulez-vous, un vieux faut bien que ça mange ! Ils passent le témoin à la jeune génération... qui ne vaut pas tripette, car autant dire qu'ils ne m'ont pas convaincu, ni les uns ni les autres. Le John Boyega a un certain talent pour incarner une petite frappe de banlieue mais sorti de sa zone, il n'y a plus personne ; la petite Daisy Ridley est mignonne mais serait plus à sa place dans une sitcom ; quant à l'autre, là, l'autre jeune zouave, on dirait un hippie, sans compter le pilote, là, encore un tocard.

Même la musique de cet autre pauvre vieux, John Williams, est devenue méconnaissable : franchement à part le générique (qui remonte à Mathusalem, on est d'accord) impossible de se rappeler un thème potable, ce vieux Johnny fait juste gueuler ses violons et ses cuivres dans tous les sens, pourvu que ça fasse du bruit, un bruit désagréable.

Voilà donc ce Star Wars nouveau : comme un Beaujolais sans éclat il se laisserait presque boire mais il a comme un arrière-goût de piquette. Attendons les prochaines vendanges, elles seront peut-être pires, on ne sait jamais...… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

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4

RetrodoxMar 28, 2017

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Its thematically amazing and the visuals are stunning but its a carbon copy of the previous movies and it has quips,mini messages,goofy characters,and cliches'.All makes for purely popcorn too kid friendly movie.The acting was actually pretty great by the youngsters I didn't particularly care for the original generation's acting and Harrison Ford's acting seemed depressing.thats why this movie gets a 3.9 Gimmicky,lazy,effect heavy,Disney-like.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

All this user's reviews

4

geekroDec 28, 2017

SW 7 is like a a super model, it's fun and pretty, but it lacks some meat. And seriously, i could stop here.

The story is inexistent, we have a so called new republic, but, what is it? 3 planets and a Fleet of a dozen spaceship. A group ofSW 7 is like a a super model, it's fun and pretty, but it lacks some meat. And seriously, i could stop here.

The story is inexistent, we have a so called new republic, but, what is it? 3 planets and a Fleet of a dozen spaceship. A group of extremist, hiding in an unknown sector, called 'the fisrt order' with a Supreme leader named 'Snoke'.
A group of rebels, named 'The resistance' who fight the first order and are leaded by Leia.

None of the characters are really detailled, they don't have motive, they don't have past or trauma.
None of the groups are detailled, we know the Resistance fight the first Order, but we don't knwo why. In SW4, we didn't knew all the backstory at first, but we had a lot more information. We knew their was an evil Empire that ruled the galaxy, that a group of rebels try to resist and the protagoist were well introduced. Luke is a yound adult who dream of becoming a pilot, he trained whenever he can. He has a motive to fight and follow obiwan, the Empire has killed all of his family (he also discover he is a Jedi). Han, obiwan, dark vador, leia, they all were finely introduced, even if we didn't know much of their past.

In the 7, i seriously don't know why Rey left Jakku, she could have found a hideout, and start over somewhere else on the planet. Finn want to flee, why? He is brainwashed and trained since his childhood, why do he want to flee? and why do he change his mind and start fighting back when he knew there is no hope to win ? Poe is useless, he has no past, no motive, he abandoned BB-8 and his mission in a heartbeat, is that a rebel hero ?
Kylo Ren is an angry child, he obey Snoke because. And why do he want to be the heir of dark vador ? Why can't he use the force when he fight? He's powerful but easily beaten by a coward and a young untrained force user... Is that an antagonist for a movie ? He is ridiculous ! He could have been so much better.

How, and why do they change the way light speed work? Seriously, you can go out of light speed near a planet now ? So, why didn't they used cargos full of explosives to destroy the starkiller, just send them waves after waves piloted by droids. Problem solved. And to destroy the other spaceship, just use the x-wings as a light speed missile. Ah, and the plan to find Luke... Seriously, a f*****g map with a 'road'... If you only have a part of that map, you can easily find that planet with another map of the galaxy. And even, if you don't have the exact planet, you can just send multiple team to search in the blank zone. I could go on, and on, but it need to stop, as this trilogy.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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4

Popcorn55Oct 12, 2018

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Groannn... wow this was pretty bad, terrible story and lame execution. The usual effects are OK, though very cliche now. The way the script just throws away Han Solo with little fanfare... come on! There has to be a heroic exit for Solo! Like ramming an Imperial battlecruiser to save his friends, something like that? But no! Terrible storyline decisions and bad writing cripple this mishmash. And the son -- totally unsympathetic and uninteresting character acts like a petulant boy. Awful. Every bit as bad as the prequels.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

4

ArquireJan 16, 2018

Borrows far too much from A New Hope, while also doing it worse. Rey is a boring character with few limitations and nearly no room to grow. Kylo is an interesting character, and a welcome addition if he can be more fleshed out. However, it'sBorrows far too much from A New Hope, while also doing it worse. Rey is a boring character with few limitations and nearly no room to grow. Kylo is an interesting character, and a welcome addition if he can be more fleshed out. However, it's disappointing to see so many wasted opportunities.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

All this user's reviews

4

LightPothJan 24, 2018

Not an amazing first time watching but it sure does get better for age in my opinion.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

All this user's reviews

4

TeoTestMar 7, 2019

Not what i expected. A disappointing long-awaited sequel. Sure, the effects & music of the movie are great no doubt about that, but that's about it. The story and the new introduced characters are really really AWFUL. A ton of plot-holes plusNot what i expected. A disappointing long-awaited sequel. Sure, the effects & music of the movie are great no doubt about that, but that's about it. The story and the new introduced characters are really really AWFUL. A ton of plot-holes plus this movie was a dis grease to the old and beloved characters. I really lost confidence in J.J.Ab. What a shame.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

4

FilipeNetoFeb 9, 2019

Perhaps countering the majority of the audience, I had very low expectations regarding this movie. I liked the two previous trilogies, but I was afraid that a re-launch would have as its main objective to raise a few million dollars from thePerhaps countering the majority of the audience, I had very low expectations regarding this movie. I liked the two previous trilogies, but I was afraid that a re-launch would have as its main objective to raise a few million dollars from the studios. I did not feel cheated, the movie is good and worth it, but I must admit that anything is lacking to match the older ones.

The film basically resumes the story decades after the events of "The Return of the Jedi". There are many new characters (inevitable), and some of the old ones are back, with the focus on Han Solo, a secondary character in the films of the original trilogy. I confess that it was very enjoyable to see the veteran Harrison Ford, back to a character who greatly helped to consecrate his career, and it was good to see Chewbacca and Carrie Fisher again. I think the new actors like John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver did their best, but I do not know if the material they received allowed them to create characters as striking as the older ones.

Technically, the film is flawless. The CGI, which has always been one of the strongest points of the franchise, has been pushed to the limit of what can be done today. Great and realistic, it makes the experience of seeing the film a visual spectacle. The sets and environments of the several planets were carefully thought out and executed. Costumes, cinematography, editing, sound effects and soundtrack etc... all thought out with caution, seeking to please new audiences without disappointing unconditional fans. It's all right.

But the truth is that the film has serious problems. Let's start with the script, which practically copies and tries to update the story told in the opening film, "A New Hope". Kylo Ren, the newest villain in the franchise, is no more than a second-rate Darth Vader on a new costume. Indeed, despite the commitment of the actors, which I do not want to question, the new characters lack charisma and the ability to delight. I also felt that action is lacking, compared to the previous movies, and the attempts to make humor sounded as funny as the "grandfather jokes" that Roger Moore used whenever he played James Bond. The end also seemed a bit anti-climatic too.

Anyway ... all these problems make the film, fatally, the weakest of all in the franchise to date. I didn't feel cheated because I expected little of it, but I believe that many fans (at least, those who have not been blinded by their passion) were dissatisfied.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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4

GarethBOct 5, 2018

Initially I rated this far higher as it seemed to capture the elements that made star wars great but it has been retroactively ruined by TLJ with plots leading nowhere.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

4

mecheng03Mar 9, 2019

It was a 6 before the Last Jedi but now I can't even muster the strength to even consider re-watching it with my kids so I'll give it a 4. Who knew Disney would make the prequels ok-ish again? I guess a bad movie is all relative when youIt was a 6 before the Last Jedi but now I can't even muster the strength to even consider re-watching it with my kids so I'll give it a 4. Who knew Disney would make the prequels ok-ish again? I guess a bad movie is all relative when you keep doubling down on bad ideas.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

4

DavidLammyDec 20, 2019

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Well the best thing about this film was the way that annoying, sexually abusive, overly manly gay pervert known as Han Solo got killed by his own Son, serves the bastard right. I loved how stupid Han was to actually believe his Son still cared about him and was actually worth his time to even speak to, it felt like a fitting end to the worst character of all time that took a poop on Anakin's legacy by sexually abusing his daughter. However, this is a poor remake of A New Hope for the most part except Luke is a cheap replacement for Obi-Wan as Luke has no dialogue and only appears for 5 seconds and the other main characters are even more mindless than the OT main characters. It also had featured far too much spaceships in this film to the extent I think it's done some children some damage by encouraging them to wreck the environment by spending as much time in motorised vehicles as possible. I was also disappointed that this film wasn't anywhere near as sexy as previous Star Wars movies, the lack of sexy bum cheeks made me very upset.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

All this user's reviews

4

ratikka_1Dec 27, 2019

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The first scene, where they present the new villain, was cool. But after that it comes more and more boring. It was not a terrible movie, but it was not a good one either. Action scenes are cool, but the writing and the plot is quite bad.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

All this user's reviews

4

abcdefgg11Apr 6, 2020

This trilogy is just feminist and SJW propaganda at it's finest. I think the actors did a good job, specially Adam Driver, but they can't save the mess. I like Daisy Ridley as Rey, too bad she plays the stereotypical and generic strong femaleThis trilogy is just feminist and SJW propaganda at it's finest. I think the actors did a good job, specially Adam Driver, but they can't save the mess. I like Daisy Ridley as Rey, too bad she plays the stereotypical and generic strong female protagonist (Mary Sue) with no development or weaknesses, just innately the best at everything. Then we have the multicultural and inclusive good guys, that fulfill every quota, against the evil white males. Action scenes are good if you can ignore the many cliches and deus ex machina that take away all tension.

This one is the better of the 3 (or should I say the less bad). It's passable all-around, and entertaining if you just want to turn off your brain, forget it's Star Wars and spend a couple hours with an OK movie.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

All this user's reviews

4

Potatoskins89Apr 27, 2020

This was a really disappointing movie for me, I was expecting something great but I was just meh. On a quality level this is a 5/10, it’s not a very interesting movie but there are a few good scenes. It gets a 4/10 because of how much itThis was a really disappointing movie for me, I was expecting something great but I was just meh. On a quality level this is a 5/10, it’s not a very interesting movie but there are a few good scenes. It gets a 4/10 because of how much it takes from other movies and does nothing with that. This movie is a carbon copy and it’s a lame one at that. People seem to like it but I didn’t.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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4

CavemaximusJun 19, 2020

It was mediocre, flawed, but still semi-competent and somewhat respectful to [some] of the original characters. It didn't kill off luke sykwalker's character in the most despicable way imaginable.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

All this user's reviews

4

Agentep99Jan 27, 2022

Even without the context that this has the same story beats as ANH, it is still such a boring movie, when I thought they were going to do something unorthodox (at least for Star Wars) by making a storm trooper the protagonist, theyEven without the context that this has the same story beats as ANH, it is still such a boring movie, when I thought they were going to do something unorthodox (at least for Star Wars) by making a storm trooper the protagonist, they immediately replace him with an archetypical hero character that we have seen a million times before… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

All this user's reviews

4

Redleg1971Jan 29, 2021

It's not a terrible movie, but it's not a great SW movie either. Basically, it's just a remake of the original Star Wars film, only bigger. But not better! Luke, Han, and Leia never having a scene together is a travesty! Rey is overpowered,It's not a terrible movie, but it's not a great SW movie either. Basically, it's just a remake of the original Star Wars film, only bigger. But not better! Luke, Han, and Leia never having a scene together is a travesty! Rey is overpowered, and did nothing to earn her gifts from the script writers. The visual effects are great, but the storytelling is lackluster, and not new at all.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

4

FearinatorMay 8, 2021

Only redeeming factor are the incredible visuals. The story is truely horrible. Massive massive plot holes. Only watch if there literally nothing else to watch

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

4

GamefhorJan 2, 2023

Ez egy új remény copy annak is gyenge. Az új karakterek nem érdekesek. A főszereplő mindent is tud. Még egy halálcsillag copy.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

3

abydosMar 25, 2017

The worst Star Wars movie ever. Not give new things only the old one story. "Deathstar" khm... again a planet destroyer super weapon, again weak rebellion and the worst "empire" ever

4 of 5 users found this helpful41

All this user's reviews

3

TitaniumDragonDec 27, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. If this hadn't had "Star Wars" attached to it, it would have been panned. As it is quite bad.

This movie is a rehash of Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope. Star destroyer at start? Check. Attack on rebels resulting in capture of one rebel while droid escapes with important data on it? Check. Droid finds force-sensitive person (who is likely the child of another character) on a desert planet, who shows remarkable piloting ability? Check (heck, hasn't this happened three times now?). Rebel escapes from bad guys with help of reluctant ally? Check. Force sensitive person escapes desert planet on Millenium Falcon just ahead of the Empire? Check.

The list goes on. And none of this is even a spoiler, really, because YOU'VE ALREADY SEEN STAR WARS.

Seriously, that's how bad this movie is. Literally everything in it, from the new not-Death Star to the death of the old mentor, is just a rehash of the original. Yes, there are some differences... but the ways in which it differs actually makes it worse.

The original cast returns, and Han, Leia, and Chewbacca are highlights of the movie. Han and Chewie play a major role and are main characters, even. I was kind of disappointed that Han was randomly off on his own again, as it was very jarring when he showed up and seemed to show little interest in the Resistance, but it made sense after a while. Well, a marginal amount of sense. Chewie was Chewie, and he worked just fine. Leia is okay, but something of a bit part, which is true of C3PO and R2D2 as well, both of whom play very marginal roles but get to show off their character.

However, the new characters essentially all suck.

Finn, the rebel stormtrooper, is inconsistently characterized, and while him being terrified and something of a coward is reasonable, he suggests that the reason he fled was that he wasn't willing to kill people... and then he instantly turns around and kills a ton of his former friends without any hesitation. He alternates between cowardice and killing lots of people for much of the movie, and it is terrible. He has no real depth of character, no particularly interesting speech patterns, nothing. He's just boring.

Rey, the movie's Luke expy, is a worse character than Luke in every way. She more closely resembles Anakin Skywalker from The Phantom Menace, including in her bizarre ability to instantly do a ton of things that it took other characters a lot of training to learn how to do. This sucks and it makes no sense - Luke spent three movies learning how to become a Jedi, and was wary of the light saber, while Rey gets in a lightsaber duel the first time she picks it up (and Finn also uses it effectively, which seems questionable - how did a storm trooper learn how to use a light saber?). She is a whiner who is waiting for her parents to come back, even though it is obvious to everyone that she has been abandoned by her parents, and it seems likely she is Luke’s daughter. She is bland, boring, and often takes actions (like running away on a random planet) which makes no sense and feels redundant with Finn's own status as a reluctant hero.

Poe is a resistance fighter who is the Rebel Alliance’s best pilot and who flies around an x-wing. He disappears for a good chunk of the film and seems very generic – he’s just a generic rebel pilot. I wasn’t surprised when he was killed off, I didn’t even recognize him when he showed back up again because he was so forgettable, and his personality, like the others’, was very bland and generic. He was no reluctant hero, but I am forced to wonder why he wasn’t with the other two characters for most of the movie – he could have served as a logical pilot versus Rey’s sudden ability to fly the Millenium Falcon, he could have gotten more characterization, and he could have served as more of a core to the team. His death didn’t incite any feelings in me, and when he doesn’t die after all, I didn’t care either.

BB-8, the new droid, is, quite sadly, the most well-characterized of the new characters. This is sad because he has no actual ability to speak at all, and has to rely entirely on body language. He serves as comedic relief, but feels redundant when the other droids show up.

And then there is the new villain, Kylo Ren, AKA Ben, a helmeted Darth Vader expy with a red lightsaber (with a hilt of sorts), a deep, menacing voice, and a Jedi who turned to the Dark Side of the Force. In the world’s most shocking moment, he turns out to be related to one of the heroes as well.

Seriously.

While there is some logic here – the character idolizes Darth Vader, and wants to be like him – the sad thing is that greatly damages him as a person. Darth Vader was awesome, but Kylo Ren ends up coming off as a wannabe. He’s violent and deadly, to be sure, but he’s more like a manchild than a cold, dark general. Indeed, the entire First Order comes off this way – a bunch of kids playing at being the Empire, rather than brutal dictators. It robs the film of gravitas.… Expand

40 of 69 users found this helpful4029

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3

gloukasDec 27, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First off, I am not a Star Wars Fan Boy. I have no Bias. I just watched the entire 6 Star Wars films two years ago and thoroughly enjoyed them all, even the Prequels. Despite some of the Prequels shortfalls, the villains were still great, the Characters great, and the plot and character development excellent and very "Star Wars"

The Force Awakens is not just the worst Star Wars Movie, it is one of the worst and most diluted movies I have ever seen. It is on my top 10 worst movies list (excluding ridiculous no-budget goof movies like CHUD etc).

The villain is an absolute goofball. He is not scary or serious at all. We get no time to get to know the characters. Finn changes personalities way too fast. Not only that, but by the previews he seemed like a serious, emotional character. But it turns out he was just a goofball clown and an unlovable hero. Very disappointed with his Characters lack of power and presence.

The plot. WTF? It jumps all over the place. One minute its on track going to find Luke where it could have taken us on a fun treasure hunt and many different places to find him and gather clues. Instead time was wasted on the most useless scenes that wasted screen time. Like when they find Han Solo and suddenly monsters are loose and that takes like 10-15 minutes.....I kept waiting for it to end so the Journey could start. The rest of the Characters and scenes were forgettable.

Next thing you know suddenly all these planets blow up and there is a new Deathstar and the entire Resistance is about to be annihilated.......where the hell did that come from? WHAT IS GOING ON?? NOW GOLEM IS IN THE MOVIE??!??!?! WHERE ID GOLEM COME FROM?!?!?!

I also have to point out how absolutely awful and outplayed their attempt was to make the Stormtroopers look like Nazis......really. **** ridiculous. It also really ruined the scary unsolved mystery the stormtroopers were. Even though we learned what they were, there was some mystery there.

Han Solos death which should have been a massive massive moment was so predictable. It had no build up. It should have struck so much harder, but it was so rushed. I still wasn't even sure what the hell was going on at that point.

No review got it more right than the Vatican associated newspaper. I am not religious, I am an "Athiest" (I just consider myself born neutral but ok). They tried to paint it out as a joke and religion influenced, but it is the most accurate, credible and unbiased review since Im pretty sure Disney wasnt advertising on their website and publication. If you haven't read it, go check it out.

Too bad. So much could have been done and I LOVED JJ Abrams Star Trek Pictures. But man, What a FLOP this was. Top 10 worst movies I have EVER seen!!! The ONLY good thing in the movie was Rey. Not her Character, but her acting. She stole the show and that very very very last moment with her and Luke did get me to tingle a bit. Other than that, just absolutely awful.

Thanks for reading.… Expand

33 of 57 users found this helpful3324

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3

goblin6Dec 29, 2015

Visually interesting but poorly written, characters were one dimensional and plot was unimaginative. Making a bigger death star and spending five seconds planning to destroy it with the same idea ripped off from episodes IV and VI wasVisually interesting but poorly written, characters were one dimensional and plot was unimaginative. Making a bigger death star and spending five seconds planning to destroy it with the same idea ripped off from episodes IV and VI was completely asinine. The only good thing about this shiny turd is that episode IV and V keep looking better and better. All three writers deserve the blame for this mindless tripe but I smell more Toy Story than Empire Strikes Back. Hopefully Disney's check will bounce and Lucas can quietly repossess the franchise and prevent any further suffering for the fans.… Expand

82 of 139 users found this helpful8257

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3

kamgeforceDec 23, 2015

Super safe approach of J.J. Abrams and the need not to anger fans made Force Awakens incredibly boring, predictable and disappointing. It is New hope remake with tons of fanservice and agenda that is as obnoxious as it is obvious.

15 of 36 users found this helpful1521

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3

3lusiveDec 31, 2016

One of the worst Star Wars films ever. Boring, boring, and boring. In complete contrast to Rogue One, this has nothing that makes the other film great. The story didn't grip me in any shape or form, it has childish drawn-out scenes, theOne of the worst Star Wars films ever. Boring, boring, and boring. In complete contrast to Rogue One, this has nothing that makes the other film great. The story didn't grip me in any shape or form, it has childish drawn-out scenes, the villains are pathetic (one is CGI and the lead villain is a geeky, lanky college student who cannot hold a lightsaber correctly), and there is no tension. The lead female is not particularly likeable either.

Blows my mind how people have rated this so highly when, to me, it's a clearly a poorly balanced and executed film. Avoid the disappointment and watch Rogue One.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

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3

RexxRacerXDec 18, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Characters:
I’m OK with the 3 new characters on the light side:
Rey was fantastic, I loved Daisy Ridley, she was outstanding in the role.
Poe was equally engaging, I liked his snarky wit and enthusiasm.
BB8 was magic, nice to see an advancement on the droid front since 1977! (And he now takes USB flash drives!)
FiNn was decent as well. I loved John Boyega and the enthusiasm he brought to the role. They all bring their share of great acting moments, lighthearted jokes, and “humanize” the film. I have many, many story related questions about these characters, and I think we’re supposed to after this film, but I enjoyed all of them.
Having Han, Leia, Luke, 3PO, and R2 back feels like a warm sweater, although I have questions on Abrams’ treatment/usage of several characters as it relates to the story. I’ll get to that in a bit, for now let’s just leave it as great to see those old friends.
The neutral characters were largely forgettable, except for Maz, whom I enjoyed. She was a good addition to the second act and added story elements to a very sparse landscape, and I appreciated that. (More on the story to come)
Now onto the dark side:
We’ll start with Supreme Leader Snoke, (or is this JJ’s version of his smoke monster from Lost?) We never see him “in the flesh” and that was annoying to me. There was no character depth for Snoke at all, no reasoning why he was the leader of the First Order, why he seduced Kylo Ren, how, when, etc. He just felt like a cardboard character.
Kylo Ren. AKA, whiniest dark side character ever. Not much story surrounding him, or why he was estranged from his parents. No reason why, how, or when, or heck even “if” he was the Jedi seduced into destroying Luke’s Jedi Academy. I’ll assume he was, having no other indication, coupled with the fact that Luke is his uncle and Leia saying that’s why she wanted Luke to train him. I’m fairly certain he must be the one. I’ll save more for the story part, but this character was the flimsiest bad guy we’ve encountered in Star Wars to date. No story about why he is aligned with the First Order, he’s just a bad guy.
Captain Phasma (Fasma?) I’ll have to be honest right here, I had to go look up her name. That’s how little they spent even showing this character, not to mention developing any story about how or why she is a Captain in the First Order. I found it very puzzling that the only character wearing chrome storm trooper gear was relegated to about 15 lines of dialogue, and apparently a garbage chute.
General Hitler (I don’t remember his name either, and honestly just don’t care) Things are different in JJ’s Star Wars universe, seemingly. I saw several times that this character should have been force choked, and for some reason Kylo Ren seemed to cower to him. Why was he allowed to facetime the Supreme Leader Smoke Monster with “Ben”? No backstory on why he’s a General. No story about his relationship with Snoke, why he’s with the First Order, seeing a pattern here?
Characters are vital to a story. Especially one as grandiose of a Space Opera as Star Wars. Having cardboard cutout characters really cheapens the story for me, and I feel that justice was not done for any character other than FiNn and Rey.

Pacing:
I found the pacing of the film to be horrible. There were no crescendos of emotion invoked at all like previous films. 90% of the movie I imagined that it was what an ADHD person experiences. The other 10% was plodding and unnecessary. For example, we had the scene of Han and Chewy capturing the Falcon adrift, and the ensuing dialogue and cgi monster brawl. It was just all unnecessary. It would have been better to have Han reintroduced playing a card game to win back the Falcon from the person who stole it from the person who stole it from the person who stole it from Han. This gives more time to character development and storytelling rather than another unnecessary throw away action sequence.
I also could have done without one of the three distinct dogfight scenes. The one at Maz’s castle is the one I would remove, it’s also unnecessary. Just have the First Order win the raid fight and retreat as overwhelming resistance is coming in with Rey in captivity, this would have served the same purpose, taken less time, and also opened up much needed dialogue between Han, FiNn, and “Ben”.
The movie just felt like a starter’s gun went off at the start and it was just go, go, go for the whole thing.

Story:
I’ll be brutally honest to start this section. The story of this movie was horrible, in my opinion. I was a fan of the EU Thrawn trilogy, and felt it was a much stronger vehicle than what Lucasfilm and Disney presented to us in The Force Awakens.
The crawl goes by and we learn that Luke is missing. Some people called the First Order, and a resistance led by Leia are looking for him. Leia sends a pilot on a spy mission. Um, OK, what? Why would she send Poe? That makes no sense. Are there no longer any Bothans to die for this information?
Next we meet a character named Lor San Tekka, a seemingly “in the know” character, who refers to Leia as royalty, not a General, and in short order reconfirms he is more than a village leader on a backwater planet by the knowing dialogue between Van Sydow and Kylo Ren. Then he’s brutally murdered by Kylo Ren. WTF? And Kylo Ren can pause/freeze laser blasts in mid air. Which is light, so my BS meter went off for the first time right here.
And there’s a Storm Trooper with bloody fingerprints on his helmet, seeming losing his mind. We meet an ominous Captain of Stormtroopers clad in shiny chrome, and surely this character will be integral to the story as it progresses.
Next we see Rey scavenging, we find out scavenging doesn’t pay very well, and she’s been holed up in that AT-AT for a long time. Or she just really sucks at tic-tac-toe. We learn that a battle must have taken place here by all of the wreckage and debris, but nothing is made of it or explained. OK… so, it’s all just scenery? Oh, and she conveniently rescued BB8 a mere 10 feet from her AT-AT abode, and can apparently speak several languages, including droid beep-boop-bop.
FiNn, the Stormtrooper losing his mind during the opening raid then rescues Poe, because he’s decided he needs to escape the First Order. He quickly learns how to fire guns from a 2 seater TIE fighter, that are apparently swivel-turret mounted now. There are problems with the escape, but I’ll suspend my disbelief about how easily they got out of a hanger full of troopers, as it’s been done before in the Star Wars Universe.
FiNn then finds himself alone back on Jakka, and makes his way to meet Rey and BB8 conveniently. He also knows BB8’s name without being told what it is. A minor plot hole, but important foreshadowing into the rest of the movie. BB8 fashion police’s the jacket he’s now wearing as belonging to Poe, just as a raid begins on the outpost causing them to hide, then flee once an airstrike begins.
So let’s digest these opening scenes for a moment. First, that’s a lot of coincidences. All of these things happen to occur to put these characters together, but it’s a bit forced. I would have had FiNn and Poe somehow escape the first raid in a more believable manner, rather than get back to the ship and escape, but that breaks the vehicle of introducing how powerful Kylo Ren is supposed to be, and him finding out the stolen death star plans are in a droid… er, I mean, the map to Luke Skywalker is in a droid. Which is the second problem with how this opens. Didn’t this all get done before, in a very similar fashion? A New Hope had a droid with secret info that the rebellion needed, and the Empire looking for it. Said droid then conveniently made his way to the protagonist, where they had to flee. AND they fled in the same freaking vehicle!!!
This was the first point in the movie that my mind started seriously yelling REBOOT! And sensing I wouldn’t enjoy this ride.
So, OK we’ve met our heroes, they’re safely away in the Millennium Falcon, and next we get into the first of a few completely unnecessary scenes. Han and Chewy show up, and 15 minutes of needless, non- story progressing banter ensues between the kids and old timers, then Han and some angry creditors. Oh, and Han gave FiNn a blaster. (more on this later) Squidward to the third power is released, another unnecessary monster to show how weird space is, and the whole gang loads up in the Millennium Van to leave. Seriously, this whole scene could have happened way better and was completely unnecessary. It wasn’t good, it contained no meaningful dialogue, and could have been cut to allow more story in to flesh out what happened in the past 10 years.
We also see dialogue with General Hitler and Kylo Ren talking to the Smoke Monster, Supreme Leader Giant. We learn that Kylo Ren is Han Solo’s son. OK, kind of abrupt the way you laid that on us there JJ, but “we ain’t got no time” for developing a story with plot, more ‘splosions and dogfights!
So the Millennium Van goes to visit Maz. I enjoyed Maz’s character and the little bit of story elements we got here, as well as the foreshadowing of Rey touching the lightsaber. Of course the First Order and Resistance BOTH have agents to report them arriving conveniently waiting, and the First Order commences another raid. Kylo Ren captures Rey, and Han continues his bowcaster fetish. FiNn also uses the lightsaber for the first time (after he returned to help from trying to get transport to the outer fringes, where Han told him to keep the blaster – more on the blaster later) in the battle scene, but gets beat up by a crowd control Stormtrooper before Han shoots the trooper with the bowcaster. Oh, and Leia shows up, as well as “one hell of a pilot”. So, I liked this location, the cantina and castle were great visually. I liked Maz, I loved her dialogue with Han, FiNn, and Rey. The battle here however, was completely unnecessary. The only vehicle not accomplished was showing Poe’s flying ability by doing this scene differently. Also, the crowd control trooper should have been Captain Phasma.
So, we’re finally off to see the resistance. FiNn and BB8 learn the pilot from the castle was Poe, and he’s alive and well. Poe gives FiNn his jacket. (remember me mentioning the blaster earlier?)
So, here’s a beef. Why is everyone giving FiNn handouts? I find it ironically juxtaposed to the beginning scenes with Rey scavenging for ¼ ration per item, and it really kind of put me off that there was some sort of underlying tone of a racial sort happening. Probably not intentional, but I found it really suspicious that the movie went out of it’s way to give handouts to the black guy, while going out of it’s way to show the white girl working hard to survive.
Some dialogue that is mostly forgettable happens down in the war bunker after witnessing a physically impossible weapon. You see, the First Order has this super weapon, one that is a magnitude more powerful than the Death Stars. It creates it’s energy by syphoning off energy from the Sun to an otherwise Icy planet. So, it’s apparently far enough away from the sun to have ice, but not far enough to be too far to syphon off of the sun. MmmKay. After charging, it releases this energy as a massive laser. This massive laser then defies the physical properties of light, bends and splits to destroy an entire solar system in one shot. BS meter went haywire about now…
So, OK it’s science fiction, let’s say in this universe physics is different than ours. Fine, I’ll suspend my disbelief. But you know what’s not different, or at least shouldn’t be? BASIC FREAKING LOGIC! The Empire already tried this tactic. TWICE! We already had 2 Death Star super weapons, this is the same thing on a larger scale! Both of those plans/designs were exposed and destroyed. Oh, I know. Let’s do the same thing again, but if it’s on a planet it will be totally different! This is about the time that my BS meter, and the reboot meter told me this movie was utter rehashed crap.
Somewhere in here we also get to see Kylo Ren struggling with his inner demons. He’s drawn to the light, a stark contrast to Luke’s journey and the pull of the dark side. This was another WTF moment for me, however. Did we just throw out Return of the Jedi? Anakin was redeemed by killing the Emperor. We don’t see a ghost of Darth Vader, we see a ghost of Hayden Christensen’s Anakin. (Another pet peeve I’ll spare everyone from reading) Furthermore, the galaxy rejoiced the demise of the Empire, so how is it that the First Order has as much power as they do? More BS alerts going off…
Oh, and Rey is in the interrogation chair back at Super Weapon World. (Or the equally stupid name STARKILLER BASE) She’s restrained and guarded by a single Stormtrooper. She decides to try to Jedi Mind Trick the guard into releasing her.
Wait, what? How does she know about this? How to do this? There is no vehicle introducing this ability to her and is a major plot hole that she even knows about the Jedi Mind Trick!
So, a plan is designed to take out the super weapon, the resistance learns they are the new target, and they have a countdown clock. Hmm, that sounds eerily familiar.
1 Team goes to the planet to disable the shields, and another team takes to just X-Wing fighters to destroy the flaw in the design of the super weapon. Didn’t we do this already?
The ground team, led by Han does their stupid mission. Along the way they decide to plant explosives that they conveniently brought to weaken the target that the X-Wings are ineffective against. Do Y-Wings no longer exist? B-Wings? Han runs into Kylo Ren and confronts him by calling out his name. He calls out…. “BEN!”
Ben? Han and Leia named their kid Ben? Why? Perhaps after Obi-Wan’s alias, but that makes no sense as Leia never met Obi Wan, and Han wasn’t terribly fond of that old wizard. It’s a pretty un-ceremonial name compared to Rey, FiNn, Poe, Leia, Han, et-all. I guess that’s why he goes by Kylo Ren now and hates his family, because his real name sucked! Ben Solo, naw, he didn’t get ridiculed in Star Wars school at all…
I’m fine with killing off Han Solo. Not too fond of it coming at the hands of his son, but his kid is clearly a mental case. And frankly by this point the movie is already a steaming pile to even really care about killing off a beloved rebel alliance family member. I sincerely hope Ford decided to do the movie under the condition he could get killed off to not have to suffer the future of Disney Star Wars.
And finally, we have FiNn and Rey facing off against Darth Crybaby (Kylo Ren) in the forest. He sparks up his ridiculously designed lightsaber and FiNn begins to defend them. FiNn, not at all showing any force sensitivity, or mentioned to have sword training, somehow holds his own against a wounded Kylo Ren, and manages to wound him further before getting severely injured. Then Rey takes up the saber she swore she would never touch, and somehow musters the force to win a lightsaber duel against a wounded Kylo Ren. OK, so 2 kids with no lightsaber training just each survived a lightsaber duel with the new big bad of Star Wars? I don’t care that he was wounded by being shot by Chewy, this was just complete BS.
And then in the span of 3 minutes, Rey goes to find Luke, climbs a bunch of steps, and offers his lightsaber back to him, The End.

The whole map to Luke story was stupid. They ripped everything else off from previous movies, why not plans to the Super Weapon? Or a map to Supreme Giant Snoke? It would have worked better. Luke and R2 both could have just shown up from their sabbatical at the end after sensing the awakening and it would have worked better.

Plot gaps: When/How/why did the First Order start? How do they have as much power as they do? Was “Ben” Han and Leia’s only kid? Why did we only see X-Wing’s? Where are the A, B, and Y wings? When did TIE fighters get a swiveling turret? Why only one model? How did Maz recover the lightsaber from Bespin/Cloud City? Was this where it was recovered even? How did FiNn know BB8’s name/designation? How did Rey know that Jedi Mind Trick was a thing? Or that she could do it?… Expand

102 of 177 users found this helpful10275

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3

Shion16Dec 24, 2015

It's a fun movie, but really REALLY uninspired.
It's just episode 4 with different characters.
Also there's some out of nowhere moments that really kills the tension, mostly about our resident mary sue main character.

38 of 64 users found this helpful3826

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3

JamieMadrox85Dec 31, 2015

This movie is a lazy cut and paste of a new hope, i really don't understand how people are giving this movie such high scores. The main characters Rey and Finn weren't likable characters. The villain Kylo Ren was a complete joke, so much soThis movie is a lazy cut and paste of a new hope, i really don't understand how people are giving this movie such high scores. The main characters Rey and Finn weren't likable characters. The villain Kylo Ren was a complete joke, so much so in fact that most of the audience on launch night kept laughing at him and while I'm not against humor in a star wars film this is done to the detriment of the character. He really cannot be taken seriously anymore after a point in the movie. I was even disappointed by the musical score, i was sure there was no way John Williams had anything to do with this one but i was wrong. There certainly wasn't a "duel of the fates" or "battle of the heroes". And i won't even get into the numerous plot holes in the movie simply because i don't feel like writing a review that long. In short this movie is crap and gave me a new appreciation for the prequels. (Yes, I'm an original trilogy fan)… Expand

67 of 114 users found this helpful6747

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3

euuDec 19, 2015

The Force Awakens could just as well have been a reboot of A New Hope seeing that it has almost the same plot. Fanboys may whine all they want about the prequels, but at least there Lucas failed while trying to do new things and expand theThe Force Awakens could just as well have been a reboot of A New Hope seeing that it has almost the same plot. Fanboys may whine all they want about the prequels, but at least there Lucas failed while trying to do new things and expand the universe. You can see that The Force Awakens has no other reason to exist than make Disney money, that is why they hired Abrams, the "safest" director in Hollywood, who thinks that just by casting a girl and a black guy in major roles means taking chances. And what we ultimmatelly get is another bland, generic action movie, no different than Abram's Star Trek films or most of the superhero crap that comes out these days.

So, as I said, the plot is pretty much the same as A New Hope, only this time Luke is a "stronk, independent womyn who is also vulnerable"(you know, just like 99% of female characters in movies these days), Han Solo is now some bland mexican, the real Han Solo replaced Obi Wan as the mentor/father figure and Darth Vader is now Kylo Ren, an angsty teenager who was seduced by the edgyness of the Dark Side. Ren is by far the worst character in the movie, he whines all the time, he throws tantrums, he seems more like the kind of character that would be in a Twilight fanfic, even Darth Maul was a lot better as an antagonist, let alone Darth Vader. But I guess all those fat teenage girls who like Loki from the Avengers need someone to have wet dreams over in Star Wars as well.

The only new character that is likeble(and also not based on anyone from the OT) is Finn, the stormtrooper with a conscience, his scenes with Harrison Ford are one of the few reasons to watch this. Also, one othar aspect that makes this flick a little more berable is the return of humor. It doesn't always work, but at least now not every character is talking like in a Bible movie.

Overall it's not a horible movie, but also not any better than the average blockbuster that comes every year. Personally, I would take the more flawed, yet more creative and ambitious prequels over this cashgrab any day.… Expand

23 of 45 users found this helpful2322

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3

TicklefistJan 7, 2016

The movie does little more than take the same formula Disney uses for its Marvel movies and apply Star Wars iconography to it. Stars Wars deserved better.

44 of 74 users found this helpful4430

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3

subseqJan 2, 2016

I admit I haven't read all the user reviews, but is there ANYONE who has had the insight to point out that this movie is just a re-imaging of the very first episode made, the one from 1977, the one they later called "A New Hope"? Not aI admit I haven't read all the user reviews, but is there ANYONE who has had the insight to point out that this movie is just a re-imaging of the very first episode made, the one from 1977, the one they later called "A New Hope"? Not a sequel, not a prequel, not a remake, just a RE-IMAGING. It is exactly the same story! Only this one has newer special effects and a sort of hipper 21st century vibe. What a disappointment! Thank goodness there are user reviews because enough people accurately saw this as mediocre or truly crappy, while virtually all the paid news-rag reviewers fell over themselves praising it. What a joke these people are. "Force Awakens" gets a "3" from me for being somewhat well-crafted and somewhat briskly paced (except for the mind-f*** scene with Kylo Ren and Rey -- how annoying). But cutting-edge imagination? Novel plot devices? Rich character development? Any kind of compelling dramatic tension? Because you could tell from the first moment it was a complete re-imaging there was nothing left to do but writhe through how they were going to do THAT part of the "New Hope" story again. Errgck.… Expand

42 of 73 users found this helpful4231

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3

Salient0neFeb 13, 2016

If this was a generic netflix sci-fi film, i'd probably be more generous. But this is Star Wars, and what did they do? Played it super safe and just remade the first film. It's not even as good either, it's layered with JJ's desire to dumpIf this was a generic netflix sci-fi film, i'd probably be more generous. But this is Star Wars, and what did they do? Played it super safe and just remade the first film. It's not even as good either, it's layered with JJ's desire to dump his regressive left politics all over it (him and disney). I'm all for strong female characters, but the main character is a Mary Sue. She has no flaws, hence there will be no growth. She's already a badass that can do everything, even take down sith. Again, a star wars movie made by people who don't understand what made star wars so great in the first place.

The other thing that pisses me off, is the total bait and switch with the trailers. The trailer made this movie look like it was going to be dark and gritty. Instead we got a cheesy adventure film.… Expand

21 of 101 users found this helpful2180

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3

SpellkingDec 27, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's a welcome visit back to the Star Wars universe, satisfyingly filled with fan-service references. The plot, however, is somewhat weak (see below), and altogether made for an overall juvenile story.

**spoilers**

...

...

You'd think after having two death stars blown up, they'd stop making huge contraptions with fatal weak points. It's also nice to see the protagonist suddenly acquire skills and powers overwhelming, right in the nick of time. Twists feel somewhat overdone--more for edginess then for substance. In any case, I was disappointed, but entertained.

**/spoilers**… Expand

33 of 57 users found this helpful3324

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3

PleiadesFeb 5, 2016

Disappointing fan-fic with 'celebrity' cameos IMO. Wanted to love it but firmly on the side of those who can see the flaws (won't go into boring detail, it's all there in other reviews). Just wanted to add my tuppence to the mix. Heck, IDisappointing fan-fic with 'celebrity' cameos IMO. Wanted to love it but firmly on the side of those who can see the flaws (won't go into boring detail, it's all there in other reviews). Just wanted to add my tuppence to the mix. Heck, I even agreed with George Lucas for once.... I bet he was bored silly watching his original trilogy being replicated rather than built on.

Pros: Daisy & the impressively haunting giant Star Destroyer & AT-AT relics.

Cons: Everything else.

PS Just adding a few new spacecraft would've help heighten the interest but I guess they want to sell out of the current models first before inventing new stuff for the next movie-cum-merchandising opportunity.

Sure, such a brazen, greedy cash grab was expected, and a lot of flashy uninspirational 'sound & fury, meaning nothing' from JJ was par for the course, but it wasn't the New Hope it aspired to be - which let's face it, wasn't a hugely ambitious target in the first place, considering the time & money expended.

Summed up: 'Meh' & *sigh* :-(… Expand

20 of 109 users found this helpful2089

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3

SpazeGoatJan 2, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I thought no matter what, there was no way 'The Force Awakens' could be worse than Lucas's prequels of the late '90s. I have a newfound respect for those movies after seeing this one. The Force Awakens starts off strong, but quickly dissolves into obscurity. By the end I was looking around at my clapping and cheering peers as if they were completely insane.

What bothered me most was that within 15 minutes of everyone meeting each other, they formed an emotional connection and became "BFFs". It was so warm and fuzzy at times, I could actually taste sweet and sour care-bear vomit in my mouth. Rey (Daisy Ridley) is essentially the next Luke Skywalker. In a mere 2 hours she puts Han Solo's piloting abilities to complete shame and makes him look like a 2nd year Jiffy Lube mechanic. Rey can seamlessly use the force; mind tricks, telekinesis, and can handle a lightsaber without incident. Skills that took Anakin, Luke, and every other Jedi in history years to obtain.

Finn's (John Boyega) performance was unmemorable on the whole. He was trained and brainwashed by The First Order his entire life, but don't let that fool you. Never mind the fact that he worked on and help construct a flying fortress that can blow up several planets and kill billions of people simultaneously. That wasn't a deal breaker for dear ol' Finn, oh no. It came when he was ordered to kill a dozen or so villagers in the middle of the desert. So he becomes a traitor and later joins "The Resistance". Forget the fact that he was a Storm Trooper his whole life, there's no way he could be a spy, let's trust him and act like we've known him for years! And with his extensive knowledge from being a Storm Trooper/sanitary worker he becomes uh, you know, an essential... integral... asset to the planning and destruction of the new "Death Star". So cool.

Apparently J.J. Abrams and Disney couldn't come up with anything new. True to modern Hollywood form, we'll just do the SAME thing, we'll just make it BIGGER. Enter new Death Star. It's no small moon, it's the size of Jupiter. Quite the feat of engineering actually. Am I to understand that the First Order was able to construct this monstrosity in complete secrecy? That the rebels' intelligence gathering got worse over the past 30 years? None of that matters, however. Despite all, it's blown up by a ground team of 4 and a squadron of X-wings. Didn't see that coming (sarcasm).

The Empire was defeated, the Republic was restored, the Galactic Senate reformed... just long enough to get blown up in mere moments. Who did they have to protect them? Oh, the same band of rebel misfits from 30 years ago. Seriously? After 30 years, the rebel outfit is still operating underground and are more disorganized? Absolutely no new technology, ships, or tactics. Still, they are victorious over the First Order without any assistance from the Republic ...or the rest of the galaxy they helped save in the first place. Even President Obama couldn't decide which side was more "JV".

My next question is a little more sensitive in nature. Is anyone else sick and tired of the strong, independent female protagonist? I love hot, smart, kickass women just as much as the next guy, but it's getting a little ridiculous at this point. These days, every movie has a 110 lb. woman taking down men twice their size. Let's face it, Ronda Rousey is a great fighter, but to think she could take down any of her male counterparts is as far-fetched as the critic reviews for this movie. Sorry ladies.

Which brings me to Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). I thought he was a good antagonist up until the end. He can extract information from your mind and stop a laser blast in mid-air. Completely ruthless; a bit creepy and disturbing when he takes off his helmet. He seemed well-trained and very powerful. Yet he fails to deflect a shot from Chewbacca who was leagues away. Then he gets his ass kicked by 2 kids that have never used a lightsaber before. I guess he should've went home to mommy and daddy. Obviously, Han and Leia were terrible parents. I didn't see that one coming.

All in all Stars Wars: Episode VII - The Force awakens was just another marketing scheme. This movie felt like just another jazzed up re-imagining of a franchise. If George Lucas could sue Disney for plagiarism, he would. Coupled with the popularity of the franchise and the overzealous advertisement effort, Star Wars a huge success. The sheeple continue to enjoy being spoon-fed and they are eating this one up like its Filet Mignon. Then there are idiots like me that knowingly keep paying for the same movie over and over again. The horror.… Expand

79 of 134 users found this helpful7955

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3

RuegrongFeb 15, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. unoriginal with so many plot holes in this movie. I cant grasp the fact that somebody who has been stuck on a planet scavenging is able to fly the millennium falcon and know how to use a light saber to defeat a trained sith. It makes no sense… Expand

20 of 95 users found this helpful2075

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3

revilloDec 18, 2015

It's a shame that Abrams was at the helm for this one. He's not the worst producer in the business, but he sure is a lousy storyteller. Just about all the basics of how to weave together a narrative are absent here. You can feel theIt's a shame that Abrams was at the helm for this one. He's not the worst producer in the business, but he sure is a lousy storyteller. Just about all the basics of how to weave together a narrative are absent here. You can feel the insecurity and willingness to compromise in every scene, and no character, conflict or theme really gets enough attention to become compelling, which is a shame because the performers here are all talented and likeable. Lucas wasn't much of a writer, that's for sure, but he pursued his vision with passion and creativity. Abrams is more engineer than artist. He's just checking off boxes.… Expand

93 of 158 users found this helpful9365

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3

JamesCannonDec 23, 2015

Star Wars Episode VII: My Money Has Been Taken
How do we know the ending....when we haven't..seen the movie..wait stop the movie we have seen this before....unless they know..we were coming...evasive maneuvers regroup to holding sectorStar Wars Episode VII: My Money Has Been Taken
How do we know the ending....when we haven't..seen the movie..wait stop the movie we have seen this before....unless they know..we were coming...evasive maneuvers regroup to holding sector 37..Admiral we have copycats in sector 37....ITS A TRAP!… Expand

65 of 111 users found this helpful6546

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3

N-LegendJan 3, 2016

Terrible movie was terrible. The storm troopers were always CLONES, but I get it this is a different story supposedly. What I did not like is that the characters felt hollow to me. I didn't really care all that much about most of them. TheTerrible movie was terrible. The storm troopers were always CLONES, but I get it this is a different story supposedly. What I did not like is that the characters felt hollow to me. I didn't really care all that much about most of them. The father and son reunion was EXTREMELY convenient.
Conditioned storm trooper quits, and is reluctant to kill people (leader sees him, walks off...)
Desert girl is an ace pilot and engineer when she pretty much only lived on a desert planet while being very poor...... She also learns the force in 3 seconds and completely wrecks the main villain.
Masked Villain doesn't use the force very much and used it only to freeze people while being able to stop lasers with it. If he can do that he should be able to completely annihilate people with it....
Saber fights - > barely any and all were very lame. (Slow mo saber fights... without slow mo effects. Like the fights were really slow and boring.)
Movie felt super politically correct.
Verdict -> Star Wars Battlefront was better movie.… Expand

55 of 95 users found this helpful5540

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3

Koog72Apr 25, 2016

A poor remake of Episode IV A New Hope.
How Hollywood to finance this is beyond me.
Tired story, tired characters. The new Darth Vader?? Kylo Ren or summat? He's crap. The main character is good but she becomes a better Jedi than the mainA poor remake of Episode IV A New Hope.
How Hollywood to finance this is beyond me.
Tired story, tired characters. The new Darth Vader?? Kylo Ren or summat? He's crap.
The main character is good but she becomes a better Jedi than the main baddie in about two days.
Laughable tosh.… Expand

13 of 22 users found this helpful139

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3

raporgiDec 19, 2015

Pathetic. Really. Its disposable, has no ambition. Its SW for the PC/SJW audience. Tons of plotholes and tonally disonant quipping. Worst offender is the heroine who is an ultra Mary Sue. The characters have extremely weak unfleshed outPathetic. Really. Its disposable, has no ambition. Its SW for the PC/SJW audience. Tons of plotholes and tonally disonant quipping. Worst offender is the heroine who is an ultra Mary Sue. The characters have extremely weak unfleshed out motivations for doing what they do in the movie.… Expand

92 of 159 users found this helpful9267

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3

LynnuxDec 22, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. For someone not knowing the previous Star Wars movies this movie might be ok but for the Star Wars fan who sat 38 years ago in the cinema watching Episode IV this movie is lame.
To make it short: J. J. Abrams and Disney killed the Star Wars of George Lucas. And this totally uninspired.
It was just a compilation of what we saw before, storywise mainly Episode IV with a bit Wall-E and other stuff.
It's not that Han Solo died. All the actors of the first movie won't be available anymore in a few years so they had to find a way to pass on to the young actors. But instead of doing this, they just destroyed what was. Uninspired.
And as sideeffect they have put the death sentence on Kylo Ren/Ben. Killing his father this way he's not allowed to live anymore. And he was even just a confused boy until then, not a psycho.
Coruscant had to die, too. Why ? In critics before this movie was released you could read about "Episode VII" going back to old movies filming in real locations and using less computer animation and more models again. It was said that George Lucas made a mistake by using CGI too much. Why is Episode III the most favorite Episode then ? (And will stay it, btw.)
Now it's clear, Disney wants to save money. With Coruscant destroyed they don't have to render it anymore. Congratulations, misson succeeded by copying the story from Episode IV !

J.J. Abrams made lotsa mistakes, too:
- Rey is a real autodidact learning the force. I wonder now: why did the Jedis need a teacher then ? (and a Sith a master)
- An X-wing is shooting three TIEs in a row. Must be Poe Dameron, hell of a pilot, you think. Of course he is. But why did Finn had to tell that to the audience. Seems like J.J. Abrams didn't find a way to let the pictures and sound act on the audience.
- Lowest level flying of the TIEs, X-Wings and Millennium Falcon was impressive at the beginning but overused
- The camera travelling through the cantina. Yes, nice coustumes. Muppet show - but different. When George Lukas did this, the travelling camera still had another purpose than just showing costumes.
- Kylo Ren is no real villain, just a confused psycho. Not the fault of the actor.
- General Hux: also weak
- Captain Phasma: I'm confused about that character. Had absolutely no meaning and was not a bit convincing. Oh, she looked a bit like Boba Fett. That's all.

I'll stop here as it would be a repetition of what was written already.

The highlight of this movie are the characters of Ray and Poe (a mix of Han Solo and Wedge), also Finn and some action sequences. And the 3D quality was good.

Poor Ryan Johnson has to take over this mess. He has Wall-E but the waste J.J. Abrams left in his wake will be too much to be removed in two years.

To make it clear to everyone: the credit for the world record goes to George Lucas. Not to Disney, not to J.J. Abrams and also not to this movie !… Expand

23 of 40 users found this helpful2317

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3

Simple1DEADec 24, 2015

In a world where there are nuances and parodies of Star Wars everywhere from Spaceballs to Family Guy I would never have thought the franchise itself would fall victim to this trend. The similarities with A New Hope are endless but that's notIn a world where there are nuances and parodies of Star Wars everywhere from Spaceballs to Family Guy I would never have thought the franchise itself would fall victim to this trend. The similarities with A New Hope are endless but that's not what I'm going to write about. Star Wars always has an honest story to tell. This was more fan fiction than film yet even fan fiction can still be great. Some people don't understand that there's more to Star Wars than lightsabers and spaceships. The originals was a story about a revolution in a pirate themed sci-fi world with heavy Taoist philosophy and samurai. The prequels were sort of a cold war/medieval war blend, freedom vs fascism, and the originals being good vs evil. This film's themes were just so bland! I love a fun movie but in the end, it's completely worthless without proper context.

It's strange that there was nothing I can call original or a motif but only things that were rehashes. The film fails to have an identity of it's own. It isn't genuine or adventurous enough to be considered Star Wars. Many people have a positive attitude to the notion of Star Wars being a massive Universe with limitless possibilities. When I watch a Star Wars movie I always say to myself ''wow what an engaging story'' and if you summarize the plot into one sentence it would give me chills reading it. Sadly the newest instalment offers nothing interesting, nothing that captures the imagination. There's no context and Star Wars is often about context. There's no investment hence there is no pay-off, there's no stakes hence there is nothing to give a **** about.… Expand

82 of 138 users found this helpful8256

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3

NecroMnemicJan 4, 2020

Really disappointing rehash of episode 4. Copying the death star but making it even more over-the-top was the final nail in the coffin for this movie. Shame, but was to be expected.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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3

jseph1234Aug 3, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This was an ABSOLUTE disjointed and dis-service to the Star Wars Franchise! It completely ignored 20 years of written lore (Which Disney decided to basically make disappear) and went with the ridiculous ideas of:

1. NEW and Improved Death Star (When the original destruction was so important that they started the new calendar after it (Year 1 AY "After the Battle of Yavin") As if the New Empire miraculously found got the funds to build ANOTHER one...ridiculous

2. A untrained Force User defeating a trained Sith...

And whole host of other plot-holes and hackney ideas made this one of the worst films I have ever watched.… Expand

5 of 12 users found this helpful57

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3

ekatonplDec 19, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This was not the worst episode of the Star Wars but it is nothing when compared to the old saga. Some things were done right - particularly the special effects, but most were just wrong - the enemy lacks character, the main characters are not really interesting, there is no mentor like Yoda or Obi-Wan who would teach their apprentice and the New Order is simply too inspired by the Nazi regime (not as subtly as in the Old Trilogy). There are no memorable enemies and the main villain should really keep his mask on and especially fight in it, his facial expressions were laughable at times. There is no-one who even remotely matches Darth Vader, Emperor or Wilhuff Tarkin. This, combined with an awful open ending, makes it a very bad movie.… Expand

36 of 73 users found this helpful3637

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3

pierremJan 13, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The least charismatic evil guy ever. Even Edward from Twilight seems charismatic next to him.
Saved by a bloody editing glitch!!! A whole canyon disappeared to save his life from a ravaging girl who never ever held a lightsaber!!!
Same scenario as the very first star wars. More like a reboot style...… Expand

27 of 47 users found this helpful2720

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3

anirudh6kDec 23, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I enjoyed the ride as the movie flowed on, till plot kept going downhill. At first you get a nostalgic feeling as you notice the references to the older films (some in humourous and entertaining ways).
Eventually the movie turns dry, with poor acting and just outrightly copies 'a new hope'. Highly disappointed that inspite of all the hype and scope the movie had, it just blandly copied a older successful version of itself.
What made the movie worse is how it potrayed the good and the bad guys. So the new 'darth vadar' is bad because he turns evil , because he was frightened??.... umm ok, he trained to be a jedi by luke but went to the dark side, and is so powerful that he can stop laser beams by using the force. But ... but gets easily defeated by someone basically holding a light saber the first time with no training ...coz yea she the good guy.
This movie was disappointing, its a bland remake and can be fun to watch as a good defeats bad story regardless of any logic or plot… Expand

77 of 131 users found this helpful7754

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3

someone132Aug 31, 2016

Unfortunately for all of us, Star Wars has always been a franchise with more promise (enormous galaxy with ridiculous amount of races and cultures, a central concept tying it together) than the actual ability to execute it. The prequels areUnfortunately for all of us, Star Wars has always been a franchise with more promise (enormous galaxy with ridiculous amount of races and cultures, a central concept tying it together) than the actual ability to execute it. The prequels are rightly maligned for their utter mismanaging of the series' tone in their attempts to be "child-friendly", as well as poor performances, often horrific dialogue and the way literally every single "exciting" action scene in them was utterly fake, which had less to do with the weak CGI then the utter ridiculousness of every action on screen (Coruscant chase in Attack of the Clones being the primary example).

However, many of the same problems were also present in Revenge of the Sith, a fact remembered less often than it deserves. Sure, Vader's ultimate redemption was a great twist: sadly, everything else was simply ridiculous, and you can't escape the feeling Rebellion triumph is owed entirely to their enemies' incompetence. Ewoks are the ultimate incarnation of this, but even before that, the ease with which Stormtroopers get tricked into being captured, or indeed, their pathetic willingness to give Solo & others a chance to surrender when they are HOURS away from winning it all, is no better.

Why did I just give you all of this history? It's simple: Force Awakens might now be often called a remake of New Hope, but that description is far too kind. In practice, it's far closer to a remake of Revenge of the Sith, and shares the exact same problems, coupled with weaker new cast.

Finn doesn't even have his own name at first, and was trained up to be a Stormtrooper from birth. Yet, he goes from being shocked at the death of a fellow stormtrooper, to helping Poe Dameron, WHO KILLED THAT VERY SAME STORMTROOPER, escape, killing more Stormtroopers in process. Afterwards, this upbringing of his is utterly irrelevant: he never questions others' methods, and gleefully partakes in killing of those who were like him until very recently. The only catalyst for this was seeing some civilians he knew before get executed. He never thinks back on this, though, and nor does anyone care, when halfway through the film, Death Star MK III (sorry, Starkiller Base), is activated, and kills literally billions of people; everyone forgets it soon after. By the end of the film, the death toll is in the billions on one side, and millions for the other; yet the conclusion is still "cheerful" in a way that's utterly infuriating. In New Hope, you genuinely felt like a massive threat to Rebellion was averted at the end, and they received a lease of life. Here, though, we know this happened twice before, and there's no one to say another Death Star won't be built again, because apparently no-one learnt anything since then. It feels pointless, much like the entire movie.… Expand

4 of 8 users found this helpful44

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3

OsixuanJan 20, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm going to give it a 3. There were parts that I liked, some of the cinematography was good, some dialogue, the effects. Not an out and out bomb...but...still lacking. I was really hoping for a NEW Star Wars film, not Episode IV again. And the characters, they don't all make sense to me. The new characters seem pathetically unfulfilled because so much screen time was given over to familiar faces, telling the same story as IV again. Like Finn, who decides he can't kill for the First Order. He says it in his own words, he can't kill FOR THEM. He's fine with killing. Somehow, he finds it in him to blow away hordes of his colleagues, who he has apparently been training and working with since childhood. Somehow that's okay with him, but shooting the villagers who were already shooting at him, and killed his friend right in front of him was out of the question. He's also the biggest blabbermouth in the galaxy, constantly telling everyone within earshot that he's on a super-secret important mission. Ren is a completely unredeemable nemesis, too annoying to be taken seriously. It feels like there is no real archenemy at all really. This "Snokes" is bad I guess, but who really knows what's up with that? The Storm Trooper lady in the silver armor...she's somebody, I don't know who but she exists, or existed anyway, she probably blew up and now I'll never know why she was important anyway. And how is it the rebels couldn't figure out where Skywalker was after having the map fragment that looked like an eighth of the entire galaxy "uncharted". Don't you have any astronomers? Has anyone ever looked at that huge segment of the galaxy before? Why do you need the rest of the map to figure this out, and why is your only copy of a galactic map being stored in a comatose droid? I could go on and on...3 is what I'm giving it.… Expand

19 of 35 users found this helpful1916

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