"Star Wars - The Force Awakens"
 

Hands up all the Star Wars nerds out there!!! :D

I thought it might be fun to start a thread about the upcoming installment in the Star Wars franchise, episode VII - "The Force Awakens". Now that the posters and all three trailers have been released and there's only two more months left to go before release day, this would be a nice time to discuss what we've seen so far and what we HAVEN'T seen.

The trailers have all been very vague, including this new "official and final" trailer, as to what the plot line entails. The only thing I can surmise is that 30 years have passed and a new evil regime has formed within that time period, led by Adam Driver's character Kylo Ren, who seems to be a Sith/Vader worshipper and/or someone who has tapped into the Dark Side of the Force. What his intentions are is still a mystery. Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth from "Game Of Thrones") is playing Captain Phasma, leader of some sort of new Storm Trooper brigade, and John Boyega plays one of those troopers, who apparently crash lands on a "Tatooine-esque" planet (if not Tatooine itself) and uses it as an opportunity to escape the regime he used to work for. Apparently he meets a girl named Rey and an X-Wing Pilot named Poe and with the help of Han and Chewie and other new people, try to stop the bad guys from doing whatever they are planning to do...

LOL! Um...yeah, that's all I can seem to figure out. It's still unclear how any of these characters relate to each other and our favorite heroes from the original Trilogy. It appears Han will play a bigger part than Leia or Luke based on how much the trailers have focused on him. Leia merely got a millisecond worth of screen time in the final trailer only...and where the HELL is Luke??? You get to see his mechanical hand reach out from his cloak and pet R2-D2 in the final trailer, but you never see his face...it's more than likely HIM but we don't really KNOW if it is.

Han, Luke and Leia are probably going to be relegated to supporting characters in this movie, seeing as how most of what we've seen has revolved around twenty-something, skinny and attractive actors and actresses, which is to be expected. A lot of people have been speculating that Luke won't have very much screen time in this episode. I guess we'll see. If the original three are merely supporting, then you can bet the other familiar faces, C-3p0, Chewie and R2-D2 are going to get even less screen time, which is also to be expected. It is, after all, a brand new story with new main characters to focus on. So I'd imagine seeing our old friends in this will be more of a "familiarity" sort of thing in regards to "bridging the gap" between the events of episodes 4, 5 and 6 and this new trilogy.

Then again, maybe they WILL have a much bigger part than expected. Part of me really wishes it to be so...but I'm not getting my hopes up. Regardless, with Harrison, Carrie, and Mark involved...as well as J.J. Abrams at the helm, this film has, at the very least, GOT TO BE BETTER than George Lucas' boring and lame ass prequels, wouldn't you say?

So what does everyone else think? Are you excited? Worried? How do you think this film will fare compared to the prequels and even the original trilogy (which can't be beat, in my opinion)? What are your speculations as to plot lines or who is related to who, character-wise? Let's start a discussion thread and get wild and crazy with our speculations these next two months while we wait. I have some theories of my own but want to hear what you all have to say before I chime in.

And (as always) everything I type in this forum is merely my opinion.

Great thread.
Kylo Ren and Rey to be son and daughter of Han and Leia?
Kylo Ren seduced to the dark side?
Sibling battle for good/evil?

My understanding is Luke will only come into it towards the end. Perhaps he'll be sought out to train Rey in the ways of the force.
He'll play a bigger part in the second film (don't throw all your aces in in one go).

Really excited, lots to find out- what will Andy Serkis' character look like?

Oh yeah! I forgot all about Andy Serkis! And Simon Pegg is also in it, although I'm not sure who or what his character is.

I just heard on the radio that the movie website got overloaded with a million hits from fans and it crashed a couple times.

It reminds me when Stevie's IYD and 24K was released and the Ledge was getting overloaded.



Hahahahaha.I was in high school when the first movie came out .Its nice to see these old movies with their sequels go on for generations.

I love the fact that the absence of Luke has spawned a fan theory about him actually being Kylo Ren. They think that Adam Driver was just hired as a stunt double... Who in their right mind would cast someone over six feet tall with a quite slim body type as a stand-in for Mark Hamill? :lol: :sorry: No offense meant, truly, but that's amusing.

You know I just recently watched all 6 movie for the first time, and I have to say I prefer the prequels by a long shot. I know that's a really rare opinion but does anyone here also feel that way.

http://theinfiniteabysses.files.word...tevemartin.gif

I grew up with the original 3, so the prequels to me were just popcorn movies... a bit of fun while you're in the theatre, but easily forgotten afterwards. The themes revolving around family (especially the son attempting to redeem the father) in the original movies is much more powerful than seeing the fall of Anakin Skywalker. Anakin's descent into the dark side, to me, wasn't nearly as interesting to watch. There are other aspects of the original trilogy that I prefer too... for example, Yoda being a puppet (and looking like a real creature) is much more rewarding to see than a grasshopper-like light-saber wielding fully CGI Yoda.

Anyway, all that aside, I'm really looking forward to the new trilogy. I expect that it won't surpass the original films, but they look a damn sight better than the prequels.

Oh my God! Brandon! That gif from "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" is EVERYTHING!!! Hilarious!!! Perhaps more Ruprect gifs ("Dot Buther?") need to come into play in regards to the prequels versus original trilogy?!

Hawkeye, I love you so much...and the two of us have pretty much always agreed on everything involving Stevie and Fleetwood Mac...but ARE YOU INSANE??? :laugh: It would seem you are of a different generation than those of us who grew up with the original trilogy firsthand and experienced the films on the big screen.

Agreed. I am also guilty of thinking maybe Luke would be the bad guy...but I'm quickly discounting that theory! However, I still believe that Mark Hamill (Luke's) screen time will be severely limited in comparison to Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher. But I'm really hoping I'm wrong!!!

I don't believe they've made Luke into a villain. He just doesn't look the part...

(yes, possible spoiler ahead)

http://images.en.yibada.com/data/ima...kens.png?w=685

I don't hate the prequels... but there's so much to dislike.

One thing that really bugged me was that they didnt really feel like they took place before A New Hope. I remember watching something where they showed how they used 1940's and 50's streamlining and even Art Deco architecture to help influence the design of buildings and vehicles in the prequels. I thought that was quite clever at the time. When I saw the films I never quite got that feeling. I went away thinking everything seemed a lot newer and more advanced than the original films.

Also, its really odd watching the prequels knowing what is coming. I spent much of the films wondering how they were going to weave certain things into the storyline.
It must be so different watching them in chronological order if you've never seen the original films before.

Yes, I agree Yoda looked much better in the originals. That said, I still enjoyed seeing the badass Yoda weilding his lightsabre in Revenge of the Sith.

I can't hate the prequels because I grew up with them and fondly remember going to see them as a kid, but they certainly are nowhere near as good as the OT. Nearly everything is CGI, wooden acting, weaker storyline...

You hit the nail on the head. And honestly, I think that is what doomed the prequels most of all, in regards to the enjoyment and surprises. Yes, we all knew Palpatine would become the Emperor. We knew Anakin would turn to the dark side. We knew he would end up missing limbs are have severe scarification on his head. We knew that Padme would give birth to Luke and Leia and they would end up separated, that the Jedi's would eventually become extinct and Yoda would disappear into hiding...shall I go on? Watching the prequels was almost like watching a historical drama. There aren't any surprises. Every new character introduced (Mace, Jango Fett, Darth Maul, Qui'gon, etc) died within all of their respective movies and didn't give the audience time to care about any of them.

These things, in my opinion, plus uninteresting plot points and less than stellar acting were a huge combination for failure. I have yet to talk to any fellow Star Wars fan who squeals with delight when talking about the Prequels and watches them over and over again.

And here I am once again getting off of the thread topic. Sorry.

Well I'm passing over what most of you said as I don't
want any ideas floating around in my head. I want to
watch the movie and find out that way.

That said, this old chunk of coal doesn't get too excited
about many (if any) movies. But this one is giving me
goosebumps!

I saw this article online today and had to share it! The author of this story hits the nail right on the head. When I was a child, my two favorite gals were Stevie Nicks and Carrie Fisher. Thirty plus years later, nothing has changed.

http://www.salon.com/2015/10/20/star...ium=socialflow

I just read the local news online .I dont believe the local theater is going to do a quick remodel of the theater before the movie drops in Dec.

I never stepped foot in the theater since it opened years ago .I was hoping that Stevie's IYD docu got a wide release and land there then.Anyway this time I might treat myself for Christmas and go see the movie in a theater instead of watching a boot of it on Youtube. .

I cant forgot to get the inflated priced buttered popcorn and coke before the movie starts.

I have to watch the whole series over again to catch up.

A lot...
 

of the local theaters are already started to prepare for the release date, seeing adverts to purchase advance tickets.

Another reason to hate Fox News. Anyone else here wanna punch Carley Shimkus in the neck besides me?

http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/1...tes-star-wars/

This new International trailer has more new footage!

Thanks for that. Odd that some of those snippets havent been released before. That's a great shot of the Tie fighters flying across the desert in front of the sun/star- beautiful in fact.


Regarding the Fox News clip- as a Brit I still cant comprehend how you have a station like Fox News- it just wouldn't be allowed to air in the UK. I used to watch it for a while just for a laugh.

How are the tix prices for this.Are they making a cash grab out of it in the first couple months of release.

^Not really. My local theatre is selling 9am shows (on the Friday) for 4 bucks.

If you're a HUGE Star Wars fan and have 20 mins to spare, these two guys do a GREAT job of analyzing the final US trailer. Interesting stuff here and lots of potential new information!

http://collider.com/star-wars-7-trai...t-new-footage/

Click the link above to see the first US Television spot for the film. More new footage! :)

I was watching the CMA country awards the other night and Star Trek's William Shatner popped out on stage dress as a Star Wars character .It was the best part of the show.

More analyzing and new info from the International trailer and new TV spot. This one's both hilarious and informative!

All this analysis is building the anticipation soooooo much.
Maybe I need to draw back from watching these sorts of things- I've now got too many different ideas of the plot running through my head.
Really am so excited.

Most of the TV spots for the film have just recycled footage from the trailers and the first TV spot, but here is Spot #5 and Spot #7, which have even more NEW footage!!! Squeee!!!

TV Spot #11 - This one premiered today and showcases more of the dark side...

Here's a link to more new clips and scenes, and a first look at Simon Pegg's character...

http://spinoff.comicbookresources.co...tlight-on-rey/

Next up is a cool link that has the Soundtrack listing, a map of the Star Wars galaxy, and some new pics and tidbits about the film...

http://www.slashfilm.com/star-wars-b...s-three-times/

Here's a link to the new Rolling Stone article about the film! It's great!

http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/f...151202?page=15

Its going to be a madhouse around the multiplex theater in town this upcoming week end.I got to stay away until it calms down.

Those of you that go.ENJOY and dont eat to much pop corn and cotton candy. Yea keep the cotton candy out of your hair too.


LOL................................................................................................. ............

Spoiler Free Review
 

I'm still gathering my thoughts after returning from my first viewing of "Star Wars - The Force Awakens".

This universe was such a huge and important part of my childhood and upbringing. The original Trilogy (what is known as Episodes 4,5, and 6) was the Alpha and Omega for me in the early eighties! I was obsessed for years and, to this day, "A New Hope" is the only film I can quote line for line PERFECTLY without having to view it.

Then in 1999, we got "The Phantom Menace". I left the Theatre extremely upset and disappointed. What had originally been a futuristic yet classic fairy tale, sprinkled with the right amount of intrigue and shocking exposition delivered at just the right time, rustic sets, talented puppeteers, beautiful matte paintings, hand crafted models and new ideas in filmmaking...had been replaced by cold, sterile CGI (over 90% to be exact), wooden acting, horrible new and unlikeable characters (Jar Jar Binks, anyone?) and an already spoiled plotline that was thrown together piecemeal without regard to excitement, surprise or interest. This and it's two sequels was George Lucas milking the franchise ($$$) and in the process, putting a damper on what it was that drew me inside the universe in the first place. For the past sixteen years, "Star Wars" has meant nothing to me.

Leave it to J.J. Abrams to reignite that flame within! He is a master storyteller! More important, he is a fanboy like we are, and he understood what needed to be done with this film. He had the advantage of being able to tell his own story, while remaining true to the history of the originals. He did it flawlessly. I spent two hours and seventeen minutes with a huge grin on my face!!! I left the theatre with goosebumps!!! I called my nearest and dearest friends to let them know how this film was everything I NEEDED it to be!!!

It grabs you and doesn't let go! It is exciting! It is hilarious! It is nostalgic yet brand spanking new! It is shocking! It is at many times sad! It is "Star Wars" in its purest form, and as such it reminded me A LOT of "A New Hope".

J.J. and Lawrence Kasdan are both extremely clever and extremely sneaky! (God, I just realized I use the word "extremely" too much...sorry.) They know JUST when to reveal the right amount of information and introduce each character, both new and old.

If I were to rank this film based off tonight's first viewing, I'd put it at number three behind "Empire" and "A New Hope". It's THAT good!

I'm sure this film will have it's huge share of haters, just like every other thing out there. I'm going to be so bold as to say that anyone who doesn't enjoy this film just doesn't understand "Star Wars".

FIVE STARS from me! One of the finest films of 2015!!! :blob2::]:blob2::]:D

I saw the movie at the midnight showing, and WOW! It was so good. I'd rank it at joint number two. Better than Jedi and Sith (the only one of the prequel trilogy worth anything) but not as good as Empire (my personal all-time favourite movie!)

Even my boyfriend, who came with me and is NOT a Star Wars fan, enjoyed it immensely. Daisy Ridley was a revelation. I already want to see it again.

I've followed the hype but believe it or not, as someone who saw the original three in theaters back in the day I'm going to pass on seeing this for now. It hasn't excited me in the least, which is the same as for the prequels. It seems more like a watered down tacking on of something again. I'm sure kids will like it but really, a year from now will they still be thinking about it which you could definitely see was the case for the original (it was still in theaters)? So many things are franchises and reruns today and what was so exciting about Star Wars back in 1977 is that it was a huge NEW universe. I don't think people are getting that anymore and are really missing out. I did eventually see the first Abrams Star Trek movie and enjoyed it okay, it was clever, but I think this Star Wars is probably more like that, a re-launch which I'll either get the DVD of (depending on quality of extras) or watch on demand eventually and skip the big tv room stinking of popcorn breath with people coming and going and texting and stuff. I put my ticket money into seeing Trumbo instead.

Another difference is that today there is massive hype and very few things can live up to that. The original didn't need it, it was like the 1933 King Kong (and who cares about the remakes of that?), word of mouth.

Just back from the cinema.
I must say I feel a bit let down. I was really hoping this was going to be great but in my opinion it was just okay. I put it behind the original trilogy and also behind Revenge of the Sith. The Phantom Menace = Attack of the Clones = The Force Awakens.
Each of the original trilogy had iconic cinematic scenes. I can't think of much I'll be remembering about this one in the years to come. Maybe I'll need to watch it again. I liked the new characters though and will be eager to see how they develop. 7.5/10.

I just heard on the radio that it made 100 million already at the box office.Its breaking records.

Your loss.

I agree with you wholeheartedly on the prequels. They were abysmal. However, if you read my opinions on the prequels in this thread, as well as my review of the new film, you will discover that this new film is in a different league, and (with Abrams at the helm) held to much higher standards than the prequels.

Wow. You couldn't be anymore OFF THE MARK with that statement, and you will find out why when you go see it.

Kids (and adults who were kids when the originals came out) haven't been able to STOP thinking and obsessing about "Star Wars" for 38 years now.

Um, again, you're WAYYYY off the mark. No, it's not a relaunch. It's called Star Wars Episode VII - it's a continuation.

Wow! :laugh:

TRUMBO??? (where's the yawning emoji?) Actually, I take it back. Judging from the misinformation or misunderstanding that it would appear you have been given for this new Star Wars film, I think putting your ticket money into Trumbo might be the best thing for you. I can guarantee that you won't have to worry about people's "popcorn breath", texting, or coming and going, as it's more than likely you will be the only person in the Theatre. :laugh:

:sorry::xoxo: No disrespect, but I just couldn't resist. ToMAYto, ToMAHto! You have your opinion and I have mine. But it's hard for me to read your comments knowing you haven't seen this film or given it a chance. I really, really, REALLY think you should go see "Star Wars - The Force Awakens" at the cinema. Trust me. After viewing it, you will be embarrassed by all your preconceived notions.

Sorry for not responding in the past 2 months, I guess I forgot to check back on this thread or chit chat in general.

But let me try to explain myself. Your probably right and the fact that I saw all 6 movies within a very short amount of time vs. as they happened skewed my view of the movies. And let me clarify that my opinion has NOTHING to do with the better graphics and visuals in the prequels. My enjoyment of movies is not based on special effects or action even. I enjoy the character and the story much more I the prequels.

I much prefer Anakins story to Lukes :sorry: the fact that I knew he endgame didn't matter to me. Kind of like how I pretty much knew Walt was gonna die in breaking bad, but that didn't matter. The how was much more important to that story then the actual act. The idea that that guy on the screen was gonna become dart header fascinated me, and I was dying to know what could possibly trigger that.

Or I guess you could say obi wan was the actual focus of the prequel, and his journey from young Jedi to mentor Jedi interested me too.

Maybe because I was very new to Star Wars but I dint know that palpatene was gonna be the emperor, so that was a twist for me.

The whole transformation into that empire also was cool for me.

Yoda- for as iconic as I always heard he was (people doing impressions, toys all over the place) I always assumed he was more important to the original movies. But really he was just a decrepit shriveled up frog in 5 and 6. And not even in the first one. I much more enjoyed seeing the younger, actual legendary Yoda in the prequels who actually contributed and was engaged in the cause.

Went to see it today and really enjoyed it!

Okay, there is so much in the plot that is similar to A New Hope that at times I did feel like I was watching a rerun, but some classic Star Wars traits returned that were abandoned in the prequels: humour, character development, exciting but tense action scenes (no mad light speed light-saber fights.)

Overall, I think it was just what the films needed: a back-to-basics, do what Star Wars does best film, but I would like to see more plot development in the next two installments, and not just a rerun of ESB and ROTJ.

4/5