[SPOILERS] Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Thread #2) - One Thumb Up

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Man, imagine the internet rage if this actually happened.
 
It might be the simply/predictable thing to do, but I was kinda thinking that he will keep getting fucked up until he truly does become like Vader.

Of course, he'll probably "strike back" in Episode 8, so maybe him getting another beatdown is out of the question until 9.

The more I think about him, the more I like Kylo. Kudos to whoever came up with his design, voice, and of course Driver for the performance. I think it says a lot that people were pretty much able to deduce that Ren was a dweeb from the first moment they saw him. I mean, some of the shit like "I bet he can't even use the force" clearly ended up being false, but, there did seem to be a lot of people questioning just how serious he actually was, based on so little footage.

my fiancée (the user who asked for a kylo ren bodypillow in this thread....>>) did not like him at first but the more time goes by since the movie the more he grew on her/us. now she even pre-ordered the hot toys figure from him lol.

He really is depict perfectly for me. so unstable, angry, afraid, fighting with himself..who he really is and who he wants to be.
 
I hope Luke takes Rey to a Jedi temple so she can make her own lightsaber like in clone wars/rebels.

Are we thinking Rey is going to go with a traditional saber or a double blades staff?

Regardless, o hope there's a scene of her putting it together. She's already a bit of a gearhead.
 
Are we thinking Rey is going to go with a traditional saber or a double blades staff?

Regardless, o hope there's a scene of her putting it together. She's already a bit of a gearhead.

well even while using lukes lightsaber she sometimes used it like a staff IMHO. poking at Rey instead of slashing etc. So I kind of hope she gets a yellow double blades staff lol..but that is just me being a Rey fanboy <3
 
Are we thinking Rey is going to go with a traditional saber or a double blades staff?

Regardless, o hope there's a scene of her putting it together. She's already a bit of a gearhead.

What about a single-bladed staff?

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Long-handle_lightsaber
The moment Rey grabs the lightsaber has got to be in my top 5 Star Wars moments of all time. Maybe top 3.

The buildup combined with the music and the lighting was just....oh my god.
So good.
 
Can we ban the term "Mary Sue?" I'm all for continuing the argument, but I'm about to blow my brains out if I read that again.

You know, the butthurt over people using "Mary Sue" is getting really tiresome. The people complaining about it have probably produced about 10 whiny posts and 3 claims of sexism for every usage. It wasn't invented by sexists, it's not sexist to use it, it's years old, it's well established, it's a tired trope, it has a male version (Gary Stu), and there are many other Gary Stu/Mary Sue example characters in other films and books.

Here's a reddit thread where people list a bunch of Garys -- Harry Potter, Rahl from Sword of Truth, Kyle from the Malazan books, Rand al'Thor from The Wheel of Time, and others -- I just scanned it. Here's a really interesting discussion amongst fanfic authors about how to avoid writing Mary Sue characters. Many of the suggestions are things people have actively mentioned as solutions for Rey ("Start the character weak," "give them flaws," "don't make them too powerful," etc).

In Rey's case people are backing up the criticisms with details that they pick out that are forming their impression. No one says you have to agree with them, and I'd love to see the refutations/explanations (because it bothered me and I don't want to be bothered by the new Star Wars protagonist), but the bitterness and anger and reflexive accusations of sexism are making the thread a huge bummer. And yes, Rey would still get this level of overanalysis if she were a man. My god, yes. It's Star Wars. Every move Anakin made in the prequels probably has a 4,000 word essay written somewhere about how it sucked. I don't think I've seen a video review of The Force Awakens that was less than 20 minutes long. This is what the fans do. So either take the arguments on on their merits so a discussion can happen, or just leave it. It's a perfectly valid criticism that people are backing up just fine, and "Mary Sue" a good shorthand for the problem people have of the "too perfect, never embarrassed" character trope.
 
Are we thinking Rey is going to go with a traditional saber or a double blades staff?

Regardless, o hope there's a scene of her putting it together. She's already a bit of a gearhead.

I'm sure she'll just use Luke's. They made such a big deal about it, and Luke already has his replacement. They won't just ditch it.

Besides it's kinda cool to have a lightsaber spanning all three trilogies.
 
well even while using lukes lightsaber she sometimes used it like a staff IMHO. poking at Rey instead of slashing etc. So I kind of hope she gets a yellow double blades staff lol..but that is just me being a Rey fanboy <3
Wasn't there a weapon like that in KOTOR? from what I recall from Battlefront 2 mods that is. Also wielded by a person who looked like Rey lol
 
well even while using lukes lightsaber she sometimes used it like a staff IMHO. poking at Rey instead of slashing etc. So I kind of hope she gets a yellow double blades staff lol..but that is just me being a Rey fanboy <3

Totally.

I honestly think a staff blade would be super cool. Really hope they're not sour on the idea because of Darth Maul, but Ren's saber gives me hope that they are indeed still willing to do custom/unconventional light sabers in the movies.

Would be a little awkward if she really is related to Obi-Wan though, LOL
 
Strangely the more I've thought about the movie and read opinions the more I've come to appreciate it and look forward to a second viewing someday. This rarely happens and I think I come to dislike movies more over time generally.

Think I also just needed to accept more its still a Star Wars movie at the end of the day.

Do I think it could of been a better movie? Yes. Could it have still been a better Star Wars movie? I very much think so. But the end result, again, after some reflection I am more content with the start of this trilogy, than I was walking out of the cinema.
 
Eh Clone Wars kinda fixes it so everything but killing younglings you could kinda understand.

The council members besides Obi-Wan and Yoda are awful.

I have never watched Clone Wars outside of a few episodes.

I think there were elements there that could have worked but felt it was just clumsy and unbelievable. I mean he is literally trusting the person who has attempted to murder Padme multiple times in the past to save her this time. And at the same time betraying his entire belief system on that gamble.

For the moment that the entire trilogy was leading up to, it just felt very clumsy and badly laid out. I couldn't have been more disappointed in it in all honesty. I was hoping there would have been a real reason for him to turn against the Jedi, not just some silly mental gymnastics.

I really just hope we get a better backstory with Kylo/Snoke. I never felt like Anakin was seduced by the Dark side, but instead was duped into it because he was a damn goober.
 
Agreed about banning the term Mary Sue.

90% of the time I've seen it in posts I'm not convinced the posters actually fully understand the history, context and definition of the term.
 
The moment Rey grabs the lightsaber has got to be in my top 5 Star Wars moments of all time. Maybe top 3.

The buildup combined with the music and the lighting was just....oh my god.

That and the moment on Starkiller Base where the saber is in the snow and both she and Ren are trying to Force-pull it.

So damn good.
 
Wasn't there a weapon like that in KOTOR? from what I recall from Battlefront 2 mods that is. Also wielded by a person who looked like Rey lol

Bastila's default weapon IIRC.


*Double bladed light saber that is.

I would be cool if the old lightsaber serves as the base for Rey's weapon. Then again maybe we'll actually finally see the trails of building one in live action.
 
...
It might be the simply/predictable thing to do, but I was kinda thinking that he (Kylo Ren) will keep getting fucked up until he truly does become like Vader.

Of course, he'll probably "strike back" in Episode 8, so maybe him getting another beatdown is out of the question until 9.

The more I think about him, the more I like Kylo. Kudos to whoever came up with his design, voice, and of course Driver for the performance. I think it says a lot that people were pretty much able to deduce that Ren was a dweeb from the first moment they saw him. I mean, some of the shit like "I bet he can't even use the force" clearly ended up being false, but, there did seem to be a lot of people questioning just how serious he actually was, based on so little footage.

I think it could even be possible that he secedes from the role of antagonist and goes off on a journey of his own (which of course intersects with those of the others). Instead of being either redeemed or killed at the end of Ep. IX, he's responsible for bringing something entirely new and unexpected into the mix in Ep VIII, while the evil of Snoke is clarified through a new proxy. Not saying I think this will happen. But we're in the territory now of speculating how far Kasdan etc. are going to go, to subvert expectations.

Edit: and one of the most successful and enjoyable elements of TFA is that it's lighted a whole bonfire of speculation. Maybe more accurate to say it's a measure of its many successes. I don't recall that happening with TPM or AotC.
 
Agreed about banning the term Mary Sue.

90% of the time I've seen it in posts I'm not convinced the posters actually fully understand the history, context and definition of the term.
Either way, valid arguments or not, the conversation has been recycled way too many times in both spoiler threads.
 
Just had my second viewing of it. A few things..

I heard both Yoda and Obi-Wan speak during the scene where Rey touches the lightsaber. Yoda was saying his line about the force from ESB and Obi just says "Rey"

I noticed an error at the begining when Finn meets Rey and BB8. No one ever tells him that the droid is named BB8 only that it's a BB unit and Finn yells out "run BB8" when the Tie Fighters first show up.

And lastly is C3PO's red arm a reference to one of the books or something? Seemed important as they made a point to mention it.
 
Just had my second viewing of it. A few things..

I heard both Yoda and Obi-Wan speak during the scene where Rey touches the lightsaber. Yoda was saying his like about the force from ESB and Obi just says "Rey"

Old Obi-Wan (Alec Guinness) says "Rey", young (Ewan McGregor) says "These are your first steps"
 
You know, the butthurt over people using "Mary Sue" is getting really tiresome. The people complaining about it have probably produced about 10 whiny posts and 3 claims of sexism for every usage. It wasn't invented by sexists, it's not sexist to use it, it's years old, it's well established, it's a tired trope, it has a male version (Gary Stu), and there are many other Gary Stu/Mary Sue example characters in other films and books.

Here's a reddit thread where people list a bunch of Garys -- Harry Potter, Rahl from Sword of Truth, Kyle from the Malazan books, Rand al'Thor from The Wheel of Time, and others -- I just scanned it. Here's a really interesting discussion amongst fanfic authors about how to avoid writing Mary Sue characters. Many of the suggestions are things people have actively mentioned as solutions for Rey ("Start the character weak," "give them flaws," "don't make them too powerful," etc).

In Rey's case people are backing up the criticisms with details that they pick out that are forming their impression. No one says you have to agree with them, and I'd love to see the refutations/explanations (because it bothered me and I don't want to be bothered by the new Star Wars protagonist), but the bitterness and anger and reflexive accusations of sexism are making the thread a huge bummer. And yes, Rey would still get this level of overanalysis if she were a man. My god, yes. It's Star Wars. Every move Anakin made in the prequels probably has a 4,000 word essay written somewhere about how it sucked. I don't think I've seen a video review of The Force Awakens that was less than 20 minutes long. This is what the fans do. So either take the arguments on on their merits so a discussion can happen, or just leave it. It's a perfectly valid criticism that people are backing up just fine, and "Mary Sue" a good shorthand for the problem people have of the "too perfect, never embarrassed" character trope.
I had about 5 pages of debating people using the term and I don't think I once called anyone sexist for using it, nor do I want the debates over it to stop. It's a totally valid argument to have and, though I happen to be on the side of really enjoying Rey's character, I was just making an over-the-top remark that every other post at that time seemed to have the term "Mary Sue" in it. And I think that was my only post mentioning it.

And yes, if it was a male character people would be criticizing it heavily as well, but you're kidding yourself if you think Rey isn't being more overly-analyzed by being a female character. I agree, it's frustrating when people throw out the "sexist" card to anyone who has a negative opinion on a female character, but it's also frustrating how often things male characters do that are never questioned suddenly become an enormous point of contention when as female character does it.
 
The scene with Han could be seen coming from quite a ways away - I really don't think that's as much of a spoiler as people are making it out to be.

It was spoiled for me as well but since it wasn't ever intended to really be a shock moment, the scene was just as effective even though I knew it would happen before entering the theatre.

It's not about "omg shock", it's about suspense. It's about buildup towards it, getting your own interpretation of what's happening, even if you -expect- Han to die there, there -might- be a chance, you can -hope- he survives. Having the fucking thing spoiled ruined all that for me, absolutely no suspense in that scene.
 
Lol @ the first Google suggestion for Poe Dameron. The Tumblr slash crew went into full swing.
Make it happen, plz.

You do realize that nowadays the search suggestions are catered to you based on your browser history right?

It's alright. Nothing to be ashamed of! ;)
 
Can you imagine the insane meltdown the world would have if Star Wars introduced a male gay relationship?

I so need this to happen now, anything less just won't do.

Does this make me a shipper?

Would love to happen, honestly. But they wont do it.
 
You know, I just rewatched the OT just now, and when I'll re-evaluate TFA when I see it again...but I think TFA might be the best SW movie for me.

I never actually liked ANH that much. Maybe it's because I watched it WAY past it's time where everyone copied the Hero's journey that the original standardized in cinema way, way too many times, but it's the most rough around the edges movie which, despite some really good cinematic shots, just doesn't work on any personal level for me. Obiwan wasn't that great a character, Luke is probably more of "Everyman that magically succeeds" than a distinct character than in any other film, and neither Han nor Leia are that interesting. It feels too much like the prototypical movie, where other movies have copied it's structure and just done it better in every way, so now...now I just don't find any narrative in here all that compelling. And the fact that I have pre-existing knowledge of where the characters end up, it makes it feel pointless. The shipping teases with Leia don't matter to be because I not only know that's not gonna work out, but that she's his sister. Luke essentially has no relationship with Vader beyond general antagonist because neither of them know or care about one another yet. And the climax manifests itself as one of the least impressive aspects of star wars I find, especially in the first movie, the star ship fights.

ESB is the best film where the relationships between the characters have actually grown to mean something, and we have two main storylines that are really compelling: Luke's rise to becoming a Jedi proper, meeting with Yoda, his dynamic with Vader. And Han and Leia's flirtations finally coming into fruition. I should note that I like one WAY more than the other and it's obvious which, but the Han and Leia plot isn't all that bad, it's just....so incredibly shallow. It's essentially just a conflict between Harrison Ford's sexiness vs Leia's desire for a moral man, which apparently Han isn't because he wants to get paid to pay off his debts. That's the general problem I guess I have with Han, even in ANH, they make out like he's some scoundrel or something because his wanting to pay his bills and not throw in with the rebellion on pure moral grounds makes him shady. Bah. I've seen hundreds of dashing rouge characters done better than him since then, so he really just doesn't impress me in these. Still, it helps that he visits some interesting locations between the asteroid monster and cloud city, which is probably the coolest location in the series.

RotJ has THE strongest storyline with Luke's journey finalizing. However, it is combined with the utterly weakest, with Han and Leia caught in a drama bomb that could be easily resolved if Leia just tells him that she's Luke's sister, in addition to the general Empire vs Rebellion battle, which itself is split between the Ewoks on Endor and Lando+the rest of the rebellion in space. This element isn't...bad, really, but I just don't care. I don't have any emotional investment in the rebellion as a political entity.

I also hate C3PO and don't find R2D2 funny at all, so these two buckets could be scrapped and I wouldn't give a damn. It wouldn't be unfair to say that if I just saw Luke's journey condensed into two movies with the other stuff cut out, I might actually find that the most compelling version of the story.

But TFA has all it's character arcs work well for me, and make me care about them. The main character arcs are with Rey, Finn and Ren, but also Han is the more compelling here trying to save his son and guide Rey than he ever was trying to get into Leia's pants. The only things that don't work are generally so minor that they barely qualify as subplots, namely the R2D2 map activation and the small ship sequence with the hentai tenticle monsters and the the starkiller base is a lazy replication of the death star that is basically given lipservice just to keep the stakes high and not really put that much time into. So while Luke has claim to the best writing of the series, TFA comes together as a whole more effectively than any other movie as far as I can see.

Now I wonder how long before people form a mob with pitchforks and torches outside my house.
 
It's not about "omg shock", it's about suspense. It's about buildup towards it, getting your own interpretation of what's happening, even if you -expect- Han to die there, there -might- be a chance, you can -hope- he survives. Having the fucking thing spoiled ruined all that for me, absolutely no suspense in that scene.
I will say, it was a very compelling moment on midnight where no spoilers were out (Australia too so some of the earliest shows apart from premieres). You really had no idea, it was toying with the audience.

I'm not normally someone who believes in spoilers, but yes it would lose some impact in this case.
 
Listening to the soundtrack on Spotify, Rey's theme and the Jedi steps are exactly what Star Wars music should sound like. Fantastic stuff.
 
Would love to happen, honestly. But they wont do it.

I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out that Poe is gay (it would be awesome if he was) but I doubt there will be a relationship between him and Finn. It seems pretty obvious that Finn has a thing for Rey.
 
I will say, it was a very compelling moment on midnight where no spoilers were out (Australia too so some of the earliest shows apart from premieres). You really had no idea, it was toying with the audience.

I'm not normally someone who believes in spoilers, but yes it would lose some impact in this case.

I went in completely spoilerfree, and all I was thinking during that scene was "will they kill him? Does Ren get his redemption, does he choose the light? They won't actually kill Han Solo, right? Would they? Nah, don't kill Han. He has to die, Ren has no choice, he is too far gone."

I loved the emotion, the sadness in both Ford's and Driver's eyes. They sold that moment.
 
The moment Rey grabs the lightsaber has got to be in my top 5 Star Wars moments of all time. Maybe top 3.

The buildup combined with the music and the lighting was just....oh my god.

I don't mind saying I shed a few tears when this happened. It was so perfect.

I loved how Rey seemed bit surprised as well. She's there for a moment thinking...that just happened. Well then.

Been catching up on the pre-release hype and marketing, since I tuned out of it, and rewatched all the trailers. I love how you really don't get any sense for the plot from any of them, and there's no hint at Rey as the budding Jedi, at all. Her development was kept completely hidden. I'm kind of in awe they did that, but it made that moment hit that much harder.
 
I don't mind saying I shed a few tears when this happened. It was so perfect.

I loved how Rey seemed bit surprised as well. She's there for a moment thinking...that just happened. Well then.

Been catching up on the pre-release hype and marketing, since I tuned out of it, and rewatched all the trailers. I love how you really don't get any sense for the plot from any of them, and there's no hint at Rey as the budding Jedi, at all. Her development was kept completely hidden. I'm kind of in awe they did that, but it made that moment hit that much harder.

I kind of figured she was all along, since the title of the film is "The Force Awakens" and the marketing made it pretty clear to me she was the lead character - I thought it'd be strange if the lead wasn't the force sensitive person. But if one didn't pay much attention to the marketing or trailers and just saw Finn with the lightsaber on the poster I can definitely see it being a surprise.

Still, that did not lessen the impact of that moment one bit. Neither did repeat viewings. It's extremely powerful on every possible level, over and over again.
 
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