Star Wars VII (film) - December 18th 2015

[Neil]

Think this is a new trailer?

[shootemindehead]

Looking more and more like a proper Star Wars film. Getting excited now.

[Neil]

Quite entertaining

[Neil]

[wayzim]

The studio is definitely pushing all the right buttons; which means any disappointment would be like belly flopping into a kiddy pool from one hundred feet up. I'm hoping that's not going to happen. Who's the bigger fool? The fool, or the one who follows him?

[rongravy]

Saw some of them on Kimmel the other night. Abrams, the chick, the black guy... Carrie Fisher was there. I noticed she was still kind of tubby, and she acted kind of liquored up. Who knows, maybe she was just happy to work again...? There was also a Harrison Ford and Chewie cameo bit, where they continued the running gag of Chewie sleeping with his wife. Plus, Harrison throws out a ton of f-bombs and such. Ok, maybe not a ton. But it sounds so naughty when he says it... As far as the movie sucking, there's no way that's going to happen. Plus, the visuals on this will be worth it alone. You know they're not going to half ass this now. Still wondering why Luke has been MIA in pretty much everything, with the exception of his robot hand and voice. Intriguing, to say the least...

[Neil]

Well the reviews seem to suggest they've done it! - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35109900 I'm going to stay clear of all the Star Wars articles I can as I'm not seeing it until next Tuesday, so don't won't to encounter any spoilers... PLEASE DON'T POST ANY SPOILERS HERE GUYS WITHOUT WARNINGS OR USING THE SPOILER TAGS!

[bassman]

I'm doing my best to avoid any reviews, as well. This one seems like it may be able to stay unspoiled for me. Got my tickets! Three days to go!

[EvilNed]

My spoilerless review: It's good, in fact it's very good. But the reason it's so good is because it goes out of it's way to be a rehash of A New Hope. Seriously, in today's world, reboots have less in common with their progenitors than this one does with A New Hope. Dozens of plot threads from the original films (not necessarily ANH alone) are rehashed. I'll let the viewer decide if that's good or bad. Personally, I'm not a Star Wars fan, but when I think of the old films and then of this new one and try to fit the narrative into my mind, one of the first words that come up is "pointless", unfortunately. So what did I like? Just about everything else. The Empire is back and let's be honest, they're some of the best bad guys ever seen on screen. Stormtroopers and evil force people are thrown into the mix again. I never realized just how much I missed those super polished floors the Empire seems to roll with. Man, they are neat. Fuck you Trade Federation and all that other shit that went down in the prequels. This is the real deal. George Lucas is pretty bad at conveying emotion. He shoots everything straight and has John Williams put on ominous music to tell his tale. J.J. on the other hand is much better. There's a scene where we manage to get inside the head of an individual stormtrooper - in a sea of stormtroopers. George Lucas could never have pulled that off (nor did he try to). The new characters are all good. There isn't a single Jar Jar, or even anything coming close to it. Oscar Isaac plays a rebel pilots I thought was one of the best new characters. Some characters that have featured in the marketing are barely in it at all tho. I won't say which but it's not that it bothered me anyhow. Just saying... I've seen toys and posters of some characters who aren't more than glorified extras. All in all a good film. Solid action and a solid start of a new trilogy. It's one overaching flaw is that it desperately tries to imitate the old trilogy and the end result is perhaps something that's to much like what we grew up with. A positive side effect is that there isn't a single reference to anything from George Lucas prequel trilogy. Nothing! I'm honestly stoked about the fact with this new trilogy it'll form a better compliment to Episode 4-6 than 1-3 ever did. In a few years maybe we can just forget about those films.

[shootemindehead]

Whaddaya mean "in a few years" Neddy? Good to hear that it's decent. I'm heading to see it on Sunday. I'm up and down with this film all the time. On the one hand I get really excited and on the other I'm completely nonplussed about the whole thing. I've no doubt it'll be better than the prequels that should not be named, but JJ's back catalogue is nothing to shout about either. Anyway, it'll be worth watching just to see how they handle the new Empire.

[bassman]

Spoiler free! I loved it! Sure there are some plots we've seen before, but even so it does a wonderful job of bringing back the characters and feel of the originals while also creating great characters for a new trilogy/generation. I was let down and even depressed by some things, but they don't really change the overall effect of the film. And the final scene is a definite crowd pleaser! 8/10 Ned - I spotted one funny reference to the prequels...   when deathstar 3.0 fires on the nearby system, we see that one of the planets it destroys is Coruscant

[Moon Knight]

Loved it! Great start to a new trilogy. Definitely gave me the feels!

[bassman]

Now that the film is released, Abrams and crew are able to spill some details about making the film. Of course the following is spoilers for those that have seen the film. Also, Neddy boy....another reference to the prequels that we didn't catch:   During Rey's "force nightmare" you can hear voices speaking in a low tone to Rey. I'd heard the voices but couldn't make out who they were. Abrams just revealed that they were able to bring in Frank Oz and Ewan McGregor. Also, they used footage of the late Alec Guinness, so basically Rey is hearing the voices of past Jedi, Yoda and both generations of Obi Wan. I thought that was a nice little touch and I'll have to play closer attention on my next viewing. Also, if you guys hadnt already caught it, the Storm trooper that Rey uses the Jedi Mind Trick on ("you're going to release these restraints, exit the room and leave the door open"), is actually the current James Bond, Daniel Craig....

[EvilNed]

bassman   I forgot about the Coruscant reference. I'm glad they blew it up tho. Coruscant was just a symbol of all things taking a turn away from the great adventure for me. Didn't spot Ewan McGregor tho but I'll listen for him next time.

[ProfessorChaos]

^   i read somewhere that the planet that was blown up was not actually coruscant, but some other similar planet in a different galaxy yeah, this movie didn't disappoint. i kept my inner star wars nerd on a leash until friday afternoon, and allowed myself to get all giddy and took the wife on opening night. we both thoroughly enjoyed it, i will most likely be going back for a second viewing with a high midichlorian count if you catch my drift. on a related note, i am very bummed about the new battlefront game, played the ps4 beta and was left feeling kind of empty. it is on sale right now, so i may pick it up with some of my extra holiday dough, but it is such a let-down compared to the ps2-era battlefront 2 game. and something else: the wife and i were recently invited by another couple to go to california with them this spring and visit the skywalker ranch and ILM studios, which would be a once-in-a-lifetime trip, as the place is normally closed to the public. i will be sure to keep you guys posted if things fall in place.