[mresseguie]

  I saw it yesterday and I am sad to say just how disappointed I am by it.  It's possible that I'm old and the current zeitgeist has passed me by.  I didn't know exactly what bothered me about it initially, only that I left a little depressed and a little angry.  This morning I woke up and many of my problems with the film came into focus, plot holes, character holes, etc, which I won't go into here because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. 
  I guess, at this point I would say that as gifted and successful a filmmaker that JJ Abrams is (and I really like his movies), in him, strong is not the force (wink)...

+1

Interesting side note: My wife and I watched it in Taoyuan on the 17th (1st day it played). I expected a tidal wave of human bodies filling the theater....nope....there were perhaps 40 people in there...perhaps at 5% capacity! If this were a Transformers movie or a Marvel superheroes movie, every seat would have been taken. Different culture with different interests.....

[wushuliu]

  I saw it yesterday and I am sad to say just how disappointed I am by it.  It's possible that I'm old and the current zeitgeist has passed me by.  I didn't know exactly what bothered me about it initially, only that I left a little depressed and a little angry.  This morning I woke up and many of my problems with the film came into focus, plot holes, character holes, etc, which I won't go into here because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. 
  I guess, at this point I would say that as gifted and successful a filmmaker that JJ Abrams is (and I really like his movies), in him, strong is not the force (wink)...

Meh. I think the same could be said about the first SW film, A New Hope.

[gene9p]

  I saw it yesterday and I am sad to say just how disappointed I am by it.  It's possible that I'm old and the current zeitgeist has passed me by.  I didn't know exactly what bothered me about it initially, only that I left a little depressed and a little angry.  This morning I woke up and many of my problems with the film came into focus, plot holes, character holes, etc, which I won't go into here because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. 
  I guess, at this point I would say that as gifted and successful a filmmaker that JJ Abrams is (and I really like his movies), in him, strong is not the force (wink)...

for sure it misses the Lucas touch in both cinematic presentation and sound. J J is good at sci fi movies and this film reflects his type of effects and sound...pretty damn good, but George was over the top in his movies. It was just different  to me. There was a lot to like and some disappointments as well...but not going to spoil anything. Worth seeing..yes....could it have been better ...yes...should it have included the original cast.....definitely because without them it was just another sci fi flick.

[Pirate]

Won't spoil anything here...thought it was good but short of great. Third best of the 7, IMO. Visually spectacular (JJ nailed the tone of the originals, especially the fun that was so glaringly missing from the prequels), and great new characters (especially Daisy Ridley, who was fantastic) - but over-the-top derivative with some wooden performances by the veteran cast. Hopefully they'll take some more risks in the coming installments, because the new cast appears ready to carve its own space in the narrative.

Saw it last night  and feel md92468 is spot on..  I would recommend getting out early to see this. I normally wait for the crowds to die down or see these at home but the fun here was being with the enthusiastic crowd.  These are major fans and I must say added to the experience.   

[ajzepp]

I was lucky enough to find a local theater that was showing the film all through the night on Thursday, so the 4am showing ended up being perfect.

Two days before the showing, all my enthusiastic anticipation was tempered by a common theme among the reviews - essentially the idea that JJ borrowed heavily from A New Hope. This was the ONE thing I was fearful of, as Star Trek Into Darkness had left a really bad taste in my mouth. JJ did a great job rebooting Star Trek along a path that was akin to an alternate timeline. I felt like he took a huge step back with Into Darkness by borrowing from Wrath of Khan to the degree that he did. I found it distracting and in some ways watered down as a result.

I didn't seriously think it would be an issue with Force Awakens since they had such competent screenwriters on board. But sure enough, even though nearly every review I read was positive, they almost all mentioned how similar it was the A New Hope. Well, after seeing the film, while it's clear that the themes echo those from the original, I didn't feel it was done in the same manner as Into Darkness. I didn't find them distracting or a copout...and above all else, I felt that JJ advanced the story, which is what I was most concerned with.

The acting was stellar, and I was really happy with the casting choices. I wish that Oscar Isaac's "Poe Dameron" had a bit more meat on the bone, but perhaps that will change for EpVIII. He's one of my favorite actors, and one of the most talented actors in Hollywood, so I'm eager to see him really get to spread his wings in the Star Wars universe. Adam Driver was brilliant...Jon Boyega had the perfect mix of intensity and levity...and Daisy Ridley was captivating. I also loved BB-8, even though I was nervous they'd force the humor with him.

I do have some mild criticisms of the film, but they're all pretty minor. I think this was a tremendously successful foundation for this new trilogy and am eager to see where we go from here.

[ajzepp]

By the way, something I wanted to discuss with those who have seen the film...I'm going to put it in white lettering so it's only visible if you highlight it...but just in case, let me say...

****SPOILER WARNING!!!!!!!!!!****

(highlight to read)

Did you guys notice the way Rey was fighting with that lightsaber? She was making that very distinct two-handed "stabbing" motion with it that was identical to the style Palpatine used in Revenge of the Sith. Now I'm fully aware that Palpatine's timeline doesn't match up to where he could be Rey's father, but that lightsaber style was obviously a deliberate choice. It's also curious that Rey's accent was left intact. Typically the only characters who speak with a British/Aussie accent are the baddies. So another deliberate choice. Given that Rey's parentage was not confirmed in Force Awakens, I have this sneaking suspicion that Rey's father may have been a Sith, or at least someone who was well-versed in the dark side of the force....and perhaps she was left on Jakku by Luke/Leia/whoever in order to isolate her from these influences to both protect her AND minimize or eliminate the chances that someone would train her and utilize her for evil deeds (?) Han didn't seem to know who she was, but Leia clearly did. I didn't get the impression that Leia hugged her like a daughter, though...more like a niece, or some other relative that she cared about. It's all speculation at this point, but I couldn't help but take notice of some of these hints.

[Don_S]

Have any of the SW movies been on TV? 

[md92468]

Clever use of white type...I will use this from now on when posting spoilerish info. To wit:

This is consistent with the notion of the "greying" of the force evident in many of the subsequent books in the series. Since Kylo Ren was born "good" and turned "bad," it would make sense that Rey would counterbalance that energy by being born "bad" but turning "good." The stabbing motion was clearly and emphatically emphasized and in marked contrast to everyone else's in the film, so it clearly means something...

As far as your Brit = Bad analogy, the presence of Obi Wan kind of refutes that a bit...

[brooklyn]

Well, I went to see the new Star Wars movie tonight and to my surprise, I liked it.
I haven’t seen any Star Wars movies since they all first hit the big screen, like I sad
in an earlier post, I’m not a big fan..

My memory of any of the previous SW movies are almost non existent. The theater
was crowded for a Monday night and like Pirate said, it added to the experience. Well
worth the $4.50 senior price I paid.

[Mike Nomad]

Saw the new SW installment last night. No Fozzie Bear, no Ewoks, no Jar Jar Binks, and nothing that smells anything like them.

Stylistically, very in tune with the original, with major plot mechanics a little too close to the original. I don't fault Abrams for being conservative on this one: He has been highly successful rebooting franchises. Here, he must respect the back story. I hope he does the next two because with those, he gets to go off The Reservation. EDIT: The next two directors have already been chosen, and Abrams is neither of them. So much for that...

Visually, an annoyances with the new one: The CGI work on BB-8 and Maz Kanata is surprisingly poor. Otherwise, a great looking movie.

I hold the original SW as the standard for comparison, and while I think it's the best of the lot, I do entertain the idea the top slot goes to the The Empire Strikes Back. This latest installment is easily in some sort of Win, Place, Show finish with them.

[Rob Babcock]

Finally saw it.  I'll limit my comments to avoid any spoilers.  Daisy Ridley is fantastic!  She's luminous, like a younger Kira Knightley.  The acting is very strong with tons and tons of pretty well known actor shoehorned into the films.  It was strange to see Domhnall Gleeson playing a bad guy!  He usually plays such mild mannered characters, always a bit awkward.  The effects are uniformly fantastic!

On the minus side the film rides the razor's edge between homage and naked pandering. There's virtually nothing original in the entire film.  If you had a pause button you could pause the movie and write the next 15 minutes and be dead on almost every time.

Still, it's incredibly compelling. There's a powerful emotional core to the film and you get swept up in the characters.  Now that Lucas is out of the picture the actors are actually allowed to act and things are better for it.  It's hard to for me to tell how much of the emotional power of the film is nostalgia and decades of loving the core characters and how much is the actual story.

Any fan of the originals really has to see this one.  The Force Awakens genuinely feels like a continuation of the real films, not dreck like the prequels.  Great pains were obviously taken to make the new one feel like the originals right down to the in-movie technology.

[cab]

Saw it in 3D. Very entertaining and well done and if I had never seen the other episodes, wouldn't have too many bad things to say. But wow, how many of the SAME EXACT things from earlier films were there? I counted at least 5 major plot features that were identical. It was indeed more like a remake than an original film. I would give them a D for creativity in the story line/plot props. That was very disappointing.

[ctviggen]

Saw it in 3D. Very entertaining and well done and if I had never seen the other episodes, wouldn't have too many bad things to say. But wow, how many of the SAME EXACT things from earlier films were there? I counted at least 5 major plot features that were identical. It was indeed more like a remake than an original film. I would give them a D for creativity in the story line/plot props. That was very disappointing.

There were 5 plot features in the original film?    I thought the originals were pretty slim on plot. 

[wushuliu]

to be fair they added some great twists to the familiar plot. twists that make this episode a far better introduction to a new generation of Star Wars fans than the original.

[zybar]

I was not strong with the force last night.   

Took the family to the 10pm showing and 5 minutes into the previews, the fire alarm goes off.   

After 40 minutes they finally come out and say that they can't reset the alarm system and that everybody needs to go home.

While they gave a full refund, this theater doesn't have any available seats for another week plus.   

I don't want to wait any longer, so we will probably try the older theater today and see if we can get in there.

George

[Atlplasma]

to be fair they added some great twists to the familiar plot. twists that make this episode a far better introduction to a new generation of Star Wars fans than the original.

The amount of marketing buildup prior to the release set the bar incredible high for VII. After seeing the film, I was not so much disappointed as underwhelmed. This film was not Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions bad, but it left a lot to be desired. 

The original Star Wars trilogy had much more WOW factor, particularly when you consider how much more limited special effects were in the late 1970s and early 1980s. I remember leaving the first film and thinking it was the best film I'd ever seen. The older me would go that far, but it was -- and remains -- a great bit of operatic action adventure.

In comparison, the Force Awakens was only okay--particularly given the wooden performances of the main characters and the mashed-up storyline. Part of me thinks that JJ probably wanted to kill off all the old characters, but the honchos at Disney wouldn't have it. 

[wushuliu]

eh. I don't think marketing set the bar high. I think people made their own minds up about expectations. there were no early reviews so it's not like they tried to build Buzz that way.

a new hope is pretty rough around the edges imo and the lead performances in force awakens are faaar more natural and dynamic. ford hamill and Fisher have some goddawful lines in a New hope, fishers accent changes, and talk about wooden performances.

the reason the originals are all looked on fondly is because empire is one of the great films of all time and it colors how the other two are perceived. force awakens has its issues but those issue are no worse than those in the originals. which is one reason why it is such a great return to the franchise.

bodega Ridley and driver were wooden? come on...

[jarcher]

First post viewing impression was that there were way to many plot similarities and set pieces drawing from New Hope in particular and the original three films. Almost like a homage vs a new story.  Unfortunately also felt that when the mask came off for Kylo Ren character so did seemingly my interest. The whole business with Han Solo near the end also seemed gratuitous, though it was supposed to be a major plot point.

With all those negatives out of the way, I was still overrall quite positive on this movie and really felt it had some of that excitement and epic feel of the original trilogy. I left the theater wanting to watch more - about my highest praise for a "franchise" - and which was certainly something I don't feel coming out of the last three SW movies.

I understand and appreciate the choices JJ and the screenwriters made and feel they were adequately respectful of the original movies and fans. Here's hoping that future editons can add more to the cannon and take more risks. I think they have good material to work with the three principal actors in this movie.

[stlrman]

70mm Imax omni Max baby !!
Have a short video to upload later of the size of the film etc.

[zybar]

Keep in my mind that I am soon to be 45 year old male and I have very find memories of the first trilogy...

I thought this movie was AWESOME!!!

In no way was it perfect and as others have stated, it has some plot issues and challenges; but it still was well laid out, well presented, and was thoroughly engaging.

I thought the new generation of heroes were characters I could grow to care about and the old characters were presented in the right way, at the right time.

I won't get into my nits, as this would get into spoiler territory, but they are all relatively minor.

I am looking forward to seeing this again (hopefully at my local IMAX theater) and can't wait for the next installment.

 

George