4 ms·

Admit It: 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Stinks

7 points by smaili 11y ago

dudul 11y ago
Got to say, I haven't seen it, mostly because I know I would hate it. But one of my friends told me that they are destroying a death star. Again. For the 3rd time. Seriously? How many times are they gonna try? "One can envision Hollywood eventually turning out only two products: "Star Wars" movies and James Bond movies, each periodically "rebooted" for a new generation of customers." Absolutely love the conclusion. This is exactly what is happening right now. It's like every single new movie is a reboot. Mad Max, Ghostbusters, Robocop, Point Break, The neverending story...
- krapp 11y ago
  Yes. It is, in broad strokes, essentially a retelling of A New Hope. The only reason the Death Star was destroyed in the first movie was that George Lucas was forced to essentially cram his ideas for the entire trilogy into A New Hope (which is why, absurdly, a second Death Star shows up later.) It wasn't supposed to be destroyed until the third act. There really is no excuse for the new "Death Star" to wind up destroyed in the The Force Awakens other than fanservice. I honestly would have been more impressed if they'd shown the utter failure of the attempt to destroy it - given how much more massive the new thing was compared to the old, it just stretches even the dubious credibility of the problems with the original Death Star past the breaking point. But... nope... they set some handheld explosives and blow up the whole planet what good. Just like they did two other times. And honestly, i'm kind of ok with that. The movie's not terrible, it's just not that original. But after the prequels, I can't really blame anyone for wanting to play it safe - and I understand most modern Star Wars fans have never even seen the original trilogy, so for the target audience, it's possibly not old hat. George Lucas likes to say the Star Wars movies "rhyme," which basically seems to mean using the same themes, basic characters and plot points is intentional.
  - chrisdbaldwin 11y ago
    If only Lucas had stuck with Jar Jar being the hidden wizard like he did with Yoda.
- twic 11y ago
  I read an interesting take on that: that in the Star Wars universe, immense superweapons aren't once-in-a-trilogy special cases, they're standard practice. > One Death Star is a horror; two Death Stars and one Starkiller Base and whatever horrific murder innovation the First Order will come up with for Episode 9 is something more like the inexorable logic of history, grinding us all to dust. https://gerrycanavan.wordpress.com/2015/12/23/tolkien-the-force-awakens-and-the-expanded-universe/ https://gerrycanavan.wordpress.com/2015/12/23/tolkien-the-fo...
- randycupertino 11y ago
  I love how they always make the Death Star with 1 fatal flaw! There's always some small way to instantly blow it up. It wouldn't be the Death Star without this key component. The reboot phenomena you describe was covered excellently in the article How Disney is Re-selling us our Childhoods: http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21684138-disney-making-fortune-and-safeguarding-its-future-buying-childhood-piece-piece http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21684138-disney-makin...
joshstrange 11y ago
The Force Awakens is exactly what you would get if you threw the original 3 in a blender... It wasn't terrible but it was a disappointment. It was extremely repetitive and predictable, I didn't see the big spoiler online ahead of time but I saw it coming from a mile away... I will probably watch 10 & 11 but I won't go to a theater for them, it's just not worth it.
- dragonwriter 11y ago
  > The Force Awakens is exactly what you would get if you threw the original 3 in a blender... I see the strongest influences from Episodes 4, 1, 3, and 5 (in roughly descending order.) > I will probably watch 10 & 11 but I won't go to a theater for them, it's just not worth it. AFAIK, there's not a firm plan to make anything beyond 9 (though I suppose a fourth trilogy is inevitable if the third is successful.)
leepowers 11y ago
Good explanation of something I was feeling after watching The Force Awakens - it's a sequel, but it feels like a reboot. Abrams and Kasdan borrowed too many motifs and plot lines from A New Hope. So I agree with the criticisms of the article. But personally disagree with the conclusion, for two reasons. First, my expectations were already very low, to the point of being non-existent. Mostly due to the prequels which attempted to push the series into new territory, but failed miserably. The prequel SFX were engrossing. But when it came to the backbone of the story - the plot, the dialogue, the structure, character motivations - it was obviously amateur hour. All I was expecting was a exciting and comprehensible space opera action flick, and that's what we got. Second, Star Wars is no longer Star Wars. It was at one time revolutionary, iconic, a cultural touchstone, and a right of passage for millions. Now it's just another franchise amongst many - competing with Marvel, DC, Star Trek, Harry Potter, and many other glossy high-budget thrill rides.
pasbesoin 11y ago
Beyond the "reboot", I found little of it... "believable." In contrast, for all the "another galaxy" and "less-advanced" special effects of the first three and particularly the first two, I found them much more "believable". I also found them more graphically engaging. SPOILERS AHEAD -- ROT13-ed (1): Va Njnxraf, jr svaq nyy gur punenpgref "shyyl sbezrq" naq va cynpr, ohg jvgu yvggyr be ab rkcynangvba. Grra Erl frrzf gb unir orra nonaqbarq naq gb yvir ba ure bja, ohg fur vf nyernql irel pbzcrgrag va obgu grpuabybtl naq svtugvat. Qba'g trg zr jebat; V jnf dhvgr ybbxvat sbejneq gb univat n yrnqvat srznyr cebgntbavfg. Ohg jr qba'g ernyyl jngpu ure yrnea nalguvat; fur whfg qbrf. Rira va tebjvat vagb ure Wrqv cbjref. Yhxr unq Ora, Lbqn, naq n ybg bs gevny naq reebe. Erl vf cerffherq vagb na vavgvny "eriryngvba" naq gura fhofrdhragyl, qhevat fbzr fhowrpgvir, vagebfcrpgvir frpbaqf va gur zvqfg bs n yvtug fnore qhry, frrzf gb npuvrir n dhnfv-vafgnagnarbhf, vaurerag znfgrel. Unaf naq Purjvr fubj hc, "pbzvat ubzr" gb gur ybat-fbhtug Snypba fbzrubj ng gur cerpvfr zbzrag Erl unf qvfpbirerq vg. Bofpher pbzzragf nobhg fbzr fbeg bs genpxvat; ohg... jryy, zru. Pbagevirq, znlor, rira jvguva gur fgbel'f havirefr. Yrvn vf n Trareny abj. Bx... Ohg jr trg mreb ba ubj gung pnzr gb or. Fur whfg vf. Fur naq Unaf unir n erpbapvyvngvba fprar, ohg gurer vf ab ohvyq-hc gb vg. Vg whfg vf. Gurve fba, gur Inqre ercynprzrag. Fb ur'f nyy ovt naq onq -- naq n Rzcver (be jung ner jr pnyyvat vg abj?) yrnqre. Ohg, frevbhfyl, ng uvf lbhgushy ntr? Ubj qvq gung pbzr gb or? Naq ubj qbrf gung erpbapvyr jvgu gur jrnxarff gung, senaxyl, ur jrnef ba uvf fyrrir? Anqn -- whfg gnxr vg, ivrjre. V ubj gur arkg svyz vzcebirf. Ohg V jnf abg vzcerffrq jvgu guvf erobbg -- pbhtu -- qrohg. Bar ynfg guvat? Fb lrnu, PTV vf 1) Abj n guvat, naq 2) Unf zhpu orggre pncnovyvgvrf gung n qrpnqr ntb. Abarguryrff, gur tencuvpny nfcrpgf bs gur svefg guerr svyzf (orsber Yhpnf tbg uvf ergeb unaqf ba gurz) ner zhpu orggre. Abg nf onqyl nf fbzr svyzf/fprarf, ohg, fgvyy, cnegvphyneyl va znal npgvba fprarf, Njnxra whfg unf "gbb zhpu enaqbz penc tbvat ba." Va gur svefg guerr svyzf (sebz bhe, gur nhqvrapr'f, crefcrpgvir), punenpgref yrnearq naq terj naq orpnzr. Naq gur tencuvpf freirq nf n sbpny cbvag sbe bhe vzntvangvbaf. Va Njnxraf, jr unir... nyzbfg n ivqrb tnzr. Shyyl sbezrq punenpgref, jnyxvat n fpevcg, naq fperrashyf bs npgvba. Vg erzvaqrq zr, qhevat gur npgvba fprarf, n ovg bs gur Niratref zbivrf. N jubyr ybg bs zbivat cnegf -- ohg, jvgu nyy gur zbivat nebhaq, abarguryrff n ovg gjb-qvzrafvbany. ---- (1) https://www.squarefree.com/bookmarklets/pagedata.html#rot13_selection https://www.squarefree.com/bookmarklets/pagedata.html#rot13_...

7 points by smaili 11y ago

dudul 11y ago

Got to say, I haven't seen it, mostly because I know I would hate it. But one of my friends told me that they are destroying a death star. Again. For the 3rd time. Seriously? How many times are they gonna try? "One can envision Hollywood eventually turning out only two products: "Star Wars" movies and James Bond movies, each periodically "rebooted" for a new generation of customers." Absolutely love the conclusion. This is exactly what is happening right now. It's like every single new movie is a reboot. Mad Max, Ghostbusters, Robocop, Point Break, The neverending story...

krapp 11y ago
Yes. It is, in broad strokes, essentially a retelling of A New Hope. The only reason the Death Star was destroyed in the first movie was that George Lucas was forced to essentially cram his ideas for the entire trilogy into A New Hope (which is why, absurdly, a second Death Star shows up later.) It wasn't supposed to be destroyed until the third act. There really is no excuse for the new "Death Star" to wind up destroyed in the The Force Awakens other than fanservice. I honestly would have been more impressed if they'd shown the utter failure of the attempt to destroy it - given how much more massive the new thing was compared to the old, it just stretches even the dubious credibility of the problems with the original Death Star past the breaking point. But... nope... they set some handheld explosives and blow up the whole planet what good. Just like they did two other times. And honestly, i'm kind of ok with that. The movie's not terrible, it's just not that original. But after the prequels, I can't really blame anyone for wanting to play it safe - and I understand most modern Star Wars fans have never even seen the original trilogy, so for the target audience, it's possibly not old hat. George Lucas likes to say the Star Wars movies "rhyme," which basically seems to mean using the same themes, basic characters and plot points is intentional.
- chrisdbaldwin 11y ago
  If only Lucas had stuck with Jar Jar being the hidden wizard like he did with Yoda.
twic 11y ago
I read an interesting take on that: that in the Star Wars universe, immense superweapons aren't once-in-a-trilogy special cases, they're standard practice. > One Death Star is a horror; two Death Stars and one Starkiller Base and whatever horrific murder innovation the First Order will come up with for Episode 9 is something more like the inexorable logic of history, grinding us all to dust. https://gerrycanavan.wordpress.com/2015/12/23/tolkien-the-force-awakens-and-the-expanded-universe/ https://gerrycanavan.wordpress.com/2015/12/23/tolkien-the-fo...
randycupertino 11y ago
I love how they always make the Death Star with 1 fatal flaw! There's always some small way to instantly blow it up. It wouldn't be the Death Star without this key component. The reboot phenomena you describe was covered excellently in the article How Disney is Re-selling us our Childhoods: http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21684138-disney-making-fortune-and-safeguarding-its-future-buying-childhood-piece-piece http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21684138-disney-makin...

joshstrange 11y ago

The Force Awakens is exactly what you would get if you threw the original 3 in a blender... It wasn't terrible but it was a disappointment. It was extremely repetitive and predictable, I didn't see the big spoiler online ahead of time but I saw it coming from a mile away... I will probably watch 10 & 11 but I won't go to a theater for them, it's just not worth it.

dragonwriter 11y ago
> The Force Awakens is exactly what you would get if you threw the original 3 in a blender... I see the strongest influences from Episodes 4, 1, 3, and 5 (in roughly descending order.) > I will probably watch 10 & 11 but I won't go to a theater for them, it's just not worth it. AFAIK, there's not a firm plan to make anything beyond 9 (though I suppose a fourth trilogy is inevitable if the third is successful.)

leepowers 11y ago

Good explanation of something I was feeling after watching The Force Awakens - it's a sequel, but it feels like a reboot. Abrams and Kasdan borrowed too many motifs and plot lines from A New Hope. So I agree with the criticisms of the article. But personally disagree with the conclusion, for two reasons. First, my expectations were already very low, to the point of being non-existent. Mostly due to the prequels which attempted to push the series into new territory, but failed miserably. The prequel SFX were engrossing. But when it came to the backbone of the story - the plot, the dialogue, the structure, character motivations - it was obviously amateur hour. All I was expecting was a exciting and comprehensible space opera action flick, and that's what we got. Second, Star Wars is no longer Star Wars. It was at one time revolutionary, iconic, a cultural touchstone, and a right of passage for millions. Now it's just another franchise amongst many - competing with Marvel, DC, Star Trek, Harry Potter, and many other glossy high-budget thrill rides.

pasbesoin 11y ago

Beyond the "reboot", I found little of it... "believable." In contrast, for all the "another galaxy" and "less-advanced" special effects of the first three and particularly the first two, I found them much more "believable". I also found them more graphically engaging. SPOILERS AHEAD -- ROT13-ed (1): Va Njnxraf, jr svaq nyy gur punenpgref "shyyl sbezrq" naq va cynpr, ohg jvgu yvggyr be ab rkcynangvba. Grra Erl frrzf gb unir orra nonaqbarq naq gb yvir ba ure bja, ohg fur vf nyernql irel pbzcrgrag va obgu grpuabybtl naq svtugvat. Qba'g trg zr jebat; V jnf dhvgr ybbxvat sbejneq gb univat n yrnqvat srznyr cebgntbavfg. Ohg jr qba'g ernyyl jngpu ure yrnea nalguvat; fur whfg qbrf. Rira va tebjvat vagb ure Wrqv cbjref. Yhxr unq Ora, Lbqn, naq n ybg bs gevny naq reebe. Erl vf cerffherq vagb na vavgvny "eriryngvba" naq gura fhofrdhragyl, qhevat fbzr fhowrpgvir, vagebfcrpgvir frpbaqf va gur zvqfg bs n yvtug fnore qhry, frrzf gb npuvrir n dhnfv-vafgnagnarbhf, vaurerag znfgrel. Unaf naq Purjvr fubj hc, "pbzvat ubzr" gb gur ybat-fbhtug Snypba fbzrubj ng gur cerpvfr zbzrag Erl unf qvfpbirerq vg. Bofpher pbzzragf nobhg fbzr fbeg bs genpxvat; ohg... jryy, zru. Pbagevirq, znlor, rira jvguva gur fgbel'f havirefr. Yrvn vf n Trareny abj. Bx... Ohg jr trg mreb ba ubj gung pnzr gb or. Fur whfg vf. Fur naq Unaf unir n erpbapvyvngvba fprar, ohg gurer vf ab ohvyq-hc gb vg. Vg whfg vf. Gurve fba, gur Inqre ercynprzrag. Fb ur'f nyy ovt naq onq -- naq n Rzcver (be jung ner jr pnyyvat vg abj?) yrnqre. Ohg, frevbhfyl, ng uvf lbhgushy ntr? Ubj qvq gung pbzr gb or? Naq ubj qbrf gung erpbapvyr jvgu gur jrnxarff gung, senaxyl, ur jrnef ba uvf fyrrir? Anqn -- whfg gnxr vg, ivrjre. V ubj gur arkg svyz vzcebirf. Ohg V jnf abg vzcerffrq jvgu guvf erobbg -- pbhtu -- qrohg. Bar ynfg guvat? Fb lrnu, PTV vf 1) Abj n guvat, naq 2) Unf zhpu orggre pncnovyvgvrf gung n qrpnqr ntb. Abarguryrff, gur tencuvpny nfcrpgf bs gur svefg guerr svyzf (orsber Yhpnf tbg uvf ergeb unaqf ba gurz) ner zhpu orggre. Abg nf onqyl nf fbzr svyzf/fprarf, ohg, fgvyy, cnegvphyneyl va znal npgvba fprarf, Njnxra whfg unf "gbb zhpu enaqbz penc tbvat ba." Va gur svefg guerr svyzf (sebz bhe, gur nhqvrapr'f, crefcrpgvir), punenpgref yrnearq naq terj naq orpnzr. Naq gur tencuvpf freirq nf n sbpny cbvag sbe bhe vzntvangvbaf. Va Njnxraf, jr unir... nyzbfg n ivqrb tnzr. Shyyl sbezrq punenpgref, jnyxvat n fpevcg, naq fperrashyf bs npgvba. Vg erzvaqrq zr, qhevat gur npgvba fprarf, n ovg bs gur Niratref zbivrf. N jubyr ybg bs zbivat cnegf -- ohg, jvgu nyy gur zbivat nebhaq, abarguryrff n ovg gjb-qvzrafvbany. ---- (1) https://www.squarefree.com/bookmarklets/pagedata.html#rot13_selection https://www.squarefree.com/bookmarklets/pagedata.html#rot13_...