The Force Awakens - Thoughts and Reactions (SPOILERS WITHIN)

[Brandon Rhea]

I'm going to be pissed if Rey turns out to be a Skywalker. I never liked the idea of supernatural power being hereditary. I think it would be infinity more interesting if Poe and Finn try to undergo Jedi training as well. Remember when anyone could be force-sensitive? I don't know why Rey is more worthy than Poe and Finn who has shown more heart than she has. We should go with the KoToR 2 theory that everyone around you had the potential to be either Jedi or Sith.

That was George Lucas' original idea as well (and by original, I mean until he wrote Episode I - he said these things during the writing of Jedi). He once said that anyone had the potential to be a Jedi, but very few actually took the time or found it within themselves to become one. That's what made them special people, because they had a greater spirituality.

 

[Jake]

I think everyone universally agrees that midichlorians were one of the worst ideas in Star Wars (even expounded upon in some of the Plagueis stuff into maxichlorians). The idea of Jedi as spiritually awakened individuals resonates a lot more, thematically.

 

[Miz]

I think everyone universally agrees that midichlorians were one of the worst ideas in Star Wars (even expounded upon in some of the Plagueis stuff into maxichlorians). The idea of Jedi as spiritually awakened individuals resonates a lot more, thematically.

Eh. Another reason why I didn't like the way Rey's force powers were portrayed in this movie. Either she is just naturally more in tune with her spiritual side than Finn (which hasn't been shown in the movie) or she simply has more midichlorians. Or she's a Skywalker. Kind of reminds me of Korra from the Avatar spin-off. She's just naturally good at the Avatar State and can bend three elements flawlessly when in reality she's very weak spiritually and contradicts avatar training established in the first series.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

Eh. Another reason why I didn't like the way Rey's force powers were portrayed in this movie. Either she is just naturally more in tune with her spiritual side than Finn (which hasn't been shown in the movie) or she simply has more midichlorians. Or she's a Skywalker. Kind of reminds me of Korra from the Avatar spin-off. She's just naturally good at the Avatar State and can bend three elements flawlessly when in reality she's very weak spiritually and contradicts avatar training established in the first series.

It's not just spirituality. It's also about overcoming fear and self-doubt and finding the power within oneself. Rey did that, and she was able to perform raw feats of power.

 

[EmilyHuene]

It was recovered from Cloud City, per the Visual Dictionary.

Do you really think that the co-writer of this film, who wrote Empire and Jedi, forgot that he himself wrote that Luke lost that lightsaber?

It was recovered. Ok. That's what I wanted to know. No need to be snippy about it. I would hope that the people did their research, but how many times have someone other than the original director, or even fans, made movies and screwed it up? Dragonball Evolution anyone?

 

[Prudence]

Temperature in Hell, at this day and time.

That explains things

 

[Brandon Rhea]

It was recovered. Ok. That's what I wanted to know. No need to be snippy about it. I would hope that the people did their research, but how many times have someone other than the original director, or even fans, made movies and screwed it up? Dragonball Evolution anyone?

Didn't mean to sound snippy. It was just an odd question that seemed based more in weird assumptions than anything else.

 

[OhNoesBunnies]

I loved everything about this movie. I wanna see it again.

Except for Snoke. He looks like Palpatine was thrown down a blender and given sour-punch warheads. I'm willing to bet he is Darth Sidious (and not Plageus like some theorize) but I mean... whooOOOooOOoo knows. I dunno.

 

[Lamper]

Did anyone else snicker when

Spoiler

that Admiral Ackbar lookalike basically said "can we beat something of that size" and I was like ... he almost said 'magnitude' teehee

And am I the only one who got the impression that

Spoiler

Rey was one of the Jedi in training at Skywalker space camp? I mean, to me, it seemed obvious that she began some training as a child just before the revolt against Skywalker and somehow developed a Cade Skywalker sort of aversion to the Force. Imo it looked like she actually disliked the Force and lightsabers and Jedi and all that, with a secret desire to come to terms with it all through Fin's lie about finding the Resistance, until necessity forced her to use what little she knew of the Force and grow into her big girl shoes. So it wasn't as though it was her first time using the Force, albeit only basics and it'd been a while, and she'd probably seen much more practiced by others as a kid. And that look at the end between father/daughter was like, so you return eh... [insert old sage skepticism and smelly cheese face].

As much as I love her, Rey strikes me as a focus group survey brainchild lol...

Spoiler

Do you like Bastila Shan? Would you like to see what Shmi Skywalker looked like as a teenager? After watching these SWTOR trailers, would you like to see our female protagonist portrayed in the upcoming trilogy with a similarly heavy emphasis on Force powers, folded ponytails and a brit accent?

But yo, despite my unspoken gripes about VII, the main thing that stands out to me is my really wanting to see what the next two films are like. To already be craving the potential that I believe will be explored in VIII speaks volumes to me and myself. Perhaps a movie shouldn't be so focused on setting up its sequels, but it got me hyped man. :p

 

[Jax Vos]

Okay as much as I don't like Adam Driver, I loved Kylo Ren. I was excited to see a character that wasn't an overly generic a$$h0!3 come out of something that Adam Driver was in. I liked that they made him different. Like he's in a constant state of fighting himself. He wants to be a good "Ren" but at the same time he feels the pull of the Light side. I also loved that they made him throw temper tantrums because it meant he wasn't like the Sith we're used to: cold and calculated. He was just a standard Dark sider dealing with his inner conflict.

Also if you hated Kylo Ren, please give me your reasons because I don't understand why some do.

 

[Logan]

Okay as much as I don't like Adam Driver, I loved Kylo Ren. I was excited to see a character that wasn't an overly generic a$$h0!3 come out of something that Adam Driver was in. I liked that they made him different. Like he's in a constant state of fighting himself. He wants to be a good "Ren" but at the same time he feels the pull of the Light side. I also loved that they made him throw temper tantrums because it meant he wasn't like the Sith we're used to: cold and calculated. He was just a standard Dark sider dealing with his inner conflict.

Also if you hated Kylo Ren, please give me your reasons because I don't understand why some do.

I agree with you here, actually. I few of my friends disregarded Kylo and called him a weak villain, but I was think he's far more intriguing and interesting than any Sith we've encountered before in the movies. This kid wants to be the best Sith he can be, but there's still a conscious inside of him that's tugging him away from it. I also thought the temper tantrums were a good touch.

--

On a different note, I think the idea that Snoke is Plaugeis is a solid one. He's been referenced in the saga, so he's canon, and he obviously is following the same rule of two that his apprentice Palpatine used. I don't think that the coincidence of Snoke's aesthetics bearing a remarkable resemblance to the Muun, not to mention the deformities can be easily explained by Palpatine's failed assassination of him so long ago.

 

[Silverface]

Did anyone else snicker when

Spoiler

that Admiral Ackbar lookalike basically said "can we beat something of that size" and I was like ... he almost said 'magnitude' teehee

It wasn't a lookalike.

 

[Marcus]

I didn't like Kylo at first as he seemed kind of faking it, like trying too hard. But then you realize he is indeed trying too hard and is actually quite psychotic in a way, it works. I still want very bad things to happen to him, but that's going to make VIII and IX quite exciting.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

It wasn't a lookalike.

Yeah, that was indeed Admiral Ackbar. Nien Nunb was also one of the Resistance pilots.

 

[Miz]

In comparison to the canon Sith, Kylo is the most interesting by a long shot. What do we have? Darth Maul who says a total of about two words (not including TCW and his comic). Count Dooku? Where the only thing we know about him is that "He's a former Jedi, assassination is not in his nature." Palpatine where everyone around him becomes stupid, and Darth Vader who's character got ruined in the prequels.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

I also like the fact that he's not a Sith. He's a poorly trained dark side user with a god complex and daddy issues.

 

[Silverface]

It also helps that he fights in a pretty unrestrained way as well.

 

[Andrewza]

i love how he gets angry and smashes stuff up or should i say cut

 

[Green Ranger]

The parralels between Kylo Ren and Anakin are...glaringly obvious. What's most interesting about it, though, is that somehow they actually managed to make the whole temper tantrum thing actually work, though. Considering once upon a time it was a pretty popular opinion that Anakin's character was just wrong on all levels, it's kind of interesting to see the difference that can be achieved in the right hands.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

The parralels between Kylo Ren and Anakin are...glaringly obvious. What's most interesting about it, though, is that somehow they actually managed to make the whole temper tantrum thing actually work, though. Considering once upon a time it was a pretty popular opinion that Anakin's character was just wrong on all levels, it's kind of interesting to see the difference that can be achieved in the right hands.

Writing, direction, and especially acting are key, yeah. If those were George Lucas written/directed scenes as played by Hayden Christensen, it would've been cringe-worthy.

I like the Anakin parallels a lot. It's an ironic twist for Kylo that while he idolizes Vader and doesn't acknowledge Anakin, he's way more like Anakin than he is like Vader.