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Post by Kingoji on Dec 21, 2015 19:22:45 GMT
I don't have much to add that Andy didn't already cover in his stealth post, aside from the fact that I really liked Finn, but felt that Rey lass was a terrible actress.
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Stomski
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YOU INTERRUPTED MY SPEECH!! But don't worry. It won't happen again.
Posts: 6,121
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Post by Stomski on Dec 21, 2015 19:53:17 GMT
Sub-par acting is part of the Star Wars universe. Although that still doesn't forgive Hayden Christensen.
Bunch of guys loudly discussing spoilers on the train home tonight. No real life moderators to delete their conversation though.
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Dec 22, 2015 16:52:02 GMT
I can see how one could make a case for saying TFA is the weakest of the seven Episodes on grounds of the plot. There was already one too many Death Stars in the original trilogy, and we've seen a cute fugutive droid with a vital message for the good guys being found by the hero Jedi-to-be on a desert planet already, thanks. Each of the previous six Episodes added new vistas and plot ideas to the Star Wars universe. This one didn't.
On the other hand, I found the new cast of characters far more likeable and watchable than those in the prequels. If they've got the ripping off of the story of the original trilogy out of their system now, this bodes well for Episode VIII onwards.
Favourite things:
- TIE fighter escape from Star Destroyer
- Millennium Falcon / TIE fighter chase
- Lightsaber flying to the hand of Rey, and her kicking ass
- Old Man Luke's reveal
Least favourite things (apart from plot unoriginality):
- How Harrison Ford looked more like Indiana Jones than Han Solo
- Carrie Fisher being... well, a bit rubbish really
- The calibre of the bad guys - nothing in the league of Peter Cushing / Christopher Lee / James Earl Jones / Ian McDiarmid
- Another casual offing of a planet of a billion souls - my least favourite thing about Episode IV, and rather spoiling the 'fun' of the adventure for me
I hope Rey isn't a Skywalker. Why should she be? The original Jedi weren't all from one species, let alone one family.
Martin |
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Post by The Doctor on Dec 22, 2015 17:04:37 GMT
I agree with 100% of what you say.
-Ralph
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Stomski
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
YOU INTERRUPTED MY SPEECH!! But don't worry. It won't happen again.
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Post by Stomski on Dec 23, 2015 0:12:16 GMT
I too hope Rey's story is more complex than the obvious.
The dog fights taking place near to the ground really was excellent. It gave another sense of danger to it rather than a space battle that hasn't really been seen before in Star Wars. Yes, EpII had a short battle at the end and EpIV was close to the Death Star surface, but neither had quite the action these had. |
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Dec 23, 2015 11:05:17 GMT
Martin has been thinking too much about Death Stars and how expensive/tiring/slow/tedious they must be to build, and how easy a target they make, and how they blow up resource-rich planets that one should really be conquering for oneself, and that if I were evil, bio-weapons that just killed all the people on a planet would be a much more rational way to go.
Also been thinking how rubbish the Rebel Alliance / Resistance / Republic's intelligence services must be not to know that these things are being built, given the number of people involved in their construction, procuring materials, etc. Martin |
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Post by legios on Dec 23, 2015 12:37:19 GMT
True, but that assumes a rationality which doesn't seem to be common amongst megolomaniacal dictators generally... :-)
And in fairness, Rebel Alliance intelligence did find out about both Death Stars - the problem wasn't knowing about them, it was finding out enough about the first one to come up with a mission plan to destroy it and getting hold of authentication codes to get a team to the shield generator protecting the second one.
But the resistance certainly seems to have done worse I'd agree - not entirely their finest hour...
Karl |
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Dec 23, 2015 16:13:28 GMT
True, but that assumes a rationality which doesn't seem to be common amongst megolomaniacal dictators generally... :-) And in fairness, Rebel Alliance intelligence did find out about both Death Stars Yes, but not in time to destroy them before they became operational. Or maybe we just don't hear the stories of all the Death Stars destroyed during earlier phases of their construction. But they are so inefficient! The amount of energy required, say, to strip a planet of its habitable atmosphere, or irradiate its surface, must surely be tiny compared to the energy required to blow up its rocky mass. A Death Star is the very definition of overkill. Martin |
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Post by Shockprowl on Dec 23, 2015 18:03:34 GMT
Yep, great points there, Martin. Hard to not agree. I love them, and would love my own, but they really make very little sense.
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Post by Baron B of Triple B on Dec 23, 2015 18:41:50 GMT
I honestly think the first was probably built as a deterrent.
'Look what we've got, don't mess with us or else. Shit, someone's messed with us and we've built this bloody thing now. Use it but just this once. Do you know how expensive the batteries are for this thing? They're a bugger to find as well, 3 hours I was out trying to find a B&M with them in stock.'
Then the guys in charge went mental and decided it'd be a great galactic flyswatter. |
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Dec 24, 2015 13:01:33 GMT
The Death Star's use as a deterrent is actually mentioned in the first film. After hearing the news of the Emperor getting rid of the senate, Tagge asks how he hopes to maintain control and Tarkin comments that fear of the Death Star will keep the local systems in line.
The rebels did find out about the Death Stars quite late on, but at least it was the ruling government that constructed them in secret. The Republic knowing absolutely nothing about Starkiller Base is a little more eyebrow-raising.
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Post by Toph on Dec 25, 2015 8:05:15 GMT
Spoilered just so I give no one reason to jump me. Dear J. J. Abrams
I have seen Star Trek. 
And I have just returned from Star Wars.
I feel that no has informed you of this yet, as I witnessed some issues in Star Trek, and saw them repeated to an insane level in Star Wars.

But… SPACE DOESN’T WORK THAT WAY. ASTROPHYSICS DOESN’T WORK THAT WAY.
That is all. Oh my god people who know me closely have seen this movie and none of them have warned me to not see it! My brain hurts! I thought Star Trek was bad, but this physically hurt to watch! This was 2012 level of ignorant! How??? How is the First Empire or whatever they're called actually a thing??? How can the republic and rebels not deal with them??? They are CLEARLY run by the Spaceballs! No, the Spaceballs actually had a level of common sense that these first guys do not.
WHAT THE HELL??? Why would you spend googleplex spacebucks and centuries of manpower hollowing out a titan sized planet to turn into a super weapon thats nearly defenseless, and can only be used ONCE because it drains the damned sun? And why would you waist that one killshot on NOTHING? A rebel base? Like they don't have dozens or hundreds of others?
I'm not even going to bother dissecting on WHY THAT DOESN'T WORK IN THE FIRST PLACE.
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Post by The Doctor on Dec 25, 2015 14:56:15 GMT
I've had a strange experince with TFA. First time I saw it I was bored and not that impressed but it has grown on me as I have seen it a few times now (lack of other films out plus world of cine Unlimited card means no extra cost plus wanting to like it equalled why not). For context, I still saw The Phantom Menace four times back in the day! I still think it's the weakest of the 7 films and not terribly original with large plot problems but it's not without merit, has some fine performances and is fun enough. Mmmmppphhh is the star though (maintaining spoiler free comments!)
-Ralph
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Post by Toph on Dec 26, 2015 0:51:33 GMT
To be fair, It's EXACTLY like Abram's Star Trek.
Good characters, good casting, good performances.
Even older characters I absolutely HATE, like Chewbaca and the gold robot, are considerably less obnoxious and nowhere near as annoying.
And I get Star Wars "Science" is incredibly stupid and impossible to begin with... And applying that term to star wars is akin to applying it to Harry Potter. But even still... SPACE DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY, JJ!
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Post by Toph on Dec 26, 2015 5:20:11 GMT
So, Solo kid wants to model himself after Vader? It's ashame he watched the wrong trilogy.
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Post by The Doctor on Dec 31, 2015 17:48:49 GMT
I think we can lift the ban on spoilers as of Jan 4th. By that point Episode 7 has been out since December 16th/17th/18th/24th (Greece) with only China to come. I think anyone desperate to see it will have seen it by then.
-Ralph
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Post by blueshift on Dec 31, 2015 17:49:13 GMT
I think we can lift the ban on spoilers as of Jan 4th. By that point Episode 7 has been out since December 16th/17th/18th/24th (Greece) with only China to come. I think anyone desperate to see it will have seen it by then. -Ralph  |
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Post by The Doctor on Dec 31, 2015 17:51:26 GMT
Oh come on. That is a percectly reasonable length of time!
-Ralph
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Post by blueshift on Dec 31, 2015 17:52:49 GMT
Oh come on. That is a percectly reasonable length of time! -Ralph No it's not! It came out and then I immediately had to go home for Christmas, where it was literally impossible to go to the cinema! I came back home a few days ago and have been knackered with work and now it is New Year, so really in the past two weeks it is only this coming weekend where it is possible for me to watch Star Wars! |
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Post by The Doctor on Dec 31, 2015 18:36:02 GMT
The 4th is after this weekend.
-Ralph
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Post by blueshift on Dec 31, 2015 18:37:01 GMT
The 4th is after this weekend. -Ralph I have a deadline then!!! |
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Post by The Doctor on Dec 31, 2015 18:39:22 GMT
But you just said you can watch it this weekend.
-Ralph
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Post by blueshift on Dec 31, 2015 18:43:36 GMT
But you just said you can watch it this weekend. -Ralph I can, but technically that only gives me two days after release to watch it!! |
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Post by The Doctor on Dec 31, 2015 19:07:08 GMT
Take a break and go see Star Wars while eating some Star Wars Cheese and drinking some Star Wars Water.
I am a Good Man.
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Dec 31, 2015 19:30:35 GMT
I've seen that capitalisation before Ralph. That's Good Man spelt T-r-u-e F-r-i-e-n-d
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Dec 31, 2015 21:36:33 GMT
Ralph is right in saying TFA is better on a second viewing. I think it's because when viewing a film for the first time you have hopes of it surprising you with its originality. You can't expect that on a re-watch, so it can't disappoint in that regard. "Aaand I'll drop my blaster." The unfortunate Carrie Fisher really does look like a young person badly made up to look old. Martin |
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Post by The Doctor on Jan 1, 2016 12:36:20 GMT
That's twice now in a film thread where Martin and I have agreed 100%!
-Ralph
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Jan 1, 2016 12:39:48 GMT
That's twice now in a film thread where Martin and I have agreed 100%! -Ralph The world is DOOMED! DOOOOMED! Andy |
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Post by The Doctor on Jan 1, 2016 12:47:04 GMT
Yeah whereas first time round I had expected something original rather than a greatest hits repackage, the next time I could just appreciate and enjoy it for what it is rather than what it isn't.
-Ralph
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Post by Shockprowl on Jan 1, 2016 23:21:22 GMT
Hmmm maybe I should see it again and hope that happens to me.
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