Star Wars Episode VII: Cast Unveiled...slated for 12/18/2015

[Strikers1945guy]

I was expecting bad, and what i got was worst than bad.

I'm not a Star Wars fan

Why did you go?

Dunno about his situation but I got dragged to the theater when I saw it Thursday. I guess I don't know what I expected from the movie to be honest as I only generally liked the original 3, but this was underwhelming to say the least.

Good friend of mine wants me to go see it with him during Christmas break and I told him I just can't sit through that all over again, unless we have seats way in the back and he won't be offended if I try and sleep during the film

One thing that always pissed me off is how everyone has laser shooting insta-death guns, yet let's all fight with our damn light sabers for 20 minutes. Just blow people away with your damn gun like anyone else would quit goofing around

[Opus131]

I had to take my nephew and my nieces to see it, if you really must know.

[Phellan Wolf]

It is a Disney movie after all

Spoiler

That's why Kylo has to loose against Rey in the light saber fight. Good guy's never loose or die in a Disney movie, and they must be victorius

Like someone said, where the fuck did they got the name Snoke??? That's not a name for a Sith.
I'm going to see it once again in OV, since spanish dubb it's so shitty

[BrianC]

Dunno about his situation but I got dragged to the theater when I saw it Thursday. I guess I don't know what I expected from the movie to be honest as I only generally liked the original 3, but this was underwhelming to say the least.

Good friend of mine wants me to go see it with him during Christmas break and I told him I just can't sit through that all over again, unless we have seats way in the back and he won't be offended if I try and sleep during the film

One thing that always pissed me off is how everyone has laser shooting insta-death guns, yet let's all fight with our damn light sabers for 20 minutes. Just blow people away with your damn gun like anyone else would quit goofing around

I'm a little confused here. First post you made gave me the impression you liked the movie, but this one is completely negative. "Underwhelming to say the least" does not sound like an "overall good movie".

[Strikers1945guy]

Dunno about his situation but I got dragged to the theater when I saw it Thursday. I guess I don't know what I expected from the movie to be honest as I only generally liked the original 3, but this was underwhelming to say the least.

Good friend of mine wants me to go see it with him during Christmas break and I told him I just can't sit through that all over again, unless we have seats way in the back and he won't be offended if I try and sleep during the film

One thing that always pissed me off is how everyone has laser shooting insta-death guns, yet let's all fight with our damn light sabers for 20 minutes. Just blow people away with your damn gun like anyone else would quit goofing around

I'm a little confused here. First post you made gave me the impression you liked the movie, but this one is completely negative. "Underwhelming to say the least" does not sound like an "overall good movie".

I guses I was trying to be positive initially because I know so many people here will love it, or most star wars fans. I didn't want to completely say I hated it. It took some good directions, and like I said most star wars fans will like it, I'm sure as a star wars mega fan its probably a pretty good movie overall, but as an outsider looking in (who hasn't seen all the movies) it was pretty meh. I mean if you want to have Harrison ford's babies then ya when he made his first appearance it was cool for those people but it didn't need cheering and literal crying in the middle of the damn movie while he was speaking and everyone else has to sit through that. We already knew he was in the damn movie it wasn't some crazy surprise.

I mean I got all the references and knew what was going on, but I was going without much anticipation anyways so when I say I was underwhelmed maybe I'm not the best guy to review this movie. Then again maybe star wars mega fans who would take anything and call it a classic aren't the best to review it objectively either?

The longer i sit back and think about it the more I dislike it, I guess that has something to do with it. Space wars and all that stuff is cool but the cheese from this movie was really something else.

If you're a fan of the series don't let me deter you you will probably love it.

I was having a smoke outside the theater afterwards and someone said they didn't think the new girl protaganist was very good. Man she was the best thing in the movie how could you be skeptical of her? Then these are the same people who stood and cheered when Harrison Ford and chewy show up. Harrison Ford really did nothing of value in the movie yet I'm sure no one will critique his performance, but yeah let's be skeptical of the good new character.

For all the negativity I'm spouting it wasn't god awful, but I have zero need to ever see it again for as long as I live, and being that it's a long ass movie that's why I told my friend I wanted to sleep through it as sitting there for 2 and a half hours all over again would be boring.

Again though if you already love star wars by all means ignore me lol
Just my 2 cents

[Durandal]

I just saw it and I thought it was not shit

Spoiler

I can proudly say that Ep. VII is leagues of above the PT, but not yet OT-levels.
For a soft reboot, the directors and executives really wanted to play it safe, so the story in general is nearly identical to A New Hope. They could have dialed the fanservice and references to the OT a bit, but I did like that the interior of the Millenium Falcon is still the same as it was in the OT.
Coruscant was nuked from the orbit, so that's a good thing.
The special effects are great, they didn't go overboard with the CGI, and in the sound and music department TFA still kicks ass.
There isn't as much lightsaber fights as in the PT, and I'm thankful for that. The PT lightsaber fights were too overchoreographed and flashy for the sake of being flashy, and they rarely had any real tension. TFA reminds us that having a lightsaber does not automatically make you a Jedi, as Finn almost get his shit kicked in by TR-8R the shock baton Stormtrooper. Rather than copying a battle anime, the choreography in TFA makes it feel like lightsabers have some actual weight to them, and you can clearly tell who has or hasn't the upper hand.
I liked the new characters, although Rey not as much. The old characters have barely changed, for better or worse. I liked Finn and wished Poe had more screentime. I have no problems with the acting at all. But I just couldn't relate to Rey. Simply put, she's a Mary Sue in training. While her being a great mechanic can be explained by her profession and her being a great pilot can be explained by being a Skywalker, her being able to use the Force after Kylo Ren used it on her once feels like asspullery to me. Alot of good characters in movies show weakness and make mistakes in movies, and then they learn from those mistakes. It's what makes them human and relateable. Rey, on the other hand, can shoot multiple Stormtroopers at once after firing a blaster for the first time, and can perform expert-level maneuvers with the Millenium Falcon even though she never flew the Falcon or any ship for that matter. She learns how to fire a blaster, pilot a ship, and use the Force ridiculously fast. You know how Luke actually had some flying experience on his belt, and actually had some training in using the Force and the lightsaber? Rey can just do the same shit. And it's not only in terms of abilities that Rey feels like a Mary Sue, she also feels like one character-wise. There was one moment where Rey grabs the lightsaber, sees scary visions, and decides to piss off, but that's quickly rectified anyways. Other characters actually had to go through some emotional trials, and their characters would develop. That's not what I felt with Rey. The only known weakness she has is her dark past and being forced to survive on her own in a desolate place. So I'd expect her in the first half to be wary of others, reluctant, not trust other people, be uncooperative and just act like a lone wolf, much like she acted in the first 30 minutes, as she eventually bonds and trusts the other characters near the end of the movie. Instead, she considers this old guy who is known as a war hero her father even though she just met him for two hours? Missed character development potential right there.
Nonetheless, it didn't affect the movie that badly, but they should at least correct her course for the sequels. The main character is fairly important, after all. Maybe they'll also explain why Rey is just that good at using the Force without training (midochlorians lol).
There's also not alot of new content. By that, I mean that there's not many new weapons, vehicles, factions, and stormtroopers designs as opposed to what the PT brought us. You'd think they have made some more technological advances during the time between the OT and TFA. Although this mostly affects Star Wars games as newer SW games have less new content to work with, so we are probably going to get alot of the same old shit.
Overall, TFA is to ANH like what Deus Ex: Human Revolution was to the original Deus Ex after the shitty Invisible War. If you have seen ANH, then you don't really have to see TFA unless you plan on seeing the newer episodes as well. Fans and newcomers to the series will like this. On it's own, the movie is okay.

[dan76]

I watched it again today this time in 2D - which is a better way to view it.

Overall I still liked it, but two viewings is probably enough now. The good parts were still good, I appreciated some things more, but the stuff I brushed over the first time really dragged it down.

The bad

Spoiler

Han and Chewy showing up was great, but the part where the pirates arrive and their escape from the cgi tentacled thingy was crap. It was boring to sit through because it doesn't progress the story in any way other than getting them all flying the Falcon again. There are far better ways they could've done this rather than wasting 10 minutes on a poor action scene. Why not have a star destroyer get them in a tractor beam and have them hyperspace out if two ships.

The other part follows on directly from this - Maz Kanata and her pirate cove. She looks like shit, starts sprouting on about the Force as if she's Yoda. The cgi is bad and it's a dull design. The whole film comes to a halt with Finn leaving then coming back, Rey having a naff hallucination touching Luke's Lightsaber (that just happens to be in an old chest in the basement...) Rey leaving, then coming back.

It's this little half hour that I don't like. It's not the story that's the problem it's how it was all handled.

Wasn't keen on Snoke either, the cgi etc. not enough Phasma.

That's it for the bad, I liked everything else.

Spoiler

like General Hux, I think with Kylo Ren being a conflicted villain the film needed a simple "baddie" and Hux was it. Thought he played it well, sneering little shit, like one of those young conservative Tory boys who got done for bullying. He reminded me of an old boss at Warner Bros. You join an international company only to have a fucktard half you age be your boss...

Stuff in the desert at the start - great, stuff in Starkiller base - great. Lightsaber fights - great, Leia and the Resistance was ok, bit dull. Too many moments to list, lots of Chewy, great.

Also as I understand it

Spoiler

most of the galaxy is at peace, the First Order are terrorists on a large scale, and the Resistance are a special unit set up by the Republic to sort 'em out. Obviously destroying the centre of government (that's if it was Coruscant) means that's all changed for the second and third films. Am I wrong?

So yeah, still good. I'll be ready to watch it again in 6 months time.

[undamned]

Why is this guy so fucking cool?

Why isn't this guy Captain Phasma?

No joke.

Spoiler

She had like 30 total seconds of screen time. Seriously disappointed after the 1st trailer got me so pumped to see her in action

-ud

[Lord Satori]

Regarding the cgi and Snoke, I don't think anyone wanted to make a

Spoiler

14 foot tall puppet that stands up and thrashes in a fit of rage at one point.

In case you didn't notice, there were a LOT more practical effects this time around. Did you know BB8 was one of them? By the way, I'm pretty sure Snoke is his real name, not his Sith name. Palpatine wasn't Darth Sideous's Sith name. And a lot of people are theorizing that Snoke is

Spoiler

Darth Plagueus (or however you spell it) who was mentioned in III, which could be a reason he wasn't refered to as such.

The ending was a bit TOO open ended if you ask me. I get that it's a setup for the next movie, but they could've at least

Spoiler

had Luke SPEAK a little.

Phasma was indeed less featured than I would've liked, but it's not like she was ever intended to be one of the main focal points.

I kind liked Kylo Ren. It seems like he was made pathetic on purpose as opposed to the bad writing that Anakin had in III.

Spoiler

Although they did have similar haircuts. I liked that little touch.

By the way, this forum really needs the type of spoiler tags that just blacks out the text.

[BIL]

Thought it was ok, decent evening's light entertainment as I'd expect. Liked the earlier "kids on the run" bits more than the increasingly cloying (if still watchable) rehashing later on.

I'm a casual fan at the absolute most and could just as easily NGAF, but I do think it'd be a shame if the sequel shits the bed and rolls around in the sheets ala Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan ~ Hyper Fighting. VII's still not quite at that level of eye-rolling inanity.

[Lord Satori]

I agree that it felt kinda like a retelling of IV and V in the later bits, but history repeats itself in real life all the time when you think about it.

I really enjoyed the surprising amount of humor in it. It just goes to show that it is indeed possible to make a movie funny without shoving a ridiculous character down your throat, out your ass, and down your throat again.

[DEL]

Haven't seen it yet but I'm not liking what I'm hearing about Han.
Also pretty disgusted at all arms of the Media pushing it for maximum cašh takings. (Giving it 100% and bollox like that).

[Illyrian]

Haven't seen it yet but I'm not liking what I'm hearing about Han.
Also pretty disgusted at all arms of the Media pushing it for maximum cašh takings. (Giving it 100% and bollox like that).

I agree that the first few reviews all released being perfect was rather suspicious.

The film was certainly a 7/10 but not anywhere near perfect.

[neorichieb1971]

Does it at least continue John Williams score throughout?

[PC Engine Fan X!]

According to Lucasfilm, here are the ages of most of the major characters shown in this new SW:TFA flick:

Finn: age 23

Rey: age 19

Poe: age 32

Master Luke Skywalker: age 53

General/Princess Leia Organa: age 53

Kylo Ren: age ?

Han Solo: age ?

Chewbacca: age 234 (this ol' Wookie has even reached middle age typical for a Wookie yet & is still considered a young one, indeed)

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Lord Satori]

Odd that they didn't list Kylo Ren's age. He's likely somewhere in between Finn's and Rey's age.

[Vexorg]

Saw this tonight with my wife's family (they have made something of a tradition out of going to see something in the theater on Christmas day.)

Spoiler free review:
Pretty much in line with what I expected. Far better than any of the prequel trilogy movies, but not quite at the level of the original trilogy. Definitely enjoyable, but also just a bit too predictable, and occasionally felt just a little too much like the movie version of one of those "Greatest hits" tour a band might do 30 years after any of said hits were on the charts when they need more money. I'll definitely see the other two, unlike Episode 1 which turned me off from seeing episodes 2 and 3 (I eventually saw most of 2 at some point, but haven't ever bothered watching 3.)

And now for the spoiler-filled part below:

Spoiler

- I managed to mostly avoid any direct spoilers before seeing the film, but had a pretty good sense that they would kill one of the major original trilogy characters off, and as the film went on it was pretty clear that Han Solo was going to be the one to go.

- For the most part the film made sense, but one minor WTF was the Millennium Falcon-ex-machina when they needed to escape from Jakku. You would think a ship like the Falcon would have either been picked over for parts or taken by the First Order rather than just sitting in an operable condition with the hatch open, just waiting for someone to take off with it.

- The fact that Poe Dameron just happens to show up later after allegedly disappearing also raised a red flag or two, but from some of the spoilers I did run into it sounds like they originally intended to kill the character off when the TIE fighter crashed, then later decided to expand his role.

- Captain Phasma turned out to be kind of a wuss. I'm pretty sure the character exists for the sole purpose of selling toys.

- This may be more of an expanded universe thing than a movie thing, but it seems to me that a Lightsaber is not exactly the type of weapon a non-Jedi can pick up and just use, but Finn seems to be able to do just that, even though he is far from an expert. For Rey it can be somewhat handwaved that she was some extremely Force sensitive individual and could somehow take on and best Kylo Ren in a lightsaber duel with zero prior experience, but unless they make Finn a Jedi that seems to cheapen the whole thing quite a bit. And the fact that the First Order has developed some sort of weapon that rank-and-file stormtroopers can use to counter a lightsaber and carry the things around just in case a Jedi shows up seems just a little convenient...

- If the Falcon can sneak through Starkiller Base's shields by just going through in hyperdrive, why don't all the X-wings just do the same? Then again, wouldn't it make the whole shield kind of pointless in the first place?

I could probably go on, but it's late and I should probably go to bed.

[Lord Satori]

A lightsaber is merely a push button weapon: push button, out comes beam sword. However, without a Jedi's extra force capabilities, it's far less glorious. Train enough and you could wield one with ease, but no amount of training will enable you to consistently deflect energy bullets without being a capable force user.

I'm sure there are examples of characters that use lightsaber-type weapons and aren't force users outside the films, but I can't think of any offhand.

Spoiler

- Captain Phasma turned out to be kind of a wuss. I'm pretty sure the character exists for the sole purpose of selling toys.

- If the Falcon can sneak through Starkiller Base's shields by just going through in hyperdrive, why don't all the X-wings just do the same? Then again, wouldn't it make the whole shield kind of pointless in the first place?

Spoiler

Captain Phasma is probably meant to be this series' version of Boba Fett. Kinda ho-hum in the movies, but majorly popular nonetheless. I hope I'm wrong and she'll have survived and is seeking revenge, but I'm not holding my breath.

Regarding the shields, I think it has to do with the type of ship they are. X-Wings are smaller ships and thus have less capable hyperdrives. Of course this is all speculation...

Does anybody know who that old guy at the beginning of the movie was supposed to be? I feel like we were supposed to recognize him but the only person I thought of is Bail Organa, who I thought died on Alderaan when it blew up. Anyone got any ideas? Or is it just that he looks vaguely like Obi-wan did in IV?

[Phellan Wolf]

Odd that they didn't list Kylo Ren's age. He's likely somewhere in between Finn's and Rey's age.

Nope.

Spoiler

He's around 30. He was just born after the battle of Jakku.

[dan76]

...

Spoiler

- If the Falcon can sneak through Starkiller Base's shields by just going through in hyperdrive, why don't all the X-wings just do the same? Then again, wouldn't it make the whole shield kind of pointless in the first place?

I could probably go on, but it's late and I should probably go to bed.

Spoiler

Han brings the Falcon out of hyperspace - that is light speed - within the planet's atmosphere. I think the point is that it's almost impossible to be that accurate, and it also shows what an ace pilot he is. Worked for me. I'm sure it is impossible if you think about it, but this is Star Wars, not Star Trek.

[Strikers1945guy]

Chewbacca: age 234

Wat.

[Durandal]

Was anyone irked by the fact that everyone was instantly able to see a planet getting blown up by the not!Death Star in the sky, despite said planet probably being lightyears away?

[Strider77]

I thought it was pretty cool actually, I hate lag.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

A lightsaber is merely a push button weapon: push button, out comes beam sword. However, without a Jedi's extra force capabilities, it's far less glorious. Train enough and you could wield one with ease, but no amount of training will enable you to consistently deflect energy bullets without being a capable force user.

I'm sure there are examples of characters that use lightsaber-type weapons and aren't force users outside the films, but I can't think of any offhand.

Spoiler

- Captain Phasma turned out to be kind of a wuss. I'm pretty sure the character exists for the sole purpose of selling toys.

- If the Falcon can sneak through Starkiller Base's shields by just going through in hyperdrive, why don't all the X-wings just do the same? Then again, wouldn't it make the whole shield kind of pointless in the first place?

Spoiler

Captain Phasma is probably meant to be this series' version of Boba Fett. Kinda ho-hum in the movies, but majorly popular nonetheless. I hope I'm wrong and she'll have survived and is seeking revenge, but I'm not holding my breath.

Regarding the shields, I think it has to do with the type of ship they are. X-Wings are smaller ships and thus have less capable hyperdrives. Of course this is all speculation...

Does anybody know who that old guy at the beginning of the movie was supposed to be? I feel like we were supposed to recognize him but the only person I thought of is Bail Organa, who I thought died on Alderaan when it blew up. Anyone got any ideas? Or is it just that he looks vaguely like Obi-wan did in IV?

Yep, the old guy aka Lor San Tekka, resides in the remote Kelvin Ravine on the frontier world of Jakku. He's one of those characters that dates back to the time prior to the Clone Wars and has many secrets of the Jedi Knights of that era. The reason why Poe was seeking him out was, to see if Lor had any new information that would greatly aid/help the Resistance (in their fight against the uprising of the First Order).

As for Kylo Ren, he is not a Jedi nor is he a Sith lord either but has the ability to use the Force to grant him many combat skills. He is the archtype of a new generation of dark side users that have emerged to fill the void left by the Sith's demise (as shown in RoTJ). So if you put 2 + 2 together prior to the events of SW:TFA, you sorta get the idea/backstory that Kylo was a former Jedi student of Master Skywalker but somehow went rogue and crossed over to the dark side (and killing all the remaining Jedi pupils in training). Luke, somehow, feels that he was responsible for Kylo's training and failed (thus why he went into seclusion on that remote planet at the end of SW:TFA to see what could be done to fix/remedy the current situation at hand). And thus Master Skywalker gains a new pupil, Rey, to teach/train her in the ways of the Force/Jedi to stop Kylo & the First Order in the upcoming SW episodes of 8 & 9 down the road. It all makes sense now -- makes for an interesting/compelling story of internal power/strife and dynamics at play. Will everything be resolved/reach an agreeable/satisfying conclusion at the end of SW episode 9? I'd sure like to think so.

Captain Phasma is trained in all First Order small arms + trained in vehicular & starfighter combat. So yes, she's quite a formidable opponent in her own right (assuming if she were to survive the trash compactor senario/sitaution to live to see another day/fight against the Resistance/New Republic). We still don't know of her true identity though as it's never shown/revealed in SW:TFA -- that is a given.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[GaijinPunch]

Took my son to see it with some other family members. Tornado warning in the area saw to it that that wasn't going ot happen. Cut it at the 3/4 mark. I've seen it but now my kid and niece are standing there like, "wtf?!"

[EmperorIng]

Tornado warning in Chicago? Ha ha. Well, not that it's unheard of...

Too bad. I got to see it and found it pleasantly enjoyable. Agreeing with BIL that the first half was a lot more fun and fun than the second half.

I liked the scene with Han and the other smuggling groups. It felt like something out of some pulpy sci-fi movie given a modern coat of CG paint. In fact, that's how I felt in for most of the movie - enjoyable pulp revamp.

[GaijinPunch]

Tornado warning in Chicago? Ha ha. Well, not that it's unheard of...

I'm back in Texas for Xmas. 8 people died, so yeah, it was serious.

[supergrafx77]

Tornado warning in Chicago? Ha ha. Well, not that it's unheard of...

I'm back in Texas for Xmas. 8 people died, so yeah, it was serious.

Screenshot of the Texas tornado disaster from Huffington Post. Sponsored by Dr. Pepper.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/11- ... 58f65999ab

[gameoverDude]

I enjoyed TFA, even though in some ways it may have felt like a Gradius IV of the Star Wars series- IOW while it's a little overeager at times to pay tribute to certain elements of past SW entries, it's all good.

Still, I agree about Snoke. While he looks the part, that's kind of a silly name and they could've come up with something more fear inspiring.

Spoiler

It'll be interesting to see changes in Kylo Ren's methods in Episode VIII. I don't think he was meant to be all that he ever will yet. He does have a far worse temper than Darth Vader, who he wishes to emulate. He lacks that rational side that Vader had. Pissing off Darth Vader would be risky, but getting Kylo Ren's goat is a guaranteed death sentence. A couple Stormtroopers refuse to go in the room to talk to him when he's on a trashing rampage.
The Starkiller base is a nice twist on the Death Star concept, rather than just being Death Star III. The thing takes out a whole solar system. How it works is interesting- drawing power from nearby stars.

Sad to hear about the Chicago & Texas tornadoes. Some parts of Texas are getting blizzard conditions from Winter Storm Goliath (the name comes from The Weather Channel, whose winter storm naming system is a welcome thing- if hurricanes get names, so should severe winter storms). Lubbock is in a CF, with 8" of snow at the airport. Even California was hit with a tornado.

[Strikers1945guy]

Speaking of storm and hurricane names they really need to start naming them something scary so people get the hell inside or to safety. When hurricane Sally is bearing down on you it doesn't really get the message across.