Did you see Star Wars: The Force Awakens this weekend? Chances are, you probably did. The film broke pretty much every record out there. For the three-day domestic (American) haul, the film made $238 million. The previous record was set by Jurassic World, which had an opening weekend of $208.8 million. Internationally, The Force Awakens made $279 million in five days. Meaning the movie hasn’t even been in theaters one full week and it’s already made $517 million. That means it didn’t break the record for biggest international opening weekend, which is still held by Jurassic World with a $524.9 million in international ticket sales (Jurassic World opened in China the same week as everywhere else, while The Force Awakens hasn’t yet).
What other records did it break? Let’s see… it’s the first film to make $100 million in a 24 hour period. Biggest Friday ticket sales of all time, with $120.5 million. Biggest Thursday-night opening with $57 million in sales. It’s also breaking IMAX and 3D records. I find the international numbers particularly fascinating, because it really seemed like JJ Abrams was aiming for a more diverse cast, and Disney’s goal was to sell this film everywhere. So far, the film is extremely popular in the UK, Germany, France, Australia and Mexico.
I went to see The Force Awakens on Sunday afternoon, and my theater was PACKED. Packed like I’d never seen before. I ended up sitting beside a very small child who wasn’t really following the story, but at least he stayed quiet. I actively avoided spoilers before seeing the movie, so I was genuinely surprised by some of the “secret” plot points and what happened in that scene and you-know-who. I do wonder how long those spoilers are going to hold though – keeping JJ Abrams’ secrets for the opening weekend, sure, most of us can do that. But going into the second week? Some of this stuff is going to leak out. So… please no spoilers in the comments!
I’m not going to do a real review or anything because at this point, I don’t know what constitutes a spoiler. I’ll just say that I’m very happy with the film, and it felt like a very satisfying addition to the Star Wars canon. I was very impressed with John Boyega, Adam Driver and yes, even Daisy Ridley. I liked that her character (Rey) was tough, athletic and strong-willed. She was very graceful and she didn’t annoy me at all. I though John Boyega’s Finn was a little bit silly and he really brought a lot of sweetness and humor to the role. Domhnall Gleeson was the cartoonish villain I didn’t even know I wanted. Oscar Isaac was sexy, of course, and Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher both looked like they were sort of enjoying themselves. You know who gave me life? Chewy. Chewy was everything. And God help me, I love BB-8. So mobile, so puppy-ish!
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
Loved it! Yep there were bits that were a little stiff, but overall a great adventure.
And I’m going to struggle to go any longer than a week without talking about that scene.
I saw it on Thursday and liked it. Though it was at times a bit predictable. But you had feelings for the characters. One scene tugged at my heart strings. You know which one I’m referring to. Some people on C/B I believe complained about Fishers performance but if you remember the originals she wasn’t that great in those either.
I liked it. Oddly enough, I didn’t think it was visually captivating as the originals, which was a million moons ago and in the stone ages when it comes to technology and graphics. I thought Carrie Fisher was fine. Harrison Ford has such charisma! That man belongs on the big screen, no matter how old he is. BB-8 was adorable. LOVED the diversity and that the protagonist was a strong woman. All in all, a success in my book.
^^^ X 1000000000
I went yesterday & got there 45 min early to get good seats because we knew it was going to be packed. I loved it! Daisy & John were great, love Harrison Ford seeing him again as Han Solo was amazing. Him & Chewie together made me forget that the prequels ever existed, & BB8 has my heart But DAMN I love Oscar Isaac & his character Pope Dameron, he’s now added to my list right next to Idris & Charlie Hunnam. I hope no one post any spoilers because not everyone has watch the film but I really want to talk about it.
Something about John Boyega bugged me. The entire time, I felt like he was Star Wars’ Taylor Lautner/Jacob.
My whole theater applauded when Harrison Ford showed up on screen. It was amazing.
@Rachel I thought he was goofy & sweet. I did love him in the fighting sequences (no spoilers)
@AJ same here! & when Carrie appeared too.
@AJ same here as well. But surprisingly not many cheers towards the end when you know who appeared on screen.
I really liked Boyega! He was like a way less annoying Luke!
Love love love it! Admiral Ackbar (Mr. It’s a TRAP! from return of the jedi) & BB-8 gave me life (cutest little thumbs up eva)! Everyone did a good job & It made me laugh, clap, cheer, (& get misty) the whole way through.
absolutely. I loved every second of it and was surprised at my emotional reaction. BB8 nudging R2 to speak & being sad when he couldn’t find his master were such ‘awww’ moments.
I love Rey & Finn and the whole connection with Chewie & Han. I laughed, cried, gasped and smiled the whole way. Our fully-packed audience laughed & cheered openly.
I’ll admit to saying out loud “OMG that’s the Falcon!” at the first glimpse of it.
My only gripe…Captain Phasma should have had a bigger role.
To anyone who hasn’t seen it…you must see it WITHOUT spoilers.
I can’t see it until after Christmas due to time constraints, but can’t wait. I’m so happy to hear that people liked it.
You will love it!! Very loyal to the spirit of original three — we can finally pretend the prequels never happened 😀
What prequels? 🙂
I stopped watching the prequels after the first one… Jar Jar ruined it for me.
This new one was very enjoyable. I loved all of the characters and damn near cried when Hans Solo & Chewy showed up. I’m excited as to where the story is going to go with the way it ended. I want to run up that mountain that Daisy did and get those views… damn.
BB-8 is my new crush.
I couldn’t get past how much Daisy reminded me of Keira Knightley. Carrie’s obvious plastic surgery made me sad, since she wasn’t as facially expressive as she was in her younger acting days.
I think a lot of the uber-excitement this film is generating is the emotional attachment that people have to the original series. I wasn’t allowed to watch them when they first came out, but I was fully aware of the cultural phenomenon via TV commercials and the aisles of toy stores. But it was great to see the old gang again and it moved even me to see them all nearly 35+ years later reprising their roles.
But the prequels never happened. That disturbance in the force between 1999- 2005 was a result of all of our collective nightmares meshed into one due to the “what if Star Wars was an awful trilogy” notion a fan came up with. 😀
I loved Oscar Isaac – it made me want to go out and watch everything he’s ever been in. And his chemistry with Boyega was pretty good too – I loved the new angle of how they introduced his character. All in all I feel like they made good choices with how they’ve cast their new characters, and Boyega especially is a huge contrast with the extremely mopey angle they took with Hayden Christiansen’s Annikan.
We saw it yesterday *exactly* so we wouldn’t be subjected to spoilers. Loved it – it was mad fun and a great adventure. Just what I needed after an otherwise traumatic weekend! (Our theater wasn’t full, which surprised me.)
All hail JJ Abrams!
Words I thought I would never see written. But yes, he did good work.
GREAT work. Everything about this movie is amazing and while the credits were rolling, my husband and I looked at each other and said, “Can’t wait to see it again”. Not only was the movie excellent, the theater experience was as well. Everyone was so amped up in a not-too-serious way. A bunch of people brought light sabers into the theater and as soon as the movie ended, lit them up at the same time. It was hilarious. So much chemistry between all the characters. Agree w/ Kaiser. My 7 year old son declared, “Chewy got an upgrade”.
It was a bit too much of a hommage, you know? All in all, good fun, but nothing spectacular.
Then again, I am #TeamStarTrek4Life
I’m not a Trekkie at all, but I have seen the reboots. What did you think of the new trailer? Friends who are Trek devotees are a little worried because they think it looked a little too much like “Fast and Furious in Space”. I’m not sure if they knew Justin Lin is directing the new one or not.
I don’t like the trailer at all. But I didn’t like any of the new movies. The cast had potential, Pine, Quinto and Saldana are actually pretty good, but the films weren’t good, IMO.
I was never a die hard Star Wars fan or a Trekkie but I have seen all the movies. I also used to watch the original series with Shatner. I actually enjoyed both Star Trek movies and the trailer looks ok to me. I had a huge crush on Pine when I saw him in “Just My Luck” then my crush faded. But years later I’m crushing hard all over again. I think the cast is great and Pine makes a damn fine Kirk. Quinto is spectacular as Spock and Saldana is likeable in her role. Urban, Cho and Pegg also makes the new franchise fun to watch.
But then, that was the same problem with Into Darkness….
The problem with “Star Trek: Into Darkness” was J.J. Abrams.
Yes, it was more of a remake than a new story. JJ Abrams played it too safe. Too many similarities. Orphan abandoned on a planet which looks like Tatooine. New Darth Vader. New Death Star. Another father-son duel. Another cute droid. And there were ridiculous plots – 70-year-old Han Solo still doing intergalactic smuggling? I just felt he would do something more dignified in his old age – after all this heroic fight in the old movies.
Thank you!! Glad to see some criticisms here.
The JJ love-fest is too much. I wonder how many of these people watched Episode 4 recently, because it was a rehash of ANH with mix-ins from Episode 5!
Great cast. Feel good movie, enjoyable to watch. But in deeper reflection there were major plot holes. It didn’t stand well enough as its own movie — too many “we’ll answer that in the next part” questions, whereas “A New Hope” worked as in intro and satisfied a full dramatic arc. Similar to how the first Hunger Games movie stood in its own — Episode 7 didn’t do a good job at world building.
All the Lucas bashing is grating. He created the Star Wars universe! Say what you will about the prequels but every Lucas involved Star Wars film expanded on the Star Wars universe and introduced new dynamics and plot points.
I’m still a little salty that Disney and JJ chucked the expanded universe but it was good to see Jacen Solo lives on 🙂
Yes, I agree. Overall, I really like it, but it was a remake/ reboot in so many ways. I would have liked to see more plot departures, as much as I liked the loyalty to the original trilogy’s world.
Kasia–think you put enough spoilers in there for a thread with a ‘no spoilers’ request from Kaiser right up there at the top?
Minor spoilers, sure, but spoilers nonetheless.
I think the comparison to ANH is unfair – back when the original Star Wars came out, there was no guarantee of a sequel, so they had to complete a narrative arc. The movie was always intended to stand on its own. TFA has guaranteed sequels, so there was no need to complete all of the plot points. I thought the way they left it at the end was perfect, and made me very excited to see the next one.
ETA – I was 4 when the original came out, and it was the first movie I ever saw in a theater. It blew my mind! This movie might be straight up homage, but it was great fun for me and my husband, and my children loved it as well. It hit all of my nostalgia points, showed me everything I’d hoped to see, yet was fun and interesting enough for my boys. I thought it was a perfect movie experience for my whole family…something that is incredibly rare these days.
Answering Both @Locke Lamora and @Grabbyhands …
@Locke Lamora, who wrote: It was a bit too much of a hommage, you know? All in all, good fun, but nothing spectacular. Then again, I am #TeamStarTrek4Life”
Yes, and YES! I saw it on Saturday night and although I enjoyed it–it was is a very ‘good’ film–I just don’t get the overly hyped “Spectacular, Spectacular!” push of the film. I’m tired of seeing it hyped. It’s sad because I LOVE the three originals.
@Grabbyhands, who wrote: “I’m not a Trekkie at all, but I have seen the reboots. What did you think of the new trailer? Friends who are Trek devotees are a little worried because they think it looked a little too much like “Fast and Furious in Space”. I’m not sure if they knew Justin Lin is directing the new one or not.”
Fan boys are carping all over the Internet (more so during the three weeks of overkill hype for the new “Star Wars” film) that the new Trek film is ‘SHITE’ because of one particular thing Chris Pine does as Captain Kirk … which is silly because James T. Kirk did this thing all the time in the 2009 film before going to the Academy. Many of them ‘are’ aware that Justin Lin is directing the film and I think it’s one of the main reasons it’s being panned so early based upon a trailer. Films have been killed this way before. Just think about it. The film won’t be released for another 6-months.
The only sure things we know about “Star Trek Beyond” is that Justin Lin (famous for the last three or four “Fast and Furious” films) is indeed the director … Simon Pegg is one of the four writers (the Bad Robot writers started the project and then left) … and from the trailer, we know that Chris Pine does something he did in the first Trek film, which fan boys are dissing as being too dirt track, “Fast and Furious-ish.”
At some point, homage just stops being homage. At some point, it really feels like old plots were being recycled, which I imagine they were. The movie was good, but it was a ‘zero business risk’ film.
Exactly right.
I agree – the story hit a lot of really similar beats. But that said, it’s such a huge contrast with the energy of the prequels; it felt like a movie that was actually meant to be enjoyed and was supposed to be fun. I’ll be really interested to see how the story goes from here, because it would be nice for movie 8 to go in its own direction.
Though I absolutely bought Han Solo as a 70 year old smuggler. Whomever thought he should go with something more dignified doesn’t seem that familiar with the character.
Agree 100% that Han would totally still be a smuggler. He never bought into the thought of himself as a hero. His world view was quite cynical, and I think his character in TFA completely made sense.
Why in the world would sarcastic, brash Han Solo retire with dignity? It’s not in his DNA.
I’m fine with him recycling tropes for the first one as a kind of “put with the old, in with the new” send off, provided that isn’t the total case we see with the next two. (Albeit, plot has never been the strongest aspect of SW films. It’s always been more of a vehicle for the narrative tropes, yeah?)
I’m only seeing it on the 29th (cheapie Tuesday and I got tickets with reserved seats so no need to wait in line) but I am happy that the reviews are overall very positive. I was dreading hearing bad reviews, because living through that with the prequel trilogy was bad enough.
It will make you forget all about those horrible movies. Well, kind of-I kept thinking that if George Lucas hadn’t been such an egotist, we could have been treated to this 16 years ago instead of the Phantom Menace.
People who haven’t seen it keep asking if it’s better than the prequels and I’m like, astronomically better…but that wasn’t exactly a high bar to clear!
Within 30 minutes I liked these characters more than I liked the prequel characters after 3 movies. It was actually disturbing.
Nothing compares to the originals or seeing them as a child, but this was finally a worthy successor.
I thought there were perhaps a few too many references and parallels to the originals, but I get that they were trying to take notes from the first films as opposed to the prequels (thank God). I loved it though, and am hoping to see it again.
I thought the same. After all, it s just the first of the three. let’s see where this is going.
I cried. Cannot say more.
I’m just a casual fan, but I got a bit teary-eyed during the opening scroll and the first look at the millennium falcon, so I’m right there with you!
I’m old enough that I saw the originals when they came out.
The first one was great, but I thought The Empire Strikes Back was one of the best movies I’ve ever seen, to this day. I had no interest in the prequels, but I would like to
See the old gang together again for the sake of nostalgia. I’m hoping it doesn’t disappoint.
Fantabulous…..but I must admit my husband had to drag me with the lines, but so worth it!
Raise your hand is your done with Star Wars! #notfunnyspaceballs
I’m soo over this whole thing already. If only people were half as passionate about other things like they are about a movie.
So so done, sorry.
Sent my 48 yr old man off with his buddies to see it last night and he came back as a grumbling 12 yr-old totally disappointed by the storyline. I figured guys in their 40s would have to adjust to the new General Leia – they were secretly mentally holding on to that image of Leia in that metal bikini. Ha!
He wasn’t happy- I guess that Starwars Battlefield PC game he asked for will not be the best pressie under the tree now. Bummer.
I will wait to see it on DVD- because I LOVE the idea of a General Leia but I am done with the hype.
I have never seen original SW and I’m not going to watch the new one. It’s just not my cup of tea. I don’t like the aggressive campaign it is literally everywhere and it annoys me as f#$c. What next Star wars toilet paper?!
I think there has been Star Wars toilet paper since ESB
Jenni, I’m old enough to have seen the first one when it came out, and the thing that made it particularly magical for me was that a friend of my mother’s was visiting from out of town – a single mom with a seven-year-old boy. He was driving the adults crazy, so my mother gave me money and the car keys and had me take the kid to the movies. Watching both the film and this little kid experiencing it was pure magic. I saw all three of the originals, and the first of the prequel set (the reason I didn’t bother with the other two).
The campaign is annoying, and the cult around it is kind of bonkers (I saw the movies. I don’t own any SW figures or T-shirts or home furnishings), but if you’re looking for a good yarn and a couple of hours away from life, you could do a lot worse. They’re really best seen on a big screen, so find yourself a $2 budget house that’s showing the first set and skip the new one until you’ve seen at least the others, because even though the new one stands on its own, it’s far richer if you’ve seen the others.
LOL…..I never saw the original either….until I got married. This is what is called compromise…..he loves SW…..so after all of these years I do too. Loved the movie, see what happens when you’re in love!!!!!!
If you saw the original three when first released, it truly was magical – so fresh, so new, so heartfelt. Just lovely. I was already an adult when the first came out and I loved it. I didn’t see any of the prequels, nor will I ever, but I will definitely be seeing TFA. This week, I hope.
Unfortunately the key points of the film were spoiled for me (one by a friend on FB and then another one by a random a-hole on FB pasting a graphic describing the spoiler) but I still enjoyed it. If I were a mega-fan, I’d surely be pissed at the spoilers, but I was only mildly annoyed. My husband thought it was OK but that’s because he liked the books’ canon better. I think overall, I liked Finn the best.
The Thrawn Trilogy would have been awesome. But then, I do get they did not want to recast for the main cast, as Heir to the Empire is only set 3 years after Return of the Jedi.
But still.
No one spoiled the movie, but saw it coming. Still was enjoyable, but…… yeah
I have been genuinely shocked by the lack of spoilers this weekend. I didn’t go until the late show Sunday night, but I probably would have waited if I thought I could without it being ruined. The internet has generally been very polite on this one.
I loved it. It was a lot of fun. And surprisingly, I loved the new characters. John Boyega’s Finn was so funny. And Daisy Ridley surprised me with how good she was. In he trailers, she seemed so wooden, bu she’s really old in the movie and i liked that she was strong and athletic and smart.
Unfortunately, we knew about one of the big spoilers going in. A kid in my kids class spoiled it for him told and in his ranting to me about it, he spoiled it for me. But it was still an exciting movie to watch. Now we need to wait a year and a half for the next one.
Casting was really well done for this film! Like you, I was a bit wary of Daisy Ridley (The film trailers did her no justice) but she really shines in this film. John Boyega managed to keep the film from getting to dark and depressing and Adam Driver’s voice worked well. Gleeson was so good I wanted to reach through the screen and punch his character and Oscar Isaac is always a talent. Such a smart move to cast unknowns and up and comers for this film franchise.
LOVED IT! I was really pleasantly surprised to see a female protagonist who was strong, capable, kept telling the dude to stop trying to save her, etc etc. it was REALLY REALLY uplifting to see such a feminist character in arguably the most watched movie of 2015. I honestly don’t feel like I’ve been encouraged by such a strong role model thats so highly visible since I WAS a child in the 90’s. HILARY FOR PRESIDENT
+100000000000000
If Rey’s story is going where I think it’s going, I feel very happy for young girls. Finally a female joins the ranks of the Force.
I remember having seen female jedis in the first chapters (prequels). I do not remember much because I did not liked those much. It is nice to see this girl’s story and her empowerment, tho.
I loved the look on her face when, at one point, a male character gets knocked over in a chase scene and as she helps him up, he asks if she’s okay. So good!!
@kat I was thrilled at the strong female characters in this film! A real feminist feel. I am so happy for young women growing up now to have these women (and others, Katniss & Tris come to mind) to look up to because there were none when I was growing up! I had Charlie’s Angels with the braless ladies. But I had to watch it because occasionally Kate Jackson would do something! Even as a little girl, I knew I had to support even crappy female movies so the powers that be would create better female movies. Star Wars was a good time. I already want to see it again! I was able to stay present and not try to “figure it out” before stuff happened. I think people are trying to keep from spoiling it from other fans. I loved the chemistry between Boyega and Daisy. Just a general excitement between them
I saw it Friday night and it was everything I hoped it would be. It nicely blurs the memory of the awful prequels by proving how much more enjoyable a movie is when you pay attention to story AND affects. And reading about how Lucas reacted to the screenplay when mentioning it to Mark Hamill, it sounds like he is still a bitter bitch that we all didn’t get his “vision”.
Itching to see it again as soon as possible. I haven’t had that much fun at a movie in a while-not only was it a good watch, everyone was happy and excited to see it and cheered and clapped throughout.
How did Lucas react??
I have never seen a Star Wars film, but I went opening night with my boyfriend who is a big fan. In the theater before the movie I watched a synopsis on YouTube of all the star wars movies, 6 films in 9 minutes they called it. I was worried it would go over my head, but it didn’t! I know I probably missed some inside jokes, but I loved it. I loved Rey and I loved Fin! This movie has made me want to watch the rest.
BB-8 was giving me all sorts of life. Sarcastic as hell but that’s because Bill Hader was a consultant for his “voice”. I was only mildly annoyed at a few things but as I said in the thread on Friday, that score was *everything*. The minor key change during “The Scene” letting anyone know that has some sort of musical knowledge that something not cool was about to happen was beauty, the remastering of Leia’s Theme with him slowly bringing in strings as she gets more sad, the new duel music–John Williams is my boo thang. Hands down. I know Hans Zimmer is like the God of Scores but IT’S JOHN WILLIAMS. My favorite part of the movie besides one comedic moment (I don’t know what constitutes a spoiler so I won’t say).
Yes!! It was about halfway through the movie that it occurred to me that the score was probably 85% of why I was enjoying it so much.
Loved it! Except my poor nine year old nephew started crying during “the scene”. Probably traumatized the man sitting next to him.
Yeah my 9yr old doesn’t get along with his dad and kept asking about “that scene” over and over. I bet he’ll wake up today and keep asking. Overall a very benign movie and well done, more rugged than the prequels in a good way.
what scene? context, please- i only ask because we plan on taking a 4 and 5 yr old tomorrow.
HUGE spoiler, so please nobody describe it. I will say it wasn’t bloody or especially gory. Nothing worse than the originals.
It was so much FUN! That final shot was so great. I cannot wait for the next movie.
And Daisy Ridley was amazing.
That final shot! Ahhhh, I need a spoiler thread! There were a million things going on and a million possibilities. Also I was reminded that…that character…had really beautiful eyes, and still does. Ouch my heart!
Yeah me too! I want a spoiler thread so we can talk and speculate about what happens next and what everything means LOL!
My friend and I were arguing about the final shot. Namely, how it was shot. Neither us liked the revolving overhead. I think a pull back shot would have been effective, and she wanted something more intimate. What do you guys think?
In my Oscar Isaac haze I forgot to mention BB-8! Now that is how you do a comedic sidekick. It’s a robot and I felt so much for him…her…it?
I will agree it got too homage/soft reboot in spots but the difference was the characters! They were wonderful to spend time with. Also the backstory? We know some (not all) but I was alternately fascinated, heartbroken, and just dying to know the rest!
I love a good family drama and while we got one reveal….how to do this without spoilers…that one is clearly so and so’s child right? LOL! OK can’t ask that without spoilers, I’ll wait.
I agree with you about the homage, but for the kids who watch it now, this movie will be their “new hope” and it will be to them what the original Star Wars was to us. J.J, Abrams managed to do what Lucas did not do with his prequels.
And while I was starting to anticipate what would happen during that one scene, it was still moving.
I was spoiled completely. But I still enjoyed the shit out it, as did the paranormalspawn and paranormalhusband. What was awesome was that we actually went as a family, which can be dicey with two teens.
The movie was good entertainment… But… It did feel like déjà vu.
And… you knew what would happen.
Gleeson was wayyyyy too much cartoonish. And how the feck did someone so young got to be a general? Charles Dance would have been delightful as a mean general, no?
Adam Driver did a lot of sad-emo-teen-constipated faces.
But it was good fun. After all, Star Wars always been just a Space Opera.
The younger villains really worked for me. Charles Dance is fabulous but somehow another white old man British villain doesn’t excite me.
Maybe it’s the state of the world but there is something so creepy and unpredictable about these young guys getting taken in by this brutal ideology. It’s just…scarier.
He was just too young to be a General and… too cartoonish to be taken seriously.
Thats personal and he made husband and I laugh, we keep calling him Nazi Boy. It was…. bad.
And found Kylo Ren a bit…. lame? I guess he never finish his training? And what it is with the hand always in the face of people?
I think the choice of younger villains was wise because it fits with the general theme that this is a new galaxy, a new fight, and the old legends can’t save it. I do think Gleason’s character could use some polishing, though. Their ideology is easy to understand – the chaos following the downfall of the Empire and Luke’s attempts at rebuilding the Jedi would have been awful. The attraction to dedicated order and purpose is completely understandable. Even our new villain is in many ways a scared child looking for a reason. What Gleason’s character needs is some humanity – flesh him out and make his dedication to the new order individually significant, and then we can empathize with him.
Well, you know, the old baddies were killed!
30 years ago…. So, technically, this is still an army, and it would still be someone older with experience in charge…. not a NaziBoy making funny face.
Loved it. Love that it was a total homage to the original trilogy. If it hadn’t been, people would be up in arms about JJ and Co thinking too much outside the box. I enjoy his Star Trek films but there’s a definite camp that doesn’t consider them canon Star Trek stories – they are set in an AU after all – and I tend to err on that side as well.
They’re not to me. I’ve been a star trek fan since 6 years old (started with TNG, went back and watched all of TOS, loved DS9, was ok with Voyager until season 5, ignored Enterprise) and I was horrified at the new ones. I didn’t even bother with Into Darkness.
I don’t know, you can pay homage and think outside the box. The two things aren’t mutually exclusive. Many SW fans have expressed disappointment with how much was rehashed from previous films. I wish they’d given the audience more credit. I really liked the first third, maybe even half but it really sagged with the weight of nostalgia in the second half. By the time they brought in a Death Star AGAIN it was losing me.
Even Karl Urban (Bones) said it would be nice to get more original stories. Kudos for him to speak out about it.
I fully agree. I really loved the first 30 minutes, Maybe first 45 minutes. I was thinking all the time that they made a fabulous movie. But then, from the moment Han Solo appeared, the movie lost its pace, its originality and became a nostalgia-fest. And Oscar Isaac…why did they give him so little screen time? I had thought he would be one of the main characters. And there was no romantic plot whatsoever. Call me old fashioned, but I loved Han and Leia’s flirtations in the old movies. There’s nothing better than a flirtatious spark between a strong male hero and a strong and independent heroine. I missed that.
@CFY, who wrote: “I enjoy his Star Trek films but there’s a definite camp that doesn’t consider them canon Star Trek stories – they are set in an AU after all – and I tend to err on that side as well.”
As someone in the ‘definite camp’ I can tell you that I love the films, but Abrams deliberately changed canon “Star Trek” facts because he never liked the original series and just never ‘got it.’ So in the first rebooted “Star Trek” film we got pink-skined Vulcans with red blood as opposed to the green-blooded Vulcans (their blood had more copper than ours) with a slightly green tinted shin we came to love in the original series and original cast films. We also got a petulant, temper tantrum, vindictive, ’emotional’ Spock. Even in an alternate universe the characters would still have the same physiology. The only thing that should have changed for the characters in the alternate universe is their live experiences (some of which we witnessed in the first film … Kirk’s father and Spock’s mother were alive and well in the original series).
Zachary Quinto has said that he tried playing Spock as stoic as Lenard Nimoy while shooting the first film, but Abrams would make him do a take over and over and finally on the 32nd take he’d be a little pissed and that’s the cut Abrams would keep. Sad.
We went this weekend, and managed to avoid all of the spoilers. While sitting in the packed theater, next to another couple, we had a lengthy discussion about the difficulty of avoiding the spoilers of TV and online. Shortly after the spoiler conversation, the woman we were just talking to blurted out one of the biggest spoilers of the whole film, before the previews had even started!! Ugh. Her poor husband was horrified.
My husband’s parents went to see the original Star Wars when his mom was pregnant with him. This weekend, we went to see Star Wars with me carrying our little boy (due in April). Kind of a nice parallel, considering the generations theme in the movies.
Gahhh! This is why I hate going to crowded theaters!!! But what could you do in this case? Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Jeez, people, a little decorum!
That’s terrible! I had only minor spoilers due to my brother, but everyone was otherwise pretty respective. This being said, I saw it with a friend’s family, and as we were walking out, her mother blurted out THE BIG SPOILER right as we exited. Her kids practically tackled her to shut her up.
(I feel like THE BIG SPOILER was pretty obvious to anyone who was an hour into the film, but I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t guess it beforehand!)
Very enjoyable, but not on par with the original trilogy films in terms of characters or script. Not at all bad, but not great imo (I’d say A-). Still, I look forward to seeing how it develops. Loved the final scene, happy about the bad@ss action heroine, though still prefer Leia’s crackling wit. Of which there was nothing to be had in this film–Carrie Fisher’s performance was terrible and bummed me out.
I totally agree. Carrie Fisher seemed absent-minded, as if she was thinking about something else all the time. Maybe she was concerned with her looks? I don’t know. Anyway, I loved old Leia and I missed her sorely.
Fisher was the weakest of the old cast to me, too. Maybe she was going for a Leia who was too heartbroken and burnt out, but I don’t know if it came across as well as she wanted.
I’d like to think it was deliberate, but my take is that she hadn’t acted in decades and just couldn’t recover the character. So disappointing.
I didn’t watch it but my family did and said “Meh!”, it was OK but there weren’t blown away. Teen daughter just HAD to go because all the friends went.
There were about 20-25 showing every day at our movie theater and we booked tickets online on the previous day which we never do and there were only about 20 sets left at that point for 10.45AM Sunday after 3 days of hysteria.
From the financial standpoint I don’t see how any movie could top that. Star Wars has a cult following unmatched by anything else.
I’d say, nicely repositioned for a contemporary audience. LUV the Rey character carrying the new torch. Daisy Ridley was flawless.
I thought Adam Driver did a great job with some thankless scenes that easily could have fallen into parody. It depended on quite a bit of knowledge of the original for it’s more moving moments, but hey, *something for everyone,* I guess.
John Boyega looks like a young Denzel Washington
No he doesn’t.
Ha! If you say so….
Agreed, Mira. I see it more and more every time I see him.
No!
I saw it on Saturday with friends. I was seated next to four 10 years old, and behind a couple in their 50s. That’s Star Wars’ magic – it’s cross-generational.
And as a female I am SO EXCITED at Rey’s character. Finally!
I really liked the movie, it seems they went back to basics (thankfully) and even though the plot was somewhat expected, I loved Finn and Rey.
Saw it yesterday with my brother. The theatre was EMPTY, no joke. Nevertheless, the movie was AMAZING. I loved everyone!!! Daisy Ridley officially joined my list of kickass movie ladies. For those of you still in doubt, yes, she’s a true star. Oscar Isaac is HOT (duh), and I LOVED John Boyega. He’s wonderful. Adam Driver and Domhnall Gleeson were two pleasant surprises, and I totally want a BB-8. Well done, Mr Abrams.
This film was always going to do well. It will probably break dvd sales records too.
Daisy Ridley was amazing, I thought she carried the film very well especially when you consider the fact that this is her first film ever! I also teared up when Han Solo and Chewy appeared on screen again. People at my theatre started clapping. Domhall Gleason I found awful. And Andy serkis’ character was so cringe worthy. But Adam driver and Harrison ford…wow.
YEAHHHHHHH! did you call Gleeson NaziBoy too? Not sure why they decide to make him such a cartoonish vilain. The guy is a good actor, here…… BAD.
Gleason wasn’t totally awful, IMO, he just had so little to work with. But that scene with the blatant Nazi imagery…there was some powerful emotion in his eyes, a hint that there was more to him and why his belief is so fervent, potentially. I would hope they give him more to work with to flesh him out a bit.
Serkis did do well. IMO, he’s what Hayden Christensen was trying to do with young Vader, just with better material at his disposal.
THANK YOU for the John Boyega photos. My new crush!!
Seeing it this christmas eve. Scrolled al the way down to avoid any hints at all… after I Palar’s comment about a scene. There’s a scene?! A scene so epic it’s refered to as “the scene”! I guess it’s time to put on my ear muffs and turn off the radio. This will be a tough 3 days to go..
I think I’m as much in love with Harrison Ford as ever.
(And TFA was very good too. I’ve seen it twice already.)
HA! On some other site someone made that comment that this movie proves that Harrison Ford is still bangable on every planet. And I had to agree.
I feel like the only person in the world that hated it. Ugh. It was SO BAD. Absolutely horrendous. No plot, terrible acting from everyone aside from Oscar Isaac, and maybe Domnhall Gleeson? Weird Batman voice from the emo villain, and the lack of continuity in the ‘rules’ of The Force is incredibly frustrating.
I had to step into the hall for parts of it as it was so bad I was laughing. Poor hubby-a superfan- was inconsolable. We have thus decided to become Star Trek fans and thanked our lucky stars we didn’t pay to see it.
Han said it : That is not how the force works! But apparently, it is…
Loved it. Loved the homage-ness of it. Loved the new characters. I was a bit distracted at first by how much Daisy Ridley reminded me of Keira Knightly but she was a delight as Rey. Boyega brought humor and warmth as Finn and Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver brought the sexy. I want my own BB-8 and I even love how over the top Domhnall Gleeson was as the villain. I kept saying ‘Oh goodie it’s General McSneer Face,’ every time he was onscreen which made my husband giggle. Also, I cannot deny the overwhelming feeling of happiness I got when Chewy and Han Solo showed up onscreen. And the ending, cue me singing ‘Turn around’ under my breath. I hope to see more of Mark Hamill in the sequels.
I saw it yesterday with my family. I’m so thrilled I got to take my son to a first run Star Wars film. It’s something my parents did with us as kids. It felt great to pass that on to him. It was such a great film I’m gong to see it again probably in 3 D.
Loved Loved LOVED it. Run, don’t walk. The Dark Side is sexy AF. #adamdriver
YES ^^^ He is seriously my new crush LOL! How awesome was he in that role? And I loved what a conflicted and interesting character he portrayed with this the new “villain”….like I said in my other comment, he is the antithesis of Darth Vader and that is something we have not seen before! How gorgeous was his hair?! He is sexy in a very non-traditional way and I love it! Yes #adamdriver
I think there are suddenly a lot of us who have Adam Driver feels. He did nothing prior to this, but damn it if Kylo Ren didn’t give me a George Takei Hellloooo moment.
The voice does it for me.
yup, did not expect to develop a crush on Adam Driver, but it happened. He looks so much more attractive without that weird facial hair he generally has. He looked really good decked in all black and his voice is nice
Loved it! I was a Star Wars fan in the 70s and 80s b/c I am the same age as JJ Abrams. JJ resurrected this franchise from the horror of the prequels. I hardly even saw the prequels, but know the story line and plot from them. I even had read some suspected theories about what happens in this movie, and even predicted the big “spoiler” to happen….DID NOT ruin the movie for me at all! I want to see it again, b/c there is so much info thrown out there, it is hard to take it all in from a first viewing. They perfectly set up for the next installment, which was the point. I know people have complained about similarities to the original trilogy, but I really thought that is what was charming about it. Adored the humor in it as well! Oh, and I absolutely loved the psychotic/temper tantrum prone character of Kylo Ren (Adam Driver — the antithesis of Darth Vader)! What a great way to introduce a very complex character. All of the leads were phenomenal. GO SEE IT, especially if you loved Star Wars as a kid, like I did!
Just one spoiler (it showed upon my FB): voosh, voosh, pew, pew, pew, voosh, pew, pew!
Unfortunately this came on my FB after my son-in-law saw the movie. I laughed when i saw it.
Daisy Ridley did her character a lot of justice, unlike what was seen on the trailer. I was pleasantly surprised by her.
It was a great movie. Watching it made me notice the true power of entertainment and pop culture. I saw whole families, from ages 4 to 90, men and women, of all backgrounds, excited to watch the very same film. My bf had to drag me (I wanted to watch it, but not on the opening weekend), but it was worth it. He was 100% right – this is the kind of movie you wanna watch in a full theatre, with annoying kids and weirdos and everything.
The trailers did her no justice (she came across so wooden in them) and I was wary because of her lack of experience but she totally delivered and then some. She’s a gem on screen
I grew up watching the original Star Wars trilogy and like virtually everyone else on the planet, was hugely disappointed in the prequels. I tried to keep my expectations in check but was majorly geeked up for this and I was not disappointed. I LOVED it. I can’t wait to see it again and catch little easter eggs that JJ Abrams put in it 🙂
I love the fact that a girl and a black guy are the leads for this movie. We need more diversity in movies in general. There have been some racist idiotic people complaining about Boyega. I’m not a fan of Ridley she’s too hyper and over the top in her interviews but Boyega comes across as charming, funny and likeable!
Loved, loved, loved it! Already seen it twice. I think I liked it even more the second time. The new characters are all fantastic. I got tears in my eyes the first time they showed the millenium falcon.
I think it made a lot of money for the simple fact it was so hyped and promoted. Basically people felt “forced” to watch it or they wouldn’t be seen as “cool” or wouldn’t be able to join in the conversations on social media. I haven’t seen it, but might when it comes out on DVD.
My friend and I discussed this at the theatre. Twenty years ago, who thought SW would be the thing all the “cool” kids were doing, lol.
I really enjoyed it. I do tend to cave and watch/read spoilers but it was nice to see that some of them were wrong and there were plenty of surprises. I loved the new characters too.
Loved it.
Harrison Ford is timeless. So is Chewbacca.
I really liked it! Daisy was the standout with BB-8 stealing my heart. Oscar Isaac was sexy. Can’t wait for the next one!
Saw it today and enjoyed it. It’s not a great film by itself but good enough, and metatextually, it’s perfect. The most remarkable thing about it is the shift in tone – TFA is like Star Wars for millennials, cynical to the core. It’s a universe where the overarching battle of good versus evil has gotten far murkier, where our heroes failed to do more than transient good, where parents couldn’t protect us from the uncertainty of the world or ourselves. It’s a movie that acknowledges a generation for whom legends have died, and it’s just humans in the way of themselves now. It’s shaping up to have a lot of potential, and I’m excited to see where they might go with it.
I’ve met a lot of people that don’t like the Kylo Ren character. The general complaint is that he is too whiney and prone to temper tantrums. I actually thought it was a smart move in terms of character development. I don’t want a Darth Vader 2.0; that’s boring. Having a morally indecisive character allows for more possibilities in terms of how the character will grow. I also don’t mind him taking off his mask; it gives him a more human quality and it serves as a reminder that villains are human too.
Good news for Boyega. He got so much hate for being in this movie.
Not reading to avoid spoilers but thanks for heading this post with John Boyega’s picture.l