Ok, so, now that I'm home and a few hours removed from the film, here's a contrasting take.
First, it was dumb of me to say that Aractus's review or such was "wrong." That was a dumb word to use. There's no accounting for taste, and nobody's views and enjoyments are "more correct" than another person's.
That said, I thought this was a very worthy effort. Clearly superior to I, II and III, and on the same level as VI (and I preferred this one a bit more probably), just behind IV and V.
Essentially, I thought the movie-making was fine. Lots and lots of shots swinging around people who are running and viewing d00ds from behind and such. I never got nauseous or whatnot from it but there were times that I wish there was less going on. Visually, it was really fantastic, I thought. Same detail in the environments, except they didn't feel CGI like they did in I - III. In fact, I thought the CGI was wayyy better done in this one. Just reflects the passage of time.
I also agree that the score was rather forgettable. Heavy-handed shout-outs to prior themes were the only time I noticed the music.
See, though, I thought the characters were very good. Some of them (Rey, Poe, and Carrie's Leia) were very very good, while the rest of them (Finn, Kylo, Han) were just very good. Rey is going to be fantastic going forward, and I totally - by the end - bought Kylo Ren's persona. Quite frankly, the movie wasn't long enough to get all the characterization you'd want for, say, Finn or returned-Han.
The most important part, though, was that I was absolutely, thoroughly entertained. I thought the story was great: essentially, a series of "coincidences" (read: THE FORCE) leading to bigger and bigger things. I mean, yeah, it was pretty similar to the plot of IV. But, even more so than any of them, it set things up for the movies to come. IV was essentially a self-contained story, and I'm not sure they knew they were going to get to keep going. This one felt like watching the first 2 hours of a 6-hour movie. That definitely turns some people off, but I thought it was set up very well. The ending, the suggestions of what's to come, the awakening of the force..........
Joe says: 4/5
First, it was dumb of me to say that Aractus's review or such was "wrong." That was a dumb word to use. There's no accounting for taste, and nobody's views and enjoyments are "more correct" than another person's.
That said, I thought this was a very worthy effort. Clearly superior to I, II and III, and on the same level as VI (and I preferred this one a bit more probably), just behind IV and V.
Essentially, I thought the movie-making was fine. Lots and lots of shots swinging around people who are running and viewing d00ds from behind and such. I never got nauseous or whatnot from it but there were times that I wish there was less going on. Visually, it was really fantastic, I thought. Same detail in the environments, except they didn't feel CGI like they did in I - III. In fact, I thought the CGI was wayyy better done in this one. Just reflects the passage of time.
I also agree that the score was rather forgettable. Heavy-handed shout-outs to prior themes were the only time I noticed the music.
See, though, I thought the characters were very good. Some of them (Rey, Poe, and Carrie's Leia) were very very good, while the rest of them (Finn, Kylo, Han) were just very good. Rey is going to be fantastic going forward, and I totally - by the end - bought Kylo Ren's persona. Quite frankly, the movie wasn't long enough to get all the characterization you'd want for, say, Finn or returned-Han.
The most important part, though, was that I was absolutely, thoroughly entertained. I thought the story was great: essentially, a series of "coincidences" (read: THE FORCE) leading to bigger and bigger things. I mean, yeah, it was pretty similar to the plot of IV. But, even more so than any of them, it set things up for the movies to come. IV was essentially a self-contained story, and I'm not sure they knew they were going to get to keep going. This one felt like watching the first 2 hours of a 6-hour movie. That definitely turns some people off, but I thought it was set up very well. The ending, the suggestions of what's to come, the awakening of the force..........
Joe says: 4/5
How will we know, when the morning comes, we are still human? - 2D
Don't worry, my friend. If this be the end, then so shall it be.
Don't worry, my friend. If this be the end, then so shall it be.
