New Star Wars movie is well received by the critics.

[Anomalocaris]

Spoiler alert! The Last Jedi is a Disney musical!

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(Actually I was expecting Leia to break out with a "Frozen" song at one point!)

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Okay, my power of self denial is small and exercising it fully does not take long.

So, my impression of the movie?

Blah.  If it weren’t called Star Wars and didn’t start with blaring music and trapezoidal text crawl, it would be another of those entirely forgettable, run of the mill 1980s or 1990s sci-fi flicks that were designed to cash in on the Star Wars craze.

It had less outright deficiencies as a movie than the force awakens, but it also reduces perhaps some of the unfulfilled character depth potential introduced in the first move to simple plot points.

Also, some of the plot resolution is just shoddy.  The thing with kilo Ren turning a light saber on snoke without snoke knowing, and there being no serious dramatic buildup consistent with the larger storyline that seem to adaquately justify snoke’s Hold on ren being broken, seems slap dash.   The elevation of the tantrum inclined kid kilo ren into the role of supreme leader of the dark side just cheapens the dark side and makes the whole story even more cartoony than weighty.

All adults on both sides now seem dead, and movie 9 seem set to become about bratty teenage antagonists with superpowers going at each other in a afternoon 30 minutes cartoon.

Oh, Laura Dern makes a cameo, which is fitting because of the Jurassic world preview right before the main movie.

[Amarok]

Rubbish .... 

It was an awesome movie

[Anomalocaris]

Rubbish .... 

It was an awesome movie

Strip away the title, the text crawl, the John Williams score, change the shape of all space crafts, the design of the uniform and armor of all background character, replace the word “force” with “psychic energy”, and call the laser swords (Luke’s words, not mine) with “magic crystal sword”, how awesome would it still be?

True, it did have some sentimental scene that works and would not have worked without the rest of Star Wars, but is that enough to carry a movie?

[Aroura]

It's funny, because the only people that dislike it are people with preconceived notions of what Star Wars should be, that they can't seem to let go of. Plenty of long time fans are able to, thankfully.

New fans, people who were introduced to all this with TFA, seem to really enjoy the franchise. They seem to think the movies are great, despite not having any association with the fan fair or text scrawl. I guess there can be an argument made that young people all have shitty taste in movies, but it seems much more likely that it is the older Star Wars "fans" with the hang-ups. (Plus, it isn't just young people that are joining as new fans, but older ones who never got into the OT as well).

[Amarok]

Rubbish .... 

It was an awesome movie

Strip away the title, the text crawl, the John Williams score, change the shape of all space crafts, the design of the uniform and armor of all background character, replace the word “force” with “psychic energy”, and call the laser swords (Luke’s words, not mine) with “magic crystal sword”, how awesome would it still be?

True, it did have some sentimental scene that works and would not have worked without the rest of Star Wars, but is that enough to carry a movie?

Still awesome .Even setting aside any of the other star wars films . I think it stands well on it's own .

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It's funny, because the only people that dislike it are people with preconceived notions of what Star Wars should be, that they can't seem to let go of.  Plenty of long time fans are able to, thankfully.

New fans, people who were introduced to all this with TFA, seem to really enjoy the franchise.  They seem to think the movies are great, despite not having any association with the fan fair or text scrawl.  I guess there can be an argument made that young people all have shitty taste in movies, but it seems much more likely that it is the older Star Wars "fans" with the hang-ups. (Plus, it isn't just young people that are joining as new fans, but older ones who never got into the OT as well).

Indeed this film deviants a lot from previous films. And i love it 

As i said i think it stands on it's own . And those who try and argue it's nostalgia driving it . Have not asked people who are not star wars fans . Because most of the non fans i know loved it .

[Anomalocaris]

It's funny, because the only people that dislike it are people with preconceived notions of what Star Wars should be, that they can't seem to let go of.  Plenty of long time fans are able to, thankfully.

New fans, people who were introduced to all this with TFA, seem to really enjoy the franchise.  They seem to think the movies are great, despite not having any association with the fan fair or text scrawl.  I guess there can be an argument made that young people all have shitty taste in movies, but it seems much more likely that it is the older Star Wars "fans" with the hang-ups. (Plus, it isn't just young people that are joining as new fans, but older ones who never got into the OT as well).

Actually, no.

I think the movie is mediocre precisely because it is indifferent as a stand alone movie.  Forget the Star Wars fanfare and trappings, if it retains exactly the same plot and special effects, but simply swap out the character names and the iconic props so it is clearly not part of the Star Wars “universe”, would you still get worked up about it?  I try to think how such a changed movie would look, and it looked to me like it doesn’t have much to stand on without these Star Wars trappings.  It would be another serviceable but forgettable me too flick.  There were a whole genres of these me too space battle movies set in different universes with a different contrived back story made after the original Star Wars to cash in on the unexpected success of that movie.  I struggle to see how this one would have been significantly above average compared to that lot.

I do think the hype about Star Wars is such that if a movie is set in the Star Wars universe, then the originality of its plot and its character and dramatic development are in effect allowed to be held to a lower standard than your average movie by fans or even the casually interested.   What in another movie would be considered blahhh would be swooned over and deemed outstanding achievement of the year if it were in a Star Wars movie.

That said, there are things which the movie does right as part of the Star Wars franchise.

Administrator Notice
Spoilers ahead

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1. The movie reveals Rey is unrelated to any precious character.  This allows the franchise to stop being an endless soap opera about just one family.  The theme of the franchise have gradually taken on an air of blood and predestination.  That Rey came from nowhere and belong to no noble lineage is the right move to restore a sort of good can come from anywhere wholesome optimism originally introduced with the first Star Wars in 1977, and then gradually submerged under the leaden weight of contrived epicness and self reference in each succeeding movie.

2. The connection between Luke fading into the force and the unnamed boy that tends racing animals on the casino planet at the end of the movie is hinted at but not made clear, but it does suggest even Rey and Kylo are just transition characters in any design Disney has for the future of the franchise beyond episold 9. This is also good for the franchise, and prevent this story cycle from taking itself too seriously in its culmination, which was what Undid Return of the Jedi.   No, the culminating battle between good and evil and light and dark are not all about the souls of the main characters in this movie.   It potentially makes the canvas for the future of the franchise much bigger and less tied down to previous storylines.

3. The force awakens hinted at a thing developing between Fin and Rey.  But This movie introduced Rose. Hooray for diversity.   The ex-imperial renegade Fin and spunky mechanically inclined Rose definitely seem to afford more potential for a half hour Cartoon Network spin-off series than Fin and Rey, Rey being laden with whatever tired old burden force users are expected to carry.   Also, Disney were probably keenly eyeing the pockets of 1.3 billion Chinese when it introduce the character Rose.   The double crossing code cracker also seem custom designed to appear in the spin off TV series.

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[Aroura]

Although I'm 40 something so I had watched and was well aware of Star Wars previously, I was not a fan. I used to tell people that I loved Star Trek, and was indifferent to Star Wars. They were enjoyable movies, to be sure, but I had no special connection to them.  I owned no action figures, only ever say Phantom Menace prequel in the theater (though I did see them all eventually), etc.

The Force Awakens changed that.  Now I'm a fan.  It actually makes me appreciate the original trilogy and even the prequels more.  

Sor for me at least, the answer to your question is that I think they are superb movies on their own, independant of Star Wars.  And I know I'm not alone.  A large portion (not all of course!) of the people who seem to be big fans of the new movies are indeed, new fans period.  Your continued assertion that people like them because they are Star Wars is just backwards.  It is mostly existing fans that seem peeved by them, and newer movie goers that like them.  If they were bad on their own, that would be reversed, and only Star Wars fans would like them, and it would not be attracting brand new fans.

All that being said, I think your first 2 points are quite correct, though a bit jaded, and your third point is super jaded. Which seems to explain your dislike for the whole new franchise.  Also, there was never anything but friendship between Finn and Rey.  The hinted at relationship was always between Kylo and Rey.  Finn has a thing for Rey, yes, but she friend zoned him immediately.  A lot of people seem to have missed that.

Anyway, I don't mean to go around criticising the critics, but I get a bit tired of all the downers.  Don't like it?  Fine.  You are entitled to your opinion of course.  Don't try and dim the joy of those who are enjoying it, however.  That's just mean.

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Rubbish .... 

It was an awesome movie

Strip away the title, the text crawl, the John Williams score, change the shape of all space crafts, the design of the uniform and armor of all background character, replace the word “force” with “psychic energy”, and call the laser swords (Luke’s words, not mine) with “magic crystal sword”, how awesome would it still be?

True, it did have some sentimental scene that works and would not have worked without the rest of Star Wars, but is that enough to carry a movie?

And also, I'd like to add, that if you stripped all of that out of a New Hope....same outcome?

Most of the new movie has zero to do with the force, laser swords, spaceships, etc, and everything to do with the relationship between Luke, Rey and Kylo Ren. Strip all that other stuff away, and you would STILL have a great drama about these 3 very interesting characters.
Star Wars has always been a character driven story.  The Laser swords and cool monsters were just icing on the cake.  And the reality is, that hasn't changed at all.  Disney has not made movies reliant only on the tech and side stuff.  They made more character driven stories, and damn, a lot of people actually like the new characters!!

[Whateverist]

I'm thinking of taking in a matinee. The only trouble is that school is out for winter break so a theatre of the very young is likely to be even less appealing than one full of adults. Looking forward to seeing it.

Funny but for me when I saw the first trailers for the original Star Wars I thought no way. Looked just plain stupid. But I went (probably high) and liked it well enough. Empire Strikes Back was more interesting and by then I wanted to see whatever came next. But when I watch the original trilogy now those movies do not impress me anywhere near as much as the last one, The Force Awakens. So I'm definitely looking forward to seeing this new one. (I was pretty much obligated to see the prequels but I agree with most people that they were the worst, though entertaining in places.)

[Aroura]

I'm thinking of taking in a matinee.  The only trouble is that school is out for winter break so a theatre of the very young is likely to be even less appealing than one full of adults.  Looking forward to seeing it.

Funny but for me when I saw the first trailers for the original Star Wars I thought no way.  Looked just plain stupid.  But I went (probably high) and liked it well enough.  Empire Strikes Back was more interesting and by then I wanted to see whatever came next.  But when I watch the original trilogy now those movies do not impress me anywhere near as much as the last one, The Force Awakens.  So I'm definitely looking forward to seeing this new one.  (I was pretty much obligated to see the prequels but I agree with most people that they were the worst, though entertaining in places.)

Hey Whatevs, if you are like me and get a bit tired of hearing the negatives, you might enjoy this. I really like his channel and the idea of looking for the positive, anyway.





I hope you get to see the new movie soon!  If you do see a matinee, hopefully the kids won't be too obnoxious.  I saw an 11pm showing, and the adults behind us kicked our seats and put their feet up on the backs through the whole thing.  Adults are no guarantee of being polite movie viewers, lol.  Theaters are just ick, but this one is worth it.
Enjoy!

[Aroura]

Also, don't be a dick. If you are going to talk about movie plot points, put it in a spoiler tag. It's only been out a few days.

Can a mod please edit that post and cover up that massive spoiler please??