The more I think about it the more I feel it was a lazy and ****ty movie. Take the Star Wars out of it and it's schlock.

For me, I loved it. Looking at it from all sides, I can understand the reaction that it's a recycled version of episodes 4 and 5, and in a lot of ways it absolutely is. I kind of looked at it as a reboot sequel. It's a continuation of the story that introduces new characters in a familiar framework. And looking back, 4 and 5 were the only really good ones anyway. I have a childhood affection for ROTJ, but in reality it's pretty weak, especially compared to ESB.

I also think that until we get the full story from the next movie, we can't totally judge this film in its entirety. There are a lot of borrowed elements in 7, and 8 will have the opportunity to take those elements in a new direction. J.J. Abrams isn't writing or directing the next one, but he is producing it and has been totally open with the next writer/director about the story, so I'm sure there is a larger framework there that we haven't seen yet. If they fail to do something fresh and original with those elements, then 7 and 8 will probably be a collective wasted opportunity in my eyes.

But really, I honest to goodness enjoyed every second of the movie. The new characters felt great and fresh enough that I honestly didn't mind a rehashed story line. I liked all the moments with Han interacting with the new cast, and he was great in his reprisal of the role. BB-8 was awesome and was a perfect stand-in for the R2-D2/C-3PO plot device/comic relief without being a cgi abomination like he who shall remain nameless. The Millennium Falcon was awesome. The re-introduction of the ship was both awesome and hilarious. It was all in all a very fun time.

And the best part for me? Talking to people who hadn't seen the original movies, I kind of suggested a few options regarding the prequels and how they should approach those in terms of understanding the whole universe. And you know what? After 5 minutes into the new movie, I decided that the prequels were officially 100% dead to me. Not even worth wasting another minute of my life on ever again. It's kind of like finally being free of an abusive relationship. :lol: I wanted to like them so much when they first came out, but after a while, reality sets in and you have to accept that they suck.

I saw it. Han Solo is the new JarJar, and his character was punished for it. We can now move on from the George Lucas rap e.

Also, in terms of it being schlock, it's not like the first Star Wars movie was really high brow. The effects at the time were a huge achievement and it was a cultural phenomenon in terms of creating the modern fanboy, but under a harsh microscope it has bad acting and huge plot holes that exist for convenience of the story, etc.

After seeing the movie, I just had to immediately read all the negative reviews online (a weird thing I like to do) and one response to someone listing all the problems and plot holes, etc. was "You could probably make the same list about ESB."

Yeah, sure, nevertheless, this was pure regurgitation. Not exactly difficult to build upon the story here...as I said, pure lazy, and nil imagination was applied.

How did the not build upon the story? I think the aim was new characters, familiar framework. So now we have a new set of characters on their own journey that we've only seen 1/3 of. I fully understand the unoriginal story gripe, but I really think of this as a bridge movie and 8 and 9 need to deliver for them to stand on their own.

Could it have been better? Definitely. Was it 100% awful? Not in my opinion, and I think the 90+% positive reviews out there would agree.

I also didn't like the who deus ex droidina at the end with R2 magically waking up with the map they needed just when they needed it.

The he rest of the story lines and plot hole things are intentionally there to be fleshed out later for your next $20 ticket.

Also no reaction to Han Solo being relegated to comic relief?

I can't dig far enough ... it just kinda blasphemes the character.

Well, aside from the fact that portions of that are actually completely inaccurate/haven't even been established yet, the good news is that there are lots of other things in life for you to enjoy now that you've established that you can't enjoy a simple movie.

But just for fun, what would you have done with the movie?

Ermagerd! Lawd forbid someone else's experience doesn't cozy up with yours.

Quote one line from TFA by Han that couldn't have been said by JarJar...

To be honest, Han Solo dying is really Disney's FU to Harrison Ford. His demand of $25m (Carrie fisher got $1.5m), and all his improv is actually just him pointing out the plot similarities to the previous movies. So they said screw this and wrote his sorry ass out. It's like he didn't even try to act during the filming.

I'm certain we'll see the other hold overs die off ASAP as the new movies go along.

In the meantime JJ will keep wreaking havoc with Star Trek...

Why completely **** up only one Sci-Fi franchise when you can do it in stereo?

There is no greater American cultural face palm than Star Wars.

Before any of you imbeciles try to derive spiritual guidance from these overblown crackerjack box scifi epics, try to remember that Yoda is a cheesy latex puppet.

Nope. I honestly DGAF. And I'm sure Disney will read all these negative reviews and wipe their tears with hundred dollar bills. :lol:

Puhleeze. Our primary export is cultural facepalms. Kardashians, Kanye, Trump, etc..

I didn't get all butthurt over a perceived disagreement.

Actually, while we're on this topic, when the hell did the word franchise creep into movie lingo? I understand that the actual definition fits the description, but it just weirds me out. I think franchise and I think McDonalds. Couldn't we just call it a movie series or property or saga or something like that? Would we call it a Beatles franchise release if we're talking about one of those albums with a collection of Beatles covers from various artists?

Neither did I. I thought we were having a real discussion until I realized all your posts were single thoughts with no real dialogue. Very unoriginal. :lol:

Harrison Ford himself was not into doing Han Solo again. He thought ROTJ was a bad movie and that Han should have died then. I think he was all too happy to finally check out of that character. There was an entire article explaining his love/hate relationship with the character and the fans.

I see the butthurt is strong with you Mr. Dollars = Art.

Again, I was trying to have a conversation, and when did I ever try to use the word art? (It's definitely NOT art, and neither were the originals) I listed both bad and good points and made observations. You have come back every time with a variation of "it sucked" give or take a few syllables.

You're free to not like it. I really don't care. But don't take my attempts at engaging you in a discussion as my inability to accept your point of view.

If you want to have a real conversation, I'm still waiting to hear what you think they should have done with the movie. But either way, I need some sleep because I need to get up bust my ass at work tomorrow so I can be off from 12/24-1/3 and hurt myself on a bicycle.

fify, edited for personal relevance

I was downtown.