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Can't bring myself to watch The Force Awakens more than a couple of times
- Thread starter Gunslinger
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Lifejumper
Member
Can you explain why?
Principate
Saint Titanfall
The reaction to the prequels wasn't even bad when they came out outside of the more die hard fans. They all reviewed well, sold plenty of tickets and a heck of a lot of toys. The whole the prequels were hated is something that came waaaaaaaaaaay later. Have a look at what the rotten tomato scores for the film's actually were when those films released. Two of them are still fresh because newer reviews haven't been added.
To act like they were widespread hated right from the onset is some substantial revisionist history.
Fox Mulder
Member
It was very geared towards fan service and doesn't really stand on its own to me. I was fine with this at the time, as it was a safe restart of a new era.
I just don't feel like watching it again.
I'm ready to admit now that these repeated threads designed to trash TFA and R1 are triggering me.
About every week or so, someone feels the need to make a thread to share their hot take that TFA or R1 isn't any good. And then they usually go on to say how they liked at least one of the prequel trilogy better.
Yet here I am, still walking right into this shit and commenting on it.
matt360
Member
That's totally fine. I don't get it, and I think it stands perfectly fine on its own, but people are most certainly free to like what they like. I will call BS on people saying it was dull or boring to the point where they couldn't finish it though. But I know hyperbole tends to run rampant in these types of threads.
SonicMegaDrive
Member
I can't get through most movies more than a couple times. Most movies are one and done for me. Even ones I enjoy. This is especially true for popcorn flicks with a lot of special effects and action.
FutureLarking
Member
The art and the aesthetics bored me to tears outside the films many other problems, especially after the prequels where we were treated to tons of new locales, vistas, ships and technology.
We got shit tiny desert settlement compared to Mos Eisley, shit cantina in the middle of nowhere (why?), completely unremarkable forest (doesn't help I've actually been to that forest a lot), god awful ranthar ship, boring imperial base and a rebel base that looks like a parking garage compared to Yavin. The only decent location was the icey forest at the end, and even that was nothing alien or otherworldly about it.
Everything was so tiny scale too for such a big film. An enemy that's barely explored, about 20 starfighters in the rebel fleet, no space battles, no cities, no civilsations (outside the 5 second shot of Hosnian Prime before it got blown up by a ridiculously underhyped and explained mega weapon) Everything was so rote and uninspired. Yeah, George can't direct, but he took his time too actually build out the world's and stories and art before they got started.
Whereas Abrams even admits a lot of the stuff they didn't have backstories' for, and weren't sure where they were leading when they started the film and just put them in there for someone else to fill out later and it really shows. George built a universe, where TFA feels like this really small selfcontained thing. Doesn't help they had a rushed pre-production that still had things being produced even after filming started. I mean, the films production really does feel like a safe cash grab rather than being something bold like Star Wars was before, for better or worse. And I don't excuse anyone for playing it safe when *this* was the result.
BB-8 was pretty much the best thing to come from it. All the other ships, tech and locations were so dull. So yeah, I cant stand through watching TFA again either.
(Ranthar scene made me almost leave the midnight screening. Everything that followed was a massive let down and genuinely boring - coming from someone who's read every single Star Wars novel and seen all the movies apart from TFA dozens of times. Latter half of Rogue One on the other hand, A++).
We got shit tiny desert settlement compared to Mos Eisley, shit cantina in the middle of nowhere (why?), completely unremarkable forest (doesn't help I've actually been to that forest a lot), god awful ranthar ship, boring imperial base and a rebel base that looks like a parking garage compared to Yavin. The only decent location was the icey forest at the end, and even that was nothing alien or otherworldly about it.
Everything was so tiny scale too for such a big film. An enemy that's barely explored, about 20 starfighters in the rebel fleet, no space battles, no cities, no civilsations (outside the 5 second shot of Hosnian Prime before it got blown up by a ridiculously underhyped and explained mega weapon) Everything was so rote and uninspired. Yeah, George can't direct, but he took his time too actually build out the world's and stories and art before they got started.
Whereas Abrams even admits a lot of the stuff they didn't have backstories' for, and weren't sure where they were leading when they started the film and just put them in there for someone else to fill out later and it really shows. George built a universe, where TFA feels like this really small selfcontained thing. Doesn't help they had a rushed pre-production that still had things being produced even after filming started. I mean, the films production really does feel like a safe cash grab rather than being something bold like Star Wars was before, for better or worse. And I don't excuse anyone for playing it safe when *this* was the result.
BB-8 was pretty much the best thing to come from it. All the other ships, tech and locations were so dull. So yeah, I cant stand through watching TFA again either.
(Ranthar scene made me almost leave the midnight screening. Everything that followed was a massive let down and genuinely boring - coming from someone who's read every single Star Wars novel and seen all the movies apart from TFA dozens of times. Latter half of Rogue One on the other hand, A++).
thecouncil
Banned
If I had to watch a Star Wars movie right now, it would be my last choice. Its awesome but it's also probably my least favorite of the 7.
MHWilliams
Member
Much like TFA, from around a year after ROTS until... a year after TFA's release, the reception to the prequels was largely negative for many in online discussion. Hell, this year is when folks began the "Are the prequels really bad?" line of articles and whatnot.
Here, look at the Lucasfilm buyout stories.
The Verge
Actual headline for further articles:
Random comments:
The Atlantic
BBC
Ars Technica
No, folks weren't happy with the prequels prior to a certain point. Folks were high on every film when it was released and then turned on them later. Once ROTS was out, folks turned on all three for quite awhile.
Imp the Dimp
Member
It's a mediocre ass movie so yeah, I'm not sure why you should.
FutureLarking
Member
On the contrary I find that opinion revisionist. Prequel likers have always been there - HOWEVER when those RLM reviews came out there was a massive influx of people jumping on the bandwagon of prequel hating who wouldn't usually have had a strong opinion either way. Now it's old news and they don't give a damn anymore their opinions have stopped drowning out people who actually find the prequels decent entertainment. Likewise even in the original TFA thread on Neogaf there were quite a few disappointed posters.
(Then again I've probably noticed it more, because I don't think the prequels are works of Satan to destroy childhoods, and TFA almost ruined my love of Star Wars, esp.given how much legacy stuff was sacrificed for it. RIP Mara.)
Show them better sci-fi if you want them to enjoy sci-fi movies, all previous SW movies are better than this and I don't particularly like them either. TFA is very mediocre movie at best and best part is that emoboy with fantasies of power and grandeur because how serious he tries to be makes it comedic.
yongeandcollege
Member
I almost never watch a movie more than once.
MHWilliams
Member
I acknowledged there are many who love the prequels. But the general sentiment was a negative one up until after TFA.
The drop in box office from TPM to AOTC was severe. People caught on early.
Albino_Yeti
Member
Han/Chewie and Poe save it from being a really so-so movie. It's just kinda generic. Probably because of how similar it is to ANH.
Finn is fine, but Rey is kinda boring. Why is she so good at everything? She had zero weaknesses. I know that's been a major talking point for awhile but yea. Hopefully they give her a weakness in TLJ.
Finn is fine, but Rey is kinda boring. Why is she so good at everything? She had zero weaknesses. I know that's been a major talking point for awhile but yea. Hopefully they give her a weakness in TLJ.
Joe Shlabotnik
Banned
Deadly Cyclone
Pride of Iowa State
I liked Force Awakens and Rogue One. Not sure why everyone here fell off of them.
What revisionist history is this? I remember listening to the NPR movie reviews blasting the prequels each release for having awful dialog, terrible direction, and no redeeming qualities. They have always been panned as bad.
Quality comment here.
Dubbedinenglish
Banned
Still salty on the bait and switch with Boyega, and the poor action. Enjoyed R1 far more.
It's probably better that I don't, considering I find more enjoyment out of 1&3 over the OT.
You realize right that icy forest at the end and completely unremarkable forest at middle are 100% same location with different effects slapped on? Made me chuckle when saw the movie because they didn't even try to hide set reuse.
dead souls
Member
Eh, I never rewatch movies or shows no matter how much I like them. Too much other stuff out there to see.
FutureLarking
Member
The thing is the wintry Forest was at least a somewhat new aesthetic for Star Wars. Around the Cantina section however, there's no dressing on it or anything - it's just an English forest.
At least Endor feels more alien to me - largely because we don't have forests of crazy tall trees like that in the UK, and also because no speeder bikes, native alien bears or walking metal chickens. TFA for it's part does little to make it feel otherwordly around then.
It certainly wasn't a "adult" film, but it wasn't a "children's film" either. Everyone went to see them at the time, people of all ages. The original trilogy, it was a cultural phenomonal that the Force Awakens doesn't even get close to.
https://www.yahoo.com/gma/star-wars-opened-day-1977-081804113--abc-news-movies.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9WVNMYPpJQ
The Force Awakens for me is vapid and lacks the emotional impact of the original trilogy
Duane Cunningham
Member
It's just not as memorable as the movies I've watched over and over for decades and have all the dialogue memorized. Gawsh.
Force Awakens is a great movie.
TheSecondSpitter
Member
They are soulless films that's why.
This needs to be repeated again. You're probably overrating the original trilogy and are too harsh on the new one. I've met a guy who grew up on the prequel trilogy and didn't watch the original til after (cause his parents didn't want to spoil him or something) and he holds up TPM as the best one!
I found the original trilogy pretty mediocre as an adult and fell asleep trying to rewatch, but I never held it up more than a fun set of movies as a kid.
Jangowuzhere
Banned
I don't understand how someone couldn't be disappointed by TFA.
They've had 10 years to make a new Star Wars movie, and the best they could come up with is A New Hope rip off?
The prequels were bad and that's obvious. We shouldn't have to lower our expectations to such a low degree when expecting a new Star Wars film. Star Wars should be better than the average blockbuster, and TFA was not. After I watched TFA, I felt more like I just watched yet ANOTHER MCU movie. Fine popcorn movie to have fun with, but barely worth anything beyond that.
They've had 10 years to make a new Star Wars movie, and the best they could come up with is A New Hope rip off?
The prequels were bad and that's obvious. We shouldn't have to lower our expectations to such a low degree when expecting a new Star Wars film. Star Wars should be better than the average blockbuster, and TFA was not. After I watched TFA, I felt more like I just watched yet ANOTHER MCU movie. Fine popcorn movie to have fun with, but barely worth anything beyond that.
I think it just because the "marketing" has just cooled down on it since release.
Just look at how many people seemed to be positivitely annoyed that someone could think that The Force Awakens could be considered a mediocre film.
I found I lost interest in the character during the second act of the film. That's when it crashed and burned for me. First act was good and enjoyable. The rest dull and boring becuase I didn't care anymore. Very disappointing.
We're on the same page.
Diprosalic
Banned
i would rewatch a couple of scenes maybe, but i have no desire ever watching TFA in its entirety again. i feel like once was probably too much.
then again i also don't think 2/3 of the original trilogy are any good.
SW is good for watching once and then forget everything about it. that being said, i do have hope for EP8.
that's pretty much my take on TFA too, i didn't like R1 at all though.
then again i also don't think 2/3 of the original trilogy are any good.
SW is good for watching once and then forget everything about it. that being said, i do have hope for EP8.
that's pretty much my take on TFA too, i didn't like R1 at all though.
Yep. It's not even better than revenge of the sith, but it's better than PM and AOTC.
And i think both the honeymoon phase passed and some people genuinely didnt like It that much to begin with. I remember watching on it's opening day and feeling disappointed right there. It really isnt that great of a movie.
Gunslinger
Member
Feels like another TPM symptom. Mega hype and nothing but positive reviews at first. Then the realization sinks in. I do think TPM is more enjoyable than TFA minus jar jar. It had more memorable sequences like the podracing, jedi fight at the end and qui-gon vs maul. But TFA isn't a bad picture either. its quality and script is better than TPM for sure. But just very generic, and forgettable. Entertaining for one or two sitting.
Crossing Eden
Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
They're genuinely trashfire films. Stilted acting, horribly awkward dialogue that never sounds like someone read the script. And yes, they literally did boil down to good vs evil, right down to straight up dehumanizing the enemy completely by making them droids and having the good guys be clones with zero personality. The entire crux of the films, the romance element, is completely stilted and awkward, as is the supposed great friendship between Anakin and Obiwan. So basically the two most important elements are terribly executed. Yet they're original because of some shitty diner scene in an out of place 50s diner? When they try so hard to shoehorn random OT elements to tie it all into a nice little not, like Jango Fett.
Using GAF as an indicator for this is pretty laughable. TPM didn't release to positive reviews.
I agree with this. It's Star Wars and it wasn't visually interesting. At least 1-3 was.
Using GAF as an indicator for this is pretty laughable. TPM didn't release to positive reviews.
Seeing that 92% really makes me question movie critics.
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