
Admit It: 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Stinks - smaili
http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-star-wars-the-force-awakens-stinks-20151226-column.html
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leepowers
Good explanation of something I was feeling after watching The Force Awakens -
it's a sequel, but it feels like a reboot. Abrams and Kasdan borrowed too many
motifs and plot lines from A New Hope. So I agree with the criticisms of the
article. But personally disagree with the conclusion, for two reasons.

First, my expectations were already very low, to the point of being non-
existent. Mostly due to the prequels which attempted to push the series into
new territory, but failed miserably. The prequel SFX were engrossing. But when
it came to the backbone of the story - the plot, the dialogue, the structure,
character motivations - it was obviously amateur hour. All I was expecting was
a exciting and comprehensible space opera action flick, and that's what we
got.

Second, Star Wars is no longer Star Wars. It was at one time revolutionary,
iconic, a cultural touchstone, and a right of passage for millions. Now it's
just another franchise amongst many - competing with Marvel, DC, Star Trek,
Harry Potter, and many other glossy high-budget thrill rides.

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dudul
Got to say, I haven't seen it, mostly because I know I would hate it. But one
of my friends told me that they are destroying a death star. Again. For the
3rd time. Seriously? How many times are they gonna try?

"One can envision Hollywood eventually turning out only two products: "Star
Wars" movies and James Bond movies, each periodically "rebooted" for a new
generation of customers."

Absolutely love the conclusion. This is exactly what is happening right now.
It's like every single new movie is a reboot. Mad Max, Ghostbusters, Robocop,
Point Break, The neverending story...

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krapp
Yes. It is, in broad strokes, essentially a retelling of A New Hope.

The only reason the Death Star was destroyed in the first movie was that
George Lucas was forced to essentially cram his ideas for the entire trilogy
into A New Hope (which is why, absurdly, a second Death Star shows up later.)
It wasn't _supposed_ to be destroyed until the third act.

There really is no excuse for the new "Death Star" to wind up destroyed in the
The Force Awakens other than fanservice. I honestly would have been more
impressed if they'd shown the utter failure of the attempt to destroy it -
given how much more massive the new thing was compared to the old, it just
stretches even the dubious credibility of the problems with the original Death
Star past the breaking point.

But... nope... they set some handheld explosives and blow up the whole planet
what good. Just like they did two other times.

And honestly, i'm kind of ok with that. The movie's not _terrible_ , it's just
not that original. But after the prequels, I can't really blame anyone for
wanting to play it safe - and I understand most modern Star Wars fans have
never even seen the original trilogy, so for the target audience, it's
possibly not old hat. George Lucas likes to say the Star Wars movies "rhyme,"
which basically seems to mean using the same themes, basic characters and plot
points is intentional.

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chrisdbaldwin
If only Lucas had stuck with Jar Jar being the hidden wizard like he did with
Yoda.

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joshstrange
The Force Awakens is exactly what you would get if you threw the original 3 in
a blender... It wasn't terrible but it was a disappointment. It was extremely
repetitive and predictable, I didn't see the big spoiler online ahead of time
but I saw it coming from a mile away...

I will probably watch 10 & 11 but I won't go to a theater for them, it's just
not worth it.

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dragonwriter
> The Force Awakens is exactly what you would get if you threw the original 3
> in a blender...

I see the strongest influences from Episodes 4, 1, 3, and 5 (in roughly
descending order.)

> I will probably watch 10 & 11 but I won't go to a theater for them, it's
> just not worth it.

AFAIK, there's not a firm plan to make anything beyond 9 (though I suppose a
fourth trilogy is inevitable if the third is successful.)

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pasbesoin
Beyond the "reboot", I found little of it... "believable."

In contrast, for all the "another galaxy" and "less-advanced" special effects
of the first three and particularly the first two, I found them much more
"believable". I also found them more graphically engaging.

SPOILERS AHEAD -- ROT13-ed (1):

Va Njnxraf, jr svaq nyy gur punenpgref "shyyl sbezrq" naq va cynpr, ohg jvgu
yvggyr be ab rkcynangvba.

Grra Erl frrzf gb unir orra nonaqbarq naq gb yvir ba ure bja, ohg fur vf
nyernql irel pbzcrgrag va obgu grpuabybtl naq svtugvat. Qba'g trg zr jebat; V
jnf dhvgr ybbxvat sbejneq gb univat n yrnqvat srznyr cebgntbavfg. Ohg jr qba'g
ernyyl jngpu ure _yrnea_ nalguvat; fur whfg _qbrf_.

Rira va tebjvat vagb ure Wrqv cbjref. Yhxr unq Ora, Lbqn, naq n ybg bs gevny
naq reebe. Erl vf cerffherq vagb na vavgvny "eriryngvba" naq gura
fhofrdhragyl, qhevat fbzr fhowrpgvir, vagebfcrpgvir frpbaqf va gur zvqfg bs n
yvtug fnore qhry, frrzf gb npuvrir n dhnfv-vafgnagnarbhf, vaurerag znfgrel.

Unaf naq Purjvr fubj hc, "pbzvat ubzr" gb gur ybat-fbhtug Snypba fbzrubj ng
gur cerpvfr zbzrag Erl unf qvfpbirerq vg. Bofpher pbzzragf nobhg fbzr fbeg bs
genpxvat; ohg... jryy, zru. Pbagevirq, znlor, rira jvguva gur fgbel'f
havirefr.

Yrvn vf n Trareny abj. Bx... Ohg jr trg mreb ba ubj gung pnzr gb or. Fur whfg
vf. Fur naq Unaf unir n erpbapvyvngvba fprar, ohg gurer vf ab ohvyq-hc gb vg.
Vg whfg _vf._

Gurve fba, gur Inqre ercynprzrag. Fb ur'f nyy ovt naq onq -- naq n Rzcver (be
jung ner jr pnyyvat vg abj?) yrnqre. Ohg, frevbhfyl, ng uvf lbhgushy ntr? Ubj
qvq gung pbzr gb or? Naq ubj qbrf gung erpbapvyr jvgu gur jrnxarff gung,
senaxyl, ur jrnef ba uvf fyrrir? Anqn -- whfg gnxr vg, ivrjre.

V ubj gur arkg svyz vzcebirf. Ohg V jnf _abg_ vzcerffrq jvgu guvf erobbg --
pbhtu -- qrohg.

Bar ynfg guvat? Fb lrnu, PTV vf 1) Abj n guvat, naq 2) Unf zhpu orggre
pncnovyvgvrf gung n qrpnqr ntb.

Abarguryrff, gur tencuvpny nfcrpgf bs gur svefg guerr svyzf (orsber Yhpnf tbg
uvf ergeb unaqf ba gurz) ner zhpu orggre. Abg nf onqyl nf fbzr svyzf/fprarf,
ohg, fgvyy, cnegvphyneyl va znal npgvba fprarf, Njnxra whfg unf "gbb zhpu
enaqbz penc tbvat ba."

Va gur svefg guerr svyzf (sebz bhe, gur nhqvrapr'f, crefcrpgvir), punenpgref
yrnearq naq terj naq orpnzr. Naq gur tencuvpf freirq nf n sbpny cbvag sbe bhe
vzntvangvbaf.

Va Njnxraf, jr unir... nyzbfg n ivqrb tnzr. Shyyl sbezrq punenpgref, jnyxvat n
fpevcg, naq fperrashyf bs npgvba.

Vg erzvaqrq zr, qhevat gur npgvba fprarf, n ovg bs gur Niratref zbivrf. N
jubyr ybg bs zbivat cnegf -- ohg, jvgu nyy gur _zbivat nebhaq_ , abarguryrff n
ovg gjb-qvzrafvbany.

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