The Force Awakens discussion(spoilers)

[Guderian]

I understand most of the issues people here have with it, and even agree with many, but I still can't shake the impression that many here are judging it using a different criteria than is used on the old movies, and that the old are getting passes not granted to the new.

Funny thing, i talked with a few friends of mine about the movie and the exact same thing came up.
We all agreed, if we were to watch the old movies 4-6 again we would probably tear it apart as much as Episode 7.
For example the convenient Weakness in the Death Star, just sending out 10 Tie's even though you have thousands on the Death Star.
The Millenium Falcon ex machina at the end, the unnecessary trench run (Why it's space just go in right above it ^^)

But we also all agreed J.J. delivered a good Sci-Fi Movie!

[Pali]

I wouldn't call it good sci-fi, but that's because I don't see the movies as sci-fi (the EU sometimes qualifies).  A fun bit of space fantasy, though?  Definitely.

[turtle225]

I agree that there are some very large grading curves going on here.

I'm one of those people who never really forgave Disney for killing the EU and was expecting this movie to justify that decision. As such, I'm part of the group that had hopelessly high hopes and expectations for this movie and admittedly would likely never have been satisfied.

Some of my friends who have seen the movie and are more casual fans and or people who never ventured into the EU seem to have enjoyed it much more than I did. My sister went in with very low expectations and really liked the movie, even while admitting a lot of the flaws that we pointed out.


While the movie has plenty of problems that can be picked apart by those who are looking, some people are more willing to just roll with things and try to enjoy themselves. It's a pretty interesting bit of psychology.

[Guderian]

I wouldn't call it good sci-fi, but that's because I don't see the movies as sci-fi (the EU sometimes qualifies).  A fun bit of space fantasy, though?  Definitely.

Mhh i think i would have to rewatch it, to see wether i would give it the Space-Fantasy Quality Stamp of the Old Star Wars ^^
It was more fantasy with them going back to the "The force sorrounds us" stuff instead of the Midi-chlorians...
So in that aspect definitly Fantasy.
It's a gray area but i guess Star Wars in general does fit more to Space-Fantasy in comparison to other Sci-Fi Movies ^^

[StarLordX]

I watched the whole movie. It was amazing, epic and a bit of a tearjerker, especially with Han Solo dying at the hands of his own son. I did admit, I had a good laugh when it comes to Kylo's temper tantrums.

[Slornie]

So I've been reading through the 100 page long Force Awakens thread over on another forum I frequent and came across this.  Quite interesting theory:

Theory making the rounds that would basically means the First Order was even smarter than we suspected, and the Resistance's win even costlier than losing Han.

So, in Clone Wars we learn that as part of making their lightsabers, jedi travel to the ice planet of Illum to obtain the kyber crystals used as the focal point of the lightsaber. These crystals are not unique to Illum (they're found on Lothal and a few other locations), but it's the primary source. In other sources (part of the new canon), we learn that a very large kyber crystal was used as part of constructing the Death Star to focus the superlaser.

Now. If one overlay the new canon map over the old EU maps, two things appear.
First, all planets that appear on both match fairly closely to very closely to their original location.
Second, the location marked "Starkiller base's original location" is nowhere near any planet on the old EU map.

Except one, which it matches perfectly. Illum.

Starkiller base, of course, is an ice world that hosts a superweapon that would probably have had a very big use for kyber crystals.

So it's very possible that the First Order were even smarter than suspected in carving out their weapon out of a planet by carving out a planet full of death-beam-focusing crystals,. And that the Resistance, in destroying Starkiller base, also destroyed one of the most sacred sites of the old jedi order, and the largest source of lightsaber crystals.

[Mat8876]

That's an interesting theory and it makes a bit of sense.

[Pali]

While I'd love to consider that to be possible, I have zero confidence that JJ and co. put that level of forethought into the Starkiller Base.

I like the movie, but I'm not going to try and figure out ways to make it smarter than it was.

[Guderian]

While I'd love to consider that to be possible, I have zero confidence that JJ and co. put that level of forethought into the Starkiller Base.

I like the movie, but I'm not going to try and figure out ways to make it smarter than it was.

I agree 100%
It is a nice theory, but that's it: A theory.
Just like the Theory i heard that Max von Sydow actually played an aged Boba Fett at the beginning....