Force Awakens

[Swanoir]

Off to the midnight showing in 2hrs 32 mins...I know some of you chaps won't give a monkey's handbag, but I'm nearly wetting myself with excitement!

[DaveB]

The wife is baby-sitting tomorrow so that the daughter and partner can go. I'll be at work!

Keen to see it when I get the opportunity but I'll probably wait until it's either on the box or out on DVD/Blu-Ray
Hope you enjoy it
ATB
DaveB

[WarHorse47]

I never knew monkeys had handbags.


--WH

[Vancouver]

I never knew monkeys had handbags.


--WH

Where else would they keep their lippy?

[Airspeed]

I've just noticed that Swanoir is as old as the first film

We look forward to your report.

Sadly, 25-odd years ago, a burglar took my entire collection of SW figures and vehicles....CREEP

[Swanoir]

I've just noticed that Swanoir is as old as the first film

We look forward to your report.

Sadly, 25-odd years ago, a burglar took my entire collection of SW figures and vehicles....CREEP

That's right Mike! I was two when the original Star Wars was released, although the first one I saw at the cinema was The Empire Strikes Back.

That's tragic news about your figures, I've still got all of mine luckily. Now I've become what they call an 'AFOL' (Adult Fan Of Lego), and my Star Wars Lego collecting is starting to rival my Flightsimming in scale (and cost!).

Now for the 'review'...

Well, for those of you who are going to see the film, I'm not going to say very much so as not to give anything away. One of the reasons I wanted to go to the midnight showing was to guarantee no spoilers beforehand and I think it's important people can make their own minds up.

Overall I liked it. There were some fantastic moments in true Star Wars tradition that will please old-school fans like myself. Just seeing Han and Chewie back on the big screen is worth the ticket price in itself!

However...my main issue I had was with the predictable plot. I found it perverse that Lucasfilm/Disney have spent months jealously guarding the details of the plot and yet ultimately nothing happened in the film that I hadn't already guessed would happen. There was literally nothing unexpected or surprising in the storyline. I was really looking forward to some clever plot twists and red herrings, but at the end of the day the action rumbled on predictably as if it was on rails!

I honestly can't say any more with getting too specific. My seventeen year old son loved it and we had quite a heated argument in the car on the way home at 3am about it! His girlfriend and my wife, neither of them Star Wars fans, both really enjoyed it too. I think I just went in with ridiculously high expectations that were always going to be impossible to meet.

I actually found the new characters very good, which I didn't expect. Even BB-8 wasn't as irritating as I thought. The effects sequences are fantastic (we saw it in good old 2D, I can't stand 3D) and as to be expected from JJ Abrams, the pace was relentless from start to finish.

In summary, I think my issues with The Force Awakens are purely personal and not a reflection of the quality of the production overall. I'll never be able to recapture the experience of being a ten year old boy watching Return of the Jedi for the first time. But I would heartily recommend you watch it, especially while it's in the cinema if you can.

Ultimately, I think this movie will split opinion and stir up a bit of debate, but not necessarily in a bad way. I'm definitely looking forward to Episode VIII.

Oh, and Jar Jar ISN'T in it

[DaveG]

Thanks for the "mini review". I'll be seeing it sometime over the Christmas / New Year period, but not sure when. Remember queuing around the block to see the original back in the day.
In fact, I think I'm going to watch it now.

[Swanoir]

Thanks for the "mini review". I'll be seeing it sometime over the Christmas / New Year period, but not sure when. Remember queuing around the block to see the original back in the day.
In fact, I think I'm going to watch it now.

Good for you! I'm desperate to say more, but I can't! I'm looking forward to hearing what you think Dave

[Paul K]

I daresay I'll rent it when it becomes available.

[Effoh]

The original Star Wars film was my first experience of Dolby cinema sound. I can still feel the vibration in my chest as that Star Destroyer went over my head in the opening sequence. I was 15? Now, where's that DVD...