User reviews

This film really is nothing more than an Advertisement. I'll admit the first time I saw it at the movies I thought it was pretty good, and i watched it another two times with friends and family over the course of a month before it finally left theatres.

But after seeing it again, I realised something is off, something is not right about this movie.

It's completely hollow with nothing beyond its visuals

The movie is well shot, I'll say that. It has great looking effects, but it's only there to hide the fact that once you look past all the superficial razzle dazzle to hide the mess underneath. The movie is nothing more than a shadow of the previous movies. Everything about it feels rushed. The characters are so aloof and seem almost brain dead. The dialogue is so shallow and paper thin, it's like the writers just gave up. The characters hardly develop or learn anything and Rey's transition to a Jedi is so fast and forced, you can see how how obvious that the writers were too lazy to even bother to give give her a proper arc and story and make her feel like an actual human we can care about. Because that would be too long and boring, wouldn't it... God forbid challenge people's short attention spans... Who even needs real developed characters... Nobody cares about that anymore... Just give them the razzle dazzle crap or whatever???

It really is sad just how empty this movie is. The third time I watched it, it actually physically left a bad taste in my mouth, thank god for popcorn...

In general, I was satisfied with the viewing. The main thing that I liked was how the film was shot. First, the creators as much as possible embodied in it a visual image from old movies. Secondly, there were many actors and favorite characters from the old "Star Wars". Thirdly, the film has comical moments that fans of this space saga will certainly appreciate. Well, of course, a lot of shooting both on land and in space.

In general, the continuation was possible, as an integral part of previous films. The film is quite dynamic and spectacular. I can not call it the best if compared with the rest of the "Star Wars", it can't be called the best.

I was pleased with the schedule, and humor added its zest. The only thing that can be attributed to the shortcomings of the film is the absence of a pronounced story line. Of course, the plot is there, but it's some kind of blurry.

I recommend watching this movie, but do not expect anything supernatural from him.

I vaguely remember my first introduction to Star Wars. My uncle had taken me with his family to see some horror flick at the Drive-in about a ship that needed to kill people in order to keep the engine running; I seem to remember grey uniforms and it might have a gun ship of some kind? I don't remember too well; I was young, it was gross, and so I didn't pay attention. Looking out the back window of the station wagon, I saw the opening scenes of Empire Strikes Back. I spent the rest of the time entranced, even without having any sound. My first "grown up" movie in a normal theater was Return of the Jedi. My mom had the Beta disks. I wore them out. I had the tape series. I wore it out. twice. Then, the movies were re-released. And altered. And the death spiral of the series began.

Most everyone complains about how annoying the prequels were. I was more wondering how they ever got made with so much blatant bigoted stereotyping. I have a thick skin for that sort of stuff, and I was starting to get offended. On top of very thoroughly documented complaints already raised against those rejects.

But this.... This brought back all the wonder, all the excitement of that little 5 year old looking through the back window, so many years ago. This IS the sequel we have been waiting 30 years for. And it was worth the wait.

Old school effects mixed with CGI, the classic musical score, a director that knew where to go and why, actors new enough to push their roles, while still experienced enough to successfully play them. Just enough questions answered to leave you fulfilled, while several obviously still await answers.

This is all we hoped for.

I don't need to pathetically hyper analyze it to love it. It was brilliant from start to finish. Unlike the godawful Lord of the Rings films, which are completely unwatchable.

I really loved the movie, can't wait to watch it again. I wasn't sure what JJ Abrams would do with the film but he has been unbelievably great for the franchise.

It gets really emotional at times and is just an absolute pleasure to watch. It felt like it was 1980 again. It's great to see this franchise resurrected and it was a beautifully natural continuation that delivered in spades! #TYJJ

From the virtue signaling of social justice, to the cheap-jack plot-line which was easily discerned in advance, to the awful acting which evoked little but hooting from me, I was, as you can see, disappointed, and in some cases outraged. If you dare to join me, I will explain.

I have nothing against diversifying the Star Wars universe, which is why I LOVED Star Wars 1, with its Oriental villains, Jamaican Gungan, Jewish scrap dealer, and more. It was a delight of indulgence which fleshed out characters of charm, making the experience vivid and interesting. But after Lucas received flak for ethnic portrayal, Jar-Jar became boring in Star Wars 2. In Star Wars 7, this pandering becomes intolerable. It's fine that Leah has the force, and it's fine that Rey inherited it, but Finn is gratuitous in his race. I would have nothing against this either but they make Finn formidable with a light-sabre against Kylo Ren. And please don't soft-soap me that love gave Finn the strength and skill to take on a pupil of the force - only hate has that power, the dark side. Otherwise, one must be cool and focused. Given this, I dismiss Finn and therefore it irritated me to watch Kylo Ren sword-play with Finn and not simply crush his windpipe with a wave of his hand, or penetrate his mind, which seems to be Ren's forte. As for Kylo vs. Rey, a bit more believable, but it made Kylo seem almost inept. Really? Rey's raw ability with zero training is tougher than Kylo with training? Not even close to believable.

What didn't I like about the plot? Well, first, aren't we simply replaying Death Star destruction from the first trilogy? Why, yes we are. And it looks like the Supreme Leader made all the same engineering, logistic, and tactical errors as the Emperor, just on a grander scale, including the convenient "having to recharge the cannon" just long enough for the Resistance to "win the day." Yawn. Second, much of the plot was geared to exploit the Skywalker/Solo family tree, and there was no thrill to any of it. Darth Vader is Luke's father - WHOA! I jumped out of my seat. Han is Kylo's father? Zzzz. Even if you wanted to say this was a remake, which it's not, it doesn't have the pizazz, never mind the oomph, of the original. But what does?

But the acting is where I think I really blew my cool. I can understand characters of convenience, and plot-lines of olde being rehashed, but it has to be acted well to pull it off. Even in Star Wars 3, as sappy as it was, the acting was GREAT, IMO. In Star Wars 7, Harrison Ford is just about limping to his finale, Carrie Fisher looks doddering and not commanding, Daisy Ridley grits her teeth so often I thought she was Red Sonja, John Boyega makes a concerted effort to appear naive at every turn (which makes his good fortune all the more unbearable), Adam Driver does not look torn in the least, and so forth.

I can point to hundreds of interesting and thrilling moments from the first six episodes of Star Wars which makes a complete weekend binge-watch, over and over again. Star Wars 7 does not add to that excitement. The tech seems standard, the CGI a little too self-conscious, the nostalgic cheese forced, the push forward too bossy and not natural. Still, I give this film a 6 in the hopes that Star Wars 8 will push the envelope once again.

In essence a remake of 'A New Hope' as opposed to a proper sequel, the check-box resemblance this long-awaited revival shares to its franchise's debut is genuinely uncanny and sadly staggering since this was the perfect opportunity to try something new considering that the 'Star Wars' moniker is a powerful enough box-office draw to recoup any budget, apparently no matter how exorbitant, and withstand more than a few bad apples (*cough* the prequels *cough*). What's here in 'Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)' is based on nothing more than nostalgia, a series of slightly sickening "remember this thing"'s and "this guy still looks the same but he's grey now"'s that become incredibly tiresome increasingly quickly. If you take away the franchise underlayer you're just left with a hollow, characterless piece that gives you no reason to care and very little actual information despite all its endless exposition. In the end, I was honestly bored even during all of its high-flying fanfare. 5/10

Star Wars The Force Awakens is a beautiful film. It's the Star Wars film that we've been waiting for for 30 years, the film that the prequels failed to deliver. It is full of gorgeous visuals, memorable characters, and genuinely funny lines but above all, it truly felt like how a Star Wars movie should feel. Wildly entertaining, at no point during the film did I feel removed from the action, or that I was waiting for the next scene to happen. The movie is very fast paced, with very few slow moments. That being said, the action flows together perfectly and somehow manages to never feel rushed. For me, by far the best part of The Force Awakens were the characters. And I don't mean Han, Luke, and Leia. While it was great to see the original three back in action, and Harrison Ford gave another brilliant performance as Han Solo, the ones that really stole the show were the new characters. The story centers around Rey, an independent, resourceful scavenger on the planet Jakku. Rey has clearly endured many hardships throughout her life and yet somehow, she remains hopeful about her future and maintains a strong optimistic attitude. As the movie progresses, we see Rey begin to discover her powers with the force and how to use them. But only towards the end of the film do we realize how powerful she truly is, and I am very excited to see what's in store for her in episodes 8 and 9. Part of what made Rey such a believable, effective character was the spectacular acting performance by Daisy Ridley. No other actor could have done a better job. The majority of the comic relief in this film comes from Finn, an ex storm trooper who encounters Rey in the desert after he crashes while trying to escape the First Order. It was fascinating to see a little inside the life of a storm trooper, something we never really saw in any of the previous films. Finn is equally as believable a character as Rey, and John Boyega's performance was spot on as well. Part of what made these two characters so great was the on screen chemistry between them, something that the prequels failed to deliver with Anakin and Padme.

As for Kylo Ren, aka Ben Solo, it was awesome to see such a complex character that has so many layers as the villain. We learn more about Kylo Ren's back story and personality in this one film than we do about Darth Vader in almost all of the original trilogy. The light saber temper tantrums, the side punching, the conversations with Darth Vader's helmet, Kylo Ren is the perfect balance of emotional kid and pure bad-ass. Star Wars The Force Awakens has brought back everything that I loved about the original Star Wars while at the same time, adding an element of mystery that did not exist in the originals. The movie is pure fun to watch and is so entertaining that I didn't notice any of the issues until my second viewing. If a massive grin didn't spread across your face when Han and Chewy burst through the doors of the millennium falcon, or if you didn't get goosebumps when Finn ignited Anakin's light saber for the first time, then you were never a TRUE Star Wars fan to begin with.

Facts and even more facts. You're welcome ; )

I was lucky enough to see The Force Awakens on its release day and I'm glad to say that it was spectacular!

The movie was well directed and a genuine Star Wars feel was evident throughout.

Throughout the whole 2 and a half hour running time, I was treated to a masterpiece of visual effects as well as well as a compelling and convincing story which introduced the two new lead characters: Rey and Finn. I thought BB-8 was a humorous, cute character and can't wait to see more of him in the upcoming films.

JJ Abrams did an amazing job creating easily the best film of the year.

Out of all the Star Wars films, this is definitely the second best in the franchise (just BARELY behind The Empire Strikes Back)

I have no idea why there is so much hate on this movie. This is one of my favorite movies ever!

This passed the original by an absolute landslide!

There are three very critical reasons why it is better than the original:

1) Better effects - Obviously the effects are going to surpass the original because of the time difference.

2) Better plot - In the original, the plot was......fine, but this one brings a whole new level of greatness

3) The New Jedi - Not going to say who it is, but I love this person a lot!

All in all, I would definitely recommend watching this amazing movie!!!

I purposely waited 24 hours before writing my review because I wanted to digest the film that long to truly take it in and reflect before I actually reviewed it. I wanted the euphoria of seeing the next chapter of the saga on the big screen to subside some so that I can make an objective review, but alas the euphoria has not subsided and the childlike excitement is still at an 11! This is plain and simply a great Star Wars film! In fact, I feel it is the second best offering of the franchise (behind 'The Empire Strikes Back'). From the opening crawl to the epic and somewhat moving final scene the movie kept you on the edge of your seat.

Even now, 24 hours later, I'm still left in awe of what Abrams has done. He has ignited a passion in me that has lied dormant for a decade thanks to the dreadful prequel trilogy. After Episode III I vowed never to see another George Lucas Star Wars film ever again. The prequels were cheesy (and not in a good way) and lacked imagination. They borrowed heavily from the expanded universe (which flies in the face of his original assertion that he had planned out the prequels before Episode IV was even made) and spat in the face of Star Wars fans everywhere. Lucas is now (thankfully) out of the picture and in steps admitted Star Wars fan J.J. Abrams who is quickly establishing himself as this generations Steven Spielberg. Abrams intention was to reignite the franchise and call upon his own boyhood wonderment when seeing the original trilogy for the first time and try to recreate that with the sequel by meshing old and new to weave a new chapter in the saga. What Abrams has done so well here is he's managed to keep the older cast members relevant while also creating new characters who feel like they've always been part of the story. He's been able to expertly bridge the generation gap and bond the older cast members with the new ones to create a cohesive story that is not only enjoyable to watch, but really FEELS like a Star Wars film from the epic battle scenes, music, costumes, sets - every part of the film, even down to the bits and pieces that Rey scavenges oozes STAR WARS and it is fantastic.

I won't delve into the plot for fear of spoiling it, but the film obviously revolves around a core of new characters in the Star Wars Universe - Rey, a young scavenger who lives on the desert planet of Jakku, Finn a former Stormtrooper who is desperate to escape the clutches of The First Order, Poe Dameron the top fighter pilot of the Resistance and his trusty droid BB-8, and Kylo Ren, a member of the First Order and a wannabe Sith who acts as the main antagonist of the film. There are other supporting cast including General Hux, a First Order General, Captain Phasma, the leader of the Stormtroopers, Maz Kanata, a pirate and collector of artifacts, and Supreme Leader Snoke who is the leader of the First Order. Several former characters are weaved into the film with Han Solo and Chewbacca seeing the majority of the screen time from that group. The connection between old and new is a constant theme in the film and it is pulled off masterfully. The film is an emotional roller-coaster from beginning to end and is a movie that I will always cherish thanks to it's re- ignition of my love for the franchise. There isn't much more that I can say other than if you are even remotely a fan of the Star Wars Universe you owe it to yourself to see this. Even if you are not, there is a lot to keep you entertained here and you never know, it may turn you into a fan of the franchise if you're not careful, regardless quit reading this and go see it!

Ever since I was a kid, I loved this franchise. Even episode 1, by far the worst in the series, had that "star-wars feel". Mostly thanks to great casting of Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor, awesome new dark side character and dual light saber. So despite extremely high expectations, the series wasn't ruined and effectively picked up in dark episode 3. Then Disney followed up with this one, with J.J.Abrams at helm, which once again rose the expectations. Well it's not good. Especially the casting and acting of younger stars. Even Harrison Ford and Chewy can't save this mess. It may be a blasphemy, but unfortunately Ford can't pull off ' "the cool". Sorry guys, he's a bit too old, so some action scenes look out of place. The casting of young stars was atrocious. Simply bad. Bad chemistry, Bad looks (ecpecially the Kylo Ren character), badly choreographed fights, Bad everything. On top of which, Abrams took the period as a remake of original which should not be touched! At all. Due to stunning (as expected) visuals, and a personal love to the universe, this movie can be watched, but if this awful trend continues, even special effects and millions of fans won't be able to save the series.

I mean honestly, what do these whiny nerds want? Prior to episode 7, I distinctly remember die-hard fans complaining how the prequels were pure garbage. Now you're all saying you miss the prequels? XD XD XD

This movie was great! I'm seriously baffled by some of these reviews. I'm sure if this series is ever rebooted, or another entry releases in 20+ years, you'll all yearn for JJ's Star Wars. You people have no idea what you want and will just complain no matter what is put forth. Cut the crap.

I thought this movie was great. The new characters, Finn and Rey, were instantly likable, and the inclusion of old favorites felt natural. I highly recommend this film and I think most NORMAL people will enjoy it.

Was the movie entertaining? Yes, moderately..

Did it blow me away? Nope..

It is like any other superhero movie(exception: christopher nolan's batman reboot), only this time it happens to be with star wars background, where the lead character does everything ..visuals were good..and music was good in parts..dialogue just OK..

There is no depth to any character, neither any intensity in the plot nor gripping narration...it was just beeeeeeeep from start to end..

but thats enough to become huge success these days i guess..sad state of Hollywood movies....