1674

I just watched this. It’s mostly Ep 7 bis. Some pretty images. Kids loved it. Some of the fan service moments were poignant, but those strings are so obviously easy to pull… Not angry or even disappointed, had fun, but I’m glad it’s over.

1675

Yeah, the idea of a defecting Stormtrooper was a good start, but after that the ball was dropped.

1676

Yeah they just did nothing with it–it would have great for time to have been spent with Rey-Poe-Finn more. Packed on too many blink-and-you-miss-them pointless characters like Teri Russell’s, Benicio del Toro etc.

Also hate the requirement to have to read offshoot novels/comics etc to get the full story like with Max Von Sydow or Phasma, or Ren-Snoke’s history. WTF.

1677

I’d like to go on record as leaving for the theater to watch it now, and excited to see the movie.

1678

Have fun!

1679

I hope you enjoy it!

1680

I am en route now and tempered expectations probably means I’ll like it.

1681

I had a great time. :) There aren’t too many grand finale movies like that.

1682

Just got back and enjoyed it thoroughly with the kids. I don’t know if I’m just more comfortable with Abrams directing, but I did not have the same harsh reaction as to the last one.

Main thing I can say is that it is a whole lot of Star Wars, from beginning to end. They nailed the aesthetics, and that goes a long way towards my enjoyment of the universe.

I do think they should concentrate on video games from now on. I think it is just a better medium for exploring and expanding Star Wars.

1683

I’m like a hundred posts behind on this thread but I mostly agree with this. I do still hold Abrams and Johnson responsible for some specific things that don’t have anything to do with the trilogy arc, but basically yeah, the failure of this as a coherent trilogy isn’t on them.

1684

Anyway, I saw it and I think it’s pretty bad. It’s not awful, I don’t hate it, but I’m not even close to liking it.

It’s been amusing zipping through the last 200 posts on this thread (I was a couple days behind afraid someone would spoil something) and seeing people make jokes that turned out to be eerily accurate or get things right for the wrong reasons.

I liked Episode 7 and 8 but this honestly undermines the whole trilogy.

1685

Movie by catering to hateable fan expectations?

1686

I enjoyed it quite a bit and I hate Episode VIII even more now. Make of that what you will.

1687

Yeah, I think it’s real bad, but I don’t hate it. Mostly I sat there in wry bemusement at the nonsense unfolding before me.

I’m torn on whether this makes it better or worse than Abrams last attempt at a Star * sequel. On the one hand, I don’t hate it like Into Darkness. On the other hand, hating Into Darkness meant it emotionally engaged me on some level.

1688

A silly thing that happened as I watched (not a spoiler).

A character at one point shouts “He’s here!” and it triggered the “Hey Siri” response from my phone.

1689

I’m going to the cinema now, I will post my opinion in a few hours…

1690

I have tickets to see this tonight. I’ll be back to discuss it.

1691

What was your phone doing on in the theater? Didn’t you learn anything from the M&M’s?

1692

I used to literally turn my phone completely off. It’s only recently that I started going with silenced and Do Not Disturb mode. I thought I was safe, it wouldn’t vibrate or light up for anything!

Except when a movie basically Jedi mind tricks it into thinking I’m talking.

1693

Heh, I only giving you a slight nudge.

Cinemark, they use M&M’s to ask to silence phones, actually has a mode in the app you’re supposed to use to get coupons that expire too quickly, Cinemode. I found out during one of my early viewings, a rarity, that Cinemode doesn’t actually turn the phones alarms off, but it silences everything else… so far.