Ep7 Reviews (Spoilers)

[The Romulan Republic]

Leia does have a fair amount of combat experience, and she's clearly a competent fighter in the OT. And wasn't she in a military command role on Hoth?

[Elfdart]

If he's meant to be such a weak sauce villain, they could have at least found someone who kinda looked like Carrie Fisher or Harrison Ford. Or introduced a new character to be Kylo Ren's father, played by Frank Langella.

I thought when Kylo took off his helmet that he looked like Gene Simmons. Or a younger version anyway I think it might be that he had the same hair style as Gene Simmons.

I was thinking of a younger Frank Langella:

[Andy Wylde]

If he's meant to be such a weak sauce villain, they could have at least found someone who kinda looked like Carrie Fisher or Harrison Ford. Or introduced a new character to be Kylo Ren's father, played by Frank Langella.

I thought when Kylo took off his helmet that he looked like Gene Simmons. Or a younger version anyway I think it might be that he had the same hair style as Gene Simmons.

I was thinking of a younger Frank Langella:

WOW! Pretty interesting. Nice pic. Oh and happy new year to you!

[Vympel]

And now, for a tribute to the most Internet-popular character of TFA (and just pretty damn awesome generally):

[The Romulan Republic]

One thing you can definitely say for Force Awakens is that they made Stormtroopers bad ass.

[Vympel]

One thing you can definitely say for Force Awakens is that they made Stormtroopers bad ass.

They were definitely more impressive than their OT counterparts. A lot of that is probably down to advances in film making culture - proper 'military' behavior is not something that was particularly well represented in film in the late 1970s / early 1980s, and it wasn't until RotS in 2005 that the mo-capped clones moved, fired, and generally behaved in a recognisably 'military' manner. The First Order's Stormtroopers handle their weapons better and have more opportunities to do things like call for air support, give orders about getting into anti-air cover, etc etc.

When Rogue One comes out, we'll see if the culture change is represented there, since we'll be seeing OT stormtroopers again.

[The Romulan Republic]

Slightly old article, but basically a list of people who cameoed in Force Awakens.

The stormtrooper Rey mind tricked was none other than James Bond himself.

http://www.businessinsider.com/15-peopl ... rs-2015-12

When a film as big as Star Wars: The Force Awakens goes into production, there's bound to be tons of people who want to be a part of the action.

Sometimes these sorts of requests are fulfilled with the shortest, yet most prestigious, of roles — the cameo. Through makeup, voice overs, and short little glimpses, the following list of pretty recognizable actors made their mark on the legendary Star Wars franchise — and you didn't even know it.

View As: One Page Slides


Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg
Lucasfilm
Simon Pegg
Let's get the easy one out of the way, shall we? We knew Simon Pegg was going to be in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" ever since the Comic Con promo reel showed him "burning for 'Star Wars.'" However, secrecy being what it is to the franchise, we had no clue who Pegg would be playing, just that it was more than likely a character on Jakku. If your ears were sensing some familiarity in the voice of Unkar Plutt, the junk dealer that Rey dealt with throughout the first act of the film, then you noticed Pegg's brilliantly exaggerated vocals.

Daniel Craig
Daniel Craig
Lucasfilm
Speaking of Simon Pegg, a while back he accidentally let slip that James Bond himself, Daniel Craig, would be playing a stormtrooper in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. While Craig himself dismissed the report, claiming he'd never play a glorified extra in someone's film, it turns out that was just a mere tactic to keep his presence a secret.

Craig's role was that of Stormtrooper JB-007, also known as the first successful victim of Rey's Jedi mind trick. Though you have to give him credit, he did resist the first pass, and threatened to tighten the restraints before ultimately losing control.


Michael Giacchino
Michael Giacchino
Lucasfilm
Up until now, Michael Giacchino's acting career has been limited to films in which he's done the music, which has seen him appear in such films as Ratatouille, Super 8, and, most recently, Tomorrowland.

However, if a good friend like J.J. Abrams called you to play a stormtrooper in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, would you say no? It's that sort of thinking that saw the award winning composer filling the role of FN-3181 — the trooper that manhandled Oscar Isaac's Poe Dameron on Starkiller Base while delivering him to Kylo Ren.

Bill Hader and Ben Schwartz
Bill Hader and Ben Schwartz
Lucasfilm
When creating a new character for a canon as storied as Star Wars, you need to make sure said character has a distinct voice to call their own.

Not only did J.J. Abrams give BB-8 a fantastic physical design, but he also made sure to hire the right guys to give the droid a unique sound for its actual voice.

While we don't hear them say anything specific, the noises created by Bill Hader and Ben Schwartz were eventually mixed into the language that BB-8 would speak with the many characters it would encounter during Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Though rest assured, it's still an acquired trait to know how to speak droid.


Thomas Brodie-Sangster
Thomas Brodie-Sangster
Lucasfilm
Game of Thrones fans must have done a double take when, during a random scene on the bridge of Starkiller Base, they were treated to the image of Wog trainer Jojen Reed as an officer in the First Order.

For those of you who aren't fans, Thomas Brodie-Sangster is also known as Newt from The Maze Runner series, Ferb from the recently defunct Phineas and Ferb, and — most notably — Liam Neeson's love-struck son in Love, Actually.

Guess playing the drums didn't charm the ladies for too long.

Warwick Davis
Warwick Davis
Lucasfilm
Ever since his appearance in 1983’s Return of the Jedi, Warwick Davis has had at least one appearance in each variation of the Star Wars story.

With his previous cameo in 1999’s The Phantom Menace, and now a cameo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Davis is pretty much family when it comes to the galaxy far, far away.

His latest appearance is that of Wollivan, a patron in Maz Kanata’s cantina, with a tiny pink snout and puckered eyes.


Harriet Walter
Harriet Walter
Lucasfilm
While a lot of you Downton Abbey fans would recognize Lady Shackleton anywhere, that still doesn’t explain how one of the stars of the popular British TV show would be looking after Chewbacca’s wounds.

Granted, there seems to be a huge affinity of the Star Wars universe to use a good amount of British talent, but the woman who plays Dr. Kalonia, a medic at the Resistance base, actually has a deeper connection to the series.

As it turns out, she’s also niece of the late Christopher Lee, who played Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.

Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Lucasfilm/CinemaBlend
While we may not have expected Kevin Smith to play a part in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the fact that he actually landed a role doesn’t come as a complete surprise.

Being a huge Star Wars fan, the fact that Smith played one of the many "additional voice" parts in the seventh installment is something even the man himself probably never dreamed of doing.

Though, to be fair, no one’s been able to identify his part in the film yet, so this one’s still pretty secretive.


James Arnold Taylor, Ewan McGregor, Sir Alec Guinness, and Frank Oz
James Arnold Taylor, Ewan McGregor, Sir Alec Guinness, and Frank Oz
Lucasfilm/CinemaBlend
Here’s an interesting string of cameos, which all overlap in one, singular scene.

During Rey’s Jedi mind trip, which shows her the history of Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren’s falling out, she hears the voices of Obi Wan Kenobi and Yoda calling to her.

Originally, James Arnold Taylor (the voice of Obi Wan from The Clone Wars TV show) was asked to voice Kenobi.

Ultimately he was replaced by Ewan McGregor, who was then simultaneously dubbed with a fragment of Sir Alec’s performance from the original trilogy, to create the final product.

Also replaced with previously used elements was Oz’s newly recorded vocals as Master Yoda, though like Arnold Taylor before him, no hard feelings were had.

Lin Manuel-Miranda and J.J. Abrams
Lin Manuel-Miranda and J.J. Abrams
Lucasfilm/CinemaBlend
If you’re a MacArthur Grant winning playwright, who just happens to be a Star Wars fan, apparently all it takes is one really good joke to get you a job in the latest film in the series.

Hamilton writer/star Lin Manuel-Miranda joked with J.J. Abrams about being involved in any sort of new cantina sequence, and not only was he brought on to cowrite two songs with Abrams, but they both provided the vocals for Maz Canata’s cantina band.

[Patroklos]

Leia does have a fair amount of combat experience, and she's clearly a competent fighter in the OT. And wasn't she in a military command role on Hoth?

She has some minor combat experience in ANH and ESB, generally random stuff. Only in ROTJ does she actual enter combat on purpose in a professional role, and is promptly captured by ewoks and otherwise does nothing particularly impressive (including the door shenanigans).

She aint a push over and certainly is brave, but it is never established as a military type in either training or talent. That's what we have Dondanna, Reeikan (who actually commanded at Hoth), and Ackbar for. Ackbar is in TFA at the Rebel base, how the hell is anyone more qualified than him to be their military commander?

[The Romulan Republic]

I would counter with:

1. Running an espionage mission for the Rebellion in A New Hope, during which she personally smuggled data and exchanged fire with stormtroopers.

2. The Death Star escape- not deliberate, as you put it, that she was in that situation, but she showed herself to be perfectly competent in combat.

3. She was present in the control room at Yavin, though I don't know if she had any formal military role.

4. She was briefing pilots and coordinating things from the control room at Hoth. Definitely a military command role.

5. Further combat in Empire Strikes Back, during which she handled herself fine.

6. Infiltrated Jabba's palace and nearly succeeded, then later killed Jabba herself.

7. Joined a commando team for one of the most crucial missions of the war, during which she again demonstrated her skill in combat (she certainly held her own during the speeder chase as I recall, and killed stormtroopers while injured).

Edit: As to Ackbar being more qualified, we don't know what all Leia did during the 30 years or so since Return of the Jedi, but some of it clearly involved military command experience. Also, Ackbar doesn't really impress me that much. It was Lando who was pivotal to winning the space battle at Endor.

[Patroklos]

Lando was basically in control of his ship with some control over a few other fighters, nothing like Ackbar. Yeah he was important, but ever cog is important (Had Wedge been the only one to make into the reactor, the results are the same). Thats not command.

Ackbar coordinated the operation of an entire fleet. There is a saying in the military "amateurs practice tactics, professionals practice logistics." Shooting up stormtroopers is important but ultimately low end stuff on the arc of a military career. That's why Privates start out doing that stuff. Provisioning, maintaining, training, and coordinating dozens of cruisers/carriers/frigates in a fleet action is the stuff of command. And yeah, I thought it was BS that they gave Lando and Han generals rank but I figured that was just a sop to their vanity to keep them around for what were basically suicide missions (and apparently Lando did command at the battle of Deneb).

The point is the last we saw Leia she was not some high ranking military leader inside the Rebellion. She did some basic stuff and helped out where she could, but that was not her skill set. Which is fine, her skill set as followed in the EU was far more important than any single Rebellion/NR military leader I can think of. If they want to make her a general, give us a good reason for the change in skill sets.

[The Romulan Republic]

Lando was basically in control of his ship with some control over a few other fighters, nothing like Ackbar. Yeah he was important, but ever cog is important (Had Wedge been the only one to make into the reactor, the results are the same). Thats not command.

Lando was not the top commander, perhaps, but all indications in the film, despite your disingenuous attempt to minimize his role, are that he was the commander of the entire fighter force. And he was, as you acknowledged, a general. Saying he wasn't in command because someone outranked him is like saying Ulysses S. Grant wasn't a commander because Abraham Lincoln outranked him.

Also, would Wedge alone have had the firepower to take out the reactor?

Ackbar coordinated the operation of an entire fleet. There is a saying in the military "amateurs practice tactics, professionals practice logistics."

Yes, I'm familiar with it.

However, I nonetheless must point out that it was Lando's tactics, and his insistence on not retreating, that apparently allowed the Rebellion to win the space battle at Endor. If Ackbar had been left to his own devices, the Rebel fleet would have fled (likely being devastated in the attempt) and the Second Death Star would have survived.

Shooting up stormtroopers is important but ultimately low end stuff on the arc of a military career. That's why Privates start out doing that stuff.

Characterizing Leia and Lando's involvement in that way is minimization to the point of dishonesty.

Provisioning, maintaining, training, and coordinating dozens of cruisers/carriers/frigates in a fleet action is the stuff of command. And yeah, I thought it was BS that they gave Lando and Han generals rank but I figured that was just a sop to their vanity to keep them around for what were basically suicide missions (and apparently Lando did command at the battle of Deneb).

Probably it was given partly as a reward for past services. Han got Leia out of Hoth and Lando eventually defected, got Leia and Luke off of Bespin (even if it was partly his fault they were in trouble to being with), and helped rescue Han from Jabba.

The point is the last we saw Leia she was not some high ranking military leader inside the Rebellion.

She was, to all appearances at least, second in command at Hoth. And she's had thirty years or so to gain experience and rank since.

She did some basic stuff and helped out where she could, but that was not her skill set. Which is fine, her skill set as followed in the EU was far more important than any single Rebellion/NR military leader I can think of. If they want to make her a general, give us a good reason for the change in skill sets.

Well, the Resistance would want a leader with both military and political skills and experience, and ties to the Republic government they were getting aid from. And of course, Leia has personal motives to fight the First Order.

[Mad]

Han and Lando were both made generals before the Battle of Endor, without explanation. What's wrong with Leia being a general in TFA?

[Elfdart]

Han and Lando were both made generals before the Battle of Endor, without explanation. What's wrong with Leia being a general in TFA?

Wrong plumbing.

I always thought she should have made general before Han or Lando. But then, since the generals from the two previous movies are never seen again, maybe they got killed and the Rebels were desperate for new ones and more importantly, Han and Lando were the only ones crazy enough to take the job.

[Galvatron]

I was thinking of a younger Frank Langella:

His Dracula was basically a Sith Lord at a time when Darth Vader was the only other example we knew of.

[The Romulan Republic]

I saw the film again, and while I still think its far from perfect, my impression, on the whole, was probably more positive this time.

Anyway, some things that came to mind about the film:

1. Rey is all but stated to be Luke's child during the scene where she has the vision with Luke's lightsaber, and its hinted at elsewhere too. I wonder why they didn't come out and say it. If they expect it to still be a surprise, they're idiots. And if they're deliberately misleading the audience, then it'll likely be a contrived, manipulative twist. They've implied she's Luke's daughter too much for anything else to seem good to me.

2. Rey's success with the Force and duelling Ren seems a bit more plausible to me now, perhaps. The vision with the lightsaber almost came out of nowhere, it seemed, and felt like fanfickish contrivance, but after that, it works okay, for the most part at least. While Rey actually reading Ren's mind was a bit much, I could buy her driving Ren out of her mind easily enough, since that seems to be more a contest of wills than a matter of training, and one thing that's very clear about Ren is that he's conflicted and not sure of himself. And after beating Ren and the earlier vision, Rey knows that she can use the Force, and hold her own against Ren with it, and believing that you can do something is very important with the Force (as Yoda explained to Luke on Dagobah). Ren's conflicted mindset and self-doubt is a terrible handicap for a Force user.

Also, people who are very strong in the Force can begin to use it intuitively without training (Anakin, Luke, and Leia all apparently did, if not to the degree that Rey did).

And of course, Ren was wounded during his duels with Finn and Rey. I suppose being a Force user must confer some extra durability, and/or he had good armour on, but frankly, given how powerful Chewbacca's weapon was, its a wonder he was walking, much less duelling.

3. This time around, I noticed the name of the system the First Order hit with their super weapon, and so its confirmed in the film its not Coruscant that was hit.

[Terralthra]

I really hope Rey isn't Luke's daughter (and saying they're deliberately misleading the audience if she isn't is quite a stretch). It would be really a downer if the entirety of three trilogies of movies pin the entire galaxy's drama on the machinations around one man and his descendants.

[The Romulan Republic]

Well, that's already the case, really, with Ren.

And at this point, they've made it so obvious that Rey is connected to Skywalker, so heavily implied they are related, that it would be awkward, to say the least, not to follow through. And yes, I'll stick with "deliberately misleading".

And of course, we have Finn and Poe, who seem to have nothing to do with Luke.

[Vympel]

The Star Wars saga has always been about the Skywalker family drama. Kathleen Kennedy came out and said the same thing when she was talking about the difference between the offshoot 'anthology' films and Episodes 7, 8 and 9. Yes, Kylo Ren is a Skywalker descendant, so that covers it, but I have a tough time believing tht Rey (last name unknown) isn't some sort of Skywalker.

[The Romulan Republic]

So then the standalones are going to follow other people?

That's good.

[Captain Seafort]

1. Rey is all but stated to be Luke's child during the scene where she has the vision with Luke's lightsaber, and its hinted at elsewhere too. I wonder why they didn't come out and say it. If they expect it to still be a surprise, they're idiots. And if they're deliberately misleading the audience, then it'll likely be a contrived, manipulative twist. They've implied she's Luke's daughter too much for anything else to seem good to me.

I've heard a theory that she might be Kenobi's granddaughter which, while somewhat tenuous, would give her a strong link to the Skywalkers while not being a blood relative.

2. Rey's success with the Force and duelling Ren seems a bit more plausible to me now, perhaps. The vision with the lightsaber almost came out of nowhere, it seemed, and felt like fanfickish contrivance, but after that, it works okay, for the most part at least. While Rey actually reading Ren's mind was a bit much, I could buy her driving Ren out of her mind easily enough, since that seems to be more a contest of wills than a matter of training, and one thing that's very clear about Ren is that he's conflicted and not sure of himself. And after beating Ren and the earlier vision, Rey knows that she can use the Force, and hold her own against Ren with it, and believing that you can do something is very important with the Force (as Yoda explained to Luke on Dagobah). Ren's conflicted mindset and self-doubt is a terrible handicap for a Force user.

Kicking Ren out of her head through sheer bloody-mindedness and beating him in a lightsaber duel while he was injured and she was pulling on the easier-to-use dark side are believable. It's the mind trick that really stretches credulity, because it's always come across as something that requires skill and subtlety that brute force can't compensate for.

And of course, Ren was wounded during his duels with Finn and Rey. I suppose being a Force user must confer some extra durability, and/or he had good armour on, but frankly, given how powerful Chewbacca's weapon was, its a wonder he was walking, much less duelling.

I'm pretty sure he was armoured - the noise he was making while he was punching himself sounded like a rather metallic/ceramic sounding clunk, rather than a fleshy thud.

[Vympel]

So then the standalones are going to follow other people?

That's good.

Yes. We've already got a cast photo for Rogue One.



I imagine the movie is going to be something along the lines of Where Eagles Dare / The Dirty Dozen / The Guns of Navarone etc.

[Gandalf]

I really hope Rey isn't Luke's daughter (and saying they're deliberately misleading the audience if she isn't is quite a stretch). It would be really a downer if the entirety of three trilogies of movies pin the entire galaxy's drama on the machinations around one man and his descendants.

The only upside of such a godawful idea would be the awkward scene where Luke has to explain why he apparently left his daughter on Tattooine Jakku with a camp of scavengers. Even Harry Potter had the Dursleys.

[Mange]

So then the standalones are going to follow other people?

That's good.

Well, as Vympel posted, the first called Rogue One will center on how the Alliance acquired the Death Star plans. Principal photography started in August and the movie is currently in postproduction and slated for a December 2016 release. The second standalone movie, penned by Lawrence Kasdan, will be about a young Han Solo and is to be released in 2018. The third is rumored to be about Boba Fett (though reputable sources such as Entertainment Weekly has said so outright) and is due to be released in 2020.

[Galvatron]

I really hope Rey isn't Luke's daughter (and saying they're deliberately misleading the audience if she isn't is quite a stretch). It would be really a downer if the entirety of three trilogies of movies pin the entire galaxy's drama on the machinations around one man and his descendants.

The only upside of such a godawful idea would be the awkward scene where Luke has to explain why he apparently left his daughter on Tattooine Jakku with a camp of scavengers. Even Harry Potter had the Dursleys.

My current theory is that Kylo was supposed to kill Rey, but he couldn't bring himself to do it and marooned her on Jakku instead. Everyone else believes Rey is long dead.

[Lord Revan]

So then the standalones are going to follow other people?

That's good.

Yes. We've already got a cast photo for Rogue One.

*snip image*

I imagine the movie is going to be something along the lines of Where Eagles Dare / The Dirty Dozen / The Guns of Navarone etc.

My only problem with that cast is that it's 100% (or aliens that look so much like humans that you can tell them apart just by looking) couldn't they had something like Twi'leks there. you'd still have mostly human cast but it still include non-human races in prominent position.