Critics Of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Blast New Film

[Megalith]

Sure, the movie may have just made $1 billion globally, but that doesn’t affect my opinion of it being an empty corporate product that introduced nothing to the Star Wars mythology and merely plagiarized Episode IV, going so far as trivializing what occurred in the original trilogy.

…not everyone is on board with the avalanche of praise currently draping Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Though most reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, there are quite a few people who found the film disappointing for a variety of reasons. If you are one of these people, rest assured, you are not alone. In the interest of keeping things balanced, we thought we’d counter the seemingly endless stream of Star Wars praise and draw attention to a few of the more interesting negative reviews to have emerged over the last week.

 

[aShrubbery!]

That is because people treat movie franchises like a religion.

To me - and I haven't seen the new Star Wars movie yet - it's simply entertainment. I've enjoyed all of them - despite their flaws, and despite Jar Jar Binks which I didn't like at all - and if the story isn't too shallow I'll enjoy it as well.

I'm just a sucker for the PEW PEW PEW ZAP BOOOM, that this franchise provides.

 

[magoo]

It's always cool to bad-mouth something everyone else thinks is good.

The box office speaks for itself.

 

[rudedog]

TBH don't give a damn what others think. I really enjoyed it along with my family.

 

[Wildace]

I just saw it today, and i enjoyed it.

I want to see it again already but i will wait for the blu-ray and hope it includes the 20minutes or so they cut from the film.

I actually think its one of my favorites of the 7, behind Empire Strikes Back.

Tho i think the flaw in the movie is that it does leave you wanting to watch 8, and yet 8 is so far away being in 2017, none of the other films really left me with that feeling of needing to see what happens next, it is good from a marketing stand point but it sucks for the consumer that has to wait.

I am going to have to rely on other films to distract me until the time comes when 8 hits theaters, like Captain America, batman vs superman ect.

 

[rudedog]

Tho i think the flaw in the movie is that it does leave you wanting to watch 8, and yet 8 is so far away being in 2017, none of the other films really left me with that feeling of needing to see what happens next, it is good from a marketing stand point but it sucks for the consumer that has to wait.

Same thing happened with Han being frozen in Empire strikes back. You had to wait until Return of the Jedi to see what happened.

Back then there was a 3 year span between those movies....

 

[Jaer44]

I really enjoyed the movie. Everyone just wanted the film to do poorly because apparently that's the new thing to do.

I think it's definitely one of the best in the series.

 

[Scythe]

I haven't seen it, don't want to see it. Am I the only one that doesn't like "star wars"?

I mean, the movies are ok, but I've only seen the first three. Lasers, light sabers, etc. Ok, cool. Story? Eh, not so much.

 

[hawkeye_wx]

I also feel that, while the movie is not without flaws, I enjoyed it. I tend to feel that way about most movies.

 

[Climber]

I haven't seen it, don't want to see it. Am I the only one that doesn't like "star wars"?

I mean, the movies are ok, but I've only seen the first three. Lasers, light sabers, etc. Ok, cool. Story? Eh, not so much.

It is one of the better stories in sci-fi cinematic history imo. 4-6// 1-3 completely dropped the ball on story telling.

 

[StoleMyOwnCar]

Umm... I thought it was god awful. And I'm not saying that to be a contrarian. I didn't even know it was well regarded when I went in to watch it with my friends on Friday (rather, I didn't even know till I saw this news post today). I just went in and started watching it with no real expectations or anything, just... you know... us hanging out on Christmas. I think I literally almost fell asleep a few times. It was just a dull tropefest, and felt shallow and empty. If I had to summarize it, those are the words I would use. I mean it's not any specific portion... it's like... the whole thing. It felt like fanservice for the SW lovers. Just something to get them to shell out some more money. I almost wondered if I was watching a Michael Bay Wars film or something.

Maybe part of it is that right before we watched that movie, we had watched "The Big Short". I enjoyed that movie much more, although I went into it not even knowing what my friends picked to watch as the first movie. Despite its shortcomings it just felt more interesting in every way.

 

[nilepez]

Sure, the movie may have just made $1 billion globally, but that doesn’t affect my opinion of it being an empty corporate product that introduced nothing to the Star Wars mythology and merely plagiarized Episode IV, going so far as trivializing what occurred in the original trilogy.

…not everyone is on board with the avalanche of praise currently draping Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Though most reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, there are quite a few people who found the film disappointing for a variety of reasons. If you are one of these people, rest assured, you are not alone. In the interest of keeping things balanced, we thought we’d counter the seemingly endless stream of Star Wars praise and draw attention to a few of the more interesting negative reviews to have emerged over the last week.

And Jedi didn't do much of the same? It's a movie. It was never as profound as fan boys seem to think. The dialog was often bad and the stories were fairly simple. What it did was tell a fun story about growing up, good fighting evil and all that.

Essentially, it was a cowboy movie, or WWII movie, in space.
This one worked for me. It's not all better than IV, but it's also got points that hit harder than anything in IV. Of course I wasn't looking to relive my childhood. I just went for tightly run action flick with a decent plot. Mission accomplished.

 

[Koolthulu]

I can see some people not liking it, but I think the majority of "fans" are still butt hurt over it being Disney and can't admit it is a good movie. It's no more "corporate" than anything Lucas put out to make a buck. And let's be honest making money was as much his reason for doing the movies as it is Disney's. People complain about all the Disney tie-in products, when Lucas is the one who perfected the idea in the first place.

 

[Cmdrmonkey]

Something is popular so people have to bitch about it on the internet. It's on track to be the highest grossing movie of all time. Money talks and bullshit walks.

 

[davidm71]

I myself walked out of the movie three quarters into it. I just couldn't take another minute of another cliched predictable plot line. This movie lacked the heart of the original series.Seems like all it takes is special effects to mesmerize people these days. The script writer should be shot for such a corny story line. JJ can go take a jump off of a tall building for not only cheapening Star Wars but also Star Trek. Very disappointed.

 

[fdiaz78]

I was entertained. I hope ep 8 does some character development especially Kylo Ren. His character is so shallow right now.

 

[FLECOM]

it was a good movie, but a terrible star wars movie... it was entertainment the same way a transformers movie is entertainment... but it was disposable just like a transformers movie

 

[warmon6]

Just literally got back from watching it.

It was ok. Entertaining but overall, i agree with those that say it dominantly a rip off of the IV episode.

DIfferent locations, Mix of old and new characters, but virtually the same story-line.

 

[KazeoHin]

Hey everyone, look at this popular thing that everyone loves. I hate it because I'm so edgy and indipedent. Look at how my opinions differ from the norm: that means I'm smart and forward thinking, my standards are high and therefore I'm superior.

Did I mention everyone should look at me right now?

 

[MrGuvernment]

It's always cool to bad-mouth something everyone else thinks is good.

The box office speaks for itself.

Millions eat a McDonalds, does that mean it is good for you?

No, just means there are people out there who accept something for all it is, vs some scared religion as others noted.

 

[StoleMyOwnCar]

Hey everyone, look at this popular thing that everyone loves. I hate it because I'm so edgy and indipedent. Look at how my opinions differ from the norm: that means I'm smart and forward thinking, my standards are high and therefore I'm superior.

Did I mention everyone should look at me right now?

Yes, because everyone that hates something that the majority likes is simply being edgy and independent. Likewise, you're proving that you're smarter, more independent, and more forward by thinking so far ahead of said edgy and independent people and siding with the majority instead. Do you see where this crap never ends? Stop doing it. Unless you're actually prepared to go through each review one by one and dissect it in order to find out what the main reason a person likes or dislikes a film is.

Both distinctions are meaningless. You can call people that do not side with the majority as hipsters, but it's empty ad hominem. Likewise others can call the other crowd... umm... what's the word for it these days? "Normalfags"? Either way, it's likewise empty ad hominem.

For what it is worth, like I said, I had no idea the movie was even well regarded when I went in. I knew nothing about it, actually. Not even a simple synopsis. Yet when I watched it, the only thing running through my head was "what is this trash"? It was cringe worthy. So no, not everyone that has an opinion that differs from yours is simply a hipster, and likewise not everyone that has an opinion that differs from mine is... You know, fill in the blank.

 

[Tyler-Durden]

I enjoyed it, but couldn't help feeling I'd seen it all before with the original (#4 New Hope). I give it a solid 8/10.

Not going to give away any spoilers, but it's pretty obvious where the story is going and how it will wrap up by the 3rd movie.

 

[Bowman15]

Millions eat a McDonalds, does that mean it is good for you?

No, just means there are people out there who accept something for all it is, vs some scared religion as others noted.

Actually being the majority makes them right and you wrong. The quality still has to be good in order to have that many people buy and eat those hamburgers. Being good or bad for you has nothing to do with it.Movie opinions are subjective and frankly that type of comparison is not only wrong but fucking old.

 

[StoleMyOwnCar]

Actually being the majority makes them right and you wrong. The quality still has to be good in order to have that many people buy and eat those hamburgers. Being good or bad for you has nothing to do with it.Movie opinions are subjective and frankly that type of comparison is not only wrong but fucking old.

Yeah... okay. The majority consuming snacks and all kinds of junk food means the quality is good, folks. You heard it here first. Everyone that's eating fruit and whatnot and choosing to be outliers is wrong.

The majority is always right.

No, seriously. You might want to rethink your point. A lot. It's about one of the silliest things I've read on here in a long time. And I've read a lot of them.

 

[BB Gun]

10/10 for nostalgia.

4/10 for story, for all the reasons given in BGR news - plus kylo ren was a whiny biotch.

Total score: 7/10

BB

 

[darkhunter139]

Millions eat a McDonalds, does that mean it is good for you?

No, just means there are people out there who accept something for all it is, vs some scared religion as others noted.

McDonald's is good yo

 

[Bowman15]

Yeah... okay. The majority consuming snacks and all kinds of junk food means the quality is good, folks. You heard it here first. Everyone that's eating fruit and whatnot and choosing to be outliers is wrong.

The majority is always right.

No, seriously. You might want to rethink your point. A lot. It's about one of the silliest things I've read on here in a long time. And I've read a lot of them.

LOL...wtf are you one of those SW fanatics that only can only have it your way. Silly huh, yeah that about sums up you professional forum critics. Go try a McDonald's hamburger, you might like it.

 

[sfsuphysics]

It's always cool to bad-mouth something everyone else thinks is good.

The box office speaks for itself.

Yup box office speaks for itself, as a result Transformers 4 was one of the best movies ever!

That said, I'm going to go to an Academy screening of the movie at ILM next week, so I'm jazzed about that. While I doubt the movie screen will be ginormous like a good theater, saying I saw Star Wars at ILM is worth a little

 

[StoleMyOwnCar]

LOL...wtf are you one of those SW fanatics that only can only have it your way. Silly huh, yeah that about sums up you professional forum critics. Go try a McDonald's hamburger, you might like it.

First of all, I've never been one way or the other about the SW franchise. I watched every movie about once (usually with friends), and that was about it.

It's not about whether we "like" them or not. It's about recognizing that not everything that simply tastes good (or in this case blatantly crack addicting) is good for you, or good in general. It's about recognizing that our brain is wired to enjoy things that may essentially be trash, simply because of the presence of certain chemicals. I mean FFS, am I really having to argue this? Do you really think that just because McDonalds can get a bunch of idiots addicted to their crack/trash, the trash is anything but that? News flash, for some people it's not about what's on the outside or what you immediately experience. There happens to be more layers to many situations. If you can't think that far in, then just go ahead and enjoy yourself along with all of the rest of the majority that is obviously doing the right thing and being good little boys by eating their high quality McBurgers. After all, you and them all know that they taste good. So they must be high quality.

*Unavoidably cringes at logic*

 

[Lunas]

Sure, the movie may have just made $1 billion globally, but that doesn’t affect my opinion of it being an empty corporate product that introduced nothing to the Star Wars mythology and merely plagiarized Episode IV, going so far as trivializing what occurred in the original trilogy.

…not everyone is on board with the avalanche of praise currently draping Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Though most reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, there are quite a few people who found the film disappointing for a variety of reasons. If you are one of these people, rest assured, you are not alone. In the interest of keeping things balanced, we thought we’d counter the seemingly endless stream of Star Wars praise and draw attention to a few of the more interesting negative reviews to have emerged over the last week.

it could have been a remake of the Star Wars christmas special and made that billion...

I don't feel the movie is a rehash of star wars a new hope it has elements of all 6 movies. It did serve as a good introduction to new elements and while i think the story and acting in it by most of the new crew sucked as i watched i had various issues and face palm moments... It is not a movie I liked and I am not likely to see it again until it is out on dvd at which point ill get out a pad and paper and try marking the shifts from which of the 6 movies they are copying...

I have glaring issues with spoiler and spoiler and Darth Azog tho i think he looks more like Darth Smeegle...

 

[Bowman15]

First of all, I've never been one way or the other about the SW franchise. I watched every movie about once (usually with friends), and that was about it.

It's not about whether we "like" them or not. It's about recognizing that not everything that simply tastes good (or in this case blatantly crack addicting) is good for you, or good in general. It's about recognizing that our brain is wired to enjoy things that may essentially be trash, simply because of the presence of certain chemicals. I mean FFS, am I really having to argue this? Do you really think that just because McDonalds can get a bunch of idiots addicted to their crack/trash, the trash is anything but that? News flash, for some people it's not about what's on the outside or what you immediately experience. There happens to be more layers to many situations. If you can't think that far in, then just go ahead and enjoy yourself along with all of the rest of the majority that is obviously doing the right thing and being good little boys by eating their high quality McBurgers. After all, you and them all know that they taste good. So they must be high quality.

*Unavoidably cringes at logic*

Its OK, you either liked it (aka good quality) or didn't like the movie (bad quality) because opinions are purely subjective. That doesn't make me right or you wrong. A hamburger is a fucking hamburger not a movie. I know you think highly of yourself but nobody cares in here. Remember its only a movie and if it bothers you that much that others liked and thought it was good just turn off the computer and go outside and enjoy life. I'm sure the academy awards will contact you soon. Hech, go have a hamburger.

 

[StoleMyOwnCar]

Its OK, you either liked it (aka good quality) or didn't like the movie (bad quality) because opinions are purely subjective. That doesn't make me right or you wrong.

Where the hell did I ever say otherwise? Point to where I said that, objectively, this was a bad movie? To me it was pure trash.

A hamburger is a fucking hamburger not a movie. I know you think highly of yourself but nobody cares in here.

There was nothing for anyone in here to care about in the first place, because wherever the hell you got the impression that I think highly of myself, you're mistaken. It was entirely part of only your own mental construct of myself. I do like getting to the truth of things, but this has nothing to do with my opinion of myself. Stop your meaningless ad hominem.

Remember its only a movie and if it bothers you that much that others liked and thought it was good...

Okay, this is the part where I'm convinced you're illiterate. Because none of my arguments have anything to do with the movie or anyone's opinion of specifically the movie, but simply the criticism of negative critique as a concept.

Actually no, I'm done here, at least with you. Blacklist time, that's what it's there for. Seriously, this has been the biggest waste of time I've committed in a very long time.

 

[Bowman15]

Where the hell did I ever say otherwise? Point to where I said that, objectively, this was a bad movie? To me it was pure trash.



There was nothing for anyone in here to care about in the first place, because wherever the hell you got the impression that I think highly of myself, you're mistaken. It was entirely part of only your own mental construct of myself. I do like getting to the truth of things, but this has nothing to do with my opinion of myself. Stop your meaningless ad hominem.



Okay, this is the part where I'm convinced you're illiterate. Because none of my arguments have anything to do with the movie or anyone's opinion of specifically the movie, but simply the criticism of negative critique as a concept.

Actually no, I'm done here, at least with you. Blacklist time, that's what it's there for. Seriously, this has been the biggest waste of time I've committed in a very long time.

From your comments I pretty much gathered that you inferred the majority eats junk food so it must be good quality, right. All depends on what you consider good quality...see its ALL SUBJECTIVE.

If your comments have nothing to do with the movie wtf are you doing in this thread? Your first post included "I thought it was god awful".

But simply the criticism of negative critique as a concept.

LOL WUT?

And I thought cpu and gpy fanboys were bad but movie criticsjust wow. FFS its just a movie, calm down.

 

[HockeyJon]

Hey everyone, look at this popular thing that everyone loves. I hate it because I'm so edgy and indipedent. Look at how my opinions differ from the norm: that means I'm smart and forward thinking, my standards are high and therefore I'm superior.

Did I mention everyone should look at me right now?

And on the flip side, a lot of people rated this highly because they WANTED it to be a good film and were dying for anything Star Wars. Box office figures are meaningless for this movie. It might blow your mind, but it's entirely possible some people simply didn't like the film.

I'm a huge Star Wars fan. Watched the originals since I was a little kid, played the games. When Episode 1 came out, I tried so hard to like it. It sucked, so did 2. Episode 3 was not bad. I know a lot of fans who won't admit the first two were terrible.

As for this movie, I found the storyline to be a bit wanting. The villain was ok, but not as sinister or as intimidating as Darth Vader was. Rey's force abilities despite the lack of training isn't consistent with anything else in the Star Wars universe. I found Leia to be comparatively subdued in this film, unlike the original three where she was a firecracker. That said, I did enjoy the movie. They did some things really well. I'll applaud the return to guys in costumes instead of CGI everything like they did in the prequels. In terms of entertainment value, it delivered, but it was far from perfect and it didn't blow me away like The Empire Strikes Back did. That's part of the challenge though. The original three films were a mastery of film-making, a bar that's almost impossible to surpass.

Also, was I the only one expecting guys like Grand Admiral Thrawn to show up?

 

[Verge]

Just literally got back from watching it.

It was ok. Entertaining but overall, i agree with those that say it dominantly a rip off of the IV episode.

DIfferent locations, Mix of old and new characters, but virtually the same story-line.

Ripoff with no character development and a heavy dosing of cliche.


As a Star Wars fan, I'd give it a 7. As a standalone movie to an unbiased person, it's 5-6 territory.

 

[callous]

And I thought I was the only one who believed the movie sucked.

 

[Crimson]

McDonald's is good yo

Since it is in your opinion that McDonald's is good, then I wonder if you think Olive Garden is authentic Italian?

 

[Lunas]

Ripoff with no character development and a heavy dosing of cliche.


As a Star Wars fan, I'd give it a 7. As a standalone movie to an unbiased person, it's 5-6 territory.

3.5-5 at best it is Phantom menace bad maybe clone wars. On the plus side Jar Jar was not there... BB8 and finn and c-3p0 all tried to take his place...

On a future movie note Finn force sensitive?

 

[Kueller]

Phantom Menace got 3.5 stars from Ebert and set numerous box office records...Later, reality set in and everyone realized what a steaming pile it was.

As a big Star Wars fan when I was younger, Phantom Menace ruined a portion of my childhood, I haven't seen a SW film in the theater since skipping school to wait in line for my 12am Phantom Menace tickets.

I was cautiously optimistic about Ep 7, but I see the hype bubble is finally bursting.

 

[Kitsune]

The criticisms in the article were all completely true, the movie was a carbon copy of Star Wars with some Empire Strikes Back thrown in. I still enjoyed watching it, but I would've preferred an actual original story. And yeah, Kylo Ren was a pathetic excuse for a bad guy, listening to him snivel made me want to push him down and steal his lunch money. Even Anakin wasn't quite that pathetic, despite being as dumb as a post.