Star Wars Spoilers Thread [Spoilers]

So here's my review: 100% a Star Wars film which belongs with the original trilogy.

It's a transitional film, but it does it well. The new generation is really good.

I think the major death was kinda signposted a bit. You knew it was coming long before it happened. I felt worse for Chewie, but he, Rey, and BB8 make a great team.

Is this the first Star Wars film where nobody gets their hand cut off?

Luke lives in Ireland, eh?

Question: WHY was there a map to Luke, and why was it split into two? I feel like I missed something. For that matter, why a map and not just some coordinates? Seems like a random puzzle set up for the sake of it.

 

[Umbran]

You can point to how there is no reason for it to be an issue, but I think anyone who has siblings is going to react to that on a gut level.

Of course people will react. My point isn't that they won't react. My point is that the one event doesn't actually need any special explanation to make sense. Yeah, it happened. Within the fiction, there's no reason why it shouldn't have happened. The only reason for it to not happen is on the meta-level of storytelling.

The world is imperfect, people change their minds and rework things. Deal with it and move on.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Of course people will react. My point isn't that they won't react. My point is that the one event doesn't actually need any special explanation to make sense. Yeah, it happened. Within the fiction, there's no reason why it shouldn't have happened. The only reason for it to not happen is on the meta-level of storytelling.

The world is imperfect, people change their minds and rework things. Deal with it and move on.

Keep in mind I raised this point to show people probably should lighten up about expecting consistency in the new films. I agree that films are not perfect things and we ought to accept that changes are sometimes made in the middle of the telling (particularly in soap opera). They are a fun romp and we shouldn't take them too seriously. But incest is one of the biggest taboos across most cultures...and while one can dismiss it, it is hard not to notice they probably are not intended to be attracted to each other. So there feels like a consistency issue in terms of motivation and feelings of the characters. I certainly think it doesn't ruin the movie but I don't think it is all that internally consistent when you understand their relationship. i think it is one of the few bumps in the films that is really difficult to ignore. It is certainly an aspect of the film people feel a need to discuss, which I think is pretty understandable given the taboo in question. You don't see many movies gloss over incest like that (I think if Luke and leia actually addressed it in Jedi, it would be less of a consistency issue (because you expect them to at least have some reaction to the revaluation and the fact that they kissed).

 

[MechaPilot]

There's nothing to explain - they didn't know they were siblings at the time.

Except for Leia, who had apparently always known according to her own words in RotJ.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Except for Leia, who had apparently always known according to her own words in RotJ.

What scene is that in (I am about to re-watch RotJ and will keep an eye out for it).

 

[billd91]

Except for Leia, who had apparently always known according to her own words in RotJ.

I don't think we can ever assume she thought so consciously. It's more like a situation when someone reveals a bit of information and all of a sudden everything falls into place.

 

[Istbor]

I don't think we can ever assume she thought so consciously. It's more like a situation when someone reveals a bit of information and all of a sudden everything falls into place.

I have to agree with this. I don't think she knew or suspected Luke was her brother on any level that she was aware of. So the line is likely just confirming a feeling she had maybe of familiarity or a sense of ease that his presence instilled? Something along those lines as bill points out, just makes sense when additional information is included.

 

[MechaPilot]

What scene is that in (I am about to re-watch RotJ and will keep an eye out for it).

The bridge of the Ewok village, when Luke tells Leia that Vader is his father.

 

[MechaPilot]

I don't think we can ever assume she thought so consciously. It's more like a situation when someone reveals a bit of information and all of a sudden everything falls into place.

I get what you're saying, which basically that it's a more dramatic way of saying "yeah, that makes sense." However, the phrasing is that she has somehow always known, which is all kinds of dueling banjo fuel.

 

[dd.stevenson]

My point isn't that this harms the film (it is a soap opera in space for crying out loud), I'm just making the point that it isn't like the Star Wars films have always been airtight and devoid of inconsistency.

If this twist feels contrived to you, then I'm in no position to say you're wrong--glass houses and such.

But do note that there is a big distinction between plot inconsistencies and seat-of-the-pantsing the plot. In particular, the fact that Lucas might not have intended them to be family from the beginning, is not evidence that the story is less than airtight; it's just evidence that he didn't have everything planned out from the beginning. Growing the story as you go is a time-honored means of storytelling, and long as you don't contradict what's been established in-universe, it's no more or less valid than working everything out beforehand.

Probably you already know this, but I'll be darned if I can see how else to interpret the last part of your post.

 

[Umbran]

the fact that Lucas might not have intended them to be family from the beginning, is not evidence that the story is less than airtight;

Which is to say, we should not confuse "airtight" with "we like what happens in it".