Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens—non-spoiler discussion

[Lalaith]

I'm going to see this Thursday night, btw. Anyone else going?

[Alatar]

Yep. Thursday night in 2D with the whole family. Will probably do a 3D viewing later on if its good.

[Lalaith]

Well, your Thursday night is before my Thursday night, so I may check back in for your opinion.

My family is going with our friends and their kids. It should be fun!

[Primula Baggins]

My son's going this Thursday evening with a group of friends from work. I'm hoping to see it Sunday afternoon with Tom and my brother, who will be here by then. Tim and I saw the first film for the first (and second!) time in August 1977 in New York, when we were teenagers visiting there with our mom. It will be fun to see this promising new chapter together, more toward the other end of our lives!

[Túrin Turambar]

Still no critic reviews, although the premiere is now underway, so I should see some when I wake up tomorrow. While I'm sure the film will get at least adequate reviews my over-active imagination has conjured up a whole bunch of alternative possibilities.
"Makes the Phantom Menace look like the Godfather."
"Bring back Lucas."
"Adding Jar-Jar Binks would have only been an improvement."
"The film should have a trigger warning for Star Wars fans - I'll never get over that."

[Alatar]

Spoiler free reactions:

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-enter ... 73561.html

Hint. It's all good.

[yovargas]

Looks like JJ pulled it off - currently 97% on rottentomatoes after 100+ reviews:

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wa ... e_awakens/

Box office prediction: $237 GAJILLION

[Primula Baggins]

This one's going to hit the demographic trifecta. Lots of people my age are eager to see it because the first film rocked our lives as teenagers (and the prequels, for many of us, were a bitter disappointment that seems likely to be rectified with this one). Lots and lots of younger people grew up with the original films on video. Younger people who didn't are still going to want to see this one because it's an Event. And digital projection means that theaters can put it on as many of their screens as they need to to accommodate the crowds. One of our local multiplexes has thirty Star Wars showings scheduled for Friday. There are only two other films they're still showing at all this weekend.

I'm hoping early Sunday afternoon will be a feasible time to get tickets.

[yovargas]

Holy moses, I just checked and my two nearest theaters are also only showing 2 other movies, one theater each. I've never seen anything close to that before!

eta: and a 3rd one near me with 22 screens is going 100% Star Wars - zero showings for anything else!

[Primula Baggins]

Well, this is an innovation I appreciate, having stood in line outside the Avco Embassy in L.A. for more than four hours on opening day in 1983 to see Return of the Jedi. We didn't come close to getting into the showing we thought we were seeing, and barely made it into the next one. The theater had three whole screens, and only one of them had a print of RotJ. Back in those days box office was determined by supply, not demand. I wonder what will happen with this one. I just read the New York Times review and it was warmly positive.

[yovargas]

But what about all those poor, poor people dying to see the new Alvin and the Chipmunks movie??

[Primula Baggins]

<sobs helplessly>

[Frelga]

I'm just hoping everyone who is burning to see it does so this week, so I can do my Christmas movie and Chinese thing in relative peace.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Remarkably, it appears that it is not playing at all in the largest theater in Santa Cruz.

[Lalaith]

What?! How weird.

I actually do want to see the Tina Fey/Amy Poehler movie, Sisters. I guess I'll wait till next week, though.

[yovargas]

Remarkably, it appears that it is not playing at all in the largest theater in Santa Cruz.

Are you positive about that? That seems, like, physically impossible or something. Is that even legal??

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I'm positive. It is playing at the two theater place down the street, but not at the Nine. I was walking past and noticed that it didn't have anything on the marquee (at actually was advertising the Alvin movie as coming soon!), so I checked the listings, and sure enough, there is nothing. It seems impossible.

On another note, I was disappointed to see that Mick Lasalle of the San Francisco Chronicle liked it a lot. He usually is the most pretentious of reviewers and I usually enjoy disagreeing with him. Not this time, I hope!

[Alatar]

Only a few hours now! Going to the 8:30pm tonight. Its 3pm now...

[Primula Baggins]

I just want to post a plea to people posting in this thread to please be careful not to let anything spoilerish slip in your comments. There is a spoiler thread available (which I won't be reading until I've seen the film), so please make use of it for discussing various shocking events and revelations, whatever they are.

[yovargas]

SPOILER: JAR JAR GETS EATEN BY SAND WORMS!!