This is what happens when you make a movie to sate the filthy casuals.

The greatest thing about the prequels was the Lore Building. So many new elements were introduced in the prequels, Double Bladed Lightsabers, Battle Droids, Clones, many new planets, ect. I never minded the senate scenes, because they explained how the Galaxy works in ways the OT never did, and nothing was glanced over because "Pfft who cares about politics? Lets get to the pew pew." So, despite the many flaws of the prequels, I've always enjoyed that aspect of them. This movie was the anti-prequel. Likable characters, good humor, well done practical effects, but very little Lore Building, or exposition. I very much enjoyed episode 7, but for me, it didn't add much to the universe that we haven't seen before.

Just want to apologize from the outset for the quality of my recorded portions. Had problems with connectivity that day that I've never had before. Hadn't realized how choppy my portions were up until now. Hope you guys enjoy the rest of the episode regardless. Will work on a solution for future episodes...

"A NEWER HOPE" starring Kylo "Baby Face" Ren, "Lady British" Rey, "Girly Redhead" Hux, "Phantom" Phasma (never appears), and a lot of old guys who used to be important and will surely bring more profits. Don't miss it FanBoys, you know you want this remake...

How to sum up The Force Awakens? High budget Spaceballs.

You're confused about who or what Snoke is? He is a Supreme Leader, so he's North Korean.

Thank-you guys I have been waiting for this video. I will not be able to watch it until later due to time restraints, but i am downloading it. I'm so glad all of you are doing this together. Antoine you get better all the time (you 're my favorite). Once again thank-you to all of you, Dante.

the real starkiller is rolling in his grave over this base

Still coming back to watch these, great discussion

Honesty i wanted a council vid today for my birthday thanks for uploading it! About to watch

love you guys to pieces! keep up the good work all of you!

Poe Dameron has a nice thick coat of plot armor. 😀

I think Yoda actually had a far more plausible reason to redraw into isolation. The jedi order meant everything for him, he grew up in the order and lived there his entire life. The jedi were his children and his entire life was completely devoted to the order. When it was destroyed it was like his entire life was destroyed, everyone he loved and everything he worked for torn apart and him being powerless to stop it. He's now an old man who has lost everything and is far too old to bring it back up again. Luke has lived his entire youth without ever hearing about the jedi. (I actually didn't care much for Yoda in the OT but I fell in love with him during the PT)

I'm more hyped for the Mr. Plinkett review than I was for the movie itself.

It was great to finally hear from you guys on this!

As always I've enjoyed watching you guys talking on the podcast and it's great to see Matt in it again. I've left another comment about what I thought about the film somewhere in the comment section. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you all!

When episode 1 premiered people were all loving it as well Reti, give it time Once the hype dies down the Plinketts will rise

It's extremely refreshing to hear you all giving this film a much more mixed critical response. My social media pages have been little more than an echo chamber of overwhelming enthusiasm, with any attempt to point out the often very significant flaws brushed aside with a plea not to think about the film too deeply. Yes, the film is a fun watch and there are numerous good elements within it, but this should not justify elevating the film to such heights of praise: there needs to be some attempt to go beyond mere thrill and nostalgia so that we can subject the film to focused critical reflection, which is precisely what you all have done here. My own thoughts coming out of the film were decidedly mixed, but the more I've thought about most of the shortcomings you've discussed, the more my opinion has slid towards the negative, though not to the point that I would call it terrible.

First off, I want to say it is fantastic to see all of you on the Council again. As a diehard EU fan, it gives me great pleasure to know there are other fans out there like yourselves. In fact, it is because of your efforts and love for the older stuff, that I have reread a lot of those great stories(like the Clone Wars Dark Horse comics, Shatterpoint, Thrawn Trilogy, KOTOR etc.). So for that you have my thanks. My biggest problem was that this film rehashed A new Hope too much. Don't get me wrong; some of the scenes, like the fight in the Village, were great. But my ire came when they revealed the Starkiller base. To be fair, at least it wasn't a space station. But did we really need it? If anything, I would have preferred if the Resistance actually lost. That would have been a different take on the film. Or at the very least, have them succeed but have some other massive consequence, other than Han Solo dying. But really my frustration stems less from the film and more towards the general public. The prequels weren't accepted by the general public. And as sad as that is, LucasFilm I felt was in a real catch tweny-two, in that in order to gain the massive audience they'd once had; the studio needed to do it. A part of me does hope that the next two films will strive to do something different; that now they got there audience back it can take those risks and do something else. The pacing of the movie felt off, especially around the third act. But I attribute that to Abrams more than anything, as his films typically do suffer from that aspect. Also some characters, like Captain Phasma, are horribly underutilized. But regardless, I enjoyed the cast of the film. I enjoyed the production value and I am generally curious to see where this new trilogy goes. So overall, I give it a 4.3 out of five. It doesn't NOT deserve a 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. But at the very least it is a solid film and one that I can watch again. Great work as always, guys.

Yall are just so awesome to watch!

Awesome to see Matt, GreyJedi himself, back on the podcast. As for the film itself: I loved it; I think it's phenomenal. I definitely can't deny it's flaws but I really did enjoy it nonetheless.

Reti, you were the Chosen One! It was said you would enjoy the film, not despise it. Bring balance to the Council, not leave it in darkness! :)

I enjoyed the watch, and you guys helped me cement why i left the theater unable to say more than 'its ok'. :/

ayy! been waiting for this

I love what they did with the characters. Especially the last scene. I thought there was so much emotion in that scene and the actors did fantastic. Hope you guys do more podcasts soon!

Heh, when you talked about the Death Star and Starkiller Base, I could hear Palpatine from Robot Chicken saying "Do you have any idea what this is gonna do to my credit?"

I think Antoine is the only one who really understands what they were attempting at Kylo's character.

Just what I wanted for christmas! I understand that this will likely not be the most positive of reviews, but nonetheless I'm glad it's here.

I've been waiting for this for a while since all the reviews that I've been watching/reading had been nothing but praise and not a whole lot of deconstruction of the movie. This movie is likable and good for what it does, and that is being a fun, swash-buckling adventure film, but the thing that is most detrimental is that it lacks lore building like any of the other Star Wars films and, really, a well-written plot. Because it's plot was essentially the same as A New Hope, it became predictable and therefore bland. My own opinion on the movie is pretty much a combo on everyone else here. I don't have much to add than what has already been said. The most recent inspiring movie I had was Frozen. I took away a lot more from than film than this film, and it actually got me started on writing again. I don't feel that way with this film. I don't feel like I want to go out and write my own fan fic from this film nor do I imagine myself to be in this film like how I used to in the rest of the movies.

YAY level headed review of the new movie!!! Great job guys. :3

The giant hologram thing that Snoke does is like something Exar Kun would probably do. XD

AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO JUST ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT AND DIDN'T SEE THE PANDERING?!?!?!?!?

Jensaarai: "I would take Legacy of the Force over this any day;" me: "I would take Young Jedi Knights over this any day."

Im really not sure if this is place for this but i wanted to ask for all of your opinions on a lightsaber style ive been thinking about alot recently. Do you guys think Jar kai + Niman + Makashi would be an effective style? To me it seems like it could be the ultimate dueling style if all 3 styles were taken to the highest level.

I agree with Reti4 completely

You're right. The light saber battles were atrocious. No forms whatsoever and we are expect to believe that Luke was Rens former master. Right....

Love this podcast! :D

I haven't watched all of the video yet but during Rey's vision did you hear Ben kenobi's voice as well?

Star Wars Is Nothing without George Lucas.

Well, to be fair, it did say in the intro that the First Order was made in an attempt to bring back the Galactic Empire.

Yeahhhhhh im soooo happy for this episode. And all five are here. Yeah

1. Plagueis convinced his friend to commit suicide w/ a mind trick as a child w/ no training. Also Zannah blew up her friend's hand w/ no training. How is that different from anything Rey does? 2. Plagueis' theme from ROTS (where Sidious talks to Anakin about him) plays when Kylo talks to Snoke. Seems like a clear hint. Why's Evan so sure he's not Plagueis? No one disagreed w/ him? 3. Maz says "you have a weapon", when Finn asks for one, meaning the lightsaber. Could imply she senses he has the Force. Assuming one or two of Luke's students survived, there could be more Jedi around by the end of Ep. 8 than we'd think. 4. There are all sorts of reasons Luke might run. What if Rey's mother (Luke's wife) fell to the Dark side, and Luke had to kill her. Couldn't face the child, after killing her mother, or himself, ran. Perfectly realistic. Nobody's flawless. It's not if you fall down, it's if you get back up (he needs to fight this trilogy).

I'm sorry but Luke went through the shame and shock of his father being pretty much a literal monster. He confronted that and beat it, if Ben started hacking away at his students HE WOULD OBLITERATE HIM! And if he wasn't there... Well we saw what happened with Mara now didn't we? Luke as a character would never go into exile

oh boy i was waiting for this after I saw the movie today

what are your thoughts on the speculation that Darth plagueis could be supreme leader snoke ? I've seen a lot of speculation and theory videos and articles and it does seem possible, personally I find this very cool as darth plagueis is a very interesting and cool character and to have his story fleshed out more and expanded upon from the novel by james luceno would be cool to see

the finn I'm one of you line i found that funny

The only reason people like this shitty film is because it gave them that nostalgic emotional high that they didn't get from the Prequels. Unfortunately, once that high wears off, all these people will realize how unoriginal the movie was -- that it's just ANH 2.0 with the plot and characters rearranged. That's all! The average Star Wars fan doesn't know a good movie when they see one. They're idea of a perfect Star Wars film is if they include everything from the Original movies. Well, guess what? That shit gets tiring after awhile! At least the prequels were original in their execution. It took risks and actually added something to the saga. The new movies are just devoid of anything original. Everything from the characters, the world, and star ships are just copied and revised from the OT. What's the point in even making a new trilogy?

My favourite part of the film may of been Rey's introduction. Especially when she put on that old pilot helmet seeing the ship leave orbit it was just great.

Hey guys! Love all of your videos, just wish you had the time to make more! I liked this movie, and I see your complaints, and hold a lot of them, to a somewhat lesser degree. I liked all the characters, though you guys are right that it could have flushed them out more, it would be really difficult to have flushed them all out within the movie, and not make it 3hours long. And with the Maz aliens and space travel time, all the planets are in wild space, which means that it's a different part of the galaxy and therefore different species are going to be nearby. Probably not a lot of core world or even outer rim species either. Love the channels and keep up the good work!

1:38:06 - "Why can't I break your mind!!??" Made me lol

Isn't this the 17th episode? Or did I miss out on one? EDIT: Never mind, just read the description.

In terms of Rey, I think her force pull and mind trick are justifiable assuming that she is a Skywalker. When Kylo Ren was interrogating her, I think it's logical to assume that she may have gotten more out of him. Rey's a very strong, independent, and adaptable character having lived on her own on a desert planet for several years whereas Luke was extremely immature and impatient. This affects both of their progress towards mastering the force, and Rey, I feel, is definitely capable of the feats she's performed in comparison to Luke because of her more disciplined state.

I loved it

I think its interesting that they left so much unexplained just wait until episode 8 theyll have to explain more

So ... Episode 17 will forever be allusive?

Do remember that Vader was also distracted when Ezra and Kanan pushed him.

I for one did believe kilo ren (Ben) when his father confronted him but it's because my brother left my family and he was so cold and completely robotic and they're expressions and behavior were exactly alike

The music is.. well do you remmeber something about the musiqc? The camera in extreme close-up...

Was i the only person that noticed the guy with the red Durge mask Finn was talking to?

IT'S HERE! IT'S FINALLY HERE! Edit: Also, can't wait for that Star Wars Christmas Special drinking episode. Can I just also say, there were so many scenes that were in the trailer but not in the movie.

Fascinating info; in the flashback scene right at the end, you hear Obi-Wan right at the end played once again by Ewan McGregor and even brought back Alec Guinness through some editing tricks.

You now that the music playing when they we get introduced to Snoke is the the same song from revenge of the sith when Plapatine tells anakin about Death plaguies. The tragedy of Darth plaguies. A coincidence, I don't think so:)

"Admiral Tarkin"??? 🎵Shock shock horror Conner shock shock horror🎵 😂

omg matt has joined the council!

I'd like to kind of point out something you all mentioned about the lightsaber fight at the end. You mentioned that it seemed they were "trying to hard" to distance themselves from the flashy acrobatics of the prequels, but went too far. However, this isn't a fight between two experienced duelists we're looking at, it's a desperate clash between an angsty, wounded Kylo and a scared, alone Rey who had never ignited a lightsaber before. Personally I think the fight carried those ideas well, with them both showing a lack of finesse, while Ren does have a bit of a "style" (twirling his saber all the time) it seems more like a uniform, specific move that one would have picked up on from having rudimentary skill in a particular area. Rey is essentially using the saber like she used her staff on Jakku, ie Jab Poke and Beat the crap out of Ren.

This is in retrospect of course, but even if Rey HAD turned out to be a Skywalker, it still wouldn't have explained her powers. It's not like Luke being the son of the most naturally gifted force wielder in history allowed him to use the force significantly without at least some training. Even Anakin himself needed to be trained before he could use the force.

I wish flims explain how things work. How can the sun be cusum by one big piece of metal? Maybe there's a power cell that can handle sun rays.

"I've got big plans I guess....."

I think the movie alright. However, I have to ask. When are Jensaarai1 and Antoine finally doing Scourge vs Kota?

When kylo called Finn a traitor I think he meant you betrayed supreme leader snoke

If only we knew what was to come.

I appreciated this, it was interesting to hear the different view points. Personally, I loved it. I had my niggles and nitpicks and the awkwardness of things not having the significance they should was there for me, but I guess the acting just carried the film for me. I can admit that I am stupidly subjective when it comes to enjoying media in general, and this film got an emotional response out of me, so to me it was largely a net positive experience. It felt like Star Wars to me; I can't exactly quantify how, but... it just felt like Star Wars. *shrug* Nevertheless, I'm glad to finally see agreement on the things that bothered me. Rey was too OP. Kylo Ren was too nerfed. I enjoyed the characters and was glad to see them take on their respective paths, but Rey's connection to the force just threw me for a loop... I literally ranted to my friends about how her ability to just use the force like that made no sense as we were walking out of the theater. I think the main thing about this film is that the pieces themselves all are good, they just don't fit together properly. The scenes of significance like Finn's disillusionment and the destruction of the Courascant wannabee still made an emotional impact on me and so while I still hold my critique of them, I feel that they added to the movie. Personally, I'm a character driven media consumer. I like to see well written characters even if it is at the expense of plot. This movie had good characters, so subjectively I think it's absolutely fantastic. Objectively, I think it's pretty mediocre. I hope that Episode VIII can deliver. Back to the point, Han's death is what seals this movie for me. I freely admit this: if there is a particular scene of a movie that hits me hard emotionally, I have a tendency to not see the flaws of the movie because the moment justifies the movie to me (e.g. Luke's refusal to turn to the dark side and Vader's redemption alone made Episode VI my favorite movie.... ever) Han's death captured everything correctly (for me) and it hit me hard because before this film, I never was attached to Han Solo, I like him, but I didn't feel to strongly. This movie felt like he stole the show, that even though it really is about establishing the newbies, it's really his film. During the movie I was got attached and even hooked on this character. So seeing him go in a way that reached me so strongly colors my opinion about the whole work, and I admit that freely. I see people ranking the films down below, so I'll give my own ranking(lowest to highest): 2,1,4,3,5,6 I'm not sure where 7 fits into this yet. Definitely higher than 1; definitely lower than 5. To end with a question: Am I the only one sick of Superweapons in Star Wars? I mean... there's the Death Star, Galaxy Gun, Sun Crusher, Planet Devastators, Star Forge, Mass Shadow Generator..... and i think there may be more yet past that. I think Star Wars has had its fill of doomsday bringers.

I fully expected the pandering. JJ was chosento direct the film, because he would be able to do the fanservice well enough to appeal to all sets of fans. He did his job and now new directors will be taking over so that the films can progress into new and better things. With what the fans wanted you should have expected this.

2:16:34 looks like Matt is channeling his inner solo from the end of empire strikes back.

GREYJEDI91!! Welcome back! =D

Nice review guys. But a few I wanna ask Evan: Where is your season finale?!!!!! Reti4: Where is Ahsoka Tano vs Bultar Swan? Seriously, it's been almost a year since the So Far-video!!! Antoine: You're a nerd?????? Jensaarai: Are you and Antoine still working on Lord Scourge vs Rahm Kota? Matt: Great profile for Sharad Hett. Everyone: For the next Council Forcecast: Could you talk about the various Star Wars characters that will NOT be used in your versus series (Revan, Darth Nihilus etc.) and why they won't be used. Thanks for your thought on the movie.

Would have been kinda cool if they showed Luke react when the planets are destroyed

Oh also I wanted to see if one of you gents will make a video detailing the difference between the two types of form V. Yes, I know one was for blasters and the other for dueling, but one could use both for lightsaber to lightsaber combat, so how did they differ in that regard. Was one more like form II or was one more like III, etc. I think this topic really hasn't been discussed to the amount that it out to be.

Here is what I would set the movie compared to the previous ones (at least at this time): 1. Revenge of the Sith 2. Empire Strikes Back 3. Return of the Jedi 4. A New Hope 5. The Force Awakens 6. The Phantom Menace 7. Attack of the Clones

hello guys would you all be willing to do a video on some of the weird things in the old EU and maybe the new one as well and talk about them? if not I under stand.

I wonder if Rey is actually the lost child of either Sabine and/or Ezra from Rebels? It makes sense to me, especially if Rebels is supposed to tie in with TFA somehow (excluding the Inquisitorius and the dark siders).

Looking back on this, it's almost hurtful how the first sequel was the best out of them. lol

Snoke thoughts: You don't know how big he is, he could be 4 foot tall, he could be human sized, he could be that big or he could be bigger; much bigger. And then there is my theory; he is a halcyon, maybe of Plagius, maybe Palpatine, maybe of some other sith, maybe of some other Jedi. Perhaps Ren was corrupted by an encounter with this objects.

+EvanNova95 Yeah, Kenobi was so distracted when he was facing Maul and even went to attack him.

I like how at the end Reti is genuinely baffled as to how someone can like this movie. And I thought I was full of myself.

Ooh, I've got big plans I guess.

I felt that the pandering was because the film had something to prove. After the backlash of the Prequels being different in all the wrong ways from the originals. Now I'm sure we'll get FAR less nostalgia pandering in further projects. I hope...

Woah, Antoine! Seen it three times already? I am planning on seeing it three times in theatres but with roughly 10 days in-between each viewing. Saw it now on the 17th, already bought my ticket to see it on the 27th in IMAX in London (I live in Iceland by the way) and am planning on using my free ticket from the company I work for to go and see it the third time on the 6th of January. I hope to feel the same way as you do about after each viewing. Small message to Reti4, I understand your view but obviously they aren't going to explain everything in the first movie. I am pretty sure the next two movies are going to explain more. You complained about not knowing more about Leader Snoke but we know more about him after this movie than we knew about the Emperor in the first of the Original trilogy.

reti your such a party pooper like how can you think the humor in the mind trick scene was missplaced it was perfect the best part of this movie is that it knows its a movie.

About Reys piloting abilities after she and Finn beat the Tie Fighters they are when they are congratulating each other she and Finn are talking over each she says she has flown some ships but hadn't left the planet so you could infer she had flown though that area before and was leading the TIEs to an area she has an advantage.

The feeling that I actually get from Kylo Ren's shifting in attitude throughout the movie is that indeed, in the first scenes of TFA, Kylo Ren has been displaying incredible feats as well as great confidence (certainly due to the moral corruption brought upon by the dark side), and his immersion in evil give him that badassery and the sarcastic edge he displays with both Hux and Daemeron. However I think that I've been able to pinpoint the moment when he becomes less intimidating, and that moment is when Snoke warns him that his target has fled with Han Solo. From that point onwards people seem to feel that his character is downgraded to a whiner. And in my opinion it is precisely the expectation of a confrontation with his father that makes his insecurities resurface, maybe because he still cannot cope with his own exactions. And then we understand that not only does he suffers from an inferiority complex, but also that what he interprets as "the pull of the light" is actually more regret for his actions and a wish to make things right - which (with the fact that instead of carelessly killing officers like Vader did, he rather focuses his anger on disposable equipment) shows how he is still inherently good, and is indeed mentally unstable and under Snoke's near absolute control. Which actually gives me hope for an eventual redemption of the character before the end, even though fans would never accept it after he killed Han ^^ (even though I would prefer him to die at the hands of Rey, Caedus-style (which is actually not uncompatible with a last second redemption))

The scene at the end with Luke was actually my second favorite scene.

There's a huge plot hole in that tentacle scene with the monster. It really could have been ditched. The Imperials are still notified of their presence when they walk into the cantina.

I think that bit was more a cruddy attempt at Vader's Dun Moch tactics, trying to get into Finn's head. But that's just me.

I honestly think that Snoke basically employs an imitation of Krayt's rule of one.

I'm gonna write my own star wars 7 because I love writing lore. It's so fun creating planets, creatures, species. It makes me feel powerful.

Completely agree with reti4.

The reason why Poe randomly disappeared is because originally he was going to die in that crash. So they had to hastily reincorporate him into the movie. I'm glad though since Poe is great.

J.J. had the same problem with the hyper space jumps in star trek

I want to go to Matt's theater