How would you change the Force Awakens?

[Xpwn3ntial]

2. Give Rey force powers from the very beginning. Small ones, like prescience or thought sending to indicate she has potential but nothing game-breaking like mind probing or telekinesis. She can learn those in later films.

She had the telltale sign of a main character Jedi: she's an excellent pilot.

I don't know if I'd call Luke "excellent." Competent, especially since there was no indication of him having training, but flying in a straight line, turning, and not getting shot down don't make for "excellent" the way stunting the Falcon through the wreck of a star destroyer does.

 

[Something Amyss]

I don't know if I'd call Luke "excellent." Competent, especially since there was no indication of him having training, but flying in a straight line, turning, and not getting shot down don't make for "excellent" the way stunting the Falcon through the wreck of a star destroyer does.

Good enough to survive when almost every other pilot died.

 

[Veylon]

I think a big problem with this movie going forward is that it gets rid of its major villain and major threat. Kylo Ren is revealed to simply be a brat in Dark Side high school, and the biggerer Death Star gets blown up. Now I'm sure The First Order has more up its sleave, but there's no major threat that gets carried along into the sequels. Snoke is just a hologram at this point and The First Order appears to be led by a bunch of kids. So once Episode 8 comes out it needs to re-establish the Big Bad almost from scratch.

Alternatively, they could go with The Republic Strikes Back, wherein the attack has horrified and enraged the galactic populace and swept aside the political barriers that prevented the Republic from finishing off the Imperial Remnants.

The main characters are ecstatic that the Resistance is going to get real support and praise for their efforts. The vile First Order will finally be ground to dust and it's captive peoples freed. They are caught up in this new wave of enthusiasm and eager to join battle in this galactic crusade.

And somewhere in the upper echelons of Republican society, someone else is seeing plans come to fruition. Every cause has it's leader and it's champions that it raises to rulership in it's moment of triumph. The Republic will need special men with special abilities for the forthcoming struggle and will not question too closely where they come from or what they do so long as they are clearly fighting the same enemy.

 

[Jux]

More time spent with Rey.

Finn is there too, but Finn is now a woman

Poe is also a girl

They meet up with Leia and fight Kyla Ren who is now Han and Leia's daughter

the movies 99.9% women

Han is the only guy

there is a great disturbance in the nerds, as if a million voices whined out in unison only to be silenced by how awesome it would be

But what about Chewie? Replaced with his wookie daughter. I really was going to come in here and just say 'make them all women' but I was beaten to it.

Honestly, TFA did exactly what they wanted it to, as far as plot goes. They wanted to mirror ANH and just make a fun movie. Didn't want to take risks, and pretty much just hit the reset button and hope people forget about the prequels. As for personal preferences, I'd have liked to see more Phasma, but I'm guessing this was just to establish her as a character, we'll see more of her in the next movie.

 

[Kyrian007]

Well, I wouldn't have shitcanned the entire EU. Don't get me wrong, a lot of the EU was terrible. But there were good stories there that would have made for decent movies. However; I understand that Disney needed to establish their control over the franchise, and declaring the EU non-canon sent that message loud and clear very early on. So with that, I didn't mind where they went with TFA. So, if it's a given that the EU is out... and given that there were clear parallels between the prequels and the original movies... I get where they were going with the story structure mirroring the originals, where others just whine about the "copy and paste" nature of the story. It works within the context of the cannon storyline, and given J.J.'s preoccupation with the "mystery box," the "copied" structure of the story actually becomes a fairly funny punchline. So, I can dig it as is. Especially since they got rid of that crappy looking wire-fu, all-motion-blur lightsaber fighting and went back to a more classical stagefighting style.

 

[Qizx]

Many things. I agree with most of what you said, but I'll boil it down to: Make every less good at everything. Rey managing to be a force god/plain old god. Finn was somehow also able to not immediately die to Kylo in a straight up saber fight (somehow doubt he had saber training). I didn't feel there was much weight, you knew the good guys would do so well. Only tragedy was Han dying and that feels token, almost like it HAD to happen just so something did.

BIGGEST ANNOYANCE: The fucking death planet. Who. The. Fuck. Thought. It. Was. Smart.

Seriously, in this universe there were already 2 super sized destroyers that were both easily destroyed (despite the many bothans). Stop building enormous unstable explody balls. (On that note, no one can tell me the planet didn't have an emergency vent to prevent this very thing from happening?

 

[Thunderous Cacophony]

I don't know if I'd call Luke "excellent." Competent, especially since there was no indication of him having training, but flying in a straight line, turning, and not getting shot down don't make for "excellent" the way stunting the Falcon through the wreck of a star destroyer does.

He mentions he has training, and specifically that he used to fly around hunting animals:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=569x3TtmExo

The original movie was going to use the T-16 ( this thing) as Luke's transport around Tatooine, to showcase his flying skills ahead of time, but they couldn't finish the prop in time for filming so they used the speeder. It's at least a bit better handled than having someone admit to having never flown before, and that the Falcon is huge and designed to be flown by two pilots, before flawlessly maneuvering through piles of wreckage and outflying multiple combat pilots in fighter craft.

 

[hermes]

I would remove the "stop a laser in midair with the force" at the beginning of the movie. It looked cool on the screen, but it made no sense in the progression of the movies, and made Kylo Ren look like a far more formidable character than they ended up with (I know this was intentional, doesn't make it less incongruent thought...) I liked the reading that he was a whinny boy with still much to learn and barely a grasp of the true power of the force, but it is not the same character of the first 10 minutes of the movie. I have no problem with the director/producer changing the dial of the force from movie to movie to keep their space wizards updated, but don't do it between scenes.

 

[MrCalavera_v1legacy]

She definitely feels like some sort of Mary Sue in the sense that she's so diplomatic, automatically makes friends with whomever she wants and is good at whatever impresses others. She's so... boring.

You know what, i stand corrected. I think my pet peeve with Rey lies not within her abilities, as much as how other characters interact with her. Luke didn't have much of a cred in the beginning, he was generaly treated as a little shit that has no idea about anything outside his little farm. If other characters wouldn't treat our heroine like a rey of sunshine, but more like a poor scrub from a desert planet, bicker with her like the "old" New Hope crew used to among them, i think it would result in a bit more fleshed out character.

But wait there's more:
You remember that scene, with two stormtroopers reacting to Kylo's shit fit?

Spoiler

[/spoiler] Yeah, i chuckled at it too.
Problem is, with scenes like this it's hard for audience to perceive Ren as a viable threat. Why should they, if director himself lampshades how funny his angry meltdowns are? Comedy is achieved, but the sense of danger is lost.

Also, not my idea, but someone suggested that TR-8R should be replaced with Phasma.

 

[happyninja42]

But wait there's more:
You remember that scene, with two stormtroopers reacting to Kylo's shit fit?

Spoiler

[/spoiler] Yeah, i chuckled at it too.
Problem is, with scenes like this it's hard for audience to perceive Ren as a viable threat. Why should they, if director himself lampshades how funny his angry meltdowns are? Comedy is achieved, but the sense of danger is lost.[/QUOTE]

I disagree that his menace is lost, I think he's just a different flavor of menace. He's the "unhinged teenager with a chip on his shoulder" He's not the "cold calculating terror" that is Darth Vader. He's the "I'm going to do something entirely unpredictable and reckless" in a fit of hormonal rage...that also happens to be fueled by a supernatural power of pure evil, and I can choke a bastard at 40 yards, or cut them up with a plasma sword. I think he's genuinely menacing, but it's just a different type of menace.

OT: I would include bits of information that were apparently put into some of the novels, that would make Rey's list of abilities make more sense. Like apparently they explain fairly well why she can fly ships as well as she can...but only in the book. If I have to do outside research for your movie to make sense, then you've made some errors in filmmaking along the way. I wouldn't have R2 turn on when he did, as that was so blatantly plot device convenient. I would have Leia hug Chewie after Han's death, because I (and apparently JJ himself) feel that the two of them would have more connection when it comes to grieving over Han, than a girl who barely knew him for like a week at best.

I would remove Finn's "Whoo! Now that's a badass pilot!" comment after watching Po do his run. Yes Finn, we know, we saw it too, no need to explain it to the audience so obviously.

I would edit down the final shot of Rey and Luke on the island, as I think they held the shot too long, to the point that it looked kind of goofy with Rey's expression. And with her just standing there, arm out. Any normal pair of people would've started talking or moving by that point.

I would remove that scene with the alien thingies on Han's ship. Or at least, I would remove the "run from the CGI aliens!" portion of it. The bit with the 2 rival groups showing up, both wanting Han for different reasons, establishing his "scoundrel" ways was quite funny and felt fitting. Switching to the aliens was a bad call. I think it would've been better to just have them running away from the gangs, and having Han tricking them to shoot at each other while they escape in the Falcon, leaving the two groups in the water.

Other than that, not much really. I didn't have much of a problem with the movie as it was, aside from a few bits here and there that could be improved, just for overall narrative cohesion. But for the most part, I liked it just fine.

 

[MrCalavera_v1legacy]

But wait there's more:
You remember that scene, with two stormtroopers reacting to Kylo's shit fit?

Spoiler

[/spoiler] Yeah, i chuckled at it too.
Problem is, with scenes like this it's hard for audience to perceive Ren as a viable threat. Why should they, if director himself lampshades how funny his angry meltdowns are? Comedy is achieved, but the sense of danger is lost.[/QUOTE]

I disagree that his menace is lost, I think he's just a different flavor of menace. He's the "unhinged teenager with a chip on his shoulder" He's not the "cold calculating terror" that is Darth Vader. He's the "I'm going to do something entirely unpredictable and reckless" in a fit of hormonal rage...that also happens to be fueled by a supernatural power of pure evil, and I can choke a bastard at 40 yards, or cut them up with a plasma sword. I think he's genuinely menacing, but it's just a different type of menace.[/quote]
Well, i was thinking more about cutting out those two stormtroopers, rather than entire Ren's tantrum. Still, i think the way he vents his anger should be handled in a different more serious way, than just trashing some equipment. While we compare him to Vader: It's like in that one scene, when he chokes his subordinate, writer would decide that he should just force-flip a conference table instead.

 

[happyninja42]

But wait there's more:
You remember that scene, with two stormtroopers reacting to Kylo's shit fit?

Spoiler

[/spoiler] Yeah, i chuckled at it too.
Problem is, with scenes like this it's hard for audience to perceive Ren as a viable threat. Why should they, if director himself lampshades how funny his angry meltdowns are? Comedy is achieved, but the sense of danger is lost.[/QUOTE]

I disagree that his menace is lost, I think he's just a different flavor of menace. He's the "unhinged teenager with a chip on his shoulder" He's not the "cold calculating terror" that is Darth Vader. He's the "I'm going to do something entirely unpredictable and reckless" in a fit of hormonal rage...that also happens to be fueled by a supernatural power of pure evil, and I can choke a bastard at 40 yards, or cut them up with a plasma sword. I think he's genuinely menacing, but it's just a different type of menace.[/quote]
Well, i was thinking more about cutting out those two stormtroopers, rather than entire Ren's tantrum. Still, i think the way he vents his anger should be handled in a different more serious way, than just trashing some equipment. While we compare him to Vader: It's like in that one scene, when he chokes his subordinate, writer would decide that he should just force-flip a conference table instead.[/quote]

Well, see I think that was on purpose. Look at it from the developers side. "Ok, we need a new Darth Vader!" "...we can't possibly actually make someone better than Darth Vader. Darth Vader is the litmus test by which all Star Wars badguys are measured, and none of them have measured up yet in comparison." "ok...so, let's make that part of his concept. He WANTS to be bad like Vader, but knows he can never live up to that ideal." And so they ran with that. Personally I liked that approach. I don't know, to me, he reminds me of the character from American Psycho. Yeah, he was played for laughs a lot, but he still might come at you naked, bloody, and carrying a chainsaw. He's impulsive, no restraint at all, and prone to violent outbursts, fueled by his own insecurities and the Dark Side. Yeah, he tends to trash equipment rather than personnel, but again, I felt that was a conscious choice, to differentiate him from Vader. Because you never know when he might stop holding back, and just force choke a *****. And seeing what happens with him at the end, I'm sure he's going to be even more unstable, and more violently prone to lashing out in Ep. 8.

I mean, I can understand why someone might not like him as a villain, or at least how they added the comedy to those scenes, but for me personally, having the comedy injected into those moments, didn't lessen his menace to me. It just seemed to make him more unpredictable. Like when he trashed that panel when given the report about the escapees, and that flunky is petrified. And he just calmly asks "Is there anything else?" Making you think he's got it out of his system, but nope! He grabs the guy by the throat as soon as he hears more bad news. While I found it funny, it still conveyed how totally unhinged he is, and how he could go from making a slight joke at you, to possibly cutting your head off, without any warning whatsoever.

 

[axlryder]

What would I change? Make it so that Rey can do everything. Because everyone complains what a Mary Sue she is? I'll show them a REAL Mary Sue.

You know, stating that you'd make her even more of a Mary Sue doesn't change the fact that the canon version of the character is still a Mary Sue in literally every way save the fact she's an official character instead of a fan fiction derived one.

Yes literally, because that's what literally means. Literally mean without any exaggeration, and there are countless aspects of being Mary Sue that Rey doesn't even exist in the same star system as. Like I said, if people think Rey is as big of a Mary Sue as you can get, then they need to see a real one.

She's definitely one of the single worst offenders to ever make it to the big screen for a big budget movie, that's for sure. Sure, she could have been handled worst, but there are infinitely more ways she could have been handled better. I honestly hope they're using her to pull the rug from under us and Finn ends up being the protagonist of this new trilogy, because unless there are massive changes in the next two movies she's not going to be an interesting lead for this trilogy.

I'm sorry what? The shit that get pulled on a daily basis in big budget action movies, and Rey is worse than all of them? Really? Bigger than John Mcclane outlasting a harrier jet in a semi in Live Free or Die Hard? Bigger than all the nonsense Arnold gets up to in every action movie he's ever been in? Bigger than everything Tony Stark gets up to in the Avengers movies, including creating a revolutionary form of energy technology "in a cave with a box of scraps", inventing a new element in his garage, creating a suit of armor that can go toe to toe with the Incredible Hulk, miraculously curing Pepper of Extremis, and thats without getting into how he essentially created new life with Vision. Bigger than Anakin freaking Skywalker, the one who took out a warship at the age of ten despite never having flown in his entire life before? Because he was the chosen one and his power level was over 9000?

If Rey is honestly considered one of the biggest examples of what a Sue is I can't help but feel like people are being pretty freaking selective in who they label a Sue.

Haha, when I read his post I instantly thought "have you seen practically any Die Hard films"? That said, I think most people acknowledge that 90's action films are not written particularly well and many of those male protagonists are just insane fantasy projections (though Mclane did at least have relationship problems that weren't terribly romanticized).

I agree that these accusations are rarely made towards male characters (often when they probably should be) and the general public IS going to be more critical of female characters, but that doesn't really invalidate a lot of the complaints that would normally be considered reasonable if made about male characters (regardless of whether or not people would make those complaints based on people's natural acceptance of the status quo regarding male characters being overly competent). This goes doubly so when introducing new characters by a different writer into the biggest pre-existing film franchise and the whole thing sort of feels like a fan-fiction. (My characters are kind of like the original characters BUT BETTER, and all of the old characters like them the instant they meet them, and then they blow up a BIGGER death star!" etc.) Of course I think the writers were kind of going for a "passing the torch" vibe, but the whole thing did feel a little off.

I think people would be more forgiving of Rey's character if we had some kind of prior experience that would help us accept that Rey is naturally awesome (like how we knew Anakin would be DV). Of course I think we all just need to wait and see where this goes in the next couple of films before we really pass judgement on any characters. I think a lot of my personal issues with Rey could easily be nullified in the later films. Like if we find out she's the reincarnation of Yoda and, upon accepting this, has a shrek like transformation into her true form of Yodela. That one's free, Abrams.

As to the OP, lots of little scenes. Poe magically teleporting is a good one, the end with Chewie totally being disregarded, The whole bigger deathstar plotline and the republic being run by a bunch of idiots. Also, honestly, I'd have CGI'd Carrie Fisher's face to have...like...emotions. Seriously, I saw her in interviews and she looked way more emotive. Part of me thinks they actually TOLD her to act like that or they airbrushed each scene because hollywood is afraid of wrinkles. If that's true, fuck you hollywood, women age just like the rest of us. Jesus.

 

[Jute88]

I'd probably just make Chewie hug Leia at the end of the movie. Movies need more wookie hugs.

 

[Captain Chemosh]

Ren wouldn't be introduced until the very end, wouldn't be some petulant child, wouldn't be a total wuss. Snoke wouldn't have pulled a Palpatine and delegate via hologram, he'd have been there, on starkiller base, which would have also been defended much more heavily. Finn wouldn't have known about an exhaust port, period. Poe would have died in the crash, period. BB-8 wouldn't have existed, ever, at all. R2-D2 wouldn't wake up suddenly, C3PO would keep his cameo all the same. Oh, and Luke would have actually spoken. And before I forget, Rey, would be far more mentally traumatized by the events happening all around her including suddenly being awakened to the force.

 

[FirstNameLastName]

...

Don't fucking announce beforehand that BB-8 is a female droid and just let any magic with Artoo happen naturally.

...

The what now? A female droid? I just looked it up and apparently the droid was originally female, but that changed during production ... or something.
The thing that kind of weirds me out is idea of droids even having genders or sexes at all. It's not like they reproduce, and as far as gender goes I really don't see how that makes any sense. I understand that if we were to produce robots with true AI, we would likely build them in our own image and probably give them personalities and genders like us, but for a BB unit? It apparently doesn't even have the ability to speak in anything but beeps (don't even get me started on that) but it has a gender, somehow?

 

[DefunctTheory]

Finn wouldn't have known about an exhaust port, period.

Thermal oscillator.