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Looks like I posted in the wrong thread before, so I'll move over here.

I left the theater really enjoying the movie. There were a handful of things that bothered me throughout but I had fun and it was definitely a serviceable addition to the story and universe.
My largest criticism is probably how derivative it was of the original trilogy.  At times it seemed like JJ was trying to make another reboot like he did with the 2009 Star Trek film.
Within the first thirty minutes we have what appears to be a Han Solo clone in Poe (brilliant pilot with an ego and sarcastic streak), a Kenobi clone in Tekka  (an old, robed white guy who sacrifices himself to the sith in front of the new jedi), a Luke clone in Rey  (wide-eyed, techie, jedi stuck on a backwoods desert planet), an Artoo clone in BB-8 (cute, unassuming Droid that speaks in boops and beeps and is given a macguffin crucial to the underdogs success) and A Vader clone in Kylo Ren (sith in all black with a mask and intimidatingly modulated voice).
I was pretty worried at first, but luckily most of these characters were given the chance to establish their own identities and in the case of Kylo Ren, may have intentionally been playing off our preconceived idea of what a sith is supposed to be. Ren may have been my favorite part of the film. His introduction on Jakku when he stopped the blaster bolt in mid-air really wowed me, I definitely hadn't seen anything like that before. He came off as dangerous, menacing and in total control. Yet as the movie progresses we see in reality he is young, unsure and a victim of his emotions. Truly a conflicted character with depth and room to grow.

I also really enjoyed Boyega's performance as Finn. He was instantly likable and provided a great protagonist for the audience to get behind. I only wonder how his character could exist given what little is revealed of his past. From the first time we see him it is clear he is unlike the other troopers. He appears sympathetic to fallen comrades, disobeys orders and generally seems to carry himself differently. From what I remember he said he was kidnapped by or sold to the First Order at a very young age and was trained since then to become a stormtrooper. One would assume that he underwent over a decade of brainwashing and training in that time. This can't be the first time he has questioned his role or the actions of the First Order. How has he survived so long in that environment while still being able to hold on to so much of his humanity?

I liked how they didn't treat Kylo Ren being Han and Leia's son as a major reveal or twist, rather it was simply dropped in earlier in the film. This really raised the stakes for Han when he went to blow up Deathstar 3.0 knowing he might run into his son and knowing he had to try and bring him back. I also think his death was handled pretty well (still don't know why all these bases require narrow catwalks with no guardrails over bottomless pits). For half a second you think Han might be able to talk his son out of what he's doing, at least just for a moment. Really felt bad for Chewie, I was just waiting for him to rip off stormtrooper limbs.

When I first saw the trailers and synopses for this movie I thought, "boy does that look stupid". Then after the good reviews and friends' testimonials started rolling in I knew I must have been wrong.

I finally went and saw Jurassic World and couldn't help but think throughout the entire movie, "boy is this stupid".

Maybe it's a product of the hype train or I'm just being cynical, but I could not swallow the world this movie sets up.
I feel like 90% of my criticisms are nit picks, but after a while they tend to compound and eventualy my suspension of disbelief simply can't handle it.

> The fact that this park even exists after the events of the first three movies take place is a magic bean. As if people were flocking to board the Titanic 2 and Hindenburg Express within a few years of those disasters.

> Creating hybrid genetically altered super-dinosaurs because the public is bored with the tired old brontosaurus and t-rex? Zoos have been around for hundreds of years and people still visit them! We haven't had to make a croctopus or anything! People fucking love looking at animals and I won't believe looking at literal giants brought back from the dead will get old within a few seasons.

> Combining several animals' DNA into one organism and it developing latent super powers. That's not how genetics work.

> Giving the public acess to freely roam the grounds among the dinosaurs in a giant hamster ball? Do you known how stupid the general public is? I wouldn't trust theme park visitors to go in an exhibit like that withe domesticated cows. Someone will be playing American Gladiators with those animals on the first day I guarantee it.

> The scene where the raptors and super t-Rex sit down and have a fucking conversation?  Wat? They can both communicate through spoken word and happen to speak the same language?

> The way the park director and security handles the escaped dinosaurs? I know I'm biased because I'm a zookeeper and I work with big cats and bears every day, but any manager knows that guests literally being torn apart by your attractions is going to cost you more in ticket sales and PR cleanup than having to put down your expensive new pet.

> This jeep that has been sitting neglected and unserviced for a decade or so? What if some children pop a new battery in it? Done.

> The final showdown between the humans and raptors and t-Rex and super t-Rex was a little over the top, even for this movie.

Also the whole premise of Vincent Donofrio's character was pretty silly.

Like I said a bunch of nitpicks but I really thought this movie was on the level of the recent Fast and the Furious movies as far as how over the top, crazy the action scenes get. Those movies at least seem to be more aware and a little tongue in cheek as a result.

I did love the scene at the end with the guy from the New Girl and guard from Orange is the New Black.

Goddamn, what a blindside.
I've been mostly a lurker in this community for about five years now. I've only posted a handful of times in the forum, but I've listened to damn near every episode of this podcast (many episodes several times over).

I don't know how tongue in cheek the moniker Friends in Your Head was when Teague suggested it, but he couldn't have been more spot on. Spending literally thousands of hours listening to a small group of people discuss, dissect, applaud or "fix" a movie every week has been such a gift. We all truly feel like we know you now and that's nobody's fault but your own. It's sad to see it come to an end, but thanks for letting us play a role in your passion and your lives.

I'll be sure to check back in regularly to see what all my Friends are up to.

So it goes . . .

That song seems like such a strange choice. Loved it.

Lord I hope they don't do the Age of Apocalypse story. I remember thinking that was an ugly mess.

I'd prefer an Angel-->Archangel story.

I know everyone loves saying it about nearly every adaptation, but if you have any interest in the ideas/plot of this story you really should read the books.

In response to some of the points you bring up:

Anyway, I hope I didn't spoil too much and you'll still check out the series. My favorite is still Speaker for the Dead, which is the direct sequel and deals with the ramifications and aftermath of the events of Ender's Game.

They chose some good properties to work with. Those characters can easily exist in the 'real world' and won't rely too heavily on special effects to make a decent action/crime series.

I am a little surprised they included Daredevil though. He's more of a major character and with the rights reverting back to Marvel I'd have thought they'd take a chance with another feature-length film.