Shit...what if Gungans are like pokemon, and Jar-Jar was just like the Charmander stage of the Charizard he would someday become...

OK but...40 years ago was 1975. How much do you think the average 20 year old today knows about, say, the Khmer Rouge, or Watergate, the Vietnam War, or any of the other things that were in the headlines at that time? If you asked them to tell you who Richard Nixon was, could they describe much beyond sort of a…

The fact remains, though...if this film is as bad as the worst thing Abrams has ever made, it will still be the best Star Wars movie since the original trilogy.

But isn’t it consistent with how the Old Republic was viewed from Luke’s perspective in ANH? The gap there was, what, 20 years? And they were already talking about that period in reverential tones, the Force being described as an ancient religion, Darth Vader as a dusty relic of a long forgotten age.

Since you mention Ronald Reagan, I think he is a good example of how people can be mythologized within a relatively short period of time. The Republican party worships Reagan (not making any political judgments here — it’s simply the case), ignoring the fact that in many ways he was pretty far to the left of where the…

I’m very intrigued by the speculation about whether or not (or has this been confirmed?) there is both a New Republic and a Resistance in TFA. It would be really interesting I think if the New Republic is the “mainstream” moderate power in the galaxy, trying to establish peace through negotiation, and the Resistance…

I’m thinking family psychodrama is what we’re going to get, though. I’m not a J.J. Abrams hater, but I’m thinking of the first Star Trek reboot film — was there any particular reason Kirk needed to be remade as an angry kid with daddy issues? And did that theme really have to dominate the storyline the way it did? I…

Mind blown

Wow! I haven't seen that trailer since the olden days and it's amazing how, in retrospect, everything bad about that film is actually right there — Jar Jar, wooden acting, dull static shots, interminable scenes of people sitting and talking, and pod racing.

If you look at Abrams’s past work, dysfunctional father-child relationships are a huge theme for him. So I have zero doubt that this will play a major role in the film. Rey and probably Kylo will turn out to be Han and Leia’s kids...bank on it!

Yeah, I did like VI but the Cold War stuff was so heavy handed, as were the literary references.

This movie is from the guy who cast a pasty British dude as Khan!

I like the idea though that public opinion might have changed toward the Rebellion in the decades since the fall of the Empire, since it appears to have been an extended period of conflict. I'm sure there would be people who miss the stability and order under Imperial rule even if it was a totalitarian state. I mean,…

Rian Johnson, a thousand times yes!

I don’t think “respect” is the right word here — it’s simply that Abrams isn’t a Star Trek fan and didn’t necessarily “get” what made for good Trek. That’s what made the in-jokes and references in Into Darkness so hamhanded and annoying. You have to be most steeped in Trek culture in order to get away with that stuff…

I would look at it this way...most of the reasons why the Abrams Trek films were disappointing come down to the fact that Abrams is a Star Wars guy at heart. Now he’s actually doing a Star Wars film! So his “weaknesses” in this situation are all strengths.

Definitely one of those cases where the frat should win, but receive a $1 award.

I’m 20 hours into Fallout 4, and I still don’t know whether I like it.

This sounds terrific, but I don't follow Marvel superhero comics. (Just the movies.) Would I be lost if I tried to read this?

I freaking love this movie. I love it because it’s probably the quietest superhero movie ever made, by which I mean that the biggest emotional moments are the smallest — Bruce Willis silently passing the newspaper to his son, the look of absolute awe and validation on the boy’s face. The way heroism is presented in…