Star Wars: The Force Awakens

[simonpwood]

Given Episode's I-III were Lucas' babies... no... not even in 'overall story', since in I-III he created huge line discontinuities and plot holes big enough to drive a planetary sized death star through.Had he maintained the 'backstories' as given in Episodes IV-VI hints... perhaps I say that his input would be good going forward.Then there's Jar Jar Binks... the franchise already had one useful idiot... C3PO... why create another, and not 1/10 as good...

Yes, there are many issues with the prequels, and most of those were probably a direct result of Lucas having complete control (with no strong producers to say no to his wilder ideas). But credit where credit is due; Star Wars is his baby. He just seems to work better when he has to answer to someone else for the money, when he has no control over the final cut, and when he works alongside skilled writers and artists who can effectively make his vision a reality.

Like I say I'm not saying it would be a good idea for him to direct, but rather if he was involved as a kind of show runner for the trilogy then we would get some idea of how the story really should have proceeded. He's the only one who actually knows this. The other 3 directors are literally making it up as they go along!

The prequels weren't all bad either; they took some risks and helped flesh out the universe. The force awakens took no risks in comparison. Annakins conversion to the dark side fall was a terrible fumble though....

 

[Tom Shortridge]

I think Kathleen Kennedy is acting as the "brand manager" / overall story supervisor for all new Star Wars products. So while it's not George Lucas, there is one unified vision overseeing things.

 

[simonpwood]

I think Kathleen Kennedy is acting as the "brand manager" / overall story supervisor for all new Star Wars products. So while it's not George Lucas, there is one unified vision overseeing things.

Spoilers

Ok, that's interesting. But I had read some interviews with JJ where he had insinuated that the next director had written the new script, and that JJ had no idea of what that would be (meaning JJ had made his film that he wrote himself with no idea how it would proceed from there). I think he had said that basically he wrote his section and everyone else had to pick up from there and work wih it.

Likewise I had read an interview with the actor who played Dameron had mentioned that his character was meant to die early on. Later JJ chaged this and decided to have him live and be a main character in the series that would have to be written into the following movies.

Anyway, in summary from all the interviews I have read it seems to give the impression that there is no general story in place. Kind of like JJ's Lost TV show...

 

[simonpwood]

And I'm sure I'll get burned for this; but there are a lot of people out there who really enjoyed the prequels. Mainly younger people who grew up with them; my kids love the prequels. Kids actually like Binks (and the damned Ewoks).

In some ways a lot of people take Star Wars far more seriously than Lucas ever intended it to be. Basically the prequels were made for kids and selling toys to them (and yeah I know there are problems with the prequels being movies for kids considering the violence, and overly complicated plot etc), but still it is what it is.

Lucas is a genuine Star Wars troll; the fact that he won't release the original cut on HD, the fact that he has been photographed wearing a Han Shot First t-shirt, and my favorite; knowing how unpopular Binks was after Phantom Menace, when writing the 2nd script the working title was 'Jar Jars big adventure'!

Probably his way of telling the extreme fans to simmer down, it's just a movie...

 

[Mitch Gross]

Don't expect Lucas to be involved anymore. He has specifically stated he's done and explained why. Watch the Charlie Rose interview for details.

 

[combatentropy]

He just seems to work better when he has to answer to someone else for the money, when he has no control over the final cut, and when he works alongside skilled writers and artists who can effectively make his vision a reality.

He's not the George you're looking for.

1970s George: Han shoots first.
1980s George: Ewoks shoot first.
1990s George: Han shoots second --- after Greedo misses at point-blank range, but Han already had his gun out and he shoots so fast it's like he knew it was going to happen, but still it's better for the children, even though Greedo basically promised death ("Over my dead body." "That's the idea."). Also midi-chlorians, Jar-Jar Binks, ill-defined characters, unrealistic dialog, unmotivated actions, and plots with more holes than the cosmic fabric of space and time.

In 1983 I was 5, and and so, yes, maybe that's partly why I was okay with Ewoks. Also in 8th grade, for a class presentation where you had to dress up as someone from history and deliver their biography, I chose George Lucas. I just wore glasses and painted on a beard with my mom's make-up. But starting with The Indiana Jones Chronicles (not the Indiana Jones movies, the TV series called The Indiana Jones Chronicles) George and I grew apart.

George is no longer the shy newb who might acquiesce to others, particularly good influences like Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, and Reality. Now he's the multibillionaire auteur of one of the most singular movie events in all history. Even if officially he were relegated to Consultant, dealing with him throughout the making of Star Wars from now on would be, at best, awkward. They did the right thing by saying, give us what you got, but we'll take it from here. He gave them what he had: his treatments for VII, VIII, and IX; they said thanks, no. I have a feeling, even though I dressed up like George Lucas in 8th grade, I too would say no thank you.

 

[Scott F]

I went back for a second viewing, fearing it might not hold up to my initial enjoyment.

Fortunately, I proved myself wrong. A few minor nitpicks aside, I daresay it got better having seen it once. One thing that stood out was the jokes and the sense of humor. Some subtle, some outright dumb. Either your a fan of the humor or you're not.

ALSO, the spaceships are aces. The movements, the look, whatever you want to call it....it works. MUCH better than the prequels. I feel JJ and everyone involved really got this one right and we've got a hell of a setup for the next two. Alright, I'm NOT a fan of this Supreme Leader Snoke thing (save that CGI crap for the Lord of the Rings) but other than that, I'm easy to please.

Seriously? You people are dead inside.

This latest film is for people who didn't see Star Wars at 11 in 70mm in Paramus. For them we have a pretty slick, updated highly kinetic retelling of the rise of a new Jedi: Rey.

And it was great.

mail4joeg, there's a message in your inbox: You are correct, sir.

 

[Batutta]

VFX reel for The Force Awakens.

 

[David Jimerson]

A lot more CGI and greenscreen in there than was generally talked about.

 

[Leon Bailey]

A lot more CGI and greenscreen in there than was generally talked about.

Yep. They talked so much about not using it as much too. Tricks! lol.

 

[dustylense]

LOL, how else would you create this film in 2014/15? When they talked about using practicals, I'm pretty sure they meant costumes and characters.

 

[David Jimerson]

When they talked about using practicals, I'm pretty sure they meant costumes and characters.

If they only meant costumes as "practicals," that wouldn't make it any different from the prequels, then, which they were most emphatically claiming to get away from.

As for characters, Maz and Snoke were CGI.

 

[Mitch Gross]

To be fair the reel is fairly short. It doesn't show all of the stuff they did do practically on set. At a certain point of course they're going to create it in post. Compared to most modern productions they did do a lot of practical work. I doubt other films would have constructed a practical BB-8 at all.

 

[Scott F]

LOL, how else would you create this film in 2014/15?

Seriously.

I doubt other films would have constructed a practical BB-8 at all.

Yes yes

AND, the fact that they made a life-size FALCON speaks volumes. (at least from some BTS pics I saw?) Plus X-wings. To beat a dead horse, the filmmakers knocked it out of the park, IMO. Your milage (of course) will vary.

 

[David Jimerson]

I don't care how they made it; the results are the results. All I'm saying is that they talked a really big game about doing it practically.

 

[Greg Smith]

AND, the fact that they made a life-size FALCON speaks volumes. (at least from some BTS pics I saw?) Plus X-wings.

Was any of that stuff left over and repurposed from the previous episodes, or did they have to build all new? (I haven't done enough reading about the BTS on this one ... my bad.) The Millennium Falcon definitely looked like it had been sitting around the back lot for awhile. (Amazing that it still had gas in it ...)

- Greg

 

[stip]

Snoke was done really bad. Even my girlfriend was distracted from how bad he was done. Also, being completely CGI and leaving nothing real (or better, human) in him makes the guy a pretty weak antagonist imo.

Overall, you got what you expected.
No surprises, repeating death star, and basically everything else. I think they should have been a bit bolder but rather this than another Jar Jar Binx failure.

 

[combatentropy]

When they talked about using practicals, I'm pretty sure they meant costumes and characters.

Not only costumes but parts of sets and some of the effects, including a real explosion near the main characters.

I just found out that BB-8 was a practical.

 

[Mitch Gross]

Was any of that stuff left over and repurposed from the previous episodes, or did they have to build all new? (I haven't done enough reading about the BTS on this one ... my bad.) The Millennium Falcon definitely looked like it had been sitting around the back lot for awhile. (Amazing that it still had gas in it ...)

- Greg

I know you're partly joking, but in fact they built everything new. Nothing was used from previous productions (maybe Artoo and Threepio).

 

[Martay]

I liked it a lot. Finally a movie that felt like a Star Wars movie. Yea, there are some quibbles here/there as always, but overall I found it to be wonderful and exactly what I was hoping it would be. Some folks don't like it because it felt too nostalgic, or borrowed too heavily from the older films, so just from an approach standpoint the film can't work as well for them. None of those things bothered me at all and actually made the film more enjoyable to me. The time to really dabble and try bigger things will come later, especially in the Anthology movies. This movie was all about the fans, building trust, and laying a foundation that can serve the future. It delivered the goods. If you were hoping for something out there and different, you won't be too thrilled. I think EP8 will let us explore a lot more, in the way Empire did, and EP7 will sit firmly in place as the meat and potatoes of the new trilogy. It sets the stage well.

To me it was the perfect mix of old and new. I have to see it again but I'm pretty sure it sits like this in my fav SW line-up:

ANH > Empire > TFA > Jedi > Sith > Clones > Menace

UPDATE: I just saw it a second time. This one will have endless replay value for me. I think if I was totally ignorant to Star Wars, and watched all 7 movies in a binge today, TFA would probably be my favorite, with ANH and Empire close behind. This film is without a doubt the most entertaining of the franchise. Where ANH and Empire bring a classical and more patient approach with darkness, operatic atmosphere, and weight...TFA brings energy, humor, and a great mix of popcorn without losing that classic feel or weight completely. Perfect mixture for a 21st Century audience. ANH and Empire will always be like JAWS to me. Masterclass films that I've seen a million times, but you really need to sit down and let them soak in and be patient, in order to feel the full effect. JAWS is fantastic throughout, and if you sit in it without interruption...the shark exploding is still a huge thrill, similar to the death stars explosion or the cliffhanger of Empire. TFA has so much energy. It's so fast and thrilling and funny. The first 1/2 especially is worthy of study. Older fans will always put the classic films and nostalgia at the top of their list, but TFA is going to be that movie the new generation sees over and over again. It's going to be their ANH...no doubt. When they want to dabble in the classics, they'll know where to turn.

I think your assessment is spot on for a majority of original trilogy fans. Building Trust was key.

Here are our thoughts on it when we did a special CinemATL podcast review:

http://www.cinematlmagazine.com/cin...30/cinematl-podcast-special-edition-star-wars

-M