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Post #619959

Author
Oldfan
Parent topic
Star Wars: Episode VII to be directed by J.J. Abrams **NON SPOILER THREAD**
Link to post in topic
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/619959/action/topic#619959
Date created
25-Jan-2013, 1:27 PM

Some thoughts after hearing the news:

I'm not thrilled with the idea. I don't like how both the Star Trek and Star Wars franchises are both being directed by the same person. It would be better for fans if the two different franchises were allowed to show different styles, from two different directors' talents. Instead, there's no denying that the new Star Wars films will feel similar to Star Trek 2009.

I'm not a big fan of Star Trek 2009. I was impressed with the casting, as far as the actors nailing the performances, but I hated the script, I hated how they rewrote Star Trek history, and I hated all the juvenile action and the lack of a captivating villain. Nero was uninspiring and his reasons for wanting vengeance didn't make much sense, nor did his actions.

I can't stand Abrams' use of lens flares. I was surprised to read this earlier today:

http://io9.com/5230278/jj-abrams-admits-star-trek-lens-flares-are-ridiculous

In this article he admits that he went overboard with the lens flares. He also explained how he went to such great lengths to create the abundant lens flares - I thought he used CGI, but no - he did them all in camera - often pointing huge lights at the camera off-frame to create them. This is a very strange  thing to obsess over, and I recently tried to re-watch Star Trek 2009 on cable and just changed the channel because the lens flares were literally so distracting that I wasn't in the mood. I loved Super 8 but it also had the same issue with lens flares - it's overwhelming and actually distracts the viewer.

I really hope he dials way way back on that effect - the last thing this new Star Wars series needs is something like that to weigh it down. It already has a lot to go up against like the failures of the prequels.

We'll have to just wait and see I guess - I think he's a competent director overall. But Disney needs to tell him to back off the lens flares, seriously. The thing I worry about most is in the end, Star Trek and Star Wars will be done by the same director, and will look too similar. It seems like a safe choice since his films seem to do well, but it probably isn't the best choice. I do like Fringe a lot, I've followed it since the first episode, so there's hope. I think Super 8 showed his love for the old 70s/80s films - it felt very nostalgic, even though there were some inconsistencies regarding the dates of some of the featured props like the Walkman and the Rubik's cube. Perhaps he will treat the new Star Wars with the same type of dignity, though he didn't do that so well for Star Trek.