CO

TheBoost said:

OR we could just say it's a creative choice to try and make the best movie, and accept that nothing will please everyone.

 Or to give us the first suspensful SW movie since 1983.  If they followed alot of the EU, then many fans would know the story (I believe Mara tried to kill Luke in the Thrawn Books?). 

The great thing about the ST is we know NOTHING, other then some rumors that we can take with a grain of salt.  We all knew where the PT was going to end, so we just speculated on how it would happen?  Now we are speculating on who, how, where, why, etc...  I love the fact that I have no idea what is going to happen in Episode 7 other then the fact that Luke, Leia, Han, Chewy, and R2 & C3PO are back. 

Darth Lars said:

Outside the little group of "Original Trilogy Only" die-hards on this and other movie-oriented forums, there is a great community of Star Wars fans out there who have embraced the dozens and dozens of books that have been published since the Thrawn Trilogy.

 I think the fanbases you are talking about is the other way around.  Out of all of my friends who love SW, only 1 really has read the EU novels, as he has kinda filled me in through the years of the characters like Mara Jade, Han/Leia's twins, etc.

And never go by what people are saying on SW forums to form your opinion about how big or small a fanbase is.  All of us here are just a small % of SW fans, as I am the only one of my friends who posts on SW boards.

The bottom line is the mass fanbase of SW fans loves the OT movies, and the PT, EU, etc are niche fanbases.  Disney would not be erasing the EU and constantly talking about old school effects if they didn't think the OT fanbase was the target market for the Sequel Trilogy.

FrankT said:

Be SERIOUS, for a start!

 I actually think the more serious got, the worse it got.  When the PT tried to fun like the OT, it wasn't that bad as you could sort of watch them with a grain of salt.

The problem is whenever they tried to get real dramatic, the moments were either laughable or just plain cringeworthy.  Think of the Anakin/Padme love scenes in AOTC, Anakin's turn to the darkside in ROTS, or Order 66.  These scenes just didn't work on an emotional level, so they ended up hurting the movie.

The 3 basic principles of Real Estate is location, location, and location.  While the 3 basic principles of Movies are characters, characters, and characters.

Quite frankly, I did not give a rats ass about Anakin & Padme, and that is the major problem with the PT.  I liked Obiwan played Ewan McGregor, but the trilogy is essentially about Anakin's downfall.

We can argue CGI, Jar Jar, and Midiclorians, but if I cared about Anakin & Padme, I would have liked the trilogy.  I think there are alot of flaws in Return of the Jedi, but they still have Luke, Leia, and Han so there is someone I care about for 2 hours.

When Anakin was lying there burning up on Mustafar, I said, "Good riddance!" 

Baronlando said:

The new dumb comment du jour seems to be "well, which version is the true original anyway? Lucas has been making changes since the beginning! You can never satisfy blah blah". I can't believe how many variations on that I've read since this rumor started. 

 This is right up there with the 2006 TFN comment about the OOT being released in non-anamorphic, "You are getting what you deserve!"

I think the last time the OOT was released on VHS was in 1995 (The Faces Covers?)  and NOBODY complained about them as they were a bestseller.  Nobody ever complained about the addition of Episode IV:  A New Hope in the crawl, etc.  It was the changes that started in 1997 is when the tampering began (Greedo shooting first, Jedi Rocks, Hayden Force Ghost, Vader NOOO!, etc).  We just want the last version Lucasfilm released before 1997 fully remastered! 

It's real simple!!!

Deadly Robots said:

 (Emperor Palpatine: "Henceforth, you shall be known as Darth... [walks over to novelty toy dispensing machine, inserts quarters, turns the crank, retrieves the plastic egg, opens it and reads the name inside] ...Vader.")

 I think of Animal House when Belushi is naming the new frat guys:

Belushi:  And your name is......Flounder!

Kent Dorfman:  Why?

Belushi: (Burps) Why NOT!

Padme said:

The first pix of mark and carrie are how they looked when i met them at nycc. i know the second pic of mark is how he looks now. please tell me the second pic of carrie is how she looks now. that would be fantastic for her. 

 It has to be recent pics, because I remember Carrie Fisher saying that Disney was getting them both personal trainers to get in shape for Episode 7. 

Ryan McAvoy said:

 

If Hayden had a good director, or Lucas hired somebody who had enough chops to just ignore him, then it might have been different. What we got was the blind leading the blind.

 Then why is Hayden terrible in most other roles that he plays?  I understand what you're saying as Lucas did him no help, but the worst performances in a SW movies usually come from the worst actors.

Now I am not saying that McGregor, Neeson or McDiarmod gave Oscar Worth performances, but they were 'good' performances in context of Star Wars movie.

Let's take other actors from Hayden's age group from that time period, and I guarantee they would have done a better job.  I look at an actor like Eric Bana (he was a bit older at the time then Hayden), but I think he would have been a much better Anakin despite Lucas's directing skills.

I am not even a Prequel Defender, as I have alot of other issues then the acting in the PT.  But I have seen Hayden Christensen in other roles, and he is a crummy actor (like most of young Hollywood these days) who made it because of his looks. 

G E Predator said:

Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker (blame his poor performance on bad directing)

 Not to defend Lucas' directing, but how come Ewan McGregor was able to give a good performance for 3 movies?

Hayden is the typical Hollywood actor these days, "Good looks, crummy actor."  You look at leading men & women from the 1970's movies like Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman, Meryl Streep.  All of them are great actors that didn't rely on their looks to make it in Hollywood.  Hayden is terrible is almost every movie I have seen him in (Although he was pretty good in Shattered Glass).  If they got a better actor for Anakin Skywalker, I don't think he would have been as bad as portrayed by Hayden.  Actors like Alec Guiness, Peter Cushing, and Liam Neeson, and Ewan McGregor are able to give decent performances in SW movies, mainly because they are good actors.

darklordoftech said:

WedgeCyan said:

CO said:

Darth Vader Ghost or The Emperor ghost.  I love these 2 bad guys, but lets have a an original bad guy (they can still be a Sith). 

 I'd like to take this one step further and say I don't want to see the Emperor at all (no clone/resurrection Legends BS) or Darth Vader at all (as the newest rumors claim).

I'd like to take this yet another step further and say that I don't want to see Sith at all. How is another Sith "new"?

 If they could come up with an original villain, I would be all for it.  But the problem is you need someone who is as powerful as a Jedi, so you are essentially locked into that battle for this galaxy?

Darth Vader Ghost or The Emperor ghost.  I love these 2 bad guys, but lets have a an original bad guy (they can still be a Sith). 

Ryan McAvoy said:

They could have paid Lucas 4 Trillion dollars, but if he doesn't own the rights the ball is still in Fox's court.

 I agree with you on the distribution rights owned by Fox, I was talking more about Disney being married to Lucas' vision about the OOT movies.  Once he sold them the rights, he gave up any chance of holding back the OOT from future releases.

That is why I will always say, no matter how much Disney milks this franchise, if the one good thing is a release of the OOT, then it was worth all of the other BS.

I still vividly remember watching the OOT marathon on Presidents Day Weekend 1990 (I was in highschool at the time).  After the 3 movies back to back to back for the first time since the HBO days, I realized how great Empire was and how average Jedi was.  I'm pretty sure it was on USA Network?

dan76 said:

I'm not sure about that. I could well imagine part of the deal involved not releasing the OUT. Lucas is fanatical about this, he's spent a lot of time and energy trying to erase the original versions.

I guess it depends how much he still cares. Hopefully he has just let go.

 Disney paid 4 billion to Lucas, so I am 99.9% sure they can do whatever they want with the franchise at this point. 

Anchorhead said:

Excellent points, many of which occasionally get lost in the noise this franchise has become.  Along with a myriad of other inabilities and demons Lucas was tangling with, he never understood what made Star Wars77 connect with the audience.  Like you pointed out, it was the simplicity.  It was fun.  It was an escape.  It wasn't a government\economics course.

I too trust Abrams to understand what made 1977 work.  If we've seen anything so far, it's that he's a fan of the 1977 universe. 

I think the inclusion of Harrison Ford in Episode 7 is a HUGE deal to getting SW back to the movies that were fun to watch.

SW at heart is a simple story, yet there is alot going in the movie.  There is drama, there is comedy, there is mythology, there is action, and it all equals a fun ride if you balance those elements.  SW doesn't work when it tries to be TOO serious, TOO comedic, or TOO much action. 

If you watch SW & Empire, Han & Luke pretty much have equal screentime, and those characters give it the right balance.  Han gives the movie good comedic moments (That the average person can relate to), while Luke give the movie its dramatic moments (Where we aspire to be a pilot, jedi, etc in a galaxy far far away).  ROTJ started that trend where the movies tried to be too dramatic, as Luke got much more screentime then Han.  The Prequels were lacking that Han Solo character altogether, and the whole trilogy just lacked any sense of good comedic relief or fun in that respect.

With JJ supposedly giving Han a 'huge' role in Episode 7 (barring the injury), he is essentially saying that the new SW movies need more of those light (every guy) moments  to equal out the darker (Jedi) moments. 

Ryan McAvoy said:

Hand floating through space!?!... Mega-Maid!

 She's going from suck to blow!

m_s0 said:

 Whatever we might think about the OOT, the average Joe won't care or understand what this is all about, hence why I doubt they'd make it a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Getting it out to maintain a consistent level of buzz and to get the hardcore nerds on board with the new Star Wars Overlords - sure. Making it a significant part of the marketing campaign (classic Star Wars is back, with a follow up soon etc.) - nope.

There's a chance I'm just too jaded to see it. It would be cool if they did make a big deal out of it, not only because of validation and all that stuff.

 I think you're partially right about a certain segment of the fanbase not being too hyped about the OOT release, but I think that has more to do with that fact that a generation has passed that has probably never seen the OOT.   I will say that my nephews did not know about the OOT versions until I showed them to them and they were in shock when they saw Sebastian Shaw as a force ghost!

But I think we get caught up in the internet 'demographics' sometimes, as there are ALOT of older SW fans who would come out of the woodwork if they released the OOT.  I can say that many of my friends would buy it in a second, and they don't talk about SW anymore. 

That is why I think the PT or SE fans on the are vastly overrated on the internet.  I think they are just loud as the OOT fans, so we both think WE are the real SW fans.  I still have yet to meet a real person in life who likes the Prequels more then the Originals, as it is only on the internet that I have encountered this type of fan!

Most SW fans probably never posted on a SW internet board, don't really think about anymore, probably bought the DVD and BluRays (not because they love the SE, but they put up with the changes because they love the movies so much.)  In the end, they will see Episode 7 and would buy the OOT set if it came out.

m_s0 said:

I'm still hoping Disney is going to feed the OOT to the Ep VII hype machine, and the way they've been handling Star Wars makes it a fairly likely scenario. This December, maybe? Fingers crossed, but no real expectations.

 If there was ever a time to release the OOT, it would be next year leading up to Episode 7 as you will have Ford, Fisher and Hamill doing a zillion interviews about the new movie.  Perfect Tie-In for the fans.

darklighter said:

A little rumor roundup:

John Boyega will play a character much like Luke in the OT. He will not be a Jedi, but will be introduced to the greater Star Wars universe. The main plot of the ST will revolve around his character much the same as Luke in the OT.

We have the persistent rumors of Jedi Hunters. The most likely scenario is that Luke Skywalker has at least started to rebuild the Jedi Order. The Jedi Hunters have started hunting down and killing those new Jedi.

Another persistent roumor is the Jedi Hunters are most likely Dark Jedi being led by a single individual bent on destroying the Jedi and building a new Sith Empire.

Most recently the Mandalorians will factor heavily into the ST.

Oh yeah and Tom Cruise will play an Ewok!

I have never seen John Boyega in any movies, so I will have to check out some of his previous work.  I really like the early plot rumors, as I am looking forward to the 'multiple' Jedi Hunters compared to always 1 or 2 bad guys from the PT/OT. 

NO TOM CRUISE!  I hope this rumor is as false at the N'Sync being in Episode II rumor!!!

dan76 said:

I don't ever remember seeing Star Wars for the first time, it's one of those things that's always been there. I was 4 when it came but I don't actually remember the screening.

I do remember playing with my friends Land of the Jawas play set in the summer. Wow. I grew up by the beach so Tatooine was my favourite part, with all the aliens in the cantina. I remember seeing the picture of a stormtrooper on a Dewback and I thought it was a dinosaur. Didn't realise it was in the film. Lucas should really have made more of that.

I didn't really like Empire at the time, and I still think the yoda section goes on a bit. I agree it's Han's film - he gets the girl. I also thought it was someone different playing Luke, I didn't think it was really him.

I remember Jedi the most. A mate in school went on holiday to the U.S and came back with a toy poster featuring a speeder bike. I was obsessed with that. I also thought that the Tie-Interceptor's back was the front ( with the spikes going behind). When I actually saw it in the film it knocked me out, thought it looked amazing. It's all connected with collecting the figures, the summer, great times.

At the end of Jedi I was down because I knew it was over. I remember thinking the film had so much "stuff", so much to it I couldn't wait to get to school to talk about it. It's one of those films that has loads of great bits but fails to be great. But there you go, at the time I thought it was the best one.

oh, and Carrie Fisher... big impression...

 We are the same exact age, and I had the same impressions towards each movie!  I saw SW in 1977 with the whole family when I was 4 1/2 years old, but don't have any vivid memories of the film that day.  But I do remember playing with all the action figures that Christmas, as that was the coolest thing at the time for kids like us.

I did not like Empire in 1980, as it was much too dark for me, and thought the Yoda scenes were boring.  Now its my favorite film, as I learned to appreciate it when I got older.

Jedi was the first movie I was old enough to enjoy the hype, and couldn't wait for it to come out in 1983.  Jedi was my favorite back then, and now it is my least favorite of the 3 OT movies.  When it was all over, I remember thinking that a part of my life was over and I could turn the page.

DominicCobb said:

Ugh, to me, that'd just be pointless. If I'm not mistaken, the whole point of the prequels is to show how Anakin became Darth Vader. To not show that would have been infuriating (at least to me).

 I agree with you that the Prequels are meant to be seen after the Originals, and there are alot of PT spoiler plot points that should be in the PT movies.

I was just saying if Lucas is going to go around and say the movies should be watched 1-6 (like he says at the end of ROTS DVD Commentary), then he should have written them in a linear way!

DominicCobb said:

Yeah. But it would still show Anakin become Darth Vader. Because that's what prequels are for. You would still need to watch 4-5-6-1-2-3 if you wanted surprises.

 I always thought that if Lucas got really creative, he could have made 1-2-3 that fit right into 4-5-6, so the PT would not have spoiled the OT for a new fan watching them in order.

Lucas could have had Anakin never be named Darth Vader by Palpatine, and when he is lying there on Mustafar burning the first time viewer thinks he is dead.  Then Lucas would not show the building of Darth Vader in Episode III, so when it comes to Episode IV, you just think this is a new villain who is chasing down Princess Leia, the same way Count Dooku was a new villain in Episode II.

Then when Darth Vader reveals himself in Episode V, the 1-6 viewer would be just as suprised as we were because he does not know that Anakin is Darth Vader, he just thinks Darth Vader is a jedi who killed Luke's dad.

There are many other details that I would have to go through the movies to make sure they jive up with 4-6.  You wouldnt have Owen/Beru in the PT, or Anakin's last name would not be Skywalker, because then it would be obvious. 

Lucas essentially created the PT to be watched after the OT now, because there are so many things that are nods to the OT when you're watching the PT, but he could have written it as a linear story if he really took the time.

Fang Zei said:

All of this talk of practical vs cgi in the Episode VII thread got me thinking about a question that comes to my mind every now and then.

In an alternate universe where the SE never happened, do you think the PT could've been made in a way that synced up seamlessly with the OOT?

Also, do you think it's possible to watch the actual PT in conjunction with the OOT?

I believe that the PT could have been made to sync up with the OT, as its all a matter of perspective when it comes to CGI and what a director can do.

The big difference between the PT & OT is the locations.  You have real locations in the OT (Tatooine, Hoth, Endor), and CGI locations in the PT (Geonosis, Kamino, Mustafar).  The trilogies will NEVER match on this alone, because they look like 2 different movie franchises.

Lucas said in the AOTC commentary during the Kamino sequence that they could have build a huge model of places like Kamino, but it would just cost more.  So he COULD do it, but by financing his own movie, he decided to do it the cheaper way.

I really wish Lucas had made the PT before 1993 (Jurassic Park was the turning point in CGI), and he would have been forced to use real locations, and it would have synced right up with the OT.  Instead we have 2 trilogies that look nothing alike.

skyjedi2005 said:

The making of on the original dvd was awesome though.  It shows Lucas saying crazy stuff about how the movies entire success relied on Jar Jar.

 Or when Lucas & everyone watch Episode I for the first time, and the looks on everyone's faces after it is finished.  Rick McCallum looks like he saw a ghost as you can see he knew this movie was not that good.  Then they show Lucas and Ben Burtt going at it about the ending, as Burtt was the only one who has the balls to call Lucas out. 

I was never hyped for the Prequels (I always wanted the Sequel Trilogy), so I had NO where the expecations many fans did.

I wasn't disappointed, as I thought it was OK.  It was cool that Star Wars was back in the spotlight again and I have to say it was surreal when the Opening Crawl came on screen and I was seeing a SW movie as an adult for the first time. 

The ironic thing is that TPM is probably the most 'Star Wars-Like' movie out of the PT.  AOTC & ROTS take themselves way too seriously where TPM atleast tried to duplicate the spirit of the OT.   Now stuff like Jar Jar, Jake Lloyd, and many needless plots bogged down the movie, but it is interesting to compare it to the other 2 prequels now, and how I actually think it holds up better then them.