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Episode VII: The Force Awakens - Discussion * SPOILER THREAD * — Page 63

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Shot by shot, here's what I think:

1. Boyega popping up in the desert:

This feels like the OT to me. The desert is quite evocative of the OT Tatooine, and feels right. The best part of this shot is that Boyega is wearing real armour, and it looks like he's been wearing it. There's sweat and dirt on his back and chest, and there's sand stuck in the ridges of the black under-armour. That's the kind of used universe feel I was hoping to see.

2. Soccerball droid:

While this was probably my least favourite part of the teaser, that droid definitely felt like a Star Wars droid, in a Star Wars environment. Its means of locomotion seems a little odd, but perhaps it's more efficient/economic to make them that way. It does seem to get around faster than most other droids that don't fly around (Droidekas being a notable exception), so maybe that's why they're made that way. If this ends up being the most ridiculous thing in the movie, then I'll be quite happy.

3. Chrome troopers:

The blue tint was a bit obvious in this shot, and I hope the movie is better colour-timed. I still like the design of the troopers. I have little else to say about this shot.

4. Daisy Ridley flying away from something:

I rather liked the speeder design. It gives off a strong OT vibe, but is original at the same time. We can also see the little gate thing we saw before in (intentionally?) leaked concept art, which continues the pattern of leaked things being what shows up in the teaser. This shot also had a used universe feel and Ridley's outfit seemed to fit with the kind of Tatooinian garments we saw in the OT (I think).

5. Cockpit shot:

Again, things look used. The helmet has chips and scratches, the jacket is slightly worn, the paint on the corners of the metal box-thingys behind the pilot is worn off, the edges of the windows look like proper window edges, etc. As has been pointed out, the guy's face has some character. He isn't wearing perfect make-up in this shot. Overall, it feels very authentic.

6. X-Wing flyby:

Again, I really enjoyed seeing stuff from the OT, but updated. This is my favourite shot out of the whole teaser. It's neat to see familiar spaceships outside of empty space or a hanger bay. And again, the ships don't look shiny and new. That alone has me feeling optimistic. The used universe feel is something I thought important about the OT, and it seems to be here. We just have to get used to seeing it in a modern-looking movie.

7. Monk with wounded leg in snowy woods:

I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, it feels kind of mysterious and cool, but on the other, it looks like there might end up being a Sith in this movie (is it possible this is the Inquisitor from Rebels?). I wasn't sure about the lightsabre at first. It seems like they tried too hard to be cool with it. I like the interesting flickering blade, however, and lightsabre designs don't really bother me that much. I'm quite happy with there being variety. The possible presence of Sith is what I'm less enthusiastic about.

8. That ship that Lando flies in RotJ flying around:

The Millenium Falcon felt like it had some weight in this shot. I could almost feel the g-forces as it flew around and did some crazy stunts (is ancient old Han still the one flying this thing?!). It does look kind of thin to me, but I don't really care. It wasn't scaled properly within the OT either. The TIE Fighters look too similar to what we saw in the OT, but I can't say I got a very good look at them. Hopefully these aren't new fighters they're still making the same way as 30 years ago.

Overall impressions:

Now that I've gone through the teaser shot by shot and analyzed it, I'm far happier with it than I was before. There are some things that really feel like Star Wars. Others, not so much, but I can't say I want everything to look like the OT. I'm all for moving the camera around if it improves the shot, like it did in the one with the Falcon. I like that I'm seeing a used universe. Let's hope it's consistent. The trailer hasn't got me riled up and eager to see the film, however. I am no more or less interested and excited than I was before. I'll continue with my wait and see attitude, until I actually do see.

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X-wings *TICK*,  Millenium Falcon *Tick* Stormtroopers *TICK* Light Sabre *TICK* , R2 Unit *TICK*    looks like the Star Wars universe to me.

I'm not sure if peoples expectations were set too high for what Abrams billed as a glimpse of what they'd been working on, ie half a dozen or so, probably 95% completed effects shots that provide a teaser for a film that still has nearly 12 months of post production before it's release.

I'm sure Luke, Han and Leia are being saved for the full length trailer closer to the films release. Even though they are the known quantity in the franchise, the producers will want to keep them under wraps for the big reveal.

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DuracellEnergizer said:

SilverWook said:

I dig this speeder. It evokes Luke's old hot rod, but looks like it's designed to tow stuff.

Looks like a giant flying popsicle to me. 

 Why did you have to say that!? Now I'm stuck seeing it that way forever. :(

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Actually if you look closely there is quite a bit of noticeable grain in the first shot with Boyega.

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RicOlie_2 said:

DuracellEnergizer said:

SilverWook said:

I dig this speeder. It evokes Luke's old hot rod, but looks like it's designed to tow stuff.

Looks like a giant flying popsicle to me. 

 Why did you have to say that!? Now I'm stuck seeing it that way forever. :(

 Does this help?

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Where were you in '77?

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I have a theory.  Everybody is talking about the hooded figure speculating he may be an ancient warrior of some kind.  What if this character turns out to be Darth Plagueis?  He actually DID manage to save himself from death and has been in some form of hibernation for years and years. The shot from the trailer is him waking up and igniting his lightsaber ready to kick some ass.  The force awakens.  As in the ultimate user of the force awakens.  Huh?  Huh???

I know it's dumb but I love speculation like this ^-^

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darklordoftech said:

boards.theforce.net/threads/the-color-of-the-force-awakens.50024692/

 That looks so much better to me. I hope the real movie looks like that.

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I don't like it. 

I LOVE it. 

Really excited for this movie.  I loved that they didn't show the OT characters - we already know they're in the film, I'd prefer the movie to be centered more on the new characters and having the "big three" from the OT be in the background and "pass the torch" so to speak in this film. 

I love how it doesn't resemble the PT or OT visually.  It's a new trilogy and it should have it's own style and identity IMO.  

Also, the lightsaber looked pretty dope I thought.  Has anyone considered that the cloaked guy is an ancient warrior that has "awoken" and his lightsaber is from a different time and is an older model with "vents" or something?  

I guess I just love modern films to much, but I thought the camera angles and effects were awesome.  The teaser was honestly more exciting than I thought it'd be.  Can't wait to see the film.  

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emanswfan said:

Ryan McAvoy said:

Johnny Ringo said:

I did however do a quick mockup to get an idea of what things might look like sans hollywood teal / orange filtering.

 Trailer colour-timings are meaningless these days. They bare no resemblance to the finished films, so I wouldn't get too concerned based on an early teaser. But if some of those shots were the actual timing, I'd be mildy concerned same as you.

Yes, completely agree.  Just have to watch the teaser and main trailer for Desolation Of Smaug, and compare it with the final film.  MASSIVE colour-timing differences.  The trailers were orange and teal over contrasted and the final was low saturation with heavily reduced orange/teal look present in An Unexpected Journey.  Again, the final movie and even the next trailer (probably April) will certainly look very different, hopefully in a good way.

Just to be absolutely clear - I do not expect the movie to look like the trailer - I did the mockup to get a better idea of what the movie will look like.

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RicOlie_2 said:

 The TIE Fighters look too similar to what we saw in the OT, but I can't say I got a very good look at them. Hopefully these aren't new fighters they're still making the same way as 30 years ago.

 Because nobody would ever still be flying a 40 year old design...

Or a 60 year old one. ;)

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Where were you in '77?

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Darth Lucas said:

I have a theory.  Everybody is talking about the hooded figure speculating he may be an ancient warrior of some kind.  What if this character turns out to be Darth Plagueis?  He actually DID manage to save himself from death and has been in some form of hibernation for years and years. The shot from the trailer is him waking up and igniting his lightsaber ready to kick some ass.  The force awakens.  As in the ultimate user of the force awakens.  Huh?  Huh???

I know it's dumb but I love speculation like this ^-^

 I would really hate that.  Palpatine thought he killed him.  And I've always thought he was strong enough with the force/wise enough/aware enough to know whether or not he killed someone.  And he could feel the "disturbance" in the force Luke showed... and he couldn't since a sorth lord?  I would really hate to have Palpatine turned into a little bitch like that :P

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EU notwithstanding, we don't know the circumstances of Plagueis' death. And Palpatine could have been lying his ass off to Anakin anyway. It's a little convenient to dangle the carrot of learning how cheat death in front of him just as he's starting to have visions of Padme dying.

Going by the lightsaber, I think it's someone much older, who has just woken up, and/or someone who was too far away from the action in the previous films to be detected using the Force.

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Where were you in '77?

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But I like the idea that he could be even more powerful than Palpatine ever was.  So much so that he was able to deceive Palpatine in believing him to be dead while he waited for the perfect moment to rise up.  It's something that could be extremely cool if it was done well and would actually give the prequels SOME kind of purpose in this saga besides pointlessly setting up the OT and pissing off alot of fans.

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Darth Lucas said:

I have a theory.  Everybody is talking about the hooded figure speculating he may be an ancient warrior of some kind.  What if this character turns out to be Darth Plagueis?  He actually DID manage to save himself from death and has been in some form of hibernation for years and years. The shot from the trailer is him waking up and igniting his lightsaber ready to kick some ass.  The force awakens.  As in the ultimate user of the force awakens.  Huh?  Huh???

I know it's dumb but I love speculation like this ^-^

If this is true, I will take that ugly lightsaber and commit seppuku with it. 

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Some hilarious trailer reaction videos...

That was hot! (My fav. Guy losing his sh*t)

Sweet! (Intense fanboy reaction)

I wish it was next month (Family watch together... Kid is adorable)

This is so beautiful! (Almost tears of joy)

VIZ TOP TIPS! - PARENTS. Impress your children by showing them a floppy disk and telling them it’s a 3D model of a save icon.

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Only if you wear a Taun Taun costume. ;)

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Where were you in '77?

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The more I watch the trailer.... the more I want it to be at least 2 hours longer. Oh my f*ck. I'm sold. I told myself I wouldn't feel this way about anything Star Wars again. Wrong, I was.

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 (Edited)

What I really like are Tatooine shots. Especially the sand dunes shot at the beginning. There is no damn cloudy weather like in ANH.

真実

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This looks very, very bad. I don't know WHAT it is that's troubling me but it "feels" like it was shot on an iPhone, it doesn't "feel" like a movie at all. Also I was hoping they show as Mark, Carrie or Harrison

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A lot of people on this thread are being quite shortsighted. This is just a teaser for a movie that is OVER a year away. Don't nitpick the color, don't nitpick the special effects, don't nitpick anything! Nothing you have seen is completed, and all of it is without context. You're setting yourself up to hate the movie, without giving it a fair chance.

Were there a few moments during this teaser that I didn't necessarily like, or felt un-star-wars-y to me? Absolutely. But like I said, all of this is without context.  And even in those particular moments, everything still looked visually impressive.

This movie isn't going to be a carbon copy of the OT cinematography and techniques, nor is it going to confine itself to what you (or I) deem worthy of the GFFA.  It WILL introduce us to new ideas, and at its heart, we will see JJ Abrams' visual style shine through.  And why should it not?  ANH, ESB, and RoTJ all have different directorial approaches. Thirty years later, a new approach by anyone is going to feel very different. You will never accept this film until you accept that fact.  But from the looks of it, Abrams seems to be trying very hard to at least present the film in a way that feels familiar.

For me personally, the only thing that felt out of place in this teaser, was the hooded figure and his (or her) crossguarded lightsaber.  But like I said, we have no context.  And I'm not going to abandon the movie because of an off-putting  2-second clip without context.

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Other common gripes:

-The soccer ball droid.  Although somewhat silly, I personally feel it looked and felt like it could have been plucked right out of ANH.  And for all we know, it may only have a few moments of screen time.

-The VFX/colors suck! They do? Really? Perhaps it's the compression, perhaps it's the fact that they are (guaranteed) unfinished, but if you really think these VFX are of fan film quality, you're kidding yourself.  And again, the movie is over a year away-- they will look better (but even as it stands, they look far better than most of the prequel VFX).

-The falcon is too thin. I admit, it looks slightly off. But there is very little consistency between the different models used in the OT as well.  Sometimes it looked thick and brick-like, other times is looked flimsy and light.  In terms of dimensions, this looks most like the Falcon from the Second Death Star Battle.  Add the fact that 30 years of renovations could have altered its dimensions slightly, and that from now on, we will have a consistent model throughout the ST, and you can color me happy.

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Let's try and see the good in this.  For me personally, I grew up on the original trilogy (aka, my bible), but I was still relatively young as the prequels were coming out.  And because of that, the prequels will always have a fond place in my heart.  But I recognize their many faults... and I mean many.  And what JJ Abrams has given us this ridiculously short preview, feels far more like Star Wars than the majority of events in the prequels.  And I can't wait to see where the story takes us.

And yes, I DO wish that we got to see some familiar faces, but in retrospect, I'm glad they held out on us.  It will be far more satisfying when we get a full trailer next year.

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I hated the trailer on first watch except for a few shots. After watching two more times, my feelings have kinda reversed.. kinda.

-I hate that soccer ball droid. How's his R2 head staying on? Looks so silly. I just can't understand people saying it looks like it was plucked out of Star Wars (ANH).
-I hate  the stupid cross lightsabre and it's fiery blades.
-I Hate that the dialog (and title) are all about the force and light/dark side. The Jedi stuff is the least interesting thing about Star Wars to me.

There are some things I like though.

I'm hoping the full trailer will have more of a 'Star Wars' feel and less of a 'any new blockbuster' vibe.

Ray’s Lounge
Biggs in ANH edit idea
ROTJ opening edit idea