Same for the soundtrack…
Whywould you not hire John Williams and than try to copy him?Because it’s not a film from the saga and the soundtrack didn’t copy or imitate him, it borrowed a few select themes from him but did something different with them as well as created it’s own great themes.
Mr. Williams also has some other space movie to worry about next year. 😉
Where were you in '77?
Having Cornelius Evazan’s (who looked fucking awful) and Ponda Baba’s cameo in there hurt my soul, I don’t know who thought that was a good idea but I was very unpleased by their appearance and so was everyone in the theater both times.
Care to elaborate? I thought they both looked fine, and was super jazzed to see them, as were all my friends.
Not enough people read the EU.
Also feel like mentioning that having lived with the score for a few days, I’ve embraced it. Jyn’s theme is still a little too close to Trek for comfort, but I’ll forgive it for the Guardians of the Whills theme. Completely evocative of the very best EU stuff I never thought I’d see on screen (much like the Chirrut character).
I really liked “Hope”. It reminds me a lot of “Anakin’s Dark Deeds”.
Having Cornelius Evazan’s (who looked fucking awful) and Ponda Baba’s cameo in there hurt my soul, I don’t know who thought that was a good idea but I was very unpleased by their appearance and so was everyone in the theater both times.
Care to elaborate? I thought they both looked fine, and was super jazzed to see them, as were all my friends.
Evazan looks about 20 years younger than he should. And they linger on the two of them for so long, I guess just in case you didn’t get it? Which is annoying because it’s an easter egg and nothing more. I knew who it was as soon as I heard the line. That’d have been enough. I’d have even lived with a bot more. But that one last extraneous shot that lingers - no good at all.
Having Cornelius Evazan’s (who looked fucking awful) and Ponda Baba’s cameo in there hurt my soul, I don’t know who thought that was a good idea but I was very unpleased by their appearance and so was everyone in the theater both times.
Care to elaborate? I thought they both looked fine, and was super jazzed to see them, as were all my friends.
Evazan looks about 20 years younger than he should. And they linger on the two of them for so long, I guess just in case you didn’t get it? Which is annoying because it’s an easter egg and nothing more. I knew who it was as soon as I heard the line. That’d have been enough. I’d have even lived with a bot more. But that one last extraneous shot that lingers - no good at all.
Exactly! They stare at each other for a good 30 seconds! He doesn’t look right at all, the makeup was fine but his hair and head shape were completely off.
Prequel Fan-Edit thread: http://originaltrilogy.com/topic/Yet-another-series-of-prequel-edits/id/17329
That has to be the work of some smarmy dickhead producer at Disney. I won’t believe otherwise.
Just saw “Rogue One”. I saw it in 3D RPX. Some random impressions:
The basic story, capturing the Death Star plans and thus tying it to ANH, was really well thought out. It was an exciting way to create a decent prequel… a far better and more fitting backstory to ANH than any of GL’s prequels. Fits nicely into the OT canon.
The character development was REALLY WEAK compared to TFA. In TFA, the main two characters were really well fleshed out, and I really connected with them and rooted for them. It was one of the strengths of TFA. By contrast, in Rogue One (is there an accepted acronym yet?), I found myself not really caring about anyone in particular. Neither of the two protagonists were sufficiently developed for me care about their demise at the end. The only character I slightly cared about was the blind guy’s assistant.
There were a few too many gaps. How did Jyn get captured by the Empire? What was the significance of the necklace? Saw Gerrera didn’t seem fearsome, he just seemed cuckoo, and it wasn’t clear to me why all these people were doing his bidding.
The ground battle went on way too long… I actually dozed off about halfway through it. When that extra batch of black storm troopers arrived, I moaned “aw c’mon”. By contrast, the space battle was fantastic. Some of the effects were staggering, especially the collision of the two imperial ships.
Tarkin and Leia were both extremely convincing, I thought. Really amazing that they can do that these days.
Vader single-handedly mowing down the rebels in the corridor with his light saber (and the force) was extremely well done. I thought it was one of the most powerful scenes in the film. I look forward to seeing that scene again.
I liked that the worlds were both gritty and complex. There was a lot to see in the nooks and crannies, without seeming gratuitous. The occasional easter eggs didn’t bother me, because they didn’t impact the story or shrink the universe.
The music was excellent, and the sound in the RPX theater was stunning. The 3D was rather understated - at times I even wondered if it was 3D.
In summary:
"Close the blast doors!"
Puggo’s website | Rescuing Star Wars
- “Star Wars fans only want one thing: Vader”
- “I will not condone a course of pointless fan films that will lead us to more nostalgia madness !”
This just goes to show how diverse the Star Wars fandom is and how impossible it is to satisfy everybody.
I forget who said it, but if ANH was released today, it would be crucified by today’s culture.
They’d be calling Luke a Mary Sue
No, because Luke is a dude, and we only make that complaint about chicks.
Only about chicks… and only when the character is a Mary-Sue, meaning badly written and ridiculously over the top (Luke in ANH is perfectly written). You don’t hear/read that about Casey or Athena in Tomorrowland or Joy in Inside Out. On the other hand, Erso is no Mary-Sue: she doesn’t do anything at all for 2 hours but when she does it seems “normal”, like the other characters, not out of character (the writing is still quite terrible though).
I finally saw the movie yesterday and so far, I really like it. In short, everything that looks like it’s from the OT is great, (almost) everything that actually is from the OT was a bit distracting.
I don’t care if this spaceship or that Stormtrooper haven’t been in the OT, almost everything certainly looked like it fits right in. And the big Rebels vs. Empire battle at the end was fantastic. The best ground fight since Empire and the space fight was pretty much on par with Jedi. Including Red Leader and Gold Leader was nice but sadly that was the only cameo that worked well for me.
Speaking of cameos, these were mostly rather weak. R2 and 3PO were really unnecessary, Bail didn’t do much apart from saying recycled lines, the two guys from the cantina… But I can (at least after one view) look over that.
Now, what I’m critial about is how prominent certain OT characters were. Mon Mothma was great, but having so much focus on Tarkin and Vader was really distracting. Tarkin didn’t look quite right and I wonder how well the CGI will age, maybe it would have been a better idea to show him only as a hologram. Vader was too prominent and too forced-badass. The lava castle looked like it was out of Lord of the Rings, and Vader slaughtering Rebel soldiers didn’t do anything for me.
Also, from my impression in Star Wars, sending the plans to the Tantive IV was something done secretly, with Leia being undercover, not with them blasting their way out of a battlezone. I really wish they had found a way to have the Tantive IV nearby, maybe on some mercy mission, and then have the plans send to them. Maybe a scene of Vader, who figures it out and goes after them against advice from his officers. This would make him look far more threatening than swinging a lightsaber at helpless rebels.
Now, this whole post comes off as far more negative than I intended, overall I enjoyed the movie and had a really good time. The story isn’t very complex, the characters aren’t very deep, but that wasn’t the intention of the movie. It’s an action movie in the Star Wars universe, so naturally it’s different from the main saga, tonally, and I’m perfectly fine with that.
I definitely need to watch it again, before I can give it a score or rank it against the other movies.
Ceci n’est pas une signature.
Vader only had like 2 scenes…how was he too prominent?
Maybe prominent isn’t the right word, but everytime he appears, he’s being hugely built up, completely relying on the fact that everyone in the audience knows him. He was blown up to appear more important than he really was.
The first scene in the castle was absolutely insignificant to the plot and Vader hacking through rebels seemed to be below him. In Star Wars, he could have single-handedly boarded the Tantive IV, killed all the soldiers and so on, but he sends stormtroopers to do that, because it wouldn’t be worth his time.
Ceci n’est pas une signature.
Maybe prominent isn’t the right word, but everytime he appears, he’s being hugely built up, completely relying on the fact that everyone in the audience knows him.
It’s Darth fucking Vader. I mean I don’t need to say anything else.
He was blown up to appear more important than he really was.
Our fault; not one that lies with the film. This is akin to the Phasma situation.
The first scene in the castle was absolutely insignificant to the plot and Vader hacking through rebels seemed to be below him. In Star Wars, he could have single-handedly boarded the Tantive IV, killed all the soldiers and so on, but he sends stormtroopers to do that, because it wouldn’t be worth his time.
For one, time was of the essence. Secondly, who cares?
Vader isn’t badass because he’s a raging psycho with a lightsaber, he’s badass because he does whatever is necessary to reach his goal, no matter what the senat or some imperial officer might think.
Ceci n’est pas une signature.
Why not both?
Between Vader quietly walking in front of his men in TESB to get the Falcon and the one showing off his Force skills to kill a few random rebel extras, there is a gap. One is classy Darth Vader, while the other is Darth Jason Voorhees.
Joy in Inside Out.
Hahahahahahahaha!!!
Amazing.
Maybe prominent isn’t the right word, but everytime he appears, he’s being hugely built up, completely relying on the fact that everyone in the audience knows him. He was blown up to appear more important than he really was.
The first scene in the castle was absolutely insignificant to the plot and Vader hacking through rebels seemed to be below him. In Star Wars, he could have single-handedly boarded the Tantive IV, killed all the soldiers and so on, but he sends stormtroopers to do that, because it wouldn’t be worth his time.
Seeing his shadow on the wall in the castle, one could equate to SW '77 pausing only to establish him, storming onto the Tantive.
As for doing menial work, EU/Cartoons aside, he hasn’t used the 'ol lightsaber in a while. The non-PT Vader lives and breathes hatred, so it’s more than anything a passionate display; Kicking the hell out of a few insignificants if only for funsies. Then, after those theatrics, you can take a breather and sent in the troops.
Seeking only the most natural looking colors for Star Wars '77
- “Star Wars fans only want one thing: Vader”
- “I will not condone a course of pointless fan films that will lead us to more nostalgia madness !”
This just goes to show how diverse the Star Wars fandom is and how impossible it is to satisfy everybody.
I forget who said it, but if ANH was released today, it would be crucified by today’s culture.
They’d be calling Luke a Mary Sue
No, because Luke is a dude, and we only make that complaint about chicks.
Only about chicks… and only when the character is a Mary-Sue, meaning badly written and ridiculously over the top (Luke in ANH is perfectly written). You don’t hear/read that about Casey or Athena in Tomorrowland or Joy in Inside Out. On the other hand, Erso is no Mary-Sue: she doesn’t do anything at all for 2 hours but when she does it seems “normal”, like the other characters, not out of character (the writing is still quite terrible though).
Jyn is equally as driven and physically capable as Rey, and for perfectly established reasons (in both cases). When she started scaling the floppy disc haven, I thought “why is she so conveniently gymnastic”, and then my mind immediately went to “oh yeah, having to fend for yourself in the wild for years on end does that to you.” Once again, neither Jyn nor Rey were chilling for nineteen years on a moisture farm, bitching and moaning about not getting to pick up power converters with their buddies.
Seeking only the most natural looking colors for Star Wars '77
Between Vader quietly walking in front of his men in TESB to get the Falcon and the one showing off his Force skills to kill a few random rebel extras, there is a gap. One is classy Darth Vader, while the other is Darth Jason Voorhees.
I agree. However, crashing a rebellion and capturing his son knowing he is alive and well can happen any day, while getting back the plans of the most important military development of your country when you know that there’s a mole in your ranks that probably has compromised the functionality of the weapon just needs some action to be taken.
I felt that Vader and Tarkin both acted recklessly just because the stakes were very very high, and that is something that explains and changes things in ANH in a better way. Exactly the same way you just do not think of Vader as such a random evil guy when you rewatch Empire knowing all he did was to find Luke.
DominicCobb said:
Evazan looks about 20 years younger than he should. And they linger on the two of them for so long, I guess just in case you didn’t get it? Which is annoying because it’s an easter egg and nothing more. I knew who it was as soon as I heard the line. That’d have been enough. I’d have even lived with a bot more. But that one last extraneous shot that lingers - no good at all.
I’d agree with you on both. The age isn’t too much of a deal, nor is the linger, but to me the too much of the cameo is the line. The bump, turn, and glare would have been just fine. Those of us who were supposed to get it, would have. New fans who are unfamiliar, wouldn’t and the scene still works. Rough guys are around so be careful.
Same with the 3po and R2 cameo. Didn’t need a line to work and for the same reasons.
Despite the nonsensical probability of it all, I quite like how Artoo and Theeepio oversee every single entry in the series. They’re sort of the in universe audience/observers of the grand story, while being completely oblivious to the fact.
Seeking only the most natural looking colors for Star Wars '77
They’re sort of the in universe audience/observers of the grand story, while being completely oblivious to the fact.
That has always been the point. But for some reasons 3PO got his memory wiped (I prefer to imagine the wipe didn’t work and that he still remembered a few things prior to ANH). The ROTJ “storytelling scene” stays a very charming moment in the saga.
3PO caméo does not work in R1. I think he should have been in the ending scene (instead of Leia), just for the fun of Vader seeing him 😃 (“Master Ani! Thanks the mak… oh… RUN R2 RUN !!!”).
The problem I have with the Artoo and Theeepio shot is that they are just standing there chatting. It would have worked much better if they had been rushing up a ships entry ramp with the rest of their crew for take off. This way they seem more apart of the goings on.
“First feel fear, then get angry. Then go with your life into the fight.” - Bill Mollison
MalàStrana said:
The ROTJ “storytelling scene” stays a very charming moment in the saga.
Sitting in the theater in 1983, that’s the very moment I knew the franchise (Lucas-penned) no longer spoke to me.
I couldn’t reconcile that bedtime story scene with the burned bodies in Star Wars.
Rogue One brings back that seriousness. The last thirty minutes or so with Jyn on the tower, while the battle for the shield rages on above, is pure Star Wars. It’s the gantry scene in Empire coupled with the space battle from Return. I felt like I was home again.