The prequels' influence on pop-culture?

Heh, nah just kidding.

Just something amusing I saw today - watched the final Harry Potter movie a few hours ago, and one particular sequence there quite clearly rips off TPM!

The way the magic shield thingy engulfs Hogwarts, shortly before the battle ensues, looks EXACTLY like the corresponding scene from the Gungan battle.
The wizards even shoot it up into the sky from the middle.
The spells the Death Eaters attempt to use to breach it, create bursts of fire on the shield's surface, which also strongly remind of the laser shots in TPM.

They TRY to run through it en masse, but it doesn't go over as well this time... the Order of the Phoenix ain't a bunch of dunces, like those Gungans!

Sorry I couldn't find any images or videos to show it, but the movie's legally available on the internet and in cinemas, so there's at least that.



Just wondering, with all the talk about how non-existent the prequels' impact on pop-culture has been, and how little memorable, iconic imagery it contains, that (slightly and inexplicably surreal) shield activation scene was pretty captivating (although it still does look fake).

So just to make up for that, the movie rips off ANH half an our later (the one where Han runs after a few stormtroopers, and then OH SNAP!) :D



Anyway, can anyone think of other examples where movies have taken something from the prequels? A line, a setting, a shot, some striking imagery?

I'm not really talking about internet memes like the SW Kid or various "amateur" lightsaber battles / spoof raps etc., although that's certainly welcome, as well!

Aw, shucks!

SilverWook said:

Did ILM work on the film?

We all know the infamous ringed Death Star explosions in the SE's were inspired by the Praxis explosion ILM did for Star Trek 6.

Yea, the two movies are listed among their filmography, although I don't know how significant their role was, considering they're not mentioned on the main pages of the films (I'm talking about Wikipedia, so yea...).

But that'll certainly be explanation! :D

Hm, not that much of a "popcultural influence then", eh...

Worst thread title ever.

I look "forward" to MOTH3R "fixing" it "for" YOU.

Hm, seems like he doesn't care anyway. So then I'll do it, what the heck. (That means you have nothing more to look forward to, by the way.)

TV's Frink said :

I look "forward" to MOTH3R "fixing" it "for" YOU.

and you and you and you...

twooffour said:

Hm, seems like he doesn't care anyway. So then I'll do it, what the heck. (That means you have nothing more to look forward to, by the way.)

Yeah right, you're going to change it because you don't have the testicular fortitude not to do it.

But you're right, he doesn't seem to care, since he hasn't taken any action in this thread or in off topic.

twooffour said:

(That means you have nothing more to look forward to, by the way.)

Aw, man, you're "right".  Because the ONLY thing I have to "look" forward to in my MISERABLE "life" is being "RIGHT ON THE INTERNET."

On-topic, sort of, how is the Harry Potter movie available legally on the internet?

In this case, it is more likely a convenient way of ILM recycling old effects elements for convenience sake. ILM tends to do that, take an old effect, add some new things so it doesn't look quite the same. This happened in the newer Star Wars a lot, especially in the SE. The shockwave from Alderaan and the Death Stars was an element laying around from Star Trek VI, and the rontos that you see everywhere are just the CG brontosaurus' from Jurassic Park, distorted and repurposed to look more bizarre.

So, when they had to make some kind of magical, bubbly shield device for Harry Potter they just dusted off the Gungan shield and made some minor modifications to it.

CP3S said:

twooffour said:

Hm, seems like he doesn't care anyway. So then I'll do it, what the heck. (That means you have nothing more to look forward to, by the way.)

Yeah right, you're going to change it because you don't have the testicular fortitude not to do it.

But you're right, he doesn't seem to care, since he hasn't taken any action in this thread or in off topic.

I just made that title for Ziggy, as he requested me to make an image only post here and get banned.
He read it, so why keep it there?

I really was originally gonna post a thread about that shield scene, so why keep the stupid title?

Recycling stuff, that happens with practical effects too.

TV's Frink said:

twooffour said:

(That means you have nothing more to look forward to, by the way.)

Aw, man, you're "right".  Because the ONLY thing I have to "look" forward to in my MISERABLE "life" is being "RIGHT ON THE INTERNET."

Joke fail, numero... 9?
It was already sarcastic jab on my part, so you're being redundant.

On-topic, sort of, how is the Harry Potter movie available legally on the internet?

I can't tell you.

zombie84 said:

In this case, it is more likely a convenient way of ILM recycling old effects elements for convenience sake. ILM tends to do that, take an old effect, add some new things so it doesn't look quite the same. This happened in the newer Star Wars a lot, especially in the SE. The shockwave from Alderaan and the Death Stars was an element laying around from Star Trek VI, and the rontos that you see everywhere are just the CG brontosaurus' from Jurassic Park, distorted and repurposed to look more bizarre.

So, when they had to make some kind of magical, bubbly shield device for Harry Potter they just dusted off the Gungan shield and made some minor modifications to it.

Ah, thanks!
That was very helpful, I didn't really know that - resuing techniques/software or stock footage, sure, but not that.

So yea, should've read up that ILM had a part in the movie first :)

twooffour said:

On-topic, sort of, how is the Harry Potter movie available legally on the internet?

I can't tell you.

Exactly.

Oh, and the prequels have had zero influence on pop culture.

TV's Frink said:

Oh, and the prequels have had zero influence on pop culture.

Mesa tinkin' dissa nota true.

I personally find the Gungan shield effect and the shield over Hogwarts to be quite different.  The Gungan shield has a constant glow and color to it, while the Hogwarts one is more clear and vanishes as soon as it touches the ground.

I can't think of anything where the prequels have affected the culture to the extent the OT has (e.g. R2-D2 mailbox, Tom Tom SatNav voices, Trash Compactor book-ends, etc etc).

Yes, the prequels have influenced the Fox media (Simpsons, South Park etc) and generated a ton of short-lived merchandise, but that alone does not qualify as pop culture in my book - just narrow self-serving revenue generation, little "culture".

In the real world there's just no enthusiasm for the prequels amongst everyday people. The opposite was true with the OT and it's really hard to describe to people who weren't even born back then.

SilverWook said:

*cough* Simpsons *cough*

http://www.mediabum.com/videos/Cosmic-Wars.html

Co-executive Producer: John Frink.

I rest my case. ;-)

But yeah, there are a few references here and there.  I would therefore reclassify my statement as there are minor-to-negligible influences on pop culture.

Thread Title: The prequels' influence on pop-culture?

twooffour's first sentence in the OP said:

Heh, nah just kidding.

Ok, so what is this thread about?  Tootsie?

miker71 said:

Yes, the prequels have influenced the Fox media (Simpsons, South Park etc) 

South Park isn't Fox media. I get what you are saying about Simpsons, Family Guy, and Robot Chicken making Star Wars references and even full episodes dedicated to spoofing it, as self serving merchandising. But South Park isn't Fox and has no connection there.

In fact, South Park is extremely adversarial to the PT and the SEs, and has been pretty harsh on George Lucas for his alterations.

In the real world there's just no enthusiasm for the prequels amongst everyday people. The opposite was true with the OT and it's really hard to describe to people who weren't even born back then.

I would love for this to be true. I wouldn't mind the prequels being collectively forgotten and disappearing for ever. But I honestly think I hear Jar Jar quotes, as well as things like "My young Padawan", "Those tricks donta work on me", or "Only a Sith deals in absolutes" almost as much as I used to hear things like "I'd just as soon kiss a wookie" and other famous OT quotes.

TV's Frink said:

Thread Title: The prequels' influence on pop-culture?

twooffour's first sentence in the OP said:

Heh, nah just kidding.

Ok, so what is this thread about?  Tootsie?

I call this piece The Prequel's Influence On Pop-Culture.