luckydube56

Continuity is way overrated when getting into that level of detail. Of all the major flaws that made the PT a disgrace in my opinion, continuity is the least of its concerns.

But what do i know? I think films that rely on plot twist surprises are only worth watching once so i think spoliers are overrated.

😃

I think you’re supposed to have 2 of every action figure.

Seriously, Star Wars was one of those films that people either ‘get it’ the first time they see it and are hooked or ‘dont get it’ and think to themselves ‘meh’ or even “I liked it but I’m not going bonkers over it”.

Its the former category. And it doesnt matter which of the films you liked the best although around here there is a clear preference.

I dont own a single piece of Star Wars paraphernalia. Not a tshirt. Not a poster (though that may change). Not a coffee mug. Nothing. But the original 3 films stand out as 3 of the greatest movies ever made to me. And its fun to speculate and analyze and/or pontificate. I think everyone here ‘gets it’

K2SO is the greatest droid ever created. And more human than any Jedi that lived.

Kevin Smith tweeted that Rogue One is “Empire Strikes Back great”.

That could be B.S. but its a hell of claim to be making flippantly.

That’s a good point (unlike Frink’s…just kidding Frink. I love you). Is it in fact a greater danger to stray from a galaxy without the Skywalker family at is center? After all, Rogue One is a side story and serves the Skywalker Story.

You not only diagree with my dislike of TFA but you also dislike like my dislike. What can I say? Its why i joined a forum called “The Original Trilogy”. So far, nothing has come close to the original.

In my estimation, and its purely selfish and biased, Disney should quit trying and failing to extend the Skywalker family saga. And like I say, if its true that Disney execs have considered frequenting that through line less and less, I’m all for it.

Just thought I might hear or read other perspectives. Ones that dont point out the fact that my speculative thread is speculative.

You’ve embarassed my thread. Stop trying to trigger me. Off I go to my Safe Space.

TV’s Frink said:

If it’s true, the fact that the sun is going to swallow the earth next year is really going to put a damper on the box office for EP 8.

I started this thread so that we might have a speculative discussion. Soooo…I suppose the sun would be a factor to consider.

Why so angry?

TV’s Frink said:

luckydube56 said:

the fact that Disney execs are contemplating a shift

The fact? According to whom?

As I said, if true.

TV’s Frink said:

Well then if anything they should be deciding based on the performance of 8 and 9. The performance of RO should have no bearing on if they do more Saga films, since they clearly have the ability to do both.

And of course your opinion of the flimsy foundation of TFA is merely your opinion, one that a ton of people disagree with.

Its flimsy. And, assuming its even true, the fact that Disney execs are contemplating a shift would be a potential indicator of their sentiments. Or at least that their ability to sustain production on both ends is not so clear as you claim.

TV’s Frink said:

TFA made the most money ever domestically. It made the third-most worldwide. It even made the eleventh-most adjusted for inflation, more than every other SW movie except the original.

I don’t know what podcast you listened to but they don’t sound terribly smart.

Well…perhaps it would be more appropo to question the veracity of the podcasters’ source of information. Questioning the intelligence of the podcasters is not on the table. Questioning Disney’s intelligence would be in this case.

How much of TFA’s financial success was 15 years of yearning and anticipation? I have serious doubts as to whether Ep 8 will be able to keep that going. It might fizzle if executed poorly and it might put a damper on ep 9. It’s a difficult task to keep the momentum and quality going for 3 films chained together and TFA is a pretty flimsy foundation on which to build.

I can easily see Rogue One raising the bar of expectations and I have skepticism as to whether the current trilogy can meet it. That is the danger. Trilogies are too much of a commitment. If you make a bad spinoff, you are not on the hook to make 2 sequels.

The Force Awakens is the funniest Star Wars film to date? That comment is funnier than anything in TFA.

Even if what you say were true, I have a feeling that Rogue One is going to easily bump off TFA on that front as well.

Episodes 7,8 and 9 are already underway so that train cannot be untracked.

I dont know how true it is but on a podcast i stumbled across recently, there was discussion that Disney may make some long term strategic changes based on the financial outcome of Rogue One. That they might begin to pull away from the Saga Films and make the Stand Alone Films more of their steady diet. The Trilogy approach is not only exceedingly difficult to plan but also somewhat confining from a creative standpoint.

Early indications are that Rogue One is not only a success but that it exceed TFA as a film. And why wouldnt it? The spinoffs allow directors and producers to simply make good films set in the Star Wars galaxy as opposed to trying to mimic Lucas and straying from their own strengths.

The Sagas…sure do it but only if you have something truly worth doing.

The early reactions for Rogue One offer a subtle but important contrast to those of The Force Awakens.

After the premier of TFA, the reactions indicated that the fans’ hunger for nostalgia was satiated. The comments were along the lines of “Star Wars is back!!!” and “it was so great to see Han and Leia again, etc.” and “I love Rey”.

The early reactions to Rogue One speak of all the surprises. The moments where the fans got choked up. THe moments of humor. The excellent story. The twists and turns that have not even been revealed in spite of all that has been exposed in the months leading up to last night’s premier. The fact that all expectations were exceeded and that…it was better than TFA.

People have fooled themselves into believing TFA belongs in the pantheon of the Original Trilogy. It doesnt. And as more films are added to the Star Wars galaxy, TFA will be bumped further and further down the list. It is mediocre. An expensive film executed cheaply based on a flimsy premise.

I was about the same age when I first saw it.

I think you put it quite succinctly when you say that the film makes the fantastical seem pedestrian. The characters dont react to those things we find astonishing. It lends itself to the whole ‘used universe’ aesthetic Lucas was going for.

Even when Ben introduces Luke to the lightsaber, you dont see Luke reacting with amazement. He takes it, looks at it with brief curiosity; his hand resting right where you might expect an ergonomically placed switch to be and he activates the lightsaber naturally. No big reactions. Ben does the talking. He says its the weapon of the Jedi. Its his fathers weapon and Luke does not speak of the lightsaber but his attention goes immediately to his father…to the story. In this world of amazing imagery its still at its core an intimate story. It becomes bigger as the story continues but it allows the viewer a chance to settle in.

They walk into the creature cantina and it is a spectacle of alien races of all types. At the bar, Ben is already engaged in a conversation with the Giant Dog. There is no big entrance of the Giant Dog. He’s just there among a host of other odd looking creatures. He’s not chained. He’s not in some cage that they have to break him out of. Your introduction to him is not a cheap showcase of incredible strength.

Yet there are parts of the film where its fantastical nature is on full display. The opening scene with the Star Destroyer is all pomp and circumstance.

I have no idea how Lucas managed to keep the fantastical and subdued in proper balance but he did. It is either intentionally or unintentionally a well executed piece of cinema.

darthrush said:

MalàStrana said:

He’s right (but ROTS is a far stronger movie).

I’v come to enjoy Hal9000’s ROTS more than Force Awakens. But if I’m comparing the theatrical releases, well then I’d have to go with Force Awakens.

To be honest, I dont have the hate for the prequels that many do. I’m just indifferent to it and have written it off as non-existent. TFA is approaching that same status as time wears on. I dont hate it but it is utterly uncompelling and i’ve learned to ignore it.

I put TFA down there with the PT.

crap. wrong thread.

There has been this recent softening of attitude towards the Prequels. Time heals all wounds for some. For me, I was never really burned by them. Lucas never “raped my childhood” as so many fans claimed happened to them.

The Prequels will always stand as a non-factor to me; neither enhancing nor detracting from the originals. In my book they’re another franchise altogether. With time it seems fans are trying to reconcile with the Prequels. I’ve learned to filter them out so I’ve never felt the need to reconcile.

For that matter I’ve pushed TFA out of my inner circle of SW films. Had TFA come out in 1979 or 80, we’d see it for what it was. An unrelated wannabe series made by a different studio by different creators. Like a cheap knock off minus the cheap part.

With that said, its still a good thing to be a SW fan alive in this time. There will be let downs. Looking forward to Rogue One and whatever else is around the corner. Even if anticipation is all there is.

Lord Haseo said:

I won’t lie visually this looks more interesting than TFA. They seem to be going a little out there in terms of the locals which is always great as the unfamiliar should be a part of every new Star Wars film. The only real concern about the film I have is with the story seeing as how we know how it’s going to end. How they can make it suspenseful like STAR WARS (another movie in which the ending was obvious) is going to be interesting to see.

No offense my Lord, but I honestly believe that people have overblown the importance of plot twists and the sheer devastation of spoilers. Granted there are some major plot twists that cannot be spoiled such as “I am your father!!!”. To spoil such a thing is unforgivable. But all this sensitivity to spoilers is a bit much.

A film doesnt have to necessarily be suspenseful to be good. And we dont have to even be ignorant of the outcome for a film to be suspenseful. The Normandy Beach Landing in Saving Private Ryan was well documented. We technically won that day. I didnt find the film adaptation of that event to be less compelling or in fact, less suspenseful. A good director can keep suspense even if everyone in the audience knows the outcome. And this can be accomplished by making it so captivating and so involving that the viewer is taking in the events piece by piece as if living it.

Another such war film was Blackhawk Down. Anyone who possessed cognition and an awareness of current events back in the 90s knew of that event. Seeing the film was no less captivating. I felt like I’d run a marathon at the conclusion of the film.

Perhaps it has something to do with the war film genre. Far beyond mere action, war films done well are incredibly dramatic. What does it matter that we know the outcome as a whole when we dont know the fate of our small cross section of characters. The good guys win but who will die?

As luck would have it, the creators of the two aforementioned films came together for Rogue One. Maybe it will completely bomb but it could not have been set up any better.

Really like the trailer. Like it more than the trailer for Force Awakens. Like the trailer more than the Force Awakens movie so far.

The designs are hit and miss for me.

The A-Wng and B-Wing and X-wing and Y-wing look nothing like each other but they look like they belong in the same galaxy. The U-Wing fuselage looks like a kit bash of a Y-Wing, X-Wing and Snow Speeder. Pick a letter, slap wings on it in the shape of that letter and viola…a new fighter is born. That seems lazy to me.

I dont know why there are now tanks. Arent the AT-STs and AT-ATs the Star Wars version of tanks? They fill the same tactical role.

I like the various new troopers and the blaster designs. Those are fantastic.

Apparently the wings sweep back. It no longer resembles a U, but a Y. Maybe they should have called it the “Why Wing”

Tobar said:

Interesting, so the U-Wing is like a troop transport.

It does resemble a Higgins Boat.

CHEWBAKAspelledwrong said:

I too highly doubt the production is in trouble. But I would be disappointed if the reason for the reshoots is to make it less of a “gritty” war movie and add more of the Star Wars “magic” of the episodic films. It would be interesting to experience a film of a different tone in the SW universe, and what better way to explore that than through a tangential plot line that’s not essential to the saga. It would be a shame if they passed on that opportunity.

That’s what gets me.

The spinoffs are an opportunity to explore different directorial styles. It lets different directors do what they do best in terms of tone. They’re a chance to make simply good movies set in the Star Wars galaxy.

Maybe and hopefully the idea is to leave the director’s signature style but not let it stray too far from the galaxy as opposed to stifling creative.

Frankly I like the notion of a film in the SW galaxy with a horror film tone or a western motif or a cop buddy flick or a drama.

Wait a minute…so one of the comments by the execs was that it didnt feel like Star Wars; that it felt like…a war movie.

Everyone in the galaxy knew this was the plan except this one guy.