Re: Star Wars Episode VII
See, I agree with Rodney and Sluis Van Shipyards, in regards to hype, speculation, etc. I honestly don't think getting yourself excited for a new product before it comes out contributes nearly as much as Solo is saying, or at least, it really shouldn't. Granted, I was just a kid when the PT came out, but I was a full fledged fanatic by the time ROTS came out. It was the first movie I ever preordered tickets to, first movie I followed the news of, and generally consumed every ounce of pre-release hype and information for months leading up to its release. Nothing compared to the feeling I had when the 20th Century Fox logo came up. Pure excitement at the realization the long wait was finally over. Then, once the movie's over, I'm left with an incredibly odd feeling, that follows me for the rest of the day. I realized hey, that was a depressing movie. For me, ROTS was the movie that was very tonally different from what I expected, and what I drummed it up to be in my head. It bugged me for a while. Then, I decided to see it once or twice or five more times in theaters, and each time I saw it, I was able to get past the weird feeling I had about it upon first viewing. I realized "Hey, it's not anything what I imagined it to be like, but there are still some awesome qualities to it, and I should enjoy it for those instead." And if I were to do it all over again, I would still immerse myself in all that hype leading up to its release. Because to me, that's what made the whole experience so memorable. The joy of discovery, of geeking out over certain production decisions, wondering how something is going to look on screen, and generally just counting down the time till midnight is what I remember most. Whatever the movie's like, I'm sure I'll be able to see the good as well as the bad. I think it's wrong to say that excitement for a movie has to be married to making preconceived notions about it, and really those two should be separate. I'll feel free to speculate, sure. But I won't let my "vision" of what the movie will look like become what I want it or need it to look like. I think that's the difference between fans who get swept up in the hype and leave the theater pissed off and angry, and those who get swept up and are able to take the good with the bad and still enjoy the experience. Sure, feel free to laugh at how bad it was. But laugh, don't cry.
My point is that to deprive yourself of getting excited for a movie because you don't want to be disappointed if and when it sucks is a bit misguided. Be able to laugh about it, and as I've said see the good with the bad. For me at least, the whole experience is what lasts, not just the standalone merits of the two hours the movie runs. And of course, I'm only speaking about people who are major SW fans, and are deciding whether or not to go full blown into the hype or not. Of course for more casual fans, they probably don't want to participate in the hype regardless, because they frankly don't care enough about it. I mean, I was excited for Die Hard 4 and 5, but I didn't follow all the news about them. Honestly, I think some people get too invested in what they WANT Star Wars to be, and get mad when reality doesn't match that. The thing about SW is, the universe that the OT set up is so big a sandbox, I welcome a lot of different types of stories set in that galaxy, and I accept it all as Star Wars, even if the tone is very different than the OT. Now, if it's something I just don't care for, like a lot of the Clone Wars TV series, I just won't get too involved in it. But for stuff I still see merit in, I'll make sure I squeeze every bit of enjoyment out of it that I can. But I'll make sure to not get too upset and put it in its place if it sucks.
But lastly, speaking of what we have heard specifically, I actually do feel pretty good about what we have coming. Especially the last statement from Kathleen Kennedy saying how they're focusing on characters, and more practical effects than CGI. Those two things are why the OT makes for much better movies than the PT. I still like the story arc of the PT, but I feel like that enjoyment is better when reading a book set during the PT, rather than actually watching the movies. You still get the stories, but can imagine the visuals the way you want, and have way more room for characters to develop. The fact that the OT was way more about relationships between characters than it was about the plot, plus the fact that it just looked way better visually, makes it way more watchable and enjoyable as a standalone movie. So, if they are taking cues from the OT in that regard, I'm happy.
