Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Pre-release)
- Thread starter Warpaint
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jkno
Legendary Member
Kids have way too many things to distract them today than they had back then. This is why most of the old guys souls remain with SW OT. Today a kid watches 10-20 movies who have similar special effects with SW, and in the end he is not truly drawn into either of them. I work in education and I talked quite a few times to with my young students about the movies they like, so many said "I like what is new and hip" (and they gave examples like IronMan, Avengers, Avatar, Transformers etc.), many didn't even watch SW (neither OT nor PT).
PantheraGem
Sr Member
One of my closest friend's favorite of the saga is "Attack of the Clones", he was 11 when it came out. I was talking to a kid the other day, and he was saying how "Revenge of the Sith" was his favorite, he was 11 when that one came out.
I maintain that it really has more to do with what memories we attach these movies to. I vividly remember being 8, seeing "RotJ" on opening day, and reaching over and holding my Mom's hand when the audience collectively realized Vader was going to save Luke. I wouldn't trade that for anything. Thus "RotJ" will always have a soft spot for me.
niennumb1
Master Member
So I have a funny story about the age you are at and how all that has to do with this particular factor. I guarantee you I am NOT making this up.
My son is 4, and his first experience of remembering Star Wars well was back over a year ago when we lived in our old house, which was a VERY small place and I did not have any inside influences for him to sway toward (no posters or collectibles displayed), nor did he know how huge of a fan I am.
One day he saw Darth Vader on TV and that was it for him. DARTH VADER. He wanted to watch the movies with him in it and so he saw the old ones and was just so into Vader. Oddly, like me, his favorite has been Return of the Jedi and watches it more times than I can count now. He loves Stormtroopers and the creatures like the Rancor and always Darth Vader. He asks about Darth Maul because he's seen pictures and then Anakin, who he knows his story in a nutshell (his words: He was a good guy, got on fire, became a bad guy and he died and got on fire again) HAHAH! Anyway... I have TRIED to get him to watch the prequels, but he just won't sit down long to watch because he complains Darth Vader isn't there. He just gets lost not seeing the characters he knows and I swear I keep trying to get him to watch just so he can have seen the whole story. He just won't right now.
Here's MY view. I DO love movies Like Captain America and Avengers and these newer films. Star Wars though... It was never the amazing effects. It was those characters. You feel like you're watching these worlds as if they were real. Sure you see some composite work in shots here and there, but my god you see these characters in these environments and you STILL believe they are really there. I know Jabba is a puppet, but I cannot see a puppet when I watch the movie. They look like real things. Nothing is distracting, they just look like they really exist and it's so immersive that way to where I don't have to think about effects and those things. It just all works. And CHARACTERS, CHARACTERS, CHARACTERS. We KNOW these guys and could explain exactly the type of individuals they are. I don't think I could comfortably answer if someone ever asked, "What would Padme do?" "What would Mace do?" I don't feel like I really know anyone enough to tell you I feel like I really know them the way they flesh out the characters of the OT, even small characters like Lando. Cripes he wasn't a major role, yet I felt his development and who he was in his short time from ESB to ROTJ in what he was about. Heck, Mon Mothma... Don't know her, but seemed to conduct herself in such a way that she was extremely well respected and felt like someone I could trust. You can almost look at any scum, middle of the road character, or good guy, and you just knew what they stood for, almost black and white.
I don't know, it's so hard to explain it all in short, but there's just a feeling and a rarity of connecting with characters that is there where the OT just doesn't come close. That's what sells me on these old movies. They're just so great.
On a more current movie series that I love... friggin' Captain America is THE MAN. I grew up not liking the character at all, just out of sheer judgment of the appearance of him in the comics, like why would I like some dude who wears a USA flag-inspired suit and be a superhero that I would think is cool??? Well years later we finally get the movie and I get to see what he is all about. COMPLETELY changed my mind about him. The guy stands for everything right that is wrong with our world today. Uncorrupt, a man of true integrity and doing what is right, unswayed by society or government.... Chris Evans plays him SO well, too. I will be devastated if he gets replaced as THE Captain America. There's such great qualities he gives to the character in his performance where I'm not thinking about Chris Evans. I see Cap and I think of Cap. Great character with 2 VERY solid solo films behind him. Anyway that's another story.....
My son is 4, and his first experience of remembering Star Wars well was back over a year ago when we lived in our old house, which was a VERY small place and I did not have any inside influences for him to sway toward (no posters or collectibles displayed), nor did he know how huge of a fan I am.
One day he saw Darth Vader on TV and that was it for him. DARTH VADER. He wanted to watch the movies with him in it and so he saw the old ones and was just so into Vader. Oddly, like me, his favorite has been Return of the Jedi and watches it more times than I can count now. He loves Stormtroopers and the creatures like the Rancor and always Darth Vader. He asks about Darth Maul because he's seen pictures and then Anakin, who he knows his story in a nutshell (his words: He was a good guy, got on fire, became a bad guy and he died and got on fire again) HAHAH! Anyway... I have TRIED to get him to watch the prequels, but he just won't sit down long to watch because he complains Darth Vader isn't there. He just gets lost not seeing the characters he knows and I swear I keep trying to get him to watch just so he can have seen the whole story. He just won't right now.
Here's MY view. I DO love movies Like Captain America and Avengers and these newer films. Star Wars though... It was never the amazing effects. It was those characters. You feel like you're watching these worlds as if they were real. Sure you see some composite work in shots here and there, but my god you see these characters in these environments and you STILL believe they are really there. I know Jabba is a puppet, but I cannot see a puppet when I watch the movie. They look like real things. Nothing is distracting, they just look like they really exist and it's so immersive that way to where I don't have to think about effects and those things. It just all works. And CHARACTERS, CHARACTERS, CHARACTERS. We KNOW these guys and could explain exactly the type of individuals they are. I don't think I could comfortably answer if someone ever asked, "What would Padme do?" "What would Mace do?" I don't feel like I really know anyone enough to tell you I feel like I really know them the way they flesh out the characters of the OT, even small characters like Lando. Cripes he wasn't a major role, yet I felt his development and who he was in his short time from ESB to ROTJ in what he was about. Heck, Mon Mothma... Don't know her, but seemed to conduct herself in such a way that she was extremely well respected and felt like someone I could trust. You can almost look at any scum, middle of the road character, or good guy, and you just knew what they stood for, almost black and white.
I don't know, it's so hard to explain it all in short, but there's just a feeling and a rarity of connecting with characters that is there where the OT just doesn't come close. That's what sells me on these old movies. They're just so great.
On a more current movie series that I love... friggin' Captain America is THE MAN. I grew up not liking the character at all, just out of sheer judgment of the appearance of him in the comics, like why would I like some dude who wears a USA flag-inspired suit and be a superhero that I would think is cool??? Well years later we finally get the movie and I get to see what he is all about. COMPLETELY changed my mind about him. The guy stands for everything right that is wrong with our world today. Uncorrupt, a man of true integrity and doing what is right, unswayed by society or government.... Chris Evans plays him SO well, too. I will be devastated if he gets replaced as THE Captain America. There's such great qualities he gives to the character in his performance where I'm not thinking about Chris Evans. I see Cap and I think of Cap. Great character with 2 VERY solid solo films behind him. Anyway that's another story.....
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I agree that the lack of a whole bunch of worlds & characters in the OT has worked in its favor over the years. They offer well developed believable stuff instead of more stuff.
Lucas talked about that 30 years ago. During the shoot, ANH was frustrating the executives at 20th Century Fox because Lucas's dailies weren't doing much to show off the massive sets they had paid for. But that was Lucas's whole intention. Just gloss over the stuff quickly enough to impress the audience & leave them wanting more. Don't linger like a stranger seeing it all for the first time. It feels more real that way.
IMO that attitude carries over to the small number of locations & characters in the OT, whether that was intentional 30 years ago or not. In hindsight the OT still seems like the work of writers & filmmakers who are wholly used to that world.
Looking back at the prequels 10-15 years later I still think ep#1 was the best movie in a lot of ways. It was certainly not the most fan-pleasing prequel, but it was a better job in the overall filmmaking sense.
Ep#2 and #3? So many characters & worlds that I lose track of them. Other franchise movies like Prometheus have made far deeper impressions on my memory in recent years with limited characters & really interesting believable worlds.
Lucas talked about that 30 years ago. During the shoot, ANH was frustrating the executives at 20th Century Fox because Lucas's dailies weren't doing much to show off the massive sets they had paid for. But that was Lucas's whole intention. Just gloss over the stuff quickly enough to impress the audience & leave them wanting more. Don't linger like a stranger seeing it all for the first time. It feels more real that way.
IMO that attitude carries over to the small number of locations & characters in the OT, whether that was intentional 30 years ago or not. In hindsight the OT still seems like the work of writers & filmmakers who are wholly used to that world.
Looking back at the prequels 10-15 years later I still think ep#1 was the best movie in a lot of ways. It was certainly not the most fan-pleasing prequel, but it was a better job in the overall filmmaking sense.
Ep#2 and #3? So many characters & worlds that I lose track of them. Other franchise movies like Prometheus have made far deeper impressions on my memory in recent years with limited characters & really interesting believable worlds.
Know what's funny? honestly? up until I got my internet service changed three months ago I hadn't watched any SW for at least a year and that was because I got a good deal on the original trilogy on DVD at Walmart! I think it's been three or four years since I watched any of the prequels.
I do that I may like something but I can go without for long periods,or if it doesn't interest me I can drop it and never look back.
Indiana Jones is like that,about two years ago I rewatched temple of doom to give it another chance-the first time I'd seen it since about 1985! and I watched the last of the 80's one um...forget the name several times back in 1989 but I haven't watched it since.
For me I'm pretty much 100% happy we're getting the last bits of the original SW story and with any luck we'll get more after,I'm also enjoying Clone Wars and seeing a young Anakin and Obi.
It's fun again.
I do that I may like something but I can go without for long periods,or if it doesn't interest me I can drop it and never look back.
Indiana Jones is like that,about two years ago I rewatched temple of doom to give it another chance-the first time I'd seen it since about 1985! and I watched the last of the 80's one um...forget the name several times back in 1989 but I haven't watched it since.
For me I'm pretty much 100% happy we're getting the last bits of the original SW story and with any luck we'll get more after,I'm also enjoying Clone Wars and seeing a young Anakin and Obi.
It's fun again.
I just looked at it-interesting,the guy points out the landers on the left but....whadda make of the walkers on the right? those things almost look like Republic clone war era ones?
Laspector
Master Member
First, I want to say that I agree that good characters is what drives a good story, no denying that. However, IMHO you cannot deny that the FX (in addition to the characters) in the original is what made it the cultural phenomenon it was. There have been thousands of movies with great characters that have never had the impact of the first Star Wars. If that movie had had Logan's Run type miniatures or Buck Rogers ships on strings with sparklers shooting out the engines, it would've never turned into the blockbusting event that it was.
Riceball
Master Member
But those were practical effects, and as everybody know practical is the bestest type of FX in the world and those were far better than any CG done to date because they were practical.
Brent M
Sr Member
Anyone seen this new Korean teaser trailer? All the footage has been seen before except that first 2 second shot which is DAMN IMPRESSIVE. :cool
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-VTdsCKLgg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-VTdsCKLgg
You can't win either way. I remember people complaining about them going back to Tatooine because "what's the chance that all these characters would wind up on Tatooine?"
astroboy
Master Member
I've always hated the tatooine connection. They never should have gone back after episode 4. It was merely an accidental cog in the machine that began the journey.
There wasn't even a good reason to tie jabba to tatooine.
harrisonp
Sr Member
Scum and villainy seems like a good enough reason
it makes sense that Jabba would be on Tatooine due to the fact that Han was there in the first place when Ben and Luke hire him. To me it always seemed like Han was reluctantly checking in with his employer but trying to put off actually getting face to face with him, so he hid in the cantina. I'm not defending callbacks for callbacks sake though, that one just never bothered me.
Sweet ........ that opening shot is awesome. Also, I wonder if the music is from the score? I've definitely never heard that arrangement.
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