Star Wars VII Opinions

[Draconis]

Now, we all know that spoilers can easily be found for this, so I'll let the interested search for themselves.

But I've read conflicting opinions from various members of the cast and crew, some saying it's as good as "Empire Strikes Back" and others saying it's just a tired rehash with old ideas reused. The latter quite worries me, although it should be said that any franchise rather depends on a lot of continuity to keep fans happy. I almost wonder what new ideas could be reasonably used without seeming to jar with that universe as established already. Perhaps six movies was enough.

Buttt... where's there's money to be made...

 

[bilby]

Three movies were enough.

But as you say, money...

 

[Ford]

I'm fairly certain that if you surveyed cast and crew on the original film while it was still in the process of being made, a number of them would have told you it was an incomprehensible mess of a movie which was going to be a miserable and expensive failure for 20th Century Fox.


On the other hand I bet you'd be hard-pressed to find someone working on The Phantom Menace who (if allowed to speak of the project) would tell you anything other than that it was the greatest movie they'd ever had the pleasure of working on.


Me? I'm waiting to pass judgement until I see the actual movie.

 

[Jayjay]

I'm not a huge fan, so whatever they do it'll probably be just fine. I could even appreciate Phantom Menace for its campy childishness. I think it'll be something like J.J. Abrams's Star Trek movies, but with Star Wars aesthetics and nods to fans, and I've always like that guy's movies, so bring it on.

 

[Underseer]

I think it's a mistake to have the first movie focus on the older heroes. I would prefer if the first movie of the trilogy introduced the new heroes and that the older set of heroes make up a significant side plot.

I think J.J. Abrams is right for Star Wars for all the same reasons he was wrong for Star Trek.

Other than that, I have no opinion. I'll wait for the movies to come out before forming any opinions other than what I stated above.

 

[Underseer]

Three movies were enough.

But as you say, money...

I have no problem with them continuing to milk the cow as long as the resulting milk isn't rancid. In fact I'm a big fan of some corners of the Extended Universe, particularly the Old Republic line of games. Rumor has it some elements of the Old Republic might make it into the canon.

 

[credoconsolans]

Now, we all know that spoilers can easily be found for this, so I'll let the interested search for themselves.

But I've read conflicting opinions from various members of the cast and crew, some saying it's as good as "Empire Strikes Back" and others saying it's just a tired rehash with old ideas reused. The latter quite worries me, although it should be said that any franchise rather depends on a lot of continuity to keep fans happy. I almost wonder what new ideas could be reasonably used without seeming to jar with that universe as established already. Perhaps six movies was enough.

Buttt... where's there's money to be made...

Considering the cast only sees very truncated parts of the script for security reasons, of course it seems a rehash to them because they're only reading their parts.

Having said that, JJ Abrams made a terrible Star Trek 2009 movie by having it be nothing but a generic sci-fi shoot 'em up with stock characters that honestly could have been anyone but slapping a Star Trek name on it.

So I wouldn't be surprised if the first Star Wars movie is a generic sci-fi swordplay/shoot 'em up with stock characters that could have been anyone but slaps a Star Wars name on it.

You know, to get new fans - i.e.mindless fanboys only interested in action.

 

[Underseer]

Now, we all know that spoilers can easily be found for this, so I'll let the interested search for themselves.

But I've read conflicting opinions from various members of the cast and crew, some saying it's as good as "Empire Strikes Back" and others saying it's just a tired rehash with old ideas reused. The latter quite worries me, although it should be said that any franchise rather depends on a lot of continuity to keep fans happy. I almost wonder what new ideas could be reasonably used without seeming to jar with that universe as established already. Perhaps six movies was enough.

Buttt... where's there's money to be made...

Considering the cast only sees very truncated parts of the script for security reasons, of course it seems a rehash to them because they're only reading their parts.

Having said that, JJ Abrams made a terrible Star Trek 2009 movie by having it be nothing but a generic sci-fi shoot 'em up with stock characters that honestly could have been anyone but slapping a Star Trek name on it.

So I wouldn't be surprised if the first Star Wars movie is a generic sci-fi swordplay/shoot 'em up with stock characters that could have been anyone but slaps a Star Wars name on it.

You know, to get new fans - i.e.mindless fanboys only interested in action.

That's exactly why I think J.J. Abrams would make a good Star Wars movie. Star Wars isn't about ideas, it's about action and narrative and little else. What you describe is pretty much how I think of Star Wars, and I like my Star Wars thank you very much.

 

[credoconsolans]

Considering the cast only sees very truncated parts of the script for security reasons, of course it seems a rehash to them because they're only reading their parts.

Having said that, JJ Abrams made a terrible Star Trek 2009 movie by having it be nothing but a generic sci-fi shoot 'em up with stock characters that honestly could have been anyone but slapping a Star Trek name on it.

So I wouldn't be surprised if the first Star Wars movie is a generic sci-fi swordplay/shoot 'em up with stock characters that could have been anyone but slaps a Star Wars name on it.

You know, to get new fans - i.e.mindless fanboys only interested in action.

That's exactly why I think J.J. Abrams would make a good Star Wars movie. Star Wars isn't about ideas, it's about action and narrative and little else. What you describe is pretty much how I think of Star Wars, and I like my Star Wars thank you very much.

Eh, my Star Wars was more sophisticated than a dumb fan-boy shoot 'em up.

It was a homage to the Hero's Journey, the young naive man who grows up and grows in wisdom as he makes a journey, gaining companions and knowledge along the way in sometimes painful ways. It had a lot of Buddhism and philosophy in it. The 2nd trilogy was a very sophisticated political story of the decay and fall of a republic, harkening to history and personal sacrifice and loss.

And those types of movies are a little beyond JJ "fill it in with lens flare" Abrams.

 

[Underseer]

That's exactly why I think J.J. Abrams would make a good Star Wars movie. Star Wars isn't about ideas, it's about action and narrative and little else. What you describe is pretty much how I think of Star Wars, and I like my Star Wars thank you very much.

Eh, my Star Wars was more sophisticated than a dumb fan-boy shoot 'em up.

It was a homage to the Hero's Journey, the young naive man who grows up and grows in wisdom as he makes a journey, gaining companions and knowledge along the way in sometimes painful ways. It had a lot of Buddhism and philosophy in it. The 2nd trilogy was a very sophisticated political story of the decay and fall of a republic, harkening to history and personal sacrifice and loss.

And those types of movies are a little beyond JJ "fill it in with lens flare" Abrams.

The monomyth just provided the narrative structure. The movies don't actually say anything, which is fine because it has lots of pew pew spaceships and explosions.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

That's exactly why I think J.J. Abrams would make a good Star Wars movie. Star Wars isn't about ideas, it's about action and narrative and little else. What you describe is pretty much how I think of Star Wars, and I like my Star Wars thank you very much.

Eh, my Star Wars was more sophisticated than a dumb fan-boy shoot 'em up.

It was a homage to the Hero's Journey, the young naive man who grows up and grows in wisdom as he makes a journey, gaining companions and knowledge along the way in sometimes painful ways. It had a lot of Buddhism and philosophy in it.

But does it really? I was taught this in college in Nature and Experience of Religion, but I ponder whether it was just a mistaken look at what was ultimately a cliche wrapped in extremely good special effects.

WEBSTER DICTIONARY

homage - a better dressed way of saying "tired cliche"

The 2nd trilogy was a very sophisticated political story of the decay and fall of a republic, harkening to history and personal sacrifice and loss.

Really? Because what I saw was mainly great openings, finishes on opposing sides of filler and relatively poor acting.

 

[Shadowy Man]

There's really no reason why a movie can't be both an entertaining action flick and have some deeper meaning. But I guess that takes some good writing and cerebral attention to detail that seems lacking in the big movie business these days.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

There's really no reason why a movie can't be both an entertaining action flick and have some deeper meaning. But I guess that takes some good writing and cerebral attention to detail that seems lacking in the big movie business these days.

When you spend $300 million to make a movie, you really don't have any room for expenses related to the script.

 

[Shadowy Man]

There's really no reason why a movie can't be both an entertaining action flick and have some deeper meaning. But I guess that takes some good writing and cerebral attention to detail that seems lacking in the big movie business these days.

When you spend $300 million to make a movie, you really don't have any room for expenses related to the script.

Modern television trends certainly seem to be moving away from the need for talented writers.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Certainly after the third season (first in the case of Heroes).

Or any script writing, as per the whole reality TV genre explosion that has taken a massive toll on the intelligence of a nation.

 

[credoconsolans]

Eh, my Star Wars was more sophisticated than a dumb fan-boy shoot 'em up.

It was a homage to the Hero's Journey, the young naive man who grows up and grows in wisdom as he makes a journey, gaining companions and knowledge along the way in sometimes painful ways. It had a lot of Buddhism and philosophy in it.

But does it really? I was taught this in college in Nature and Experience of Religion, but I ponder whether it was just a mistaken look at what was ultimately a cliche wrapped in extremely good special effects.

Nope. Lucas is/was Buddhist, so it had a lot of that philosophy in it.

WEBSTER DICTIONARY

homage - a better dressed way of saying "tired cliche"

The 2nd trilogy was a very sophisticated political story of the decay and fall of a republic, harkening to history and personal sacrifice and loss.

Really? Because what I saw was mainly great openings, finishes on opposing sides of filler and relatively poor acting.

[shrug] In the eye of the beholder. Liam Neeson, Ian McDiarmid and Ewan McGregor were excellent considering the material they were given.

 

[Shadowy Man]

Nope. Lucas is/was Buddhist, so it had a lot of that philosophy in it.

Was he still a Buddhist when he wrote the prequels?

- - - Updated - - -

Liam Neeson, Ian McDiarmid and Ewan McGregor were excellent considering the material they were given.

Yes, the big problem was the material.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

But does it really? I was taught this in college in Nature and Experience of Religion, but I ponder whether it was just a mistaken look at what was ultimately a cliche wrapped in extremely good special effects.

Nope. Lucas is/was Buddhist, so it had a lot of that philosophy in it.

Did it? Because I don't remember much actual philosophy in the film. More like plot devices.

WEBSTER DICTIONARY

homage - a better dressed way of saying "tired cliche"

The 2nd trilogy was a very sophisticated political story of the decay and fall of a republic, harkening to history and personal sacrifice and loss.

Really? Because what I saw was mainly great openings, finishes on opposing sides of filler and relatively poor acting.

[shrug] In the eye of the beholder. Liam Neeson, Ian McDiarmid and Ewan McGregor were excellent considering the material they were given.

I was more referring to Christensen and Portman who had much too much of a presence. Even Yoda phoned it in.

 

[NobleSavage]

Once I saw the new light sabers, I knew I was done with Star Wars.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Once I saw the new light sabers, I knew I was done with Star Wars.

Ya, me too. We're both going to spending our hard-earned money to watch these pieces of crap, though.