Official STAR WARS Saga Discussion Thread: Part 5 (5 Viewers)

[SamT]

I'm half through Art of The Force Awakens and I'm shocked!

 

[Tino]

Shocked at what?

 

[SamT]

Not finished it yet but it seems they had no idea what they were doing. The story is made up from bottom up and not top down.

They didn't say we have a great story that conveys these ideas, this is the future, lets make it. They said, Disney has to release a new movie. A movie needs characters. Lets make 3. Let's make a woman in a junkyard, let's make a rebel. We need a bad guy like Vader, let's draw him like Vader. Then they tried to somehow connect all these characters together and make a story out of it.

For example the major idea of Han and Leia's son going to the dark side seems like an after thought.

 

[TravisR]

^ I think that method of making the movie largely came from the relatively short amount of time they had to work on the movie. Especially since Abrams was co-rewriting Arndt's script while also doing all the other pre-production stuff. The next movies will have had more time to write and they'll have the base of The Force Awakens to build on so I don't think they'll be as 'freeform' as TFA was.

Considering the critical and commercial reaction to the movie, I think it just goes to show that plans can be overrated.

 

[Tino]

They knew exactly what they were doing and trying to accomplish. They were just under tremendous time constraints. And like Travis said, the end result proves they knew what they were doing in my opinion.

 

[Bryan^H]

Not finished it yet but it seems they had no idea what they were doing. The story is made up from bottom up and not top down.

They didn't say we have a great story that conveys these ideas, this is the future, lets make it. They said, Disney has to release a new movie. A movie needs characters. Lets make 3. Let's make a woman in a junkyard, let's make a rebel. We need a bad guy like Vader, let's draw him like Vader. Then they tried to somehow connect all these characters together and make a story out of it.

For example the major idea of Han and Leia's son going to the dark side seems like an after thought.

I thought that the whole time I was watching it on screen. Granted, the original trilogy is a tough act to follow.
I just thought the whole thing felt rushed, and emotionally void. At the same time diminishing the happy ending of ROTJ. Pointless money grab is what i took from the whole thing.

 

[Bryan^H]

They knew exactly what they were doing and trying to accomplish.

Yeah, make a shit ton of money Sorry, I couldn't help it.

 

[Tino]

DUH. That's the goal of virtually every film isn't it? That's why it's called show BUSINESS. [emoji38]

 

[TravisR]

I just thought the whole thing felt rushed, and emotionally void. At the same time diminishing the happy ending of ROTJ. Pointless money grab is what i took from the whole thing.

I thought it was one of the most emotionally rich movies of the entire series. Part of that is that they're using the characters that I already love from the OT and they're getting the drama of killing one of them off but by the end of the movie, I loved all the new characters too.

As for it being a money grab, no doubt it was on Disney's part (like Tino said, it's show business) but however someone feels how the movie turned out, I think Abrams' heart was in it 100%. He wasn't there to boost his career or get a big paycheck (though I'm sure he was happy to get those things and who wouldn't?) but I'm sure Star Wars means as much to him as everyone else his age and he wanted to make a wonderful SW movie so I don't think it was about the money on the creative team's end.

 

[Bryan^H]

I thought it was one of the most emotionally rich movies of the entire series. Part of that is that they're using the characters that I already love from the OT and they're getting the drama of killing one of them off but by the end of the movie, I loved all the new characters too.

Don't get me wrong, I really liked the new characters very much. Rey, Finn, and what little we saw of Poe., all were great. However, I feel the movie should have been about them only. Bringing in the OT characters comes back to that "connectivity" of the Star Wars universe that I despised a bit in the prequels, but in TFA it just snapped me right out of it. My breaking point.
IMO The Skywalker saga ended with the redemption of Anakin Skywalker.

Everyone knows everyone, fathers, sons, uncles aunts. Droids. It is just blah to me.....give me something else, take me out a few star systems a few hundred years earlier or later. It almost feels the writers imagination is limited being bound to the OT characters.
The new characters were nowhere near the problem I had with the movie.

 

[Tino]

I'm of the opposite opinion. I also liked the new characters very much but I was more interested in seeing the classic characters back. That's what I wanted more than anything as I felt there was still plenty of story to be told with them. I think TFA succeeded brilliantly in melding the two.

 

[Greg.K]

Me too. I wanted to see the OT characters one more time. They're what got me to love Star Wars in the first place. That said, going forward I'd like to see them focus primarily on the new characters.

 

[TravisR]

Don't get me wrong, I really liked the new characters very much. Rey, Finn, and what little we saw of Poe., all were great. However, I feel the movie should have been about them only. Bringing in the OT characters comes back to that "connectivity" of the Star Wars universe that I despised a bit in the prequels, but in TFA it just snapped me right out of it.

I loved seeing the OT characters again but they do need to keep the focus on the new characters now. I do wonder how they'll accomplish that though if Luke is featured heavily in Episode VIII because he'll immediately overshadow everyone else in the movie. As much as I wish he was in more of TFA, the smartest move they made was keeping him until the end because the audience wouldn't have cared as much about the new characters.

And whenever Luke's onscreen in Episode VIII, I'm afraid I'll uncontrollably yell out "Go kill Kylo Ren!"

 

[Oliver Ravencrest]

I'd like to see Luke, at least, have about the same amount of screen time as Obi-Wan in ANH but without the same fate. I'd be happy with that. I was hoping Luke was going to show up when R2 reactivated, instead of at the very end and I don't like that Luke ended up as the last Jedi, just like at the end of ROTJ, I liked Rey, Finn, Poe and BB-8 of the new characters and that's about it, the OT characters overshadowed everything else and i still don't think TFA was any good. I'm not giving up on SW yet.

 

[AshJW]

In my opinion the filmmakers had to use the old characters as long as the actors are still around and availible.
But the focus has to be on the new ones, and it is. Rey is the center of TFA and will be for the entire trilogy.
And as much I love Han Solo, I think it was the right decision to kill him off.

Btw, I don't think Luke is going to kill Kylo, this task is up to Rey - if he is going to be killed.
We'll see.

 

[Bryan^H]

I may be crazy, but I would love to see the original story treatment George Lucas had planned for episode VII, and the OT characters. IF for no other reason than to glance at it, and let my imagination fill in the blanks. I wonder if it will ever meet the public eye?

 

[TravisR]

Btw, I don't think Luke is going to kill Kylo, this task is up to Rey - if he is going to be killed.
We'll see.

Yeah, the final confrontation is going to be between Rey and Kylo Ren. However, given what transpired between Luke and Ren in the past, it does seem like something will happen between them too. Plus, seeing Luke in action against the guy who killed Han Solo is too good of an opportunity for an audience pleasing scene to pass up.

I may be crazy, but I would love to see the original story treatment George Lucas had planned for episode VII, and the OT characters. IF for no other reason than to glance at it, and let my imagination fill in the blanks. I wonder if it will ever meet the public eye?

It might take 20 years but it seems inevitable that at least a good summary (like the ones for the different drafts that were in the three Making Of the OT books) will be published in a book at some point. I do wonder how in depth Lucas' ideas were. I'm guessing it was more like 3 or 4 pages with some broad ideas rather than a longer and more detailed treatment.

 

[SamT]

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

^ A nice showcase of just how much CG there was in a film that made a big deal out of eschewing CG in favor of practical sets and old school effects.

Also a nice showcase of why ILM remains the gold standard for visual effects.

 

[Wayne_j]

Mr. Plinkett is back with Mr. Plinkett's The Star Wars Awakens Review