Star Wars VII (film) - December 18th 2015 [Archive]

Neil

08-Nov-2013, 10:31 AM

Release date has been announced: Dec 18th, 2015.

So they have two years to get this thing done... Hmmm... Worries me some corners will be cut. But who am I kidding, I know it won't meet my expectations.

I know the 2015 version of Star Wars will have a bazillion ships flying around, and uber super duper "Force" powers being blasted around by super attractive young teenage kids. I know the simple space battles of the original Star Wars will be forgotten. I know the subtle idea of the "Force" which is almost intangible most of the time, and something most people don't even believe in, will be forgotten. And I fear a good simple believable solid story line will - in true Abrams style - be forgotten about in preference to contrived glitzy visual/action scenes.

Let's just hope I'm proved wrong!

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/65014

bassman

08-Nov-2013, 11:31 AM

I have faith that Abrams will deliver something at least within the same realm as the original trilogy. Certainly better than the prequel trilogy, anyway. After re-watching Star Trek Into Darkness after it's blu ray release, I think he knows how to respect pre-established material while injecting it with new life. Into Darkness really split fans, but I think it did a great job of basically remaking Khan's story from TOS and The Wrath of Khan and wrapping it into one film.

I keep hearing that we should be seeing official casting news within the next month or so. Including which of the original cast are definitely returning as well as the new cast, which most feel will be the children of Luke, Han/Leia.

Neil

08-Nov-2013, 11:39 AM

Into Darkness really split fans, but I think it did a great job of basically remaking Khan's story from TOS and The Wrath of Khan and wrapping it into one film.
That film worried me, as it demonstrated what I describe as "need to get to this cool scene syndrome."

We need to see this great bit where Khan is in a ship blowing the crap out of a meeting room - Well just 5 minutes ago we saw he could blow up an entire building easily? Why resort to harder/worse tactics? Because the script wanted that scene in.

Why hide the enterprise under an ocean? Because we need the cool "lifting out of the sea scene."

And then all the nonsense about Khan's magical blood...

The script simply wasn't solid enough and grounded enough for me... And then the rediculous swapping of the "death monologue" to Kirk, when we knew, 100%, it was a pointless spiel because he couldn't die.

Sorry, that film makes me more worried about Star Wars, not less. I feel Abrams with an even larger budget (no doubt) will concoct even more action and unnecessary fluff, no matter how tenuous/daft the required links are in the script.

I am worried!

bassman

08-Nov-2013, 12:06 PM

Be worried. Most of you guys have already decided it's not going to be good even though it hasn't even started filming. That seems to be the natural order of things around here: hate, hate, hate! :lol:

As for Into Darkness:

"Enterprise under the ocean" scene......that was actually explained. They were trying to hide their existence from the natives. Sure, they could've stayed in space, but where's the fun in that? Shuttling in the smaller ships back and forth? C'mon....spectacle is part of the fun. Have we forgotten the MASSIVE ship scenes in Star Wars? Were those unnecessary, as well?

"shooting the meeting room"......it's revenge! That was the entire purpose of blowing up the "archives" earlier in the film. To get them all in that room so he could personally gun them down.

Neil

08-Nov-2013, 12:51 PM

Most of you guys have already decided it's not going to be good even though it hasn't even started filming. That seems to be the natural order of things around here: hate, hate, hate!Nothing to hate, yet. Just concerned given this director's demonstrated track record and approach to things.

His CGI lens flair is the perfect metaphor!

I suspect the film will turn out OK, but just worried about the amount of fluff he'll put int there resulting in script contriving.

They were trying to hide their existence from the natives. Sure, they could've stayed in space, but where's the fun in that? Shuttling in the smaller ships back and forth? C'mon....spectacle is part of the fun.Nail...on...head... There was zero reason for it. And let's not even start with teleporters.

"shooting the meeting room"......it's revenge! That was the entire purpose of blowing up the "archives" earlier in the film. To get them all in that room so he could personally gun them down....To gun them down and miss most of them? A single rocket rather than a thousand miss-aimed shots?

It was nearly as daft as some of the scripting in the first film... Kirk gets thrown off the enterprise in an escape pod... Lands on some random planet... At some random location... Walks in some random direction... Gets chased by a monster into a random cave. Of alllll the places in the entire galaxy, Spock is in that exact cave.... REALLY?

shootemindehead

08-Nov-2013, 03:07 PM

Let's just hope I'm proved wrong!

You won't be.

Neil

08-Nov-2013, 03:37 PM

One thing in Abram's recent films that gives me hope, is the first X minutes of the first Star Trek film; There was actually character driven drama/action in there. There were other glimpses too, but with the second one seemingly suffering even more with a weak script in favour of flashy effects/action, I'm worried.

Will we get the story, depth and darkness shown in The Empire Strikes Back from Abrams? Or will we get super duper action with super duper glitzy effects, never mind the reasoning, in attempt to win over the MTV generation?

shootemindehead

08-Nov-2013, 04:19 PM

There's an open audition being staged for the stars. They're looking for 18-20 somethings, beautiful, atlethic..etc...etc.

It's teens in space.

I have zero faith that Abrams will the savior of the franchise, even though it should be nigh on impossible to get Star Wars wrong.

Neil

08-Nov-2013, 05:14 PM

it should be nigh on impossible to get Star Wars wrong.Did you not see the last three? :)

bassman

08-Nov-2013, 08:11 PM

Good lord...

Rose colored glasses have ruined everything for people these days. "Teens in space"? Did we not see the same original Star Wars film??? Luke and Leia were both in their late teens/early twenties!! The entire film revolves around them!

Hop off your high horses for a minute and apply some of the same questions to these films you hold near and dear. You'll find those films have the exact same issues. R2 and 3P0 just HAPPEN to land close to Luke's farm? On an entire planet?....

shootemindehead

08-Nov-2013, 09:14 PM

Won't be the same kind of teen though bass.

Luke and (especially) Leia were hardly what one could call "teens" in the common parlance usage. They represented nothing that anyone knew in the 70's. They were "of their world" as it were. Lucas didn't write them for 1970's teenagers. Despite what he claims now, they were written from a very neutral POV. The prequels were absolutely aimed at kids, on the other hand. When I was a teenager later, Luke still meant feck all to me. Those characters inhabited THEIR world, they had absolutely nothing to do with mine. Obviously 'Star Wars' benefited hugely as well from the presence of Han Solo. Honestly, I just couldn't see myself liking the original films, as much, without him involved.

My problem here is that, A. this is going to be a Disney film and B. they are in this for the money. A. has obvious problems that should be clear to everyone. B. also means that they'll market it at a specific audience to rake in as much as they can.

Hey, I'll be very happy if I'm wrong.

But, unlike for the prequels, I won't be making any excuses for them this time, if they're rubbish.

re: The droids landing near Luke's farm. R2D2 was "on a mission". I've always took it that Leia programmed R2D2 to land somewhere near to Ben Kenobi...and subsequently Luke.

rongravy

08-Nov-2013, 10:08 PM

Yeah, I'm not going to say anything bad until I see who they've cast. I pray no big names. They should all be pretty much no names like the originals.
Dang, only 2 years and a month to go. I say good luck.

bassman

09-Nov-2013, 12:03 AM

It's amazing what kind of rationale fanboys can make....

rongravy

09-Nov-2013, 12:13 AM

It's amazing what kind of rationale fanboys can make....
"Heh?!?" he types, as he adjusts the Darth Vader tee he is actually currently wearing at the mo-mo.
Hey, I'm not knocking it yet. But damn it, keep people like Sammy Jackson out of it. No business, I say...
Believe me, I want awesomeness. I'm actually pretty optimistic about it. Sadly, the prequels were duds, but I did like RotS.
Sue me for having at least some hopes/standards...

Trin

09-Nov-2013, 12:24 AM

And then all the nonsense about Khan's magical blood...
Luckily, what Star Wars needs is some magical super blood!

I'm not necessarily jumping to conclusions on hating the new Star Wars. But I hated both of the new Star Trek movies and I think the bias going in will be to try to do to Star Wars what was done to Star Trek like some kind of template. Especially since so many Trek fans enjoyed the reboots.

That said, I'm not going to cry if they screw it up. I liked Phantom Menace quite well, but I think they lost sight of good storytelling in Clones, and Revenge abandoned plot to give us huge fight scenes and an improbable and lame conclusion. Honestly, "You can't possibly win. I have the high ground," has got to be as stupid as magical super blood.

So I'm worried along with Neil.

Neil

09-Nov-2013, 10:40 AM

Hop off your high horses for a minute and apply some of the same questions to these films you hold near and dear. You'll find those films have the exact same issues. R2 and 3P0 just HAPPEN to land close to Luke's farm? On an entire planet?....
Exact same? Consider the two scenarios:-
1) Kirk is ejected from the Enterprise at a random location -> the escape pod goes to a random nearby planet -> it lands at a random location -> he heads off in a random direction -> he's chased by a monster into a random cave -> The exact cave in the entire galaxy where Spock is.
2) They are near Tatooine so Leia orders R2 to locate Ben Kenobi... which by a series of events he does.

Of course a leap of faith is required with (2) as even Luke comes into the mix. But (1) ? Seriously ?

(1) IMHO shows such lazyness and distain for the audience in the fact - of course they'll just accept this contrived nonsense - I can't get over it.

And again, don't get me wrong Star Trek was a good flick, but things like this worry me as it seems Abrams is willing to ignore common sense at times so easily. More over, the second Star Trek film was even more guitly of it IMHO, which is a worying trend given his next flick is now SW7.

- - - Updated - - -

Luckily, what Star Wars needs is some magical super blood!

I'm not necessarily jumping to conclusions on hating the new Star Wars. But I hated both of the new Star Trek movies and I think the bias going in will be to try to do to Star Wars what was done to Star Trek like some kind of template. Especially since so many Trek fans enjoyed the reboots.

That said, I'm not going to cry if they screw it up. I liked Phantom Menace quite well, but I think they lost sight of good storytelling in Clones, and Revenge abandoned plot to give us huge fight scenes and an improbable and lame conclusion. Honestly, "You can't possibly win. I have the high ground," has got to be as stupid as magical super blood.

So I'm worried along with Neil.

Tron gives me some hope Disney can produce solid scifi! If I knew some of that team were onboard with SW7 I'd be a bit happier!

MinionZombie

09-Nov-2013, 11:02 AM

It'll blow 1 through 3 out of the water, piss easy.

It won't live up to the decades of adoration and microscopic examination that 4 through 6 have had lavished on them.

I'm looking forward to seeing it, hopefully it'll be good. Yes, to be fair, Luke & Leia were the pretty young things in the originals, but it is also fair to say that the 'hip youngsters' of today are very different to those of the late 70s and early 80s ... however, that doesn't mean the right kind of young actors aren't out there for this project. They're also looking for newbies, so if they go that route, they won't have the baggage that a Selina Gomez or whoever would have (just plucking a name out of thin air).

I've not seen "Into Darkness", but I did see his first Star Trek film. I enjoyed it, but I've never been into Trek, so whatever, but it was good fun for the duration - although, yes, all the damned lens flairs from no particular source, ugh! I think Abrams has finally realised how stupid it looks though, I read a quote from him when I think his wife or somebody had called him out on it ... something like that ... my brain's like a leaky sieve sometimes. :D

"Super 8" though, that rocked. Big epic moments, but also a lot of really good character stuff. They allow the film to stop and smell the roses of a character scene, not just rushing from one thing to another, and it works really well. The characters all have a life and a personality, and the nostalgia factor works.

Abrams himself has said he was a Star Wars kid growing up (he wasn't much fussed for Trek as a kid), so hopefully there'll be the sort of reverence we saw in Super 8 ... to an appropriate degree. As for the production, we'll they're in casting now - they'll still be tweaking the script, but at this point they'd be very far on with the script ... although I think I read that they sacked the original writer, didn't they? Hmmm ... they'll have to re-write it, but we don't know exactly what the problem was either, so time will tell.

Anyway - I'm looking forward to it. I've never been massively into Star Wars, but I have enjoyed it in the past (I just wish they'd put out the original versions, in proper widescreen, with only the appropriate sort of remastering, on Blu-Ray ... perhaps they will in 2015!)

Neil

09-Nov-2013, 11:48 AM

Mike70

09-Nov-2013, 02:28 PM

I have zero faith that Abrams will the savior of the franchise, even though it should be nigh on impossible to get Star Wars wrong.

i not only have zero faith, i could care less if anything with the name "Star Wars' ever came out again. I grow less interested in visual media by the day. I've gotten to the point where i don't even follow or even care what is coming out. my interest in TV is at 0 - i don't watch ANY TV shows that are on right now. all of them are predictable, boring, and ultimately ridiculous.

I have even less interest in film.

bassman

09-Nov-2013, 02:45 PM

i not only have zero faith, i could care less if anything with the name "Star Wars' ever came out again. I grow less interested in visual media by the day. I've gotten to the point where i don't even follow or even care what is coming out. my interest in TV is at 0 - i don't watch ANY TV shows that are on right now. all of them are predictable, boring, and ultimately ridiculous.

In most cases, I agree. However, there are a select few gems that put nearly every modern film to shame. For example...Breaking Bad. There hasn't been visual storytelling of that caliber in decades. Although not the same format, I like to compare it to The Twilight Zone. Just a magical work of art.

Neil - Spock was sent to that planet because of it's proximity to Vulcan. From there he could view Vulcan being destroyed, as Nero wanted. In turn, and thanks to the alternate timelines, The Enterprise was actually AT Vulcan for it's destruction, thus that planet was the closest and most logical location to send Kirk until Starfleet could pick him up. Makes enough sense to me....

Trin

09-Nov-2013, 04:39 PM

The implausibility in Star Trek is so over the top it's not viewable. If you haven't seen the Honest Trailer for it, it's well worth it. They pretty much capture my feelings on the reboot.

My question is this ... is the implausibility the fault of Abrams or the some group of writers we never hear about? I have to think that the "super blood" or the stupid fight scene with Spock and Khan on the moving stuff were writer's decisions, not a director's decisions. And who decided that the inside of starships looks like a cross between a ginormous warehouse, a TARDIS, and the mashers in Galaxy Quest?

Tron gives me some hope Disney can produce solid scifi! If I knew some of that team were onboard with SW7 I'd be a bit happier!
I cannot put my finger on why, but I was very so-so on Tron Legacy. I loved certain aspects of it, like Clu being the same age as when Flynn left, Flynn being trapped inside the system, the whole concept of his son coming to find him, etc. But the plot got overly complex in some places and I was just left head scratching. There are rather long periods of boring in the movie broken up by seemingly pointless fight scenes. Plus I always find it a warning sign when a movie spends a scene with the characters basically telling the audience what the heck is going on, which they did a couple of times in Tron Legacy.

Of course, Quorra makes up for almost all things. She is definitely both mouth AND trousers.

EvilNed

09-Nov-2013, 10:36 PM

Into Darkness was crap. And that's coming from a huge star trek fan who loved the Star Trek Reboot. But Into Darkness? That was just action scenes toppled all over one-another with no point to it all. The first film had perfect casting decisions as well, but all the new roles in Into Darkness were terribly miscast. Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan didn't work at all - he's nothing like Ricardo Montalban in any way, shape or form - and the new Carol Marcus turns out to be british? And her father, Admiral Marcus, played by the Terra Prime villain Peter Weller. What was the point of that?

Publius

09-Nov-2013, 10:37 PM

Abrams himself has said he was a Star Wars kid growing up (he wasn't much fussed for Trek as a kid)

Maybe that's it! He was a Star Wars partisan in the Star Wars v. Star Trek rivalry all along, so he purposely sabotaged the Trek franchise while planning to make the next Star Wars movie truly epic! ;)

shootemindehead

11-Nov-2013, 04:16 PM

i not only have zero faith, i could care less if anything with the name "Star Wars' ever came out again. I grow less interested in visual media by the day. I've gotten to the point where i don't even follow or even care what is coming out. my interest in TV is at 0 - i don't watch ANY TV shows that are on right now. all of them are predictable, boring, and ultimately ridiculous.

I have even less interest in film.

Star Wars is a pretty awful franchise. There was one great film and one truly excellent film and they were made over 30 years ago. The third was marred terribly by teddy bears and a film maker who was rapidly getting out of control with silliness.

The less said about the "new" three, the better. They were films that suffered from incredible ineptitude, from nearly everybody concerned. It still staggers me how they got everything wrong. Personally, and I say this without a word of a lie, if I had everything that Lucas had at his disposal, I would have made masterpieces compared to what we got.

I don't watch any TV either, except for the odd political program and documentaries I am interested in and even most of those are by the numbers these days. Any series that I like, I usually get from the web. But, they can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

Film, I love, but yes, increasingly, it is becoming a more mediocre experience. Luckily, I am a repeat watcher of films that I have enjoyed in the past, so my film fix is sated that way, more often than not.

AcesandEights

11-Nov-2013, 05:09 PM

Most of you guys have already decided it's not going to be good even though it hasn't even started filming.

So true. It's mathematically impossible for the next three films to be worse than the prequels.

I've run the numbers.

Neil

12-Nov-2013, 07:54 AM

Star Wars is a pretty awful franchise. There was one great film and one truly excellent film and they were made over 30 years ago. The third was marred terribly by teddy bears and a film maker who was rapidly getting out of control with silliness.
I actually quite like "Return," and the Ewoks really don't bother me :)

shootemindehead

12-Nov-2013, 11:27 AM

It has its moments, sure, and I still enjoy the first half. But the writing was on the wall as far as the series is concerned.

Lucas changed wookies to ewoks for marketing reasons and it worked wonders. The word ewok isn't mentioned in the entire film and yet everyone knows it and what it means.

But, just think how much cooler 'Return of the Jedi' would have been if the wookies were retained and there was a full on battle between them and the Empire, instead of the muppet fest that's at the end of the film.

BTW, I can only watch the original version. The redone version sucks big fat donkey balls. The idea that the entire Empire would fall apart because the first and second in command get killed and there's a local rebel victory on some distant moon, is just absurd. At least in the original version, it still just looks like a contained victory and everybody sings "Nub Nub". With the new version and the Gallaxy wide celebrations, it's just looks ridiculous.

AcesandEights

12-Nov-2013, 01:47 PM

Goddamn, I love Jedi. I fully understand the problems people have with it, but I just don't care. To me, all the choreographing, Ray Parks and CGI in the world can't top the gravitas and sheer menace of the light saber duel between Vader and Luke in that film.

Hell, I also love the original ending, it was schmaltzy, but a good way to send it off with feeling. I still remembering hearing the Ewok Celebration on the radio of all things on the way home from the theater opening weekend. Ahhhh, the 80s...

Neil

12-Nov-2013, 05:14 PM

AcesandEights

12-Nov-2013, 05:17 PM

And the new ending? And infact the new beginning with the cgi band in Jabba's palace?

Unnecessary and not to my liking.

krisvds

13-Nov-2013, 02:36 PM

Film, I love, but yes, increasingly, it is becoming a more mediocre experience. Luckily, I am a repeat watcher of films that I have enjoyed in the past, so my film fix is sated that way, more often than not.

I pretty much agree with everything Mike and you wrote, but not this. It's just not 'true.' There are a lot of talented directors out there, working outside of Hollywood.

Everything Von Trier directs is worth a trip to the cinema, same with Vinterberg (Jagten and Dear Wendy were brilliant).
Refn has had a good run of good films (Valhalla Rising!) as well.
I would strongly recommend any film lover falling out of love with the medium the works of Roy Andersson: both 'Songs from the second floor' and 'You, the living' are worth watching.
La vie d'Adèle, which won the Palme d'Or was great ... The list goes on.

On topic: Star Wars? By the time the new one comes out my oldest son will be 7 and able to read subtitles. If it comes to close to what I experienced as a young kid watching the original trilogy in cinemas it might just make him a filmlover.
Going by the back catalogue of this Abrams guy hope is at an all time low.

shootemindehead

13-Nov-2013, 03:33 PM

I agree, there is stilll some very good films being made. One just has to hunt them down a bit harder. Speaking of hunting, yes 'Jagten' was a great little picture. That kid was creepy. Wasn't so mad about 'Dear Wendy' though.

By "...increasingly, it is becoming a more mediocre experience", I am talking purely from my own point of view of course. I seem to be let down more than I am uplifted these days. Although, I have to admit, I have quite a collection of films that I have yet to even watch. One of which is 'Chained', which I have been told is "right up my street".

I have seen 'Drive and 'Bronson' by Refn, with the latter being my preference. I wasn't THAT pushed by 'Drive'. But I have 'Vallaha Rising' and 'Only God Forgives' in the pipeline and he's certainly one to watch alright.

So, yes there are still great pictures out there. But the sea of mediocrity seems to be getting bigger and bigger.

AcesandEights

13-Nov-2013, 04:03 PM

I have 'Vallaha Rising' and 'Only God Forgives' in the pipeline and he's certainly one to watch alright.

Valhalla Rising had some evocative imagery, but overall seemed increasingly drawn out as the running time went on and the whole thing felt...listless.

blind2d

16-Nov-2013, 05:50 AM

New Star Wars coming out! Yay! Directed by J Jabrams! ...Not so yay! ...
I think as a kid, Empire was my least favorite of the original holy trilogy. I liked the cool aliens and robots and stuff that seemed to pop up a bit more in the other two films. Also ewoks are so cute. Now that I'm older, yeah, Empire is incredible, but back then...
Anyway, fingers crossed and all that. Can't be worse than Anakin's love speeches to Padme in 'Clones', right? Or *shudder* Jar Jar...

krisvds

16-Nov-2013, 07:17 AM

Hi blind!

(long time no read)

As a kid Jedi was, by far, my favourite film in the trilogy. I didn't mind the Ewoks one bit. What got to me especially back then was the busting Han out of Jabba's palace bit. Still a pricelss thirty minutes (give or take, can't remember) of fantasy cinema.

blind2d

16-Nov-2013, 12:52 PM

Oh hell yeah, all the Tatooine stuff in 'Jedi' is wonderful. Shame they ruined it with the CGI band and Sarlacc in the redux. Yeah, I miss this place. Sorry for not stopping by more often, but I only have so much internet time these days and ponies take up a lot of that. But I digress. 'Jedi' is the film that made Boba a bad-ass. Sure he gets eaten and defeated quickly and easily, but jetpack! Didn't see any of that in 'Empire'. I think Wicket's got great character, and Leia needed a fuzzy little friend. He's sort of her Yoda, I always felt. Why am I still writing? No one cares about all this. Anyway, glad to see the regulars are still around here and kicking, for the most part.

Legion2213

16-Nov-2013, 07:01 PM

To be a Star Wars fan, one must possess the ability to see a million different failures and downfalls, and then somehow assemble them into a greater picture of perfection. Every true Star Wars fan is a Luke Skywalker, looking at his twisted, evil father, and somehow seeing good. - Andrey Summers

:D

Neil

17-Nov-2013, 03:34 PM

Legion2213

18-Nov-2013, 06:49 AM

What a bunch of pretentious to$$ wank!

I see some truth in there to be honest.

Neil

18-Nov-2013, 08:21 AM

I see some truth in there to be honest.

Maybe so, but I'm sure many/most "Star Wars fans" are candid on their opinions on the original three films, and more than candid on their opinions on the three silly prequels.

Rancid Carcass

30-Nov-2013, 11:08 PM

She'll make .5 past lightspeed!

“A full-scale 1:1 Millennium Falcon has been built as well as the interiors of the ship for filming”

http://screencrush.com/star-wars-episode-7-millennium-falcon/

Aww yeah!

:D

blind2d

01-Dec-2013, 07:12 PM

Hooray! Thanks for sharing, Rancid. I hope she holds together.

Neil

01-Dec-2013, 08:06 PM

She'll make .5 past lightspeed!

http://screencrush.com/star-wars-episode-7-millennium-falcon/

Aww yeah!

:D

Might annoy these folks then :) - http://fullscalefalcon.com/

Neil

25-Dec-2013, 09:16 AM

So a friend of mine was working at Pinewood over the past couple of weeks. At one point he went between two stages being used for Star Wars, which has a tent on the side. In the tent are loads of costumes ready for filming, including sand people!?

In one of the studios is a huge black curtain blocking the view. He kneeled down to peak under. There was the landing gear of the full size Millenium Falcon they've built there :)

Neil

18-Mar-2014, 10:46 PM

Set 30yrs after Return Of The Jedi - http://www.aintitcool.com/node/66579

At the company's annual shareholder meeting, Iger revealed some basic info about a few of their projects, including EPISODE VII. Aside from mentioning that it "really looks amazing," he officially revealed that the film will take place 30 years after RETURN OF THE JEDI. He also mentioned we'll be seeing some "familiar faces," all but confirming that the vets of this franchise, including Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Calrissian, and a certain former carpenter, will be making their triumphant returns in the new installment.

Filming to start in May at Pinewood Studios - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-26639322

I walked around the the outside of Pinewood last weeked and there's a huuuge outdoor bluescreen... wonder if that'll be used for it?

EvilNed

18-Mar-2014, 11:24 PM

Wow why would you have an outside bluescreen? What if it rained? It is England after all...

Neil

19-Mar-2014, 09:17 AM

Wow why would you have an outside bluescreen? What if it rained? It is England after all...

Interesting point! But there it was... It was big, blue, and had all the little crosses running up/down it for the computer to keep track of camera movement etc.

Neil

30-Apr-2014, 08:17 AM

Confirmed! The original cast are back - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-27210448

Original Star Wars actors Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill will feature in Star Wars: Episode VII, the latest film in the franchise.

Other actors confirmed are Andy Serkis and Max von Sydow, alongside relative newcomers John Boyega and Daisy Ridley, both of whom are British.

Episode VII will start shooting at Pinewood Studios, near London, in May.

Personally I don't hold up much hope for these films. I think Abrams just hasn't got the depth to him to add enough meat to the the bones/characters. I think we'll just end up with super special effects (& lens flare).

I was watching a bit of "Star Trek" last night and the lens flare is comically bad!

bassman

30-Apr-2014, 01:30 PM

I believe Daisy Ridley is the only one that's completely new to me. I like that most of them are nearly unknowns. It's not a big surprise that the original three are back, but recent rumors suggest that Han Solo has more of a significant role in this film than Luke and Leia?

I hope Von Sydow is playing a villain. Ghostbuster's Lord Vigo threatening Luke Skywalker? Nerd heaven...

AcesandEights

30-Apr-2014, 02:49 PM

I like that most of them are nearly unknowns.
Mmmm, I said the same thing yesterday.

I hope Von Sydow is playing a villain. Ghostbuster's Lord Vigo threatening Luke Skywalker? Nerd heaven...
Ick. What an unseemly association. :p

bassman

30-Apr-2014, 03:02 PM

Ick. What an unseemly association. :p

Well....aside from the association, Sydow does have a really great voice for a villain. Better than Palpatine's little old lady voice, imo.

krisvds

30-Apr-2014, 03:09 PM

I hope Von Sydow is playing a villain. Exorcist's Father Merrin threatening Luke Skywalker? Nerd heaven...
Or even: Emperor Ming threatening Luke Skywalker? Nerd heaven...

there. ;)

AcesandEights

30-Apr-2014, 04:19 PM

Well....aside from the association, Sydow does have a really great voice for a villain. Better than Palpatine's little old lady voice, imo.

Oh, yeah, he's got one hell of a voice.

MoonSylver

30-Apr-2014, 04:51 PM

Personally I don't hold up much hope for these films. I think Abrams just hasn't got the depth to him to add enough meat to the the bones/characters. I think we'll just end up with super special effects (& lens flare).

:lol: Have you seen the Star Wars movies? Particularly Ep.IV? Lucas wasn't exactly know for his chops on working with actors. The cast made 2 signs for George, one said "Faster" & the other "More Intense" as apparently these were A) his two favorite directions & B) the depth more or less of direction given to actors.

You can thank Lawrence Kasdan and Leigh Brackett for a lot of the characterization via their abilities writing dialog, as they wrote the script for ESB & RotJ, & the abilities of the actors themselves, plus Lucas did not direct those films.

That was one of the failings (IMO) of the prequels. Lucas alone wrote the scripts & directed all three.

Kasdan is on board for the scripts on these, so as long as the talent is good, even if Abrams isn't good with actors (which I have no idea TBH, but I remember good performances in "Super 8", Elle Fanning in particular), so I wouldn't worry too much. Put that "Oh Dear!" back in yout pocket for now. :D

Well....aside from the association, Sydow does have a really great voice for a villain. Better than Palpatine's little old lady voice, imo.

I won't argue you Sydow's voice. But don't go hatin' on Palp. McDiarmid's Emperor voice is awesome IMO. By turns harsh & barking, sharp & waspish, mewling & factious, smooth & hypnotic, deep & oppressive & dirge-like. I love it. :)

there. ;)

:thumbsup:

Neil

01-May-2014, 02:34 PM

Interesting - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-27221191

bassman

01-May-2014, 02:53 PM

Interesting - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-27221191

Why do people always have to pull the race and gender cards?...

That picture is of a table read with the MAIN cast. There will be tons of other characters throughout this film and the following sequels, many of whom will be different races and genders, I'm sure. In fact, there's still another female from the casting call sheet released almost a year ago that isn't in that photo or cast announcement. And while Lando was indeed a big part of Empire and Jedi, this casting doesn't mean he won't be in the new trilogy. Perhaps he comes in during one of the future films? Perhaps he's being kept as a surprise for fans? I'm sure Abrams will have many different easter eggs up his sleeves for the fans. He always does. The announcement of the core cast does not mean it won't be more diverse in the final product(s).

But of course with any huge franchise like this, fans will always pick anything they can to whine about....

Neil

03-Jun-2014, 08:39 AM

Lupita Nyong'o and Gwendoline Christie join cast - http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jun/02/star-wars-7-lupita-nyong-o-gwendoline-christie

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/6/2/1401728647752/Gwendoline-Christie-in-Ga-009.jpg

bassman

03-Jun-2014, 03:20 PM

Neil

03-Jun-2014, 04:16 PM

Lots of leaked photos the past few days. Including sets and practical effects alien creatures. But now....the Millennium Falcon and X-Wing.:hyper:

http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/leaked-images-of-the-millenium-falcon-and-more-236

Those photos of the falcon must be old because I'm sure a friend of mine walked through part of the studio a few months back, and looked under a curtain to see the legs of the already built falcon there!

MoonSylver

03-Jun-2014, 04:38 PM

Practical FX for the win. Gotta love 'em all the way around. Gives me a good feeling about this. :)

bassman

04-Jun-2014, 03:56 PM

In response to the leaked set photos, JJ Abrams released this humorous photo:

1315

http://www.superherohype.com/news/304285-read-j-j-abrams-tongue-in-cheek-response-to-leaked-star-wars-set-photos#/slide/1

As any fan of the original films can tell, the note is lying on the chess table that's inside the Falcon....

Neil

04-Jun-2014, 06:55 PM

^^ Nice!

Neil

13-Jun-2014, 08:43 AM

Harrison Ford injured - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-27825562

With shooting time already looking tight, can't imagine this will help things much - ie: Harrison out of action for a few weeks, for sitting scenes, and MONTHS for any real walking/running scenes.

More here - http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/harrison-ford-crushed-star-wars-3682600

The actor, 71, slumped to the floor after being crushed by the hydraulic door of his legendary Star Wars spaceship, a source revealed

Neil

24-Jun-2014, 07:56 AM

Talks of delays have started - http://www.aintitcool.com/node/67758

krisvds

24-Jun-2014, 05:01 PM

Talks of delays have started - http://www.aintitcool.com/node/67758

I thought of posting something funny involving a 'break a leg' comment but decided against it as i couldn't think of anything.

Sorry

AcesandEights

24-Jun-2014, 06:40 PM

I thought of posting something funny involving a 'break a leg' comment but decided against it as i couldn't think of anything.

Just so long as they don't write it into the script. I think we can all do without seeing 70+ year old Han Solo in a bacta tank :dead:

MinionZombie

07-Jul-2014, 06:33 PM

I was listening to the latest episode of the Hollywood Babble-On podcast and they said that there was a possibility they might have to re-write parts of the script to take into account the more serious nature of Ford's injury - possibly even remove Han Solo from #7 entirely.

Neil

07-Jul-2014, 06:44 PM

they might have to re-write parts of the script to take into account the more serious nature of Ford's injury - possibly even remove Han Solo from #7 entirely.
Noooo!!!

EvilNed

07-Jul-2014, 07:18 PM

Seems unlikely they'd drop him altogether.

http://www.thewire.com/entertainment/2014/07/harrison-fords-broken-leg-to-delay-filming-of-the-new-star-wars/373988/

Legion2213

07-Jul-2014, 09:22 PM

You can't have an "original cast SW movie" without everybody's favourite scoundrel/smuggler!

They need to throw him into a Bacta tank to speed his recovery.

Alternatively, they could say that Han became a Bomar Monk...no need for Ford to do anything then...or I could stop being a fatty-nerd. :D

MoonSylver

07-Jul-2014, 11:36 PM

Freeze his ass in Carbonite again, prop the Jabba wall hanging up in the corner, problem solved. :lol:

MinionZombie

08-Jul-2014, 09:06 AM

I do agree that it'd be mightily silly for them not to include Han, when they're including a bunch of other original cast members. They have to get him in there somehow, but I'd imagine that re-writes to get around his injury are likely now ... just as long as they keep the guy in the picture.

follyu

12-Jul-2014, 04:56 PM

Wow..I am huge fan of Star wars series and didn't knew it that 7th episode is releasing next year. Thanks for the info. It would be great if some one posts its trailer also.

bassman

12-Jul-2014, 06:40 PM

Wow..I am huge fan of Star wars series and didn't knew it that 7th episode is releasing next year. Thanks for the info. It would be great if some one posts its trailer also.

No trailer yet. A possible leak of a teaser in a couple weeks from SDCC, but we likely won't see anything official until the last few months of the year.

capncnut

21-Jul-2014, 03:02 PM

SPOILERS MAYBE!

The title crawl announces the Rebels disbanding after destroying the Death Star, but that the Imperials are back in a new faction with a third mega-weapon that can not only destroy planets but also whole systems. After the crawl, Luke Skywalker's severed hand that he lost on Bespin, still gripping the lightsaber, is spinning in space, and is eventually found by some colonists who go off-world to return the Jedi relic to its' owner. They meet Han and Chewie, who are seemingly back to their piloting ways (and haven't seen their friend in over 30 years), and they all go on a journey to find Luke.

Unconfirmed Leak (http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/21/star-wars-episode-7-plot-details-suffer-unconfirmed-leak)

shootemindehead

21-Jul-2014, 03:47 PM

That sounds bloody awful.

The rebels disband after destroying the second death star??? What?

REBEL LEADER: "Ah feck it, we'll be grand...sure we blew up their auld Death Star."

REBEL PILOT: "But, they could build another. They've already built two!"

REBEL LEADER: "SHUT UP YOU, we'll be grand!"

Meanwhile, across the galaxy...

EMPIRE BOSS (Newly promoted): "Well, that's plan A and plan B buggered. TWO bleedin' Death Stars blown to pieces."

EMPIRE WEAPONS ENGINEER: "Well...Joe's been working on a real doozy. if you think those Death Stars were great, you should go down to the workshop and have a look at what he has in mind."

Neil

21-Jul-2014, 04:27 PM

^^ lol! :)

capncnut

22-Jul-2014, 12:59 PM

It seems to be leaking out to other websites now and still no word from JJ if it's legit. If that's the real synopsis then they need to turn the ship around. Almost everyone I've linked to it has said, "You're winding me up, innit?"

EvilNed

22-Jul-2014, 01:15 PM

I'm no Star Wars fan or expert, but the notion that the Rebels disband and that Han, Luke and Leia part ways (and never see each other again) is very much contradicting everything that the "expanded universe" of George Lucas sanctioned books has already deemed as canon.

In many ways, what happens after the last Star Wars film is already set in stone. Han marries Leia, Luke forms the New Jedi Order and the Rebels found the New Republic. Even if this film is huge, and will probably tell a new story altogether, they will have to tell a store that doesn't contradict that stuff.

Neil

27-Jul-2014, 08:37 AM

Nice little interview with Mark Hamill - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-28466562

Have to say, seems like a really nice guy!

bassman

27-Jul-2014, 02:22 PM

Neil

31-Jul-2014, 01:46 PM

Harrison Ford back on his feet! - http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/harrison-ford-photographed-cast-article-1.1884224

EvilNed

31-Jul-2014, 02:25 PM

Abrams, Kasdan, and Kennedy have all stated that they're completely ignoring the EU and going in their own direction.

What I read wasn't that they were gonna ignore it, but rather that they weren't going to take into consideration the EU plotlines when writing this one.
I very much doubt they will write an adventure that will contradict the EU, considering the amount of merchandise and millions that's been poured into that - and still is.

Neil

12-Aug-2014, 12:58 PM

My friend mentioned how a few weeks back he was at Pinewood when they craned in a full sized tie fighter. It was clearly damaged and was put into a set seemingly making it look like it had crashed.

His said it was amazing to be standing there as a full sized tie fighter "flew" through the air :)

Neil

15-Aug-2014, 07:39 AM

New Stormtrooper helmets - http://www.cinemablend.com/new/See-How-Much-Star-Wars-7-Has-Changed-Classic-Stormtrooper-Look-66786.html

shootemindehead

15-Aug-2014, 02:02 PM

They're over here shooting on Skellig Michael at the moment, I think.

bassman

15-Aug-2014, 02:20 PM

Mark Hamill's son recently posted this picture of the Jedi Knight in front of one of the film's sound stages.

1325

He looks like he's gotten into good shape for his age and I really hope he keeps that awesome beard for the film. I'm assuming he will, but with the recent pause in filming because of Ford's injury, who knows? I guess it'd be a nice bit of continuity for him to have a beard as an older Jedi, like Obi Wan and Qui Gon. If he does keep the beard, it helps make him look like a badass knight rather than an aging actor trying to relive his glory days. I certainly wouldn't want to mess with a guy looking like he does in that picture...

Neil

15-Aug-2014, 07:26 PM

^^ Yeh, that contractual beard looks good!

MinionZombie

16-Aug-2014, 10:01 AM

Yep, I dig the bearded look too. Definitely gives his facer a meaner, sharper look.

Kaos

16-Aug-2014, 05:04 PM

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--OTk8fOse--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/x8pd9fsah2x3knxzj3gi.jpg

I like the new stormtrooper helmets. Some of the negative responses to it are hilariously stupid... "The empire was broken. How could they afford new helmets? 30 years is not enough time to warrant a change."

EvilNed

16-Aug-2014, 05:29 PM

Look sweet. I don't know why, but my first thought was "Looks a hell of a lot better than the clone trooper helmets".

Neil

18-Sep-2014, 04:37 PM

Note Batman's Tumbler at end ;)

3C7lUfVIOa4

Neil

07-Nov-2014, 02:14 PM

http://media.aintitcool.com/media/uploads/2014/merrick/swtfa_large.jpg

wayzim

07-Nov-2014, 02:32 PM

http://media.aintitcool.com/media/uploads/2014/merrick/swtfa_large.jpg

Just so long as it isn't all about this: ;D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV5WqRnFejI

rongravy

07-Nov-2014, 07:47 PM

All I've heard is good about the new movie, but that title is cringe worthy.
Still stoked, but please change the name.

bassman

07-Nov-2014, 10:37 PM

Episode VIII: The Force Has Brunch

MinionZombie

08-Nov-2014, 10:48 AM

Episode IX: The Force Has Its Morning Dump

Yeah ... "The Force Awakens" is a bit of a ... meh kind of title. It doesn't sound particularly kick arse, does it? It's not awful, but ... hmmm.

shootemindehead

08-Nov-2014, 11:24 AM

None of the Star Wars titles are anything inspiring though.

I'd actually be more surprised if I thought "wow, what a cool title!"

Legion2213

09-Nov-2014, 04:25 PM

I expect the new title will refer to a new generation of Jedi being recruited/taught by aster Skywalker (at least they didn't call it "the next generation" though) ;)

This is worrying simply because it will involve loads of young people who tend to have a negative effect on films for me.

I won't write it off just yet though...SW got it's claws into me when I was a child and has never really let go...even though a lot of the modern stuff is hugely disappointing.

bassman

10-Nov-2014, 12:41 AM

This is worrying simply because it will involve loads of young people who tend to have a negative effect on films for me.

I feel like the casting of relative unknowns will go a long way to helping audiences accept them as the "next generation", as you correctly put it. I've seen a few of them in some smaller independent films and they seemed to be quite good at what they do. The guy from Attack The Block and the guy that played the troublesome boyfriend in Drive. The latter of which actually doesn't appear to be all that young(maybe early-mid 30s?), so that may also help with the transition.

MoonSylver

10-Nov-2014, 02:14 AM

I feel like the casting of relative unknowns will go a long way to helping audiences accept them as the "next generation", as you correctly put it. I've seen a few of them in some smaller independent films and they seemed to be quite good at what they do. The guy from Attack The Block and the guy that played the troublesome boyfriend in Drive. The latter of which actually doesn't appear to be all that young(maybe early-mid 30s?), so that may also help with the transition.

The original cast were all kids more or less, so that doesn't bother me. And they were all unknowns, which helped IMO. So no big deal. :|

wayzim

10-Nov-2014, 03:08 AM

The original cast were all kids more or less, so that doesn't bother me. And they were all unknowns, which helped IMO. So no big deal. :|

I think Harrison Ford was the old man of the crew, and he was known from Lucas' American Graffiti. Harrison mostly helped with the casting choices at first, and was chosen to be Hans Solo just about when they'd picked everyone else; if my memory serves me, that is.

Neil

28-Nov-2014, 03:01 PM

OMOVFvcNfvE

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/79374000/jpg/_79374404_sw6-bike.jpg

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/79374000/jpg/_79374406_sw9_minllennium.jpg

A flame sword?

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/79374000/jpg/_79374599_sw8_lightsabre.jpg

Legion2213

28-Nov-2014, 03:11 PM

Oh...oh wow, that looked really, really sexy! :)

X-Wings flying at sea level, the lovely vintage looking blocky speeder bike, the new dark Jedi...and the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy is back!

F*cking Star Wars, man...it's been making me its bitch for nearly four decades now! :D

Neil

28-Nov-2014, 03:37 PM

^^ Yep!

But we know Abrams can do the eye candy, but his problem is often the script... Please let's have a solid meaty intelligent script! Not just an excuse for effect after effect!

bassman

28-Nov-2014, 08:31 PM

^^ Yep!

But we know Abrams can do the eye candy, but his problem is often the script... Please let's have a solid meaty intelligent script! Not just an excuse for effect after effect!

After Ford made his opinion of the last Indy film public, as well as his 30+ year hate for Star Wars, you have to think that he saw something good in the script. You know, either that or the cruise liner full of money they offered him. Either one...

The shots in this teaser definitely are beautiful. I can't describe the fanboy excitement I felt when I saw those x wings and the falcon. But it's good to keep in mind that even the trailer for Phantom Menace looked good, so there's also that.

rongravy

28-Nov-2014, 10:37 PM

I dunno.
I jizzed a little when I saw it this morning.
The sword saber looks cool, but those side thangies look kind of pointless. Still...
Wonder who was narrating at the beginning. I need to be carbon frozen until next Christmas.
Auuuugggghhhhhhh!!!

bassman

28-Nov-2014, 11:21 PM

Wonder who was narrating at the beginning. I need to be carbon frozen until next Christmas.

I've just seen on another site that the narrator could be Andy Serkis? I've heard it could also be Serkis at the beginning and Max Von Sydow toward the end, so who knows?

Something else that they pointed out and I hadn't noticed.....We actually see all three of the "big" new characters. Aside from the obvious shot of the fellow from Attack the Block near the beginning, we also see Oscar Isaac piloting the X-wing and Daisy Ridley(reportedly Han and Leia's daughter) riding the machine in the desert. I hadn't noticed it was those actors at all...

Rancid Carcass

29-Nov-2014, 12:08 AM

Love that the Falcon has new radar dish! And it's sporting some new fins on the back end - guess Han's been making some special modifications again! :D Stoked...

shootemindehead

29-Nov-2014, 01:29 AM

I can't describe the fanboy excitement I felt when I saw those x wings and the falcon.

Yeh, me too. Complete nerd chubby.

I've seen the trailer a few times over the day and from what I've seen, I'm in.

Please JJ, don't fuck it up.

- - - Updated - - -

I've just seen on another site that the narrator could be Andy Serkis? I've heard it could also be Serkis at the beginning and Max Von Sydow toward the end, so who knows?

It ain't Max Von Sydow, that's for sure.

Staredge

29-Nov-2014, 02:20 AM

My first thought upon seeing the actors were Lando's son, Han & Leia's son & daughter. The lightsaber actually makes a little sense, after I thought about it for a while. The originals were more like katanas, with no real cross guard to them. That one is more like a broadsword, with crossguards that would have to also be from plasma. That may lend itself to a whole different set of combat tactics.

bassman

29-Nov-2014, 03:10 AM

It ain't Max Von Sydow, that's for sure.

I didn't think so, either. Unless he's intentionally altering his voice. My money is on it being Serkis(I can hear hints of him toward the beginning) all the way through. And now that I think about it after watching this teaser, Serkis would make an amazing palpatine-esqe sort of villain.

More importantly.....who's the cloaked character with the saber? Could recent rumors lead to that not necessarily being a villain?....

EvilNed

29-Nov-2014, 06:50 AM

The sword looks dumb.

The rest looks neat tho.
My only real fear is that this seems to tie in with the leaked synopsis... And that was really, really bad.

shootemindehead

29-Nov-2014, 04:29 PM

Agree on the sword looking silly. Something like that would be more dangerous to the guy wielding it than his target.

@At Bass - agree on Serkis being a good villain.

Ummm...it seems I'm very agreeable this evening.

Neil

29-Nov-2014, 06:29 PM

Why don't the evil people ever have high pitched squeaky voices?

bassman

29-Nov-2014, 07:29 PM

Why don't the evil people ever have high pitched squeaky voices?

Ever seen Pixar's 'Up'?

http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110502114328/pixar/images/thumb/a/a8/Alpha.png/282px-Alpha.png

Best villain voice in history. :lol:

Neil

30-Nov-2014, 10:30 AM

qpfWrh1scZU

shootemindehead

30-Nov-2014, 04:06 PM

Why don't the evil people ever have high pitched squeaky voices?

Cos you get more testosterone when you're evil Neil.

tsk...

:rolleyes:

ProfessorChaos

01-Dec-2014, 04:41 AM

dat trailer.....goosebumps. will be there, day one.

Neil

01-Dec-2014, 01:28 PM

Seems the previous trailer had been released incorrectly too soon before Abrams had finished the post-production special effects.

Here's his proper version...

pPuUiENIuPI

They've let Lucas at it too...

v93Jh6JNBng

Legion2213

03-Dec-2014, 11:18 PM

Oh FFS! I've heard people moaning because the first person shown in the teaser is "black". :whatever:

Any real Warsie would be delighted to see a real "human" Stormtrooper who wasn't some wanky clone.

My only concern is that he is some filthy disgusting rebel scum of some kind (and if that is the case, he must naturally be murdered horribly)...I would love to see an Imperial Stormy who believes in the cause and has a decent part in the film.

Neil

08-Dec-2014, 04:04 PM

_yMjFUmowQ0

Dombant

09-Dec-2014, 05:54 AM

Even though the trailer is not inspiring enough i have faith in this one.

Neil

21-Jun-2015, 10:54 AM

http://media.aintitcool.com/media/uploads/2015/merrick/starwarstheforceawakenshan_large.png

wayzim

21-Jun-2015, 01:35 PM

http://media.aintitcool.com/media/uploads/2015/merrick/starwarstheforceawakenshan_large.png

Works for me.

rongravy

21-Jun-2015, 03:30 PM

I can't wait to see what kind of mad money this is going to make. We saw Jurassic World last night, and it was still packed for what I thought was a slightly better than mediocre movie. VII is going to be sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet, and I hope it absolutely KILLS at the box office.

shootemindehead

21-Jun-2015, 10:10 PM

It's going to make stupid money. You just know it.

bassman

22-Jun-2015, 01:56 AM

Yeah....likely the biggest release in history thus far. Disney now owns both Marvel and Lucasfilm. They're swimming in gold like scrooge McDuck...

Neil

22-Sep-2015, 05:13 PM

Oh no! Worrying! - http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Star-Wars-Episode-8-May-Bring-Back-Cast-Member-From-Prequels-83957.html

A team in the U.K. are soon heading to the U.S. to begin training Hayden Christensen for a Star Wars: Episode VIII appearance of some sort.

rongravy

23-Sep-2015, 02:59 AM

Oh no! Worrying! - http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Star-Wars-Episode-8-May-Bring-Back-Cast-Member-From-Prequels-83957.html

I kind of thought maybe the training is more for upcoming Rogue One. They did more mention his possibility in that, that's how I took it.
And pretty much he'd have to be a ghostie in the new ones, because we know he didn't survive.
Anyhoo, I can't wait to see some awesomeness. I need a new trailer, and to start wondering when I need to secure my IMAX seats. I know I won't be catching it day one, but still...
I can see it in the daytime in a regular theater while I wait for the big'un.
Boner pants.
Check.

shootemindehead

23-Sep-2015, 06:06 AM

Oh no! Worrying! - http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Star-Wars-Episode-8-May-Bring-Back-Cast-Member-From-Prequels-83957.html

Oh FFS...

That's just bloody stupid.

EvilNed

23-Sep-2015, 08:06 AM

Oh FFS...

That's just bloody stupid.

To be fair, I don't think Hayden Christiansen is a bad actor. George Lucas is just a worthless director. Look at all the prequels. They're fucking shit. Lucas spent hundred of millions of dollars producing incomprehensibly bad films. But many the actors are competent. Just look at Natalie Portman, she's alright in other stuff but she's really bad in that film.

Neil

23-Sep-2015, 08:44 AM

I kind of thought maybe the training is more for upcoming Rogue One. They did more mention his possibility in that, that's how I took it.
And pretty much he'd have to be a ghostie in the new ones, because we know he didn't survive.
Anyhoo, I can't wait to see some awesomeness. I need a new trailer, and to start wondering when I need to secure my IMAX seats. I know I won't be catching it day one, but still...
I can see it in the daytime in a regular theater while I wait for the big'un.
Boner pants.
Check.

But Hayden wouldn't be applicable to Rogue One?

shootemindehead

23-Sep-2015, 12:58 PM

To be fair, I don't think Hayden Christiansen is a bad actor. George Lucas is just a worthless director. Look at all the prequels. They're fucking shit. Lucas spent hundred of millions of dollars producing incomprehensibly bad films. But many the actors are competent. Just look at Natalie Portman, she's alright in other stuff but she's really bad in that film.

I've heard a lot of that kind of talk recently and to me it doesn't stack up too well.

I've seen Christensen in other pictures and he's been serviceable at best. He was decent in 'Shattered Glass'. However, his acting was atrocious in the prequels, regardless of the awful direction and script. He's simply not a good actor and has a very limited depth, which he was clearly out of in the role of Darth Vader. Which is why a lot of people will great the news of his return with trepidation, to say the least.

As for the other actors, I think a lot of them just gave up. Neeson got away with it, because he played Liam Neeson. Stamp and others just spoke slowly and underplayed everything. But Christensen simply couldn't handle the role he landed.

bassman

23-Sep-2015, 01:48 PM

Yeah....I'm going with that rumor being BS. There would be a very very small possibility of his force ghost showing up in Episode 8, but I seriously doubt Rian Johnson would want that. He's surrounded himself and worked with some of the greatest actors living today in his other projects, so I don't see him actively pursuing an Anakin cameo.

If this rumor applies more to Rogue One, then it wouldn't really make much sense there either. If its between Sith and New Hope, Anakin would already be Vader, so as someone mentioned before, there's no need to get that specific actor to return.

Besides, everyone involved in these new films know that they need to avoid the VERY fan dividing prequel trilogy, so I think it's just another false rumor...

bassman

18-Oct-2015, 04:35 PM

Drew Struzan's Ep VII poster: http://cdn2-www.superherohype.com/assets/uploads/gallery/star-wars-episode-vii/starwarsfull.jpg

It wouldn't let me post the image here because the file is too large...

Surprised to see that Luke isn't featured on the poster but Han and Leia are front and center. Maybe that lends some credibility to the rumor that Skywalker doesn't appear until the final moments of the film.

MinionZombie

19-Oct-2015, 04:20 PM

Quality poster there - gotta love Struzan's work! :cool:

On the Luke thing ... perhaps ... either that or it's a massive troll on Disney's part to get fan speculation soaring and twist expectations?

shootemindehead

19-Oct-2015, 05:23 PM

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w98/dimejinky99/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-06/8998F7F6-5A33-40EB-A141-04AA18E3C0AF.jpg

bassman

20-Oct-2015, 03:33 PM

Final Trailer:

"It's true. All of it" :cool:
_iF6Y7xtG_0

Legion2213

20-Oct-2015, 04:30 PM

So stoked for this, they've even used the original lenses they used for the originals to give it that classic SW look.

And so far, it feels like the originals as well.

Christmas 2015 will fall on the 17th of December for an entire generation! :cool:

- - - Updated - - -

*filth deleted*

You are fucking evil and will burn in a special level of Hell for that! :D

MoonSylver

20-Oct-2015, 04:52 PM

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w98/dimejinky99/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-06/8998F7F6-5A33-40EB-A141-04AA18E3C0AF.jpg

http://cdn.meme.am/instances/29205559.jpg

:lol:

shootemindehead

21-Oct-2015, 04:01 PM

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/10/21/11/2DA056B800000578-3281767-image-a-1_1445422557045.jpg

MoonSylver

21-Oct-2015, 09:56 PM

:lol:

"It's true. All of it. Except for the parts in the Special Editions. And the Prequels." :D

Moon Knight

22-Oct-2015, 01:47 AM

Epic!!!!

shootemindehead

23-Oct-2015, 11:10 AM

Oh sweet jesus.... :lol:

yo7_qW4pPrc

Staredge

24-Oct-2015, 05:27 PM

A thought occurred to me, watching the compiled trailer that someone put out. What if........the voice that says "I'll finish what you started" while looking at Vader's mask......is Luke?? "Finish(ing) what you started" being the end of the Empire (Vader tossing the Emperor and leaving the dark side).

shootemindehead

25-Oct-2015, 03:08 PM

Yeh,

That shit is all over the web at the moment. I don't think Luke is Kylo Ren though.

bassman

25-Oct-2015, 03:56 PM

I don't see how some people are still suggesting Kylo Ren is actually Luke. In the latest trailer, Ren has his helmet removed during the light saber battle in the woods and you can see that it's Adam Driver's hair.

Staredge

26-Oct-2015, 01:01 AM

I'm not necessarily suggesting that he's Kylo Ren. Only that, as we really don't see who's talking, that it's Luke rather than Kylo.

shootemindehead

26-Oct-2015, 02:41 PM

Ah right.

Does it sound like Hammil? I'm not sure.

I spose it would be logical that he have daddy's mask, seeing as he was the one who fried him and "finish what you started" mightn't mean a bad thing.

Neil

06-Nov-2015, 04:12 PM

Think this is a new trailer?

SdAUiyeJMFQ

shootemindehead

06-Nov-2015, 05:02 PM

Looking more and more like a proper Star Wars film.

Getting excited now.

:hyper:

Neil

19-Nov-2015, 04:09 PM

Quite entertaining :)

8mjYjMxZJCg

Neil

26-Nov-2015, 08:07 PM

1e813AnfX0Y

wayzim

27-Nov-2015, 12:13 AM

The studio is definitely pushing all the right buttons; which means any disappointment would be like belly flopping into a kiddy pool from one hundred feet up. I'm hoping that's not going to happen. Who's the bigger fool? The fool, or the one who follows him? ;)

rongravy

27-Nov-2015, 07:01 PM

Saw some of them on Kimmel the other night. Abrams, the chick, the black guy...
Carrie Fisher was there. I noticed she was still kind of tubby, and she acted kind of liquored up. Who knows, maybe she was just happy to work again...?
There was also a Harrison Ford and Chewie cameo bit, where they continued the running gag of Chewie sleeping with his wife. Plus, Harrison throws out a ton of f-bombs and such. Ok, maybe not a ton. But it sounds so naughty when he says it...
As far as the movie sucking, there's no way that's going to happen. Plus, the visuals on this will be worth it alone. You know they're not going to half ass this now.
Still wondering why Luke has been MIA in pretty much everything, with the exception of his robot hand and voice. Intriguing, to say the least...

Neil

16-Dec-2015, 08:27 AM

Well the reviews seem to suggest they've done it! - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35109900

I'm going to stay clear of all the Star Wars articles I can as I'm not seeing it until next Tuesday, so don't won't to encounter any spoilers...

PLEASE DON'T POST ANY SPOILERS HERE GUYS WITHOUT WARNINGS OR USING THE SPOILER TAGS!

bassman

16-Dec-2015, 02:02 PM

I'm doing my best to avoid any reviews, as well. This one seems like it may be able to stay unspoiled for me. Got my tickets! Three days to go!

EvilNed

17-Dec-2015, 05:20 PM

My spoilerless review:

It's good, in fact it's very good. But the reason it's so good is because it goes out of it's way to be a rehash of A New Hope. Seriously, in today's world, reboots have less in common with their progenitors than this one does with A New Hope. Dozens of plot threads from the original films (not necessarily ANH alone) are rehashed. I'll let the viewer decide if that's good or bad. Personally, I'm not a Star Wars fan, but when I think of the old films and then of this new one and try to fit the narrative into my mind, one of the first words that come up is "pointless", unfortunately.

So what did I like? Just about everything else. The Empire is back and let's be honest, they're some of the best bad guys ever seen on screen. Stormtroopers and evil force people are thrown into the mix again. I never realized just how much I missed those super polished floors the Empire seems to roll with. Man, they are neat. Fuck you Trade Federation and all that other shit that went down in the prequels. This is the real deal.
George Lucas is pretty bad at conveying emotion. He shoots everything straight and has John Williams put on ominous music to tell his tale. J.J. on the other hand is much better. There's a scene where we manage to get inside the head of an individual stormtrooper - in a sea of stormtroopers. George Lucas could never have pulled that off (nor did he try to).

The new characters are all good. There isn't a single Jar Jar, or even anything coming close to it. Oscar Isaac plays a rebel pilots I thought was one of the best new characters. Some characters that have featured in the marketing are barely in it at all tho. I won't say which but it's not that it bothered me anyhow. Just saying... I've seen toys and posters of some characters who aren't more than glorified extras.

All in all a good film. Solid action and a solid start of a new trilogy. It's one overaching flaw is that it desperately tries to imitate the old trilogy and the end result is perhaps something that's to much like what we grew up with. A positive side effect is that there isn't a single reference to anything from George Lucas prequel trilogy. Nothing! I'm honestly stoked about the fact with this new trilogy it'll form a better compliment to Episode 4-6 than 1-3 ever did. In a few years maybe we can just forget about those films.

shootemindehead

18-Dec-2015, 08:09 AM

Whaddaya mean "in a few years" Neddy?

Good to hear that it's decent. I'm heading to see it on Sunday. I'm up and down with this film all the time. On the one hand I get really excited and on the other I'm completely nonplussed about the whole thing. I've no doubt it'll be better than the prequels that should not be named, but JJ's back catalogue is nothing to shout about either.

Anyway, it'll be worth watching just to see how they handle the new Empire.

bassman

19-Dec-2015, 11:43 PM

Spoiler free!

I loved it! Sure there are some plots we've seen before, but even so it does a wonderful job of bringing back the characters and feel of the originals while also creating great characters for a new trilogy/generation. I was let down and even depressed by some things, but they don't really change the overall effect of the film. And the final scene is a definite crowd pleaser! 8/10

Ned - I spotted one funny reference to the prequels...
when deathstar 3.0 fires on the nearby system, we see that one of the planets it destroys is Coruscant

Moon Knight

20-Dec-2015, 03:02 AM

Loved it! Great start to a new trilogy. Definitely gave me the feels!

bassman

21-Dec-2015, 01:48 PM

Now that the film is released, Abrams and crew are able to spill some details about making the film. Of course the following is spoilers for those that have seen the film. Also, Neddy boy....another reference to the prequels that we didn't catch:

During Rey's "force nightmare" you can hear voices speaking in a low tone to Rey. I'd heard the voices but couldn't make out who they were. Abrams just revealed that they were able to bring in Frank Oz and Ewan McGregor. Also, they used footage of the late Alec Guinness, so basically Rey is hearing the voices of past Jedi, Yoda and both generations of Obi Wan. I thought that was a nice little touch and I'll have to play closer attention on my next viewing.

Also, if you guys hadnt already caught it, the Storm trooper that Rey uses the Jedi Mind Trick on ("you're going to release these restraints, exit the room and leave the door open"), is actually the current James Bond, Daniel Craig....

EvilNed

21-Dec-2015, 05:29 PM

bassman

I forgot about the Coruscant reference. I'm glad they blew it up tho. Coruscant was just a symbol of all things taking a turn away from the great adventure for me. Didn't spot Ewan McGregor tho but I'll listen for him next time.

ProfessorChaos

22-Dec-2015, 02:54 AM

^

i read somewhere that the planet that was blown up was not actually coruscant, but some other similar planet in a different galaxy

yeah, this movie didn't disappoint. i kept my inner star wars nerd on a leash until friday afternoon, and allowed myself to get all giddy and took the wife on opening night. we both thoroughly enjoyed it, i will most likely be going back for a second viewing with a high midichlorian count if you catch my drift.

on a related note, i am very bummed about the new battlefront game, played the ps4 beta and was left feeling kind of empty. it is on sale right now, so i may pick it up with some of my extra holiday dough, but it is such a let-down compared to the ps2-era battlefront 2 game.

and something else: the wife and i were recently invited by another couple to go to california with them this spring and visit the skywalker ranch and ILM studios, which would be a once-in-a-lifetime trip, as the place is normally closed to the public. i will be sure to keep you guys posted if things fall in place.

EvilNed

22-Dec-2015, 09:37 AM

^

i read somewhere that the planet that was blown up was not actually coruscant, but some other similar planet in a different galaxy

What? why? Just blow up Coruscant, everyone knows where that's the republic is. Man, after sitting all through three prequels that's uttered in every other line. Coruscant this, Coruscant that, see you on Coruscant, hey is that a Coruscant in your Senator robes or are you just happy to see me?

bassman

22-Dec-2015, 03:40 PM

Still reflecting on TFA, I think it sharing certain plots and similarities with the original film was actually their intention. Sure, they could have gone on a more original path, but TFA was mainly to serve the purpose of getting fans comfortable in the universe again and kind of erase the prequels from their minds. That's probably the very reason Abrams was brought on board: he was the safest choice. They knew he'd keep it very close to the original films and set them up for more risky director choices in the future. Even Abrams' Trek Reboot is essentially a remake of the original Star Wars and hr openly admits that he planned it that way.

So make a similar film that gains back the hardcore fan trust, then take them on more original adventures in the next entries. Even the ending to TFA backs this up. So enter Rian Johnson, a young director with a clear and distinct vision on his films, and Episode VIII will be something unique. Probably even a jump in quality like we saw between Lucas' original film and Kirshner's Empire.

It's actually not a bad plan and seems to make sense...

Neil

22-Dec-2015, 07:59 PM

Enjoyed it. One or two sections worked very well, but a couple of others felt a little clunky, and one or two scenes they were so paint-by-numbers I actually laughed I cringed so much.

IMHO not as solid as the original trilogy, but certainly a good effort. Fingers cross the coming films step up from this one...

shootemindehead

22-Dec-2015, 10:32 PM

Agree completely Neil.

I have a bit to say but I'll wait until we've all seen it. :shifty:

rongravy

23-Dec-2015, 03:06 AM

Guess I haven't weighed in on this yet, so here goes. I came into it really wanting it to work. I left with this uneasy feeling about it all. While it wasn't the worst I've seen, it was better than the prequels, I just didn't care much for many of the new folks other than the chick. The guy picked to play Ren was a piss poor choice. I'm not sure what I hate more: his face, his Andre the Giant voice, or that horrible getup with the shitty mouthpiece...
Captain Phasma was a pretty big letdown, as well. The Poe and Finn bro-fest...?
Wasn't feeling it. Spoiler tag time?
Han was such a disappointment. WTF, he turned out to be kind of a tail turning douche? His death was so cornball, I just...
Wanted too much? Expected more?
Not sure. I felt early unease about Indy 4, but fully warmed to it. The disturbance over this I feel seems to be too much to overcome. I definitely cancelled my plans to see it in IMAX. Don't get me wrong, I didn't want wall to wall action. I did want a little more backstory to understand what/why people were doing what they were doing...
I also can't believe Han would let Leia go. Was she already starting to chub out when he bugged out? Will we ever find out?!?
Also, I felt they were trying to pass the torch from R2 to BB-8, and not very smoothly.
I would like to see some of the scripts that got passed up, because this one lacked severely. When you get the old gang back for one more go, you don't squander that shit. There are wayyyyyy more worthy ways of passing the baton. I guess I realize that there are going to be things to hold back for further filmage, I just wish I cared more about these n00bs to blither and pontificate upon it as I is...
Not a horrible movie, especially visually. Deserving of the high dollar rubdown its getting worldwide? Not really. I hope future entries give it a better treatment.
Better than the prequels, but not close to par with the originals, I give it a C+.

Neil

23-Dec-2015, 10:30 AM

^ Agree will all your points... Abrams did a reasonable job, but the bar needs to be lifted IMHO!

As you say, "General" Han Solo was basically almost a douche bag now and his death scene was as predictable as it was cornball... Such a waste :(

Even little annoying scenes where they couldn't resist the CGI call of more=better. ie: Poe wiping out dozens of troops on the ground, and half the enemy fleet in a CGI overloaded 15 seconds... Could have been more, with less IMHO. And the idea of X-Wings taking out individual troops? Really?

More shields to drop again? Let's just overcome all that by a some new handwavium of jumping inside it? Lucky that where you crash land on the entire planet is within walking distance of where you need to get to though! Do I detect JJ Abrams magic touch all over again? Eject Kirk out in a life pod in a random place in the galaxy, landing on a random nearby planet, chased by a random monster, in a random direction, and runs into a random cave... to find Spock there purely by chance! :)

The ground splitting Rey and Kylo apart? I chuckled there!

And indeed Rey somehow become a master with a light sabre within minutes? Huh?

Kylo steeling the only Tie Figher ever seen with rear guns? :)

And the final scene of Rey walking all the way up those stairs to find Luke, who rather than simply meeting her at the top, instead felt it would be better to walk to a cliff edge and turn his back to produce a more moody meeting...

In the film's defense, in the trailers when I saw the Falcon flying into the Star Destroyer wreck I thought, how on earth do they know they're not just a dead end in there? But obviousy Rey knew it inside out... So that was nice!

AcesandEights

23-Dec-2015, 11:12 PM

Very happy...A-, maybe a B+, and very awesome to be able to say that about a Star Wars film released this millennium.

I felt early unease about Indy 4, but fully warmed to it.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b205/DougOBrien/47614101_zpsi1uvzot5.jpg

Trin

24-Dec-2015, 02:21 AM

Neil

24-Dec-2015, 08:45 AM

I thought it was awful. I don't know how anyone can think it was anything BUT awful. It was exactly what JJ did to Star Trek.

Phantom Menace... the most hated SW movie of them all... was twice the movie this one was.

Oh come on... It had some good moments/elements...

That said, it did seem to drop the ball in many areas for seemingly no reason other than poor writing. [see #171 above]

I'd rate it between the originals and the prequels.

EvilNed

24-Dec-2015, 01:52 PM

I'd rate it between the originals and the prequels.

I'd actually rate it a step higher than Return of the Jedi, which I never thought was that cracking of a finale to begin with.
After all, Return of the Jedi marks two things: A rehash of most of the locales of A New Hope and the beginning of George Lucas' affinity for selling toys rather than films. I'm looking at you, Ewoks... Don't get me wrong, I like the film, but I don't like the Ewoks and the Battle of Endor is kinda ridiculous since it's just teddybears vs Stormtroopers and somehow the teddybears come out on top. This is intercut with the much darker finale between Luke and the Emperor - which is very good by the way - but the contrast is really out there.

In that same respect, TFA is also a rehash of A New Hope, but at least there are't any Gungans/Ewoks around. I think both are solid films but neither holds a candle to the simplicity of ANH or the thunderous Empire Strikes Back.

Neil

24-Dec-2015, 02:32 PM

I'd actually rate it a step higher than Return of the Jedi, which I never thought was that cracking of a finale to begin with.
After all, Return of the Jedi marks two things: A rehash of most of the locales of A New Hope and the beginning of George Lucas' affinity for selling toys rather than films. I'm looking at you, Ewoks... Don't get me wrong, I like the film, but I don't like the Ewoks and the Battle of Endor is kinda ridiculous since it's just teddybears vs Stormtroopers and somehow the teddybears come out on top. This is intercut with the much darker finale between Luke and the Emperor - which is very good by the way - but the contrast is really out there.

In that same respect, TFA is also a rehash of A New Hope, but at least there are't any Gungans/Ewoks around. I think both are solid films but neither holds a candle to the simplicity of ANH or the thunderous Empire Strikes Back.

For me, the plot steps in Return Of The Jedi, and character depiction, is far stronger than in Awakens, Ewoks or not!

My friend who works at Pinewood who watched the film recently realised a number of things he saw were not in the film he watched. It may well be the 30-40minutes of extra footage rumoured to be in the Awakens bluray might add some much needed depth!

Trin

24-Dec-2015, 05:01 PM

Oh come on... It had some good moments/elements...

That said, it did seem to drop the ball in many areas for seemingly no reason other than poor writing. [see #171 above]

I'd rate it between the originals and the prequels.It did have some good moments. It was ... in places... a nostalgic romp of Star Wars Vignettes.

It wasn't just BAD writing. There was NO WRITING. It was typical JJ moving the plot along with no discourse from action scene to action scene. The only plot development is to add dramatic shock moments, which themselves failed.

Phantom Menace had a very good backstory. I know everyone hates it but I rate it the best of the prequels and FAR better than Force Awakens.

EvilNed

24-Dec-2015, 06:22 PM

My friend who works at Pinewood who watched the film recently realised a number of things he saw were not in the film he watched. It may well be the 30-40minutes of extra footage rumoured to be in the Awakens bluray might add some much needed depth!

F*ck you Disney.

Trin

24-Dec-2015, 07:34 PM

In that same respect, TFA is also a rehash of A New Hope, but at least there are't any Gungans/Ewoks around. I think both are solid films but neither holds a candle to the simplicity of ANH or the thunderous Empire Strikes Back.
Except...
Fin was Donkey from Shrek.

MinionZombie

28-Dec-2015, 04:49 PM

Just saw it.

That particular moment - the spoilery one mentioned earlier here - that was spoiled for me yesterday in a random comment on a totally-unrelated-to-Star-Wars website, which was annoying as fook ... although when you get to that scene it does seem pretty obvious what's going to happen. Either everyone in the cinema knew it was going to happen (e.g. had it spoiled for them), or it just wasn't that shocking. It's a shame though as I thought Han Solo was pretty cool in this movie - but then again you do need a death to rile up the protagonists ... sure though, it could have been handled slightly different so it was a bit more surprising.

An extended cut on home video, perchance? I wonder if that'll release nearer to Christmas a la Rings/Hobbit extended editions in advance of the next movie in the franchise. ;)

Anyway - my thoughts - I dug it. Yes, it absolutely does cherry pick numerous moments/ideas from A New Hope, but I didn't mind at all. This one resets the franchise after the clumsy balls up that was 1-3, while at the same time acting as a sort of reboot/remake/restart that gets a new chapter of the saga going.

I dug the new characters - e.g. Finn, Poe Dameron - and I really dug Daisy Ridley as Rey. She was awesome! Also, I'm glad that BB-8 worked well - he provided comic relief that was actually fun and well-placed, but he/it also had a bit of attitude (and was surprisingly emotive). Plenty of room to grow and breath with the likes of Kylo Ren, General Hux, Captain Phasma etc as well.

Yes, Skywalker's reveal was rather "dramatic" up on the top of that big ass hill, but if he'd just been scruffed about down by the sea washing his pants it would have been stupid ... or any other kind of thing it would have been rather anti-climactic. He's far removed from the world, and in many ways having her climb this mountain on her own chimes with a lot of classic storytelling (something that was at the core of the original film).

The CGI worked quite well - and I loved the return of considerable practical effects. The balance of practical/CGI was good over all, I think (gone are the days of Lucas' piss-poor sore thumb CG silliness).

In some ways it might feel a little sparse - but then they've known from the get-go it's a trilogy, and if there really is a lot of footage that wasn't included (in anticipation of an extended release later on) then that makes sense. We don't need to know everything right this minute.

So yeah ... 4/5. :)

Neil

28-Dec-2015, 08:37 PM

I guess my biggest annoyance was just, an even bigger death star... again? Can you really not think of anything else? :)

MoonSylver

28-Dec-2015, 09:00 PM

AcesandEights

29-Dec-2015, 01:22 AM

Is it weird that for a series of movies that was such a big part of my life, & that I use to be so passionate about, that I feel...indifferent now, & haven't even bothered to see the new one yet? :confused:

No, you have an "Eeyore's Gloomy Place" gif in your signature, so I'd say that sounds about right ;)

MoonSylver

29-Dec-2015, 02:59 AM

No, you have an "Eeyore's Gloomy Place" gif in your signature, so I'd say that sounds about right ;)

:lol:

Yeah, point taken. :lol:

DayoftheZ

30-Dec-2015, 01:41 PM

Well I was born in 79 so grew up watching Star Wars on the TV throughout the 80's. I have such fond memories of sitting down with my brother and parents watching the films and they were such a part of my life for so long.

Gradually George Lucas chipped away at that magic with the tampering with episodes 4-6 to the point that I couldn’t watch them anymore. I mean changing Boba Fetts voice and having the ghost of young Anakin kind of makes me feel ill to this day. Also HAN SHOT FIRST!! On top of all this Lucas made the god awful prequel films, and aside from getting to see the Dooku vs Yoda fight and perhaps the Anakin vs Obi Wan duel they were for the most part horrendous attempts at reviving the Star Wars franchise.

Anyway I went today to watch the new one with my mum and dad because the weather is shocking again, and I have to say I was grinning from ear to ear. I must confess I was a little apprehensive at first because revisiting old characters I was concerned that maybe they would ruin what made the characters so special but I feel they got the balance right. They also did a great job of giving us the right mix of emotion, humour and action which the prequels failed at. The new characters in Finn, Poe and Rey were great additions and I can see them becoming important players in the new Star Wars.

The only thing I was underwhelmed with was the “bad guys” neither Snoke or Kylo Ren reach the heights of Darth Vader or even Count Dooku.

Overall a 7 or 8 out of 10

AcesandEights

31-Dec-2015, 12:18 AM

The only thing I was underwhelmed with was the “bad guys” neither Snoke or Kylo Ren reach the heights of Darth Vader or even Count Dooku.

I think Kylo Ren is generally getting a bad rap, when the general alternative would be to have another uber mary sue. You can't replicate Vader, so instead they gave us...

someone who is himself a flawed character trying to replicate his idealized version of Vader. Maybe a little hackneyed, but it's better than an over-the-top stand-in for Vader who never makes a mistake and whom the viewer is supposed to buy as being more badass than Vader at first blush.

MinionZombie

31-Dec-2015, 09:31 AM

I think Kylo Ren is generally getting a bad rap, when the general alternative would be to have another uber mary sue. You can't replicate Vader, so instead they gave us...

someone who is himself a flawed character trying to replicate his idealized version of Vader. Maybe a little hackneyed, but it's better than an over-the-top stand-in for Vader who never makes a mistake and whom the viewer is supposed to buy as being more badass than Vader at first blush.

I agree - and what's more, there's room to breathe and grow and develop the character of Kylo Ren, much like many of the other new folks we've been introduced to.

I wasn't impressed by Snoke, though ... I was like "wtf is that thing? Is it really that massive, or is that just his hologram being projected really large? It also looks particularly obvious in the CGI stakes" ... fortunately there wasn't much of him. I suppose, like with other new characters, we'll learn more about this creasy-faced old bastard in time.

bassman

01-Jan-2016, 03:17 AM

MinionZombie

01-Jan-2016, 10:00 AM

Agreed...Snoke was a disappointment. Especially when you consider how great of a performer Serkis can be. I'm sure the hologram was being projected at a larger scale like we saw with Palpatine's head in the original trilogy, but it seemed completely "off".

I also feel like Maz would have been a better character if it were a person or combination of puppet and CGI rather than a complete CGI character.

Which one was Maz, again? Is that the one that Lupita N'Yongo was playing?

With Snoke the CGI made it almost look like the face was too expressive to be real ... as if the skin moved too much ... ... if that make sense?

bassman

02-Jan-2016, 12:09 AM

MinionZombie

02-Jan-2016, 10:12 AM

Yeah, the little woman Alien with goggles. With so many other practical effects throughout the film, her completely CGI character felt like she belonged in Lucas' prequels. It obviously didn't ruin the film, but was one of the negative aspects, IMO.

I liked the character, but yes, the execution of the CGI was underwhelming there as well - again, it was as if the skin moved too much, as if there were too many muscles in her face working overtime. Such instances of overt CGI were kind of awkward compared to the practical stuff going on, as you say. Far better to be practical entirely - or - practical with a bit of CG enhancement (e.g. to animate a face/mouth when speaking).

All-CG characters are hard to get right. They did a good job on Avatar, Gollum is a fantastic piece of work, and then the golden example is Caesar in the recent couple of Apes movies. Perhaps Disney could have chucked a bit more cash at some extra pixels rather than advertising the film on bags of fucking oranges? :p:lol::D

bassman

02-Jan-2016, 05:48 PM

Yes...Caeser in Rise and Dawn is without a doubt the benchmark for bringing CGI characters to life. I still can't believe how well done the apes are. Very much looking forward to the third one. War for the Planet of the Apes, I think it is?...

Abrams and company should have looked at those films in order to reach the same level of photorealistic creatures.

shootemindehead

03-Jan-2016, 01:20 PM

Or else just slapped some prosthetics on a real person, which 9 times out of 10 is far more convincing.

Even Walrus man or Hammerhead from 1977 is more convincing.

bassman

03-Jan-2016, 03:45 PM

Or else just slapped some prosthetics on a real person, which 9 times out of 10 is far more convincing.

Even Walrus man or Hammerhead from 1977 is more convincing.

Oh yeah, no doubt. As I said earlier, they should've used practical effects with maybe a bit of CGI to enhance it if needed. But if they were dead set on going with a fully CGI character, they could've at least done better than that final product.

MinionZombie

03-Jan-2016, 04:07 PM

Oh yeah, no doubt. As I said earlier, they should've used practical effects with maybe a bit of CGI to enhance it if needed. But if they were dead set on going with a fully CGI character, they could've at least done better than that final product.

A case of where post-release tinkering would actually be useful - i.e. to improve upon the iffy CGI on Snoke and that goggle-eyed little alien lady! The roller ball alien things aboard the Millennium Falcon were obviously CGI creations - they couldn't be anything else as practical effects wouldn't have worked for that, I don't think - but at least in that scene they generally move fast and there's lots of distractions within the frame ... whereas with Snoke and the glasses lady alien it's a case of lingering close ups (Snoke's hologramatic projection distortion aside).

shootemindehead

03-Jan-2016, 06:36 PM

Well, Snooky is a hologram, so I'm not too bothered about that. But Maz is a full on real world character and, personally, I think it's ALWAYS a bad idea to try and do a CGI character in full. The mechanics just are not there yet and it's truly exceptional when it's pulled off, ah la Gollum and Caeser, both of which have an awful lot to thank Andy Serkis for.

bassman

24-Mar-2016, 04:29 PM

Having now watched the film in the comfort of my own living room thanks to the HD leak yesterday, I feel like I can confidently say I doubt that I could be any happier with the start of this new trilogy. Sure, there are some things that I wish were different, and sure it takes some of the same beats from the original films, but all-in-all, I really enjoy this flick and will be proud to have it sitting next to my OT blurays. I seriously doubt that Abrams or any other creative team could have done any better in pleasing the OT fans while also creating a starting point for a new trilogy and generation of fans. The greatest aspect of all this is that I'm confident Rian Johnson will raise the bar with the next film.

EvilNed

24-Mar-2016, 05:38 PM

... and sure it takes all of the same beats from the original films ...

Fixed that for you, you seem to have slipped up.

bassman

23-Jan-2017, 09:57 PM

Episode Eight has officially been named The Last Jedi.

shootemindehead

23-Jan-2017, 11:32 PM

So, that means Luke dies in this one probably, leaving Rey as...ahem...the "last" Jedi.

bassman

24-Jan-2017, 12:43 AM

Jedi is plural too though, isn't it? Could be more than one. Or if it is indeed referring to one person, it could be Luke?...

Neil

24-Jan-2017, 08:04 AM

Jedi is plural too though, isn't it? Could be more than one. Or if it is indeed referring to one person, it could be Luke?...

Nice thinking there!

shootemindehead

24-Jan-2017, 10:27 AM

Jedi is plural too though, isn't it? Could be more than one. Or if it is indeed referring to one person, it could be Luke?...

What? Meaning they kill off Mary Sue or make her join the darkside with kylo? Leaving Luke as the last Jedi and having to face them?

Can't see that happening. It would be a bloody great twist, but I can't see Disney do that.

Mind you...

**Rogue One spoiler**
they did allow Gareth Edwards to kill everyone at the end of 'Rogue One'.

Didn't see that coming. :lol:

bassman

24-Jan-2017, 08:20 PM

What? Meaning they kill off Mary Sue or make her join the darkside with kylo? Leaving Luke as the last Jedi and having to face them?

Can't see that happening. It would be a bloody great twist, but I can't see Disney do that.

Mind you...

**Rogue One spoiler**
they did allow Gareth Edwards to kill everyone at the end of 'Rogue One'.

Didn't see that coming. :lol:

No, what I mean is it could be referring more to the start of the film and the overall arc, which means at this moment, Luke is the last Jedi. Prior to training Rey, which we all know is coming.

But my money is on Jedi actually being plural. Think of the wprd Samurai and also that film, The Last Samurai. By looking at the marketing you would think it's about Tom Cruise being the last singular Samurai, when in fact it's about a group of Samurai.