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Author Topic: Star Wars: The Force Awakens  (Read 17357 times)
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China Pig
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« Reply #50 on: January 12, 2016, 07:59:01 AM »

The thing which kinda almost maybe redeems 1 for me is the Darth Jar Jar theory. If you havent, look it up on Reddit and there are many Youtube videos as well. Basically the theory is Jar Jar was a Sith lord who conspired to lead the Jedi to Anakin. Im not gonna go into all the evidence, but there actually is a lot. If you read the original Reddit post and comments (which add things the original poster missed) it makes a lot of sense even tho Im sure it sounds like a lame joke to you now. The idea is, there was going to be a twist in 2 where Jar Jar reveals himself--akin to the big I am your Father reveal in 5. But the backlash against Jar Jar was SO great that either Lucas abandoned the idea for fear of alienating fans more, or else someone else FINALLY stepped in and said "No George, bad idea" (which shouldve happened about 100 times during Episode 1's production) because they feared having him be prominent in 2 again would kill box office returns since he was so despised. The actor who played Jar Jar has confirmed this theory on Twitter, fwiw. He also confirmed extensive rewrites to the later 2 prequels because of the backlash.
So it's no longer just an urban internet myth? The guy who voiced Jar Jar really has confirmed that Lucas planned to turn him evil for esp2 and 3?
Mind blown.
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Paul J B
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« Reply #51 on: January 12, 2016, 08:02:00 AM »

The funny thing is....I'm asking people what they thought and so far all three people I've spoken with that are fans and have seen it are under whelmed but say it's good. I'm also hearing the same line from people now and read it on the internet...."well it was more of a set up for the next two, so they should be better". That is crap! This one should have and could EASILY have been better. How about this Abrams and company....slowly reveal that factions of the Empire still exist and they are rebuilding and regrouping throughout the Galaxy and then bring the old and new characters together over a simple plot like, we need to do something about these remnants before it gets out of hand. That, instead of, the Empire never was defeated and is still here and now calls itself First Order but its exactly the same with a new Death Star and an evil hologram dictating to the new Darth what his bidding shall be, which is what we got. As one Mr. Landy says to Brian in L&M ......Seriously Man!

I need to find a Star Wars fan site form and vent.
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China Pig
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« Reply #52 on: January 12, 2016, 08:52:56 AM »

The friends I went to see the film with aside, I have yet to talk to anyone in the 'real' world who doesn't consider this film to be really good.
As far as modern blockbusters go I found it to be stunningly average with most of it's main plotpoints just a blatant rip off of A New Hope. I fully expect the next installment to be called 'The First Order Strikes Back' and for it to open on Hoth.
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Mujan, 8@$+@Rc| of a Blue Wizard
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« Reply #53 on: January 12, 2016, 02:17:28 PM »

The funny thing is....I'm asking people what they thought and so far all three people I've spoken with that are fans and have seen it are under whelmed but say it's good. I'm also hearing the same line from people now and read it on the internet...."well it was more of a set up for the next two, so they should be better". That is crap! This one should have and could EASILY have been better. How about this Abrams and company....slowly reveal that factions of the Empire still exist and they are rebuilding and regrouping throughout the Galaxy and then bring the old and new characters together over a simple plot like, we need to do something about these remnants before it gets out of hand. That, instead of, the Empire never was defeated and is still here and now calls itself First Order but its exactly the same with a new Death Star and an evil hologram dictating to the new Darth what his bidding shall be, which is what we got. As one Mr. Landy says to Brian in L&M ......Seriously Man!

I need to find a Star Wars fan site form and vent.

It was definitely a missed opportunity to have some social commentary on current times by not having a decentralized enemy. Something like scattered pockets of resistance to the new Republic wouldve been a great way to tie fears of terrorism into the new Star Wars and really make it something relevant to the new generation. The Prequels, again for all their faults, did the same, with the masterminds manufacturing a war being references to the West since WWII especially Cheney and Bush with Iraq. Even if that wasnt planned to coincide it worked out really well. And the originals could perhaps be read as fear of big government like the Soviets expanding and taking over planets against their will. Some deleted dialog between Luke and Biggs has the latter discussing how the Empire collectivizes ownership of peoples lands and businesses, an obvious nod to Communism.

Even just the littlest touches couldve made a great impact. Ive heard someone say the scene between Kylo and Han couldve been so much more dramatic had his real name been Luke and not Ben. And if we arent told hes Hans son until that moment, and he doesnt take his mask off until then either. Imagine Han yelling "Luke!" and for a minute, we think that maybe Luke has fallen to the dark side and this has been him all along. But then the touching reveal he named his son after his best friend (seriously, why would they name him after Ben Kenobi?? Seems like Luke might, but not them). Finally, we see his face, and this persons idea was its all green and twisted like the Emperor's in Episode 6, and Han recoils in horror at the corruption the Dark Side has brought unto his son. Seriously, how much more dramatic and powerful would something like that have been? Instead, we already know hes Hans son and what he looks like, and most of us saw the death coming a mile away, so it has no power what so ever.

Im not saying this movie sucked because it didnt do things exactly as I want them to...but thats just a small example of how it misses so many opportunities. Just changing little things in a scene like that make it so much more powerful and wouldnt have been hard to do. By the same token, changing big things wouldve allowed for more interesting sociopolitical commentary instead of the obvious, forced, seen-it-a-million-times Nazi iconography to indicate who the bad guys are. Imagine how much more powerful itd be if the Republic starts sacrificing the liberties the Rebels fought so hard for in order to better protect against disorganized terrorist supporters of the old Empire, essentially becoming its own worst enemy. That couldve been a really powerful critique of the US right now and allowed for some dialog about the current state of the world thru art. But instead, its just the exact same narrative we already saw all over again, and the Republic failed because Han and Leia are shitty parents and Luke's a coward who gave up and let billions die on those planets and Han die too when he could easily be doing something to help. LAME.

Not saying they'd have to do this for the movie to be good...just give us something new.
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« Reply #54 on: January 13, 2016, 12:03:09 PM »

The only thing I can see happening that allows for more consistent production of creative and experimental movies is the same thing that happened the last time: the collapse of the studios.

Or else another surprise success from a young independent hotshot, like with Bonnie and Clyde or Pulp Fiction.

Coincidentally, the sinking of the studios--at least one of them--may not be far off. Lucas and Spielberg have alluded to this. And it explains why 2 out of every 3 movies these days, or so it seems, is a safe marketable reboot or sequel of an established property. Most studios cant afford a big flop so theyre afraid to take risks. Ironically, if they followed my advice and just lay off the 250 million dollar shlock-fests with a 200 million dollar ad campaign they wouldnt need every picture to be a hit to stay afloat.

The real medium to follow these days is TV, not film. And again, this isnt me talking out of my ass. People in show business have been saying as much for a few years now. If you want to tell a great story with relative creative control and plenty of time to flesh out the plot and develop good characters--put it on TV, especially Netflix, HBO and AMC. Thats where the foreseeable future of motion pictures are. Ive enjoyed Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Community and others far more than ANY movie Ive seen in theaters the past 10~15 years, personally. The only films Ive really enjoyed in that time span, and enough to buy on DVD/bluray and watch again and again, are Quentin Tarantino and Chris Nolan's movies, along with the original Pirates of the Caribbean. I honestly cant think of anything else, tho admittedly there may be one or two others that arent coming to mind right now.

What about Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen, et. al.?
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« Reply #55 on: January 13, 2016, 01:31:04 PM »

The only thing I can see happening that allows for more consistent production of creative and experimental movies is the same thing that happened the last time: the collapse of the studios.

Or else another surprise success from a young independent hotshot, like with Bonnie and Clyde or Pulp Fiction.

Coincidentally, the sinking of the studios--at least one of them--may not be far off. Lucas and Spielberg have alluded to this. And it explains why 2 out of every 3 movies these days, or so it seems, is a safe marketable reboot or sequel of an established property. Most studios cant afford a big flop so theyre afraid to take risks. Ironically, if they followed my advice and just lay off the 250 million dollar shlock-fests with a 200 million dollar ad campaign they wouldnt need every picture to be a hit to stay afloat.

The real medium to follow these days is TV, not film. And again, this isnt me talking out of my ass. People in show business have been saying as much for a few years now. If you want to tell a great story with relative creative control and plenty of time to flesh out the plot and develop good characters--put it on TV, especially Netflix, HBO and AMC. Thats where the foreseeable future of motion pictures are. Ive enjoyed Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Community and others far more than ANY movie Ive seen in theaters the past 10~15 years, personally. The only films Ive really enjoyed in that time span, and enough to buy on DVD/bluray and watch again and again, are Quentin Tarantino and Chris Nolan's movies, along with the original Pirates of the Caribbean. I honestly cant think of anything else, tho admittedly there may be one or two others that arent coming to mind right now.

What about Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen, et. al.?

You really don't think Mujan would like those guys do you?  He hates that stuff mindless mainstream crap. He can only stand to listen to "California Girls" without those stupid trite lyrics. And Star Wars, trust me, he knows better.

Watch these clips, one from This is the End, and one from Family Guy. Of which I'm sure he hates both as stupid trite mainstream comedy that is crapped out for the masses. Anyways, watch, and then you'll understand him better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cugsup-Ylzg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxo0pSNYMXE

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Peter Reum
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« Reply #56 on: January 23, 2016, 08:37:30 PM »

I loved the first trilogy, did not care for the second trilogy, and found this film a return to the quality of the first 3. I got a kick out of how they found the Millennium Falcon, the action scenes toward the end, and the preview as to where the second movie may go. It was tough to see Han buy the farm, but it did add some gravity to the end. That said, StarWars at it's best cannot touch the first six books about Dune by Frank Herbert.
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ZenobiaUnchained
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« Reply #57 on: February 01, 2016, 01:43:46 PM »

It was ok. I saw it, was entertained but have no desire to see it again
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« Reply #58 on: February 02, 2016, 11:16:34 PM »

I liked the prequels better. Absolutely mediocre film. Anybody who thinks otherwise is just caught up in the hype.

Rey, Finn, and Poe are great characters, but they're basically wasted on what turned out to be a complete retread of A New Hope. Future Jedi with no hope for the future living on a desert planet finds a droid with information to help the rebellion leaves said desert planet on the Millennium Falcon and ends up helping destroy this planet  destroying "spacecraft" that has some obvious flawed weak spot.


Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnnnnn.


I get it, practical effects, Harrison Ford, etc, but no. The story did nothing to make the Star Wars universe a bigger place.

It's depressing that Jizzney completely ignored George Lucas' ideas for this new trilogy, because he always at least TRIED to make new stories. Can't say the same about Jar Jar Abrams and his emulation of the iconic films from decades past.


PS: sweetdudejim is a total fockin' tool.
« Last Edit: February 02, 2016, 11:17:41 PM by stack-o-tracks » Logged

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