And so has my inner Star Wars Nerd. All hail JJ Abrams for washing away the stink of the prequels!
Without a hint of "wait a minute..." I can say THAT WAS A GODDAMN STAR WARS MOVIE AND I WANT MORE RIGHT NOW
And so has my inner Star Wars Nerd. All hail JJ Abrams for washing away the stink of the prequels!
Without a hint of "wait a minute..." I can say THAT WAS A GODDAMN STAR WARS MOVIE AND I WANT MORE RIGHT NOW
Wholeheartedly agree. Any film that leaves you demanding more has done a great job. The film delivered on every level and given the hype, hope and excitement, for it to deliver the way it did is a terrific achievement. Hats off to JJ and Disney
I'm still processing what I saw. It's left me with so many questions and wonderment and possibilities I am awash with satisfaction. I have to say I'm quite fond of it after a first viewing. I have to see it again now to pay closer attention to certain parts, bits of dialogue. And just to feel again like I'm kid piloting an x-wing and wielding a lightsaber.
"I think of my body as a side effect of my mind." - Carrie Fisher
The one thing I truly loved (apart from a bunch of other things I loved) was the way The Force was used. In 4-6, you can expect that a barely trained kid and a burnt husk with asthma would have problems doing more than basics. And an old tired Yoda would of course have problems lifting an X-Wing. But in -3, we saw nothing in general new, we saw nothing that hinted at the power of the Force being greater than a Death Star. Throw this, jump that..... the only real upstep is Yoda catching the Lightning. THIS is the Jedi at their prime????
THIS TIME.....
You see Ren casually freeze blaster bolts and people as if it was nothing, he mind fucks people, Rey is doing all sorts of Force guesswork to do anything let alone how fast she gets the concept and it just felt like even these untrained kids were just doing far more with the Force. That freezing of the blaster bolt was an instant step up from anything seen before and a real "Holy SHIT" moment. This was the movie when you felt like the Force actually had a lot more that could be tapped into.
And when it comes to whiny brats....
Ren was how Anakin should have been done. Ben Solo is becoming an unhinged monster, a truly scary one esp with the tantrums. He wil Fuck your shit up big time, let alone he's a whiney brat
TFA is really showing what a horrible missed opportunity the prequels are. It did so much right easily that TPM really fucked up on
Oh and talking about things that are said to be kickass but have never been seen until now...
How about Chewie's Bowcaster finally being seen in action? Holy crap, that thing is amazing!
Last edited by Darth Turbogeek; Dec 21st, 2015 at 04:11:48 AM.
[ You see Ren casually freeze blaster bolts and people as if it was nothing, he mind fucks people, Rey is doing all sorts of Force guesswork to do anything let alone how fast she gets the concept and it just felt like even these untrained kids were just doing far more with the Force. That freezing of the blaster bolt was an instant step up from anything seen before and a real "Holy SHIT" moment. This was the movie when you felt like the Force actually had a lot more that could be tapped into.]
This was quite possibly the best bit for me. Such a small thing but it really was a "Holy SHIT" moment as you say. Going to see it again on Christmas Eve
Last edited by Lilaena De'Ville; Dec 21st, 2015 at 10:43:18 AM.
Oriadin! Good to see you!
just as a note to those who don't know, the "What's New" link at the top of the forum leads to the Activity Stream which strips out all bbcode, including spoiler code. So if you have a spoiler in the first twenty or so words of your post you have to add a set of single brackets around it [like this] which for some reason will hide it from the activity stream. I edited some into your post Oriadin.
I'm not harping on this because you're all in serious trouble, but because it's an annoying anti-feature of the board that not everyone knows about. No one is in trouble!
the movie:
I LOVED the [blaster bolt freezing] - it was a real OMG moment for our theater (both times we've seen it). Just made my mouth drop open and then a big Grinch grin spread over my face.
oh what a tangled web I weave
The Bowcaster should have been given a screen credit!Originally Posted by Darth Turbogeek
That's the first time I've seen someone mention that Ren is what we should have seen from Anakin in the prequels. That's a good point. I think Hayden tried, but he was limited by direction, script, and to an extent, talent.
"Dad, you killed the zombie Flanders!" "He was a zombie?"
The [Kylo Ren]/Anakin comparison occurred to me, too, but not the same way. He isn't Anakin as he should have been in the prequels. He's Anakin as we got him, but a self-aware version - and I mean both the character and the writer are aware of who and what he is. The Prequels' Anakin is a petty, selfish, arrogant, petulant, obsessive, and dangerous child who should have been recognized as a danger to himself and everyone around him long before he knelt to Palpatine. Does anyone really believe, on the strength of the prequels alone, that Anakin and Obi-Wan were as close as brothers? Or that Anakin earned Padme's affection and loyalty? Or that he was a heroic leader whom his men respected and admired?
All these were informed attributes with little to no onscreen evidence (yes, Obi-Wan, make another oblique reference to one of your adventures with Anakin as if that actually builds rapport between the two of you). Lucas aimed high with the character of Anakin - he wanted to create an endearing hero you loved and cared about, and then show us the gradual march of temptation and poor choices with good intentions that leads him down the dark path to becoming one of the most iconic villains ever put to screen. But he had no freakin idea how to do it. Anakin fails as a hero, is utterly unlikable, and the other characters are less believable because they're required by the script to parrot the old "he's a loose cannon, but we love him!" cliches. And because the character as portrayed on screen is devoid of any redeeming value, his fall (which is treated as a scripted inevitability rather than a natural progression of events) lacks any power at all.
What we've got in Kylo Ren is a discount Darth Vader - which is exactly what the prequels were setting up. What's so interesting about him is that he knows he's not good enough to carry Vader's cape, and he's tormented by that knowledge. It's why he reacts to failures with tantrums of rage rather than impassive retribution. For all the people who say they're disappointed in Kylo Ren because he's a weak villain - that's completely the point. We're seeing a Dark Sider near the beginning of his journey, who struggles with the last vestiges of his conscience, is unsure of his own identity, and is trying desperately to please an unpleasable and cruel master. He's a villain with a character arc, and I find him very compelling and can't wait to see where his path takes him.
This movie has shown me that possibly starting with Anakin as a child was a big mistake in the prequels. While I understand wanting to show innocence corrupted by evil and mirroring the fall of the galaxy edging from innocence to darkness in the character of Anakin taking the same journey, it left very little time to us seeing Anakin as he was described in the OT. I think, possibly, starting with Anakin at his age in AtoC and having three movies to develop a hero turning dark rather than a child growing up and turning dark, keeping the child story as a back story would have been more effective.
As to TFA: It had that classic feel that was missing from the Prequel Trilogy precisely because of the difference in tone (innocence to dark, rather than starting out in darkness) and I loved it.
Illusion rules our reality....
http://www.thehelsinghunter.com
[ Han Solo was in the same place on the Falcon when he denied the Force in ANH / admitted in TFA the Force was real.]
Last edited by Lilaena De'Ville; Dec 22nd, 2015 at 11:59:22 AM.
Ah thank you! Yeah I wasn't aware so will keep that in mind. Hope no one saw it before you changed it! Always come back for a lurk every now and again but since the new film is out, I had to put in an appearance
just as a note to those who don't know, the "What's New" link at the top of the forum leads to the Activity Stream which strips out all bbcode, including spoiler code. So if you have a spoiler in the first twenty or so words of your post you have to add a set of single brackets around it [like this] which for some reason will hide it from the activity stream. I edited some into your post Oriadin.
I'm not harping on this because you're all in serious trouble, but because it's an annoying anti-feature of the board that not everyone knows about. No one is in trouble!
We marathoned all six movies in preparation for Ep 7, and I came to this same conclusion - At the very least they should have cast their Anakin the way they cast Padme - let them age up together. Starting him out as a child and her a teenager made their awkward "I care about you too" talk super weird (even though it's totally innocent). If he was a young teen and she an older teen that even makes her public duty (elected queen wtf) make a bit more sense. Who votes for a 13 yr old to rule the entire planet unless the entire system is completely corrupt.
Which, I suppose, it probably was due to Palpatine's influence.
No worries, Mark can't keep it straight either.Ah thank you! Yeah I wasn't aware so will keep that in mind. Hope no one saw it before you changed it! Always come back for a lurk every now and again but since the new film is out, I had to put in an appearanceOriadin! Good to see you!
just as a note to those who don't know, the "What's New" link at the top of the forum leads to the Activity Stream which strips out all bbcode, including spoiler code. So if you have a spoiler in the first twenty or so words of your post you have to add a set of single brackets around it [like this] which for some reason will hide it from the activity stream. I edited some into your post Oriadin.
I'm not harping on this because you're all in serious trouble, but because it's an annoying anti-feature of the board that not everyone knows about. No one is in trouble!
I think Anakin as a child was a big mistake because changing the actor stopped us making a connection to him.
But bigger, making Anakin an unlikeable jerk >.>.
I find every time I close my eyes, if I imagine The Clone Wars Obi-Wan and Anakin saying their dialogue before they fight (then fighting to the death) from ROTS, I get tingles, but when I picture it as the film versions, I just don't care, because Anakin was so unlikeable >.>
And because of having two rather than three movies of adult Anakin, his descent to darkness seems rushed. In one scene he's pulling a saber on Palpatine, Then doing his duty and reporting him to the Jedi, then rushing back to save him from the Jedi, to bowing before him, and then wiping out children. He turns dark to find a way to save Padme, but all of a sudden it's "my empire" and he wants to rule the whole thing. If done in three movies with an adult Anakin, Vader could have been born in the end of episode 2, and episode three would be his final descent from fallen hero to merciless villan....
What's up Doc!!!
I guess we're all taking a trip down memory lane. I actually watched TPM last night for the first time in years. To be honest, I had a decent time watching it. But I still find myself wishing things had been markedly different. Anakin should have been found when he was Luke's age. Start him and Padme off at the same age and .... Well, we could go on and on with what could have been. One of the things that I enjoyed about TFA was the chemistry between Rey and Finn. They had more chemistry and romance with just a couple of lines of dialogue and looks between than Anakin and Padme had in AOTC.
Funny thing, my oldest daughter is a HS Freshman now. I basically had to bribe her to go see TFA. She LOVED it! She was totally sold on Finn and Rey as a couple.
"Dad, I'm shipping them, they're ' Fey!'"
"What?"
"Finn + Rey!"
"Oh... I get it. That's called "shipping?"
"Dad!!! You're so old!"
I hate children.
I would have loved to have seen those films. Their whole relationship in AOTC seems rushed. I can't stand his confession scene in AOTC. It's such a WASTED opportunity IMO. He should have LIED about slaughtering the Tusken Raiders. That should have been revealed to Padme in ROTS. Instead, he tells her he's murdered women and children and it doesn't phase her a bit. WTF? But even in ROTS Obi-Wan tells her he's killed younglings and that's still not a deal breaker. She still wants to run away with him. She's actually a horrible person if you think about it.
Has anyone seen the "What if episode X was good?" videos on youtube? Someone has come up with how they would have written the prequels along with story board images. Watched them the other day and felt sad at just how good the prequels could have been.
I enjoyed the prequels, and if they hadn't been released when they were I would never have been a big Star Wars fan so I have a lot to thank them for, but I think they could have been so so so much more!
Here is the link to "What if episode 1 was good" in case you haven't seen it and want to take a look. Good 12 minutes entertainment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgICnbC2-_Y
Watching the prequels reminded me how garbage Lucas is at directing humans and how awful he is at dialog. You make Ewan McGregor look like a not great actor and weaken even Christopher Lee's undeniable gravitas? You are an awful director.
Everything about the prequels felt like amateur hour(s) compared to the OT and TFA.
Oh dear.
The RLM reviews are the prefect deconstruction of everything wrong with the prequels. It's like Abrams watched that and did the opposite.
I think the biggest difference is that with the Prequels, Lucas set out to show us something we hadn't seen. With The Force Awakens, Abrams set out to give us more of what we had seen.
Complaining about the CGI in the Prequels is a pretty tired criticism. Yeah, there was too much. But look at when it was made: a few years before you had Jurassic Park, and a few years after you had Avatar. The nineties and noughties were a slowly escalating arms race of pushing the boundaries of what special effects were capable of. Sometimes it worked, and sometimes they went too far. Besides, pretty much every scifi movie ever made can be criticised for it's effects and/or it's dialogue. We're perfectly happy to overlook the stop-motion animation in the Original Trilogy, which looks pretty crappy to modern eyes; overlooking the Prequels' overuse of CGI is just as much a product of it's era as anything else.
The Prequels though, they're prequels. They show us a time where everything in the galaxy was still clean and still worked correctly, a time before the familiar characters and factions had become the way that they were in the originals. As people who've created our own characters and written our own stories, we should be able to empathise with that: you put all that thought into backgrounds and backstory, and you want to share that with people, because it was important to you - you want it to be important to them.
But that kind of stuff is usually more important in the writer's head than it is to the audience. We generally want more of the same, and want to know what happens next. That's why having a fan make a sequel makes so much sense - we are seeing more of the bits that Abrams personally liked. More of that gritty, grimy, broken down tech. More of villains being properly villainous. More of a rag tag group of underdogs beating the odds to save the day. I read an article complaining that TFA ruined the "happy ending" of the Original Trilogy... and well yeah, of course it did, because that's how you give people more of the stuff that they liked.
I feel sorry for Lucas. Yeah, his execution was flawed, but underneath it the intention was good, and yet as a fandom we're a bunch of ungrateful dicks about it. (Which I guess on the plus side just shows that Lucas created something that we actually care about.)
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