And I'm saying you're wrong because most people I've seen talk or write about it have said that Daisy Ridley is "the star" and that the new cast made the movie.
It's getting really silly now.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Discussion (HERE THERE BE SPOILERS)
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And I'm saying you're wrong because most people I've seen talk or write about it have said that Daisy Ridley is "the star" and that the new cast made the movie.
It's getting really silly now.
I wasn't attacking the prequels or being dismissive. I was trying to illustrate that the things accomplished in Episode I and II don't really matter to the larger context of the Star Wars Saga. The most important thing that carries over from TPM is we meet Anakin and Padme, the future parents of Luke and Leia. The most important thing in AOTC is the final battle and kicking off of the Clone Wars. The actual events of the Clone Wars are covered in the 2 animated series they Lucasfilm did about it.
If you are a completest, you can watch all the films and pick up on tidbits like Boba Fett's origin, composition of the Clone Army, where the Death Star plans came from, what was Luke and Lei's mother like, and what the Jedi were like back in their prime.
However, with the machete order and or omittance of TPM and AOTC, you still can get the red meat of the story of Star Wars.
I re-watched the old movies this weekend. I'm a total Prequel Apologist, but I have to admit it was a bit of a chore to get through TPM and the Anakin/Padme scenes in AOTC.
The thing that struck me the most was that TPM had NO sense of urgency to it. The only threat is a mostly peaceful occupation of a pacifist world. They're just wandering around picking up new people. Padme says people are dying at one point, but we never SAW anyone getting killed in that initial invasion.
I love the Pod Race, it's amazing sequence, but it's a thirty minute detour from the plot of the movie. Someone suggested elsewhere that the Jedi should have arrived just to watch the pod race happening and let that be our introduction to Anakin, rather than going through all this bartering side quest stuff. I think that's a great idea.
ROTS was still awesome though
It's amazing how much the CGI progressed from AOTC to ROTS. AOTC was very video game-y looking, but ROTS looked really good all the way through. Just watching how the Coruscant backdrops improve between movies is amazing.
The thing that struck me the most was that TPM had NO sense of urgency to it. The only threat is a mostly peaceful occupation of a pacifist world. They're just wandering around picking up new people. Padme says people are dying at one point, but we never SAW anyone getting killed in that initial invasion.
I love the Pod Race, it's amazing sequence, but it's a thirty minute detour from the plot of the movie. Someone suggested elsewhere that the Jedi should have arrived just to watch the pod race happening and let that be our introduction to Anakin, rather than going through all this bartering side quest stuff. I think that's a great idea.
ROTS was still awesome though
It's amazing how much the CGI progressed from AOTC to ROTS. AOTC was very video game-y looking, but ROTS looked really good all the way through. Just watching how the Coruscant backdrops improve between movies is amazing.
If Star Wars is modeled on the Saturday afternoon movie serials of the 1930s, then the prequel trilogy captures their cheesy, juvenile and wooden essence way better than the original trilogy ever did.
It's apparent in the stiff acting, one-dimensional villains that seem to stereotype real cultures, lousy dialog such as "I don't like sand," and z-grade titles like "Attack of the Clones."
I like to think that was on purpose.
Kor
It's apparent in the stiff acting, one-dimensional villains that seem to stereotype real cultures, lousy dialog such as "I don't like sand," and z-grade titles like "Attack of the Clones."
I like to think that was on purpose.
Kor
I re-watched the old movies this weekend. I'm a total Prequel Apologist, but I have to admit it was a bit of a chore to get through TPM and the Anakin/Padme scenes in AOTC.
The thing that struck me the most was that TPM had NO sense of urgency to it. The only threat is a mostly peaceful occupation of a pacifist world. They're just wandering around picking up new people. Padme says people are dying at one point, but we never SAW anyone getting killed in that initial invasion.
I love the Pod Race, it's amazing sequence, but it's a thirty minute detour from the plot of the movie. Someone suggested elsewhere that the Jedi should have arrived just to watch the pod race happening and let that be our introduction to Anakin, rather than going through all this bartering side quest stuff. I think that's a great idea.
ROTS was still awesome though
A lot of the prequel haters here are acting like ROTS sucked now and a big part of that is they have seen what they wanted all along which was ANH sequel/remake. ROTS actually garnered good reviews and as you said it looked great. The problem that people who also hated it is that they didn't like the use of CGI again. It looked the best imo. The end of the movie was great and lead right into ANH. As for TPM and AOTC I would have to say they weren't as good. TMP had some good sequences but got a little boring and AOTC had to much poorly done CGI, A silly C-3po sequence and a odd love story with Padme and Anakin.
It was the highest rated of the 3 from critics and fans alike. The fans that were more critical of all the prequels were the ones that wanted a continuance of the OT. When I found out that TMP was going to take place years before the OT even I was disappointed that Lucas choose not to continue Luke and the other OT characters story. That bugged fans the most back then. The thing is I never really wanted a remake of ANH but it looks like that is what fans really wanted. I am willing to admit I wanted to sew the OT characters but some here are claiming they would be just as excited if the OT characters weren't in this one. I really doubt that.
I walked out of RotS thinking it sucked. "Lead(ing) right into ANH" is actually one of the reasons it did. It didn't tell a compelling standalone story or a good third chapter to the overall story of Anakin's fall. It was too occupied trying to connect dots in the most boring ways and set things up in the most obvious ones, to bring its own plot to a satisfying climax.
What venardhi said. ROTS was mediocre when I first watched it and it only got worse on repeat viewing. TFA didn't trigger any change of opinion there.
But TFA is the Star Wars I was hoping for.
But TFA is the Star Wars I was hoping for.
How many of those serials had love scenes where the hero and heroine frolicked near the shore of a lake on her home planet and said the things that lover said to one another (e.g. 'So love has blinded you?') None of them at all, in fact-watch them on DVD or on Netflix (if they ever are on that service) and see if anything like what I described is even there. Also, tell me in any of these old serials if there's a scene where the hero's mother is killed and goes against his training as a warrior monk to kill the people that did this to her in a very emotional moment.
I remember being somewhat impressed with ROTS at the time, if only because it was so much better than the previous movies... but many years later it's clear that it suffers from the same underlying problem-- incredibly dull characters and a depiction of Anakin's fall and turn to the Dark Side that never feels remotely believable (Anakin decides to slaughter a bunch of little kids at the end for... what reason again? And Padme falls in love with this creepy and selfish loser for... what reason again?)
TFA may not have the most brilliantly original story ever, but it still revolves around some fun and dynamic characters that you can actually care about, and whose journeys and struggles feel a whole lot more credible.
To introduce a somewhat different topic (assuming it hasn't already been discussed somewhere in the past 30+ pages), I thought that the space battles in JJ's Trek movies had more of a sense of danger, urgency, and peril.
Did any of the X-wings get blown up in the final battle at Starkiller Base?
Kor
Did any of the X-wings get blown up in the final battle at Starkiller Base?
Kor
The funniest line I heard was after the movie was over and I was standing outside
"Daddy. Luke needs to shave! Daddy. Luke needs to shave! "
"Daddy. Luke needs to shave! Daddy. Luke needs to shave! "
Yeah I have to admit on first viewing, the Falcon chase and X-wing battles were a lot more fun to watch than genuinely scary and intense like some of the space battles in the Trek movies (such as that first encounter with Nero's ship after it decimated the fleet).
But then to be honest I've never found the space battles in SW to be as scary and intense as most Trek battles anyway. They always seemed designed to be more like rollercoaster rides than the kind of intense standoffs we see in TWOK or Best of Both Worlds.
What really stood out for me, was the 3D work. Most movies, it's simply annoying, but during the Falcon chase on Jakku or some of the shots of the Finalizer, the 3D really added something to it. And as someone who really doesn't like 3D that much, that's saying something.
I enjoyed this film. I have no time for the prequels personally.
The FX are pretty much what I like. I wish Abrams Trek was done like that.
The FX are pretty much what I like. I wish Abrams Trek was done like that.
It's a battle. The danger we sense is irrelevant. High-speed high-energy projectiles are being traded back and forth by either dedicated troops or fast, highly maneuverable spacecraft. Danger is a given.
JJ could have had everybody fighting quivering and peeing their pants on screen if you want. I liked the battle scenes just fine.
