Episode VII: 'The Force Awakens' Discussion Thread

[yojoebro82]

That or my midichlorian count is higher that most.

 

Ha ha, if you say so, Jake Lloyd @smilepunch@

[JoeRhyno]

I'll just wait for the movie and see if the title fits it.

[yojoebro82]

So Luke destroyed the first Death Star, trained under the most legendary Jedi that ever lived, who by the way was in hiding for years, hidden from the Emprire and its agents, presumed by many to be dead even, to become the last of the true Jedi, and he even helps bring about the defeat of Darth Vader and the end of the Emperor/Darth Sidious himself, only to usher in a new era of dormancy for The Force?! Whaa...?? That's what this title implies...no new Jedi Order, no active pursuit of new Force users, nothing. It simply doesn't make sense.

 

Any good Star Wars title has some clue as to what's coming,

 

Maybe it's not a matter of the Force being gone from the universe (like in pre-New Hope), maybe the force "awakens" in one specific person? Like our main character, perhaps? Maybe a Solo sibling has been trying hard under Luke's training to bring his Force power to life and it just hasn't been working out for him or her until the very last moment when it "awakens" in them and saves the day.

 

Maybe it's the dark side of the force that awakens in some crooked Sith deciple and now there's a new enemy to fight?

 

I don't know. I'm just throwing stuff out there. Please don't waste time shooting down any of my above ideas. I'm not saying those are good ideas or that that's what I want to happen. I'm just saying that maybe the Force awakens on a much smaller scale that what we're thinking.

 

Or maybe it will turn out to be a generic title...

[Devilbat]

Maybe it's not a matter of the Force being gone from the universe (like in pre-New Hope), maybe the force "awakens" in one specific person? Like our main character, perhaps? Maybe a Solo sibling has been trying hard under Luke's training to bring his Force power to life and it just hasn't been working out for him or her until the very last moment when it "awakens" in them and saves the day.

 

Maybe it's the dark side of the force that awakens in some crooked Sith deciple and now there's a new enemy to fight?

 

I don't know. I'm just throwing stuff out there. Please don't waste time shooting down any of my above ideas. I'm not saying those are good ideas or that that's what I want to happen. I'm just saying that maybe the Force awakens on a much smaller scale that what we're thinking.

 

Or maybe it will turn out to be a generic title...

 

Yojoe, I appreciate the positivity you, JoeRhyno, and others maintain in threads like these, and I didn't mean to come off sounding so harsh or negative. I think I'm just wary and gun-shy concerning these new films. Don't get me wrong...I'm estatic about a return to the original cast and that era of the mythos. I don't know, I guess it's just like people used to say about the prequels; I've anticipated new sequels ever since I read an interview with George Lucas not long after ROTJ in Starlog Magazine, where he said something about how if the process of this type of film-making ever got easier or more efficient, he might consider more films. I think perhaps the man was exhausted at the time, but I remember the hope welled-up in me, thinking he might actually make more films someday, and now here we are. It's terribly exciting. But that brings an insurmountable amount of expectation I suppose, and the reality will not always fit whatever idea we've manufactured as to what a given property should be, or sound like, or look like. We all have at the very least some faint image in our mind I think of what new Star Wars sequels should look, sound, and feel like, because each one of us I'm sure feel as if we are a part of it, and it is a part of us, it's ingrained in our collective consciousness so deeply and profoundly, that it must look and feel like what we all know and love, or we will balk and reject it as a ruination of something so familiar and somewhat sacred to our sensibilities. It truly is a very personal thing that dear to our hearts, and we feel we have some ownership or emotional investment in it and should have some say in how it's handled. That may sound very silly, but you all know it's true...most of our family and childhood memories revolve around Star Wars, so how can we not be so vocal and passionate about it. Beyond the fanboy posturing and nit-picking critiques we all have indulged in, it's truly part of our identity, who we are, like part of our family, so naturally emotions will run high with every decision that's made, good or bad. That's what J.J. Abrams and Co. are up against, what they have to live up to, and I don't envy their task and the responsibility that comes with it one bit...

 

I think my initial reaction was a combination of having such a hard week at work, fatigue, and just downright grouchiness. It was the wrong time to spring a new title on me I guess. (lol) I was in the wrong frame of mind and just ready to tear anything like that apart. I'm still not sure I like it 100%, but it doesn't seem nearly as bad since I've had some rest, some time to sleep on it and let it sink in, and I'm not viewing it through my grouch-goggles. (lol) Like you guys have said, maybe it will make more sense in the context of the film, or perhaps it's just a ruse, a generic title (but I doubt it). Either way, there are much more serious things to be concerned with I guess. I can live with it if the film itself is done well I suppose.

[yojoebro82]

Maybe it's not a matter of the Force being gone from the universe (like in pre-New Hope), maybe the force "awakens" in one specific person? Like our main character, perhaps? Maybe a Solo sibling has been trying hard under Luke's training to bring his Force power to life and it just hasn't been working out for him or her until the very last moment when it "awakens" in them and saves the day.

 

Maybe it's the dark side of the force that awakens in some crooked Sith deciple and now there's a new enemy to fight?

 

I don't know. I'm just throwing stuff out there. Please don't waste time shooting down any of my above ideas. I'm not saying those are good ideas or that that's what I want to happen. I'm just saying that maybe the Force awakens on a much smaller scale that what we're thinking.

 

Or maybe it will turn out to be a generic title...

 

Yojoe, I appreciate the positivity you, JoeRhyno, and others maintain in threads like these, and I didn't mean to come off sounding so harsh or negative. I think I'm just wary and gun-shy concerning these new films. Don't get me wrong...I'm estatic about a return to the original cast and that era of the mythos. I don't know, I guess it's just like people used to say about the prequels; I've anticipated new sequels ever since I read an interview with George Lucas not long after ROTJ in Starlog Magazine, where he said something about how if the process of this type of film-making ever got easier or more efficient, he might consider more films. I think perhaps the man was exhausted at the time, but I remember the hope welled-up in me, thinking he might actually make more films someday, and now here we are. It's terribly exciting. But that brings an insurmountable amount of expectation I suppose, and the reality will not always fit whatever idea we've manufactured as to what a given property should be, or sound like, or look like. We all have at the very least some faint image in our mind I think of what new Star Wars sequels should look, sound, and feel like, because each one of us I'm sure feel as if we are a part of it, and it is a part of us, it's ingrained in our collective consciousness so deeply and profoundly, that it must look and feel like what we all know and love, or we will balk and reject it as a ruination of something so familiar and somewhat sacred to our sensibilities. It truly is a very personal thing that dear to our hearts, and we feel we have some ownership or emotional investment in it and should have some say in how it's handled. That may sound very silly, but you all know it's true...most of our family and childhood memories revolve around Star Wars, so how can we not be so vocal and passionate about it. Beyond the fanboy posturing and nit-picking critiques we all have indulged in, it's truly part of our identity, who we are, like part of our family, so naturally emotions will run high with every decision that's made, good or bad. That's what J.J. Abrams and Co. are up against, what they have to live up to, and I don't envy their task and the responsibility that comes with it one bit...

 

I think my initial reaction was a combination of having such a hard week at work, fatigue, and just downright grouchiness. It was the wrong time to spring a new title on me I guess. (lol) I was in the wrong frame of mind and just ready to tear anything like that apart. I'm still not sure I like it 100%, but it doesn't seem nearly as bad since I've had some rest, some time to sleep on it and let it sink in, and I'm not viewing it through my grouch-goggles. (lol) Like you guys have said, maybe it will make more sense in the context of the film, or perhaps it's just a ruse, a generic title (but I doubt it). Either way, there are much more serious things to be concerned with I guess. I can live with it if the film itself is done well I suppose.

 

Eh, no need to explain your reaction. I'm indifferent about the title myself. Really, who cares what the subtitle is? Even if it's the best subtitle in the world, what's it gonna do? Help you reach Nirvana?

 

You were right about the context of the film. In terms of whether the subtitle works or doesn't the context is really everything. And this is where I get to say again that no one knows anything for 100% certainty about this movie yet.

 

I hear what you're saying in the first part of that response. There are people that live and die by the OT. It's one of my favorites of all time. I don't even need there to be any more SW movies beyond those first three but I realize the way Hollywood is now, how everything is centered around the big franchises and we're getting more whether we like it or not. Even if Ep. 7 is good, it won't please every old school Star Wars fan. Abrams' vision of the future of the OT isn't going to jive with everyone else's and neither would mine, yours, or any director they could have chosen for the film (even if it was Lucas himself!) My worry meter is at "low" for this, however. I've enjoyed Abrams work, I don't consider him a flawless director...but I think he holds the OT at as high a regard as you or I. I think there's going to be little if any prequel elements involved and I'd be surprised if he does something that completely craps on anything that came before. Even if some characters have robot arms now.

[Bespin refugee]

Teaser trailer rumors

[yojoebro82]

Teaser trailer rumors

 

Ah. The magic word that will ensure I DON'T click on this link...

[Devilbat]

Woo-hoo!! I read it. It actually gave me butterflies in my stomach. (I'm such a sucker...)

[hamsterboy]

ugh. Latest rumor has it Luke kills Han.

[yojoebro82]

ugh. Latest rumor has it Luke kills Han.

 

Of course.....because why not?

[featofstrength]

It's like poetry...TO THE EXTREME!

http://www.starwarsringtheory.com/

 

Reads like Red Letter Media really got under some uber-nerd's skin. I would wager 85% of SW fans have little or no sense of humor concerning their beloved franchise. I guess I should be happy that, at least, this defense doesn't rely on throwing Jar Jar under the bus again. 1:50 mark:

 

in 35+ years of interviews on SW, has anyone come across George saying anything about "chiastic structure?" He's all over being brief on Joseph Campbell and the Hero's Journey, but anything more sounds like pure coincidence. Hell, Im surprised George made it thru one movie sticking to the Hero's Journey: I cant even tell who the focal hero is in his original drafts!

[yojoebro82]

It's like poetry...TO THE EXTREME!

http://www.starwarsringtheory.com/

 

Wow. I will give the writer of this credit. Regardless of what fueled him to write it, this is the most well thought out defense of the prequels that I've ever seen. And in all honesty (as someone who is not fond of the prequels) it really made me look differently at what George may have had in mind when he was making these.

 

And in still more honesty, I never really had too much of an issue with the "poetry" aspect of it all. Maybe it IS like poetry. Maybe Lucas purposely unearthed an ancient form or poetry that time forgot and geneiously fashioned 6 movies around its outline. Maybe Lucas is a master poet and we don't........know it (sorry). I don't know. I won't claim that he is or isn't. To me the fact remains that the prequels just don't bring the same level of enjoyment for me as the OT does and it's for all the same reasons that have been stated over and over. It's not because both Anakin and Han say "Here's where the fun begins".

 

Even so. If what this guy's essay is about is really what George purposefully had in mind, then I need to give him credit for the attempt. Even if I wasn't won over by the final product. Because I will agree with the author that something like that has not been tried in film before. And aren't we always complaining how there's nothing original in Hollywood?

[Devilbat]

Well, for me personally, I find myself straddling the fence, as it were...sometimes I appreciate the fact that Lucas has intertwined all of these connecting common threads throughout the saga, both in terms of storytelling and visual presentation, but other times it comes across as mind-numbingly boring; the constant barrage of recycled lines, imagery, situations, circumstances, and themes between the trilogies and subsequent cartoons just gets really old and irritating. I don't mind the "I've-got-a-bad-feeling-about-this" line, maybe once every couple of movies, just as a tiny nod to the original, but they've done that kind of thing to death to where Star Wars is slowly becoming a bad parody of itself, at least in some of the recent peripheral mediums.

 

Simply put, the original films were just that, insanely original, with no other story or type of film-making to compare them to. The themes of course weren't necessarily original, but the way they were delivered, portrayed, and realized visually was. The circumstances surrounding these themes were just wildly creative, the attention to detail and the nuances of the world they existed in literally took us to a time and place that we knew wasn't real, but they delved into it in such shocking detail that our brain tried to tell us on some level that it had to be real, that it was a living, breathing universe that we were somehow privy to as the viewer, that it was simply a reality that came to us in the form of a science fiction movie. Now whether that was by design or arrived at by pure necessity due to budget constraints has been debated for years now, and will continue to be. I feel as if it were a combination of both...George Lucas was limited as to what he could produce, as to the extent of what kind of film he could realistically and practically make within the limitations of his time when the original films were made. But in my mind therein lies the genius of the original films; to be forced to come up with practical ways and innovative means to portray his vision gave birth to those realistic and believable elements that made those original films click with audiences and work so well. You also have to consider the brilliant casting of the original films as well, the effects people, the incredible sounds, the score by John Williams, so many wonderful elements just came together better than anyone could have ever imagined.

 

I just see the original trilogy as a unique phenomenon that involved so many purposeful and accidental elements that somehow came together at the right place at the right time in the right way to strike a chord with people, and not even Lucas himself could replicate it, even with the prequels. All they will ever be able to do is expound upon it, as they tried to do with the recent films. Perhaps the sequels will refresh the themes in such a way that they are new a relevant, and not simply rehashed for the sake of nostalgia or the continuation of searing what the-powers-that-be thinks Star Wars is into our collective consciousness. Long story short, I want to see something original in the new films. Yeah, okay...I want to see the old gang back in whatever form. I want to see the Falcon, maybe see some form of the Sith that survived, or even the Empire after all these years, and I want to see the droids again. But beyond that, I want my deep-rooted notions of what I think Star Wars is to be uprooted, challenged, and turned on its proverbial ear, so to speak. Perhaps the new title that breaks away from the familiar "Episode" moniker the other films sport is a sign of the refreshing change I want to see in the Star Wars universe.

[featofstrength]

Well, for me personally, I find myself straddling the fence, as it were...sometimes I appreciate the fact that Lucas has intertwined all of these connecting common threads throughout the saga, both in terms of storytelling and visual presentation, but other times it comes across as mind-numbingly boring; the constant barrage of recycled lines, imagery, situations, circumstances, and themes between the trilogies and subsequent cartoons just gets really old and irritating. I don't mind the "I've-got-a-bad-feeling-about-this" line, maybe once every couple of movies, just as a tiny nod to the original, but they've done that kind of thing to death to where Star Wars is slowly becoming a bad parody of itself, at least in some of the recent peripheral mediums.

 

Simply put, the original films were just that, insanely original, with no other story or type of film-making to compare them to. The themes of course weren't necessarily original, but the way they were delivered, portrayed, and realized visually was. The circumstances surrounding these themes were just wildly creative, the attention to detail and the nuances of the world they existed in literally took us to a time and place that we knew wasn't real, but they delved into it in such shocking detail that our brain tried to tell us on some level that it had to be real, that it was a living, breathing universe that we were somehow privy to as the viewer, that it was simply a reality that came to us in the form of a science fiction movie. Now whether that was by design or arrived at by pure necessity due to budget constraints has been debated for years now, and will continue to be. I feel as if it were a combination of both...George Lucas was limited as to what he could produce, as to the extent of what kind of film he could realistically and practically make within the limitations of his time when the original films were made. But in my mind therein lies the genius of the original films; to be forced to come up with practical ways and innovative means to portray his vision gave birth to those realistic and believable elements that made those original films click with audiences and work so well. You also have to consider the brilliant casting of the original films as well, the effects people, the incredible sounds, the score by John Williams, so many wonderful elements just came together better than anyone could have ever imagined.

 

I just see the original trilogy as a unique phenomenon that involved so many purposeful and accidental elements that somehow came together at the right place at the right time in the right way to strike a chord with people, and not even Lucas himself could replicate it, even with the prequels. All they will ever be able to do is expound upon it, as they tried to do with the recent films. Perhaps the new films will refresh the themes in such a way that they are new a relevant, and not simply rehashed for the sake of nostalgia or the continuation of searing what the-powers-that-be thinks Star Wars is into our collective consciousness. Long story short, I want to see something original in the new films. Yeah, okay...I want to see the old gang back in whatever form. I want to see the Falcon, maybe see some form of the Sith that survived, or even the Empire after all these years, and I want to see the droids again. But beyond that, I want my deep-rooted notions of what I think Star Wars is to be uprooted, challenged, and turned on its proverbial ear, so to speak. Perhaps the new title that breaks away from the familiar "Episode" moniker the other films sport is a sign of the refreshing change I want to see in the Star Wars universe.

 

YES!

 

Seeing as how the originals were a collaborative success (read: people other than George made it good) I could only see George taking on the ring theory consciously after looking at the result of Phantom Menace. A genius? really?

 

And even if you wanna give him the benefit of the doubt, c'mon, guys...you can't polish a turd.

[yojoebro82]

Trailer will start playing this Friday in select cities:

 

http://jediinsider.com/index.php?catid=243&itemid=16026

 

giving us the first concrete thing that we can discuss about this movie so far.

[Wheeljack35]

Isn't this waaaaay to early? The movie is still about a year away

[featofstrength]

Isn't this waaaaay to early? The movie is still about a year away

 

Yeah...but it's SW...never too early or too often to drum up hype.

 

1,147%. attendance boost to "The Siege!" What s****y, undeserving movie will we pad the numbers to this time?

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-flashback-what-happened-752061

[fettman]

Isn't this waaaaay to early? The movie is still about a year away

Not to early principle photograhy is done. Abrams is just working on special effects, music,editing etc. Special effects take a long time to add to a movie close to 6-9 months. Then editing then additional filming then music. Then trailers then media hype advertising then premiere. Then more advertising. It will be fun next December to see multiple cast members doing the talk show circuit promoting this new STAR WARS movie. I cannot wait

[Bespin refugee]

Jessica Henwick cast in The Force Awakens

 

Teaser will also be available via ITunes on "Black Friday", Nov. 28th

[Wheeljack35]

lol who here remembers 1999? The trailer for The Phantom Menace came out.I remember hearing stories how theaters would be packed for certain movies but after the trailer was shown 3 quarters of the people would leave.

 

 

I don't have I tunes

[Bespin refugee]

I remember seeing a few movies, at least partially, for the trailers (Special Editions, prequels), but, I never left afterward, lol. I sat through a few duds (no Meet Joe Black, though), but, I didn't leave after paying.

 

I don't have iTunes either, I was checking out the site, but, I can't tell if you have to pay/download anything.

 

I'm also curious what time it'll show up on Friday. any chance the site will crash, lol

[Wheeljack35]

Jurrasic World to my surprise showed up on FB and I didn't even know they were making a new Jurassic Park movie.I bet SW will be up by Cyber Monday

[yojoebro82]

I bet SW will be up by Cyber Monday

 

I bet it's before then.

[Bespin refugee]

I wasn't keeping up w/ Jurassic World either, didn't know about it until the trailer

 

[by the way, Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kenedy produced the first 2 or 3 JP's, her husband, Frank Marshall is producing JW, the theory is they released the JW trailer early to clear the way for SW:TFA]

 

I'm sure SW:TFA will be on Youtube by the weekend (heck, SW has it's own Youtube account), it's just the anticipation/ not being able to see it, lol

[JoeRhyno]

My guess is... The Star Wars twinkling music...into the happy beginning trailer SW music(sorry, I don't know the soundtrack names)... The Bad Robot logo...Disney logo... Lucas Film logo... The Falcon flies by, dialog from other SW movies are played over a couple short scenes of the original cast..SUPER HAPPY SW MAIN INTRO THEME...Xwing battle... maybe some shots of new cast.. then some dark sithy music.. and a hooded cybernetic-handed dark character with sithy eyes... and then COMING CHRISTMAS 2015!!!