STAR WARS VII - "The Force Awakens" - Movie Discussion

[yang]

I would rather take bad original stories than good remakes, any time. Because it takes 10 times of the effort to do an original than a remake, and if remakes sell well, then the innovation dies.

Think about other products: if there's no patent protection for the original ideas, and fake copycat products sell well, then eventually no one will try original ideas anymore, because it's not cost effective. Maybe not a very good comparison to movie remakes, but my point is, I would appreciate and encourage the original ideas all the time, good or bad.

[Darth_Raichu]

  On 4/25/2016 at 4:55 PM, thoroakenfelder said:

I feel like the internet has been saying that they want that for the past 16 years.

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Yeah I would not be surprised if movie 8 features a city in the sky not called Cloud City in a planet not called Bespin

 

[Grynn]

  On 4/25/2016 at 4:45 PM, jeff_14 said:

Exact same plot points does equal remake. Both Rebels and bad guys are pursuing a droid with secret information who winds up on a desert planet where his owner sends him away to escape capture. Said droid is found by a mysterious youngster with parental abandonment issues that has a connection to the Force and the main bad guy who then leave the planet after fighting some locals with the aid of a stranger aboard the Millennium Falcon with Han and Chewie. There is an alien bar scene with the heroes and someone with knowledge of the Force, a rebel planet is destroyed by the Death planetoid, the droid is delivered to the rebels, there is a break and enter and escape from the planetoid following a confrontation between an old man and the bad guy in black where the old man buys it otherwise our heroes are never hit by laser blasts, and then there is a fighter assault on the planetoid where it is destroyed by an impossibly lucky X-wing pilot amidst a big dogfight. Which movie am I describing?

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As far as the bulk of the paying public is concerned, that movie is "Star Wars". We've set a revenue record for it all three times it was released to theatres.

That's the point, folks.

[Darth_Raichu]

  On 4/25/2016 at 5:06 PM, yang said:

I would rather take bad original stories than good remakes, any time. Because it takes 10 times of the effort to do an original than a remake, and if remakes sell well, then the innovation dies.

Think about other products: if there's no patent protection for the original ideas, and fake copycat products sell well, then eventually no one will try original ideas anymore, because it's not cost effective. Maybe not a very good comparison to movie remakes, but my point is, I would appreciate and encourage the original ideas all the time, good or bad.

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Dude, where have you been?  Creativity is dead in Hollywood.  The new movies need to be some kind of remake or rehash of old properties, next installment of a franchise, or based on books / comics with already established fan base.

[jeff_14]

  On 4/25/2016 at 5:17 PM, Darth_Raichu said:

Dude, where have you been?  Creativity is dead in Hollywood.  The new movies need to be some kind of remake or rehash of old properties, next installment of a franchise, or based on books / comics with already established fan base.

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This is my concern in a nutshell. Given how big and influential Star Wars is, I always figured it would be above that as it didn't need to slum it with the rest of Hollywood. This may be Lucas' ultimate legacy. Not until he sold out did Star Wars do the same. 

[yang]

  On 4/25/2016 at 5:17 PM, Darth_Raichu said:

Dude, where have you been?  Creativity is dead in Hollywood.  The new movies need to be some kind of remake or rehash of old properties, next installment of a franchise, or based on books / comics with already established fan base.

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True, I feel the TV shows are better and more creative than the movies in recent years.

[biking_tiger]

  On 4/25/2016 at 5:17 PM, Darth_Raichu said:

Dude, where have you been?  Creativity is dead in Hollywood.  The new movies need to be some kind of remake or rehash of old properties, next installment of a franchise, or based on books / comics with already established fan base.

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The risk (up front cost) to reward (box office) is pretty cruel to untried commodities in today's Hollywood. The low budget John Carpenters and George Romeros of the world have gone to Youtube  and live in their parents' basements.

[Sauromosis]

  On 4/25/2016 at 4:45 PM, jeff_14 said:

Exact same plot points does equal remake. Both Rebels and bad guys are pursuing a droid with secret information who winds up on a desert planet where his owner sends him away to escape capture. Said droid is found by a mysterious youngster with parental abandonment issues that has a connection to the Force and the main bad guy who then leave the planet after fighting some locals with the aid of a stranger aboard the Millennium Falcon with Han and Chewie. There is an alien bar scene with the heroes and someone with knowledge of the Force, a rebel planet is destroyed by the Death planetoid, the droid is delivered to the rebels, there is a break and enter and escape from the planetoid following a confrontation between an old man and the bad guy in black where the old man buys it otherwise our heroes are never hit by laser blasts, and then there is a fighter assault on the planetoid where it is destroyed by an impossibly lucky X-wing pilot amidst a big dogfight. Which movie am I describing?

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And there's even a "trench run" and the main characters even say something similar to "didn't we do this once?"  LOL

[jeff_14]

  On 4/25/2016 at 5:33 PM, sauromosis said:

And there's even a "trench run" and the main characters even say something similar to "didn't we do this once?"  LOL

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I loved the line about how much bigger it was this time. To paraphrase Crocodile Dundee - That's not a space station, this is a space station. 

[jeff_14]

It just occurred to me that there used to be a drinking game where you had to kick one back everytime Darth Vader was near or tried to kill one of his relatives. Now that Han is part of the family and father to Vader's grandkid, that game just got a lot more fun.

[zskid00]

  On 4/25/2016 at 5:36 PM, jeff_14 said:

I loved the line about how much bigger it was this time. To paraphrase Crocodile Dundee - That's not a space station, this is a space station. 

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[gregpj]

  On 4/25/2016 at 4:45 PM, jeff_14 said:

Exact same plot points does equal remake. Both Rebels and bad guys are pursuing a droid with secret information who winds up on a desert planet where his owner sends him away to escape capture. Said droid is found by a mysterious youngster with parental abandonment issues that has a connection to the Force and the main bad guy who then leave the planet after fighting some locals with the aid of a stranger aboard the Millennium Falcon with Han and Chewie. There is an alien bar scene with the heroes and someone with knowledge of the Force, a rebel planet is destroyed by the Death planetoid, the droid is delivered to the rebels, there is a break and enter and escape from the planetoid following a confrontation between an old man and the bad guy in black where the old man buys it otherwise our heroes are never hit by laser blasts, and then there is a fighter assault on the planetoid where it is destroyed by an impossibly lucky X-wing pilot amidst a big dogfight. Which movie am I describing?

TFA of course... A star is not a planetoid.

I agree with you in principle, but TFA was fun anyways. I just wanted VII to be a good "old school" Star Wars movie and it was. I know it's a simple way of looking at it, but it's what I expected. I like what JJ does with films but he's not a big risk taker.

My kids (5 and enjoyed it which was a bonus.

I also hope Luke says "I am your father." Why not... It's Hollywood movie tradition to have some cheesy line repeated in sequels. Or at least give us a "these are not the droids you're looking for." I'm a sucker for the cheese a la "I'll be back!"

[Steve Brule]

  On 4/25/2016 at 5:22 PM, yang said:

True, I feel the TV shows are better and more creative than the movies in recent years.

Many refer to it as being the new golden age of television. It's definitely true compared to the garbage at the theaters.

[jeff_14]

  On 4/25/2016 at 7:17 PM, gregpj said:

TFA of course... A star is not a planetoid.

I agree with you in principle, but TFA was fun anyways. I just wanted VII to be a good "old school" Star Wars movie and it was. I know it's a simple way of looking at it, but it's what I expected. I like what JJ does with films but he's not a big risk taker.

My kids (5 and enjoyed it which was a bonus.

I also hope Luke says "I am your father." Why not... It's Hollywood movie tradition to have some cheesy line repeated in sequels. Or at least give us a "these are not the droids you're looking for." I'm a sucker for the cheese a la "I'll be back!"

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There was no star. They refer to it as a moon in ANH and it's a planet in TFA. All planetoids in my book. Rumour is Luke says "You are my father".

[TheOrcKing]

How large was the Starkiller Base planet supposed to be anyway? Like Jupiter big or around there?

[CoastaLego]

The only thing I am mad about is that Ackbar had the golden opportunity to say "it's a map!" When the missing skywalker map r2d2 got filled in and he didnt!  How did they miss adding that in! 

[BoomBoomFlash]

  On 4/27/2016 at 3:16 AM, TheOrcKing said:

How large was the Starkiller Base planet supposed to be anyway? Like Jupiter big or around there?

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Isn't 'planetoids' the old name for 'asteroids?' I estimate that the Starkiller Base is a dwarf planet like Pluto or Ceres. Jovian planets or Hot Jupiters are mostly gas, and Super Earths are too big to engineer it to make it a weapon, while the rest in TFA is pretty accurate.

[TheOrcKing]

  On 4/27/2016 at 3:23 AM, BoomBoomFlash said:

Isn't 'planetoids' the old name for 'asteroids?' I estimate that the Starkiller Base is a dwarf planet like Pluto or Ceres. Jovian planets or Hot Jupiters are mostly gas, and Super Earths are too big to engineer it to make it a weapon, while the rest in TFA is pretty accurate.

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I haven't a clue as to which term came first and seeing how loosely defined "planetoid" is doesn't help much. Still your points made me think something within the proximity of our gas giants wouldn't work (I imagine, this is science-fiction after all, haha). Just going by the holographic representation in The Force Awakens comparing the Death Star to Starkiller Base suggest to me perhaps the two Death Stars could have been even smaller than Ceres' dimensions while Starkiller Base was close to it. I guess when they go on over how big the thing is, I get spun around and lose my bearings on more realistic proportions. Haha.
 

  On 4/27/2016 at 3:22 AM, CoastaLego said:

The only thing I am mad about is that Ackbar had the golden opportunity to say "it's a map!" When the missing skywalker map r2d2 got filled in and he didnt!  How did they miss adding that in! 

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That would have been a golden opportunity.

[Alpinemaps]

  On 4/27/2016 at 4:37 AM, TheOrcKing said:

That would have been a golden opportunity.

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Seems perfect for me

[exciter1]

[Guest brickcrazyhouse]

I'ld watch that

[exciter1]

  On 4/27/2016 at 12:16 PM, brickcrazyhouse said:

I'ld watch that

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That might be "The Ford Awakens".

[CrabslayerT]

So it looks like filming has got under way in Malin Head for Ep VIII. Large mats on the ground not far from Bambas Crown. There seems to be a small structure built too. Wonder if i arrive with all my R5s would Mark Hamill sign them?

[Bold-Arrow]

Interesting stuff 

 

 

[Darth_Raichu]

  On 4/28/2016 at 2:15 AM, Bold-Arrow said:

Interesting stuff 

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You know it is a JJ Abrams movie when scenes that would add to the understanding of the universe were cut in favor of prolonged chase scenes

(The above was true for the new Star Trek movies too )