“The Force is strong in my family,” says Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker voices over this second teaser trailer for the hotly anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie that will hit the big screen this coming December. “My father has it, I have it, my sister has it. You have that power, too.”
That’s how the nerdgasmic second trailer begins, and then slams into some seriously amazing scenes from the upcoming film, including a massive, crashed Star Destroyer, close ups of new stars Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, and Daisy Ridley, and a brilliant moment of fan service with everyone’s favorite smuggler and his humongous furry sidekick.
“Chewie,” says Han Solo, “We’re home.”
This is, indeed, Star Wars. The sets are real, the script by Kasdan, the effects are practical, and JJ Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy are proper stewards of this amazing legacy. There are fresh-faced actors getting to flesh out the hero’s journey, and we’re excited to see men of color and a woman in the title roles. Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker return, as does composer John Williams.
The trailer does fans justice, taking us back to the Skywalker group, with an admission that his sister (Leia) is strong with the Force, with the Millennium Falcon speeding through tight spaces, with a desert planet (called Jakku, not Tattooine), and any number of cool Star Wars images like the more streamlined Storm Troopers, the rolling ball droid BB8, and the coolest-looking bad guys ever in TIE Fighters. Plus, if you look carefully, you’ll see a couple of shots with the Jony Ive-inspired “spitty” light saber.
Revealed today by Abrams and Kennedy at a live-streamed Star Wars event in Anaheim, California, The Force Awakens continues to excite and thrill. Our faith in the Force–and the possibility of a good modern Star Wars film–has been restored.
Rob LeFebvre is an Anchorage, Alaska-based writer and editor who has contributed to various tech, gaming and iOS sites, including 148Apps, Creative Screenwriting, Shelf-Awareness, VentureBeat, and Paste Magazine. Feel free to find Rob on Twitter @roblef, and send him a cookie once in a while; he’ll really appreciate it.
14 responses to “New Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser brings fans back ‘home’”
Here we go again, get ready for millions of Star Wars fans to overhype something and then a few years later reject they ever had any good feelings about it.
Star Wars fans always looking to the past, hoping things will never change, and blindly rejecting anything new.
Apple fans, always looking to the future, hoping for something new, and blindly embracing anything new.
A fair breakdown?
I’m in the Apple camp:)
Hype and hope are kissing cousins so sorry if being optimistic grinds your gears.
Besides, this time we don’t have a megalomaniacal Hollywood hack who hadn’t directed or written anything in decades suddenly take over every aspect of a film. We have a competent, humble and storied director with an incredible track record for making great films and focusing on the characters.
Of course I felt this way about Man of Steel and was thoroughly disappointed. But, again, it’s all about hope.
Feel free to be pessimistic and a Doubting Danny but I’m excited for the film and I believe it’s going to phenomenal.
I prefer Factual Frank actually:) George is an independent filmmaker and technically totally outside the Hollywood system, so JJ technically is the Hollywood Hack here. But if you like what he did with Star Trek then I’m sure you’ll love this.
And I’m not sure where you get your information, but George made all 6 films with the same level of control. Much of the same crew worked on all 6 films and people like Ben Burt had an ever increasing role in the editing room actually. Episode 2 had a co writer for instance, something the original film even didn’t. By your logical episode 4 is the worst then I guess, because Lucas was the most inexperienced as a director and had the most control over all aspects of the production.
Get the facts, and not just from watching behind the scenes documentaries.
Wow!! An actual Lucas supporter! I didn’t think people like you existed.
Okay, here’s a fact for you: the prequels sucked sweaty, hairy donkey balls while the Special Editions attempted to fix was already perfect and as a result broke the spirit of what made them great in the first place.
Yes, in the beginning Lucas was incredibly inexperienced but he had drive, passion and, I’d imagine, a lot of people helping him make decisions on the fly. When he stepped back into the role of writer/director he hadn’t done anything that qualified him as the best choice to tell a back-story no one asked for or even needed.
I didn’t need to see Anakin murder children to know he was a bad guy in A New Hope. I didn’t need to know Anakin once raced pods as a toddler to know he was “the best star pilot in the galaxy”. And I didn’t need to know that Anakin’s only motivation for becoming Vader was based on lies. Palpatine lied about knowing the trick to saving Padme then lied to Anakin about how she died.
But I digress.
Obviously you’ve seen all the films so I don’t need to summarize each one and how much they failed to do anything relevant in Star Wars canon. But I think it goes without saying that whenever anyone quotes or recalls a pivotal scene/moment in Star Wars NONE of those moments come from the prequels. And what moments we did have from the original films were ruined by Lucas because he felt the film needed to be fixed. That the films were broken and required present technology so that they represented his true vision (a lie he told himself).
And when I say “original” I’m referring to any version before Lucas shat all over them with CG. As for there being multiple versions of the first films, I imagine you’re referring to versions that were restored or featured enhanced sound, not extra or reworked scenes (like that useless Jabba the Hut scene). I’ve seen the originals more times than I care to admit but there’s a clear delineation between the “originals” and the Special Edition.
And don’t cast dispersions on those behind the scenes documentaries as they reveal a lot of what went wrong with a good portion of what made the prequels dog crap coming from Lucas himself. During the initial screening of Episode I Lucas himself said, “I may’ve gone too far in a few places” followed by a tirade of questions from many in the viewing room that tried to justify the stupidity before them. By then it was too late and apparently Lucas didn’t learn anything from that first film because what followed was just as stupid and sloppy.
Look at the tone of the Episode I and Episode III. What starts out as a fun and supposedly funny space opera with a CG alien stepping in poop and getting his tongue zapped is followed by a film drowning in mass murder, decapitation, death and forced amputations.
Bottom line, while Lucas is responsible for bringing Star Wars to the world he’s also the same person who dismantled and sullied the good name he once had.
For those reasons I believe Lucas is a untalented hack who’s only skill involves counting money.
Keep drinking that Disney Kool-aid, and supporting a director that only only makes shitty sequels to other peoples stuff. JJ even admitted that in the panel yesterday. I’ll stick with an original maker anyday. Lucas, Tolkien, Roddenberry, Rowling… and Jobs.
The denial is strong with this one.
So rather than address the horrid prequels and the abomination that Lucas bestowed on his original vision you decide instead to deflect and cast dispersions on the director. You’ll understand if I don’t choose to redirect the argument about Abrams’ career and rather focus on the man you hold in such high regard who so effectively destroyed the franchise that it required a man like Abrams (or anyone for that matter) to step in and right Lucas’ multiple wrongs.
No matter who was chosen to direct the film you’d find a problem with him (or her) so any argument about the director is futile.
By contrast if I’m drinking Disney’s Kool-Aid then Lucas’ balls are on your chin. Clearly you choose not to see anything wrong with the direction Lucas has taken the franchise. Yet it’s this very reason fans in the audience roared with glee when Abrams said he was focusing on practical effects and real sets as opposed to green-screening his cast and crew to death. It’s why BB8 is a REAL robot, not more CG for the actors to pretend to act against.
But I digress.
Your admiration for Lucas is uncanny. You refuse to recognize that, like any human being, he’s capable of failing, which is a shame because if there’s one thing the internet needs more of it’s humility. The ability to see and understand a differing point of view.
Your view of Lucas notwithstanding I did credit Lucas with bringing the glory of Star Wars to the world. Without Lucas none of this is possible. However, there’s such a thing as being so hungry with power, so blinded by one’s accomplishments that he throws caution to the wind and believes he can do no wrong. Something behind-the-scenes footage conveyed as well: that no one questioned or challenged Lucas and when they did their will was broken and they just bowed before the billions in Lucas’ account.
Abraham Lincoln said it best, “If you want to know the true character of a man, give him power”. Lucas became so drunk on his own power that he felt he had the ability to tell the story of Anakin’s rise and fall. He didn’t and the prequels are living proof that he has no business behind the camera or in the writers room. It’s probably why he sold out to Disney. It’s abundantly clear that Lucas lacks the gravitas to spin a competent Star Wars yarn as his name doesn’t hold the same cache it once did. He had to pass on the torch and I believe Disney made the right decision in Abrams.
You may also remember that Abrams didn’t immediately say yes to the project. I like that he initially turned it down because it means he understands the gravity of what he was getting himself into and how he could potentially make things worse.
I’m confident The Force Awakens will get the franchise back on track.
Cheers!
“…and we’re excited to see men of color and a woman in the title roles.”
Thank you for recognizing that. When the first teaser came out I couldn’t help but notice that J.J. Abrams chose a Black man as the first image of the new Star Wars. He could’ve chosen from any number of scenes from the film but he chose Boyega to re-introduce the masses to Star Wars.
I don’t know if Abrams knew what he was doing or understands the magnitude that message sends to all people of color but I for one am glad Abrams was chosen to direct this film.
I’m so amped for this film it’s driving me crazy. Christmas can’t come soon enough.
The best thing Disney could do is have a marathon but rather than show the Lucas blasphemous Special Editions that they release the original theatrical films then punctuate it with the new movie.
Hey, a guy can dream.
I totally agree with you about the diversity problem in Star Wars. Episodes 1-3 did an okay job, 4 just had Leia but she kicked but, 5 had Lando but he didn’t really contribute, and Leia was left doing nothing significant for the last two movies.
I hear the argument about versions a lot but I can’t ever get fans to agree which ones they are talking about when they say original. Episode 4 alone has 8 different versions that I know of, and technically the original was only scene that summer of 77, and has never been released. I doubt fans would even recognize it, but they sure have an imagination in their heads of what they think they remember.
Somehow my critique of Lucas’ dismantling of the Star Wars franchise resulted in you providing videos of production artists talking about their creative processes. You might as well have embedded videos of a kitten playing the piano because it’s all useless in the face of this debate.
And yes, I can be a “true” Star Wars fan and still criticize Lucas and the prequels. I suppose in your world Lucas is infallible and isn’t capable of making mistakes. So no, I don’t have to drink in and cuddle up with everything Lucas creates.
I do, however, agree that Return of the Jedi was the weakest of the original trilogy but it was still a far better film than any of the prequels in every way imaginable. But here’s a comment you made that really stuck out to me:
“You can argue story all you want…”
And I will continue to do so because there was no story in the prequels. Nothing of value anyway. Anakin raced pods, has a penchant for murdering women and children (both human and of the Sand People variety) and was also fooled into becoming Vader after being promised a magic trick to save his pregnant wife from dying during child birth.
Everything else that happened was superfluous because not a single narrative from the prequels carries over into the original films. I challenge you to name one, just a single thing that connects the prequels to the originals in an extremely meaningful way. Trust me, you won’t find anything. Okay, maybe the plans to the Death Star but that would be an incredibly weak argument and wouldn’t require 3 films to provide that information.
As for me only getting my information from documentaries, you’d be wrong. I’ve studied the Star Wars films on my own and I could fill a 200-page, 10pt font, single-spaced book with the mistakes Lucas made.
Let’s take the scene when Obi Wan first shows Luke a lightsaber. Obi Wan says, “Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough. But your uncle wouldn’t allow it. He feared you follow old Obi Wan on some damn fool idealistic crusade like your father did.”
There’s a ton here but let’s start with the fact that Anakin never saw his kids. In the prequels they’re separated (for some stupid reason) as infants so the idea that Obi Wan and Anakin talked about Luke one day and the passing down of his lightsaber to Luke could never happen based on Lucas adaptation in the prequels.
You also get the sense that Anakin, Obi Wan and Uncle Owen had regular talks (or arguments) about the proper way for Luke to be raised. Since Luke says he wished he known his father it suggests Luke was an infant before Vader turned to the Dark Side. At the very least Anakin and Uncle Owen spoke via their Skype-like holograms as they debated what was best for young Luke. Which also begs the question: why would Anakin want Leia to grow up as a princess and Luke as a farm boy on a desert planet?
Another inconsistency was in the prequels Jedi’s weren’t allowed to be in a relationship. More pointedly they weren’t “allowed to love”. I assume that means no girlfriends, wives or even Jedi baby momma’s (unless love means you can screw her and even knock her up but no falling in love). And yet Obi Wan uses the term “father” very loosely, like it’s okay to talk about Anakin in a paternal nature. This ridiculous law is never once again uttered or even referenced to in the original films (along with midichlrorians but that’s another hours long argument).
I could point out even more that’s wrong with just that scene opposite the prequels but I’ll stop there.
It’s for those reasons that I choose NOT to love, like or even remotely recognize the prequels as anything but a money grab from Lucas. As for all the fanfare he received prior to the release of those films that’s exactly what it was: fanfare BEFORE the films were released. Once everyone saw them they realized Lucas was a menace to his own creation.
But, far be it from me to tell you to not like the Star Wars prequels but don’t be so blindly loyal that you don’t question what Lucas did and how poorly he handled the prequels.
But you’re probably younger than me. For you Star Wars is probably all about the effects, dozens of Jedi flinging their lightsabers all over the screen, big explosions, lots of lasers and lots of seizure-inducing crap on the screen. For me it’s about the quiet moments, moments that give you pause, that make you think; it’s the music between the notes. THAT is what Star Wars is, or was until Lucas decided that every scene needed effects and objects in your view.
Lucas is still a brilliant man (anyone that made $4 billion from one deal is either incredibly brilliant or insanely lucky) but I’d charge his brilliance to his business acumen, not to film making. Fans may’ve clamored for him to make another Star Wars film but that shipped has definitely sailed.
I’ve enjoyed this desiccation immensely Mark. Final thoughts:
Your blind devotion devotion to the Disney marketing team, is as blind as my devotion to Lucas, except for the fact that I have seen Lucas movies. These fans that are loosing their minds haven’t seen TFA, and though I admire their optimism. Judging from his recent comments even JJ himself has turned into a snake oil salesman politician recently hiding behind false humility.
I think it is best tot keep manage your expectations and know that these films are being made in a hollywood studio, with executives and investors in charge.
Not to get into age, but I ‘m much older than you think actually. But I can’t understand why fans like yourself still hold this devision amongst the films, and especially the arbitrary line between ROTJ and TPM? I understand at the time it was presented as a new trilogy, but we are over 15 years removed from that. To an 8 year old being introduced to Star Wars today they seem like they were made all be George Lucas a long tome ago. My only guess is that its a generational thing and that by the time TPM cam out you were no longer a kid. Of course to some by the time Empire cam out they were not kids anymore, or by the time AOTC etc. Looking at the Star Wars films as one piece of work, it is really clear that they didn’t change over the corse of production as much as the fans did. Right now fans are like ‘yeah, we haven’t seen Han in a years!’ in a few years people will be like, ‘bring back yoda, we have seen him in a movie in years’.
To address the inconsistencies you brought up: What your saying does not prove your point, in fact it only begs the question did we need any sequels to Star Wars. Yep, ObiWan said those things. He also said that Darth Vader killed Luke’s father. Everything he told Luke was a lie. ESB made a lot of things in ANH not make sense, and ROTJ did the same with Luke and Leah going from love interest to siblings. But each subsequent film raised more questions and answered a few from before. Darth Vader in 4 was seen as pure evil, but by ROTS we finally not only got to see that he did not start out that way, but that he was once the kindest person in the galaxy, started out very similar to Luke, which in turn showed us why he turned to the Dark Side, why Luke didn’t and why Luke was ultimately able to redeem his father. You could have totally stopped at ANH, but adding the other 5 made the saga, and fleshed out why the salvation of this far off galaxy came down to this family. I don’t see how only seeing 2 sequels would have given you that.
Its almost like watching the first season of a show and the last, and saying, “I pretty much got it”, no need to see anymore. You didn’t even know what Jedi looked like before you say TPM.
The original 6 films were all not made for the fans, they all came out of Lucas imagination. And this is really were the differences come in. George is an auteur filmmaker. Everything is about the director basically. In short, it’s not that actors aren’t important, its that they aren’t more important than the music, sets, etc. It is all comes back to the director’s vision. This is in contrast to the old way of filming where the Studio producer was at the center of everything and they want to make say a fantasy movie, so they hire a director, actors, etc. This is also why the best picture oscar still goes to the producers. The director brings a little bit of them to the project, but its ultimately the producers work. This is the method Star Wars is going into. These are Disney’s movies, and their will be not center of thought were all these will be coming from, except from the the studios bottom line. My beef is that they are marketing these, and other brands like Marvel, as if the fans are in charge. Tell us what you want and will make it. But really, the are just in it to see what we’ll but and what we wont. These films aren’t based on expanding the narrative of modern mythology, they are just trying to make cool Star Wars movies. Which if you like that, and don’t care about your movies having deeper meanings fine, but have to admit the ironic fan reaction that enviably follows.
This is were the line should truly drawn of this franchise. These are made in assemblance. George wrote the original 6 movies with what he grew up on in mind, Buck Rodger, Robin Hood, The Searchers, Hidden Fortress, etc. He wasn’t writing a Star Wars movie, he was writing Star Wars. He made a few changes along the way, sure, even debated make Vader Luke’s father at one point, but his Vision all came from the same place. These films are not coming from the same place, they are made by people try to make a Star Wars movie. Which is fine, but its weird when people say that TPM isn’t Star Wars, because they are just picking and choosing what they like to make their definition. The medium defines the definition here especially. What ever George says is Star Wars, thats what Star Wars is you have to give him that. From now on fans can truly debate what counts as Canon etc. But James Bond cant just say that one of Ian Fleming books doesn’t count as a James Bond book and write it off. Or call him a hack for putting down the story that was originally in his head.
I will always defend Lucas’ ability to Judge what Star Wars is, or any author with their respected story.
Finally, These are the first true sequels that we have ever seen. We are now branching off from the original. What I find weird is this sudden eagerness to make Star Wars look old. More realistic special effects I understand, constantly improving CGI, better costumes, crazier aliens, etc. But Star Wars didn’t get the worlds attention because it looked like an old movie. The first 6 Star Wars movies used the most cutting edge technology of their time, and were always experimenting. Thats what fantasy is, and Star Wars is magic, its not SciFi. Trying to look realistic and being realistic are two different things. CGI does nothing more than matt paintings and models did in the past, it is able to just go farther. The only difference between using a cardboard Death Star and CGI Death Star for a shot is that the CGI will look more realistic on screen. Puppets will not amaze and transport audiences like they did 40 years ago, and CGI will not do it for audiences in the near future, but going back to the “old school” way of doing things is not the way to go. Art pushes technology, and technology puts art. Because even the old school tech of ANH was the cutting edge CGI of its day. Perhaps some Star Wars fans are maybe just 80s movies fans that like Star Wars.
Its okay to be excited for new stories but fans are really just hoping for something to return to what it once was, when in fact it has always been the same. Its just their perspective changes.
I’m not the kind of person that has to have the last word but I felt the need to correct you on a few things.
“Your blind devotion devotion to the Disney marketing team, is as blind as my devotion to Lucas…”
You might have a blind devotion to Lucas but I’m far from a Disney lemming and I’m not sure how being optimistic about Abrams take on Star Wars connotes a blind devotion. I simply have more faith that Abrams, or anyone else for that matter, can spin a much better yarn than Lucas at this stage in his life and career.
As for age, I won’t divulge the exact number but I am over 35. Because of that my perspective of the originals versus the prequels are valid and warranted. I grew up with the prequels and have valid concerns and points about how Lucas made things worse with the prequels and the blasphemous Special Editions. Having said that there are some changes he made that were good but ultimately NONE of them helped advance the story or made the film better because there was more crap on the screen or there was an extended or expanded scene.
As for Lucas’ plan for Star Wars to be this giant epic space opera, the reason the first film worked so well is because he skipped passed all the boring stuff that happens in typical origin stories and got us closer to the action. Based on how the prequels panned out I think it’s clear whatever Lucas’ vision was 30+ years ago was wildly different from the films he created. It’s just not conceivable to believe he was working from the same ideas. Not even close. He wrote the script based on the technology he had available to him rather than just writing a story that people could actually care about.
Take Jabba the Hut for example. He was only briefly mentioned in the first film so the idea of this galactic kingpin was a mystery. Once he was finally revealed in Jedi it was a brilliant and well-orchestrated surprise. But once Lucas injected him into A New Hope with the wholly unnecessary deleted scene then again in The Phantom Menace all the excitement and build up of this menacing character was gone. Now he was a just a big blob that you didn’t have to be afraid of.
One more thing: you say Anakin was a really nice guy. Really? At what point does he convey that he’s a nice guy? He disobeyed Obi Wan’s orders on a consistent basis, stalked Padme, used his Jedi powers in a way other Jedi council members would frown upon, went against Jedi code to be with Padme, supported a fascist dictatorship, killed an entire village of Sand men, women and children, decapitated Doku, killed more children, helped Palpatine kill Mace Windu, choked his pregnant wife and attempted to kill Obi Wan, his so-called best friend. Moreover Obi Wan regularly warned the Jedi council that Anakin was becoming arrogant and was labeled as dangerous in The Phantom Menace.
“Nice guy” Anakin was not.
Another comment you made stuck out to me:
“The first 6 Star Wars movies used the most cutting edge technology of their time, and were always experimenting.”
This is getting a bit exhausting but Star Wars never looked “old”, rather it had a more lived-in feel; somewhat classic in nature but still set in the future. More of a fantasy world and less of a sci-fi world. In the prequels Lucas wanted everything to look polished, pristine and flawless. But the originals had a realism that invited you into the scene; you felt connected with the environment just as much as the actors. And it’s clear the actors didn’t like it much as you hear them lament about the abundant use of green screen. When I hear Hayden Christiansen say, “It’s everywhere” that’s not a good sign. What you want to hear him say is that the green screen afforded him a new method of acting or something else encouraging. Instead, he just postulates about how much of it there is.
In the prequels nearly every environment was created on a green screen that always took you of the scene. It’d be one thing if there was some sort of style to the footage but during talking scenes (of which there were a lot) most of the time the camera is fixed with basic over-the-shoulder camera work and actors usually walking extremely slow or sitting.
How you think the original films looked “old” is beyond me but clearly your age hasn’t provided you with any practical sense of storytelling or filmmaking.
But, again, I digress.
As you stated, you’re blindly loyal to Lucas. Not sure why you’d want to label yourself as someone without a spine or the ability to question Lucas but I for one don’t fall on my knees so easily. I like Abrams but he’s far from perfect. The first Star Trek was absolutely amazing but the second was, just okay. I’d never say that Abrams can do no wrong and that I’m blindly loyal to him. But based on Alias, Fringe, Star Trek 1, Super 8 and the amazing Mission: Impossible III I have faith that this director has the vision to take the franchise to new heights with a story that might actually be quotable and memorable.
I challenge you with this also: for all of your blind love and devotion to the prequels I’d wager that you can’t find a single memorable quote from the film that resonates in the same way as the originals.
“Do or do not, there is no try”
“That is why you fail”
“I know”
“What an incredible smell you discovered”
“These aren’t the droids you’re looking for”
“What a piece o’ junk!!”
“And I thought they smelled bad…on the outside”
“This is no cave!”
“That’s no moon…that’s a space station”
“Great kid, don’t get cocky!!”
I’ll stop there but you get the point. I’ve seen the prequels, several times in fact (but never again) and there’s not one moment that sticks out that’s truly memorable or something people immediately identify with. But if you say, “I am your father” no explanation is needed.
I digress. I digress. I digress.
Again, I’m simply optimistic about the film based on what I’ve seen so far, not blindly loyal to a director or studio. However, unlike you I’ll quickly call out Abrams should he foul this up. I for one think it’ll be one of the biggest movies of all time (though passing Avatar’s $2.7 billion will be quite the challenge).
Just to clarify point that you are missing: I addressed the use of CGI because of your criticism of it. It appears you really don’t like the look of the first few Star Wars films then. CGI has nothing to do with it then, if Yoda, Watto, and Jar had of been all puppets (which would have been impossible) your opinion would have been the same is what I was pointing out. This is a fair argument that you can make. I like the fact that George stared with the galaxy in its golden age and we saw it get progressively more worn down with each film. It evolves from the Naboo Cruiser to the Millennium Falcon. Troopers go from good to bad, etc. Similarly the scope of 4,5,6 get prosily larger as Luke’s world does. By 6 we are back to the scope of 1. It’s part of the ring theory btw, look it up if your interested.
You are totally have fair game to love just 4,5,6, but keep in mind that is do to your perspective. For fans that grew up with the 1,2,3 they have that same attachment to those films, and really all 6 more equally. You will probably never love any other Star Wars film as much as the ones you saw when you were a kid though. My point is that your failure to connect with them does not make them bad films necessarily. Each one is a little different in tone yes, but to some fans Darth Vader telling Luke that he’s his father is not as big as Anakin turning to the dark side. Imagine watching ROTS and not knowing what was going to happen? I do not blindly follow anyone btw, I just don’t see how fans think that the way Lucas went about making episode 3 was any different than the way he went about making 4. The money excuse could be made for any Star Wars film but ANH really. It’s unfair for you to say that he was all focused on money for instance, as an excuse for why you didn’t like certain parts of the story. Just say you liked the ending better than the begging and leave it at that, where is this personal hatred from fans coming from? How dare George tell his story the way he wants to without consulting me first! He must have gone crazy!
I’m not sure where you’re getting all this I-hate-CGI from. I never once said that CGI was bad, just that there’s a way to use it and a way not to use it.
Films like “300” and “Sin City” use CGI up the wazoo but because of the styling of those films there was something intriguing, interesting and compelling that sucked you in. Lucas’ use of CG, however, was never really part of the story. It was all just fluff and frankly he overused it.
Case in point: when Luke and Obi Wan are stopped by Stormtroopers a huge dinosaur-looking creature covers the entire screen! For about 4 seconds you can’t see anything as its bulky, elephant-like skin walks directly in front of the frame and doesn’t even match the scale or angle of the scene that follows. George just stuck it in there for no reason. I could reference a couple dozen other times when Lucas uses too much CG and in all cases there’s just no need for it as it does nothing to enhance or advance the story.
It’s reasons like this that Lucas loses a lot of credibility as a film maker because it’s clear he’s no longer concerned with story and more about dazzling the audience with as much visual flair as possible.
You are right about one thing: those that grew up with the prequels will have a different outlook on the films and those of us that grew up with the originals will never understand what it’s like to watch them in succession. However I think it goes without saying that the look of both trilogies will likely confuse them. Not to mention the cold, dull acting Episodes 1 through 3 and the thespian performances in the latter films.
Okay, so maybe the quotable moments wasn’t fair but when you compare the love stories of Anakin and Padme to Han and Leia it’s not even a contest. One was real, one was forced (no pun intended).
As for the new film, from what I’ve seen so far I love the new direction the film has taken. It almost feels like a combination of both trilogies. Partly sleek (with that shiny Stormtrooper) and partly “lived in” on planet Jakuu. But most of all it feels more grounded than the pristine, perfect and Blade Runner-esque world of Coruscant.
But I get the sense that we’re both wasting our breath. You can’t seem to stick to one topic and frequently contradict yourself (first you said you had a blind loyalty to Lucas and then in this last comment you didn’t) so any further volleying of concepts about what constitutes a good film is futile.
Besides, it’s abundantly clear that your idea of great acting and storytelling borders on the braindead. You said that Obi Wan lied to Luke about Vader killing his father. I can only assume when you were in school you missed the class on metaphors and symbolism. I could take the time to explain that scene to you but between my lack of patience and your cognitive ineptitude it would never work.
Just realize that you’re in a very minute and daft community that worships the ground Lucas walks on while an extremely large and loud community lives in the real world. A world where a young Lucas who challenged “the system” became an old, very wealthy Lucas who became “the system” going against every principle he once fought for.
BTW those videos were to show you that actually the same percentage of physical sets were in all the films. RTOS had more models than any of them. R2D2 and the other droids were always a real prop. Some of aliens just got a lot more complicated, so CGI was used. As it will be used in TFA. If you think they won’t use CGI or the aliens in TFA, think again. BB8 is even CGI in some shots.