Star Wars-The Force Awakens Thread (Contains Spoilers)

[ZoSoRose]

None of us know what exactly happened behind the scenes but it does seem there is more going on than revisions to the script. I am not saying it is a total re-write, as that would mean the past year was completely wasted and they surely would not have let it get that bad. It does seem that Abrams and Ardnt were not seeing eye- to- eye though, and that goes in line with JJ's rumored displeasure with the project this summer and the delay of a summer release to December 18. Either way, Disney and Lucasfilms know this is one of the most anticipated films in history and they will do everything possible to make sure it lives up to the hype.

The things we know for sure-

JJ Abrams is directing and helping with the story, Lawrence Kasdan is also writing the story and script, John Williams is scoring the film, they are actively casting right now, and filming will commence this spring. Those are all positive signs in my opinion and either way, we will know more about the story and characters in the up coming months and hopefully know if Harrison, Mark, Carrie, Daniels, Baker, Mayhew, and Billy Dee are on bored (Han, Luke, Leia, Threepio, R2, Chewie, and Lando). Im guessing we will also have a title by Summer.

And also, I know Phantom Menace was just as anticipated, if not more anticipated and it was a colossal failure. It was also the product of one man's vision and control who did not allow the input from others and was just surrounded by "yes men." Lucas is awesome for the original three but he did not do them alone, he has a lot of help. So, I am a lot more confident in VII-IX than I-III (although I did actually really enjoy III).

Yeah... I like Star Wars...

It has made over $1 billion world wide. No mean feat in 1999. It is the highest grossing film of the franchise and adjusted, it behind A New Hope by about $400 million. It is far from a failure.

Considering a lot of people hate it and that it is known as one if the biggest cinematic disappointments in history can be considered as a failure.money isn't everything

[Georgy Zhukov]

None of us know what exactly happened behind the scenes but it does seem there is more going on than revisions to the script. I am not saying it is a total re-write, as that would mean the past year was completely wasted and they surely would not have let it get that bad. It does seem that Abrams and Ardnt were not seeing eye- to- eye though, and that goes in line with JJ's rumored displeasure with the project this summer and the delay of a summer release to December 18. Either way, Disney and Lucasfilms know this is one of the most anticipated films in history and they will do everything possible to make sure it lives up to the hype.

The things we know for sure-

JJ Abrams is directing and helping with the story, Lawrence Kasdan is also writing the story and script, John Williams is scoring the film, they are actively casting right now, and filming will commence this spring. Those are all positive signs in my opinion and either way, we will know more about the story and characters in the up coming months and hopefully know if Harrison, Mark, Carrie, Daniels, Baker, Mayhew, and Billy Dee are on bored (Han, Luke, Leia, Threepio, R2, Chewie, and Lando). Im guessing we will also have a title by Summer.

And also, I know Phantom Menace was just as anticipated, if not more anticipated and it was a colossal failure. It was also the product of one man's vision and control who did not allow the input from others and was just surrounded by "yes men." Lucas is awesome for the original three but he did not do them alone, he has a lot of help. So, I am a lot more confident in VII-IX than I-III (although I did actually really enjoy III).

Yeah... I like Star Wars...

It has made over $1 billion world wide. No mean feat in 1999. It is the highest grossing film of the franchise and adjusted, it behind A New Hope by about $400 million. It is far from a failure.

Considering a lot of people hate it and that it is known as one if the biggest cinematic disappointments in history can be considered as a failure.money isn't everything

They hated it, yet they still went to go see it and the sequels are successful. Especially Episode III.

[Estranged Reality]

there's no arguing that the prequels were widely regarded as disappointing, even the creative team behind the movies have acknowledged it. phantom menace made tons of money based on hype and brand name, that's why attack of the clones dropped off a lot.

i'm really stoked for the new movie. abrams is a gifted filmmaker, they're probably bringing the original cast back. it's gonna be a blast!

[Val22]

Hopefully they will be better than the other 3 pre films.

Following 4 5 and 6, they have to be on top of their game. I guess we'll find out in 2015.

[Georgy Zhukov]

Hopefully they will learn from the mistakes they've made in the prequels.

[Zint]

I've seen every Star Wars movie during first theatrical run.

I will be continuing the tradition.

[Bobbo]

The prequels were shit. The sequels serve no other purpose other than milking the cow just for the sake of milking the cow.

Pass unless I hear universal, mind blowing praise.

[ZoSoRose]

I really did enjoy ROTS. It still had dialogue problems, a few poor plot points, and the same over reliance on CGI but despite these faults, it felt like Star Wars to me and is a movie I greatly enjoy. It may not be IV-VI, but to me I can consider it a worthy part of the whole story arc.

Menace and Clones on the other hand....

Phantom Menace was just a mess. The plot is almost insignificant as a whole, some of the characters are annoying and really detract from the film (BInks and Anakin), everyone save Qui Gon and Palpatine seem to be acting like monotone card board cut outs, there are way too many political scenes, and because of the plot's insignificance, it really feels like an unneeded addition to the saga. Sure, they met Anakin, but they could have done that in so many other, meaningful ways. The only positives in the movie imo were Qui Gon, Maul, the duels, the music, and more live sets than II and III. The tone of it being a more "lighthearted" adventure is cool, but its execution was awful.

II is just as bad of a mess but is even more sad to me because buried in all of its shit is a potentially cool film. The scenes with Obi-wan were, for the most part, pretty cool. I liked how he was trying to solve a mystery and put puzzle pieces together to make a bigger picture. If Lucas had really ran with this, the movie could have seriously been cool. Instead, we have about a third of the movie consisting of Obi-wan exploring and solving and we are treated to a whole other half of a movie consisting of the single worst on screen romance I have ever seen. It is sad I actively cringe every time I watch a Star Wars film. The dialogue is that bad. There is absolutely zero chemistry, the script is so fake and horrible, and Christianson was terrible in this film. Sure, the script may have been 90% of that, but he did not help it. Because of this, there is not one relatable character in the film (save for maybe Obi-wan) as everyone is just so stiff and acts so fake and serious. Comparing that to the original trilogy is what really shows how week the prequels are in my opinion. Looking at a seemingly stupid interaction in V is a good example- Leia kisses Luke to make Han jealous and Luke smugly puts his arms behind his head and grins while Han is clearly a bit pissed. It may seem like a miniscule exchange, but moments like that are normal interactions between people. I can't see any character in the prequels doing something like that. Clones had some other OK parts too like the asteroid battle, the battle of Geanosis (over relied on way too much CGI but it was still cool to see a massive battle like that in Star Wars), Yoda, and seeing things like clone troopers and the predecessors to star destroyers but Padme and Anakin's "relationship" bring the movie down to an almost unwatchable level. There are other things that cripple it too like that stupid droid factory scene but it really boils down to how awful the romance was. Considering that is half the movie, the whole thing is a failure.

People always point to Plinckett's reviews and they do make a lot of great points and are a lot of fun to watch. I defiantly don't agree with everything he says, and it is clear he is extra nit picky with every detail of the films. But when something gets to be so bad, you tend to notice the other problems more. Like with Mass Effect 3, the ending was so unbearably terrible that people started to nitpick and tear apart other parts of the game- even if they weren't that bad. Likewise, the IV-VI have some poor plot points and problems but none of us give a shit because those films are so good.

Edited November 12, 2013 by ZoSoRose

[ZoSoRose]

And just for anyone interested. They are holding open auditions for two of the lead roles all over the country right now- casting is actually coming by me in Troy, Michigan next week!

I have zero acting experience and am too fat for a shot at a lead role but it would be a dream come true to be an extra or something, maybe I'll check it out

[Georgy Zhukov]

I wish they did Han Solo. He would have been a young man or teenager by III. It was cool how we got the origin of Boba Fett.

Qui Gon was an interesting character but did they ever mention why he was a trouble maker? They got some no name put in an order for Clone Army. Just have Qui Gon do it.

[luciusfunk]

I think Qui Gon was a trouble maker because Dooku was a rebel who had left The Order.

[Bono]

None of us know what exactly happened behind the scenes but it does seem there is more going on than revisions to the script. I am not saying it is a total re-write, as that would mean the past year was completely wasted and they surely would not have let it get that bad. It does seem that Abrams and Ardnt were not seeing eye- to- eye though, and that goes in line with JJ's rumored displeasure with the project this summer and the delay of a summer release to December 18. Either way, Disney and Lucasfilms know this is one of the most anticipated films in history and they will do everything possible to make sure it lives up to the hype.

The things we know for sure-

JJ Abrams is directing and helping with the story, Lawrence Kasdan is also writing the story and script, John Williams is scoring the film, they are actively casting right now, and filming will commence this spring. Those are all positive signs in my opinion and either way, we will know more about the story and characters in the up coming months and hopefully know if Harrison, Mark, Carrie, Daniels, Baker, Mayhew, and Billy Dee are on bored (Han, Luke, Leia, Threepio, R2, Chewie, and Lando). Im guessing we will also have a title by Summer.

And also, I know Phantom Menace was just as anticipated, if not more anticipated and it was a colossal failure. It was also the product of one man's vision and control who did not allow the input from others and was just surrounded by "yes men." Lucas is awesome for the original three but he did not do them alone, he has a lot of help. So, I am a lot more confident in VII-IX than I-III (although I did actually really enjoy III).

Yeah... I like Star Wars...

It has made over $1 billion world wide. No mean feat in 1999. It is the highest grossing film of the franchise and adjusted, it behind A New Hope by about $400 million. It is far from a failure.

Considering a lot of people hate it and that it is known as one if the biggest cinematic disappointments in history can be considered as a failure.money isn't everything

They hated it, yet they still went to go see it and the sequels are successful. Especially Episode III.

Haha The lack of common sense is strong with that post. it was arguably the most anticipated movie of all time so it is obvioys people have to see it before they can hate it or love it. Sure it made a shit load of money but it was a failure big time. Universally panned as shitty movies makes it a failure. People went to see episodes 2 and 3 not based off the greatness of Phantom Menace but base don the greatness of New Hope, Empire, Jedi and a hope that they would be great as well. The overwhelming majority of people who saw the prequels do not like them regardless of how much money they made. To deny this is completely delusional.

[Georgy Zhukov]

None of us know what exactly happened behind the scenes but it does seem there is more going on than revisions to the script. I am not saying it is a total re-write, as that would mean the past year was completely wasted and they surely would not have let it get that bad. It does seem that Abrams and Ardnt were not seeing eye- to- eye though, and that goes in line with JJ's rumored displeasure with the project this summer and the delay of a summer release to December 18. Either way, Disney and Lucasfilms know this is one of the most anticipated films in history and they will do everything possible to make sure it lives up to the hype.

The things we know for sure-

JJ Abrams is directing and helping with the story, Lawrence Kasdan is also writing the story and script, John Williams is scoring the film, they are actively casting right now, and filming will commence this spring. Those are all positive signs in my opinion and either way, we will know more about the story and characters in the up coming months and hopefully know if Harrison, Mark, Carrie, Daniels, Baker, Mayhew, and Billy Dee are on bored (Han, Luke, Leia, Threepio, R2, Chewie, and Lando). Im guessing we will also have a title by Summer.

And also, I know Phantom Menace was just as anticipated, if not more anticipated and it was a colossal failure. It was also the product of one man's vision and control who did not allow the input from others and was just surrounded by "yes men." Lucas is awesome for the original three but he did not do them alone, he has a lot of help. So, I am a lot more confident in VII-IX than I-III (although I did actually really enjoy III).

Yeah... I like Star Wars...

It has made over $1 billion world wide. No mean feat in 1999. It is the highest grossing film of the franchise and adjusted, it behind A New Hope by about $400 million. It is far from a failure.

Considering a lot of people hate it and that it is known as one if the biggest cinematic disappointments in history can be considered as a failure.money isn't everything

They hated it, yet they still went to go see it and the sequels are successful. Especially Episode III.

Haha The lack of common sense is strong with that post. it was arguably the most anticipated movie of all time so it is obvioys people have to see it before they can hate it or love it. Sure it made a shit load of money but it was a failure big time. Universally panned as shitty movies makes it a failure. People went to see episodes 2 and 3 not based off the greatness of Phantom Menace but base don the greatness of New Hope, Empire, Jedi and a hope that they would be great as well. The overwhelming majority of people who saw the prequels do not like them regardless of how much money they made. To deny this is completely delusional.

It is completely delusional to deny that the films did get good reviews. It gets bashing because it is the popular thing to do.

[Facekicker]

It gets bashed because its shit, like Chinese Democracy.

[luciusfunk]

[Facekicker]

[luciusfunk]

[Georgy Zhukov]

Critics loved The Social Network so they are invalid. And Star Wars fans love to whine. So there.

[Dan H.]

The Phantom Menace raked in so much money because no one knew what to expect. It was the first prequel and everyone was excited and had high hopes.

Fool me once...

[TombRaider]

yeah, Phantom Menace did make a lot of money… because of the hype surrounding it and because, of course, both the fanboys and the casual moviegoers went to see it. I hated it after I saw it. How the fuck was I supposed to know I was gonna hate if before I saw it? … Of course I paid to see it.

EDIT.

In fact, I saw it twice in theaters. Why? Because I went to a very late showing the first time I saw it and sorta fell asleep halfway through. I wasn't even sure if I'd liked it or not, so I decided to see it again. And then I realized I hadn't fallen asleep because I was tired, which I was I guess, but because it bored the fuck out of me.

So, yeah. I did pay to see it and so did A LOT of people worldwide. It did make a lot of money, but that don't mean it didn't suck.

Edited November 17, 2013 by TombRaider

[luciusfunk]

I paid to see it in 3D.

[ZoSoRose]

I'm at the casting call in Troy, Michigan right now.tons of people here

[Georgy Zhukov]

I'm at the casting call in Troy, Michigan right now.tons of people here

Anything happen?

[Mysteron]

Are these auditions the same as, "Producers are looking to cast two lead roles for Star Wars: Episode VII - a "street smart" girl in her late teens and a "smart, capable" man in his early 20s.

Those particular auditions were done in the UK recently

[ZoSoRose]

I'm at the casting call in Troy, Michigan right now.tons of people here

Anything happen?

Are these auditions the same as, "Producers are looking to cast two lead roles for Star Wars: Episode VII - a "street smart" girl in her late teens and a "smart, capable" man in his early 20s.

Those particular auditions were done in the UK recently

Yes, the auditions I went to were for those two roles. There are live auditions going on in six American cities and a few more that were in the UK (i think they are also going to do it in London in a few weeks). Its like a tour for casting! Anyways, I have zero experience in acting, do not fit the physical descriptions given, and basically have zero chance in hell when it comes to being cast in one of those two roles! That being said, I love Star Wars and since one of these auditions was in Troy, Michigan which is only an hour from where I live and basically in my hometown, I had to go check it out.

I went with my sister, girlfriend, and two good friends- one guy and one girl. We got to the fancy hotel it is at about 30- 40 minutes before it was supposed to start and there were already a couple of hundred people there. We get in line and within what seems like minutes, hundreds more were in line behind us. There were easily a couple of thousand people there. I was thinking we would be in and out once the line started movie, but once you get in this large room it was being held, they sat us down splitting us into groups of guys and girls. This was the long part, and we were there sitting for a couple of hours. It was cool though to see all the wannabee actors/actresses, the fans, and the people who were just there to be there. Met a few nice people and it was really cool to see how the process for a major motion picture really starts. After about an hour or two the lead casting lady got up and gave us a speech about the roles, working with JJ Abrams, and episode VII. I didn't really learn anything new but it was cool nonetheless. Keep in mind there were about 700-1000 people waiting in this room (and thousands more waiting who haven't even reached the room yet) but once they started calling people up, it flew.

I got about 20-30 seconds with the head casting lady. It was clear I wasn't what they were looking for as she told me to submit an online audition. I didn't read any of the script and no pictures were taken. If they liked you, you were given another time to come in and read the lines for an audition. I did ask her about extras but she told me that the movie is filming in the UK, and that would be done there. She was polite enough.

Overall though, I am glad I went. It was a new experience and I can say I was a part of a Star Wars movie, even if I didn't get a role. If you are going to one of the casting calls you should take a resume and a headshot, even if its something you took that morning as its the only way they will remember you.