Discussion "Dirty" firefights

I always thought the prequels had boring shooting sequences since all of the shots were usually clean and precise. While the original trilogy had sparks flying and people tumbling in all directions with flaming holes in their chests. Anyone else want to see this style brought back?

 

Dirty?
I'd like a return to the more brutal, "I'm beating the **** out of you no grace no choreography no nothing" types of fight

 

Less lightsabers and hokey religions. More good ole' blasters at your side.
It's telling that my favorite parts of Phantom Menace were the scenes on Tatooine. The criminal element of Star Wars was almost nonexistent in the prequels after TPM, and I felt that was a big letdown.

Star Wars has all the trappings of a Space Western, but they never seem to exploit this nowadays, favoring lightsabers or politics over Bounty Hunters and gunslinger Smugglers. I want moar Crime syndicates, hutts, Black Sun, bounty hunters, blasters, thieves, convicts, wretched hives of scum and villainy.

 

I wish they make fight scenes along the lines of those from The Old Republic cinematic trailers.

Whatever one thinks of the game, those cinematics were some pretty ****ing epic things.

EDIT - In fact, I just rewatched them and even though I do enjoy the game itself... damn, why isn't it more like the cinematics...

 

Star Wars needs gangsters!

 

Make the Sequel Trilogy like a 40s Gangster flick.

 

-C

 

Considering that it was the lightsaber era, you shouldn't be surprised.

 

You mean the ones with Jedi that looked like they were on steroids and fight sequences that included bullettime slow-mo? I shudder at the thought of that in a real SW movie.

Anyway. I much prefer the PT style of lightsaber choreography combat to the simplistic shootouts of the OT. I'd say if you combine the duels of the PT with the dogfights of the OT, you have a good compromise.

 

Eh...no Jedi looked like they were on steroids in those cinematics, man.
The game itself has a stylized look, but the trailers are pretty realistic in their appearance.

Slow motion looked rather cool to me, but if you don't like it fair enough.

 

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I actually thought that some of the battles scenes involving the clones fighting on Geonosis in AOTC were really well shot - bit of shaky cam, dust, explosions, smoke, blaster shots. Those scenes impressed me.

 

I agree. Those TOR cinematics were amazing. I could live without bullet-time, but the overall fight choreography was incredible. In my opinion, the best sword fight in the entire series was Obi-Wan vs. Maul in TPM, but even that is trash compared to the TOR trailers.Those trailers also had other things, like gun recoil and people getting their heads force-slammed into the ground so hard is cracks the concrete. ...very visceral and brutal. I love it.

The thing about the trailer choreography is that every swing of a saber is a STRIKE that would have killed its target if it hadn't been blocked or parried. If you watch the prequel fight choreography closely almost every fight consists of them clanking sabers together, often in swings that wouldn't have landed even unblocked. ...and then of course you have things like Anakin inexplicably sticking his arm out to be chopped off by Dooku.

The dumbest fight was Anakin v. Obi-Wan in ROS. ...just a bunch of swinging sabers at nothing.

 

I dunno exactly what the OP is referring to, but I LOVED that practical effect that happened whenever you saw a Stormtrooper getting shot by a blaster. That big, fiery hole they made caused the fights to feel legitimately dangerous.

 

Definitely would like to see a return to the OT style of gunfights. Thing is in order to have those visceral scenes of a big fiery hole when someone was shot you need to have real actors in suits so they can do a practical effect when the laser bolt hits. Just doesn't look the same when its a cg droid or clone.

Assuming there is a baddie army of some description, i hope its represented by actors in suits - at least for close up shots - so they can do those practical effects.

Agree with Themanfrommortis though. The Geonosis scenes were good - reminded me a lot of the battle of Hoth.

 

One of the things i diliked about the OT was the bad guys were a bunch of droids. Watching CGI aliens fight CGI droids just isnt compelling. Clonetroopers vs. Droids was a bit more interesting, but not by much. When the combattants are soulless robots or clones, its just hard to be invested in the battle or stakes. I mean, lets be honest - who really cared if a bunch of GGI gungans or droids died? The sequels would do well to have real humans (with aliens) fighting other humans (with aliens). It would make it easier to "emotionally invest" in the conflict.

 

Agree. The battle of Naboo was like watching a loony toons cartoon. No emotional investment at all. A sharp contrast to the Obi / Qui Gon / Maul lightsaber fight.

 

There should definately be smoke coming out of everything the blaster bolts hit.

 

I cared.

I was hoping they would wipe them out.
All of them.

 

I certainly hope we do see smoke, sparks, and real people in costume/armor. CG clones/Gungans vs CG droids in a CG setting just doesn't do it for me.

More on the screen != better. Ground battles like Hoth and Endor worked so much better because of real people in real snow/forest, carrying around real props and wearing real costumes. Tangible is always the way to go, especially in sci-fi/fantasy where so much is already testing our suspension of disbelief. There needs to be something mundane to ground the utterly fantastic.

 

My favorite shootouts were the first shootout and the escape from Cloud City.
It was easier to maintain a PG rating with Jedi chopping down creatures and droids with lightsabers than people getting shot. Remember the "60 Minutes" episode before TPM with Lesley Stahl interviewing George Lucas? There was a clip where he was reviewing Naboo shooting scenes and pointing out "that guy doesn't have to die on camera."
For the Special Editions, Lucas also trimmed some of those flaming laser wounds. As for The Clone Wars, there have been some serious blaster deaths on that show.

 

The two shooutouts in ANH (Tantive 4 and Death Star) are amazing. The escape from Cloud City and to the end of the movie is my favorite sequence ever.
Bobatron when you refer to the Episode 1 death are you referring to the guard that charges out in front of Amidala and does the Wilhelm scream in the hanger at the end?

 

Yeah, the shootouts in the OT were more exciting than the shootouts in PT. In my opinion, that is probably because of the digitalized special effects.
Watching Han Solo shoot Stormies in Mos Eisley really pumped up your adrenaline. Plus, there was more smoke in the shooting scenes.