ST Can Ep7 be boring?

30ish. I'm 28 and definitely and trying to forget that I even watched the prequels and the SEs.

 

Although that might end up making it a rather forgettable movie. Most movies we view as classics had a rather slow pace compared to most modern action movies.

 

Fast paced movies are common, but I think the people who find ones that aren't are a vocal minority. Look at the success of the Hunger Games, Harry Potter, every Pixar movie, The Hobbit, etc. Those movies all move pretty slow compared to Star Trek 09 & Into Darkness & they did wonderfully at the box office. If JJ makes a fast Star Wars it will be rather generic and forgettable. I enjoyed JJ's Star Treks, but I don't really care to see them again-- while films like Brave, Up, Toy Story 3, & Wall-E are films I know I'll watch again and again. I'm planning on watching Super Eight this weekend. I've heard good things. I'm thinking Star Trek they were trying to go for a more audience friendly thing because it's always been a bit of a nerdy subculture thing. Although it has a huge nerdy subculture, Star Wars has always been audience friendly & will have a huge box office no matter how the movies are. Tangential note: Lucasfilm should have sent Caravan of Courage to theaters. The movie is comparable in quality to other fantasy adventure films of the 80s & could have made bank if properly marketed.

 

Its weird but true how today's generation mostly finds ANH boring. I think ANH actually is the most exciting out of all the Star Wars movies. I feel the story beats and tension is perfect, and nothing matches the Battle of Yavin in terms of drama and scale. I was most interested in the hero's journey aspect to it...even as a kid, and the wonder and amazement of the all the creatures and world's drew me in. But you have so much more of that today in cartoons and other movies - so I can understand why today's generation doesnt get into ANH they way I did back in the 80's. Ive tried showing my younger cousins and nieces/nephews...they just cant get into Star Wars. They say its boring.

 

I've made this point elsewhere ad nauseum, but I just don't think a mindless action film like the new Trek has what it takes to make new die-hard fans in large numbers. People liked them, but they don't spend countless hours living the "Trekkie" lifestyle because of them - and without those UDFs (as Hamill calls them), a cult show like ST never would've been worth remaking at all.
A Star Wars that does well at the box office isn't enough - it has to reignite our love of that world and ensure the next generation will be raised as Star Wars fans so Disney's investment will still be profitable in another three decades.

We need to be left thinking and wondering about this huge, fantastic world. We need to know what it's like to walk down a normal street on any old day. We need to know what our protagonist did in their spare time growing up. We need to get to know the characters - not just as convenient archetypes, but their contradictions and flaws (Being oh-so handsome and rebellious but always right is not a flaw, Kirk).

If there's no internal consistency to the world, there's nothing behind the curtain to be explored. Try to prod at it with your imagination and the two dimensional props just fall over.
(Wait, so they made a cure for death hundreds of years ago, and forgot? But now they know, so if I lived in the ST Federation I'd be pretty much immortal right? It is a perfectly equal post-scarcity utopia after all. No? They only used it once, on the main character, and we'll likely never hear about it again? Well they must've had some huge argument and controversy about the ethical and sociological implications of such a discovery before deciding not to reproduce it. No? Really? It just never occurred to them to save anyone but the main character with their large supply of freakin' MAGIC BLOOD THAT CURES DEATH? Okay...)

Episodes 8 or 9 could (and should) have some of the biggest, craziest, most jaw-dropping action scenes in cinematic history, but they have to serve the story first, and that means leaving some more breathing and exposition room in 7. I hope.

 

Yes – I think you’re both right... and that’s one of the challenges JJ has in making a film that can have broad appeal. And whilst slower paced and popular crowd pleasers are not mutually exclusive (Julian – you cite several good examples), JJ doesn’t have the advantage of Ep VII being an adaptation of a popular book a la The Hunger Games, Harry Potter or the Hobbit... Therefore, I think JJ will look to make Ep VII whizz and bang and zip from the off... I think it will ultimately be at the detriment of narrative/characterisation etc... but to what degree is, as yet, unknown. And that trade off will be what makes Ep VII a hit or miss in our eyes (the fans).

 

It won't be boring, I have never gotten bored with any of the movies.

 

Everything can happen, (I mean, if Samuel L. Jackson can get boring everything can) but I think JJ Abrams loves the franchise enough to keep that from happening.

 

I'd prefer it slow-paced to action-heavy. I'm actually increasingly finding action scenes boring. At this point, no amount of spectacle will do it for me. Avatar was the last film that had the visual wow factor for me (both in the action and non-action scenes), and that helped to elevate its (IMO) okay and somewhat formulaic story.

If the action-scene doesn't serve the plot, have dramatic import, and find some way to be original, then I don't want to see it, and at best, I'll tolerate it. If the SW is like Star Trek 2009 or The Avengers and if it also doesn't have elements that would appeal to kids, I will be pretty unsatisfied

 

Well, I'm under 30 but I was blessed enough to have known about SW long before the PT. While I felt different at the time, I find the PT action to be over the top at spots. lol Like when Anakin and Obi Wan were twirling their lightsaber for no reason during their fight in Mustafar.

To me, Star Wars is about the world and characters; so Luke's battle with Vader on the Death Star is far more impressive to me than anything in the PT because of this.

That being said, have no fear. This film is going to have a modern movie's pace. But I think it's a mistake to put that break neck pace throughout the entire film. Real SW is in between the fighting.

 

Movie Goer: Im bored.

Obi-Wan: Only in your mind, my very young apprentice.

I dont care...im a nerd. I was bored during phantom menace during the second viewing but i stuck it out. impatience might be a better word. I was a child when i watched the holiday special. There was no internet back then. Any tiny morsel of star wars i could find...i would gobble it up. I didnt care about bea arthur singing. I just remember the excitement when familiar faces appeared periodically. Just like the muppet show...i liked it...but i really really liked it when the droids and luke came on.






But like its been said here about slow scene setting shots....the scene in the space slug could be considered "boring" but it turned out to be quiet dramatic. The dialogue was also well written. The PT was all about MORE. more jedi, more sith, more droids, more battles, more everything.

Since JJ is making a lot of the right moves (film, puppets, ect) I honestly believe he knows what he is doing. The fact that Kasdan was involved screams a return to that style of story. The use of McQuarry designs will retain the feel of the OT as well. I belielve a "less is more" and "story driven" trilogy will be released. In fact it will be great...the only aspect is whether we choose to accept the "ancient fear" as a rational mcguffin.

Regardless...I will not be bored. The sound of a lightsaber, the roar of a wookie, the stars going to hyperspace lines, someone telling 3po to shut up, opening crawls....the new ships/characters ive never seen before....

No little bird....I will not be bored.

 

Star Wars also reveals character through action sequences, and I hope the new movie has plenty. There's usually at least two or three that you find yourself talking about after leaving the theater.

I'm 43, and could not stop talking about the trash compactor sequence and the trench run. Never once did you find us kids talking about the damned sunset.

 

I know it's never good to stereotype a large segment of people, but I have to for this explanation. I find that a lot of younger folk that grew up in the PT era or TCW era find ANH slow or boring. Even ESB and ROTJ is slow for their pacing. Even the PT is seen as dated to some.

This is really the issue I have with the ST not being a Lucas based creation. Lucas made the movies in the style and pace he liked, which to some is older and outdated. I prefer his style. Especially the standard camera style and panning. My fear for the ST is JJ will give way to SHAKEY cam, or over exaggerated camera movements (and lens flare). I found the 2009 Star Trek almost unwatchable. It was WAY too HYPER for me. The acting was just young people buzzing around all hyper. Too fast and sloppy for me. Even being a fan of the 80s Transformers I was disappointed in Michael Bays vision of it. Too much stuff going on at once.

So if by "boring" we mean more like the tradition Star Wars films (PT and OT) then I'm totally all for it! I don't just mean camera pacing, but also action. It seems like modern action movies are in a competition to see who can cause sensory overload in a movie goer first or worst. I would take Han running away from Stormtroopers blasting one or two then Solo kid Daisy wiping out armies of bad guys with a lightsaber on some epic scale.

KISS
Keep It Simple Stupid...

 

We need something which is a bit more than Avatar and a bit less the Avengers, it is was like ROTJ i would be happy.

 

ANH worked because it was introducing a whole new world to everyone. So it wasn't "boring" when you first watched it. Episode VII is dealing with a familiar universe, but of course they're going to have to set up what the new conflicts are gonna be, etc. But no, I don't think it "can" be boring--they're trying to re-energize a franchise here--especially for people who were disillusioned by the PT. Nor do I think it *will* be.

But I swear if there's a lot of political talk and the words "Trade Federation" come up even once, you're going to lose me.

 

EVII cannot be boring with the guy on the right in it:

 

Eye of the beholder. For some, including you perhaps, too much focus on the characters and "slow" dialogue scenes is boring. For me, watching a movie that seems more like a video game -- with characters endlessly jumping, flipping, bouncing, purely for the sake of showing off a bunch of fancy choreography -- is deadly dull. Especially when the action just drags on forever and the emotional context of the fight gets completely lost.

What gets me excited about a movie is great characters and character development. And that's what Episode 4 had in spades.

But this is one area where I really trust JJ. Whatever his flaws may be, I think JJ really understands how to balance action scenes and good character development in a movie. With the right combination of those two elements, Episode 7 should be an exciting ride for all kinds of fans.

 

I won't agree with you on that, but that is something that should be talked about in another thread.

 

Yeah, I agree with this. I remember after leaving Avatar thinking, "You know, if Cameron had changed a few things about this movie, he could've stuck it in the Star Wars universe, and it would've worked." I do think it's somewhat more formulaic than the Star Wars films, except for maybe ATOC, but if ROTJ didn't have the "Luke redeeming his father" stuff, ROTJ probably would've felt very similar to Avatar.

 

We all have our expectations for EPVII. We have notions of what we want to see and what we expect to see. What one fan find exciting, another fan will find boring. No matter how good a job JJ does at the helm, people will walk feeling disappointed or let down. While I prefer the OT to the PT, this doesn't discount people who prefer the PT to the OT. Different strokes for different folks.

 

ANH is the truest of the SW movies. It feels the most complete.

That makes sense, but I find it hard to believe that no one cared to remember it. The most remembered things in contemporary life are usually the things that have an impact on the children of the past. In other words, the old cats of 1977 aren't the reason that scene is iconic.

 

I think people need to understand that film style changes, as does audience interpretation and thus expectation. ANH was an action packed and fast paced movie when it first came out. It only appears 'slower' now because action movies have become faster. ANH paved the way for this modern trend (although TESB changed down gear somewhat)... with ROTJ really setting the template for contemporary action movies.

To interpret ANH as being 'slow' should not be viewed as a criticism... it's just the reality based on modern preferences - just as Karloff's Frankenstein's monster wouldn't now be regarded as really scary or Errol Flynn's Robin Hood as 'action packed' or 'sexy'. These things are relative.

 

INTERVIEWER: Did you hear what Darth PJ said about you?




INTERVIEWER: Errol, do you speak the language of "action" and being "sexy"?





INTERVIEWER: I bet all the women find you sexy and the guys like your action scenes

 

Probably my favorite movie of all time. It would be The Sea Hawk, but only if Olivia was the lead in that one too.

 

and to think they originally wanted to cast James Cagney as Robin Hood. I love Cagney, nobody plays a better gangster than Cagney, but as Robin Hood? No way. Nobody had the swag and was able to swash and buckle like Errol Flynn.

Flynn's one of my favorite actors. Loved The Sea Hawk. Loved Dodge City, Captain Blood (the movie that got him Robin Hood), Virginia City, The Charge of the Light Brigade, They Died With Their Boots On, Elizabeth and Essex, The Adventures of Don Juan, the list goes on and on.

In my opinion, there were 3 roles that actors were born to play because they embodied the characters that they played. I'm not saying other actors weren't perfectly cast, that other actors didn't do fantastic performances, or that these 3 actors weren't perfect for other roles, just that they were born to play these characters:

Errol Flynn as Don Juan

Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker

Christopher Reeve as Superman