Discussion Length of Episode 7

How long would you all like TFA to be?

 

A little longer than 2 hours, somewhere around 135 minutes or so.

 

I'll say between 2 hours 15 minutes and 2 hours 30 minutes (same as I said in the 7SA version of this thread).

 

Yeah, probably 2:15ish.

ALso known as: long enough to regret the two pints before the film and the large Coke during it.

 

Ha! As someone with an embarrassingly overactive bladder, I hear that. I'll likely choose a theater that lets you choose your seats and make sure I'm on the end of an aisle just in case.

 

How do you eat popcorn during the movie then!

 

Movie+Popcorn+Butter+Cheese+Candy+Water=Good time tho!

 

Double-
;-)

 

To the first, oh no, that stinks, how do you live without milk! Fair enough to the second

 

Considering that it will be setting up in all likelihood a new scenario in the Star Wars continuity, I would like to see it being a rather long and filled out film, say 2 hours 30 minutes? that would make it the longest SW yet wouldn't it?

 

For comparison's sake:
Phantom Menace: 136 minutes
Attack of the Clones: 142 minutes
Revenge of the Sith: 140 minutes
A New Hope: 125 minutes
Empire Strikes Back: 127 minutes
Return of the Jedi: 136 minutes

The PT averaged 10 minutes more per film than the OT. I don't think we'll see a crazy departure from these times (2.5 hours would be pushing it, I think), but I do think it'd make sense for TFA to be on the longer end of this spectrum given that they do need to establish the state of the galaxy and a bunch of new characters, which can be really hard to do just in a crawl.

 

Yes, editing is important. A good movie requires good pacing and including what needs to be there. None of this "the more the better" Middle-earth movie style filmmaking with movies that are 3 hours (or more) long, and then a second version later on DVD (Extended Editions) that's even longer and includes even more stuff.

 

I think that strategy worked for Peter Jackson with the LOTR movies when there was a ton of source content to work with, but fell apart with the Hobbit when the book they were adapting was much shorter. Since there's no source content being adapted for TFA, shorter could ultimately mean better.

 

I am one of the fans of extended versions. If it's not all just filler, and the extended scenes are good (favorites are Middle earth saga, Kingdom of Heaven, and Robin Hood) and bring something to the story. I've always wished SW would do extended versions, as some of the deleted scenes are great.

That being said, I don't mind at all if the TFA (or the ST) is longer-anywhere from 2 1/2 to 3 hours. But I do see the sense in keeping it close to 2 hours-or about 2:10, if only to be consistent with the rest of the saga...

My "official" prediction is it will be somewhere near the 2:15 mark.

 

I prefer leaving a film thinking it was 10 minutes too short, rather than thinking it was 10 minutes too long, or even just right. It tells me the pacing was right and that I was sucked into the story. It's odd, but especially when it is part of a series I don't really want to feel completely satisfied at the end.

Always leave them wanting more.

 

Darkslayer : Yeah, I thought you'd like that.

 

I get that. And I guess this is one of those "to each their own" things. Cos for me, (although I don't like unneccessarily drawn-out movies) there's nothing more frustrating than feeling that a movie felt too rushed, and leaving the theater feeling like it would've benefitted from another half hour. There are several movies I've seen/enjoyed that I felt this way for. One of the most obvious ones in my mind is X Men: The Last Stand. IMO, there was just so much more they couldv'e done with that one. Another 20 minutes would've benefitted the pace greatly. There are others, but I'm not going to list them all-this IS a Star Wars thread after all!!

 

They're probably aiming for approximately 2 hours and my guess is it'll end up being about 130 minutes long.
I also think it'll feel just right. We'll have plenty of time to get introduced to new characters, experience the first stage of the trilogy's plot and get really excited - and we'll probably be left itching to see what happens next

 

I watched Star Wars last night and it really solidified the point it was trying to make above. It's not about the movie being rushed, it's about the pacing, editing, and story structure leaving you wanting more.

Visualize the pacing on a graph, sort of shaped like the Nike swoosh. It starts out in media res with the Star Destroyer and Tantive IV, but after about 10 minutes it settles down, only to slowly and steadily build until the the end of the film. With only a couple brief plateus, it continually gains intensity for the last 60 minutes, with only the slightest mellowing out at the end. It's what..less than five minutes from the destruction of the DS to the iris out. The pulse is still elevated when the credits are rolling and one is left with the feeling of having to watch it again.

That, regardless of actual length in minutes, is what I want from TFA.

 

I am expecting about 2 hours and 15 minutes. I really doubt they would make it any longer than 2 and a half hours.