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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

ST Millennium Falcon in TFA vs OT

Discussion in 'Sequel Trilogy' started by ChewieWe'reHome, Apr 3, 2016.

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  1. ChewieWe'reHome

    ChewieWe'reHome Jedi Knight star 1

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    Aug 25, 2015
    First of all, let me say that I LOVED TFA. But ever since my first theater trip to it, I've always felt weird seeing the Falcon again.

    As far as CGI goes (even by today's standards), it looks brilliant. But then I look back at the original trilogy and feel so much more connected to the vessel. I mean by this point I've known it for 3 whole movies, so shouldn't seeing it again in TFA feel the same?

    My guess is that stakes are subtly lowered with a CGI Falcon over a model. When I saw the model in the OT, I saw a real spaceship flying through dangerous space. Now (while my brain attempts to see a real spaceship) it instead blends in with any other computer effect in the background.

    (Please refrain from turning this into a CGI vs Practical Effects war. Because I believe both are valuable in different scenarios)

    I do, however, have an argument against this theory. My favorite shot of the Falcon occurred as

    Rey flew it out of Jakku's atmosphere into space.
    It looks absolutely stunning and the most like the original model. So maybe the ship itself wasn't the issue but rather the environment it was put in. TFA introduced the first instances of the saga where the Falcon crashed through inter-planet terrain. Examples:

    i.e. departing the Jakku junkyard, landing on Starkiller Base
    Seeing how this had never been done to the Falcon before, it's possible that it rattled my trained Star Wars vision.

    I'd love to hear your own impressions of the Falcon appearing again 30+ years after ROTJ. Feel free to counter my statements, I'm all ears.
     
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  2. ucdex

    ucdex Jedi Knight star 3

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    Dec 20, 2015
    There's also the simple fact there were simply fewer films that attempted what Star Wars was doing during the OT days.

    Your typical summer blockbuster have so many things exploding while the main characters fly into/through/under/over/in-between said explosions and dangers we've simply become desensitized.

    Also, when we first saw the OT, there was no expectation the Falcon would survive (I had no expectations) so the threat level could 'seem' higher.

    There are many reasons for this, but I don't think it has anything to do with effects quality or the way the effects were done.
     
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  3. thejeditraitor

    thejeditraitor Chosen One star 6

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    Aug 19, 2003
    it's called overthinking.
     
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  4. ChewieWe'reHome

    ChewieWe'reHome Jedi Knight star 1

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    Aug 25, 2015

    Possibly. The fact remains that when I initially wasn't "overthinking", and just trying to watch the movie, the Falcon didn't make me feel the way it did before. A little strange considering that it served just as simple a purpose as it did in the OT.

    And after all, this IS just a forum where we come to essentially overthink things.
     
  5. JabbatheHumanBeing

    JabbatheHumanBeing Jedi Grand Master star 6

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    Jul 14, 2015
    I generally agree. My eye for these sorts of things is perhaps unusually sharp, but even the very best CGI registers as a little false to me. That said, the CGI Falcon was quite beautifully and convincingly done. But I just can't help but feel a little less love for it.
     
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  6. Sarge

    Sarge Chosen One star 10

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    Oct 4, 1998
    For me, the most noticeable difference was the interior. It seemed to me that many of the maintenance access panels were open/removed, so we could see lots of pipes and wires and gizmos inside. That makes sense for a ship that hasn't been flown in years and has had various custom modifications and "improvements" that haven't been tested yet. When Han & Chewie came aboard, Ford did a great job of looking around critically at all the things that had been done to his ship while he'd been away; I'm sure his experience at having old and classic airplanes restored had a lot to do with the way he played that scene.
     
  7. SkooterNB

    SkooterNB Jedi Grand Master star 2

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    Mar 4, 2005
    I think ships interacting with their environment is definitely something that we aren't used to. Seeing the Falcon skidding along Jakku, and the other instances you mentioned, was totally new. Also, seeing TIEs crashing and debris flying as opposed to just a fire explosion and some light debris flying into space... that was totally new.
     
  8. Stoneymonster

    Stoneymonster Force Ghost star 4

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    May 8, 2002

    Something I didn't notice until watching it at home is that all those open access panels had worklights hanging in them for most of the film :)
     
  9. jimmycrank

    jimmycrank Jedi Knight star 4

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    Dec 29, 2015
    The Falcon in TFA is amazing though, I think i know what you mean, BUT the chase scene between the TIE Fighters and Falcon in TFA is amazing it looks great, the twists, turns and maneuvers at simply awesome to watch
     
  10. CEB

    CEB Force Ghost star 5

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    Dec 3, 2014
    The only shot I don't like is when it nearly crashes immediately after takeoff on Jakku; the weight of the falcon feels like it should make the ship buckle, or at least crush the cockpit. It doesn't look right that it maintains its structural integrity
     
  11. Sarge

    Sarge Chosen One star 10

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    Oct 4, 1998
    Yes, and same thing again when she flew through the trees at SKB. When aircraft meet tree trunks, the tree always wins. I didn't think the Falcon was that much tougher than an airplane.
     
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  12. PymParticles

    PymParticles Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Oct 1, 2014
    The CGI for the Falcon looked great, but I agree it was a bit jarring for me. I'm just so used to seeing it as a practical model, that seeing it done another way (in a live-action movie, not in a video game or something) and made to do things and put into environments that practical effects circa 1977-1983 weren't capable of was sort of uncanny. The more I watch the film (I've only seen it three times so far), the more I get used to it, though.
     
  13. Dagobah Dragonsnake

    Dagobah Dragonsnake Jedi Master star 4

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    Feb 7, 2016
    Our aircraft and spacecraft are not designed to play tag in asteroid fields. We also do not know what kind of structural integrity is needed for hyperspace jumps, or to deflect blaster shots. Or to escape an exploding Death Star. Honestly most of our craft are designed light as possible because of power and fuel capacity. Given adequate power from a concentrated fuel supply one can beef up a craft for the environment it would face. Obviously the Falcon is beefed up. I thought the same way when I saw the rough take off from Jakku, but turned on my rationalization filter and came up with the above.
     
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  14. CEB

    CEB Force Ghost star 5

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    Dec 3, 2014
    Aye. I wouldn't say it broke the film or anything, and I pretty immediately did a vague "ah, it's made out of super strong stuff to cope with space", but visually it's just slightly jarring initially
     
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  15. thejeditraitor

    thejeditraitor Chosen One star 6

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    Aug 19, 2003
  16. Mister Bones

    Mister Bones Jedi Master star 3

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    Jan 27, 2016
    The Falcon also has shields (as do most other craft in SW), so this would help keep its structural integrity intact in case of impact. I would imagine. I like how they replaced the dish with the rectangular one even if the round one is aesthetically nicer, to my eyes.
     
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  17. Sarge

    Sarge Chosen One star 10

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    Oct 4, 1998
    When Rey and Finn first took off in the Falcon, the shields were not up. That was stated explicitly in the dialog as Rey tried to stretch across from the pilot seat to the controls on the far side of the copilot seat.
     
  18. TheOneX_Eleazar

    TheOneX_Eleazar Jedi Knight star 4

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    Oct 24, 2013
    I liked the rectangular dish also just made it obvious that it was a replacement, and it really did lose the previous dish.
     
  19. ChewieWe'reHome

    ChewieWe'reHome Jedi Knight star 1

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    Aug 25, 2015

    To be fair, it was coming in at just under lightspeed (which I know, in & of itself, also seems impossible). I personally never had a problem with the IDEA of it crashing through things, but really just with the look of it.
     
  20. Mister Bones

    Mister Bones Jedi Master star 3

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    Jan 27, 2016
    Aye, that's right. I guess when they crash landed on SKB, the shields would have probably helped at least.
     
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  21. Darth PJ

    Darth PJ Force Ghost star 6

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    Jul 31, 2013
    I thought the interior of the Falcon, the practical set, looked great. I didn't particularly like the CGI version. Not that there was anything wrong with the animation per se, but as others have mentioned, it was the over use of movement. It felt it had no weight. It's a pity they didn't go back to how it was shot in the OT and do a digitised version of that. That would have kept its movements stylised and closer to the OT.
     
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  22. ucdex

    ucdex Jedi Knight star 3

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    Dec 20, 2015
    The new Dish is also lower in profile than the old round one, which I think is one of those things that even makes sense 'in universe'
     
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  23. dva3842

    dva3842 Jedi Master star 1

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    Apr 2, 2008
    It was JJAbrams twisting and white-lying again like the not-Khan/it is Khan rubbish he did in ST:ID. The hype was trying to lead us to believe almost everything would be practical, when it was only the grounded set piece which was fabulous to me. The CGI flying was ok to me as I didn't think too much about it. It was great just hearing the OT sounds again and seeing the defense guns in use again. I felt they were just showing off the wrecked Star Destroyer more. After that the falcon became a plot point ferrying bus.
     
  24. Grand_Moff_Jawa

    Grand_Moff_Jawa Jedi Grand Master star 5

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    May 31, 2001
    Shields maybe? [face_dunno]
     
  25. SimitarLikeTusk

    SimitarLikeTusk Jedi Knight star 3

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    Mar 10, 2014
    I get the philosophy a little bit, after I heard it explained in interviews, why they wanted the Falcon to look EXACTLY the same. But still something about the Falcon, R2, and C3PO looking not noticeably aged and beaten up than the last time we saw them felt off to me.
     
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