ST Too much pandering to the OT

For the past decade some hardcore OT fanboys have whined about the prequels and held them to impossible standards that they didn't even apply to the OT. But is there really a need for all this pandering to the prequel haters? "PRACTICAL EFFECTS", "PRACTICAL EFFECTS", "PRACTICAL EFFECTS". It seems EP7 is more of a film to spite Lucas and the fans that enjoy all 6 films than to simply tell a good story and add to the Star Wars lore.

 

nobody is trying to spite Lucas smfh.

the marketing so far has been a little too nostalgia oriented but I'm confident that the film itself will not just be an OT rehash and will be a genuinely new, different, SW film. the reason it's all nostalgia oriented now is 'cause a) it works lol and b) these are the characters/elements we already know which means the new stuff will have an element of mystery to it going into the film.

 

so a movie that is a sequel to the OT and that is following the OT style, that is pandering???

 

My guess is TFA will have less practical effects than TPM, or maybe around the same balance of practical vs CGI. This is a good thing! TPM had the perfect mix of techniques. AOTC and ROTS went too far, with total sequences being little more than actors against greenscreen, or digital doubles.

Saying that, there HAS been too much pandering to the notion of 'prequels suck, originals rule' and all the people who still live and breathe that. The OT elements that are returning, albeit in slightly modified form (this includes the OT 3 ;D) are a tad overwhelming. I honestly would liked to have seen less of that and more brand new stuff. Of course, there ARE brand new characters, ships, environments etc. but still...

 

I wanna add that I have zero problems with fan service or nostalgia it just seems so far this is being done in spite. Not saying that is exactly what Abrams is intending but it is what it feels like so far. Either way I just hope the finished product is good.

 

To be fair, it's not just following the style. Bringing back the OT 3, particularly Han and Chewie back in the MF, the TIEs, X-Wings etc, even Vader (pretty convinced we will see the suited character in all his glory, not just the burnt-out helmet). Kylo Ren's obsession with Vader is almost mirroring the production team's! xD

 

This is the most laughable thread in my 16 years posting here. Congrats.

 

Thing is, I'm a fan of all six episode's... Lucas's six part Magnus Opus.

Ideally, the ST, if it really need's to happen at all (which I'm far from convinced about) should build on the legacy of that six part Saga... Not try build (copy?) one part and denigrate another part (I didn't notice in the video but I just read they've even got a cameo from the absurd dullard Simon Pegg in this film... I mean... WTH? )

It is what it is, and thankfully for those of us that enjoy it, we'll always have Lucas's six part Star Wars Saga... Disney, LFL, Abrams, etc... Will never be able to take those films away from us. But for sure, what's going on does leave a nasty taste in the mouth.

 

well 30 years later the OT3 are still alive and they still have an important role to play in the story. Ships won't advance that much in times of war and when one wastes resources, plus only 30 years have passed and we still don't even know what advancements the new ships have? Kylo being obsessed with Vader who seems to be his grandkid makes sense as this is still a family Saga and it is following the Saga themes.

 

Hey Gavin,

The dullard will be under mask. You will have no clue he is there. This is just an Abrams favor to a friend.

 

That is my exact problem with the marketing of EP7 so far. Once again I have no problem with the nostalgia or fan service where I draw the line is when the marketing is trying to ram home "Yeah don't worry we know the prequels sucked" which is incredibly stupid to do as many did enjoy the prequels like myself.

I just want something new and different. I am happy to have the original cast back and Abrams in the director chair but it will be a shame if this all done in spite. Not saying it will be but I just have that feeling as of late.

 

The CGI in TFA will just look better than it did in the prequels. All this "PRACTICAL EFFECTS!!!!!1" is just marketing. The actual ratios don't really matter at all.

 

You can always opt out.

Just don't see the ST. Keep Star Wars as a six film saga and move on with your life.

 

Hey Vin... Long time no speak.

I'll have to drop by GIL later... For old time's sake!

 

I like that stormtroopers are being played by real actors, and that the one playing the incendiary trooper was firing a real flamethrower. I like that R2 is once again a real prop. I like that the First Order's holding cells and hangar bay were an actual set.

If this is pandering, I'll have more please.

 

That's an option I'm seriously considering.

Thing is though, I'm genuinely interested/intrigued to see what Rian Johnson does with Episode VIII as I rate him VERY highly as a Director (much more highly than Abrams) so I'm a bit torn at the moment. Shame Rian isn't doing the whole Trilogy...

 

I don't think it's the way they are making the movie (that's really up to the choice's of the director/producers, etc...) It's the way they are choosing the sell the film, that's the problem I think.

I mean the comment about "We actually went to a desert to shoot this film" was just so...

 

It looks like a sequel to ROTJ with some updated CG. It wouldn't make sense to look like AOTC unless they go to Corusant or Utapau.

 

This. It's how they are selling the film so far that I have a problem with but it's nice to meet a fellow fan that enjoys all 6 films

 

That's not a ridiculous statement. Plenty of film-makers would chose to forgo flying a large cast and crew to a remote desert location in favor or green-screening it. If they're bragging it's because it's worth a brag.

More of this:


Less of this:

 

Oh well.

 

They "went to the desert" to film TPM, AOTC, ANH, and ROTJ... I think Liam Neeson's wig is still flying around Morocco somewhere...

Abrams isn't unique and it's honestly nothing to brag about that he took a film crew to the desert to film a Star Wars movie.

 

I think all these 'pandering to OT Fan' gripes are all overblown. Besides these are set after OT so being similar is hardly the crime some claim it to be. Nor are practical effects bad or threatening either.

 

It's marketing built on falsehoods. There were huge sets in the PT, locations in TPM and AOTC, and tons of miniatures and makeups. LFL used whatever technique was the most affordable since Lucas was making the movies with his own money. It's easy to jump up and down and pat yourself on the back for creating a makeup for a background character when a CGI character would be cheaper when you're spending the mouse's money. And the Clonetroopers were CGI for a reason: they all needed to be motion captured by the same actor since they were, you know, clones. They all needed to be the same size and have the same body language, etc.

Besides, two of the main characters in TFA are CGI characters: Maz and Snoke.

This marketing is part nostalgia pandering and part passive aggressive attacks on Lucas. At least they've got the guts to insult him while he's still alive, most of these people wait until the creators are dead and buried to insult their work.

 

When film-makers really make the effort as opposed to CG-in the exotic locale in post, it's praiseworthy. And it benefits both the cast and the audience. Just look at the Lars homestead versus the arena in AOTC. The extra effort makes a difference.