ST J.J. Abrams (Director Of TFA & TROS) Discussion Thread—Now Finally Discussing: JJ Abrams

Unceremoniously shoved into? How so?

 

It wasn’t. The OP is just projecting a baseless claim(spreading misinformation). JJ was free to do whatever he pleased.

 

Y'know an awesome shot that basically took me 7 times to really appreciate the Rey/Kylo Force fight where he's on Kajimi and she's on the Star Destroyer (whole scene is great really) but there's a pan/camera movement when Kylo is talking about Palpatine and the shot is on Rey with the Kajimi background and pan around her it becomes Kylo's room on the Star Destroyer as she's walking in a circle. It just looks so damn cool.

 

Yah while the Death Star lightsaber battle may have more visceral pop, the Force saber fight one of the most inventive visual saber battles I've ever seen, that stuff with the sets half Star Destroyer, half Kajimi is brilliant.

Also there's a whole lot of long takes in this movie, not like 1917 long but definitely action playing out in longer shots than most Abrams movies, I don't think I see a handheld camera much at all in the film, at least to the point where it's obvious and distracting like some of his earlier films. Last Jedi may have it beat for "best looking" ST movie (although that Force battle is pretty brilliant) but I think this is the best looking and more visually elaborate of Abrams two efforts and I think TFA looks fantastic as well.

 

Hot take: JJ Abrams's movies are basically feature-length Robot Chicken sketches.

 

I was wondering how they did that, until I saw the behind-the-scenes documentary -- and it is, indeed, brilliant in its simplicity, from on-set implementation to finished execution.

I think, from a visual standpoint, this part of the film is so effective because it combines two of the movie's most striking environments: One is an eerie, angel-white sci-fi interior (the inspiration was apparently the hotel/parlour room scenes at the end of "2001"), while the other is a rugged Japanese feudal town with a lick of fantasy paint. And at the foot of a mountain. Destined to be destroyed. Like Pompeii.

I just wasn't expecting this imagery and these sorts of resonances in the last film. And not from J.J. Abrams, who (in my opinion) generally served up plainer, less bizarre imagery and material in Episode VII. So it was really quite surprising, and allowed me to lean into the film and trust more in its exotic undertones.

There are actually a few "2001" references in TROS. How about Kylo's helmet, being repaired kintsugi-style, by a strange ape creature? So his ship interior makes sense. Or about as much sense as it ought to. Even that concave window is freakishy unexpected. It's more like something they'd cook up on Star Trek for a time traveller from the 30th Century or something. Yet that feels really right in Episode IX. Can't put my finger on it, but it does.

 

I love it when Star Wars references 2001. The other ones know of are:
-The opening shot of ANH (either the opening shot of 2001 or the pan down into the stargate near the end)
-The Millennium Falcon moving toward the Death Star in ANH (ship landing on the moon in 2001)
-A 2001 escape pod is in Watto's junkyard in TPM.
-A wide shot of astronauts on Polis Massa in ROTS (wide shot of astronauts on the moon in 2001)
-A deleted scene from TLJ has the exact same bathroom instructions from 2001 on the bathroom wall in DJ's ship

 

I agree. There are many others. Some obvious, some more obscure.

A few additional references in the original movie are covered in this video:

 

He played it safe with TFA as well.

 

A complete hack. This generation's Steven Spielberg: capable of producing immaculately-produced commercially viable shlock with no thematic heft or humanity.

 

I just laugh and think about what Honest Trailers said about JJ. How he can't stick to a landing.

 

Spielberg was a tremendous filmmaker at one point in his career. Comparing him to a hack like Abrams is ridiculous.

 

I’m always amazed at how many fans think a director of a studio film actually has complete control over the final product.

 

I blame Disney and Kathleen Kennedy as well. Go further back 20th Century Fox destroyed Alien 3. Blade Runner, the 2015 Fantastic Four. The saga of the 1980 film Heaven's Gate. I could go on.

 

One of the most annoying traits of a JJ Abrams picture is when two characters talk over each other at the same time.

 

The cinematography surrounding this fight scene looked great. But I thought the actual duel was a travesty and badly in need of a good fight choreographer.

 

Oh? It’s something I can relate to very well

 

While standing in a circle while the camera circles around this circle.

 

And then as soon as that conversation gets interesting, the characters are interrupted by something happening offscreen that demands their immediate attention.

 

That's because JJ can write and direct very natural-sounding dialogue (one of his strengths) but for some reason can't seem to write very interesting dialogue (his weakness).

 

I dont think I've ever seen anything from JJ sounding natural.

 

The interior of Kylo's meditation room evokes Vader's chamber in Episode V.