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

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

Discussion in 'Sequel Trilogy' started by Pro Scoundrel , Jan 3, 2020.

  1. Pro Scoundrel

    Pro Scoundrel New Films Expert At Modding Casual star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 20, 2012
    Ok guys, we're going to have a new thread for a CIVIL and POLITE discussion about J.J. Abrams, and his work on TFA & TROS.

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  2. TheDutchman

    TheDutchman Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 10, 2015
    politely, i think he was the worst person that could have been chosen for SW.

    Am i banned yet?
     
  3. Nate787

    Nate787 Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Jan 29, 2016
    I thought he was the right one to start it off but was so happy knowing he wasn't supposed to come back. When it was announced that he was back for ep 9 my stomach turned in knots knowing that we would never get a unique and satisfying ending. It was worse than I thought.
     
  4. Jubz

    Jubz Jedi Knight

    Registered:
    Dec 20, 2015
    He was the right choice for Disney for TFA, because they wanted a nostalgic repeat of the original. Unfortunately, his habit of creating mystery boxes, with no idea what's inside them, compounded Disney's own lack of proper planning. I think JJ is fine in the moment, and while having a different Star Trek timeline for him to reboot may have been an OK fit - trying to get him to finish Lucas's saga, which was already complete, was a bad idea.

    Oh, and Super 8 is way better than either of his Star Wars films.
     
  5. JFettG

    JFettG Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 12, 2002
    He always felt like the extremely "safe" pick for LF and Disney to choose. I enjoyed TFA but was excited to see a different director's vision for the next two movies (yes I liked TLJ, faults and all!). I don't think JJ did anything bad, I thought TROS was alright, but he likes to focus on safe decisions and nostalgic moments.
     
  6. ewoksimon

    ewoksimon Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 26, 2009
    Abrams was always the reliable pick for Kennedy and Lucasfilm to take on TFA and later to take over on TROS. While I think there's a fair amount of criticism to be made about several of the story choices he made on both films (namely more obligatory planet killers), I also appreciate several of the risks he took, especially removing Luke from the entirety of TFA, as well as making Rey a descendant of Palpatine. Whether or not you agree with those choices, they were by no means the "safe" options.

    And, by extension, I give him credit for resisting the most slam dunk nostalgia option of all: reuniting Han, Luke and Leia.
     
  7. chris hayes

    chris hayes Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 13, 2012
    JJ should have been given the trilogy and concerning time constraints released the movies in 2015 , 2018 and 2021 and keep the saga the same with 3 years in-between on all the movies ,

    If JJ had done the trilogy then you would have seen a much different EP8 with a different title and a movie that would have none of TLJ type backlash and also JJ would have moulded TROS into a much more cohesive film and we would be talking more $1.5 billion ww for EP8 and $1.4 billion for EP9 rather than the $1.3b and $1.05b we have got.
     
  8. PendragonM

    PendragonM Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 7, 2018
    Why? Why is that a good thing? Name me one other franchise, on TV or film, that hired the original cast and didn't reunite them. Why should the cast of the #2 film of all time, who made their characters and their friendship iconic, not be reunited? What story purpose did it serve?

    I think JJ is highly overrated - I was on that train before Lost. His idea of direction is to quarter horse sprint to the finish of the film, as if we won't notice there's no there there if he goes fast enough. I am waiting for the day the emperor is finally exposed as having no clothes and I think I'm going to see it. He managed to destroy both Star franchises and get worshipped for it, he should be the one running for future office, not Bob Iger.
     
  9. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    Star Trek TNG. Rehired Kelley, Doohan, and Nimoy - all for separate episodes, with them never meeting on-screen.
     
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  10. PendragonM

    PendragonM Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 7, 2018
    Finally someone came up with an example. Of course, they'd been in six films together by that point and the three appearances were in different seasons.
     
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  11. DarkGingerJedi

    DarkGingerJedi Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 21, 2012
    I think if JJ had come up with a way for Luke to be in exile, and still had all three reunite for just a single minute of screen time, no more....

    You would not hear one complaint from anyone ever. There would be no talk about how he should have just kept them away from one another, or how fan servicey it was. I'm sure everyone would be clapping, or tearing up.
     
  12. ewoksimon

    ewoksimon Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 26, 2009
    I'm not saying it's a good thing, but just because it's obvious doesn't mean it's right unless there's a good narrative reason for it. Otherwise, it's just an empty nostalgia chase. In any case, given the circumstances of the story of the sequel trilogy, I'm not so sure a reunion of the big three would have been a harmonious one. It would likely have been a far cry from their celebratory jubilance at the end of ROTJ, and while I understand and respect that disrupting that ostensibly happy ending is an unforgivable sin of this trilogy for some, I personally didn't need it. I frankly prefer the bittersweet reunions afforded to Han and Leia and Luke and Leia in TFA and TLJ respectively, more accurate reflections of the passage of time, adding texture and depth to those characters' journeys rather than the tidiness of a "happily ever after."
     
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2020
  13. PendragonM

    PendragonM Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 7, 2018
    Why is the way the story is written treated as if it came down the mountain with the Commandments? There were many, many ways to go.

    Thanks for answering. I can't understand that view at all but apparently, I'm in the minority considering how many variations I've read on this take. I just don't understand and I never ever will.
     
  14. ewoksimon

    ewoksimon Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 26, 2009
    Sure, although this discussion is probably more suited for the development of the trilogy itself, clearly putting Luke in exile was a universally agreed upon story point and the rest cascaded from there. Again, I get why this story choice doesn't work for some people, but I thought it was a bold choice.
     
  15. CaptainSuchandSuch

    CaptainSuchandSuch Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Dec 8, 2015
    I was a big JJ advocate before the ST came out. When I first heard he was announced for Episode VII around the start of 2013, I thought he was the perfect choice. It calmed my concerns about the trilogy.

    In hindsight, now having seen two of his Star Wars movies, I have taken that back. His directorial vision of Star Wars doesn't fit with Lucas's main episodic saga. I think Rian Johnson would have been a better choice to direct the trilogy. Abrams would be fine for an anthology movie along the lines of Rogue One and Solo or even a Disney Plus series.
     
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2020
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  16. chris hayes

    chris hayes Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 13, 2012
    But if I did have a complaint against TFA is would be that the Big 3 did not reunite ! it could easily have been done in a flash back and not have effected the plot of TFA - JJ dropped the ball on that one.....
     
  17. ewoksimon

    ewoksimon Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 26, 2009
    I'll move the conversation in another direction: Abrams absolutely nailed the casting for the primary characters of this trilogy, specifically Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac. The biggest challenge of this trilogy was always going to be getting the audience invested in a new generation of characters, and TFA passed that test with flying colors by the end of its first act. For me, it's impossible to imagine anyone else in those roles.
     
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2020
  18. indydefense

    indydefense Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Jan 2, 2019
    I was lukewarm about Abrams coming back, but relieved that it wasn't Colin Trevorrow. Based on his Jurassic movies, I can't imagine him making a better movie than TROS (That's not saying much, but still...).
     
  19. ewoksimon

    ewoksimon Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 26, 2009
     
  20. The Regular Mustache

    The Regular Mustache Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Dec 22, 2015
    The director’s cut is just Return of the Jedi with new cast CGI’d in.
     
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  21. TheDutchman

    TheDutchman Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 10, 2015
    *****

    why was resisting that a good thing?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 11, 2020
  22. Aximili86

    Aximili86 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2018
    Why is it a bad thing?
     
  23. TCF-1138

    TCF-1138 Anthology/Fan Films/NSA Mod & Ewok Enthusiast star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Sep 20, 2002
    Hey, sacred forum, watch the language.
     
  24. Noen

    Noen Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Dec 22, 2019
    Nope.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 11, 2020
  25. TCF-1138

    TCF-1138 Anthology/Fan Films/NSA Mod & Ewok Enthusiast star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Sep 20, 2002
    This is a family friendly forum, and that analogy was not.
     
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