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

ST JJ Abrams to direct Episode VII

Discussion in 'Sequel Trilogy' started by Kuestmaster, Jan 24, 2013.

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  1. Lulu Mars

    Lulu Mars Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 10, 2005
    I should've listened to you...

    Why, oh WHY did I not listen to you?!! :_|
     
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  2. Taylore

    Taylore Jedi Knight star 1

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    Mar 14, 2017
    I'll chime in and say that while I was disappointed when JJ was announced as the director--his projects tend to disappoint me on the story front, and Star Trek Into Darkness is an astoundingly clumsy fumble of that franchise--his dynamic style, professionalism and eye for casting really, really paid off.

    The Force Awakens has its hiccups and I'm not letting it off the hook for them (SKB), but it's so incredibly beautiful looking, superbly paced and shot and the characters are so endearing that it works for me as a full-circle thing. I observed someone using the word 'soulless' to describe it recently; I can scarcely imagine a film having more soul. And that was really what we needed, more than anything else. Not technical qualifications, but a sense of connection.
     
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  3. PymParticles

    PymParticles Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Oct 1, 2014
    I agree. I was having a conversation with someone who said it felt corporate to include things like stormtroopers, X-Wings, and TIE Fighters. Under any other circumstances, I'd agree, but in this case I'd argue they're there because Abrams loves them. The Force Awakens is the work of a director who passionately loves Star Wars, and I think it reflects in not just the sequences (I dare you to tell me that Abrams hadn't been imagining X-Wings, TIE Fighters, and the Millennium Falcon moving like they did and doing the things they did for years), but also in the characters. Finn and Rey are basically two characters who found themselves thrown into Star Wars, and even when it's terrifying, they are goddamn thrilled to be there. Look at their shared enthusiasm when they first escape Jakku, after they both proved to themselves that they could fly this "garbage" ship and man the guns and pull of an impossible feat of collaboration when taking down that final TIE Fighter. Or hell, Finn and Poe sharing a "Did you see that!? Did you see that!?" "I saw it, I saw it!" during their escape from the Star Destroyer. It's an energy that's infectious, and it permeates the entire movie, amplified by the whip crack pace of the film and the breezy humor.
     
  4. Lulu Mars

    Lulu Mars Chosen One star 5

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    Mar 10, 2005
    Add to that the ultimate Vader fanboy Kylo Ren stopping blaster bolts in mid air and brandishing a medieval style lightsaber. That's JJ's dark side dream come true for sure!

    "The Final TIE Fighter"... Sounds like a Star Wars Story to me! ;)
     
  5. Martoto77

    Martoto77 Jedi Master star 5

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    Aug 6, 2016
    If people are still in any way unsure of JJ's suitability remember that he has stated consistently that for him, Luke Skywalker IS Star Wars. And yet, he agreed that the best thing for the saga in the long run, would be for the new characters to emerge without the figure of the last jedi physically looming over their first movie.

    He deferred that pleasure to someone else and set up new characters whose potential has been validated already but which promise to be defined and redefined even further by their relationship with the mythic figure of Skywalker in the upcoming Episodes.

    He could have insisted that Luke at least played a role in the climax of the plot of Episode VII. But he didn't, in spite of his strong feelings about the character.
     
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  6. ewoksimon

    ewoksimon Chosen One star 5

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    Oct 26, 2009
    Yeah, as much as I would have loved to see Luke at least have a role in the third act rather than simply being a plot device, I appreciate that the writers held off on him and therefore, made his absence felt. I recall Michael Arndt saying that each time he'd try to incorporate Luke in earlier drafts, he would just take over the story and take attention away from the new characters.
     
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  7. 11-4D

    11-4D Force Ghost star 5

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    Apr 6, 2015
  8. Nipuhanipera

    Nipuhanipera Force Ghost star 5

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    May 25, 2014
    At the very least, I don't think Snoke was made a CGI-character to be a villainous symbol of the PT. Maz was CGI too, after all.
     
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  9. DARTH_BELO

    DARTH_BELO Force Ghost star 5

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    Nov 25, 2003
    That, Nipuhanipera, is why I never understood why people attacked the PT for having CG characters/creatures. TFA AND Rogue One has them too-and I'm sure we haven't seen the end of it! Sure the CG looks dated in some spots in the PT, but after all it IS over 15 years old...I mean IMO the puppets of the OT look even moreso.

    One thing I did enjoy about TFA was the rather nice (and IMO seamless) blend of the use of real AND CG. There was plenty of both in this film-and I loved that. Kind of a nice amalgamation of visual effects methods from both previous saga periods, to create an entirely different aesthetic-just what I had hoped for!
     
  10. Gigoran Monk

    Gigoran Monk Jedi Grand Master star 5

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    Dec 2, 2016

    Yeah. Though I thought Rogue One pulled off the best and most seamless blend of real and CG of any SW film to date.
     
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  11. redxavier

    redxavier Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Jan 23, 2003
    You have to keep in mind that the criticism of CG characters in the PT stemmed in great part from the technology not being good enough, but this was noticed more because the character or creature wasn't well developed. They were often a throwaway character or a creature that attracted too much attention to itself. Gollum (who has dated as well) was an interesting contemporary contrast, he was a compelling character that had purpose in the story and continues to work in LOTR on that basis. The way they shot Gollum helped you buy the character too, things like the blanket on the floor being sweapt up by Andy's real leg lend credence to his incorporation. Conversely, you had Kenobi not reacting to Grievous opening up with 6 lightsabres mere feet away. This wasn't quite true for many other CG creations of the time (not just Star Wars), and since then. CG characters have always been a tricky thing to get right.

    And the least successful elements of the TFA vfx were the CG creations. However, as many have said, the blend of CG backgrounds and subtle enhancements in the film worked wonders and was something that Abrams did really well. He also seems to have set the style of SW moving forward (which I personally couldn't be happier about).
     
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  12. thejeditraitor

    thejeditraitor Chosen One star 6

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    Aug 19, 2003
    ha ha! do people really think this?
     
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  13. Nipuhanipera

    Nipuhanipera Force Ghost star 5

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    May 25, 2014
    It's all in the link. :)
     
  14. bizzbizz

    bizzbizz Jedi Master star 4

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    Dec 16, 2015
    still feel how i felt when it was announced jj would direct the movie he was a smart safe choice. his movies are what studio's like they are safe take little risk but make money. so with the first star wars in a few years and disney wanting to recoup some of their 4billion $ investment it was only right they went with jj. he delivered what he always does a fun movie that sells well but doesn't really do anything out of the ordinary. but without his involvement we wouldn't of got the movie we did in rogue one and so on. really looking forward to what we get from episode 8 that director is more of a gamble for disney
     
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  15. Pro Scoundrel

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

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    Nov 20, 2012
    A person thinks it, not people.
     
  16. Nipuhanipera

    Nipuhanipera Force Ghost star 5

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    May 25, 2014
    [​IMG]
     
  17. Darth__Lobot

    Darth__Lobot Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Dec 29, 2015
    JJ certainly did a much better job with Star Wars than he did with Star Trek. All of the new Star Trek movies have been atrocious. I was also glad to see that JJ didn't have such a chaotic direction style in TFA and allowed you to actually follow the action. The action scenes (esp the ship battles) in the first Star Trek reboot are awful - you can't even tell what is happening.
     
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  18. Gamma626

    Gamma626 Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    May 6, 2014
    Maybe not even just SW films. I have my reservations about certain aspects of Rogue One, but it's a gorgeous film. The VFX work is astounding. Some of the best in any film I've ever seen.
     
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  19. MagnarTheGreat

    MagnarTheGreat Force Ghost star 5

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    Jul 21, 2016
    Westchester Magazine - 'Star Wars' Director J.J. Abrams Returns to Westchester

    http://www.westchestermagazine.com/JJ-Abrams-Sarah-Lawrence-Westchester-Commencement/ (May 15, 2017)
     
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  20. Taylore

    Taylore Jedi Knight star 1

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    Mar 14, 2017

    In thinking about this subject as I've been reading comments, I agree - one has to acknowledge the fact that the crowning VFX-character achievement in the PT was...Jar Jar Binks. I actually don't have a problem with his appearance; he looks good to me. But it's like a flame drawing moths to the CGI when you have that character waiving the banner. I also think that some of the big monsters in the PT look kind of silly. Not bad graphically, just strange from a design standpoint.

    Gollum also represents the approach wherein CGI is used because there is an important character who couldn't appear without it. I daresay that in a lot of films (not just the PT) weird alien or other characters are created specifically to show off effects technology. There's nothing inherently wrong with that approach, but if characterization isn't the priority, there's a better chance of negative reaction, regardless of how good it looks onscreen.
     
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  21. MaciekRS

    MaciekRS Jedi Knight star 1

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    Jan 15, 2016
    Dark Side WON :)
    So funny to read old post about JJ not directing another SW film :)

    JJ brought me back to SW so I'm happy he will stay with it
     
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  22. Lulu Mars

    Lulu Mars Chosen One star 5

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    Mar 10, 2005
    QFT. I completely agree! To paraphrase Han, the guy knows his stuff.
     
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