Be willing to let go of most of your feelings of nostalgia when watching this new sequel trilogy

I agree. I feel like a big reason why so many people didn't like the PT has a lot to do with nostalgia. Sure, the acting wasn't great, there were plotholes every now and then, but I think the main thing it boils down to is that it didn't give people the same sense of nostalgia that the OT did. I know multiple people personally that have had a negative view of TFA before we even got a look at the first teaser. And their opinions haven't really changed since. Some people will hate any new Star Wars movie simply because it isn't the original. Which I think is ridiculous. These people are the ones holding back the Star Wars franchise from moving forward. Everytime a great new creative idea pops up, people automatically dismiss it becuase it isn't like something in the originals. And then those same people also bash the movie for trying to be too much like the originals by not using any new creative ideas. Basically, most people who like Star Wars really don't have any good reason to hate the direction the new films are going in without saying it's because of nostalgia. As much as people may hate us for saying this, someone has to speak the truth. So, in my opinion, we should just let the haters hate and the true Star Wars fans keep on celebrating.

 

I think the biggest problem with the prequels wasn't the acting. It wasn't the over-use of CG. It wasn't the films themselves.

It was the expectations of the audience.

So many of us wrote in the introduction thread that "Star Wars was my childhood" or "Star Wars was my life." We expected a prequel experience like we had when we were ten years old. It's not so much that the movie franchise changed - we changed. Star Wars was a movie for kids. But the original fans are all adults now, and we were being unfair to George Lucas when we asked him to take us back to our childhoods again.

Our childhoods are gone. The innocence has been replaced with a world weariness and the magic has been replaced with insurance payments and overdraft notices. Once in a gereration - maybe twice - a movie comes along that takes us back to our childhood. But they're very rare.

I expect Episode VII to be a good movie, but I'm not expecting two hours of my childhood back. I learned that lesson watching The Phantom Menace.

 

Exactly. And just to be clear, I'm not saying the PT was great by any means, but I feel like it received an unnecessary amount of hate because of the feeling it gave (or didn't give) to those that grew up with the OT. I really do hope that the new trilogy will be light years better than the PT, but I hope people don't hold the fact that no new Star Wars movie will ever be the originals against them. I know from a nostalgic stand point, no movie will ever out do the originals, but from a film, storytelling, acting, etc. stand point, it technically is possible to create a movie that is better than the originals. But, of course that is a matter of opinion, and I don't believe that any movie will ever be considered better than the OT to many Star Wars fans. But I'm optimistic that the new trilogy will be the closest thing possible.

 

I'm not sure about this. I'm already "feeling" it just watching these teaser trailers. Back in 99 I saw the trailer for Menace and it was interesting but wasn't "touching" me in any meaningful way. With these new ones - I'm getting emotional. It feels "right".

I do believe we're going to feel somewhat different in these films - and I suspect part of that will also be that they are much better executed than the prequels.

At least I can hope.

 

Yea I got goose bumps and teared up in the last trailer....lol, because of Luke, Han, Leia, and Chewie and gang our back with a new group to pass the torch to. I can't wait but will go into VII as a Star Wars fan and enjoy first and critic later. I did the same with the PT, when I went to watch it with my kiddos and just had fun watching it and glad they enjoyed it. I will say that PT did not give them the magic feeling that OT did for me and I did not feel nostalgic till Ep. 3 when Obi-Wan and Anakin fought each other and then Luke, Leia and Vader were born.

 

Hopefully we'll clear out most of the nostalgia in TFA and move forward for the next two episodes with a extremely heavy focus on the newbies. I think Luke will probably play the largest role of the original cast going forward, which I'm fine with.

 

I agree. I got into the movies in the 5th grade with ANH special edition, then watched TPM 2 years later. One thing a lot of older fans complained about in AOTC was yoda fighting.

I remember walking out of TPM thinking how cool the duel was, but that Yoda would've just stomped Maul. This is just one example of how old fan complaints don't make sense and are blinded by nostalgia.

You have an order of warrior monks, all of which are shown to be capable in combat with a lightsaber, why wouldn't the leader of the order have been trained with a lightsaber as well? When I first saw ESB I knew that Yoda could kick some serious ass in his younger years. If you can lift a plane, you can propel yourself around as well.

On the other hand, I never liked the pod race, or Jar Jar, even as a young kid. Some in my generation loved the films when they came out, but were poisoned against them by the internet and older fans later on. A friend said to me "I always hated TPM", even though he couldn't stop talking about how much he loved it after we saw it for the first time.

To show where I stand I rank them from high to low
ESB
ROTJ
ROTS
ANH
AOTC
TPM

 

I put myself in a different category of Star Wars fan, the 'VHS generation' because I didn't see the films in cinema, but I was introduced to the original trilogy before the prequels came along. I also saw it before the special editions.

I'm staying open minded and trying not to be nostalgic.. but I have concerns about these new creatures and all the references to medieval fantasy. In all the stuff i've explored regarding Star Wars (KOTOR etc) i've never seen a castle.. To be honest it just feels wrong. What happened to the metallic structures we knew before?

Sorry to say but much of the imagery in the Variety articles does not feel like Star Wars to me, it feels like a botched departure into generic fantasy territory.

Only 30 years has passed and it looks like many of our favorite alien races are going to be replaced by new ones, as if they're half-rebooting it. Why is there not one familiar creature in Maz Kanata's fortress? And why are there orcs and ogres?



Almost none of those creatures look Star Wars-esque to me (aside from the the little guy with the long white nose at the front) looks more like The Hobbit or World Of Warcraft.

Blue beards? Pirates? Sexy droids? What the f*** is this?

The ones which do look kinda Star Warsy to me.. are just slight alterations to aliens we've already seen before. I'm just dumbfounded at this.

Seriously, it looks Star Wars and The Hobbit were filming next door to each other.. and the extras of both came to meet on their lunch break.

Star Wars is not some weird combo of Pirates Of The Carribean, Elder Scrolls and Dune.



THIS is Star Wars.

 

I have the exact same thoughts. I'm not a fan of medieval and fantasy and had the same thoughts while reading speculation about castles, Excalibur and suits of armor.

But what the OP says is wise, and it mirrors a thought process I had during the run-up to TPM's release. I reminded myself that the new movies wouldn't have the same impact on me as the originals: it was a different time, it was a different era, this was a different cast telling a different story, and on top of everything else I was no longer a child and my formative years were behind me. But not only would they not be as impactful, they should not be expected to, and it's ok that they're not. Armed with that perspective, I thoroughly enjoyed TPM. Still do.

The goal of the VF photos was to show us what's new and what's unique about this new film. I noticed the lack of familiar faces as well, and was a bit put off by it. But I'm reminded of all the new alien species we've been introduced to in each of the previous six movies; each movie having many, many new additions. This new movie is no different.

And as for that fantasy stuff, there may be some perspective on that too. I am not a fan of Westerns. At all. But there are clearly Western influences on Star Wars and it works perfectly. Maybe medieval themes and influences will, too. If we heed the advice of the OP and not box ourselves into a corner, our chances of enjoying this movie rise exponentially.

(Fully expecting lots of hate for this movie come December. We're all entitled to our opinions, but it'll still make me sad.)

 

I'm not expecting an OT version of the ST. I'm expecting as it will be about a new generation. Do I want more Luke, Han and Leia? Yes. Does it need to be? No.

The teasers got me excited about the new heroes, new characters and planets, etc. I like them and ready for their journey. I think it will be a blast and can't wait.

 

What on earth are all you people blathering about? The prequels were BAD FILMS. Period. You don't have to be a fan of Star Wars to understand how poor those films are. People like movies when they are good.

Nostalgia isn't why people don't like them. It's almost like "fans" forget that these are just movies to be enjoyed by the public. They take it so personally that (A) The pt sucked and (B) That people think the pt sucked.

How about we just hope that episode 7 is a good ol flick and leave it at that.

 

But to some the PT doesn't suck. And everyone is allowed to enjoy what they like.

 

i gotta say, i disagree. the creatures from star wars very widely.. and in this new VF picture its a bunch of misfit pirates of some kind. lets not forget that admiral akbar is a talking guppy, the ewoks are teddy bears, and a guy named prune face is at the death star battle meeting. lol. I think tis ties in well with the new scum and villainy.

you got these weird lookin guys, they look like they could fit in either pictures.


who could forget these weird dudes...lets be honest..it looks like he has balls on his chin


jabbas palace folk

 

Yeah I am not seeing what you are talking about.

The new extras look exactly like the cantina folk and Jabba's Palace (CASTLE) goons.

Hamill compared Obi-Wan to a wizard in 77. He talked about the sabre being excalibur. The fantasy elements aren't new they are juxtaposed fantasy tropes in sci-fi skin. Always has been.

Once again there is no pleasing SW fans.

 

I agree I just feel more could been brought to the plots.

 

Well your $ example is a bit off given inflation. When The Empire Strikes Back came out my dad complained that Star Wars figures had gone all the way up to 99 cents each! Egads! So you would have to inflate the original #s by 3-5x to have a real apples to apples comparison.

The OT was a PHENOMENON. Star Wars was so popular that they re-released it in '78 (thankfully - because that's when I saw it for the first time as a kid). People went to the theater again and again to watch that film.

The prequels just didn't have that kind of response. It would be nice if JJ and co can fix that now with 7-9.

 

Same. I don't hate the prequels, I just find them really empty. I think a good portion of that relied on the fact I was bored by political scheming and bland writing. Maybe the story would have been better if written by someone else.