SPECULATION TFA to be the greatest SW movie ?

I agree mostly with everything you're saying however I think this film can be on the same level of nostalgia as the OT for many people. A new generation of kids will grow up with these films the exact same way as the OT and feel more of a personal connection to these films than the OT. I'm 20 years old and this will be the first Star Wars film i'll see in the theaters (my parents never took me they think sci-fi and fantasy films are silly so i saw them in my teens). I love the OT and the ESB is one of my favourite movies ever and when Yoda speaks in that film I feel like i'm witnessing like the greatest cinematic moment in history. But since i'll be experiencing these films firsthand and will be the for the next 5 years of my life so in the future these films will end up probably holding more nostalgic value to me than the OT and probably to millions of other people.

 

Star Wars has changed. It's origins are very much outside of the system, out of the box. All of this is well documented, well known. It was a serious passion project by people risking their careers (and bank accounts) using every artistic and technical tool at their disposal. It was made in a garage by a bunch of friends (exaggeration, I know, but you catch the drift).

Nowadays it's big bucks in the hands of Disney. I don't know what impact that will have on the film. But it's no longer this endeavour an artist had to fight for with all his heart and soul. This is the thing: when something becomes too easy because all means are at your disposal the quality may take a hit. Star Wars has become so big, with so many fingers in the pie so to speak, everyone has a certain idea of what it should be (this forum and discussions are testament to that) that there is also the risk of the new film losing the focus of one creator. For better or worse. Lucas's focus didn't do much good for the reception of the PT back in the days.

Still. I remain optimistic. For me more than any other thing, it's Kasdan's involvement. There is a clear line to a time when Star Wars was less about selling action figures and toys (Pre episode 6) and more about fantasy sci fi far, far away.

 

Its a franchise now, taken out of the hands of a singular creator and left at the mercy of countless boardroom meetings. The movie will be manufactured into something which pleases the most fans possible. The question is do we share the same likes/dislikes that the crowd does?

I'm so protective and specific with my own vision for Star Wars, that i'm half expecting the story to feel forced and unnatural.

It will be illegitimate to me if it fumbles Ralph McQuarrie's design, goes against Lucas' themes.. or if the story is presented wrong and doesn't throw in enough genuine darkness or mystery.

 

^^

Agreed on all of the above. Especially the McQuarrie designs. It should be the holy bible to the TFA design department.

 

My best case expectations are for this movie to be highly entertaining, technically masterful, and possibly even emotional.

But I can't imagine a scenario where this movie will be "better" than A New Hope, which was my favorite. The sheer creativity, uniqueness, artistry, and passion that went into that one I don't think can be matched by a movie created by committee. This movie may be very very good, even great, but I don't think it can be genius. That's not a knock, it doesn't need to be genius. It just needs to be fun and hopefully touching.

--- Double Post Merged, Oct 29, 2015, Original Post Date: Oct 29, 2015 ---

I don't think you can manufacture a masterpiece. It has to be hand crafted. This movie may be great, but I seriously doubt it will be a masterpiece. That's what A New Hope was.

 

Not sure how this has gone unmentioned, but worth pointing out:

"I got to read the script and subsequently I’ve seen half of it (THE FORCE AWAKENS) and I can tell you and the fans this, honest to God, it is far and away probably going to be THE BEST Star Wars you’ve ever seen" - Drew Struzan

Really bold statement, but Struzan's opinion should be reliable...

http://www.movie-weekly.com.au/#!Dr...-FORCE-AWAKENS/c21mw/55d3e8db0cf24f3358870389

 

Okay, first off I totally don't want to make this seem like I am picking a fight with MasterCrash here, especially as I am only recently unlurked. This is not an attack against MasterCrash, it just got me thinking.

I have heard the argument often that us OT lovers hate the prequels simply because they are not the originals. That our love of the originals has blinded us so that we would never be happy with anything else. I completely reject that idea. I have lots of nostalgic memories of the originals, but that really doesn't change the fact that they are objectively better movies in just about every measurable way to the prequels. This is something every rational film lover should be able to agree on. It's not like we're nostalgic for Barbarella or Krull (actually Krull was awesome), the original trilogy were groundbreaking films with a auteur's vision, blockbuster plots, and arthouse influences.

The prequel trilogy were just below average sci-fi movies with great soundtracks. I concede I may be harder on the prequels because they fell so short of expectations, but honestly they are just not special.

That said, I am hopeful that The Force Awakens will be technically excellent and very entertaining. That would be more than enough for me. If it is also emotionally moving then it will have blown away my expectations and make me a very happy man.

 

I'm glad you brought up nostalgia, which is often used as a weapon against people who enjoy the OT and not the PT. Since when does liking something as a child/long ago have any relation to the quality of a product? I've seen a plethora of entertainment as an adult that I no longer find any enjoyment in (whereas I did as a child). I can, objectively, state that the OT is just of another league of quality, not just in comparison to the PT, but other movies as well. As a movie critic, even BESIDES being a Star Wars fan, I think it's very easy to notice the extreme difference in quality between these movies. Now, if people genuinely enjoy the PT and like them more than the OT, that's perfectly fine with me. There shouldn't be bashing either way, which is where fans usually get into trouble. You can objectively have a conversation about which movies you enjoy more AND WHY without resorting to elitism or flaming. This seems to be an enormously difficult task for many fans, though..

 

That's actually what I like about it, the original films aren't super show offy with their worlds/environments....it's very focused on the characters and story, they just happen to take place in these fantastic environments. Made it more palpable in a way, the best part is that the characters would be wonderful regardless of what environment they were in. The worlds are treated as very matter of fact which makes you feel like you're going on an adventure in them and less like a spectator.

 

I could wriite a book about everything wrong with what you just said...

 

I could wriite a book about everything right with what you just said...

 

Can you maybe elaborate with a sentence or two? I don't think going on a geographical journey of the various parts of Cloud City would have made the film any better. It didn't help films with "amazing worlds" like Avatar, even though we saw a bunch of that planet. Krypton with flying dragons and beetle spaceships didn't make the recent "Superman" film any better, either.

 

i find statements like that hard to believe or to take at face value

they'll tell us anything to sell the movie D:

 

Same here. As much as I adore Struzan's art I have a hard time blieving TFA will be the best SW film ever based on him having seen half of it and having read the script.
However, to me it does sound reassuring in the sense that we might get a really good, emotional and exciting film.

 

yeah thats all im hoping for tbh. i just want a good film period,thats bottom line of my wants. Just entertain me lol

 

Here is the thing why I won't be the greatest SW movie, simply because most of the cool, innovative stuff has been done before in the previous movies. It not the fault of TFA, but when you're the 7th installment of a franchise its real hard to be original.

We've seen great lightsaber fights, so any new fight in this movie won't be anything that will totally knock our socks off. We've seen the falcon fly through an asteroid field in ESB, as Lucas sort of tried that in AOTC with Kenobi following Jango Fett. We've seen ships fly through Hyperspace as it was something totally out of the blue in 1977. We've seen Jedi use the JediMind Trick, or Vader/Luke choking people with the force so that won't come as a suprise.

In saying that, TFA can still be a great movie as the Trailers so far have given me great hope. But to be the greatest, you have to knock peoples socks off with something they have never seen, and I don't know what else they can show in this universe that is that original?

 

I have a story I'd like to tell. It's not terribly long, and I promise that it will be relevant to the discussion at hand.

So...

I'm 46, and I recently retired from my primary career and moved back to my roots. I don't live far from the small town where I grew up, and two of my best friends I've known from gradeschool on live close by. I've seen all six SW films on the day they opened from 1977 on. The SW universe has been a part of my life for nearly four decades now, and I love it as much now, as I did then.

There's a parking lot in town where my friends and I would hang out, and the kids still gather there on Saturday night. Back in High School we'd finish a Saturday afternoon of working on our shoestring budget hot rods, find a creative way to acquire some "liquid propulsion", grab our girlfriends, and go cruise the parking lot.

I'm still into cars, and I have a couple of classic rides I like to take out from time to time. My two friends and I recently got together and decided to cruise the old parking lot. Here we are, in this familiar place, cruising in a hot rod listening to the local classic rock station playing the soundtrack of our youth, and immersing ourselves in the nostalgia of what was.

We had fun popping hoods and checking out the various souped up rides the kids of today are into. We must have looked like 3 far out old farts in my bright and noisy musclecar. We had a good time talking shop, shook some hands and headed out to our favorite watering hole. We got our drinks, sat down, and said a few words for the past, and to those no longer with us. And almost in unison, we all said 'It's just not the same, is it". We set out with all the props, and even in the right location to somehow re-create events of the past that we so often find ourselves yearning for, and we failed.

We tried hard, but could not resurrect the past. Then, something unexpected happened. Both of my friends called, and suggested we go out cruising again. We all agreed that we really had fun, and the folks we met were good kids (with some bitchin' rides I might add). We didn't bring back the past that night, but we did create a new and very worthy addition to our existing memories that has some very definite ties to the past. We were creating new nostalgic memories, and didn't even know it. We're taking one of the other guy's rides out tomorrow night, to cruise the parking lot once again, and I'm really looking forward to it.

When I see The Force Awakens, I won't be looking to have my magical movie experience from 1977 resurrected, because I know that for me at least, nearly 40 years later, that's not possible. However, I think TFA is going to be an outstanding and very special film. A film crafted by people who love Star Wars every bit as much as I do. I think my experience upon seeing it will be much like cruising the old parking lot hangout again. It will be an all new, and very worthy addition to my existing memories, and to the existing SW Universe. I can imagine right now, the theater lights dimming followed by that booming John Williams score, and man, I can't wait!

The 18th cannot come soon enough!

 

Happy Friday Cantina! I shared this in another thread and since it's been getting a lot of positive feedback, I thought I would share it here as well.

Cheers!
-Kennytime

 

Pressure will always produce a diamond and 'The Force Awakens' has been under pressure created by the prequels as well as the times we are living in. I see the magic returning with a vengeance.