Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens - No Spoilers!

[fuse]

I was tempted to add "Star Wars VII- The Return of Jar-Jar" given the latest rumours.

Who knows what will show up in theatres in a couple years, but I was pretty excited over the idea of a new beginning in the Star Wars universe with some cameos by Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher.

It appears now that the trio may again be the stars of the next movie.
I'm having a hard time thinking about a compelling space odyssey involving those three actors at this stage of their careers and lives.

Another rumour seems to include a main character as Obi-Wan's granddaughter.
I guess I have more to learn about Jedis and midichlorians if a celibate guy can have a grand-daughter (who knew?).

The first three movies were the stories of my childhood, and the next three at least partially stories of my kids' childhood.

Fingers crossed that Disney does for Star Wars what they did for Marvel.

[Highlander]

I was thinking the other day that Disney should just remake parts I-III. Given how poor the storytelling was in those 3 epics, it seems to me you could just throw them out and start fresh. Don't think it will happen anytime soon, but it's an idea for 10-20 years from now that might make some serious dough.

I don't think I'd touch the middle three, but it is a possibility.

[Acymetric]

For Harrison Ford to play a lead role there would either have to be some serious cash put out there for him or he would have to be near broke. He is not as enamored with Star Wars as we are from what I have heard/read.

I give 0 credibility to the idea that the three will be back as main characters (admittedly I don't know where this rumor is coming from). It would not surprise me if they (or at least 2 of the 3) were back with important roles but the story will not revolve around them. No way.

And although the granddaughter idea sounds awful too, it wouldn't be the first time a "celibate" guy had a kid along the way. Especially in film.

[OldPhiKap]

For Harrison Ford to play a lead role there would either have to be some serious cash put out there for him or he would have to be near broke. He is not as enamored with Star Wars as we are from what I have heard/read.

I give 0 credibility to the idea that the three will be back as main characters (admittedly I don't know where this rumor is coming from). It would not surprise me if they (or at least 2 of the 3) were back with important roles but the story will not revolve around them. No way.

And although the granddaughter idea sounds awful too, it wouldn't be the first time a "celibate" guy had a kid along the way. Especially in film.

My wholly uneducated guess -- the folks from my era will only cameo like Keith Richards in the Pirates movies or (please stop this) Leonard Nimoy in the Star Trek reboots.

[Wander]

The rumors have changed a million times, so who knows, but this is exactly my biggest fear about the new movies: too much focus on the old characters. The gossip has it that this may be why Arndt left the project - he wrote a story about the Skywalker offspring Jacen/Jaina/Anakin/Ben/Allana or whatever they name them in the movies, and Abrams wanted it about the old Luke/Leia/Han/Chewbacca/Lando. I think it would work much better with Luke in a Yoda or Obi-Wan like supporting role and Han and Leia as minor characters, so to me this is pretty bad news if true.

[fuse]

For Harrison Ford to play a lead role there would either have to be some serious cash put out there for him or he would have to be near broke. He is not as enamored with Star Wars as we are from what I have heard/read.

I give 0 credibility to the idea that the three will be back as main characters (admittedly I don't know where this rumor is coming from). It would not surprise me if they (or at least 2 of the 3) were back with important roles but the story will not revolve around them. No way.

And although the granddaughter idea sounds awful too, it wouldn't be the first time a "celibate" guy had a kid along the way. Especially in film.

Sources that I should have quoted when I started the thread:

http://mashable.com/2014/01/13/star-wars-vii-original-cast/

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57617099-1/the-star-wars-episode-vii-storyline-well-never-see/

[TexHawk]

Also, apparently Jesse Plemons(!) is being seriously considered for the lead role.

3796

[tbyers11]

Also, apparently Jesse Plemons(!) is being seriously considered for the lead role.

3796

With Todd (Lance/Landry)'s shooting skills, he should be evenly matched with the Stormtroopers in a gun fight :D

[Duvall]

The cast of Star Wars: Episode VII: (http://starwars.com/news/star-wars-episode-7-cast-announced.html)


Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film.

[fuse]

The cast of Star Wars: Episode VII: (http://starwars.com/news/star-wars-episode-7-cast-announced.html)

Max Von Sydow and Andy Sirkis have to be two of the most exciting names on this list. Great find!

[OldPhiKap]

Max Von Sydow and Andy Sirkis have to be two of the most exciting names on this list. Great find!

Please elaborate! Not familiar with either AFAiK.

[-jk]

Please elaborate! Not familiar with either AFAiK.

C'mon! Tell me you were being ironic. Please!

Max (http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Max+von+Sydow) von (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_von_Sydow) Sydow (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001884/)
Andy (http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Andy+Serkis) Serkis (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0785227/)

-jk

[fuse]

Please elaborate! Not familiar with either AFAiK.

I really hope I'm not falling for some innocent trolling. :-)

Andy Sirkis did the green screen work for King Kong, Gollum and Caesar in the new Planet of the Apes movie.

Max Von Sydow? Where do I begin?
The king in Conan the Barbarian.
A role in Minority Report.
The Exorcist.
Needful Things.
Sylvester Stallone's Judge Dredd movie.
I'm reaching but I think he played Jesus in the titular role in one of the Bible movies in the 60s(?)
Dune
Dreamscape
Strange Brew
Flash Gordon (Emperor Ming)

[OldPhiKap]

C'mon! Tell me you were being ironic. Please!

Max (http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Max+von+Sydow) von (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_von_Sydow) Sydow (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001884/)
Andy (http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Andy+Serkis) Serkis (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0785227/)

-jk


I really hope I'm not falling for some innocent trolling. :-)

Andy Sirkis did the green screen work for King Kong, Gollum and Caesar in the new Planet of the Apes movie.

Max Von Sydow? Where do I begin?
The king in Conan the Barbarian.
A role in Minority Report.
The Exorcist.
Needful Things.
Sylvester Stallone's Judge Dredd movie.
I'm reaching but I think he played Jesus in the titular role in one of the Bible movies in the 60s(?)
Dune
Dreamscape
Strange Brew
Flash Gordon (Emperor Ming)


Thanks! Wish I could play it off like I knew the names, but really did not. Big help!

[Wander]

So, Daisy Ridley is Jaina or whatever they decide to call Han and Leia's daughter, but she's the only new female on the cast list, which is a little disappointing (although maybe it's not exhaustive?). Does this imply Luke doesn't marry or have kids?

[OldPhiKap]

So, Daisy Ridley is Jaina or whatever they decide to call Han and Leia's daughter, but she's the only new female on the cast list, which is a little disappointing (although maybe it's not exhaustive?). Does this imply Luke doesn't marry or have kids?

Not up to speed about the whole lore thing, but I thought Jedi did not marry. It's what got Anakin further towards his fate.

[Duvall]

Not up to speed about the whole lore thing, but I thought Jedi did not marry. It's what got Anakin further towards his fate.

Yeah, but who's going to stop Luke? No other Jedi around.

[OldPhiKap]

Yeah, but who's going to stop Luke? No other Jedi around.

True. I kept hearing about Luke and Laura back in the day, but thought it was something different.

[BD80]

Max Von Sydow and Andy Sirkis have to be two of the most exciting names on this list. Great find!

Is Gollum going to be the Jar-Jar of this trilogy?


Not up to speed about the whole lore thing, but I thought Jedi did not marry. It's what got Anakin further towards his fate.

Jedi did not marry back when there were plenty of Jedi. Anakin kinda took care of that.

[Wander]

Not up to speed about the whole lore thing, but I thought Jedi did not marry. It's what got Anakin further towards his fate.

Anakin was considered really old for starting training at 9 years old in Episode 1. So why did Yoda let Luke and Leia go prance around Tatooine and Alderaan for the first 20 years of their lives, instead of training them in secret from the moment they were born? I like to think it's because he realized the original rigid rules for Jedi sucked and led to their downfall. This would include the marriage thing.

[AncientPsychicT]

Anakin was considered really old for starting training at 9 years old in Episode 1. So why did Yoda let Luke and Leia go prance around Tatooine and Alderaan for the first 20 years of their lives, instead of training them in secret from the moment they were born? I like to think it's because he realized the original rigid rules for Jedi sucked and led to their downfall. This would include the marriage thing.

I like to think it's cause George Lucas has no idea how to write a script on his own. That would include both the marriage thing and the "too old" nonsense.

[Duvall]

So, Daisy Ridley is Jaina or whatever they decide to call Han and Leia's daughter, but she's the only new female on the cast list, which is a little disappointing (although maybe it's not exhaustive?).

It's a lot disappointing, and a strange recent trend for Abrams.

[Wander]

It's a lot disappointing, and a strange recent trend for Abrams.

Yeah. Rumor has it that the original plan from screenwriter Arndt was to feature Jaina as the main hero of the entire trilogy, but Abrams didn't like this and intervened to make the first movie star Luke, Han, and Leia again, and eps 8 and 9 would star Luke's male offspring instead. Bummer, because Arndt's option sounded way cooler to me.

[brevity]

So, Daisy Ridley is Jaina or whatever they decide to call Han and Leia's daughter, but she's the only new female on the cast list, which is a little disappointing (although maybe it's not exhaustive?).


It's a lot disappointing, and a strange recent trend for Abrams.

JJ Abrams is more caretaker now than visionary, twisted and evil.

Seriously, this is a guy who gave us female leads (or co-leads) in Felicity, Alias, Alcatraz, and Fringe, and an African-American* couple as leads in Undercovers. I like that he's steered us toward mostly unknowns this time (Episode I-III played it safe with mostly famous people), and he has cast two racial minorities, John Boyega (the lead?) and Oscar Isaac. But it's Star Wars. He could have provided a new cast of exclusively women of color, and all the white fanboys would still be waiting in line. They'd complain, but they'd be in line.

I care about the story more than anything else, but until we know more I'll be waiting for more casting news. This must have been the appetizer, because Star Wars Day is this Friday. Give me Maria Doyle Kennedy in a stand-alone Mon Mothma movie (https://www.pinterest.com/pin/404127766532866647/), or something.

* Where politically correct is factually incorrect. Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Boris Kodjoe are not American.

[JasonEvans]

Yeah, but who's going to stop Luke? No other Jedi around.

I think that if Luke has truly embraced the ideals of the Jedi, it is not a matter of someone "stopping" him from getting married. He would not want to get married. He is dedicated to preserving the peace and happiness of those around him and of the entire galaxy. He is married to this ideal. Dedicating himself to a spouse, as one is supposed to do in marriage, is not something he desires and would be an action that would interfere with his Jedi responsibilities.

At least that is my theory on all this.

I think it is a very exciting cast with some tremendously talented newcomers combined with a few established acting giants. I am sure Serkis is going to be asked to create a CGI character who is truly emotive and has depth, like he did with Gollum and Caesar. It will be the opposite of silly Jar-Jar.

Also, I bet it took more than a truckload full of money ($20 million or more, I suspect) to get crotchety Harrison Ford to come back. He likely wanted a guarantee that Han Solo would be killed off so he would not have to bother with the next two movies in the trilogy. I bet the bad guy (perhaps Oscar Issac, but more likely Adam Driver) kills Han as one of the last scenes in Ep VII.

Personally, I am very excited for Domhnall Gleeson, who I really enjoyed in About Time. He has a bit of a quiet frenzy to himself that could make for a wonderful Jedi apprentice. And while everyone is sorta upset that there are not more female characters, I suspect the main character is going to be John Boyega, a racial minority. Maybe he can be somehow related to (perhaps a young clone?) of one of the all-time great Jedi, Mace Windu.

-Jason "now that we have the cast, let the plot speculation begin" Evans

[Highlander]

Anakin was considered really old for starting training at 9 years old in Episode 1. So why did Yoda let Luke and Leia go prance around Tatooine and Alderaan for the first 20 years of their lives, instead of training them in secret from the moment they were born? I like to think it's because he realized the original rigid rules for Jedi sucked and led to their downfall. This would include the marriage thing.

What always bugged me was that Luke's training on Dagobah lasted all of about a month, max. He leaves Han, Chewie, and Leia during the battle of Hoth, then went to "save" them when they were captured on Bespin. Can't figure out how long that whole chase through the asteroid bit took, but it couldn't have been years. It sets Luke up to be a once in a lifetime prodigy of the Force so that all that extra training the "system" Jedi received as padwans thru Master was unnecessary. Amazing Luke lasted as long as he did against a strong Jedi like Vader, given he'd basically only done a short crash course compared to someone who had been training his entire adult life.

[bjornolf]

Did any of his trainers ever tell Luke he couldn't get married? Who's left to tell him?

As for the training, I don't know that it's unnecessary, more that they had to make due with what they had. As for not training Luke sooner, maybe Yoda was afraid it might reveal them too soon.

As for Luke lasting against Vader, clearly, as we learned, Vader didn't WANT to hurt his son. He wanted him to join him to depose the emperor, and later he was conflicted because he was too cowardly to openly fight the emperor, but still didn't want to kill his son. Vader probably could have dispatched Luke without too much effort the first time or two they faced off, but that wasn't his goal.

[brevity]

By the end of Episode VI, there are no trained Jedi around, but there are Jedi.

I discussed the subject of the future Jedi in this older DBR thread (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?29543) about Episode VII:


The Jedi used to be good at identifying talent at a very young age -- remember, even Anakin was considered too old for official training. Then, for obvious reasons, they slipped. Luke was identified because of parentage, trained as a young adult, and was (arguably) mostly self-taught. Leia was not identified or trained at all. And because the implication is that Jedi do not normally reproduce, it logically follows that the near-destruction of the Jedi in Episode III put a damper on recruiting, but not on future talent. They're still out there, on all planets, within most species.

I would add now that while the movies never explicitly say so, perhaps Leia was taught some of the Jedi mindset by her non-Jedi adoptive father. Be mindful of your feelings, take control of your thoughts, etc. Whatever it was, it certainly came in handy when she communicated with Luke telepathically just below Cloud City.

One of the few good ideas in Episode I was that the Jedi Council felt mentally blocked. Some of it was probably Sith-induced, but a lot of it was arrogance from centuries of rule. Yoda is rigid and prickly, somewhat irritated that he can't use his history of wisdom to put it all together. As the prequel trilogy progresses, he's forced to soften his stance, and a lot of scenes just show him contemplating the extent of his cluelessness. He takes about 20 years to figure it out, and by the time we see him on Dagobah, he's fairly mellow. (He only seems like a tough trainer because Luke is such a whiner.)

[Wander]

One of the few good ideas in Episode I was that the Jedi Council felt mentally blocked. Some of it was probably Sith-induced, but a lot of it was arrogance from centuries of rule. Yoda is rigid and prickly, somewhat irritated that he can't use his history of wisdom to put it all together. As the prequel trilogy progresses, he's forced to soften his stance, and a lot of scenes just show him contemplating the extent of his cluelessness. He takes about 20 years to figure it out, and by the time we see him on Dagobah, he's fairly mellow. (He only seems like a tough trainer because Luke is such a whiner.)

I agree. The Ep 3 book also explicitly states this, and has a scene where Yoda says something along the lines of "Jedi academy training is not the only source of discipline" or something like that during his revelation that he screwed up (I have no idea how I remember this stuff). Though I guess that's not canon anymore.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

because Star Wars Day is this Friday.

I think you mean Sunday. May the 4th be with you! :cool:

[Duvall]

Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens. (http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/star-wars-episode-vii-official-movie-title-revealed/story?id=26734288)

Meh.

[davekay1971]

Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens. (http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/star-wars-episode-vii-official-movie-title-revealed/story?id=26734288)

Meh.

Agreed. Lucas really poisoned the well with Episodes 1 - 3. A title like this just makes me wonder if the midichlorians slept in after an all night party or something.

[JasonEvans]

Raise your hand if you think title matters for StarWars EpisodeVII? I mean, The Phantom Menace sounded like a cool title, but the film sucked. I thought Attack of the Clones was a pretty decent title, but the film sucked.

-Jason "So long as it wasn't Star Wars Episode VII: Ewok Excitement or Star Wars: JarJar the Jedi, I am fine with it" Evans

[gus]

* Where politically correct is factually incorrect. Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Boris Kodjoe are not American.

The characters (I assume, having never watched the show) are African American, correct? As for the actors -- "African American" is not the correct (politically or otherwise) term to describe an English woman or Austrian man.

[OldPhiKap]

I was hoping for "Star Wars VII: This Time, It's Personal"

But my son and I will go whatever it's called. "You had us at Star Wars VII"

[OldPhiKap]

I just told my ten-year old son. He said it was a five out of ten. "The Force never sleeps -- it never went away -- when did it fall asleep?"

He then, and I am not making this up, rattled off many of the old titles and said that Lucas Films knows about Star Wars, and that Disney ruins everything.

So the expert and target audience in our house has spoken. Not impressed.

[CameronBornAndBred]

The Phantom Menace sounded like a cool title, but the film sucked.
I thought both sucked. Not thrilled about the new title, either. Did the Force take a 30 year long nap?

[Wander]

I thought both sucked. Not thrilled about the new title, either. Did the Force take a 30 year long nap?

Maybe the Force is the thing doing the awakening?

[OldPhiKap]

Maybe "Frozen Two" was already taken.

[davekay1971]

Maybe "Frozen Two" was already taken.

C'mon, Elsa is an X-(Wo)Man, not a Jedi. Duh.

[wilson]

I thought both sucked. Not thrilled about the new title, either. Did the Force take a 30 year long nap?


Maybe the Force is the thing doing the awakening?Revenge of the Intransitive Verbs

[77devil]

I have a bad feeling about this. A lot of digital airbrushing will be in force.

[PSurprise]

Maybe they're talking about this Force4471

[Acymetric]

I don't love the title but I don't see why people don't understand it. The Force is "awakening" in the sense that at the end of the last movie there was one known Jedi and one person who clearly had potential to be one...they could have been more literal and called it "The Jedi Return" I suppose, but probably would have received more complaints.

[brevity]

I don't love the title but I don't see why people don't understand it. The Force is "awakening" in the sense that at the end ofo the last movie there was one known Jedi and one person who clearly had potential to be one...they could have been more literal and called it "The Jedi Return" I suppose, but probably would have received more complaints.

The title is poor because people who do understand it can say that it makes no sense. I'm no expert, but the original trilogy explained that the Force was around everyone and everything, not just the Jedi and Sith. I mean, Han Solo has the Force; he just doesn't use it.

4472

So right now I feel like I know more about the Force than JJ Abrams, which is not a good sign. Maybe he's arguing the Force has been dormant for all these years because no person has used it. If so, that's fairly lame. First, the Force is just there, neither awake nor asleep. Second, even if it were capable of dormancy when unused, it most likely HAS been used in the interim. I've established upthread that there are unidentified, untrained Jedi out there. They can use the Force, just not very well.

For someone who is trying desperately not to rock the boat, JJ Abrams failed to channel his inner George Lucas here. Lucas himself had misgivings about calling Episode VI "Revenge of the Jedi" because he felt Jedi should not seek revenge. So, "Return of the Jedi." That's a fairly nuanced line of logic. Abrams only needed about a tenth of that logic here.

[Wander]

The title is poor because people who do understand it can say that it makes no sense.

The plots rumors about the movie still change from week to week, but the latest ones, which I will not post because it's absurdly early for #spoileralerts, do reveal the meaning of the title if they are true.

In addition to the breaking-the-4th-wall flavor of it, of course.

[BD80]

I think they just shortened the title a bit.

"The Marketing Force ReAwakens"

[OldPhiKap]

"Jedi Slumber Party" did not test as well as Disney hoped that it would.

[Lord Ash]

"Jedi Slumber Party" did not test as well as Disney hoped that it would.

Hah! I think I watched this a few nights ago. Well, at least a minute or two of it.

[brevity]

Black Friday is now Dark Side Friday.

Hollywood Reporter (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-trailer-how-can-i-see-it-751832?) says that the trailer for Episode VII will appear in select theaters this weekend. There's a short list of Regal theaters participating, and AMC will announce their list soon.

[brevity]

Black Friday is now Dark Side Friday.

Hollywood Reporter (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-trailer-how-can-i-see-it-751832?) says that the trailer for Episode VII will appear in select theaters this weekend. There's a short list of Regal theaters participating, and AMC will announce their list soon.

Here's the full list of participating theaters from the official Star Wars (http://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-the-force-awakens-tease-theater-list) website. It's being referred to as an "88-second tease" rather than a trailer.


AZ PHOENIX HARKINS TEMPE MARKETPLACE
CA LOS ANGELES AMC CENTURY CITY
CA LOS ANGELES Indep EL CAPITAN
CA IRVINE REGAL SPECTRUM IRVINE 21
CA SAN FRANCISCO AMC METREON 16
CA SAN JOSE CINEMARK OAKRIDGE 20
CA SAN DIEGO REGAL MIRA MESA 18
CAN TORONTO CINEPLEX YOUNGE & DUNDAS
CAN VANCOUVER CINEPLEX RIVERPORT
CO DENVER AMC WESTMINSTER 24
DC WASH D.C AMC TYSONS CORNER 16
FL MIAMI CARMIKE PARISIAN 20
GA ATLANTA REGAL ATLANTIC STATION
IL CHICAGO REGAL CITY NORTH
MA BOSTON AMC BOSTON COMMONS 19
MI DETROIT CINEMARK SHOWCASE 20
MN MINNEAPOLIS AMC SOUTHDALE
MO KANSAS CITY AMC STUDIO 30
NY NEW YORK AMC LINCOLN SQUARE 12
NY NEW YORK REGAL UNION SQUARE
OH CLEVELAND CINEMARK CINEMARK 24
PA PHILADELPHIA REGAL WARRINGTON 22
TN NASHVILLE CARMIKE THOROUGHBRED 20
TN KNOXVILLE REGAL PINNACLE
TX DALLAS CINEMARK WEST PLANO 20
TX HOUSTON REGAL MARQ*E STADIUM 23
TX AUSTIN ALAMO ALAMO S LAMAR
UT SALT LAKE CITY CINEMARK CINEMARK 24 WEST JORDAN
WA SEATTLE REGAL THORNTON PLACE 14
WI MILWAUKEE MARCUS BROOKFIELD 16

88, of course, being a relevant but obscure Star Wars number:

4539

[Duvall]

Here's the full list of participating theaters from the official Star Wars (http://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-the-force-awakens-tease-theater-list) website. It's being referred to as an "88-second tease" rather than a trailer.

DC WASH D.C AMC TYSONS CORNER 16


What?

[-jk]

Here's the full list of participating theaters from the official Star Wars (http://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-the-force-awakens-tease-theater-list) website. It's being referred to as an "88-second tease" rather than a trailer.

DC WASH D.C AMC TYSONS CORNER 16


What?

You're not a DC denizen, I guess. "Wash D.C." = Washington, DC. "AMC" = "AMC" (aka, that large cinema chain). "Tyson's Corner" = "Tysons (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tysons_Corner,_Virginia)", a place that's almost, but not quite, entirely unlike being inside the beltway in the greater DC metro area. (Yeah, that was a stretch.) "16" = Um, math - specifically, counting the number of screens at their theater.

Not sure which part you missed there (though as DC has a constitutionally limited geography, it's not quite the same as any other downtown - go figure).

[C'mon. Don't be pedantic; you're usually better than that.]

-jk

[BD80]

What?


... [C'mon. Don't be pedantic; you're usually better than that.]

-jk

Usually?

[bjornolf]

I'm offended by them listing Tyson's as DC.

[-jk]

I'm offended by them listing Tyson's as DC.

If you look at the list closely, they did a lot of that sort of metro identification.

-jk

[bjornolf]

If you look at the list closely, they did a lot of that sort of metro identification.

-jk

I was mostly teasing. ;)

[YmoBeThere]

The list is further evidence that San Antonio is the red headed stepchild(no offense to red heads or step children intended) of Texas metros. Eventually, we'll merge with Austin and will be there after known as Austin-San Antonio, ASA. Sort of like the Big D to those out of state is sometimes known as Dallas-Fort Worth/DFW.

At least I can dream.

[brevity]

The official teaser trailer (http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/lucasfilm/starwarstheforceawakens/). Even viewable from San Antonio and the proper District of Columbia. (QuickTime required, unfortunately.)

ETA: Here's the YouTube version (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMOVFvcNfvE).

[Duvall]

The official teaser trailer (http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/lucasfilm/starwarstheforceawakens/). Even viewable from San Antonio and the proper District of Columbia. (QuickTime required, unfortunately.)

ETA: Here's the YouTube version (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMOVFvcNfvE).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMOVFvcNfvE

Fairly Abramsy. Is that Williams trying to sound like Giacchino, or the other way around?

[Wander]

Cool. Why is there a droid riding a soccer ball? I'm a little sad we didn't get to find out the name of the protagonist (Kira/Jaina Solo/Skywalker/unrelated), but I guess that's why it's a "teaser."

[BD80]

No Jar-Jar or Ewoks? Or are they just teasing ...

[Acymetric]

Seemed like a lot of surface level spaceship fighting, didn't it?

[El_Diablo]

Seemed like a lot of surface level spaceship fighting, didn't it?

Well, yeah, but the atmosphere allows for more lens flares.

[fuse]

The official trailer was sweet, the international trailer featuring a dark storm trooper with a light sabre was awesome.

The light sabre with the laser hilt was cool, and seems pointless (will be interesting to be proven wrong).

Wish I could place the voice over actor's voice.

[Acymetric]

The official trailer was sweet, the international trailer featuring a dark storm trooper with a light sabre was awesome.

The light sabre with the laser hilt was cool, and seems pointless (will be interesting to be proven wrong).

Wish I could place the voice over actor's voice.

Link to the international trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plwVRYEQG_I (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plwVRYEQG_I)

I like the international trailer way better...the movie is obviously going to have "Abrams" written all over it but hopefully with still retain some of the classic Star Wars feel. I have high hopes and will retain them up until I see it in theaters. Luke in the old cloak seems to set himself up for a role as a somewhat younger, more involved/longer lasting Obi-Wan, I'd think

ETA: This trailer is apparently fake. Still like it better than the real one, still have high hopes. As you were.

[CameronBornAndBred]

The official trailer was sweet, the international trailer featuring a dark storm trooper with a light sabre was awesome.

The light sabre with the laser hilt was cool, and seems pointless (will be interesting to be proven wrong).

Wish I could place the voice over actor's voice.
It's King Kong.
https://tv.yahoo.com/news/reveal-true-identity-mysterious-narrator-032000005.html

[YmoBeThere]

Is it too early to start voting on Winter 2015?

[fuse]

It's King Kong.
https://tv.yahoo.com/news/reveal-true-identity-mysterious-narrator-032000005.html

Great find- I figured maybe Max Von Sydow or Sirkis.

Small role on screen for Sirkis to me says whether light or dark, maybe an Obi Wan episode 4 equivalent- showing new Jedi or Sith the ways of the Force ("awakening"?).

[BD80]

It's King Kong.
https://tv.yahoo.com/news/reveal-true-identity-mysterious-narrator-032000005.html

You mean Caesar

There's no business like monkey business

[Edouble]

Thoughts from the trailer:


Overall, great trailer! Got some cool images without learning any plot secrets.
The cross-hilt lightsaber is cool. I have no problems with it. If Darth Maul can use a double saber and not get hurt, I'm sure another Sith can use a light saber with laser guards. I am half wondering if that is Luke and he added the laser guards to a new light saber that he built because he doesn't want to get his hand cut off again.
Did the Millenium Falcon lose weight? Looks a bit thinned out. More pancake than frisbee. I'm surprised that the ship is still around. What is the half life for a spaceship, particularly one that is a Frankensteined "piece of junk"?
Didn't they round up the storm troopers and like kill them or something after the last movie (ROTJ)?
The one thing that really bothers me is referring to the good side of the Force as the "light side". I've always felt that it is implied that the non-dark side of the Force is the light side, but it has never been called that in a movie. I think it's breaking canon to call the good side of the Force the light side.

[BD80]

Thoughts from the trailer:


The one thing that really bothers me is referring to the good side of the Force as the "light side". I've always felt that it is implied that the non-dark side of the Force is the light side, but it has never been called that in a movie. I think it's breaking canon to call the good side of the Force the light side.


It is a bit of a reveal. Throughout the new trilogy they will also unveil the ridiculous side and the ludicrous side. I can't wait to see a plaid light sabre.

[AncientPsychicT]

It is a bit of a reveal. Throughout the new trilogy they will also unveil the ridiculous side and the ludicrous side. I can't wait to see a plaid light sabre.

May the Schwartz be with you.

[OldPhiKap]

May the Schwartz be with you.

I am afraid that the jokes regarding marketing of SW schwag in Space Balls will fall woefully short of what we are about to see . . . .

Think Disney Princesses, with Buzz Lightyear tied to their backs.

[davekay1971]

I am afraid that the jokes regarding marketing of SW schwag in Space Balls will fall woefully short of what we are about to see . . . .

Think Disney Princesses, with Buzz Lightyear tied to their backs.

Don't even joke. I have daughters aged 6 and 2. If such a thing existed, we would own two of them.

[CameronBornAndBred]

The one thing that really bothers me is referring to the good side of the Force as the "light side". I've always felt that it is implied that the non-dark side of the Force is the light side, but it has never been called that in a movie. I think it's breaking canon to call the good side of the Force the light side.


They should have called it the Bright Side.


http://youtu.be/SJUhlRoBL8M

[FerryFor50]

I am afraid that the jokes regarding marketing of SW schwag in Space Balls will fall woefully short of what we are about to see . . . .

Think Disney Princesses, with Buzz Lightyear tied to their backs.

On that note, a buddy of mine did a Spaceballs/Star Wars mashup.

Check it out:

http://youtu.be/MsM7LTneKNc

[OldPhiKap]

On that note, a buddy of mine did a Spaceballs/Star Wars mashup.

Check it out:

http://youtu.be/MsM7LTneKNc

Wish I had the technical know-how to do something like that. Very nice.

[bjornolf]

Thoughts from the trailer:


Overall, great trailer! Got some cool images without learning any plot secrets.
The cross-hilt lightsaber is cool. I have no problems with it. If Darth Maul can use a double saber and not get hurt, I'm sure another Sith can use a light saber with laser guards. I am half wondering if that is Luke and he added the laser guards to a new light saber that he built because he doesn't want to get his hand cut off again.
Did the Millenium Falcon lose weight? Looks a bit thinned out. More pancake than frisbee. I'm surprised that the ship is still around. What is the half life for a spaceship, particularly one that is a Frankensteined "piece of junk"?
Didn't they round up the storm troopers and like kill them or something after the last movie (ROTJ)?
The one thing that really bothers me is referring to the good side of the Force as the "light side". I've always felt that it is implied that the non-dark side of the Force is the light side, but it has never been called that in a movie. I think it's breaking canon to call the good side of the Force the light side.


I don't think there is a "good" or "bad" side to the force. There is just "the force". Followers of the "dark side" allow their feelings and wants and needs, their primitive side, to control them. Followers of the "light side" use the power of their minds to control their feelings and keep those baser wants in heel. It just so happens that most who follow the darker side lose themselves in it and do bad things. It should be noted, however, that followers of the dark side don't think of themselves as evil or wrong. They think what they do is for the best too. And many jedi have done bad things in the name of the light.

[brevity]

I don't think there is a "good" or "bad" side to the force. There is just "the force". Followers of the "dark side" allow their feelings and wants and needs, their primitive side, to control them. Followers of the "light side" use the power of their minds to control their feelings and keep those baser wants in heel. It just so happens that most who follow the darker side lose themselves in it and do bad things. It should be noted, however, that followers of the dark side don't think of themselves as evil or wrong. They think what they do is for the best too. And many jedi have done bad things in the name of the light.

"There is no good and evil. There is only power, and those too weak to seek it."
-- Lord Voldemort, Sith-Adjacent

[brevity]

Anaheim is hosting something called the Star Wars Celebration right now, and StarWars.com (http://www.starwars.com/) has released a second teaser trailer. The original cast has slightly more of a presence this time.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngElkyQ6Rhs

(Direct link to YouTube page here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngElkyQ6Rhs) if you would rather see it fullscreen.)

[bjornolf]

So excited.

[BD80]

I predict this film will be among the top 5 of the season

[fuse]

I am now so overly hyped for this movie I don't have words to express it.

It's not even June, I don't want to wait until December.

The trailers are so good I am mildly concerned that the hype and build up are setting expectations so high I'm not sure how the movie will stand up to them.

[Duvall]

I am now so overly hyped for this movie I don't have words to express it.

It's not even June, I don't want to wait until December.

The trailers are so good I am mildly concerned that the hype and build up are setting expectations so high I'm not sure how the movie will stand up to them.

Just watch Star Trek Into Darkness if you need something to bring your expectations back down to manageable levels.

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

I thought Star Trek Into Darkness was really good, and Ive always hated the Star Trek series. Could be my fascination with everything Zoe Saldana though. Any Who, the new trailer was awesome!! Seeing the Falcon and R2 and the X-Wings flying low was freaking amazing. Then the scene with Chewy and Han topped the cake. I can't wait for this to come out its going to be huge.

[OldPhiKap]

Chris Hayes did a MST30000 breakdown of the trailer last night with two other like-minded guys. It was so funny to watch, really got my geek on.

Hayes noted that the opening scene with the crashed imperial Star Destroyer was cooler than anything in the last three movies that came out. Gotta agree.

[cspan37421]

am I the only one here for whom the atrocious writing of Episodes I & II* forever destroyed any interest in paying further attention to this storyline? I'm with crazy Mr. Plinkett on these movies. Maybe if I was 10 years old again they'd appeal more.



* Those were so bad I skipped Ep. III; the claim that, "Yeah, those two were terrible. But this one is actually good!" fell on my ears like the boy crying wolf.

[OldPhiKap]

am I the only one here for whom the atrocious writing of Episodes I & II* forever destroyed any interest in paying further attention to this storyline? I'm with crazy Mr. Plinkett on these movies. Maybe if I was 10 years old again they'd appeal more.



* Those were so bad I skipped Ep. III; the claim that, "Yeah, those two were terrible. But this one is actually good!" fell on my ears like the boy crying wolf.

For me, the difference is that I-III were kinda contrived in order to get to an ending you already knew. VII-IX, the canvas is clean.

I watched the trailer with my son last night, he is geeked about the movie but the trailer didn't hit him like me. For him, I-III are the better films. For me, hearing Luke, Han and Chewy brings me back to when I was eleven. This trailer is definitely aimed at the adults, not the kids.

[Mal]

For me, the difference is that I-III were kinda contrived in order to get to an ending you already knew.

I don't know that that was the problem. Everyone knows how Titanic and Miracle and the Lord of the Rings films are going to end, too. It's mostly that the execution just sucked. Good writing/acting/directing can help something not feel contrived.

It didn't help Episodes 1-3 that the particular ending that everyone already knew here was the emergence of arguably the scariest, most bad arsed, awesomely evil bad guy in movie history. Darth Vader was better as an archetype for pure dark rage and anger channelling great power, and then for the idea that it's never too late for love and redemption. Filling in his backstory was something of a fool's errand, I contend, as it weakens the power of Darth Vader the archetype. You don't need to know why Snidely Whiplash is Snidely Whiplash - it's enough that he is who he is, which is something for the hero to contend with. But it would have helped, if you just had to explore how Anakin become Vader, to not set that backstory in a comic book setting filled with more tossed off visual flair than a TGI Friday's, a political coup plotline that no one could follow, and a dimwitted rastafarian lizard.

ETA: that trailer was awesome. I have a high degree of cynicism about everything Lucasfilm, having now watched the original films as an adult, seen two of the prequels, and living in a town where George Lucas is asking us to give him priceless public space on the shore of Lake Michigan to put up a "museum" to house his pop culture trinkets. But that trailer had me hooked from the opening Luke voiceover. The shot of the crashed destroyer was super cool (trying not to think about how it got there 'cause, you know, science).

[OldPhiKap]

I don't know that that was the problem. Everyone knows how Titanic and Miracle and the Lord of the Rings films are going to end, too. It's mostly that the execution just sucked. Good writing/acting/directing can help something not feel contrived.

It didn't help Episodes 1-3 that the particular ending that everyone already knew here was the emergence of arguably the scariest, most bad arsed, awesomely evil bad guy in movie history. Darth Vader was better as an archetype for pure dark rage and anger channelling great power, and then for the idea that it's never too late for love and redemption. Filling in his backstory was something of a fool's errand, I contend, as it weakens the power of Darth Vader the archetype. You don't need to know why Snidely Whiplash is Snidely Whiplash - it's enough that he is who he is, which is something for the hero to contend with. But it would have helped, if you just had to explore how Anakin become Vader, to not set that backstory in a comic book setting filled with more tossed off visual flair than a TGI Friday's, a political coup plotline that no one could follow, and a dimwitted rastafarian lizard.

ETA: that trailer was awesome. I have a high degree of cynicism about everything Lucasfilm, having now watched the original films as an adult, seen two of the prequels, and living in a town where George Lucas is asking us to give him priceless public space on the shore of Lake Michigan to put up a "museum" to house his pop culture trinkets. But that trailer had me hooked from the opening Luke voiceover. The shot of the crashed destroyer was super cool (trying not to think about how it got there 'cause, you know, science).

Agree, it was more than just trying to fill in a backstory. It was convoluted plots with WAY too much going on; an epic Jar Jar fail; over-reliance on computer simulation with WAY too much going on; etcetera. But the overarching problem for me was that it was all contrived because it had to take three movies to end where you already knew it would end.

And was thinking about the crashed destroyer, too. Certainly, if the planet has enough atmosphere to breathe, it would need some sort of super heat shield to avoid just crumbling into burning debris -- albeit big debris possibly -- and the impact would be crazy. Maybe it is made of an alloy beyond our current knowledge, and/or descended reasonably before losing control at lower altitude and diving.

Or, it could be like two guys with light sabres fighting in a lava flow, jumping from rock to rock -- best not to think too hard.

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

I was once a HUGE Star Wars fan. I had all the action figures, had seen the movies over and over, was Luke and then Vader for Halloween. I was basically your typical 80s kid that loved Star Wars. Then the prequels happened and I lost all interest. All of it. Gone.

So now the new trailer comes out and it seems like there is an incredible amount of excitement over it. I watched it. I felt nothing. It could be any other movie that I have neutral interest in seeing.

Sorry to be a debbie downer here.

[CameronBornAndBred]

And was thinking about the crashed destroyer, too. Certainly, if the planet has enough atmosphere to breathe, it would need some sort of super heat shield to avoid just crumbling into burning debris -- albeit big debris possibly -- and the impact would be crazy. Maybe it is made of an alloy beyond our current knowledge, and/or descended reasonably before losing control at lower altitude and diving.
Since we saw a number of destroyers in the first movies (2 or 3, not sure which) hovering not too far off ground level, it is easy to assume that it didn't come crashing through the atmosphere. (Although I hope it did, since that would be way cooler.) I picture a similar scenario to the end of Independence Day when the alien ships start going down.

Of course...maybe it was this dude being a total badass and pulling it down by himself with the Force. (Google "Galen Marek Star Destroyer" if curious.)
5034

[Tripping William]

I was once a HUGE Star Wars fan. I had all the action figures, had seen the movies over and over, was Luke and then Vader for Halloween. I was basically your typical 80s kid that loved Star Wars. Then the prequels happened and I lost all interest. All of it. Gone.

So now the new trailer comes out and it seems like there is an incredible amount of excitement over it. I watched it. I felt nothing. It could be any other movie that I have neutral interest in seeing.

Sorry to be a debbie downer here.

Your first paragraph completely describes me as well. Your second paragraph was also me with respect to the first Episode VII trailer that came out. This second trailer, though, has <ahem> awakened just a smidgen of interest. We'll see how I feel in December.

[Tripping William]

Since we saw a number of destroyers in the first movies (2 or 3, not sure which) hovering not too far off ground level, it is easy to assume that it didn't come crashing through the atmosphere. (Although I hope it did, since that would be way cooler.) I picture a similar scenario to the end of Independence Day when the alien ships start going down.

Of course...maybe it was this dude being a total badass and pulling it down by himself with the Force. (Google "Galen Marek Star Destroyer" if curious.)
5034

I've never seen *that* photo of Nate James before. ;)

[OldPhiKap]

Your first paragraph completely describes me as well. Your second paragraph was also me with respect to the first Episode VII trailer that came out. This second trailer, though, has <ahem> awakened just a smidgen of interest. We'll see how I feel in December.

Yeah, this is my boat too.

I remember waiting in line with my father at a Caldor's store about two hours to "meet" Darth Vader. I still remember the theater I was in when I saw the original Star Wars (Darien, CT). I made a flip book cartoon of the opening sequence.

Yet, by the time V came out I was older and just not as in to it; I don't think I saw V or VI in the movie theater even.

Saw I-III because my son dug them.

We are both jacked for IX in December. Of course, I have a new Bond flick in November first.

[cspan37421]

Agree, it was more than just trying to fill in a backstory. It was convoluted plots with WAY too much going on; an epic Jar Jar fail; over-reliance on computer simulation with WAY too much going on; etcetera. But the overarching problem for me was that it was all contrived because it had to take three movies to end where you already knew it would end.


That's only the beginning of the train wrecks that were The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. Google "red letter media review Phantom Menace" to get a full schooling in their ineptitude, to put it politely.

[fuse]

Phantom Menance was just bad, other than the Jedi battle scene.
AotC and Revenge of the Sith I liked.

Somewhat related, I still have a Playstation 2 as the Star Wars Battlefront (1 & 2) game was never updated for the PS3. Battlefront for PS4 trailer dropped today, and looks pretty sweet.

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

Phantom Menance was just bad, other than the Jedi battle scene.
AotC and Revenge of the Sith I liked.

Somewhat related, I still have a Playstation 2 as the Star Wars Battlefront (1 & 2) game was never updated for the PS3. Battlefront for PS4 trailer dropped today, and looks pretty sweet.

No space battles though?!?! Come on EA everyone wants space battles and you can't throw us a bone. So we are restricted to the 4 planets you designate and ground battles. Don't get me wrong Im still gonna buy it for Xbox One, but they are going to DLC the heck out of this game. Also for those that were talking about how that Star Destroyer got crashed on Jaaka(SP?) looks like Star Wars Battlefront will have an answer as that battle will play out after the destroying of the second death star in game.

Geek mode full force- Game releases Nov. 17th of this year just in time for Holiday sales and to capitalize on the movie coming.

[fuse]

No space battles though?!?! Come on EA everyone wants space battles and you can't throw us a bone. So we are restricted to the 4 planets you designate and ground battles. Don't get me wrong Im still gonna buy it for Xbox One, but they are going to DLC the heck out of this game. Also for those that were talking about how that Star Destroyer got crashed on Jaaka(SP?) looks like Star Wars Battlefront will have an answer as that battle will play out after the destroying of the second death star in game.

Geek mode full force- Game releases Nov. 17th of this year just in time for Holiday sales and to capitalize on the movie coming.

Interesting. I thought prior Star Wars Battlefront were PS only, surprised to see Xbox and PC release.

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

Interesting. I thought prior Star Wars Battlefront were PS only, surprised to see Xbox and PC release.

They were xbox too, I remember playing it on my 360. of course that was a long time ago so I may be wrong.

[Acymetric]

am I the only one here for whom the atrocious writing of Episodes I & II* forever destroyed any interest in paying further attention to this storyline? I'm with crazy Mr. Plinkett on these movies. Maybe if I was 10 years old again they'd appeal more.



* Those were so bad I skipped Ep. III; the claim that, "Yeah, those two were terrible. But this one is actually good!" fell on my ears like the boy crying wolf.

Nah. I saw each of the new movies exactly once (and that was more than enough). But I still love the originals every bit as much as I used to, and I can't wait to see where it goes. If it means I walk out of the theater with the same feeling I had after Phantom Menace (the other two I waited to see either on TV or DVD) so be it, I will be excited until I have absolutely no reason to be excited anymore.

[YmoBeThere]

Nah. I saw each of the new movies exactly once (and that was more than enough). But I still love the originals every bit as much as I used to, and I can't wait to see where it goes. If it means I walk out of the theater with the same feeling I had after Phantom Menace (the other two I waited to see either on TV or DVD) so be it, I will be excited until I have absolutely no reason to be excited anymore.

I still haven't seen Episode 3. Don't care if I ever do. But I am excited about this upcoming one. Hopefully a return to some of the originals with new stuff. I don't understand what Lucas was thinking with I-III.

[JasonEvans]

I still haven't seen Episode 3. Don't care if I ever do. But I am excited about this upcoming one. Hopefully a return to some of the originals with new stuff. I don't understand what Lucas was thinking with I-III.

Have you seen I and II? III is easily the best of the trio, though that ain't saying much.

Frankly, from the moment he introduced us to the Ewoks, Lucas has been in a terrible downward spiral. I'm soooooo glad someone else is piloting the Star Wars ship at this point. Disney does seem to be bringing in top filmmaking talent to the new era of films, which is much better than when Lucas was dominating everything.

-Jason "I just hope we don't get endless lens flare in VII" Evans

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

Have you seen I and II? III is easily the best of the trio, though that ain't saying much.

Frankly, from the moment he introduced us to the Ewoks, Lucas has been in a terrible downward spiral. I'm soooooo glad someone else is piloting the Star Wars ship at this point. Disney does seem to be bringing in top filmmaking talent to the new era of films, which is much better than when Lucas was dominating everything.

-Jason "I just hope we don't get endless lens flare in VII" Evans

Whoa Whoa Whoa... don't hate on the mighty Ewoks now. Primitive, small in stature, yet capable of big things like destroying an AT with log crushing traps. Also, lets not forget their heart, and determination a race of aliens we should all strive to be more like :cool: Although it would have been much cooler if the death star was being made near Kashyyk (Sp?) the home planet of the Wookies. Wookies vs the Empire could have been epic!!! The small glimpse we get of the planet in Episode III was enough for me to like that movie.

[Wander]

Frankly, from the moment he introduced us to the Ewoks, Lucas has been in a terrible downward spiral.



Whoa Whoa Whoa... don't hate on the mighty Ewoks now.


What year were you guys born? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHe1Nwb8zr4

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

What year were you guys born? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHe1Nwb8zr4

haha yess!! I was born in 1982 so there's that.

[Duvall]

Frankly, from the moment he introduced us to the Ewoks, Lucas has been in a terrible downward spiral. I'm soooooo glad someone else is piloting the Star Wars ship at this point. Disney does seem to be bringing in top filmmaking talent to the new era of films, which is much better than when Lucas was dominating everything.

Well, Kennedy certainly brought in the top filmmaking talent that's been kissing up to her since he was 14. It will be interesting to see what Edwards and Johnson do, though.

[JasonEvans]

haha yess!! I was born in 1982 so there's that.

1967, so I firmly believe the Ewoks suck mightily.

This article is a must read (http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/on-its-30th-anniversary-how-return-of-the-jedi-ruined-star-wars-forever-20130524)to understand how Lucas ruined Jedi, which could have been the final element in the greatest trilogy of all time. It was all about the merchandising for George. Ahh well.


The indigenous race that populated the forest moon of Endor was originally conceived as a slithery band of reptilian lizard creatures, which would have served the story well – the evil Empire being brought down by something equally scary and slimy (but fundamentally misunderstood.) Lucas got skittish, though, and changed them to the lovable Ewoks – essentially Native American teddybears, ready to be snapped up and snuggled by countless children the world over. The laws of 'Return of the Jedi' weren't governed by art or common sense or the needs and requirements of the screenplay – the revenue generated from action figures, boxes of novelty cereal and pajamas governed them.

-Jason "reading that article will make you regret ever buying a single Star Wars toy... every single action figure sold contributed to the demise of the franchise" Evans

[JNort]

I know I've stated it before but I loved Star Wars I-III. I loved all of them equally. I-III we had to deal with Jar Jar and the older ones we imo had to have a terrible actor play Luke (find him tough to watch). I want a remake of the old ones just for the better cgi on things like Yoda and better fight scenes.

[JNort]

I know I've stated it before but I loved Star Wars I-III. I loved all of them equally. I-III we had to deal with Jar Jar and the older ones we imo had to have a terrible actor play Luke (find him tough to watch). I want a remake of the old ones just for the better cgi on things like Yoda and better fight scenes.

Still probably to early to have Star Wars remakes though

[DukeUsul]

I still haven't seen Episode 3. Don't care if I ever do. But I am excited about this upcoming one. Hopefully a return to some of the originals with new stuff. I don't understand what Lucas was thinking with I-III.

Ymo, you're breaking my heart!!!

[devildeac]

Happy Star Wars Day!






May the Fourth be with you.

:o:o

[bjornolf]

And with you.

[BD80]

And with you.

Are you the two?

[brevity]

May the 4th be almost over. Getting this in under the wire.

Vanity Fair (http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/05/star-wars-the-force-awakens-vanity-fair-cover) has a Star Wars cover for its next issue:

5085

There are more pictures available, some of which may be considered spoilers. Not plot spoilers, but what actor is wearing that costume you saw in the teaser trailers, what actor is giving a motion-cap CGI performance instead of a live-action one, etc.

[gurufrisbee]

Not sure if this is the right thread or not, but did anyone see the new video from Comic-Con? HOLY COW!!! So excited for this.

(thank you for whoever moved it)

[JBDuke]

Not sure if this is the right thread or not, but did anyone see the new video from Comic-Con? HOLY COW!!! So excited for this.

(thank you for whoever moved it)

Here's the YouTube link. It's not a new trailer - apparently there won't be another until this fall - but it's some "behind the scenes" footage. Pretty cool stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hzd_K5QdXQ


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hzd_K5QdXQ

[OldPhiKap]

Star Wars VII: My Inner Geek Reawakens.

I am pumped, as is my son.

[Native]

...from the moment he introduced us to the Ewoks, Lucas has been in a terrible downward spiral. I'm soooooo glad someone else is piloting the Star Wars ship at this point.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHe1Nwb8zr4

[YmoBeThere]

I don't remember if I made it all the way through I and certain I didn't make it through two.

FWIW, I spotted an Ewok advance party as they slowly infiltrate Earth...

5300

[pfrduke]

The Monday Night Football trailer was good. Really good. Who knows how the movie will ultimately turn out, but they're certainly doing an excellent job building expectation.

[Tom B.]

The Monday Night Football trailer was good. Really good. Who knows how the movie will ultimately turn out, but they're certainly doing an excellent job building expectation.

Didn't see MNF, but I assume you're talking about this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGbxmsDFVnE)?

[YmoBeThere]

Didn't see MNF, but I assume you're talking about this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGbxmsDFVnE)?

Yes, that was what they showed on MNF.

[JasonEvans]

Well, this should be fun to track. The YouTube trailer is at 8.6 million views at exactly 9am ET today. Will it be at 50,000,000 by dinner time tonight?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGbxmsDFVnE

I love that they went more character/story/emotion in this trailer rather than just bombard us with action images. It really feels like Daisy Ridley and John Boyega are the main characters of the story. Clearly, Adam Driver (who's face we never see in the trailer) is the bad guy and he looks quite menacing. We didn't see Oscar Issac all that much but he is going to play a big role. Han shows up a good bit, but we only get one fleeting glimpse of Leia and, unless I missed it, there was nothing of Luke (though I imagine the story is partly about some quest to find Luke).

I'm excited... which makes me the same as probably 40% of the adult population on Earth. I really, really want this to be at least pretty good. It does not have to be great, but relaunch this thing with at least a pretty good flick/story.

-Jason "how is Boyega's character a former stormtooper... is he a clone?" Evans

[OldPhiKap]

Well, this should be fun to track. The YouTube trailer is at 8.6 million views at exactly 9am ET today. Will it be at 50,000,000 by dinner time tonight?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGbxmsDFVnE

I love that they went more character/story/emotion in this trailer rather than just bombard us with action images. It really feels like Daisy Ridley and John Boyega are the main characters of the story. Clearly, Adam Driver (who's face we never see in the trailer) is the bad guy and he looks quite menacing. We didn't see Oscar Issac all that much but he is going to play a big role. Han shows up a good bit, but we only get one fleeting glimpse of Leia and, unless I missed it, there was nothing of Luke (though I imagine the story is partly about some quest to find Luke).

I'm excited... which makes me the same as probably 40% of the adult population on Earth. I really, really want this to be at least pretty good. It does not have to be great, but relaunch this thing with at least a pretty good flick/story.

-Jason "how is Boyega's character a former stormtooper... is he a clone?" Evans

Actor reactions:

http://www.eonline.com/news/708168/john-boyega-and-daisy-ridley-react-to-the-new-star-wars-trailer-and-one-of-them-cries

[jjasper0729]

Well, this should be fun to track. The YouTube trailer is at 8.6 million views at exactly 9am ET today. Will it be at 50,000,000 by dinner time tonight?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGbxmsDFVnE

I love that they went more character/story/emotion in this trailer rather than just bombard us with action images. It really feels like Daisy Ridley and John Boyega are the main characters of the story. Clearly, Adam Driver (who's face we never see in the trailer) is the bad guy and he looks quite menacing. We didn't see Oscar Issac all that much but he is going to play a big role. Han shows up a good bit, but we only get one fleeting glimpse of Leia and, unless I missed it, there was nothing of Luke (though I imagine the story is partly about some quest to find Luke).

I'm excited... which makes me the same as probably 40% of the adult population on Earth. I really, really want this to be at least pretty good. It does not have to be great, but relaunch this thing with at least a pretty good flick/story.

-Jason "how is Boyega's character a former stormtooper... is he a clone?" Evans

The only indicator of Luke, that I can figure is the same image we'd seen in the first trailer where he's in the shot with R2-D2 and you see his bionic hand on R2's dome. This was when Han talks about the Dark Side and the Jedi.

[JasonEvans]

Actor reactions:

http://www.eonline.com/news/708168/john-boyega-and-daisy-ridley-react-to-the-new-star-wars-trailer-and-one-of-them-cries

I think Ridley is crying because she knows she is going to make millions and millions over the course of her career as a result of being in this movie. She was unknown (so was Boyega) and will now be a household name.

Of course, I suspect Hayden Christiansen thought the same thing ;)

-Jason "I do think Ridley's character looks really compelling and well-acted in the trailers though" Evans

[94duke]

Well, this should be fun to track. The YouTube trailer is at 8.6 million views at exactly 9am ET today. Will it be at 50,000,000 by dinner time tonight?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGbxmsDFVnE

I love that they went more character/story/emotion in this trailer rather than just bombard us with action images. It really feels like Daisy Ridley and John Boyega are the main characters of the story. Clearly, Adam Driver (who's face we never see in the trailer) is the bad guy and he looks quite menacing. We didn't see Oscar Issac all that much but he is going to play a big role. Han shows up a good bit, but we only get one fleeting glimpse of Leia and, unless I missed it, there was nothing of Luke (though I imagine the story is partly about some quest to find Luke).

I'm excited... which makes me the same as probably 40% of the adult population on Earth. I really, really want this to be at least pretty good. It does not have to be great, but relaunch this thing with at least a pretty good flick/story.

-Jason "how is Boyega's character a former stormtooper... is he a clone?" Evans

After the Clone Wars, Storm Troopers were not clones.

[Wander]

I love that they went more character/story/emotion in this trailer rather than just bombard us with action images. It really feels like Daisy Ridley and John Boyega are the main characters of the story. Clearly, Adam Driver (who's face we never see in the trailer) is the bad guy and he looks quite menacing. We didn't see Oscar Issac all that much but he is going to play a big role. Han shows up a good bit, but we only get one fleeting glimpse of Leia and, unless I missed it, there was nothing of Luke (though I imagine the story is partly about some quest to find Luke).

I am really happy to see that Daisy and John are the main characters and that Leia and Luke are supporting characters. My biggest fear about the early rumors was too much focus on the old characters. Still crossing my fingers that the main hero and villain are Han and Leia's daughter and son.

[JasonEvans]

After the Clone Wars, Storm Troopers were not clones.

I wonder if they will explain this to moviegoers. The only movie cannon we have seen has been stormtroopers as clones of Jango Fett. That said, I feel like when we heard them speak at various times in the original trilogy (Ep 4-6) they spoke with different voices, which would lend itself to them being normal people wearing stormtrooper armor, not clones.

-Jason "geek much?" Evans

[bjornolf]

I wonder if they will explain this to moviegoers. The only movie cannon we have seen has been stormtroopers as clones of Jango Fett. That said, I feel like when we heard them speak at various times in the original trilogy (Ep 4-6) they spoke with different voices, which would lend itself to them being normal people wearing stormtrooper armor, not clones.

-Jason "geek much?" Evans

I think the clone troopers were clones of JF, not the storm troopers.

[CameronBornAndBred]

which would lend itself to them being normal people wearing stormtrooper armor, not clones.

Maybe that's why they can't shoot worth a damn.

[Mal]

I wonder if they will explain this to moviegoers. The only movie cannon we have seen has been stormtroopers as clones of Jango Fett. That said, I feel like when we heard them speak at various times in the original trilogy (Ep 4-6) they spoke with different voices, which would lend itself to them being normal people wearing stormtrooper armor, not clones.

-Jason "geek much?" Evans

Explanation may not be necessary for most. I am thankfully not faced with this sort of confusion. As I walked, so bored I had forgotten to be confused, out of Episode 1 halfway through, and quickly trash heaped all of the scattershot and inscrutable plot points I got in exposure to parts of the next two movies, this story essentially begins for me with some menacing heavy breathing half man, half machine capturing a small spaceship carrying a be-bunned woman who's apparently a princess of some sort. It's as if Episodes 1-3 were never made. I suspect that's the case for a large portion of the audience, and for those who do care, they'll know the answer (as 94duke evidences).

Anyhoo, this trailer looked pretty spectacular to me. As a rather cynical, movie-snobbish, non-fanboy in any sense, I've found the Star Wars magic's buried pretty deep down for me when re-watching Episodes 4-6 with my own kids and parts of 1-3 earlier on as an adult. But I'll be danged if I didn't have some hairs standing on edge watching that thing. I felt like an 8 year-old, waiting for the Empire Strikes Back to hit the theaters, all over again.

FWIW, I'm pretty sure you did see Luke, as jjasper points out. If memory serves, in the earlier trailer he mentions, you hear the voice of Mark Hamill saying "The Force is strong in my family..." He says "My father had it" and you see the melted Vader mask, and then when he says "I have it" you see that same image of a hooded figure with a mechanical hand reaching out to R2D2 as you saw in the new trailer from last night.

[gus]

2 questions:

Will I need to see episode III to enjoy this one? Hopefully not

Is that a shot of Storm Troopers deploying from the Millennium Falcon?

[YmoBeThere]

Is that a shot of Storm Troopers deploying from the Millennium Falcon?

At 1:52 of the trailer?

[OldPhiKap]

2 questions:

Will I need to see episode III to enjoy this one? Hopefully not

Is that a shot of Storm Troopers deploying from the Millennium Falcon?

Episode III in a nutshell:

The chancellor turns out to be {gasp!} the Emperor. He draws the dark side (anger, revenge, etc.) out of Anikin and Anikin becomes his apprentice.

The war begins, the clones suddenly become storm troopers, the Jedi are wiped out in one fell swoop except Yoda and Obi Won. Obi and Anikin fight on a floating river of molten metal or lava or something. Obi wins, Anikin is left a burnt trunk of a man. One cybersuit later and he's Vader on a ventilator or with asthma or something.

Anikin Knocked up his wife, who gives birth to Luke and Leia. She dies and in childbirth.

There is also a ton of CGI busyness, bad acting, build-up battles, more CGI overload, look a Jar Jar cameo, the dude from Pulp Fiction with his head shaved, and silly crap I still don't understand how made it past editing and script review. Oh, and they erase the droid's memories for some reason so they can start fresh in Episode IV.

No need to see the episode, it will be 132 minutes of your life you can never get back.

[gus]

At 1:52 of the trailer?

yes.

[gus]

Episode III in a nutshell:


Thanks OPK. I'd spork you if I were allowed to. What's the opposite of a spoiler?


And despite pretty much agreeing with this (http://theconcourse.deadspin.com/what-if-the-new-star-wars-sucks-too-1737539377) (warning salty language), I'm still looking forward to episode 7.

[OldPhiKap]

Thanks OPK. I'd spork you if I were allowed to. What's the opposite of a spoiler?


And despite pretty much agreeing with this (http://theconcourse.deadspin.com/what-if-the-new-star-wars-sucks-too-1737539377) (warning salty language), I'm still looking forward to episode 7.

The thing is, all of the stuff I described of substance happens in like the last 15 minutes. All at once. Everywhere. With plot explanations in cursory fashion from folks talking while running down a hall, sobbing, or drowned out by the dramatic soundtrack.

I couldn't tell you what the rest of the movie is about from memory.


Having said all of that, I really liked Abram's reboot of Star Trek. I think it is in good hands. And he has promised more live action and less CGI crap, which is a big plus to me.

[JasonEvans]

Someone who spends waaay too much time thinking about Star Wars has come up with an amazing theory (read it in detail here (https://medium.com/@ddmirolli/10-reasons-why-luke-skywalker-is-kylo-ren-2e781022091a#.ja3f10vxl)) for the new films. It does feel like the kind of thing JJ Abrams would do. I wouldn't call it spoilers, as the author is just speculating, but... just in case it is true, I am going to cover it up with spoiler text.

Luke Skywalker, who has been conspicuously absent from trailers and posters, is actually Kylo Ren, the major bad guy in the new film

-Jason "one reason I doubt the veracity of this is that George Lucas would probably really object to the story going this direction" Evans

[brevity]

Episode III in a nutshell:

The chancellor turns out to be {gasp!} the Emperor. He draws the dark side (anger, revenge, etc.) out of Anikin and Anikin becomes his apprentice.

The war begins, the clones suddenly become storm troopers, the Jedi are wiped out in one fell swoop except Yoda and Obi Won. Obi and Anikin fight on a floating river of molten metal or lava or something. Obi wins, Anikin is left a burnt trunk of a man. One cybersuit later and he's Vader on a ventilator or with asthma or something.

Anikin Knocked up his wife, who gives birth to Luke and Leia. She dies and in childbirth.

There is also a ton of CGI busyness, bad acting, build-up battles, more CGI overload, look a Jar Jar cameo, the dude from Pulp Fiction with his head shaved, and silly crap I still don't understand how made it past editing and script review. Oh, and they erase the droid's memories for some reason so they can start fresh in Episode IV.

No need to see the episode, it will be 132 minutes of your life you can never get back.

I would add a bit of positivity in the form of Jimmy Smits' character, Bail Organa. Seen briefly in Episode II, he kind of takes over the third act of Episode III when Yoda and Obi-Wan are down. If you're watching the prequel trilogy and wondering how it connects to the beginning of the original trilogy, Bail Organa makes it happen. The Rebel Alliance starts with him. He helps Yoda escape and hide after Yoda fails to defeat the Emperor. He adopts Leia, and gives Luke to Obi-Wan, who delivers him to Owen and Beru on Tatooine. He takes the droids, but only wipes the memory of C-3PO. (Which makes R2-D2 the saga's only surrogate narrator.)

It helps to think of Bail Organa as the patron saint who represents the original trilogy. Not that he got to enjoy it, as he almost certainly perishes early in Star Wars, along with the rest of Alderaan.

[cato]

Someone who spends waaay too much time thinking about Star Wars has come up with an amazing theory (read it in detail here (https://medium.com/@ddmirolli/10-reasons-why-luke-skywalker-is-kylo-ren-2e781022091a#.ja3f10vxl)) for the new films. It does feel like the kind of thing JJ Abrams would do. I wouldn't call it spoilers, as the author is just speculating, but... just in case it is true, I am going to cover it up with spoiler text.

[redacted]

-Jason "one reason I doubt the veracity of this is that George Lucas would probably really object to the story going this direction" Evans


Are we hiding speculation?

I'm not so sure George Lucas would object -- at least, not the George Lucas that made the original trilogy. The best part of Luke and Annikin's saga is the pull of the "dark side."

Luke defeated his father only when he gave in and used his emotion. When he ultimately decided not to take the final step that his father did, he would have been killed -- but for his father's own decision to overcome whatever bonds were imposed on him by his apprenticeship and kill his master. One might say it was a return from the dark side, but Vader's decision to kill the Emperor was driven by the same (perhaps implausible) impulse with pushed Annikin toward the dark in the first place.

At any rate, the pull of the dark on Luke was critical to the first three movies. It would make sense to see where that goes in the next three.

I vaguely recall some of the post movie non-canon books exploring this with Luke.

[YmoBeThere]

I thought it was Anakin?

[Tom B.]

Explanation may not be necessary for most. I am thankfully not faced with this sort of confusion. As I walked, so bored I had forgotten to be confused, out of Episode 1 halfway through, and quickly trash heaped all of the scattershot and inscrutable plot points I got in exposure to parts of the next two movies, this story essentially begins for me with some menacing heavy breathing half man, half machine capturing a small spaceship carrying a be-bunned woman who's apparently a princess of some sort. It's as if Episodes 1-3 were never made. I suspect that's the case for a large portion of the audience, and for those who do care, they'll know the answer (as 94duke evidences).

Anyhoo, this trailer looked pretty spectacular to me. As a rather cynical, movie-snobbish, non-fanboy in any sense, I've found the Star Wars magic's buried pretty deep down for me when re-watching Episodes 4-6 with my own kids and parts of 1-3 earlier on as an adult. But I'll be danged if I didn't have some hairs standing on edge watching that thing. I felt like an 8 year-old, waiting for the Empire Strikes Back to hit the theaters, all over again.

FWIW, I'm pretty sure you did see Luke, as jjasper points out. If memory serves, in the earlier trailer he mentions, you hear the voice of Mark Hamill saying "The Force is strong in my family..." He says "My father had it" and you see the melted Vader mask, and then when he says "I have it" you see that same image of a hooded figure with a mechanical hand reaching out to R2D2 as you saw in the new trailer from last night.

The system isn't letting me spork you, but I wanted to throw some kudos your way for the word "be-bunned." I laughed out loud at that one.

I'm kind of hoping that the new Star Wars trilogy treats the prequel trilogy in much the same way that the Highlander TV series from back in the 90s (which didn't entirely suck) treated the Highlander sequel movies (which very, very much did) -- i.e., as if they never happened. Yeah, I know we need to understand the general backstory of who Anakin Skywalker was, how he turned to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader, and along the way had a couple of Force-imbued rugrats. Beyond that, though, the less time spent dwelling on midichlorians and whatnot, the better.

[moonpie23]

JJ should immediately scratch ANOTHER check to John Williams....right this second....(actually, the bmi/ascap "autodraft" will be in full effect for john....)


if you didn't get chills at 1:28 of the trailer, you're prolly not going to be up for this adventure.......


JJ has shown us that he can revisit our fondest historical characters, and bring them to new life, while not simply relying on their mere presence as the mainstay.


I can't remember when i've been this amped up about an upcoming film....

[OldPhiKap]

I thought it was Anakin?

Well, then his nickname would be "Ana" instead of "Ani"

(but you are probably right)

[snowdenscold]

OK just saw the trailer and add me to the "officially super excited" list!

And this is a big deal for me to even watch the trailer, as often I've avoided them for movies that I know I am going to see that feature large-scale and inspiring visuals / set-pieces.

For example, Return of the King. I didn't want to have any exposure to how certain places and scenes (e.g. Minas Tirith, Mt. Doom, Battle of the Pelenor Fields, etc.) looked ahead of time so I could experience them fresh during the course of the movie.

[crimsondevil]

Someone who spends waaay too much time thinking about Star Wars has come up with an amazing theory (read it in detail here (https://medium.com/@ddmirolli/10-reasons-why-luke-skywalker-is-kylo-ren-2e781022091a#.ja3f10vxl)) for the new films. It does feel like the kind of thing JJ Abrams would do. I wouldn't call it spoilers, as the author is just speculating, but... just in case it is true, I am going to cover it up with spoiler text.

Luke Skywalker, who has been conspicuously absent from trailers and posters, is actually Kylo Ren, the major bad guy in the new film

-Jason "one reason I doubt the veracity of this is that George Lucas would probably really object to the story going this direction" Evans

I doubt this. Kylo Ren is played by Adam Driver, so unless Luke is a Faceless Man, it seems unlikely. The consensus other places seems to be that Kylo Ren is kind of a Vader fanboy (along with his crew with the vaguely Monty Pythonesque name "The Knights of Ren") rather than a real Sith. I think the most likely reason that Luke is not on the poster is that he does not have a major role in the film, except perhaps as a MacGuffin.


I wonder if they will explain this to moviegoers. The only movie cannon we have seen has been stormtroopers as clones of Jango Fett. That said, I feel like when we heard them speak at various times in the original trilogy (Ep 4-6) they spoke with different voices, which would lend itself to them being normal people wearing stormtrooper armor, not clones.

I think they might explain it in a throw-away line. I think it's pretty obvious that they were not intended as clones originally, so then they needed to conjure up an explanation for the difference. IIRC, Star Trek has some tortured explanation for why the Klingons look different in the original series as compared to later, and it seems a bit like that.


The only movie cannon we have seen... Sorry couldn't help it, but this was my immediate thought:
5598

[Wander]

Someone who spends waaay too much time thinking about Star Wars has come up with an amazing theory (read it in detail here (https://medium.com/@ddmirolli/10-reasons-why-luke-skywalker-is-kylo-ren-2e781022091a#.ja3f10vxl)) for the new films. It does feel like the kind of thing JJ Abrams would do. I wouldn't call it spoilers, as the author is just speculating, but... just in case it is true, I am going to cover it up with spoiler text.

Luke Skywalker, who has been conspicuously absent from trailers and posters, is actually Kylo Ren, the major bad guy in the new film

-Jason "one reason I doubt the veracity of this is that George Lucas would probably really object to the story going this direction" Evans

OK, since this is now a thing, I am putting down my official prediction on Luke etc so I can look back after the movie comes out:

Luke is essentially just Yoda, who for whatever reason has disappeared and decided to become a hermit. Maybe he even lives on Dagobah. The main character Rey finds him at the end of the movie, where he will begin training her to take down her evil twin brother Kylo Ren. Kylo probably kills one of their parents, Han or Leia, somewhere in episode 7 or 8. Undecided if Luke ends up surviving the trilogy or has a kid of his own.

[Olympic Fan]

I have a question about the most recent trailer ... there is clearly a shot of a hooded figure placing his mechanical hand atop R2D2.

I know everybody assumes that's Luke, who did lose his hand at the end of the Empire Strikes Back.

But the mechanical hand in the trailer looks NOTHING like the life-like prosthetic that Luke got at the end of Empire:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cik8cl_n9AE

Overall, I'm mildly interested in the new episode, but not as excited as most of you seem to be. I think the last three-and-a-half episodes have killed my enthusiasm for the series.

I was an original Star Wars fan boy. You young'uns probably can't believe how awkward the original release was in the late-spring on 1977. It was slowly released to a handful of cities to a growing word-of-mouth fandom. Living in Durham, I had to drive to Greensboro to see if for the first time -- I liked it so much that I drove back twice more in the next week to see it. Two weeks later, it came to Raleigh and I bopped over there to see it a couple of times. Then it finally came to Durham and I was able to see it again.

My interest peaked with The Empire Strikes Back. I thought -- and still think -- that Empire was the best installment of the franchise. Man, did we debate the idea that Vader was Luke's father -- true or not true? May theory at the time was that Darth was a clone of his father ...

The came Revenge of the Jedi ... I thought it started off great with the rescue of Hans from Jabba the Hut (although the amost casual disposal of Bobba Fett seemed to be a cheat). It was only when the team got to Endor and the cuddly Ewoks made their appearance that I began to lose interest. I guess that's because I fall on the left side of Barney Stinson's "Ewok Line":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHe1Nwb8zr4

As for the next three episodes ... the less said the better. I'll wait for feedback on the newest episode before risking another experience as terrible as The Phantom Menace

[CameronBornAndBred]

As for the next three episodes ... the less said the better. I'll wait for feedback on the newest episode before risking another experience as terrible as The Phantom Menace
Have you seen any of Droid Tales? It is a fun retelling of the series through Lego eyes, and Phantom Menace gets deliciously skewered. This is the whole of the first episode, but check in at 3:20 for a good laugh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtfYocZxCjY

[gurufrisbee]

So last summer a scheduling snafu allowed me a weird opportunity to be home for 24 hours with no wife and kids before I left for a trip. So I did what I had wanted for a while - watched all six Star Wars movies in order from 1-6. And I gotta say, after that experience I have even more excitement for this.

I never liked 1-3 as much as 4-6 - like everyone else. But I never disliked 1-3 as much as most people seem to have. Well, maybe 2. The whole dang movie was a stupid love story. It might as well have been Star Wars by Nicholas Sparks.

But in watching them in numeric order you realize how overwhelmingly the first three do not stand on their own well - without the pre-existing 4-6 movies. They spend a ton of their time and effort making large nods to and assuming you already watched and loved the movies that in one sense, have not happened yet!

At least with 7 (and 8 and 9), it will actually make sense to reference things in the other movies, because they all are in the past and have happened.

My own personal guess:

I don't know how to do spoiler tags here, so I'll restrain myself

[-jk]

Spoiler tags: It's just Whatever you want to hide, thus:

Whatever you want to hide

-jk

[gurufrisbee]

I get the concept - just couldn't find the button for it like the quote and code and html tags.

[JasonEvans]

OK, since this is now a thing, I am putting down my official prediction on Luke etc so I can look back after the movie comes out:

Luke is essentially just Yoda, who for whatever reason has disappeared and decided to become a hermit. Maybe he even lives on Dagobah. The main character Rey finds him at the end of the movie, where he will begin training her to take down her evil twin brother Kylo Ren. Kylo probably kills one of their parents, Han or Leia, somewhere in episode 7 or 8. Undecided if Luke ends up surviving the trilogy or has a kid of his own.

I would bet large sums of money that Han will die in episode 7. Harrison Ford had to be dragged, kicking a screaming, back to this role and the scuttlebutt is that he only agreed to do it on the condition that he never, ever had to do it again. The best way to ensure that happens is to have him die.

As for Luke having a kid of his own -- not gonna happen. He is a full-on Jedi at this point and they are forbidden from feeling love. I suppose it is possible that JJ will bring us the tale of some teenaged girlfriend of Luke who he knocked up prior to leaving Tatoine with Han and Obi Wan, but giving Luke a child born during hid Jedi years would be a violation of the Jedi code.

-Jason "is wild speculation by fanboys like us really a spoiler? Maybe these spoiler tags are silly" Evans

[bjornolf]

I have a question about the most recent trailer ... there is clearly a shot of a hooded figure placing his mechanical hand atop R2D2.

I know everybody assumes that's Luke, who did lose his hand at the end of the Empire Strikes Back.

But the mechanical hand in the trailer looks NOTHING like the life-like prosthetic that Luke got at the end of Empire:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cik8cl_n9AE

Overall, I'm mildly interested in the new episode, but not as excited as most of you seem to be. I think the last three-and-a-half episodes have killed my enthusiasm for the series.

I was an original Star Wars fan boy. You young'uns probably can't believe how awkward the original release was in the late-spring on 1977. It was slowly released to a handful of cities to a growing word-of-mouth fandom. Living in Durham, I had to drive to Greensboro to see if for the first time -- I liked it so much that I drove back twice more in the next week to see it. Two weeks later, it came to Raleigh and I bopped over there to see it a couple of times. Then it finally came to Durham and I was able to see it again.

My interest peaked with The Empire Strikes Back. I thought -- and still think -- that Empire was the best installment of the franchise. Man, did we debate the idea that Vader was Luke's father -- true or not true? May theory at the time was that Darth was a clone of his father ...

The came Revenge of the Jedi ... I thought it started off great with the rescue of Hans from Jabba the Hut (although the amost casual disposal of Bobba Fett seemed to be a cheat). It was only when the team got to Endor and the cuddly Ewoks made their appearance that I began to lose interest. I guess that's because I fall on the left side of Barney Stinson's "Ewok Line":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHe1Nwb8zr4

As for the next three episodes ... the less said the better. I'll wait for feedback on the newest episode before risking another experience as terrible as The Phantom Menace

That was Hy.... wait for it... sterical! My wife and I fall just to the right of the line, and we both think the ewoks are okay, but are not huge fans. Our kids? LOVE THEM. Barney strikes again!

I'd be fascinated to see where (when?) the Jar Jar Binks line lies, cause kids seem to like him, but people who were teenagers or older when it came out abhor him. I'm betting it's around 8-9 years before the release of Phantom Menace, a little younger than the ewok line, since even ten year olds probably thought JJB was stupid.

[fuse]

Some of the speculative articles, particularly about Kylo Ren, are causing a great disturbance in the Force (or at the very least, angst for me).

I don't want to wish away time, can 12/17 get here already?????

[gurufrisbee]

Nine year old daughter watched A New Hope for the first time yesterday with me. She loved it. We're shooting for one a week. Should be all caught up just in time. :D

[DUKIECB]

My 6 year old son and I made our way through episodes 4-6 this weekend. This was his first time and I think he may be a fan! We both enjoyed it and I couldn't believe how much of the series I had forgotten since last watching them probably 20 years ago. It most certainly has me way more excited for episode VII, especially after the awesome new trailer.

If you haven't seen this it might interest some of you. It's all the trailers released so far mashed up into one. I'm getting pretty pumped! http://time.com/4086077/star-wars-the-force-awakens-supercut-trailers-footage/

[fuse]

Check out Mark Hamill's twitter feed. No spoilers, he is under NDA.

[neemizzle]

If the hype had died down just a little....this should make you go watch the trailer once more...


http://www.insidethemagic.net/2015/11/new-star-wars-the-force-awakens-character-posters-revealed-han-solo-leia-rey-finn-kylo-ren/

Goodness, Kylo Ren looks fantastic.

[BLPOG]

Another trailer, similar to the one release in October but with some different footage. I think it's a Japanese version but the audio is in English, so no worries there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdAUiyeJMFQ

[Wander]

Another trailer, similar to the one release in October but with some different footage. I think it's a Japanese version but the audio is in English, so no worries there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdAUiyeJMFQ

The new lines from Rey and Kylo support my theory for their origins... although the continued focus on Rey's "I'm no one" may instead just reveal that she's a grown up Arya Stark.

[JasonEvans]

Do yourself a favor and go read this lengthy interview (http://www.wired.com/2015/11/star-wars-force-awakens-jj-abrams-interview/?utm_source=nextdraft&utm_medium=email) in Wired with JJ Abrams.


It’s clear that in addition to being one of the most gifted movie directors in the world, somehow the heir apparent to both Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, Abrams is also a superfan.

That puts him in a precarious situation. He has inherited the one megaI'm a real wanker for saying this.franchise to rule them all. Sure, this won’t be the first time Abrams resurrects a beloved Enterprise. But … this is the saga. It’s one of the things that invented modern superfandom. And this is no reboot. With The Force Awakens, Abrams is marshaling the same actors, writers, designers, and even the same composer to reanimate the charI'm a real wanker for saying this.acters and themes that made the original Star Wars into, well, Star Wars. He loves those movies as much as you or any of your laser-brained friends do. But when he first met those movies he was just an apprentice. Now he must become the master.

He talks about his goals and the creative process. I was especially relieved to read this line: " That’s not to say I’m not proud of my work, but the fact is I remember starting to shoot Super 8 and Star Trek Into Darkness and feeling like I hadn’t really solved some fundamental story problems."

Whew! I'm glad to hear that he thought there were problems from the outset with the scripts for those two films, because I feel they are clearly his worst work as a director (though they are both still pretty good films). If he is going to make something that is better than Into Darkness, then we are in pretty good shape here!

At the risk of excessively quoting the interview, I also loved this line about the writing process with Lawrence Kasdan.


I asked questions like “How do we make this movie delightful?” That was really the only requirement Larry and I imposed on each other: The movie needed to be delightful. It was not about explaining everything away, not about introducing a certain number of toys for a corporation, not about trying to appease anyone. This has only ever been about what gets us excited.

-Jason "ok, I'm officially getting excited again!" Evans

[BD80]

... -Jason "ok, I'm officially getting excited again!" Evans

So you're saying there's a chance it'll do better than Spectre?

[fuse]

Pre-emptive thread bump.

Tickets Thursday night and Friday night.

Getting excited!

[CameronBornAndBred]

Pre-emptive thread bump.

Tickets Thursday night and Friday night.

Getting excited!
I hadn't thought about it, but I'm assuming there will actually be scalpers making $ off this movie.

[JasonEvans]

I hadn't thought about it, but I'm assuming there will actually be scalpers making $ off this movie.

Ebay has tons of tickets for sale. The price depends on where you live. In Atlanta, it appears opening night tickets will go for around $100 each.

-Jason "guess what has two thumbs and is seeing Star Wars for free tomorrow?" Evans
https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9-OTEU7Xi_6gu_4DaTGGjSgEPEQ=/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/2399106/this-guy.0.jpg

[Dev11]

Ebay has tons of tickets for sale. The price depends on where you live. In Atlanta, it appears opening night tickets will go for around $100 each.

-Jason "guess what has two thumbs and is seeing Star Wars for free tomorrow?" Evans
https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9-OTEU7Xi_6gu_4DaTGGjSgEPEQ=/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/2399106/this-guy.0.jpg

I hate Jason Evans.

I have a ticket for Friday afternoon. So excited

[Wander]

Ebay has tons of tickets for sale. The price depends on where you live. In Atlanta, it appears opening night tickets will go for around $100 each.

-Jason "guess what has two thumbs and is seeing Star Wars for free tomorrow?" Evans
https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9-OTEU7Xi_6gu_4DaTGGjSgEPEQ=/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/2399106/this-guy.0.jpg

Nice. Making a mental note to avoid this thread until Thursday night then...

[tbyers11]

Ebay has tons of tickets for sale. The price depends on where you live. In Atlanta, it appears opening night tickets will go for around $100 each.

-Jason "guess what has two thumbs and is seeing Star Wars for free tomorrow?" Evans
https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9-OTEU7Xi_6gu_4DaTGGjSgEPEQ=/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/2399106/this-guy.0.jpg

Jason, have you heard anything about whether IMAX and/or 3D will be worth it for this movie?

[OldPhiKap]

So -- is this gonna be a spoiler-free thread or not? Probably won't see it until Saturday or later.

[Mal]

So -- is this gonna be a spoiler-free thread or not? Probably won't see it until Saturday or later.

Maybe JE could start with a simple answer to the following question, before he goes on to a longer, spoilery review that we can all read later:

"I'm a child of the '70's and/or '80's, concerned about the possibility this could turn out as disturbingly bad as Episodes 1-3...but excited that George Lucas was not involved in writing this one...but also understanding of the fact that if you go back with an adult critical eye to watch Episodes 4-6 there's a lot of pretty hokey stuff there so I'm not setting the bar too high...but kind of maybe a little concerned that JJ Abrams will do something really dumb here...but mostly trusting that he's in a good spot on the studio/auteur spectrum for making this kind of thing. Should I see it?

Definitely/yes/maybe/no/definitely no.

That's essentially the question I'd be trying to get answered in every long-form review of this movie, anyway, with the attendant risk of learning more plot detail than I'd like.

[Wander]

Maybe JE could start with a simple answer to the following question, before he goes on to a longer, spoilery review that we can all read later:

"I'm a child of the '70's and/or '80's, concerned about the possibility this could turn out as disturbingly bad as Episodes 1-3...but excited that George Lucas was not involved in writing this one...but also understanding of the fact that if you go back with an adult critical eye to watch Episodes 4-6 there's a lot of pretty hokey stuff there so I'm not setting the bar too high...but kind of maybe a little concerned that JJ Abrams will do something really dumb here...but mostly trusting that he's in a good spot on the studio/auteur spectrum for making this kind of thing. Should I see it?

Definitely/yes/maybe/no/definitely no.

That's essentially the question I'd be trying to get answered in every long-form review of this movie, anyway, with the attendant risk of learning more plot detail than I'd like.

The thing I'm most worried about with JJ and this movie is him trying too hard to just do a remake of Episode 4. I mean, does the main character really have to grow up alone on, specifically, a desert planet? But I'm still excited.

[bjornolf]

Maybe JE could start with a simple answer to the following question, before he goes on to a longer, spoilery review that we can all read later:

"I'm a child of the '70's and/or '80's, concerned about the possibility this could turn out as disturbingly bad as Episodes 1-3...but excited that George Lucas was not involved in writing this one...but also understanding of the fact that if you go back with an adult critical eye to watch Episodes 4-6 there's a lot of pretty hokey stuff there so I'm not setting the bar too high...but kind of maybe a little concerned that JJ Abrams will do something really dumb here...but mostly trusting that he's in a good spot on the studio/auteur spectrum for making this kind of thing. Should I see it?

Definitely/yes/maybe/no/definitely no.

That's essentially the question I'd be trying to get answered in every long-form review of this movie, anyway, with the attendant risk of learning more plot detail than I'd like.

Does the answer REALLY matter? I mean, I'm gonna see it even if Jason, whom I trust greatly in the movie department, says it's complete drek.

[CameronBornAndBred]

So -- is this gonna be a spoiler-free thread or not? Probably won't see it until Saturday or later.
I won't see it before the new year. I'm sure I'll know almost every detail before then, whether I want to or not.

[DU82]

I won't see it before the new year. I'm sure I'll know almost every detail before then, whether I want to or not.

Yes, but it would be nice to not read spoilers in this thread. If you want to post spoilers, please do it in a clearly marked thread. (Says somebody who won't be able to see it until after the Pinstripe Bowl.)

[davekay1971]

The thing I'm most worried about with JJ and this movie is him trying too hard to just do a remake of Episode 4. I mean, does the main character really have to grow up alone on, specifically, a desert planet? But I'm still excited.

What, you mean like the way Star Trek: Into Darkness tried to do a remake of the classic Star Trek II death of Spock scene and totally botched it?

No way!

Total aside, who WAS the director of Star Trek: Into Darkness?

[YmoBeThere]

I won't see it before the new year. I'm sure I'll know almost every detail before then, whether I want to or not.

Similar story here, I'll wait until schools are back in session such that the theaters will be sparsely attended. I just saw Spectre this weekend. At a 9:35 a.m. matinee.

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

I have tickets for Thursday and Friday because one set I bought and the other one was given to me. So spoilers wont matter much as Im seeing the first viewing possible in my area. However, I promise I won't spoil anything!!! May the force be with you all in avoiding any spoilers from people who don't care.

[jjasper0729]

I'll be seeing this the week between Christmas and New Years so I can take my 3 oldest kids and we can go to a matinee (I'll be off work and they'll be out of school). I'll probably know the entire plot by then, but that's ok. I would also be interested in if it's worth it to see in IMAX/3D or not. JE was prescient in his suggestion to see Man Of Steel in 2D but on the IMAX screen so hoping for some input there.

Thanks

[Dev11]

Maybe JE could start with a simple answer to the following question, before he goes on to a longer, spoilery review that we can all read later:

"I'm a child of the '70's and/or '80's, concerned about the possibility this could turn out as disturbingly bad as Episodes 1-3...but excited that George Lucas was not involved in writing this one...but also understanding of the fact that if you go back with an adult critical eye to watch Episodes 4-6 there's a lot of pretty hokey stuff there so I'm not setting the bar too high...but kind of maybe a little concerned that JJ Abrams will do something really dumb here...but mostly trusting that he's in a good spot on the studio/auteur spectrum for making this kind of thing. Should I see it?

Definitely/yes/maybe/no/definitely no.

That's essentially the question I'd be trying to get answered in every long-form review of this movie, anyway, with the attendant risk of learning more plot detail than I'd like.

I'm a free thinking millennial and have the same concerns.

[Mal]

Does the answer REALLY matter? I mean, I'm gonna see it even if Jason, whom I trust greatly in the movie department, says it's complete drek.

To me, yes. I'm not that into the Star Wars universe that I have a compelling need to spend 3 hours on this film if it stinks. I may be forced to see it with my 9-year-old regardless, I guess. But at least I'd know to keep expectations low if that's what I should be doing.

[Tom B.]

To me, yes. I'm not that into the Star Wars universe that I have a compelling need to spend 3 hours on this film if it stinks. I may be forced to see it with my 9-year-old regardless, I guess. But at least I'd know to keep expectations low if that's what I should be doing.

I posted this in the Winter Movies thread, but it probably should go here too. (There are no spoliers in these links.)

From The Guardian -- Star Wars: The Force Awakens – initial verdicts suggest 'overwhelming experience' (http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/dec/15/star-wars-the-force-awakens-first-reactions-suggest-overwhelming-experience)

From Variety -- ‘Star Wars’ Premieres to Enthusiastic Thumbs Up in Hollywood (http://variety.com/2015/film/news/star-wars-force-awakens-reviews-premiere-reactions-1201661338/)

[SoCalDukeFan]

Daughter and Granddaughter went last night and said I will love it.

5773

SoCal

[OldPhiKap]

Daughter and Granddaughter went last night and said I will love it.

5773

SoCal

Wow, I would think they were twins. (Or clones. OR something)

[CameronBornAndBred]

I feel bad for J.E. that he'll have to miss the republican debate tonight. Maybe he can check his phone for updates during the boring parts of the movie.

[Edouble]

Just bought tickets with reserved seating for an RPX 3D theater on Saturday night.

Have not done RPX before but it was the only thing available with decent seats, possibly because IMAX is better, possibly because the tickets were a few dollars more ($18.50 per here in Atlanta).

I paid for the tickets, so I chose an aisle seat plus two more for my girlfriend and my Mom. I am taking the aisle seat, so hopefully my girlfriend doesn't have to sit next to a Wookie or anything.

[BD80]

Daughter and Granddaughter went last night and said I will love it.

5773

SoCal

Who are the two women that got in between them for the picture?

[JasonEvans]

So -- is this gonna be a spoiler-free thread or not? Probably won't see it until Saturday or later.

I will keep all comments spoiler-free. I hope others do as well. We can start a different thread for spoiler-comments but let me just say that you want to know AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE about the plot of this film before seeing it. I had read some stuff (much of which was just blind speculation) but was largely spoiler free for this film and I really, really, really enjoyed it as a result. I would hope all of you will be able to see it without spoilers.

Before I get to anything else, a story is really, really necessary to understand what my experience was like today. I think this story speaks a bit to the quality of the film.

So, the screening for the media in Atlanta was at 11am. The film didn't start until about 11:10, which is not all that unusual. They were waiting for a few stragglers to arrive. At about 11:55, the screen suddenly went black. The sound continued, but there was no image. After about 10 or 15 seconds, they turned off the sound too and the lights came back on. There had been a power surge in the area and it had blown out the digital projector. There was much unrest in the screening...

...The film did not come back on until almost 1pm. We had waited a full hour and many of us were talking about how much the delay had impacted our ability to enjoy and immerse ourselves in the film. We were frustrated, that's for sure, but when the picture started again, we were thrilled. Then, about 20 minutes later, another power surge knocked it out again. This time, they managed to crank the projectors back up in only about 15 or 20 minutes. Still, the film had almost been ruined.

Things went fine until we were only 5 minutes from the end of the movie and a third power surge (we later found out that Ga Power was working in the area today) again knocked out the projectors. As you can imagine, the press core was incensed. By now it was 230pm. Disney had (quite prudently) attached a privacy code to the digital copy we were watching. That is a very common thing in Hollywood as it prevents the advanced screening version of the film from being stolen and mass marketed in China (or elsewhere). But, the code expired at 2pm. Again, this was a normal thing and would ordinarily have zero impact on us (11am screen with a code that does not allow it to be shown past 2pm is meaningless... ordinarily). But, the impact at this point was that they could not re-start the movie to show us the ending. I was fairly sure a riot was about to break out. We all left, having no idea how the movie ended.

A few hours later we got an email from Disney. They had invited all of us back to see the movie again tonight at 730pm. They told us they would but the popcorn and coke to make up for it. Still, they were essentially saying, "want to watch it twice in less than 10 hours just so you can see the 5 minutes you missed?"

When I got to the 730pm screening, the theater was full of all the critics who had been there earlier in the day. We all came back. Many agreed with me that even if we had seen the ending, we would gladly see it again only a few hours later. I think that really speaks to the quality of what JJ Abrams created.

And it was EVEN BETTER without power outage interruptions ;)

So, the bottom line is, I loved it! It had almost as much emotion and character development as the original. My 16 year old son says it is his favorite movie in the entire franchise because it captured the fun story of the first and yet has updated special effects. I'm not sure I would go that far, but it is right up there alongside IV and V as the best in the series, of that I am sure.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J1hn2LspQCE/Vfs1oM6n2wI/AAAAAAAAAmY/tjv13cb8zKw/s1600/tumblr_nmwyxh1fPG1tkrkt2o1_500.png

Daisy Ridley's Rey is an amazing character and I cannot wait to see her grow even more on screen. Ridley is going to be a huge star as a result of this. She shows a lot of emotion but is also incredibly tough. There is never a single hint of damsel in distress from her, which is a really nice change from what we usually see from female characters in sci-fi films. Finn's (John Boyega) story is among the most compelling of any in the Star Wars universe. His character arc is fabulous and he has some memorable one-liners that are truly funny (while not being slapstick or cheap laughs). The humor in this film rivals Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers, which is a really good thing and helps propel the story along. I was certain I would find BB-8 annoying and an obvious child-focused marketing ploy but he has all the emotion of the original R2D2 and is truly a central character to the story. Adam Driver makes a fine bad guy... his use of the force is impressive and fun. I can't say much more than that at this time.

Oh, and a word about Domhall Gleason. His bad guy general is sooooo over the top it is almost funny. There is a scene where I am convinced JJ said to him, "I need you to play Hitler in this scene. Just do a Hitler impression... as aggressive and angry as you can. Don't pull it back one bit. Trust me, it will work." It comes off more than a little silly. Still, I love Gleason and am glad he was in this flick.

As for the classic characters/actors -- well -- they look a LOT OLDER. Carrier Fisher has not aged well. It isn't just her look, her acting was pretty wooden even though her character demands a lot of emotion. Harrison Ford was pretty good, but you can sorta tell in some scenes that he doesn't really want to be there. It is sorta like watching him in Indy 4... he was collecting a huuuuge paycheck but his heart wasn't in it the way it was in the 1980s. Still, without wisecracking Han this movie could have fallen flat and I really enjoyed having Harrison in the film.

Without getting into the plot, let me just say that JJ has set up some really interesting stuff for Rian Johnson to explore further. There is a tremendous amount unexplained and unanswered at the end of this film. I don't think JJ made a perfect film or told a perfect story, but he did a good enough job (and there is almost no LENS FLARE AT ALL!!!!). I have heard that Rian is course correcting some of the stuff JJ did that wasn't quite going to work, which is good. Rian will supposedly have final say over the script for Colin Treverow's Ep Ix too, so (in some ways) the series now belongs to him more than it does to JJ. I'm fine with that as I adore Looper.

Now, to some specific questions.


The thing I'm most worried about with JJ and this movie is him trying too hard to just do a remake of Episode 4. I mean, does the main character really have to grow up alone on, specifically, a desert planet? But I'm still excited.

This is a great question. Obviously, it is one that can be better answered with spoilers but I won't go there. Let me merely say that there are many, many moments where you can tell JJ is mimicking the original film and story. But, he does not try to hide that fact and really embraces it. It is intentional. The first movie was great, one of the greatest of all time. JJ puts his own spin on the story and the characters. If some moments feel like a callback to A New Hope, it never bothered me at all and was, instead, somewhat enjoyable and made me smile.


Maybe JE could start with a simple answer to the following question, before he goes on to a longer, spoilery review that we can all read later:

"I'm a child of the '70's and/or '80's, concerned about the possibility this could turn out as disturbingly bad as Episodes 1-3...but excited that George Lucas was not involved in writing this one...but also understanding of the fact that if you go back with an adult critical eye to watch Episodes 4-6 there's a lot of pretty hokey stuff there so I'm not setting the bar too high...but kind of maybe a little concerned that JJ Abrams will do something really dumb here...but mostly trusting that he's in a good spot on the studio/auteur spectrum for making this kind of thing. Should I see it?

Definitely/yes/maybe/no/definitely no.

As you can tell by now, my answer is DEFINITELY! I have already seen it twice and may see it a third time. Children of the 70s/80s will be elated with this film, I think.


Jason, have you heard anything about whether IMAX and/or 3D will be worth it for this movie?

I did not get to see it in IMAX or 3D. Disney did not screen it that way, which is a huge surprise because we critics almost always get to see it in 3D and IMAX. So, I cannot really comment. I suspect it will be good in those formats because the images on screen are very crisp and beautifully rendered. But, I saw it in 2D and adored it.

-Jason "you are all going to love it... maybe a few folks will find some faults with it... it is not perfect... but it is a solid 8.5 or 9 on a 1-10 scale and that's good enough for me!" Evans

[CameronBornAndBred]

My 16 year old son says it is his favorite movie in the entire franchise because it captured the fun story of the first
I stopped reading there. All I needed to know. (And your prelude story was pretty cool.)

[OldPhiKap]

I stopped reading there. All I needed to know. (And your prelude story was pretty cool.)

Same here. I am officially signing off the thread until after viewing, did not really even read Jason's post (but look forward to doing so Saturday evening).

May the fun be with y'all!

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

Its so close now I can feel it. In only 4 and a half short hours I will be sitting down ready to view Star Wars The Force Awakens, my homework is done, (watched all 6 previous films over the last week), favorite star wars shirt is picked out, tickets are in hand!!! I'm childishly excited.

[fuse]

Loved it!

[BLPOG]

I would also like to contribute a positive review. The minor blemishes are comparable to those in the OT. I thoroughly enjoyed and will see it again.

[weezie]

I'm just checking in to see if you are all ok. Anybody need a compress for the forehead or some paper bags to breath into? :eek:

[JasonEvans]

I'm just checking in to see if you are all ok. Anybody need a compress for the forehead or some paper bags to breath into? :eek:

Did you see this week's Big Bang Theory? The guys on the show essentially equate watching the new Star Wars with sex...

Very funny!

[devildeac]

Did you see this week's Big Bang Theory? The guys on the show essentially equate watching the new Star Wars with sex...

Very funny!

Guess I'm going to have to buy a pack of cigarettes this weekend...

:o

[BD80]

Saw it this morning and the theatre was 75% empty.

The stories of the movie being sold out all weekend are about the "prime times" and even with that I understand it has been given more screens.

If you don't have tickets yet, don't give up - check on line, there may well be shows you can make.

I saw the IMAX 3-D and thought it was worth it. But I wouldn't postpone seeing the movie just to wait for IMAX.

GO SEE THE MOVIE

[fuse]

Lucky enough to see it a second time today.

Loses some of the magic / specialness of not knowing the plot.
Still excellent!

[duketaylor]

with the wife, two sons, their two best friends, their parents (one a Duke grad who was just named CFO at William and Mary, congrats!!!) and 4 more of our kids' friends. Overwhelmingly impressed were all the kids, very impressed from the parents. I was 15 when the original came out and thought it did a good job of taking me back to the beginning from a character-development perspective. Entertaining film and I'd go see it again, just to see what I might've overlooked/missed. Only been home from seeing it for 45 minutes and still decompressing and thinking about it. Agree with Jason, did an excellent job of not focusing on previous characters, yet developing new ones for the future. Daisy Ridley was excellent.

[OldPhiKap]

with the wife, two sons, their two best friends, their parents (one a Duke grad who was just named CFO at William and Mary, congrats!!!) and 4 more of our kids' friends. Overwhelmingly impressed were all the kids, very impressed from the parents. I was 15 when the original came out and thought it did a good job of taking me back to the beginning from a character-development perspective. Entertaining film and I'd go see it again, just to see what I might've overlooked/missed. Only been home from seeing it for 45 minutes and still decompressing and thinking about it. Agree with Jason, did an excellent job of not focusing on previous characters, yet developing new ones for the future. Daisy Ridley was excellent.

Just saw it. I think this pretty much nails it.

[JasonEvans]

It occurs to me that some folks may need a refresher on the plot of the original trilogy before they see the new Star Wars. So, who better than Stephen Colbert to explain it to us. Enjoy!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=158&v=RwjjTBvOnYo

-Jason "pretty darn funny!" Evans

[DUKIECB]

It's being reported that it's going to take in $238 million this weekend which crushes Jurassic World's $208 back in June. Wow!

[Tom B.]

It's being reported that it's going to take in $238 million this weekend which crushes Jurassic World's $208 back in June. Wow!

Although it looks like the global receipts for the opening weekend of Jurassic World will beat the global take for the opening weekend of The Force Awakens by just a bit -- but that's only because The Force Awakens hasn't opened in China yet, and doesn't open there until after New Year's (January 8 or 9, I think).

[YmoBeThere]

I felt like I was 10 again...

[moonpie23]

don't know about y'all, but for some reason, i am HIGHLY irritated and how the STAR of the movie (Rey) is being ignored in just about all of the merchandising and marketing.......wth???

went into disney store today and they had ONE item (a costume) that was about Rey. DISNEY????!!! i figured they'd have huge posters and numerous merch items all hawking this new disney hero.....


this is some BS for sure....

[BLPOG]

don't know about y'all, but for some reason, i am HIGHLY irritated and how the STAR of the movie (Rey) is being ignored in just about all of the merchandising and marketing...wth???

went into disney store today and they had ONE item (a costume) that was about Rey. DISNEY????!!! i figured they'd have huge posters and numerous merch items all hawking this new disney hero...


this is some BS for sure...

My first thought was that all the Rey merchandise was already sold out (and that is true for certain Rey items). The marketing was slanted toward Finn pre-release as a bit of a red herring. On the other hand (http://io9.gizmodo.com/rey-is-missing-from-new-star-wars-monopoly-and-this-is-1751001963)...

[Edouble]

When I was a kid, boys played with Star Wars action figures, girls played with Barbies.

When my friends would come over and I would get out all of my Star Wars stuff, noone wanted to be Princess Leia.
Luke, Han, Darth Vadar, Boba Fett, even Admiral Akbar would all be chosen before Leia.

These companies spend mucho deniro figuring out which toys kids want. If you've been to a toy department recently, check out the selection of non-Caucasian dolls for little girls. They now have dolls in all shades of skin tone, which is great. But, I assume there is a shift in trend only because the market has expanded.

No Rey action figure means that little boys still like imagining themselves as one of the male characters from the movie. I saw that Rey is not included among player pieces in a new Star Wars Monopoly set, with the four choices being Luke, Finn, Kylo Ren, and Darth Vadar. Honestly, the kids that buy this special Monopoly set are going to be little boys... and none of the little boys who play the game would choose the Rey piece (if it existed) to play with. The girls will probably buy the Unicorn or Bratz Monopoly set.

[BD80]

When I was a kid, boys played with Star Wars action figures, girls played with Barbies.

When my friends would come over and I would get out all of my Star Wars stuff, noone wanted to be Princess Leia.
Luke, Han, Darth Vadar, Boba Fett, even Admiral Akbar would all be chosen before Leia.

These companies spend mucho deniro figuring out which toys kids want. If you've been to a toy department recently, check out the selection of non-Caucasian dolls for little girls. They now have dolls in all shades of skin tone, which is great. But, I assume there is a shift in trend only because the market has expanded.

No Rey action figure means that little boys still like imagining themselves as one of the male characters from the movie. I saw that Rey is not included among player pieces in a new Star Wars Monopoly set, with the four choices being Luke, Finn, Kylo Ren, and Darth Vadar. Honestly, the kids that buy this special Monopoly set are going to be little boys... and none of the little boys who play the game would choose the Rey piece (if it existed) to play with. The girls will probably buy the Unicorn or Bratz Monopoly set.

Bless your little heart, may the force be with you ...

I'll be cowering in the deepest crevasse I can find, hoping to survive nuclear winter

[Wander]

When I was a kid, boys played with Star Wars action figures, girls played with Barbies.

When my friends would come over and I would get out all of my Star Wars stuff, noone wanted to be Princess Leia.
Luke, Han, Darth Vadar, Boba Fett, even Admiral Akbar would all be chosen before Leia.

These companies spend mucho deniro figuring out which toys kids want. If you've been to a toy department recently, check out the selection of non-Caucasian dolls for little girls. They now have dolls in all shades of skin tone, which is great. But, I assume there is a shift in trend only because the market has expanded.

No Rey action figure means that little boys still like imagining themselves as one of the male characters from the movie. I saw that Rey is not included among player pieces in a new Star Wars Monopoly set, with the four choices being Luke, Finn, Kylo Ren, and Darth Vadar. Honestly, the kids that buy this special Monopoly set are going to be little boys... and none of the little boys who play the game would choose the Rey piece (if it existed) to play with. The girls will probably buy the Unicorn or Bratz Monopoly set.

It's been amazing to see how many of my female friends are now obsessed with Star Wars after Episode 7. I love seeing that happen. The immense popularity of Rey (and Katniss) show how wrong your thoughts on the matter are. I'll leave it at that for now.

[CameronBornAndBred]

It's been amazing to see how many of my female friends are now obsessed with Star Wars after Episode 7. I love seeing that happen. The immense popularity of Rey (and Katniss) show how wrong your thoughts on the matter are. I'll leave it at that for now.
There is definitely a disparity in the marketing of this movie to girls; that being said, DukeUsul posted a great picture of his daughter wearing a Rey t-shirt on FB.
The caption read "Girls Rule The Galaxy" with Rey holding her staff in the middle.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

When I was a kid, boys played with Star Wars action figures, girls played with Barbies.

When my friends would come over and I would get out all of my Star Wars stuff, noone wanted to be Princess Leia.
Luke, Han, Darth Vadar, Boba Fett, even Admiral Akbar would all be chosen before Leia.

These companies spend mucho deniro figuring out which toys kids want. If you've been to a toy department recently, check out the selection of non-Caucasian dolls for little girls. They now have dolls in all shades of skin tone, which is great. But, I assume there is a shift in trend only because the market has expanded.

No Rey action figure means that little boys still like imagining themselves as one of the male characters from the movie. I saw that Rey is not included among player pieces in a new Star Wars Monopoly set, with the four choices being Luke, Finn, Kylo Ren, and Darth Vadar. Honestly, the kids that buy this special Monopoly set are going to be little boys... and none of the little boys who play the game would choose the Rey piece (if it existed) to play with. The girls will probably buy the Unicorn or Bratz Monopoly set.

Hrmmm... I am going to disagree with you here. I know a lot of pretty-openminded parents and kids who seem fairly unconcerned with the gender of their Monopoly tokens and/or movie heroes.

[OldPhiKap]

the most vicious Monopoly player I have ever encountered was a girl I dated at Duke. Absolutely ruthless. Just sayin'

[Edouble]

Bless your little heart, may the force be with you ...

I'll be cowering in the deepest crevasse I can find, hoping to survive nuclear winter

Not sure what this means.


It's been amazing to see how many of my female friends are now obsessed with Star Wars after Episode 7. I love seeing that happen. The immense popularity of Rey (and Katniss) show how wrong your thoughts on the matter are. I'll leave it at that for now.

How old are your female friends?

Which of my thoughts do you find "wrong", exactly? That little girls didn't play with Star Wars stuff in the late 70s/80s? I think that's a fact. Am I wrong that money rules all? If there is a market for Rey, we will see the product, trust me. If you think I'm wrong, then you are saying that there is a huge demand for a toy that the powers that be are just deciding not to make? They would rather just leave money on the table? No, I think that's wrong. I can't agree with that-seems highly unlikely.


There is definitely a disparity in the marketing of this movie to girls; that being said, DukeUsul posted a great picture of his daughter wearing a Rey t-shirt on FB.
The caption read "Girls Rule The Galaxy" with Rey holding her staff in the middle.

I'm sure there are the occasional outliers, little girls that want Rey stuff, but if there was a big enough demand, the market would provide the product.

I think that some people in this thread might be confusing

A) Little girls wanting Rey merchandise
and
B) Gen X parents of little girls that want Rey merchandise available for them to present to their little girls as a toy option

Seems like some people are taking this very personally. My comments are meant as some explanation for the outcry of "No Rey Stuff!!!!" I honestly couldn't care less, but was trying to offer a reasonable explanation for the lack thereof. I would love to hear a better explanation than the alternative that has been offered, which if I read between the lines in other posts is "They forgot to make some".

[moonpie23]

When I was a kid, boys played with Star Wars action figures, girls played with Barbies.

yeah, no reason to change that....


When my friends would come over and I would get out all of my Star Wars stuff, noone wanted to be Princess Leia.
Luke, Han, Darth Vadar, Boba Fett, even Admiral Akbar would all be chosen before Leia.

guess you never had any friends that were girls.



These companies spend mucho deniro figuring out which toys kids want. If you've been to a toy department recently, check out the selection of non-Caucasian dolls for little girls. They now have dolls in all shades of skin tone, which is great. But, I assume there is a shift in trend only because the market has expanded.

no...the market was already there, it was just ignored...



No Rey action figure means that little boys still like imagining themselves as one of the male characters from the movie.

and what should the "little girls" play with? oh yeah, the boys...



I saw that Rey is not included among player pieces in a new Star Wars Monopoly set, with the four choices being Luke, Finn, Kylo Ren, and Darth Vadar. Honestly, the kids that buy this special Monopoly set are going to be little boys... and none of the little boys who play the game would choose the Rey piece (if it existed) to play with.

well, maybe some kids don't want to associate with THE HERO and STAR of the movie for some obviously sexist reasons...


The girls will probably buy the Unicorn or Bratz Monopoly set.

yeah, way to slap my 8 yr old daughter with some sexist crap....

[cato]

I'm sure there are the occasional outliers, little girls that want Rey stuff, but if there was a big enough demand, the market would provide the product

Do you have a little girl?

[BLPOG]

I'm sure there are the occasional outliers, little girls that want Rey stuff, but if there was a big enough demand, the market would provide the product.

I am completely indifferent to whatever social commentary people might or might not attach to the situation. I am interested in the business or market side of things, and the Monopoly case seems to strongly suggest that current toy makers have made bad business decisions.

Your statement about the market is correct given enough time and clear signals. Those don't always exist, and there's a quality of producer-reading-the-market to quality of consumer-demand-signaling that can distort things as well. Market dynamics shift over time and there's also a big difference between Leia, arguably the least important of the main OT characters, and Rey, arguably the most important of the main ST characters. Also, Star Wars Monopoly isn't a Star Wars role-playing game, it's Monopoly with a Star Wars theme. That could significantly impact standard player-character identification preferences.

The fact that certain Rey toys have sold out and people are upset there aren't more options are pretty clear signals, and I think we'll see the market respond. There just hasn't been enough time yet to correct errors.

[snowdenscold]

Hasbro released an response / explanation, but if you read the link below, most people aren't buying it (no pun intended):


Hi Annie Rose - Thank you for your letter!
The Star Wars: Monopoly game was released in September, months before the movie’s release, and Rey was not included to avoid revealing a key plot line the she takes on Kylo Ren and joins the Rebel Alliance. Rey is featured in the following Star Wars games: Hands Down, Guess Who and Chess as well as our 6” Black Series figures, 3 3/4” Figures and Vehicles, Black Series Titanium and Micromachines. Additionally, fans will see more Rey product hitting store shelves this month, including 6” and 12” Rey action figures. We are thrilled with the popularity of this compelling character and will continue to look for ways to showcase Rey across all our product lines.

https://twitter.com/HasbroNews/status/684205970248089600/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

I think I agree with them - too many problems with that explanation.

[OldPhiKap]

Hasbro released an response / explanation, but if you read the link below, most people aren't buying it (no pun intended):


https://twitter.com/HasbroNews/status/684205970248089600/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

I think I agree with them - too many problems with that explanation.

if this is the no spoilers thread, not sure we should continue along the lines above although I assume what is listed there is no real spoiler. But responses could be.

So more generically speaking -- given that she is centrally located in the movie poster and featured in the trailer, it seems to be a pretty weak argument that they did not want to reveal that she is an important character for some reason.

[snowdenscold]

if this is the no spoilers thread, not sure we should continue along the lines above although I assume what is listed there is no real spoiler. But responses could be.


Forgot this was the no spoilers thread... though by this point, is there anyone who would read this thread on DBR who hasn't seen it yet, but is planning to?

[El_Diablo]

Well...there is no such thing as the "Rebel Alliance" in Episode VII, so that explanation is a failure in several respects.

[OldPhiKap]

Forgot this was the no spoilers thread... though by this point, is there anyone who would read this thread on DBR who hasn't seen it yet, but is planning to?

Unlikely, agreed. But who knows.

In any event, I agree with the thrust of your post -- the notion that Rey's status as a major character was a surprise is -- inconceivable. Boo on Hasbro, which is close enough to Hansbrough for me to hate them anyway.

[BD80]

Hasbro released an response / explanation, but if you read the link below, most people aren't buying it (no pun intended):


Hi Annie Rose - Thank you for your letter!
The Star Wars: Monopoly game was released in September, months before the movie’s release, and Rey was not included to avoid revealing a key plot line the she takes on Kylo Ren and joins the Rebel Alliance. Rey is featured in the following Star Wars games: Hands Down, Guess Who and Chess as well as our 6” Black Series figures, 3 3/4” Figures and Vehicles, Black Series Titanium and Micromachines. Additionally, fans will see more Rey product hitting store shelves this month, including 6” and 12” Rey action figures. We are thrilled with the popularity of this compelling character and will continue to look for ways to showcase Rey across all our product lines.

https://twitter.com/HasbroNews/status/684205970248089600/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

I think I agree with them - too many problems with that explanation.

What Hasbro said is true: "from a certain point of view"

My initial reaction is similar to the Delta's reaction to Neidermeyer reading the charges against their chapter ...

[Wander]

Which of my thoughts do you find "wrong", exactly? That little girls didn't play with Star Wars stuff in the late 70s/80s? I think that's a fact. Am I wrong that money rules all? If there is a market for Rey, we will see the product, trust me. If you think I'm wrong, then you are saying that there is a huge demand for a toy that the powers that be are just deciding not to make? They would rather just leave money on the table? No, I think that's wrong. I can't agree with that-seems highly unlikely.


You are wrong in the sentence "If there is a market or Rey, we will see a product." My reasoning is basically the same as BLPOG's. Do you think that in 2011 there was not a market for a big budget action/adventure epic series with a female lead, and then all of a sudden there was in 2012? The market doesn't always respond instantaneously. Girls haven't played with action figures much because these types of movies until very recently haven't had major female characters that are worth little kids getting excited about (and in some cases, seem to take place in universes where girls don't even exist - I'm looking at you, Lord of the Rings). I love LotR and Marvel and the original Star Wars so the point here isn't to say those movies aren't awesome, but now that Katniss and Rey exist (and Dany and Arya for older audiences), there's no good reason for the Monopoly thing to happen.



Hasbro released an response / explanation, but if you read the link below, most people aren't buying it (no pun intended):


Hopefully my quote above tells everyone that I'm strongly on the side of girls having toys of characters like Rey to play with. Like you, OldPhiKap, and El_Diablo, I also think the reason Hasbro posted is idiotic. But even though I think the reason is idiotic... I actually sort of believe them that this was their reason. Note that all the trailers and posters and commercials for Episode 7 had Finn wielding the lightsaber, not Rey. I don't know why JJ Abrams thought he could fool everyone that Rey was not the Jedi of the film... everyone I know was convinced she was the Force-sensitive character before the movie started. But it does sort of seem JJ Abrams was trying to convince us otherwise.

[cato]

I'm sure there are the occasional outliers, little girls that want Rey stuff, but if there was a big enough demand, the market would provide the product.

From your lips to . . .

http://www.wsj.com/articles/hasbro-disney-to-answer-rey-fans-demands-with-new-star-wars-toys-1452558961?mod=e2tw

[YmoBeThere]

From your lips to . . .

http://www.wsj.com/articles/hasbro-disney-to-answer-rey-fans-demands-with-new-star-wars-toys-1452558961?mod=e2tw

The middle aged men who made the decision on which toys to make? :)

Sorry if I've drifted into PPB range.

[cato]

The middle aged men who made the decision on which toys to make? :)

Sorry if I've drifted into PPB range.

Well, either them or their replacements.

[JasonEvans]

Disney announced this afternoon that Ep VIII will not be released on May 26, 2017 as had been previously stated. Instead it is moving back 6 months to Dec 15, 2017. I would imagine the runaway success of Ep VII as a winter film made them decide to keep to this season of the year. So far, no word as to whether they will move Ep IX. It is slated for May 2019 right now, but I won't be at all surprised if they also give it a Dec release date.

-Jason "Rogue One, the first of the Star Wars companion films, is slated for Dec of 2016... so Star Wars basically owns December at this point" Evans

[bjornolf]

Disney announced this afternoon that Ep VIII will not be released on May 26, 2017 as had been previously stated. Instead it is moving back 6 months to Dec 15, 2017. I would imagine the runaway success of Ep VII as a winter film made them decide to keep to this season of the year. So far, no word as to whether they will move Ep IX. It is slated for May 2019 right now, but I won't be at all surprised if they also give it a Dec release date.

-Jason "Rogue One, the first of the Star Wars companion films, is slated for Dec of 2016... so Star Wars basically owns December at this point" Evans

They were talking about this on the radio, saying that clearly the December release didn't hurt profits, so they figured Disney would keep it in December to avoid potentially damaging returns for other summer Disney and Pixar movies. Marvel can have summer, Star Wars winter. Disney owns it all, baby!

[bjornolf]

Just read something that said Star Wars won't come close to passing Avatar's $2.7 billion globally. Crazy, huh?