Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

I watched a trailer for The Phantom Menace yesterday, and it reminded me how much I loved the movie when it first came out. And then I remembered Jar Jar, the overly long pod racing part, tge midi-chlorians, andlittle (soon to be) orphan Annie's acting, and I physically shuddered. Besides those things though, it's great

I remember loving the damn trailer, I know that. I think my reaction to the movie was pretty much "that was okay." It got worse later, when the high wore off.

I remember leaving the theater thinking Attack of the Clones was much better, which now I also disagree with.

[svenge]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

And then I remembered Jar Jar, the overly long pod racing part, the introduction of midi-chlorians, andlittle (soon to be) orphan Annie's acting, and I physically shuddered. Besides those things though, it's great

Isn't that like saying that drinking battery acid is great, except for the part where it eats through your flesh and kills you?

[kamphausd1]

Even if the UOT won't be released this year, I wish they would at the very least tell us something about it, like what their policy is on it now that Lucas is out of the picture, or if we should expect it anytime in the future. I wish they would at least give us something.

[Scarface32]

Originally Posted by dvdmike

Most 15 year olds and over grew up on the new versions.

I think you mean "and under" since the way you said it would also refer to people in their 40s and 50s

[dvdmike]

Originally Posted by Scarface32

I think you mean "and under" since the way you said it would also refer to people in their 40s and 50s

I should have said 25 and under really.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

I'm sorry, in this celebration or what is it, noone from the hundreds that are attending hasn't asked whether the UOT will be released on Bluray?
What kind of fans are they?
Or it isn't allowed to ask that?

The kind that aren't obsessed with a UOT release?

As strange as that might seem to people like us, people like that are out there. In fact, there are a lot more of them then there are of us.

Whatayagonnado.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by dvdmike

Señor Spielbergo!

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

I have a feeling the new movies will never directly reference the prequels in a serious way. Just a gut feeling. So you can probably carry on pretending they don't exist.

Sadly I like Revenge of the Sith enough to acknowledge it.

I feel the conflict within you, let go of your hate!

[Scarface32]

I was a few months shy of turning 2 when Return of the Jedi came out, so for years I've only seen Star Wars on TV via VHS tapes. So when it was announced that the movies were going to be back in theaters in 1997 with "Special Edition" additions, I was excited to finally get to see them on the big screen. And then I saw it... and I was a bit disappointed. Having Jaba in A New Hope felt repetitive, since everything was said in the previous scene (plus Greedo is in the Jaba scene, yet he was killed in the previous scene). It was stupid. Also I always seen Han shoot first on TV, so I was puzzled why he was shooting second in the theater and I remember thinking "well that was a stupid addition, why did they change it; Han has always shot first."

[dvdmike]

Originally Posted by Scarface32

I was a few months shy of turning 2 when Return of the Jedi came out, so for years I've only seen Star Wars on TV via VHS tapes. So when it was announced that the movies were going to be back in theaters in 1997 with "Special Edition" additions, I was excited to finally get to see them on the big screen. And then I saw it... and I was a bit disappointed. Having Jaba in A New Hope felt repetitive, since everything was said in the previous scene (plus Greedo is in the Jaba scene, yet he was killed in the previous scene). It was stupid. Also I always seen Han shoot first on TV, so I was puzzled why he was shooting second in the theater and I remember thinking "well that was a stupid addition, why did they change it; Han has always shot first."

I Hate the Han shot first thing.
He was the only one to shoot!!!

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by octagon

In fact, there are a lot more of them then there are of us.

Whatayagonnado.

They should be eliminated ASAP!

[RBBrittain]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

They should be eliminated ASAP!

Your real name must be Ultron.

[Scarface32]

Originally Posted by dvdmike

I Hate the Han shot first thing.
He was the only one to shoot!!!

Greedo was pointing his gun at Han, it was only a matter of time until he pulled the trigger, thus Han shot first by being quicker and shooting before Greedo got the chance.

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by Gold Ranger

Seems like all flash and spectacle, no substance.
I could be wrong, we'll see. I'll watch the next trailer and see how I feel then.

Go back and watch the trailers for the OT and you'll see that they're quite similar. Substance implies revealing plot details. They're not going to do that 8 months before the film is released. That should be obvious to everyone considering the amount of secrecy on this thing. It's a teaser, not a trailer.

Frankly, I've always only been a moderate fan of Star Wars over the years (I saw them all theatrically), but I have to admit that the trailer leaves me kind of intrigued. I do want to know where they're going to take this story. Now if the film opens and got incredibly bad reviews, I probably wouldn't bother seeing it theatrically, but I have a feeling that this actually might be kind of decent, hopefully a lot better than all the comic book movies.

I'm absolutely not a Star Wars nerd and I'm no expert on all the arcane trivia. I couldn't care less about the different models of fighters, etc. But this preview tells me three things: a) there's still a battle going on, presumably between the former Empire and former Rebels or perhaps among new foes and potentially interesting new characters are fighting it; b) either Luke or Leia had a child who inherits the Force and it's going to be interesting to see who that is, how they use the Force and why it's necessary to use it; and c) Han and Chewie have been a way for a long time and it will be interesting to find out what they were doing and why they've come "home".

In addition, production values look good and different than what we've seen before.

So all that adds up to a potentially interesting movie, although I'm sure the prequel trailers looked interesting as well.

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by dvdmike

I Hate the Han shot first thing.
He was the only one to shoot!!!

Really??!!! We're going to discuss this again? There's 53,000 posts here and I bet at least 5000 of them already discussed this. There can't possibly be anything new to say about it. Discussing this again is like having a conversation with someone who has Alzheimers.

[Chiyo_chichi]

Originally Posted by octagon

The kind that aren't obsessed with a UOT release?

As strange as that might seem to people like us, people like that are out there. In fact, there are a lot more of them then there are of us.

Whatayagonnado.

Most probably know better that they're not going to get a straight answer from a fan's question. Besides right now the first official details about the world and plot of 7 are trickling out, so that's where everyone's focus is. At any rate, it's not like the actors or even J.J. have a say in this sort of thing.

Of course they would be great advocates...if they can be turned.

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

Really??!!! We're going to discuss this again? There can't possibly be anything new to say about it. Discussing this again is like having a conversation with someone who has Alzheimers.

Did you know that Luke has a green lightsaber on the Falcon in ANH in the DVD release, what's up with that?

[BillieCassin]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

I have a feeling the new movies will never directly reference the prequels in a serious way. Just a gut feeling. So you can probably carry on pretending they don't exist.

Sadly I like Revenge of the Sith enough to acknowledge it.

They aren't ignoring them, but they are very definitely moving on from them (by going back, of course). I think it will be comparable to how the licensees were instructed last year to pull back from prequel/Clone Wars era - it's not eliminated, there still will be bits of it here and there, but overall, the focus is on the future of the original film content.

And I say that as someone that definitely doesn't hate the prequels - I think there is about one good film in there. Problem is, it's cut up and split in three different films. Funny enough (swear, not trying to be "the Contrarian" LOL) but AoC is probably my favorite to watch of them for several reasons (I just love the Yoda battle, I can't help myself). But of late, I've even come to appreciate Episode I a bit more (now that I understand a lot more about how/why it was made and what the intention was after several recent good books).

Of course they can't (and obviously shouldn't) get rid of the story, and since this is still about the Skywalker family, of course it won't be ignored - it all "happened", it's not being retcon'd away. And topics from it likely will come up one way or another (as anyone who has seen the newest trailer can tell you), perhaps in major plot points - but nothing that requires more knowledge of that period than we already had from watching the OT.

Overall I think "minimize" is probably the best word, in a weird way sort of akin to how "Our Miss Bliss" is attached to the "Saved by the Bell" syndication package - it wasn't erased, it still exists, it comes up occasionally, but it functionally has no need to exist for the purposes of the "main show".

Originally Posted by octagon

The kind that aren't obsessed with a UOT release?

As strange as that might seem to people like us, people like that are out there. In fact, there are a lot more of them then there are of us.

Whatayagonnado.

What the "it's a little sliver of fandom who cares" folks underestimate is what made Star Wars great to begin with. It's cross-cultural appeal. Particularly the first film had an extremely broad, pretty much unfathomable effect on the world compared to anything a single motion picture had done (or has since).

It easily could be considered among the most transformational pieces of art made in the of the 20th century - by far the most of any film, at least in the last half, and even of the century as a whole it competes right up there as most influential, along with "Birth of a Nation", "Citizen Kane", a couple of novels and a few important photographs.

In order to do that, it had to have wide appeal. Yes, the prequels did great box office, but they didn't bore deep into the world culture the way the OT did. They caught a much narrower audience, they didn't bring out grandmas and non-movie folks who just kept hearing about this darn film so they had to go out and see it.

Yes, a new generation grew up around the prequels - but it didn't capture them in the same way. I'm absolutely sure there are kids who are passionate about the prequels as some of us were about the OT, but almost every kid went to see Star Wars, it was part of our lexicon growing up in the 80's - somehow, that didn't happen with this generation. It capture some, but even someone that didn't like Star Wars had gone to go see it (though I have met the rare person who never had - when even non-fans find these people out they start to ask almost clinical questions trying to figure out simply how it was possible).


That's why, in the last two days, I have realized that the first dumb move Disney will have made here is if the OT doesn't arrive on physical media before the new film. They have to be. At least after the reaction this trailer has gotten out in the wild.

Sure, fans have debated it (though most I have read seem in bliss, there are a few who aren't) but the fans aren't the point. I won't get into a long story (too late LOL), but I watched the trailer go "viral" in person the last two days in an office.

By the end, they just started running the trailer in a conference room on a loop so folks could poke their heads in and watch it. I kid you not, just about every single person - even people who hadn't seen anything Star Wars since 1983, and one in particular I spoke to, since 1977 - was like "we need to book the theater for the holiday party" or "I have to show this to my husband/wife when I get home, they love the old movies, they are going to flip".

Even folks who haven't seen another "science fiction" film or don't like "space stuff" were in once Han and Chewie showed up. And, of course, there were tons of people in their 30's who loved them as kids but had "grown out of it" who were running around like teenage girls if the One Direction just got back together, because while folks have heard "oh yeah, there is a new Star Wars movie" this was the first thing that made it real, the first details they actually saw - and seeing Han Solo just knocked their socks off.

THIS is the audience they are going to appeal to. Sorry Avaturd, there is going to be a new #1 film of all time come the new year. I was very confident the film would do extremely well before, but I never would have said #1 of all time - but after the last 48 hours, I'd feel foolish if I didn't believe it very, very strongly. And I think many, many of those folks would pick up a package this holiday season that said "STAR WARS - THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY - RESTORED JUST AS YOU REMEMBER!", it's just a no-brainer.

[solaris72]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

I'm sorry, in this celebration or what is it, noone from the hundreds that are attending hasn't asked whether the UOT will be released on Bluray?
What kind of fans are they?
Or it isn't allowed to ask that?

A major media event like this, marketing one of the biggest films of the year, I would definitely think that the questions are being screened. I haven't seen anything other than Thursday's panel with Kennedy and Abrams, but there the moderator was reading questions that had been sent in before the event, so in that case screening is a cinch. There're two possible reasons why they wouldn't want to allow UOT questions: either they want to make a big splash announcing it later in the weekend, or else they aren't planning on announcing it and they don't want to take questions for which the answer is disappointing to a certain vocal segment of the fanbase.

[motorheadache95]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

I remember loving the damn trailer, I know that. I think my reaction to the movie was pretty much "that was okay." It got worse later, when the high wore off.

I remember leaving the theater thinking Attack of the Clones was much better, which now I also disagree with.

Dude, that exact thing happened to me! It was like you were so hyped up for the movie, your brain couldn't quite catch up to the fact that what you just watched was bad.

[BouCoupDinkyDau]

Originally Posted by Scarface32

Greedo was pointing his gun at Han, it was only a matter of time until he pulled the trigger, thus Han shot first by being quicker and shooting before Greedo got the chance.

I hope Solo spends the entire length of epi VII shooting unarmed bounty hunters in the face for no reason whatsoever.

Hell, I hope he kicks a puppy!

[Thomas Guycott]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

I'm sorry, in this celebration or what is it, noone from the hundreds that are attending hasn't asked whether the UOT will be released on Bluray?
What kind of fans are they?
Or it isn't allowed to ask that?

At some con panels questions are screened. I could easily see that happen at Celebration.