Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (USE SPOILER TAGS!)

[JamesKurtovich]

To Lucas's credit, he did come up with some new creatures, like the Asian traders, the guy with the buttcrack in the '50s diner, and Boss Nass.

[WhySoBlu?]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

I watched TPM over a dozen times during its first week of release alone, and so did many friends of mine. I definitely wasn't the least bit excited about watching TFA more than once, so don't over generalize.

TFA will probably make more money when you don't adjust for inflation, simply because ticket prices have gone up considerably since 1999; also, at the time of TPM regular movies simply didn't get released in formats like IMAX or 3-D that have premium pricing.

There also weren't nearly as many forms of entertainment vying for a person's free time and money as there are now. It was also before large portions of the population started stealing movies online, often while they're still being shown in theaters.

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

Let's just agree to disagree on this, I have never felt that the focus was on the CG by any stretch of the imagination, Lucas didn't even originally contemplate having a CG Yoda until the second one - and it seemed like a good choice for the prequels.

But to me all of the CG was just some of the dressing in the scenery, not the main focus of the story by any means.

All opinions aside, here you're just wrong. If you watch the DVD documentaries it is made very clear that CG was a huge focus of his, and in fact revolutionizing CG's usage in movies was one of his main goals.

[BluBonnet]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

All opinions aside, here you're just wrong. If you watch the DVD documentaries it is made very clear that CG was a huge focus of his, and in fact revolutionizing CG's usage in movies was one of his main goals.

And here is a perfect example of how unclear your thinking is. You've just told me that my opinion - admittedly a completely subjective statement - is wrong. I could totally understand if you just said you don't agree with that opinion I previously stated. But I presented it as simply a personal opinion, not as a statement of fact that can be proven true or false.

People very frequently have differing opinions about things; so long as nobody tries to present an opinion as a fact, there is ample room for different points of view. One person may see the glass as half empty, and someone else sees it as half full. If you tell one of them that they are wrong, you are in fact the one who is mistaken - both viewpoints represent the different perspectives of looking at the same glass.

Of course the makers of the prequels were very proud of the technical accomplishments, a lot of the stuff that ILM has done over the years has been cutting-edge stuff. It doesn't surprise me that they would highlight a lot of that stuff in the bonus features, and at the same time my previous statement still holds true, from my point or view. I still don't feel that the focus of Lucas was really on the special effects, if all he had wanted to do was to showcase all of the things you could do with CG at that point in time, he could very easily have chosen to make a totally different movie, instead of the prequels.

More to the point, a lot of the things he wanted to show in the prequels couldn't have been done before CG reached a certain level... But it remains that much of the effects work simply serves to provide the setting, or make a character look a certain way that couldn't be done with an actor in a suit or with a puppet.

So in the end it is all about the story, with the effects being part of the tools used to tell the story. I love the prequels mostly because of the story, the underlying layers of social commentary, and the special effects are just the icing on the cake.

[celticmoon]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

I watched TPM over a dozen times during its first week of release alone, and so did many friends of mine. I definitely wasn't the least bit excited about watching TFA more than once, so don't over generalize.

TFA will probably make more money when you don't adjust for inflation, simply because ticket prices have gone up considerably since 1999; also, at the time of TPM regular movies simply didn't get released in formats like IMAX or 3-D that have premium pricing.

Originally Posted by WhySoBlu?

There also weren't nearly as many forms of entertainment vying for a person's free time and money as there are now. It was also before large portions of the population started stealing movies online, often while they're still being shown in theaters.

If you frequent box office sites and forums, it is actually the consensus that TFA will sell more tickets than TPM, and will sell the highest number of tickets since Titanic. TFA's advantage is, of course, that population is quite a bit higher now than it was in 1999, but TFA also has a lot of disadvantages as mentioned by WhoSoBlu.

But really, it doesn't matter. TPM was obviously a huge deal back when it was released, and lots of people were seeing it multiple times in theaters. Same thing is happening with TFA. I feel like the fervor and the craze surrounding the films are similar and its kinda pointless to talk about which is the bigger deal. Both films owe a great deal of their success to the original film and trilogy anyway.

[BluBonnet]

Originally Posted by celticmoon

If you frequent box office sites and forums, it is actually the consensus that TFA will sell more tickets than TPM, and will sell the highest number of tickets since Titanic. TFA's advantage is, of course, that population is quite a bit higher now than it was in 1999, but TFA also has a lot of disadvantages as mentioned by WhoSoBlu.

But really, it doesn't matter. TPM was obviously a huge deal back when it was released, and lots of people were seeing it multiple times in theaters. Same thing is happening with TFA. I feel like the fervor and the craze surrounding the films are similar and its kinda pointless to talk about which is the bigger deal. Both films owe a great deal of their success to the original film and trilogy anyway.

I don't disagree with any of that. But one thing that has gone unmentioned is China. This is going to be the first SW to receive a wide release in China. And I don't think I have to tell you how big China's population is...

So yeah at the end of the day TFA will have put a lot of bums on theater seats, and much popcorn will have been sold. I seriously don't think that was ever in doubt...

[celticmoon]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

I don't disagree with any of that. But one thing that has gone unmentioned is China. This is going to be the first SW to receive a wide release in China. And I don't think I have to tell you how big China's population is...

So yeah at the end of the day TFA will have put a lot of bums on theater seats, and much popcorn will have been sold. I seriously don't think that was ever in doubt...

Yes, I was speaking strictly in terms of domestic.

China is really a whole other story, as the market there has changed a lot, just within the ten years since ROTS was released. TFA will easily make more money there than all six previous movies combined.

[A Sith Lord?]

Originally Posted by celticmoon

Yes, I was speaking strictly in terms of domestic.

China is really a whole other story, as the market there has changed a lot, just within the ten years since ROTS was released. TFA will easily make more money there than all six previous movies combined.

LOL what.

That means Force Awakens will likely triple what Avatar made.

[supersix4]

Originally Posted by WhySoBlu?

There also weren't nearly as many forms of entertainment vying for a person's free time and money as there are now. It was also before large portions of the population started stealing movies online, often while they're still being shown in theaters.

ROTS was right around the time people really started to steal movies 03-05 I would say would be its beginning... Not nearly as bad now with streaming sites, and streaming apps on usb devices.

I'm sure this movie has lost at least 50-100 million extra in pirated sales, for those people that would have had to gone multiple times or even once.

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

And here is a perfect example of how unclear your thinking is. You've just told me that my opinion - admittedly a completely subjective statement - is wrong. I could totally understand if you just said you don't agree with that opinion I previously stated. But I presented it as simply a personal opinion, not as a statement of fact that can be proven true or false.

These were not opinions. You said CG was not a focus of his, but it factually was. There is no opinion about it.

[BluBonnet]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

These were not opinions. You said CG was not a focus of his, but it factually was. There is no opinion about it.

That is not at all what I said, please don't misrepresent my words.

[celticmoon]

Originally Posted by MasturB

LOL what.

That means Force Awakens will likely triple what Avatar made.

That was in regards to China. ROTS made under $10m there, and I believe that's the highest grossing SW movie there. TFA will probably make $100m+ even if it posts "disappointing" numbers, as the market has changed drastically in the last few years.

[supersix4]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

I watched TPM over a dozen times during its first week of release alone, and so did many friends of mine. I definitely wasn't the least bit excited about watching TFA more than once, so don't over generalize.

TFA will probably make more money when you don't adjust for inflation, simply because ticket prices have gone up considerably since 1999; also, at the time of TPM regular movies simply didn't get released in formats like IMAX or 3-D that have premium pricing.

I'm not overgeneralizing lol but again if you hate the movie and see it 50 times thats not on me, in-fact if I worked at disney it could be your most hated film ever and all you're doing is putting money in my pocket at disney so I'd champion the idea to see it if you don't like it lol.. Right now by and large it is well received, regardless of the vocal minority.

Inflation for the phantom menace is roughly $753,202,700 lol They are steamrolling what that movie made... Like I said I don't get the point defending anything Lucas said.

Inescapable facts:
-Public embraces New Hope [even if nots what some of us wanted eve me] nods to the original film
-Public opinion [regardless if right or wrong by an large has] dislikes Lucas' last attempt at Star Wars overwhelmingly
-He sold his product for FAR less than it was worth lol... If transformers can make a billion logic says his product is worth far far more
-He is bitter watching all of this unfold and truly realizing he and his ideas aren't needed at Disney lol.

[Dr_Bedlo]

Originally Posted by rodneyfaile

I wish there was some special seal of approval like that, but I haven't found any significance. I've read that IMAX has strict policies and quality control to make sure theatres meet their high standards, but I've seen some drastically different screen sizes and picture quality that all had an IMAX listing. Same with the others. I've seen really bright screens and some that looked like I was wearing a pair of sunglasses.
I think it's just best to try out all the theatres. I like ones with assigned seating so when I buy my ticket online I can pick out the seat I want. Some theatres may have great quality sound, but they do not have the volume up very high. I like it loud I want to feel the explosions.
I say go try that theatre out. You will never know until you do, because the marketing and the technology have less to do with quality than who is managing the place in my experience.

Thanks for the reply! So, I took the plunge and made the trek to the Marcus Theater in Columbus to get a chance to experience this film (for my third viewing) in an Atmos environment. Perhaps it's just me, but I did notice a stronger sense of being surrounded by the sound field. Not every moment, but throughout much of the movie. It was a good choice to see it that way! I probably won't have Atmos at home for a year or more, so I was happy to hear what I had been reading about.

I can only hope that someday soon that they'll at least get theater chain in the Cleveland, OH market that's willing to make the finacial plunge into the newer sound format.

Oh yeah, and those comfy recliners definitely made the decision a little sweeter too!

[50strat54]

Just saw it. Liked it but not blown away. Very enjoyable though and Finn was my favorite character.

For me, the Star Trek reboots were better but I'm hoping to see this again on bluray.

[IndyMLVC]

[Rodney-2187]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

I have never felt that the focus was on the CG by any stretch of the imagination

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

All opinions aside, here you're just wrong. If you watch the DVD documentaries it is made very clear that CG was a huge focus of his, and in fact revolutionizing CG's usage in movies was one of his main goals.

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

These were not opinions. You said CG was not a focus of his, but it factually was. There is no opinion about it.

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

That is not at all what I said, please don't misrepresent my words.

[Rodney-2187]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

And here is a perfect example of how unclear your thinking is. You've just told me that my opinion - admittedly a completely subjective statement - is wrong. I could totally understand if you just said you don't agree with that opinion I previously stated. But I presented it as simply a personal opinion, not as a statement of fact that can be proven true or false.

“All opinions are not equal. Some are a very great deal more robust, sophisticated and well supported in logic and argument than others.”- Douglas Adams

I've never understood the idea that people are entitled to hold whatever opinion they want despite evidence to the contrary. Is truth some abstract concept now?

One of the things that defines intelligence is being able to change our minds when given new information. It's why politics irritate me so much. They would rather continue defending a wrong stance because they feel like admitting they are wrong is some sort of weakness, nevermind showing any type of learning or growth.

Not a personal attack on you. People can be respected without blindly respecting their opinions or ideas.

[motorheadache95]

Originally Posted by celticmoon

If you frequent box office sites and forums, it is actually the consensus that TFA will sell more tickets than TPM, and will sell the highest number of tickets since Titanic. TFA's advantage is, of course, that population is quite a bit higher now than it was in 1999, but TFA also has a lot of disadvantages as mentioned by WhoSoBlu.

But really, it doesn't matter. TPM was obviously a huge deal back when it was released, and lots of people were seeing it multiple times in theaters. Same thing is happening with TFA. I feel like the fervor and the craze surrounding the films are similar and its kinda pointless to talk about which is the bigger deal. Both films owe a great deal of their success to the original film and trilogy anyway.

I think general reception plays a part in how the next installment did. While it still made a lot of money, there was a noticeable drop in ticket sales for Attack of the Clones. I don't even think it outdid Spider-Man in it's second week. That could be inaccurate, but from personal experience my theater continued to sell out on Spider-Man and Attack of the Clones was pretty easy to get into (there was no line at all like there was at the same theater for Phantom Menace).

I think it was party due to people's expectations pretty much getting crushed after Phantom Menace, plus the trailers looked awful. By comparison, Revenge of the Sith made more money than clones, which I think was a combination of a solid trailer and the just the simple fact that it was the last one where all the shit goes down.

[CinemaBlu]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

All opinions aside, here you're just wrong. If you watch the DVD documentaries it is made very clear that CG was a huge focus of his, and in fact revolutionizing CG's usage in movies was one of his main goals.

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

These were not opinions. You said CG was not a focus of his, but it factually was. There is no opinion about it.

To be fair, you did kind of twist BluBonnet's words which clearly said that CG wasn't the focus of the prequels. I happen to agree. Of course CGI was a focus, but it was a tool he relied on (sometimes admittedly too heavily) to tell his story. His main focus was the creation of a modern myth which he diligently researched and worked on more than the CGI.

Originally Posted by rodneyfaile

“All opinions are not equal. Some are a very great deal more robust, sophisticated and well supported in logic and argument than others.”- Douglas Adams

I've never understood the idea that people are entitled to hold whatever opinion they want despite evidence to the contrary. Is truth some abstract concept now?

One of the things that defines intelligence is being able to change our minds when given new information. It's why politics irritate me so much. They would rather continue defending a wrong stance because they feel like admitting they are wrong is some sort of weakness, nevermind showing any type of learning or growth.

Not a personal attack on you. People can be respected without blindly respecting their opinions or ideas.

“The more abstract the truth you wish to teach, the more you need to seduce the senses to it.” -Friedrich Nietzsche

Truth is abstract. You're confusing it with fact. And BluBonnet's opinion was backed up with a very articulate argument which you conveniently removed from the post you quoted.