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

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by IndyMLVC

How many are big Hollywood films that most people here go to see?

Think back to the movies that WERE popular in the 70's-90's. At least they were original stories.

I find myself going to more art-house flicks nowadays than big budget films. They end up being disappointing.

Just because they aren't big budget studio productions doesn't mean that they aren't movies.

When people say, "All we get are remakes, sequels, and comic book movies," what they REALLY mean is, "All I read about or hear about or go see are remakes, sequels, and comic book movies, with big budgets from the big studios."

Those are two totally different things.

I'm a huge fan of the X-Men movies, for instance. But I don't pretend that those are the only sorts of movies being made. Also, people need to be careful about using words like "remake" and "sequel." I think at least half the time those words are thrown around they are done so incorrectly.

[Jasonic]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Just because they aren't big budget studio productions doesn't mean that they aren't movies.

Some people prefer the big budget type of movies though, and are looking for the next Raiders of the Lost Ark, Blade Runner, Terminator, Star Wars, etc (figuratively, not literally the next in those series), but we can't exactly get those when the majority of blockbusters now are remakes and sequels.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by Jasonic

Some people prefer the big budget type of movies though, and are looking for the next Raiders of the Lost Ark, Blade Runner, Terminator, Star Wars, etc (figuratively, not literally the next in those series), but we can't exactly get those when the majority of blockbusters now are remakes and sequels.

Oops, misread your comment. I don't know, we got the Hunger Games series. We got Interstellar. Etc.

The only point I was trying to make is that those aren't the only movies that exist, no matter how many times someone on this board feels it necessary to repeat that they are.

[IndyMLVC]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Oops, misread your comment. I don't know, we got the Hunger Games series. We got Interstellar. Etc.

The only point I was trying to make is that those aren't the only movies that exist, no matter how many times someone on this board feels it necessary to repeat that they are.

Hunger Games is based on a book.

Interstellar was awful.

And, if you read what I actually said, I go to art house films more than big-budget films for something fresh and original these days. It used to be that big-budget movies COULD do that. Now Hollywood is just lazy...and too busy playing it safe.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by IndyMLVC

Hunger Games is based on a book.

Interstellar was awful.

And, if you read what I actually said, I go to art house films more than big-budget films for something fresh and original these days. It used to be that big-budget movies COULD do that. Now Hollywood is just lazy...and too busy playing it safe.

And Star Wars is based on a Kurosawa movie. So what?

Whether or not you think Interstellar was good, it was original. And I don't think that most of these big budget movies of the past were quite as original as you're pretending them to be.

[MechaGodzilla]

Originally Posted by IndyMLVC

Hunger Games is based on a book.

Interstellar was awful.

And, if you read what I actually said, I go to art house films more than big-budget films for something fresh and original these days. It used to be that big-budget movies COULD do that. Now Hollywood is just lazy...and too busy playing it safe.

Originally Posted by AaronJ

And Star Wars is based on a Kurosawa movie. So what?

Whether or not you think Interstellar was good, it was original. And I don't think that most of these big budget movies of the past were quite as original as you're pretending them to be.

Yeah, I was about to say, the popular/big budget movies of the '70s-'90s weren't really much more original than the ones of today. Star Wars was strongly influenced by Kurosawa films, Dune, John Carter, Flash Gordon, The Dam Busters, etc. Jaws and Jurassic Park were adaptations of novels that in parts border on being rip-offs of earlier novels. Superman: The Movie and Batman were based on comics. RoboCop was inspired by the Judge Dredd comics. Alien owes more than a little to '50s and '60s sci-fi/horror movies like The Thing from Another World, It! The Terror from Beyond Space and Planet of the Vampires. Scarface was a remake.

...and it goes on. You get my point.

[videohead]

Originally Posted by IndyMLVC

Hunger Games is based on a book.

Interstellar was awful.

And, if you read what I actually said, I go to art house films more than big-budget films for something fresh and original these days. It used to be that big-budget movies COULD do that. Now Hollywood is just lazy...and too busy playing it safe.

Interstellar was fun

[IndyMLVC]

Originally Posted by MechaGodzilla

Yeah, I was about to say, the popular/big budget movies of the '70s-'90s weren't really much more original than the ones of today. Star Wars was strongly influenced by Kurosawa films, Dune, John Carter, Flash Gordon, The Dam Busters, etc. Jaws and Jurassic Park were adaptations of novels that in parts border on being rip-offs of earlier novels. Superman: The Movie and Batman were based on comics. RoboCop was inspired by the Judge Dredd comics. Alien owes more than a little to '50s and '60s sci-fi/horror movies like The Thing from Another World, It! The Terror from Beyond Space and Planet of the Vampires. Scarface was a remake.

...and it goes on. You get my point.

Inspired by and based on are two different things. Everything is "inspired by" something - usually several things.

But, regardless, Star Wars, The Goonies, Gremlins, Die Hard, Lethal Weapon...and on and on...were originals.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by IndyMLVC

Inspired by and based on are two different things. Everything is "inspired by" something - usually several things.

But, regardless, Star Wars, The Goonies, Gremlins, Die Hard, Lethal Weapon...and on and on...were originals.

Die Hard was based on a novel and the lead character was originally played (in a previous film) by Frank Sinatra.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

I have yet to see any. I'm hoping to see it twice on opening day.

What I do see is the JJ Abrams haters waiting to pounce. You know, the guys who go online and constantly complain about STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS and his other films...

Who could you be talking about? As it happens, I've got plenty of time for JJ. I don't think he's God's gift but I enjoy most of his movies. MI3 is aces, Super 8 is like a Playmountain megamix and ST '09 is flat-out terrific (and VERY much JJ's Star Wars demo reel). It's just the remorseless stupidity of STID which grinds my gears. Who I don't have time for is those shitstains Orci and Kurtzman, and seeing as they've been let nowhere near Star Wars (thank Christ) I think I'm gonna enjoy TFA.

[stvn1974]

Yes, thank the movie lords that Kurtzman, Orci and Lindelof are nowhere near Star Wars. The only person that could make a worse Star Wars film is George Lucas.

[aiman04]

[Foggy]

They didn't do it The Hunger Games way and left a giant C U Next Tuesday on their characters face.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by IndyMLVC

Inspired by and based on are two different things. Everything is "inspired by" something - usually several things.

But, regardless, Star Wars, The Goonies, Gremlins, Die Hard, Lethal Weapon...and on and on...were originals.

If you really believe that Star Wars is original, then I really hope that you watch Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress some time soon.

Don't get me wrong: This isn't a criticism of either the film or of Lucas. I mean, if you are going to steal, you might as steal from one of the best. But how anyone who has seen HF and SW can think that SW is original is completely beyond me. I mean, for crying out loud there are even CP3O and R2D2 characters in HF!

[Spike M.]

Originality isn't a thing anymore, and it wasn't in the 70's and 80's either. Nolan's TDK trilogy is no more akin to Burton's Batman dualogy than Indiana Jones is to the classic serials of the 1930's and 1940's. The only difference is that one shares a name, and if that inherently impacts quality for you, then God help you.

I wonder how Bogart would feel about Indiana Jones...

[Show spoiler]

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by geoff d

who could you be talking about? as it happens, i've got plenty of time for jj. I don't think he's god's gift but i enjoy most of his movies. Mi3 is aces, super 8 is like a playmountain megamix and st '09 is flat-out terrific (and very much jj's star wars demo reel). It's just the remorseless stupidity of stid which grinds my gears. Who i don't have time for is those shitstains orci and kurtzman, and seeing as they've been let nowhere near star wars (thank christ) i think i'm gonna enjoy tfa.

Preach it, Geoff!!!

[aiman04]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

I promise you, right now, there are George Lucas Prequel Defenders who cannot wait to savage Episode VII. For them, this will be their Episode I.

Can you show me an example? One or two maybe but that's like 1% of this forum, let alone the whole world out there. Many are extremely excited for The Force Awakens, myself included. But like any other films coming up, isn't it best to have at least some cautions? I was just as skeptical before The Phantom Menace and the following episodes came out, they turned out to be very good for me, not denying all the flaws of course. It's no different this time. Especially as I'm getting older now.

[MechaGodzilla]

Originally Posted by IndyMLVC

Inspired by and based on are two different things. Everything is "inspired by" something - usually several things.

But, regardless, Star Wars, The Goonies, Gremlins, Die Hard, Lethal Weapon...and on and on...were originals.

Sure (though I would still argue a new title doesn't necessarily mean a work is truly original and has anything new to say), but there were plenty adaptations, sequels, reboots and remakes in the '70s-'90s as well. And likewise many popular and not-so-popular big budget films from the last decade and a half have been originals.

I don't mean to come off as antagonistic so apologies if I am, I just don't agree things are as different in the film industry now vs. then as they're often made out to be.

Originally Posted by aiman04

[Show spoiler]

Getting closer.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by aiman04

Can you show me an example? One or two maybe but that's like 1% of this forum, let alone the whole world out there. Many are extremely excited for The Force Awakens, myself included. But like any other films coming up, isn't it best to have at least some cautions? I was just as skeptical before The Phantom Menace and the following episodes came out, they turned out to be very good for me, not denying all the flaws of course. It's no different this time. Especially as I'm getting older now.

The George Lucas Prequel Defense League is a kooky minority, to be sure. But I've seen these folks going after JJ, Disney and Episode VII not only on message boards, but with comics, FB posts, even fan blog articles.

[mastadge]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

If you really believe that Star Wars is original, then I really hope that you watch Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress some time soon.

And Die Hard was based on a book . . . that was a sequel to another book . . . that was also adapted into a film.