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

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by Nerdkiller likes BD

Oh, please. The only prequel that didn't add anything to the saga was Episode I. I mean, when you look at it, what lasting elements did Ep. I add that wasn't laid out by the later prequels? You could start watching the saga from Ep. II and you wouldn't miss a damn thing.

It was supposed to be revealed in Episode III that Anakin was "willed" into being by the Sith, probably Palpatine, who did know the secret of using the Force to extend and even create life. So the set-up for that is in Episode I, when Shmi can't explain how Anakin came to be, and how the decision to take Anakin away from his mother is the foundation for his insecurity about losing people, which then feeds into his paranoia about losing Padme.

All the pieces were there in the Prequels, but the execution was lacking.

[Steelmaker]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

It was supposed to be revealed in Episode III that Anakin was "willed" into being by the Sith, probably Palpatine, who did know the secret of using the Force to extend and even create life. So the set-up for that is in Episode I, when Shmi can't explain how Anakin came to be, and how the decision to take Anakin away from his mother is the foundation for his insecurity about losing people, which then feeds into his paranoia about losing Padme.

All the pieces were there in the Prequels, but the execution was lacking.

Yeah, it's this kind of poor writing and development that I will NOT miss with the changing of the guard for this franchise! Just like the mythical "Sifo Dias" ordering the clones, though we never learn any rhyme or reason as to why he did this, or who the hell he was for that matter!

[Nerdkiller likes BD]

Originally Posted by EricJ

Another reason to watch the Clone Wars TV series do improving second-drafts on Lucas's ideas...

Ahhh, I've never watched the Clone Wars series. It used to air on the movie channels which we didn't have at the time, so I missed out on a lot. I only recall ever catching the 2D series of shorts back on Cartoon Network.

I just hope that we'll still get to see the live action series someday. Especially since they've got seasons of scripts written, I think.

Originally Posted by Steelmaker

I have to agree. I will never understand why Lucas made the decision to kill him off! Maul could have been THE guy for the entire PT just the way Vader was in the OT. It could have climaxed where Anakin had to kill off Maul to take his place.

I think it was to do with Lucas not realising that Maul was going to be a popular character by the time Episode I came around. Then again, Lucas always has a habit of killing off badass characters in humiliating or anticlimactic ways (Boba Fett (still an overrated character in my book) killed off after being shot by a blind Han Solo, Palpatine tossed by Vader into the Death Star reactor, Maul as I've already mentioned) or nerfing them (General Grievous).

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

It was supposed to be revealed in Episode III that Anakin was "willed" into being by the Sith, probably Palpatine, who did know the secret of using the Force to extend and even create life. So the set-up for that is in Episode I, when Shmi can't explain how Anakin came to be, and how the decision to take Anakin away from his mother is the foundation for his insecurity about losing people, which then feeds into his paranoia about losing Padme.

All the pieces were there in the Prequels, but the execution was lacking.

Translation: Episode I was supposed to matter but, well, it didn't.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by Nerdkiller likes BD

Ahhh, I've never watched the Clone Wars series. It used to air on the movie channels which we didn't have at the time, so I missed out on a lot. I only recall ever catching the 2D series of shorts back on Cartoon Network.

Okay, first it's not the backhandedly retro-kitschy Tartakovsky shorts (back when CN and Tartakovsky couldn't tell the difference anymore), and second...the CGI series is better than that stupid "Capote the Hutt" pilot movie we got in theaters. A LOT better.

Before the new movies come out, the CGI series is pretty well holding up the entire franchise singlehandedly, doing a good job of beefing up other "neglected" characters from the PT (we didn't really see all that much of General Grievous in ROTS either, did we?), and laying some nice Separatist/bounty-hunter groundwork for new 7-9 universes to build on.
And more, to the point:

[Show spoiler]

[Indyjones]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

It was supposed to be revealed in Episode III that Anakin was "willed" into being by the Sith, probably Palpatine, who did know the secret of using the Force to extend and even create life. So the set-up for that is in Episode I, when Shmi can't explain how Anakin came to be, and how the decision to take Anakin away from his mother is the foundation for his insecurity about losing people, which then feeds into his paranoia about losing Padme.

All the pieces were there in the Prequels, but the execution was lacking.

Well, Lucas did imply that during the opera scene, he just didn't come out right out and say it, which I don't get. Why set it up? And the whole deal with Sifo Dias? Another issue that was supposed to be addressed in ROTS, but wasn't.

Originally Posted by Steelmaker

I have to agree. I will never understand why Lucas made the decision to kill him off! Maul could have been THE guy for the entire PT just the way Vader was in the OT. It could have climaxed where Anakin had to kill off Maul to take his place.

Lucas should've done taken the cue from The Clone Wars and had Maul come back as a cyborg in AOTC. That would've completely eliminated the need of Grievous in ROTS. But, I do find Dooku the most compellng of the Sith, aside from Sidious, because of his backstory with the Jedi. So I don't know how Lucas would've used him if Maul was still around, because of the "two" Sith Rule.

[BLUEGRASS]

No matter what happens, I doubt that anything Disney comes up with for the movie can be as bad as this...

[http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg_FoEy8T_A

[Steelmaker]

Originally Posted by Indyjones

Lucas should've done taken the cue from The Clone Wars and had Maul come back as a cyborg in AOTC. That would've completely eliminated the need of Grievous in ROTS. But, I do find Dooku the most compellng of the Sith, aside from Sidious, because of his backstory with the Jedi. So I don't know how Lucas would've used him if Maul was still around, because of the "two" Sith Rule.

To me the idea of Maul as a cyborg seems stupid and stinks of "dark horse comics/expanded universe" fodder. I don't see that actually working in film.

Also, if you keep Maul alive throughout the trilogy there's no need for Dooku. I never found Dooku convincing as a Sith. He was too old and the duels that involved him seemed as clunky and awkward as the Vader/Obi Wan duel in A New Hope. And while I'm ranting here, 3 things I wish Lucas would have never done in the PT...

1.) Yoda and Sidious should have NEVER been written to use lightsabers. I see them as being way too advanced in their knowledge of the force to have to resort to using them! Their climactic duel should have been a battle of wits and their ability to use the force without swinging light sabers. It just seems beneath them!

2.) Dooku should have never had the ability to use force lightning. Again, to me that should have been a power that only Sidious was shown to be able to use. Giving Dooku the ability to use force lightning somehow diminishes Sidious' power.

3.) Yoda and Dooku should have never dueled. I think Yoda should NOT have seen action until he confronted Sidious in Episode 3. It would've made that so much more powerful and climactic. I liked how Lucas showed Yoda as more of a battle strategist, like on Geonosis in Episode 2.

[Nerdkiller likes BD]

Originally Posted by EricJ

Okay, first it's not the backhandedly retro-kitschy Tartakovsky shorts (back when CN and Tartakovsky couldn't tell the difference anymore), and second...the CGI series is better than that stupid "Capote the Hutt" pilot movie we got in theaters. A LOT better.

Before the new movies come out, the CGI series is pretty well holding up the entire franchise singlehandedly, doing a good job of beefing up other "neglected" characters from the PT (we didn't really see all that much of General Grievous in ROTS either, did we?), and laying some nice Separatist/bounty-hunter groundwork for new 7-9 universes to build on.
And more, to the point:

[Show spoiler]

DAMMIT, I just wanted to say that I never saw the CG series because I didn't have the movie channels at the time. This was nothing to do with the movie was was released in theatres.

[segagamer12]

Episode I was not a bad movie at all, it had good acting, good characters, a good story, it felt like Star Wars to me when I was 16 and saw it for the first time in the theater. Jar Jar was annoying, and the Pod race went on a little too long but the rest of the movie was awesome start to finish. There were a couple of cringe worthy moments but there is not a single movie in history without a few of those.


Episode II was a little worse, the main problem there was dialog. The story was actually well put together and fully developed. The characters were fleshed out by now and the plot made pretty good sense. The movie was not just the fall of Anakin to the Dark side but the entire collapse of the great Republic into the evil Empire. The people who complain there was too much politics are grasping for straws, the politics were necessary and perfectly balanced even A New Hope had that political stuff in there it was what set up the whole premise of the prequels in the first place.

Episode III is damn near perfect, it had far fewer mistakes than the previous two and the ones it did have were easier to forgive. They were not perfect but they were by no means terrible movies. The bottom line is people had their own ideas of what to expect, they didn't get it so they lashed out like big babies.

[flyinmunky99]

Darth maul should have been kept for epsiodes 1 and 2 then killed off in 3, general grievous should have been cut instead.


Im looking forward to seeing what direction they go with this.

[BLUEGRASS]

Originally Posted by segagamer12

Episode I was not a bad movie at all, it had good acting....

Ahem....

[http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i909Rm4NQN8

[segagamer12]

Originally Posted by BLUEGRASS

Ahem....

[http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i909Rm4NQN8

Okay not everyone was good but the adults were fine. Plus he was friggin kid for crying out loud. The only reasons his career tanked was due to Star Wars fans.

[Col. Zombie]

Originally Posted by BLUEGRASS

Ahem....

[Show spoiler]
[http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i909Rm4NQN8

Wow!! Where was the Academy for that? That is top quality acting.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by segagamer12

Okay not everyone was good but the adults were fine. Plus he was friggin kid for crying out loud. The only reasons his career tanked was due to Star Wars fans.

Yes, he clearly going places before thehahahahahaha, I'm sorry, I can't even finish that.

His career tanked? What career? He was a child actor. The 'careers' of child actors almost always tank.

And why? Because for the most part they grow up to be pretty mediocre actors.

[segagamer12]

Fair enough but your missing the point, first he was not that bad considering he was a kid, I don't honestly see what is so bad, posting a video of his shots tells me what exactly? I watched every one of those and didn't see anything terrible. I saw a KID being a kid.

[Nerdkiller likes BD]

Originally Posted by octagon

Yes, he clearly going places before thehahahahahaha, I'm sorry, I can't even finish that.

His career tanked? What career? He was a child actor. The 'careers' of child actors almost always tank.

And why? Because for the most part they grow up to be pretty mediocre actors.

Originally Posted by segagamer12

Fair enough but your missing the point, first he was not that bad considering he was a kid, I don't honestly see what is so bad, posting a video of his shots tells me what exactly? I watched every one of those and didn't see anything terrible. I saw a KID being a kid.

Not to mention, all those Star Wars fans who pretty much picked on him on the street for his acting, made him very bitter. I think there's a video of it somewhere.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by segagamer12

Fair enough but your missing the point, first he was not that bad considering he was a kid, I don't honestly see what is so bad, posting a video of his shots tells me what exactly? I watched every one of those and didn't see anything terrible. I saw a KID being a kid.

No, he wasn't particularly bad or particularly good and the bits he had that were bad were hardly his fault. He didn't write 'yipee', he just delivered it.

He wasn't a high point of Episode I but he didn't exactly hurt it either.

[rickah88]

Originally Posted by 500_Days_of_Night

You'd miss out on Darth Maul. The only truly good thing to come out of ANY of the preqels.

Agree...although I'm happy with: Darth Maul/Jango Fett/General Greivous(I/II/III).

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by octagon

Translation: Episode I was supposed to matter but, well, it didn't.

Because of what happened with Episode III. Lucas himself admitted that he had a backstory and 10% went into Episode I and 10% went into Episode II, but when he got to III, he could only get 60% into it, leaving 20% unrealized.

Fairly maddening, considering he had 20 years to write three scripts and get them spit-shined. Can't call Lucas lazy, but yeah, glad the saga is in the hands of people who are going to demand accountability.