Star Wars Episode VII is happening - UPDATE: Episode VIII and IX to follow

Who wants to bet it's computer animated like the clone wars. :omusicalmac

[QUOTE="Crypt_mx"]How about you actually try and defend the movie yourself? I'm not going to read 100 pages of why some guy online thinks the review is wrong.m0zart

Maybe I misread or have a bad memory about this, but weren't you the one who made your argument out of a set of bullet points from someone else's review?

If he had bullet-pointed some parts of this critique of the review he referenced (which which he presumably agreed), would you be satisfied?

to be fair, RLM's reviews are better backed with relevant info to the average movie-goer and most importantly, it's easier to watch/listen to an hour long (and quite hilarious I might add) review than read a 100 page serious-face essay that calls Plinkett a 'fanboy' before the essay even begins

Episode 1 was the best of the prequel movies. There I said it.

Episode 2 was painfully bad. I can't even remember it. All I remember is a painfully awkward Anakin, Boba fett assassinating some dudes, Obi Wan tracking him, somehow they all get captured and some wierd beasts fight them, and there is a big battle with teh old guy. Weak

Episode 3 was angst to the max. Pretty good movie, but still, Anakin was a b*tch.

Overall, 1 is my favorite of them all. Original Trilogy as well.

Who cares about this nerdy star wars crap though, who else likes Indiana Jones more? Yeah? Yeah?

I think it'll turn out pretty good. Looking forward to it.

Episode 1 was the best of the prequel movies. There I said it.

Episode 2 was painfully bad. I can't even remember it. All I remember is a painfully awkward Anakin, Boba fett assassinating some dudes, Obi Wan tracking him, somehow they all get captured and some wierd beasts fight them, and there is a big battle with teh old guy. Weak

Episode 3 was angst to the max. Pretty good movie, but still, Anakin was a b*tch.

Overall, 1 is my favorite of them all. Original Trilogy as well.

Who cares about this nerdy star wars crap though, who else likes Indiana Jones more? Yeah? Yeah?

brucewayne69

Who wants to bet it's computer animated like the clone wars. :omusicalmac

I would be against it if it was modeled after the Clone Wars. I would be fine if it was like this.

[QUOTE="musicalmac"]Who wants to bet it's computer animated like the clone wars. :omitu123

[QUOTE="mitu123"]

[QUOTE="musicalmac"]Who wants to bet it's computer animated like the clone wars. :oTheShadowLord07

[QUOTE="BluRayHiDef"]It's a shame when an artist is ridiculed for making changes to their own work. Wow. Just wow.brucewayne69

The point isn't that he's changing them. The point is that he's changing them, and has gone out of his way to make the originals unavailable. And that he's literally doing exactly what he crusaded against in the 80s. He pretty much led the movement against the colorization of old films, making impassioned speeches to congress about how art belongs to society, and it is the duty of the people to preserve works of art, in their original forms, for future generations. Since then, he's changed his movies more than any other director I know of, and specifically refused to release the original versions again, and has even gone so far as to speak in interviews about how he's happy that all the old VHS tapes will wear out and stop working in another 30-40 years, and that his remasters will be the only versions of these films that exist for future generations. He's the very definition of a hypocrite.

Also, really doesn't have the right to be making those kinds of changes to those old movies. Sure, legally he does, but that doesn't mean that he does, morally. He wrote the original stories, but he didn't write the screenplays. He also didn't direct Empire or Jedi. And the changes he's made completely sh!t all over their visions of the films.

Also, if you actually think any of the changes have been good, then, I'm sorry, you just don't know good films. And neither does George Lucas.

I hope they will be good but I am skeptical considering the quality of star wars movies released after the first 3. They were ok but didn't hold a candle to the originals.

nooblet69

And that's like 95% because the prequels were written, directed, and produced by George Lucas. The other 5% is a mixture of both Anakin Skywalker actors, Jar Jar Binks, midi-chlorians, and NOOOOOOOOO!!!! With the franchise out of his hands, there is actually hope.

Stopped caring about the franchise a loooong time ago.

It doesn't even really bother me that Lucas has done what he's done to it, either.

It's not like we can stop him, or anything.

I do think the prequels were horrible movies though.

I remember being fifteen and watching ROTS, and thinking, "Wow, this sucks."

Stopped caring about the franchise a loooong time ago.

It doesn't even really bother me that Lucas has done what he's done to it, either.

It's not like we can stop him, or anything.

I do think the prequels were horrible movies though.

I remember being fifteen and watching ROTS, and thinking, "Wow, this sucks."

-TheSecondSign-

Yeah, ROTS was sh!t. Which is a crying shame because, on paper, that is pretty much the most interesting part of the saga, and should have been a groundbreaking film of unmatched awesomeness. Completely ruined by terrible acting, utterly laughable dialog, and incredibly stupid directing decisions. That, and NOOOOO!

The point isn't that he's changing them. The point is that he's changing them, and has gone out of his way to make the originals unavailable. And that he's literally doing exactly what he crusaded against in the 80s. He pretty much led the movement against the colorization of old films, making impassioned speeches to congress about how art belongs to society, and it is the duty of the people to preserve works of art, in their original forms, for future generations. Since then, he's changed his movies more than any other director I know of, and specifically refused to release the original versions again, and has even gone so far as to speak in interviews about how he's happy that all the old VHS tapes will wear out and stop working in another 30-40 years, and that his remasters will be the only versions of these films that exist for future generations. He's the very definition of a hypocrite.

Also, really doesn't have the right to be making those kinds of changes to those old movies. Sure, legally he does, but that doesn't mean that he does, morally. He wrote the original stories, but he didn't write the screenplays. He also didn't direct Empire or Jedi. And the changes he's made completely sh!t all over their visions of the films.

Also, if you actually think any of the changes have been good, then, I'm sorry, you just don't know good films. And neither does George Lucas.

the_bi99man

[QUOTE="-TheSecondSign-"]

Stopped caring about the franchise a loooong time ago.

It doesn't even really bother me that Lucas has done what he's done to it, either.

It's not like we can stop him, or anything.

I do think the prequels were horrible movies though.

I remember being fifteen and watching ROTS, and thinking, "Wow, this sucks."

the_bi99man

Yeah, ROTS was sh!t. Which is a crying shame because, on paper, that is pretty much the most interesting part of the saga, and should have been a groundbreaking film of unmatched awesomeness. Completely ruined by terrible acting, utterly laughable dialog, and incredibly stupid directing decisions. That, and NOOOOO!

he should have started the prequels where episode 2 was, made episode 3 into 2, and made episode 3 perhaps about the formation of the rebels or the empire's conquering of the rest of the galaxy and vader's hunt for the last jedi

[QUOTE="the_bi99man"]

The point isn't that he's changing them. The point is that he's changing them, and has gone out of his way to make the originals unavailable. And that he's literally doing exactly what he crusaded against in the 80s. He pretty much led the movement against the colorization of old films, making impassioned speeches to congress about how art belongs to society, and it is the duty of the people to preserve works of art, in their original forms, for future generations. Since then, he's changed his movies more than any other director I know of, and specifically refused to release the original versions again, and has even gone so far as to speak in interviews about how he's happy that all the old VHS tapes will wear out and stop working in another 30-40 years, and that his remasters will be the only versions of these films that exist for future generations. He's the very definition of a hypocrite.

Also, really doesn't have the right to be making those kinds of changes to those old movies. Sure, legally he does, but that doesn't mean that he does, morally. He wrote the original stories, but he didn't write the screenplays. He also didn't direct Empire or Jedi. And the changes he's made completely sh!t all over their visions of the films.

Also, if you actually think any of the changes have been good, then, I'm sorry, you just don't know good films. And neither does George Lucas.

MrGeezer

Okay, fine. Who cares whether you agree with Empire being Irvin Kershner's vision or not. That's beside the main point. The main point is that George Lucas is a complete hypocrite, and a$$hole, for what he's doing. He spent a decade railing against this exact practice, harder than anyone else, and now he's more guilty of it than anyone else.

Personally, the only thing wrong with all of it, is the fact that he's actively suppressing the originals, and literally using his power and influence to make sure they completely die out, leaving the remasters as the only existing versions. But that's a HUUUUGE wrong. I belive that should, in fact, be a crime (and so did he, a couple decades ago). If he just did one single release, of the original trilogy, remastered for modern sound and picture quality, but without any of the other changes, I'd be totally happy, and would have no hard feeling about the sh!tty ass changes. Hell, even if he didn't go so far as to remaster the picture and sound quality. Just rerelease the original theatrical films, so people can get them again. They're literally not in print. The 100% unalterted originals should be on disc, as like a special feature or something, for all the new releases. And, as if just to insult people, he totally said he did that, at one point. There was a DVD release of the remastered versions (one of the remastered versions, they've all been through a bunch of versions), which said it had the unaltered originals included. And it was a straight up lie. The "unaltered" versions still had the changes from the late 90s remasters, just not the ones that had been added to that particular DVD release.

I'd be excited if George Lucas didn't completely ruin the entire movie portion of the franchise. And now that Disney is calling the shots, I care even less.

At this point, I'd say that any hopes for a mature Star Wars film are completely and utterly dead. I guess it is up to Disney to prove me wrong...

George Lucas believes it is not only an obligation, but something of the up most importance to preserve film.

"People who alter or destroy works of art and our cultural heritage for profit or as an exercise of power are barbarians, and if the laws of the United States continue to condone this behavior, history will surely classify us as a barbaric society. The preservation of our cultural heritage may not seem to be as politically sensitive an issue as when life begins or when it should be appropriately terminated, but it is important because it goes to the heart of what sets mankind apart. Creative expression is at the core of our humanness. Art is a distinctly human endeavor. We must have respect for it if we are to have any respect for the human race.

These current defacements are just the beginning. Today, engineers with their computers can add color to black-and-white movies, change the soundtrack, speed up the pace, and add or subtract material to the philosophical tastes of the copyright holder. Tomorrow, more advanced technology will be able to replace actors with fresher faces, or alter dialogue and change the movement of the actors lips to match. It will soon be possible to create a new original negative with whatever changes or alterations the copyright holder of the moment desires. The copyright holders, so far, have not been completely diligent in preserving the original negatives of films they control. In order to reconstruct old negatives, many archivists have had to go to Eastern bloc countries where American films have been better preserved.

In the future it will become even easier for old negatives to become lost and be replaced by new altered negatives. This would be a great loss to our society. Our cultural history must not be allowed to be rewritten."-George Lucas 1988.

DarkGamer007

I disagree with what he said in his quote there. I don't believe I have any right to the original films at all except for those copies I own, and my lovely memories of them in their original glory. However, by his own words he is, albeit indirectly, calling himself a damned criminal from a barbaric age. If I were a character from one of his movies, I might put put my bluray to his head and shoot first.

I haven't seen the other six so I'll pass on it.

I haven't seen the other six so I'll pass on it.soulless4now

You are truly soulless.

Personally, the only thing wrong with all of it, is the fact that he's actively suppressing the originals, and literally using his power and influence to make sure they completely die out, leaving the remasters as the only existing versions. But that's a HUUUUGE wrong. I belive that should, in fact, be a crime. If he just did one single release, of the original trilogy, remastered for modern sound and picture quality, but without any of the other changes, I'd be totally happy, and would have no hard feeling about the sh!tty ass changes. Hell, even if he didn't go so far as to remaster the picture and sound quality. Just rerelease the original theatrical films, so people can get them again. They're literally not in print. The 100% unalterted originals should be on disc, as like a special feature or something, for all the new releases. And, as if just to insult people, he totally said he did that, at one point. There was a DVD release of the remastered versions (one of the remastered versions, they've all been through a bunch of versions), which said it had the unaltered originals included. And it was a straight up lie. The "unaltered" versions still had the changes from the late 90s remasters, just not the ones that had been added to that particular DVD release.the_bi99man

[QUOTE="the_bi99man"]Personally, the only thing wrong with all of it, is the fact that he's actively suppressing the originals, and literally using his power and influence to make sure they completely die out, leaving the remasters as the only existing versions. But that's a HUUUUGE wrong. I belive that should, in fact, be a crime. If he just did one single release, of the original trilogy, remastered for modern sound and picture quality, but without any of the other changes, I'd be totally happy, and would have no hard feeling about the sh!tty ass changes. Hell, even if he didn't go so far as to remaster the picture and sound quality. Just rerelease the original theatrical films, so people can get them again. They're literally not in print. The 100% unalterted originals should be on disc, as like a special feature or something, for all the new releases. And, as if just to insult people, he totally said he did that, at one point. There was a DVD release of the remastered versions (one of the remastered versions, they've all been through a bunch of versions), which said it had the unaltered originals included. And it was a straight up lie. The "unaltered" versions still had the changes from the late 90s remasters, just not the ones that had been added to that particular DVD release.MrGeezer

Well, as you said yourself, the directors and writers of the original films were probably just doing his bidding anyway, right? So the originals were his vision. And, again, that's exactly what he spent most of his career railing against. And I'm not saying artists should be forced to release their art. The problem is that he did release them already. And then he changed the hell out them, making a total mockery of himself in the process, and now actively suppresses the originals. He literally lobbied congress to make that a crime.

I have to admit that quote made me laugh. George Lucas is a constant source of irony to me. He spent his best and most fruit-bearing years railing against the corporate structure of Hollywood studios and how it stifles individual creativity, only to turn his enterprise into one, and then turn around and sell it to one of the largest coporate studios in the world.

And then that quote... from less than a decade before he started mutilating his films. It's impossible not to laugh.

I disagree with what he said in his quote there. I don't believe I have any right to the original films at all except for those copies I own, and my lovely memories of them in their original glory. However, by his own words he is, albeit indirectly, calling himself a damned criminal from a barbaric age. If I were a character from one of his movies, I might put put my bluray to his head and shoot first.

m0zart

[QUOTE="m0zart"]

I have to admit that quote made me laugh. George Lucas is a constant source of irony to me. He spent his best and most fruit-bearing years railing against the corporate structure of Hollywood studios and how it stifles individual creativity, only to turn his enterprise into one, and then turn around and sell it to one of the largest coporate studios in the world.

And then that quote... from less than a decade before he started mutilating his films. It's impossible not to laugh.

I disagree with what he said in his quote there. I don't believe I have any right to the original films at all except for those copies I own, and my lovely memories of them in their original glory. However, by his own words he is, albeit indirectly, calling himself a damned criminal from a barbaric age. If I were a character from one of his movies, I might put put my bluray to his head and shoot first.

MrGeezer

Except that he was right the first time. He didn't "realize he was wrong". He realized there's money to be had.

[QUOTE="Crypt_mx"]

How about you actually try and defend the movie yourself? I'm not going to read 100 pages of why some guy online thinks the review is wrong.

I think he is correct, and even prior to watching the reviews I had similar questions about the plot already. In short, Episode 1 is the ultimate failing of a film.

-No interesting characters

-Plot makes no sense

-Laughable acting and boring dialogue

-Boring, overly political tone

And it's sad because Star Wars is supposed to be all about the story and the characters and its just not. At least Episode II and III actually have more sense in the plots, but that doesn't excuse the still bad writing and lifeless feel of the movies. Anyone who likes a prequel more than a film from the original trilogy is either:

-Too young

-Easily impressed by visual effects and action

-Doesn't understand Star Wars

MrGeezer

I didn't mean it as in "They dont understand it , its too complicated!" I meant it as in they don't understand what a Star Wars movie is supposed to be like. Star Wars is about building characters, about telling a tale about believable people that you can connect with. Its not about lightsabers and blasters and explostions and battles. Sure, that is a part of it, but it is not what made Star Wars great. The prequels are more like the transformer movies, all flash, no substance.

[QUOTE="MrGeezer"][QUOTE="Crypt_mx"]

How about you actually try and defend the movie yourself? I'm not going to read 100 pages of why some guy online thinks the review is wrong.

I think he is correct, and even prior to watching the reviews I had similar questions about the plot already. In short, Episode 1 is the ultimate failing of a film.

-No interesting characters

-Plot makes no sense

-Laughable acting and boring dialogue

-Boring, overly political tone

And it's sad because Star Wars is supposed to be all about the story and the characters and its just not. At least Episode II and III actually have more sense in the plots, but that doesn't excuse the still bad writing and lifeless feel of the movies. Anyone who likes a prequel more than a film from the original trilogy is either:

-Too young

-Easily impressed by visual effects and action

-Doesn't understand Star Wars

Crypt_mx

I didn't mean it as in "They dont understand it , its too complicated!" I meant it as in they don't understand what a Star Wars movie is supposed to be like. Star Wars is about building characters, about telling a tale about believable people that you can connect with. Its not about lightsabers and blasters and explostions and battles. Sure, that is a part of it, but it is not what made Star Wars great. The prequels are more like the transformer movies, all flash, no substance.

Exactly. There's like 2 and a half full blown lightsaber fights in the entire original trilogy. And like, 4 or 5, at least, per film, in the prequels.

Well, as you said yourself, the directors and writers of the original films were probably just doing his bidding anyway, right? So the originals were his vision. And, again, that's exactly what he spent most of his career railing against. And I'm not saying artists should be forced to release their art. The problem is that he did release them already. And then he changed the hell out them, making a total mockery of himself in the process, and now actively suppresses the originals. He literally lobbied congress to make that a crime.

the_bi99man

Except that he was right the first time. He didn't "realize he was wrong". He realized there's money to be had.

the_bi99man

It's not a matter of artistic freedom at this point. If he had made the star wars movies, and then decided to not release them because they weren't good enough, and then sat on them for decades, made changes when technology allowed it, and released them for the first time later, that'd be different. That would be a matter of an artist choosing what to show, and what not to show. The point is that the films were released in their original forms. And once they're released, they belong to the public that loved them. If he wants to make changes later, and release special new versions or whatever, that's his deal. He can go for it. But to deliberately stifle the originals after the fact, and actively work to have them removed from the public eye, replaced by his new bastardizations, isn't art. It's destruction of a piece of culture, and it should be a crime. Lucas was right in the 80s.

No one is saying artists should be forced to release everything they make, or not be allowed to make their art they way they see fit. I'm not saying that. George Lucas wasn't saying that in the 80s. No one is proposing that (as far as I know. Someone probably is, somewhere, but fvck em). What I'm saying (and what Lucas used to be saying), is that once a piece of art has been released to the public, it doesn't belong to the artist anymore. And, while changing your artwork later is one thing, making permanent changes, and cutting off access to the unaltered versions is a very heavy form of cencorship, even if it's coming from the person who made it in the first place.

Upon further reading of your last comment, I see that you're just on a completely different plane than me, fundamentally, and you're going to disagree with everything I said.

Maybe I'm just too invested in the original Star Wars movies. Maybe I just hate the changes way too much. Maybe I wouldn't feel so strongly about it, if it weren't for the fact that every last one of the changes is just objectively terrible, and Lucas himself is literally insane for not seeing that.

Either way, it's out of his hands now, thank God. I really hope Disney does release the unaltered originals (unless Lucas personally destroyed the original negatives before making the sale, and I actually wouldn't be surprised if he did). At the very least, those films deserve to be released once on a media format that isn't going to literally shrivel up and become unusable in another couple decades. But that's exactly why I wouldn't doubt that Lucas actually went so far as to permanently destroy the originals. He's counting on that.

The point is that the films were released in their original forms. And once they're released, they belong to the public that loved them. the_bi99man

I hope they give it the Pixar treatment.

[QUOTE="the_bi99man"]The point is that the films were released in their original forms. And once they're released, they belong to the public that loved them. MrGeezer

The fact that I paid to see it, and so did millions of other people. Lucas wouldn't have the money to do his sh!tty edits if we didn't all buy his originals in the first place. Also, yes, I am still free to go and try to dig up old VHS copies of a film that isn't in print anymore, but this is a weird situation when it comes to that. Like, take a painting, for example. If I buy a painting, and then the artist changes it somehow, and starts only selling copies of the new version, I still have my original. People can still hunt for the copies of the original, and they'll be able to indefinitely because, as long as it's taken care of, the painting isn't going to wear out and fall apart (aside from some fading, I suppose). VHS tapes though, are all going to shrivel up and become worthless in another few decades, no matter how well they're taken care of. That's just the nature of the materials they're made out of. So, when that happens, we won't be able to go find old VHS copies of the originals, because they literally won't exist anymore. Because the original films were so groundbreaking, and so beloved, by so many people, and because the edits in the new versions are (almost) universally regarded as bad moves, that ruin several parts of the films, Lucas owes it to the people who made him successful to do at least one release of them, unaltered, on a format that won't dissappear. Especially considering it would cost him next to nothing to do it. But, as I mentioned, he's stated in interviews that he's happy that VHS tapes will melt away, and the only existing copies of the movies will be his remasters. He's glad about that. Which, I think, makes him a total dick, and is an insult to the people who made him what he is, not to mention the people who made his movies what they were. Also, the performing a song analogy doesn't really work. That's a live performance, and is a completely different kind of media. A more apt analogy would be talking about recording and releasing a music album. And in that case, my position is the same. If an artist goes and completely reworks the songs on an album they already released, and then halts all manufacturing and distribution of the original, that'd also be upsetting, for the exact same reasons.

The fact that I paid to see it, and so did millions of other people. Lucas wouldn't have the money to do his sh!tty edits if we didn't all buy his originals in the first place. Also, yes, I am still free to go and try to dig up old VHS copies of a film that isn't in print anymore, but this is a weird situation when it comes to that. Like, take a painting, for example. If I buy a painting, and then the artist changes it somehow, and starts only selling copies of the new version, I still have my original. People can still hunt for the copies of the original, and they'll be able to indefinitely because, as long as it's taken care of, the painting isn't going to wear out and fall apart (aside from some fading, I suppose). VHS tapes though, are all going to shrivel up and become worthless in another few decades, no matter how well they're taken care of. That's just the nature of the materials they're made out of. So, when that happens, we won't be able to go find old VHS copies of the originals, because they literally won't exist anymore. Because the original films were so groundbreaking, and so beloved, by so many people, and because the edits in the new versions are (almost) universally regarded as bad moves, that ruin several parts of the films, Lucas owes it to the people who made him successful to do at least one release of them, unaltered, on a format that won't dissappear. Especially considering it would cost him next to nothing to do it. But, as I mentioned, he's stated in interviews that he's happy that VHS tapes will melt away, and the only existing copies of the movies will be his remasters. He's glad about that. Which, I think, makes him a total dick, and is an insult to the people who made him what he is, not to mention the people who made his movies what they were. Also, the performing a song analogy doesn't really work. That's a live performance, and is a completely different kind of media. A more apt analogy would be talking about recording and releasing a music album. And in that case, my position is the same. If an artist goes and completely reworks the songs on an album they already released, and then halts all manufacturing and distribution of the original, that'd also be upsetting, for the exact same reasons.

the_bi99man

I hope the original main cast at least have a cameo in the movies.

Crack's take on this whole thing. Link

Well technically they're right but what do you think?

[QUOTE="Baranga"]

[QUOTE="C2N2"]

Is it just Lucasfilm LTD or all of Star Wars? Does this have any influence on 1313 at all? I was really looking forward to that...

theone86

The whole Lucas empire, including LucasArts, Lucasfilm LTD, ILM and Skywalker Sound.

And Indiana Jones:P

Hmmm...they ruined Indy with aliens, so how will they ruin Star Wars?

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was pretty damn good. I don't understand people bashing it.

I hope the original main cast at least have a cameo in the movies.

Pirate700

[QUOTE="theone86"]

[QUOTE="Baranga"]

The whole Lucas empire, including LucasArts, Lucasfilm LTD, ILM and Skywalker Sound.

And Indiana Jones:P

hartsickdiscipl

Hmmm...they ruined Indy with aliens, so how will they ruin Star Wars?

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was pretty damn good. I don't understand people bashing it.

Dr. Jones didn't murder anyone throughout the entire film.

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was pretty damn good. I don't understand people bashing it.hartsickdiscipl

I think I know why it appealed to you.

I hope the original main cast at least have a cameo in the movies.

Pirate700

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

[QUOTE="theone86"]

The whole Lucas empire, including LucasArts, Lucasfilm LTD, ILM and Skywalker Sound.

And Indiana Jones:P

coolbeans90

Hmmm...they ruined Indy with aliens, so how will they ruin Star Wars?

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was pretty damn good. I don't understand people bashing it.

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was pretty damn good. I don't understand people bashing it.m0zart

I think I know why it appealed to you.

Is it, by chance...

I wish they would make a movie on darth Bane.

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was pretty damn good. I don't understand people bashing it.m0zart

I think I know why it appealed to you.

historically accurate :P