Star Wars - The Force Awakens

Do watch the original trilogy i.e. Episodes iv, v and vi.

If you avoid the more recent three, your life will be no worse for it.

Episode vii is full of knowing references to the originals, made all the more joyous because they knew that's what everyone who saw Star Wars in their childhood 38 years really wanted them to do...

However, I can't believe you've never seen Star Wars!

You should watch them all in order. Episodes I thru VII.

Bananahead posted:

You should watch them all in order. Episodes I thru VII.

Yep, I'd agree with that. The 6 episodes actually hang together pretty well when watched in sequence. Then watch episode 7. It's a cracker.

JamieWednesday posted:

Do watch the original trilogy i.e. Episodes iv, v and vi.

If you avoid the more recent three, your life will be no worse for it.

Episode vii is full of knowing references to the originals, made all the more joyous because they knew that's what everyone who saw Star Wars in their childhood 38 years really wanted them to do...

However, I can't believe you've never seen Star Wars!

Never. I used to keep getting posted to different parts of the world and we started a family of three girls. Now that we've got two grandsons (as well as two granddaughters) it seems I've got a lot of catching up to do !

If it were me and there was time, I would watch it through in sequence as Bananhead and Winkyincanada say.  However, it would also interesting to see whether just watching 7 would arouse curiosity in watching anyone of the previous episodes.  

A quick Google suggests 4 5 (1) 2 3 6 with 1 being optional.

It took me about three reads of Wuthering Heights, (plus pencil and paper to draw the family tree !) to understand who was who and what was going on.......and then we went to see Heathcliff !

I think I'll follow all your suggestions and go 1 to 6

Ok, but don't let i,  ii, and iii put you off iv, v and vi!!!! (And you have to imagine iv without the 'CGI animations' added in a later cut, they don't spoil it but aren't needed...)

Have fun and May The Force be with you.

There is nothing wrong with I II or III in any way.

Remeber that they are films for young people. Quite a lot of us saw IV V and VI when we were young and they are firmly lodged in out nostalgia centers.

I suspect that people like VII so much because of all of the references to the previous films. That and the fact that the story is very similar to IV.

Each to their own, as you say they were made for children...

....for children of ALL ages!

JamieWednesday posted:

However, I can't believe you've never seen Star Wars!

I've never seen one either. Saw about half of the first one (ie the 1977 movie) on TV aeons ago, but never got round to seeing any of the others. One of these days I must watch them, starting with the first one (IV?), but I'm not sure if there's a value seeing this new one before I've seen any of its predecessors.

I have however seen the Family Guy parodies, which are pretty good.

Kevin-W posted:

I have however seen the Family Guy parodies, which are pretty good.

 

I've only seen Blue Harvest (I didn't even know they had done the others) but is is even funnier when you have seen the film!

Are the other two worth buying (or on Netflix even - I'll check that)?

I avoided this thread until I had seen the new film.

Oops. Stupid forum.

can't believe that this has led to name calling.

as george lucas has admonished, it is just a movie.

I don't know, but neither me, or my wife or my 15 year old daughter liked or enjoyed it.

I loved all 5 of the George lucas directed ones (well except the first of the prequels), but somehow the new director didn't quite have the magic that Lucas has for me.

It was a bit dull in some places, and not as magical as the previous ones.

JJ Abrams did a great job for me with Star Trek, Lost, Fringe, but I suspect he held back a bit too much on what he is capable of, due to nostalgia.

For me it was just too similar to the 3 original star war movies (but that is making a lot of people very happy), I was looking for something new and original in the star wars of 2015.

Unbeliever!

Burn him.

analogmusic posted:

 

JJ Abrams did a great job for me with Star Trek, Lost, Fringe, but I suspect he held back a bit too much on what he is capable of, due to nostalgia.

 

I think you're right, and the movie, considered as a stand-alone piece probably isn't ambitious nor interesting enough to be considered truly great. Bit I think that's missing the point. I just gave in to the back-story and my decades of history with the whole thing since first seeing Episode IV as a kid. I got to relive the stories over the past 10 years with our kids as they became obsessed with the whole creation. I just embraced the nostalgia and let it wash over me. I just loved it. It took me back to a past life. Likely the single best movie-going experience of my life.

Ahem...

I've spent a little time purging this thread of any possible spoilers - spoilers of all kinds ( might I suggest you both bury the hatchet in this time of peace and goodwill to mankind?).  Thanks.

Oh, and as to the film...  My daughter felt it didn't quite live up to the hype.  I enjoyed it but felt that the editing was a bit choppy and there was a strange all pervading sense of deja vu - that I'd seen it all before in the original trilogy.  For all that, roll on the next one...

Saw it this afternoon.  I wasn't disappointed.  The film had a darker feel and the scale of the sets seemed very much larger (and more expensive) that previous versions.  I liked the addition of some humour, too.  I'd recommend it.

Mike 

analogmusic posted:

can't believe that this has led to name calling.

as george lucas has admonished, it is just a movie.

I don't know, but neither me, or my wife or my 15 year old daughter liked or enjoyed it.

I loved all 5 of the George lucas directed ones (well except the first of the prequels), but somehow the new director didn't quite have the magic that Lucas has for me.

It was a bit dull in some places, and not as magical as the previous ones.

JJ Abrams did a great job for me with Star Trek, Lost, Fringe, but I suspect he held back a bit too much on what he is capable of, due to nostalgia.

For me it was just too similar to the 3 original star war movies (but that is making a lot of people very happy), I was looking for something new and original in the star wars of 2015.

 

Sorry to be pedantic but Lucas only directed four of the six earlier movies: The original (A New Hope, episode 4) and the three prequels, generally regarded as inferior pieces of film making which were so CGI heavy as to be almost unwatchable. Hard to see how anyone could prefer the three very poor prequels to the new one but, each to his own. 

With what's at stake, no wonder the studio played it safe. Abrams gave us the movie that we all could expect from him given his Firefly / Serenity and Star Trek credentials. His Star Trek reboot in particular combined key plot elements of Star Wars IV, V and VI in a single movie (with added lens flares). Business cards for writing and directing the first of the new trilogy. 

But then again, all the borrowing from earlier movies is not new. Out of the six earlier movies, three ended with blowing up a big thing at the end, three had a major tragedy occur halfway through (four if you count Fett stumbling into the Sarlacc), and in general, the republic has a hard time and continues to do so here - at least Abrams didn't waste time with trade blockades and political conspiracies.

Next year the Anthology series gets kicked off with the story of the Bothan spies stealing the Death Star plans in Rogue I, which will be followed by a Han Solo origins movie. The Rebels animated series will enter into its Season 3... Good times for Star Wars nuts. 

EJ

I saw the first one back in the 70s and the one with Liam Neeson in it (assuming he wasn't in more than one.)  For me they were in the OK category; entertaining enough but nothing compelling, and definitely not a "religion" as it appears to be for some.

I thought Conan O'Brien had a pretty good bit on the phenomonon...

Richard Dane posted:

Ahem...

I've spent a little time purging this thread of any possible spoilers - spoilers of all kinds ( might I suggest you both bury the hatchet in this time of peace and goodwill to mankind?).  Thanks.

Oh, and as to the film...  My daughter felt it didn't quite live up to the hype.  I enjoyed it but felt that the editing was a bit choppy and there was a strange all pervading sense of deja vu - that I'd seen it all before in the original trilogy.  For all that, roll on the next one...

I think you're right about the editing. I thought the movie could have been 10-20% longer by simply lingering on some of the key shots a little longer. It didn't need to be as jumpy and as fast as it was. The deja-vu was the (or, at least "a") point of this one, I think. Redemption, in a way.

Went to see it on Christmas day.  I had real high hopes and while I cant complain I did find the pacing to quick.

It was literally a 140 minute action sequence, not necessarily a bad thing by any means just wished it was a richer story with better dialogue.

I do realize though I wasn't going to see Citizen Kane

Couldn't resist posting this from the Guardian.

As a non-Trekkie this struck a chord (wife is a big fan tho') 

We have seen it twice now, second time in 2D. Just as enjoyable. I too feel it was a bit rushed, as commented earlier almost non stop action. After eps 1-3 though almost anything would have been better.

We liked the integration with the previous stories and the opportunities for future tales.