Star Wars to be directed by JJ Abrams

[markm]

And written by Michael Arndt.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22491025

 

Not a good sign I don't think. The last three films suffered because of the massive emphasis on effects and not the emotional soap opera the first three were and what made them so loves.

 

Abrams created great effects shots for star trek while losing its core ingredient The idea we can be trained from being morally okay and  better than ourselves and not Brats who do as they want and through the honing of inner brat skills become better than themselves in what ends up annoying unlikely and up itself. Throw in warp drive lens flares and a special effect wonderland to easily outshines the story. Oh and a story that writes itself IE Get yourself thrown off a starship crash on a planet fight and ice monster roll down a hill straight into who will become your chief engineer and then onto just well take the ship because your so well Bratish. And a legend brat is born that can own a starship chair.

 

Imagine that applied to Luke Han and Leia as a much older cast and throw in a tinged with sadness Darth Vader and names like lord dooku and a story that writes itself your going to have a fast paced whirlwind fight coupled with a slow out of date cast who try to keep up with at least one or two being killed off and replaced by brats who will own the force even worse than the last trilogy.

 

I'm just so sure they will mess this up even worse than the last three.

 

What they should do.

 

Han and Leia happily married and a wedge driven between them that makes them split and worse they fight each other guided by a new evil force Only one person can save them and that is Luke who is away in another universe helping those people overcome their version of the darkside When he eventually comes back He saves Han first but they can't save leia until in the end she finally kills Han only love overcomes all. As the droids c3po and r2d2 return and we have a new evil empire growing for the next two or several films to come.

 

However writers love to kill off main characters or force actors to do what is not likely for their age or some other mental tangent that takes it all down but seems artistic overdrive instead of unrealistic drivel.

 

Here we go again How many ways can you fcuk up a work of art?

[andy lee]

Disney are in charge they wont let this be messed up as its their cash cow for the next ten years - they paid Billions for it last year buying Lucas Film.

It is all being shot here in the UK which is the real home of Star Wars (with tax breaks announced today from British Chancellor George Osborne)

http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/confirmed-star-wars-7-made-uk-010300732.html

As long as Disney take all of JJ Abrams torches off him so he does not sit at the side of the camera shining them at the side of the lenses we will all be in good hands! Star Trek always had a clear pristine look where as Star Wars was always grimy dirty and real looking

I was never a Treckie I was a die hard SW fans since I was 10 years old and first saw Star Wars here in the UK in 1978 on its original release here (UK got it in '78 - USA got it first in '77!!)

 

you can see Mr Abrams shining a torch into the side of the lens here on this B-Roll footge from the new film!!
http://youtu.be/EQutDk1yecI

[andy lee]

Lucas Film press release

Star Wars Feature Film Production Returns to the U.K. May 10, 2013

Lucasfilm announced today that production of Star Wars: Episode VII will take place in the United Kingdom. All of the six previous live-action Star Wars movies have included UK production in such famed studios as Elstree, Shepperton, Leavesden, Ealing and Pinewood Studios.

"We've devoted serious time and attention to revisiting the origins of Star Wars as inspiration for our process on the new movie, and I'm thrilled that returning to the UK for production and utilizing the incredible talent there can be a part of that," said Kathleen Kennedy, President of Lucasfilm. "Speaking from my own longstanding connection to the UK with films like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Empire of the Sun and recently War Horse, it's very exciting to be heading back."

Earlier this year, representatives from Lucasfilm met with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, in London to establish an agreement to produce Star Wars in the U.K. "I am delighted that Star Wars is coming back to Britain. Today's announcement that the next Star Wars film will be shot and produced in the UK is great news for fans and our creative industries," Osborne said today.

Star Wars: Episode VII will be directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Michael Arndt and is scheduled for a 2015 release.

[markm]

Well in my opinion they continue to mess up star trek although I agree you can watch it for about 5 minutes before the effects start getting annoying. They lost the acting The gene rodenberry effect and any sense of storyline as the wonderment of comparing the new cast with the old finally wears off. You can put in clever twists turns and superhuman derring do but if you lose its heart you end up with a slick soulless movie length trailer. it would be brilliant to use todays SFX iin a way that helps the characters and story instead of the other way round. Just from that B roll you can see colour co ordinated jerkins camera's that can do somersaults Sets that dominate everything. Oh look there's captain kirk being very heroic as he chats up a girl who is not easily impressed but soon becomes a kirkie later on . Perhaps he beds her and she is lost in orgasmic wonder Imagine his masculine young shoulder hunched as he slowly pumps and the music beeerah Beeray.. I can tell you the story without needing to watch it.  With algorythms designed to write/improve screenplays it will be a blockbuster (Really though only because the trailers look so SFX'ly amazing and how dumb we must be at watching the same old manufactured drivel same old cliched rubbish that we are caught into. This is what destroys film making as they build up a sense of occassion and everyone lured out thinks well if this is the best on a £100,000,000 budget then a low budget film will be crap but worse than that low budgets try to emulate big ticketed crap.

[Axel]

Not a good sign I don't think. The last three films suffered because of the massive emphasis on effects and not the emotional soap opera the first three were and what made them so loves.

 

...

 

What they should do.

 

 

 

 

Emotional soap opera? You are plain wrong. Episode iV (then known simply as Star Wars) was such an enormous success storywise, because it was a pure mythological tale, like Lord Of The Rings, or, as Joseph Campbell put it:

It's not simple morality play. It has to do with the powers of life and their inflection through the action of man.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F7Wwew8X4Y&list=PL352922ACB3A0D000

 

In terms of special effects, then real SFX (the 'S' stands for special, as opposed to common), Star Wars was a real revolution, hard to understand for young audiences today. Before this film, effects had just to be specific enough to make clear what were supposed to represent, the audience wanted to believe them, so they accepted the otherwise unconvincing tricks (see the 1933 King Kong as an example).

 

The third major reason for the success was the art work of production designer Ralph McQuarry:

 

His paintings did'nt respect practicability, and they really defined the look of the film. For a film, the look is part of the content. Lucas' main achievement was, that he saw the paintings and didn't say, okay, with today's technique and our modest budget, we have to break this down to something manageable. Instead he said, everybody on the set has to become an expert in overcoming physical limitations that stand in the way between contemporal state of our art and this vision.

 

That the Episodes one to three are lame has to do with being more inspired by profit than by a vision. 

 

 

 

As long as Disney take all of JJ Abrams torches off him so he does not sit at the side of the camera shining them at the side of the lenses we will all be in good hands! Star Trek always had a clear pristine look where as Star Wars was always grimy dirty and real looking.

 

I don't know. I like Abrams. Two days ago I saw Star Trek - Into Darkness, in 3D (the action was so fast, I wished it would have been partially 48p, and 4k would have been appropriate too). I loved it, I didn't feel that WOW-effect in months. Abrams takes this old concept seriously. Much more than many of the original Star Trek - The Films did. He sets his marks with the lens flares and all that, but he is a great director. He knows how to tell a story. 

 

@markm:

Do you ever see films before you judge them?

[andy lee]

Star Wars has a unique look and feel and I dont think JJ will use his torches this time they dont fit with the SW look.

I think he will do a great job with Lucas Film, ILM and Disney

Harrison Ford would not be doing it if it would tarnish the legacy of the first 3 films he was in.

So the fact that Mark , Carrie and Harrison are onboard bodes well!

[Huuow]

 

Harrison Ford would not be doing it if it would tarnish the legacy of the first 3 films he was in.

 

 

remember indiana jones?

[markm]

Axel

 

When I say the first 3 films were soap opera I don't mean that in a bad way. I mean it in the way it focused and created problems for interesting characters Something the later films tried to do but failed because the relied to heavily on SFX to tell the story which took away from the acting along with a lack of any soap. Special annoyance reserved for the tall muppet.

 

And no I haven't seen into darkness and it would be nice to be surprised.

[Axel]

Axel

 

When I say the first 3 films were soap opera I don't mean that in a bad way. I mean it in the way it focused and created problems for interesting characters Something the later films tried to do but failed because the relied to heavily on SFX to tell the story which took away from the acting along with a lack of any soap. Special annoyance reserved for the tall muppet.

 

Allright. You know, I sometimes miss the meaning in english phrases. Is 'tall muppet' an idiom? You certainly can't be talking about Jar Jar Binks, the most likeable figure in Episode I? 

 

Yes, I heard that people didn't like him. That's the reason why his character was cut back in the following episodes. This eviction by the audience's vote is part of the syndrome you bemoan. I thought, Jar Jars sillyness made the overall toe-curling unbelievability of the events  endurable. He contrasted well with the Jedis, and he was important for the storytelling. But of course, rely on the mediocre taste of the majority, and you get panem et circenses. 

 

EDIT: I continued to read about the project. In an earlier article, Abrams says:

 

 

"It's just about approaching it from as authentic a place as possible, and not trying to apply what you believe or think, as much as trying to filter everything and get at it from the core of the characters.

"[It should be] what you deeply want to see, never what you assume the fans might like."

 

 

 

Sounds good.

[andy lee]

remember indiana jones?

I  LOVE all 4 Indy films great entertainment!! Lucas and Speilberg at their best together!!

[markm]

Sounds good.

Abrams wont change into spielberg or a mainstream director. He may forgo the torches but he will be back with something worse like acrobatic stunt doubles for han or even jabba the hut. there will be a reinventing of the star wars universe much loved ships like the millenium falcon will be re imagined redifined and streamlined. X Wings will have wondrous new designs and the force will be Sfx heaven.

 

There will be a whole new creature shop to replace Jim Henson and robotic monsters. There will be flashing lights and big explosions. We will be shocked We will be awed. Everything but entertained by our enigmatic loved characters of old.

 

Shame really I was so pleased they did the right thing and bought back the old cast and then spoiled it by coupling it with the star of the moment director who will undoubtably add his artistic creativity full on and centre stage.

 

They all seem to lose the plot. They ARE so insulated from reality there own egos ruin everything. When Lucas started out he was just like all of us in his thinking and made amazing films. Now he lives in a different world where those with the money have spoiled rich lives and have no idea what ordinary people want. Except to think his reality is the norm and therefore must be what we want to see. Hence brat films like star trek because even though he is retired he will still have a hand and so too will Abrams.

[markm]

I  LOVE all 4 Indy films great entertainment!! Lucas and Speilberg at their best together!!

Indy 4 was ruined by trying to make ford into a 69 year old super hero. His character could have been a good fighter and tensions built believably but they allowed some bad acting to creep in and harrisons lines to be a bit weak, silly scenes like the mole story and the tarzan scene. The aliens were a build up to an Sfx extravanganza and should have been a conflict with indie who beats them with his brain instead of the shock and awe ending.

[andy lee]

Indy 4 was ruined by trying to make ford into a 69 year old super hero. His character could have been a good fighter and tensions built believably but they allowed some bad acting to creep in and harrisons lines to be a bit weak, silly scenes like the mole story and the tarzan scene. The aliens were a build up to an Sfx extravanganza and should have been a conflict with indie who beats them with his brain instead of the shock and awe ending.

well thats just you opinion Mark

I loved it !

[markm]

Indiana Jones is one of my favourite series of films. I was really happy Ford agreed to do another. Just wish they had made a better film. Maybe the next one will be more in keeping with the original series and I hope there is a next one. Even the last one was better than nothing.

[HurtinMinorKey]

Well, he turned Star Trek into aTwilight movie, so i guess we know what to expect.  This might upset me more if Star Wars wasn't dead to me already, and has been since 2002(something snapped inside me while i was watch Ep.2).

[Axel]

They all seem to lose the plot. They ARE so insulated from reality there own egos ruin everything. When Lucas started out he was just like all of us in his thinking and made amazing films. Now he lives in a different world where those with the money have spoiled rich lives and have no idea what ordinary people want. Except to think his reality is the norm and therefore must be what we want to see. Hence brat films like star trek because even though he is retired he will still have a hand and so too will Abrams.

 

I agree. Guys like Lucas have lost touch long ago. They are surrounded by dependents, and nobody dares to tell them.

 

Let me bring some aspects into the discussion, that we can perhaps both agree upon, for a change.

 

1. Mainstream means low intellectual standards. However, cinema is originally a non-literal, non-verbal, an emotional, subversive way of communication. We both accept that. Differences in quality can be seen when a movie not only entertains you.

 

2. Some serials shouldn't be continued forever, because their potential had been exploited long ago. This certainly is true for Star Trek. That's why Abrams startet over and remade the original. All stories are remakes, I mean every story that was ever written or told. Their origins go so far back in history, nobody can name them anymore. The crew of the Enterprise has characters of considerable complexity. When the going gets tough, how can Kirk and Spock work together? This was always more fascinating than some external villain's threat to the ship or some funny extraterrestrials threatened by extinction (yawn!). Aggressive extrovertism and cool rationalism have to excel themselves, join forces, become heroes, this ain't wear out fast.

 

3. Star Wars was original only in the sense that the plot of the first adventure was consciously tailored around ancient myths. The force, the dark side, the good magician, the black knight, the hero who has to realize his fate as a chosen one. LOTR made an epic drama of these same ingrediences, but Lucas didn't have the stamina to carry the ring to Mount Doom (Anakins end in the volcanic river was the return of the story line after a few silly episodes worth of the lowest tv soap scripts). Star Wars actually is over. The old films were too much worshipped as holy classics, you can't remake them for another century. The original characters have suffered their fate, that's all folks!

[markm]

I don't agree Star wars still has lots of potential with the right stories and director.

 

Abrams ruined star trek. He should have done what the next generation did and not try to copy Kirk and the first lot so his new approach could be tested. But they screwed up the trek universe with this.  

 

They could have bought the real Kirk back and given him a better ending. There was so much story they lost by not utilising some of the original crew. It may even have worked better if Kirk and the crew had been made younger versions by some omnipotent being. Anyway the reboot thing was a bad idea added with a bad interpretation. While I agree the reboot has made blockbuster money I think that ultimately history will look back at it as a failure. 

[Sean Cunningham]

I agree. Guys like Lucas have lost touch long ago. They are surrounded by dependents, and nobody dares to tell them.

 

 

Agreed.  He's made two good films in his career as a director (American Grafitti and Star Wars)  and loads of bad or mediocre ones as a producer.  Sometimes Spielberg's talent in collaboration would be enough to make something good but it was never a guarantee.  

 

The idea that Lucas had all of the first three Star Wars and beyond in his head (or written down somewhere) was a myth perpetuated even before the internet.  Almost everything I've ever read about him turns out to be either myth or lie.  

 

They should just let this and Star Trek end.  There are countless good science fiction stories out there that might actually bring something compelling to the cinema.  New pop fantasy scifi even.

 

PS> there's only one good Indiana Jones movie for my money, only one that bears repeat viewing and only one that I will ever own.  The first.