I have to agree. Even people I know who couldn't care less about Star Wars in general, KNOW about the Disney buyout, and have at least some awareness of the new movies and series.

The Disney buyout added a MASSIVE element of unknown to the entire equation, people with even a passing interest in Star Wars (Which is pretty much the majority of the entire population of planet earth let's be honest here) are curious to see what is going to happen to Star Wars, what it's going to look like.

Most of those people aren't going to give a shit about puppets, or JJ, or sets or prequels vs OT vs New trilogy or even the almighty tomatometer.... but it's Disney making Star Wars, they'll be curious, and they'll go see it.

Last edited by BigDamnArtist (2014-06-25 03:07:19)

I think with Abrams there is a level of subtlety that either works well for me, or is something that I just pick up on and wish I could really communicated in a better way. Something about Kirk and Spock really connect with me, and make me hope that whatever new characters hit me in a similar way. Heck, even one act characters like George Kirk, Captain Robeau Noel Clark's character, Harewood (wasn't sure anyone knew his name ) present an interesting moment for the character in crisis.

I think Abrams can do something with the new characters, and bring an "everyman" quality that Luke had in Episode IV. Once he gets those new characters established, it might be more palatable.

Having finally gotten around to watching the video version of this episode, I have to warn Dorkman that someone seems to be messing with his timeline. His hand keeps vanishing, then reappearing. This may require quick action involving a guitar and a Mr. Fusion.

LEAKED page of new Episode VII script revision!

I thought of something the other day. Episode VII might not open with the Disney logo... the Marvel movie only have the Marvel logo, so Episode VII might only have Lucas film.
I don't know why but that thought made me happy.

"Life is about movies; anything else is a bonus!"- Me   

My big diasgreement I think is with the contention that we won't have to care. Sure, I won't have to care about spinoff movies - I look forward to Jo'gurl Sala'mii but I mean I keep forgetting that Rebels even exists - but I feel like I'll still have to care about the main line movies. Eps VII through IX need to be good and I need to enjoy them at least as much as the prequels*.

*Yes, I enjoyed the prequels. Just not as much as the OT. AotC was the worst and can we agree that TPM at least felt the closest to the OT? No? Okay, never mind that part then. Continuing on.

I want to enjoy them at least as good action adventure movies. They don't have to be classics - I'll always have the OT. But I want to enjoy them as much as I enjoyed Transformers or Pacific OW STOP HITTING ME

Really though. Boba Fett spinoff egh maybe if I have time to catch it. Zany Guiardians of the Galaxy style, could probably try to see it. But main line VII to IX need to be really really good, so the pressure is still there.

I agree that the mainline needs to be maintained, though I am curious as to the contractual obligations being foisted upon Ford, Fisher and Hamill. I mean, if Disney's plan is to turn movies every couple of years, then does that include the main 3?

For me, the way E7 is handled will determine my future investment in the series. I was not all that in to Clone Wars, though it is slowly interesting me. The prequels continue to decrease in my estimation as time goes on.

I think the film will succeed if it gets me excited and interested again in a film franchise. Star Wars has evolved so far past the films and TV series that the idea of a movie is less enjoyable to me than perhaps it would have been even a couple of years ago.

While that's a fair assessment, I think Abrams has a greater chance of screwing this up than he did with Star Trek (or worse, depending on your point of view with Star Trek).

Abrams is a Star Wars fan boy, so while he may understand the material better and be more invested, he might be too close to this franchise to make proper decisions.

Finally listened to this episode, and was generally surprised at the optimism.  I know I generally am optimistic about projects and sequels and prequels. But, as much as I eager for the film, there is a certain level of hesitance on my part.

As much as people point out that I like Abrams Star Trek, there is always a concern when bringing back older cast to reprise their roles. Don't get me wrong, I am glad that the three decided to participate and this isn't essentially a Star Wars reboot but a continuation of the original trilogy. I am looking forward to seeing that, see what they are wanting to do with the universe and the story they want to tell.

As I said above, my concern is that Abrams is too close to the material and that emulation of the OT, rather than something new might be a concern. It doesn't keep me from being interested in the work, but it keeps me from being full fan boy mode and more skeptical over what the final work will be.

However, like the panelists said, it is not a solo work in the sense that are multiple people, producers and writers that have a voice, that perhaps will bear more influence than when the prequels were being made. So, there is that to be more positive about in terms of a production point of view; I will grant that point.

In addition, I do like the fact that now Star Wars movies will not be the "we have one shot to make this happen or else..." attitude, and that Disney is looking at spin-offs, and likely will explore other avenues until the point of illness on the part of fans. Be careful what you wish for and all that, but still nice to take a small amount of pressure from ruining the franchise to, "That wasn't so great. There's always the next one." (Have Star Wars fans become the new Cubs fans: https://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/ke … xt-year/).

I have more thoughts but I think that's enough for now. I'll leave everyone with this-perhaps everyone should start crafting those Star Wars scripts so they are at the ready when the spin-offs start

Good episode, guys. Thanks for the positive shot!

Edit:

Teague, at the end of this episode:

Last edited by fireproof78 (2014-07-01 03:18:33)

So here's a thing.

I've seen Boyhood twice now, and if you haven't seen it, there's a scene where the boy and his dad talk about whether or not they'll ever make another Star Wars movie. They filmed that scene in 2008, so it's funny in retrospect. But both times I saw it, I was the only one who reacted.

...do normal people even know that this movie is happening? I mean, it's been almost 2 years since the project was announced. We've been talking about them not needing to do a marketing campaign, but I actually think they're going to need to go all-out, for awareness if nothing else.

Lots of people who will end up buying a ticket to Ep8--i.e. the general public--probably don't know it's happening at this time. Some non-movie-fanatics may have seen an article here or there, but many people just don't interact with the media sources in which such news runs in a constant stream.

When the trailers and TV spots and billboards drop, that's when they'll know.

I was also the only person who laughed at that part in my BOYHOOD screening. I sensed people being like "Why is he laughing so hard?" No clue.