So, did you see the new Star Wars movie yet?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Terra_Rosarum
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
That was a perfect storm of badness, a vortex of cosmic cheese that can only happen when you mate the popular fascination with Star Wars with a 1970’s-era variety tv show, a genre that had all but given up the ghost by then.

Check out also (if you haven’t already) Japan’s version of Star Wars, “Message from Space.”
 
tomarin said:
All depressingly true.
Click to expand...
It reminds me of a social media phenomenon I observed. Once in a while I see a retweet or something from some celebrity I don’t follow. I remember seeing a post a while back by Bruno Mars where he said something like “I just did something wild. I mixed 2 different kinds of cereal in the same bowl.” This statement garnered him 2,000+ likes in a few minutes. If I posted exactly the same thing, I do not think it would receive that type of response. 😉 But that’s the power of branding and the loyalty associated with certain brands. If the content was the ultimate thing measured, we’d both get a similar response. But people are responding to the brand, not the content. Brands with loyal followers run a great risk of losing incentive to provide high quality material because the loyalists are now willing to accept less.
 
MarcoPolo said:
Here’s the thing - and I say this as an observing marketing professional - Disney does not take gambles. Or if they do, it’s extremely rare. They bought Marvel and Lucasfilm and ESPN because they identify money-makers that have an established brand - a brand that’s not fading anytime soon. The problem with “safe” brands is that producers don’t have as much incentive to make something really “great” or “original” because the people are going to show up for it anyway, and a lot of them are going to automatically like it as long as it’s not completely off the rails. And to paraphrase what I said earlier, people are, of course, free to enjoy what they please. :o
Click to expand...
True. And I admit it. I’m one of those people who will show up. I’m a slave to the system. 😉

Your post got me thinking about another film that came out last summer that was also part of an established brand: Jurassic World. It had a lot in common with TFA. It also was a “soft reboot” so to speak. Both followed the same basic plot as the original, had a lot of fan service, introduced a new generation to the story, and was a huge financial success.

And yet, while I really enjoyed The Force Awakens…Jurassic World did nothing for me. I left the theater bored. I wonder what the difference was? The only thing I can think of would be the characters, because neither story was bold or original. I didn’t care about the characters in JW. I did in TFA.

Star Wars has always been about the characters though for me. The plot has always been more of a backdrop, so maybe that’s why the similar storyline didn’t bother me in Star Wars but it did in Jurassic World. I don’t know. I would say maybe it’s just I have a soft spot for anything Star Wars, but I really didn’t like the prequels much. So maybe it is the characters…

Anyways, not really sure what I’m trying to say here with my rambling. 🙂 Just found it interesting now that you mentioned it how many nostalgic films Hollywood’s been releasing lately.
 
tomarin said:
I didn’t feel any sense of wonder from this film. It was sad seeing Carrie Fisher looking and sounding like Patricia Neal in those denture commercials. Harrison Ford made a game effort but he was not believable as a smuggler in his 70’s, running and jumping during blaster fights. I never understood the motivation of the bad guy to become a new Darth Vader, nor did the plot seem overly coherent to me. All those people risked and lost their lives - because Luke Skywalker had gone into hiding?
Click to expand...
Carrie Fisher’s appearance was practically the only thing I did like about the movie. She looked “normal.” I wish she had played a more prominent role in the movie – it’s clear the filmmakers wanted to do away with the original cast and make this “Star Wars: The Next Generation.” Bad idea.
 
I never even saw the original ones until I was engaged and they were digitally remastered and shown in theaters. 😊

I fell asleep during, “The Empire Strikes Back”. Yoda’s voice sounded familiar to me, and I was annoyed I couldn’t figure out who it was. Until I realized he was Grover from Sesame Street.
 
Mary_Gail_36 said:
I never even saw the original ones until I was engaged and they were digitally remastered and shown in theaters. 😊

I fell asleep during, “The Empire Strikes Back”. Yoda’s voice sounded familiar to me, and I was annoyed I couldn’t figure out who it was. Until I realized he was Grover from Sesame Street.
Click to expand...
And Miss Piggy from the Muppets.
 
Robyn_p said:
True. And I admit it. I’m one of those people who will show up. I’m a slave to the system. 😉

Your post got me thinking about another film that came out last summer that was also part of an established brand: Jurassic World. It had a lot in common with TFA. It also was a “soft reboot” so to speak. Both followed the same basic plot as the original, had a lot of fan service, introduced a new generation to the story, and was a huge financial success.

And yet, while I really enjoyed The Force Awakens…Jurassic World did nothing for me. I left the theater bored. I wonder what the difference was? The only thing I can think of would be the characters, because neither story was bold or original. I didn’t care about the characters in JW. I did in TFA.

Star Wars has always been about the characters though for me. The plot has always been more of a backdrop, so maybe that’s why the similar storyline didn’t bother me in Star Wars but it did in Jurassic World. I don’t know. I would say maybe it’s just I have a soft spot for anything Star Wars, but I really didn’t like the prequels much. So maybe it is the characters…

Anyways, not really sure what I’m trying to say here with my rambling. 🙂 Just found it interesting now that you mentioned it how many nostalgic films Hollywood’s been releasing lately.
Click to expand...
I didn’t see Jurassic World, but I understand what you mean. I don’t think I could be sold much on just some retread reboot so another generation can enjoy it. It’s so true, though, about what makes money. Take a look through the top grossing films of 2015 and for each one, ask yourself if it’s based on an already established comic, novel, or prequel. Just about every single one is. This is the power of branding anymore - Hollywood, and especially Disney, want sure bets. Admittedly, I happen to go see many of the comic movies, but I definitely am not satisfied if the story isn’t good or if they try to wreck critical characteristics of any comic’s particular “rules” or themes.

Remember, part of the reason those brands are established is because they have a track record of having already produced something good. But, like I said in the other post, they run the risk of producing something lazy the next time because the fan base is established.

:o
 
randomuser said:
Carrie Fisher’s appearance was practically the only thing I did like about the movie. She looked “normal.” I wish she had played a more prominent role in the movie – it’s clear the filmmakers wanted to do away with the original cast and make this “Star Wars: The Next Generation.” Bad idea.
Click to expand...
We’ll have to agree to disagree about how normal she seemed in this role - I thought she seemed weirdly stiff, as if she couldn’t turn her neck. Her general low-key performance could be taken as a consequence of her character’s deep grief over the loss of her son to the dark side, of course - or it could be she’s just not a very good actress.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top