Star Wars: Episode VII

I have to say I did get a tweak of nostalgia watching that trailer. First saw Star Wars in the theater when I was 7.

 

checks out. looking forward to this.

 

You see the hand when he touches R2 (I'm guessing it's Luke in that scene, it's a mechanical hand), the light saber scene is a human hand.

 

BB-8 (the newball droid) seems like an engineering marvel. EVERYONE was convinced that thing was CGI was the first teaser trailer was released.

 

Are the Stormtroopers on Hoth?

 

That's my concern too. There was also some chatter about a return to practical effects as opposed to CG, but a lot of this looks CG to me. I'd like to be wrong, of course.

Whatever the quality of the script and the acting, the one thing I don't think we can escape is the fact that the Hollywood machine that cranks out blockbusters tends to render all films looking more or less the same. Camera movements, certain types of post-processing, the tendency to cram the frame full of details, etc., are also stylistic tropes that have become embedded in these types of movies. There's a certain sensibility to modern big budget films that didn't exist when all the transformative films from 75-84 came out, and it's that period for which many of us are nostalgic. We want to go back to a time when filmmakers were discovering how to create an entirely new type of cinema. That just ain't gonna happen.

 

Oh...you mean Luke.

 

That's Lukes lightsabre from Empire

 

I might have to scrap my first attempt at home theater and take it up a few notches before the blu-ray comes along. Speaking of which, there will be violence if one or more of the "exclusives" from Target, BBY, etc are particularly desirable and scarce.

I don't want to derail the thread, but could someone just tell me if there's any chance that the original theatricals will see the light of day on blu-ray before this new one comes out?

 

There's some truth to that, but if some of the sci-fi/fantasy films of the last decade or so hit the screens back in the early 80s, then Star Wars would have been forgotten real quick.

 

Widely rumored for this fall, but nothing remotely confirmed.

 

This story includes the remaining original actors and characters. So if they're going to replicate the magic of the originals, they've certainly got that going for them.

It while it may be difficult to replicate, these previews have me very optimistic. They've got that sort of spirit so far, in my opinion. Obviously there's no way to know until the movie comes out.

 

My son liked Reveng of the Sith so he should be okay with this one.

 

Just watched the latest trailer with the kids. I'm optimistic and maybe even a little excited. It can't possibly be as bad as the prequels, so I got that going for me.
And I'll go on record and say that our dogs, Yoda, Obi, and Solo seemed to perk their ears while we played the trailer. And I'm pretty sure that if Vader and Jedi were still with us they would have perked their ears also.

 

Looked like an old hand giving it to a young hand to me. I will have to rewatch.

Seeing what Luke is saying, I assumed it was Leia giving it to her daughter ?

 

This is new dialog and it wasn't said exactly like that in ROTJ.

 

But originally belonged to Anakin Skywalker until the closing moments of Episode III.

 

That is a odd looking hand.

 

It's a mixture of practical effects and CG. If the scene they devised is possible to pull off with practical effects they did them that way, if not, they used CG. In the old days scripts were often written with technical limitations in mind, these days there are no limitations to what you can pull off visually on screen. It's a different process for a different world.

The shots in the trailer looked gorgeous to me, if the effect is convincing I really don't care how it was achieved.

 

Unlikely, for at least two reasons. First, Star Wars initiated a sea change in Hollywood and was such a touchstone for a generation of viewers that its legacy is secure. Second, the more recent (from The Matrix forward) sci-fi/fantasy films are the result of developments in technology that didn't exist in the 80s.

 

Solaris,

Do you think Ford looks asleep in the clip?

 

I was thinking he used be a little more animated in his movements. But the character (and the actor who plays him) is obviously older so I'll let it slide. Seeing the character standing next to Chewie almost brought a tear to my eye.

 

My understanding has always been that the film is going to be a combination of practical effects and CGI which is fine by me. I don't have a problem with CGI in and of itself. I have a problem with the way in which it's been employed. Most modern-day science-fiction/adventure films look like animated features. I don't believe that this is the case with The Force Awakens. It appears to be a nice balance of practical effects and CGI. As has been pointed out, BB-8 could easily have been created using CGI, but they chose to go the traditional route. They're using models and real locations and sets.

I agree with your points about the commonplace look of science-fiction/adventure films nowadays, particularly your point about cramming the screen with multiple details. It's over the top and makes it difficult to enjoy the films. This is the reason why I wasn't particularly thrilled with The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy. The screen is just saturated with CGI images. It becomes boring to watch. Sometimes less is more.

 

Kind of looks like Luke's thumb, doesn't it ?