Red Mosquito

LoathedVermin72 wrote:I've seen it like 3 times already

B wrote:

LoathedVermin72 wrote:I've seen it like 3 times already

I'm currently fighting with my wife over taking the kids to a movie on a school night.

Spoiler: show

durdencommatyler wrote:

Strat wrote:

durdencommatyler wrote:

cutuphalfdead wrote:

E.H. Ruddock wrote:oh man if Chewie dies I'm OUT

Seriously.

Looking at that trailer again, I don't think that's fur.

I dont know

To me, that looks much more like leather and underbrush. If I had to guess, I'd say that's Finn after his battle with Adam Driver.

Spoiler: show

Finn/Boyega is signed on for the next film....maybe the next two. So that takes him out of the equation. I'm guessing Han is the one who gets the axe. Finn than confronts Kylo and we have that awesome looking showdown in the snow between Kylo and Finn. Can't wait.

LoathedVermin72 wrote:I feel like I already have closure on those characters. ROTJ tied everything up nicely. Why do I need the book reopened?

As you have undoubtedly noticed, the Star Wars: The Force Awakens marketing campaign going back to Thanksgiving 2014 has been focused on highlighting the new cast members and the new potential conflicts. Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia have been footnotes thus far. We have instead met a former stormtrooper turned potential Jedi (John Boyega), a subsistence scavenger who is being positioned as the new lead character (Daisy Ridley), an enthusiastic “Rebel” pilot (Oscar Isaac), and a mysterious man in black armor who is a Darth Vader groupie and sounds a lot like that “old-timey criminal” from Girls (Adam Driver).

They are our new leads, for this film and (depending on who survives) the next film or two as well. But what we haven’t seen much of is the old guard. We have a couple of offscreen lines from Carrie Fisher, some choice exposition and onscreen appearances from Harrison Ford, and a bit of “passing of the torch” voice over from Mark Hamill (but no concrete onscreen appearance from the would-be last Jedi knight). In some ways, that’s a surprise, a pleasant one even. But it’s also an important bridge to cross, so better to do it now than worry about it later.

The notion of a new Star Wars sequel being a direct continuation of the original trilogy, complete with the main characters of said trilogy, was part of what made this new film something inherently more exciting than a bunch of all new characters starring in a movie that happened to be called Star Wars. And if you were selling the film to older moviegoers who liked the original films but somewhat gave up the ghost, offering what amounts to a direct sequel to Return of the Jedi is arguably a bigger sell than what otherwise is just another film in the universe you stopped paying attention to decades ago.


But Star Wars: The Force Awakens is not just a sequel to Return of the Jedi. It is the first new Star Wars film in 10 years, and the start of what Walt Disney hopes will become an ongoing multi-film, expanded universe franchise. That’s a key distinction from merely being another Star Wars trilogy, a proverbial “Episodes 7, 8, and 9″ and/or “Act Three” in George Lucas’s Star Wars saga. The success of this new film, both commercially and (more importantly) critically, will depend on audiences wanting to return to the world of Star Wars for years on end no matter who is in it.

And that’s one reason you haven’t seen much of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Leia Organa in the Force Awakens marketing materials. Well, the other reason, of course, is a variation of J.J. Abrams’s “Mystery Box.” Abrams, Disney, and Lucasfilm realize that the film is selling itself quite well, so they don’t have to divulge what roles Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker play in the story. There may indeed be surprises afoot in regards to the mostly MIA Luke Skywalker, or maybe it’s just that audiences are being given the opportunity to see whatever the old cast members have been up to when they see the movie.

The marketing has been aces, everyone is excited, so there is little reason at this point to rely on the potential crutches of the old cast members to sell this new Star Wars. But the bigger reason for the emphasis on the old over the new is that Walt Disney has to think about the long-term picture. Sad to say, it’s unlikely that Han, Luke, and Leia will be around for Star Wars Episode 20. At some point, the torch has to be passed from the old guard to the next generation.

You can argue that this film will accomplish exactly that, but from a marketing point-of-view, the ability to sell a Star Wars film without relying much on familiar characters is an important milestone. Even the prequel films had Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and Anakin Skywalker to entice fans. The long-term success of this new franchise will depend on the notion that Walt Disney can make any old movie taking place in this universe, slap the name “Star Wars” on it, and make it a hit. And that’s, to a certain extent, the test that is occurring in this new marketing campaign.

All a Luke/Han/Leia-focused campaign would prove is that audiences were psyched for a Luke/Han/Leia Star Wars movie. That is great until they would have to sell a Star Wars movie sans those characters. In a skewed way, their challenge is similar to where 20th Century Fox is right now, having to chart the long-term future of the X-Men franchise without its marquee player Hugh Jackman. That’s why X-Men: Apocalypse will be one to watch this summer in terms of the long-term health of the franchise.

By scoring a massive Star Wars triumph with next to no emphasis on the old cast members, you simultaneously introduce the new gang (who, of course require, an introduction) and make sure that the $4 billion you just spent on Star Wars isn’t inherently tied to three older cast members who probably don’t want to be in the next ten sequels. Maybe Disney will spend the next two months hawking Ford, Fisher, and Hamill in a way that we haven’t seen before. But I doubt it, both because they don’t have to and because it is in their long-term interest not to do so.

jwfocker wrote:

LoathedVermin72 wrote:I feel like I already have closure on those characters. ROTJ tied everything up nicely. Why do I need the book reopened?

Why do you want it reopened? I don't know and honestly I don't care because it's clear you don't want it opened but yet still find the idea of a Rogue one movie awesome. I wanted it reopened for some time. It's a huge universe tailor made for epic theater. And the idea of jumping thirty years into the future after Return of the Jedi is a great move and frees up some interesting potential story lines.

LoathedVermin72 wrote:The only thing that still gives me a glimmer of hope is knowing Lawrence Kasdan wrote it. I just hope his influence isn't swallowed up by the machine.

Strat wrote:

LoathedVermin72 wrote:The only thing that still gives me a glimmer of hope is knowing Lawrence Kasdan wrote it. I just hope his influence isn't swallowed up by the machine.

what has been the worst about star wars the force awakens for you?

LoathedVermin72 wrote:

Strat wrote:

LoathedVermin72 wrote:The only thing that still gives me a glimmer of hope is knowing Lawrence Kasdan wrote it. I just hope his influence isn't swallowed up by the machine.

what has been the worst about star wars the force awakens for you?

The unholy fanboy/corporate hype conglomerate

Strat wrote:

LoathedVermin72 wrote:

Strat wrote:

LoathedVermin72 wrote:The only thing that still gives me a glimmer of hope is knowing Lawrence Kasdan wrote it. I just hope his influence isn't swallowed up by the machine.

what has been the worst about star wars the force awakens for you?

The unholy fanboy/corporate hype conglomerate

So fans being excited about it makes it terrible for you?