SW - Episode 7: Mary Sue wakes up but there's no coffee. RAGE.

[Azazel]

Case in point, lightsaber knees

wait, wut?

[K9]

He was also 3m tall

[Surlyboi]

It's like they let Rob Liefield and Zak Snyder loose in the SW universe.

[MediumHigh]

Am I the only one thats mostly unimpressed and uninterested with this new star wars.

[Rendakor]

Am I the only one thats mostly unimpressed and uninterested with this new star wars.

No, and you weren't the first time you asked this same question yesterday.

[MahrinSkel]

Those trailers doesn't show much of anything?

They aren't even trailers, they're 'teasers', a collection of impressive visuals. Which are extremely impressive in this case. The only line of dialog is "Chewie, we're home."

--Dave

[sickrubik]

Not strictly true, there's the dubbed line from Luke as well.

[MahrinSkel]

I was taking it as narration rather than dialog, as there's no indication that it is an actual line spoken by Luke. But it's not a nit I'm going to argue over.

--Dave

[Khaldun]

Am I the only one thats mostly unimpressed and uninterested with this new star wars.

Do we have to reconfigure the positron flow through the main dish deflector to escape the temporal loop?

[Ingmar]

Am I the only one thats mostly unimpressed and uninterested with this new star wars.

Do we have to reconfigure the positron flow through the main dish deflector to escape the temporal loop?

I think in this IP we just shoot the control panel.

[Ragnoros]

Am I the only one thats mostly unimpressed and uninterested with this new star wars.

Do we have to reconfigure the positron flow through the main dish deflector to escape the temporal loop?

I think in this IP we just shoot the control panel.

[sickrubik]

I was taking it as narration rather than dialog, as there's no indication that it is an actual line spoken by Luke. But it's not a nit I'm going to argue over.

--Dave

Yeah, that's why I added the strictly part. I agree with you.

[angry.bob]

Am I the only one thats mostly unimpressed and uninterested with this new star wars.

But yet you made me know that there's some shit-tier Major Laser cartoon and seemed to like it. So I'd say it's just that you have shit taste.

[angry.bob]

killing everthing on the planet. Something that large crashing into a planet should be an extinction event.

It would be if it was solid, but they're mostly empty space inside. The ship should be in about a billion, flat pieces but there'd be little actual damage to the planet. Pretty much the same as that plane crash in the Alps just over a much larger area.

Also: Stormtrooper with a flamethrower? Seriously?

Clonetroopers and Stormtroopers have always had flamethrowers. They're super useful in a lot of situations, as long as you can keep the tank from getting shot.

[eldaec]

All these theories assume the Star Destroyer was dropping as dead weight.

If it was merely damaged it may have had insufficient thrust to avoid crashing, but sufficient to reduce energy of impact.

Also other entities such galactic tugboats or someone with a tractor beam may have been slowing it down.

Or it might not have crashed, could have been brought down for salvage.

[angry.bob]

One of those scenarios is what the picture suggests. The way it's sitting suggests that little or none of the bottom of the ship is collapsed. Even a controlled crash should have crushed some of the bottom.

Of course we're probably putting a lot of thought into something that probably doesn't play any part in the movie except as a cool background for five seconds.

[MediumHigh]

Am I the only one thats mostly unimpressed and uninterested with this new star wars.

But yet you made me know that there's some shit-tier Major Laser cartoon and seemed to like it. So I'd say it's just that you have shit taste.

I like the marketing pitch. The show was a waste of 9 minutes.

[Shannow]

Quick poll: Does this movie make more money than Avatar?

I'm thinking yes.

[eldaec]

Nominal or inflation adjusted?

Inflation adjusted marks to hit...

Gone with the Wind : 3.4B
Avatar : 3B
Star Wars : 2.8B
Titanic : 2.5B

Avatar nominal was 2.7B.

None of the prequels broke nominal 1B. Assuming critical response is more in line with neo-Trek than prequel-Wars I'd expect around 2B (matching Avengers after adjustment). But 3B might be a stretch. The thing all the films at the top of the list have in common is that they convinced people to go to multiple showings because they did something new. I don't see this getting that kind of attention.

Probably the most obvious recent comparator is the first Hobbit, that only reached 1B on the back of LotR.

[Samwise]

they did something new. I don't see this getting that kind of attention.

It has a rolling-ball-droid, man!  How much more innovation do you WANT?

[eldaec]

Elbow sabres.

[Mattemeo]

Quick poll: Does this movie make more money than Avatar?

I'm thinking yes.

Even with Star Wars, Abrams doesn't have half the box-office clout of Cameron. I expect Episode VII to do well, but not Avatar-well. If it's a better movie, that's gravy I guess.

[Riggswolfe]

Quick poll: Does this movie make more money than Avatar?

I'm thinking yes.

Even with Star Wars, Abrams doesn't have half the box-office clout of Cameron. I expect Episode VII to do well, but not Avatar-well. If it's a better movie, that's gravy I guess.

One thing to keep in mind, this, like Avatar, is coming out in December. That means no summer blockbuster competition and it could coast along to 2 billion or so. I'd also say the anticipation for this is much, much higher than the Prequels. Even before the Phantom Menace was released a lot of people were like "Prequels? Meh, we already know what happens, we want more Han, Luke and Leah." This movie is giving that to them. Combine that with Rebels, video games, comics and novels and Disney is doing a fairly unified cross-platform push. I also think that most nerds are going "George Lucas is gone? Thank god!"

On the other hand, there are two words that could sink it: Into Darkness. If sci-fi geeks haven't forgiven Abrams for that it could hurt it, especially at the beginning.

[eldaec]

I don't think it is possible to overstate the amount of hype surrounding The Phantom Menace.

Personally,  I don't remember anyone being 'meh' about it.

[Shannow]

I think the hype factor may do it especially if it's a good film like the first JJ Star Trek.

At a guess now I think you have a broader generational appeal with Star Wars than you did in 99. The people who loved the OT are now in their 40s and 50s (cough cough or late 30s) @ prime purchasing power. They probably got their kids into it, some who did like the prequels (god knows my 14 year old is only just coming to the realization that they sucked), kids who have also had the Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels and various computer games to introduce them to the world.

The fact that it is a continuation of the OT may play into it as well. Thinking back I don't recall being all that excited about the prequels, we did know how the story was going to turn out. Now this is a true sequel to probably the most beloved film series of the last 50 years, with a whole bunch of the originals coming back plus you have the monolith (aka Disney) promoting it. Throw on top of that the growth of the international market in the last 10-15 years.

This thing will make 2 billion easy. It will have the biggest domestic open of any film in history and will most likely top Avatar, if not Gone with the Wind if the film is actually good.

[Samwise]

If you don't remember the hype around Phantom Menace you must not have ever passed by one of the theaters it premiered at.  I still remember people camping out at the Coronet in SF.  

I can't imagine that happening again (for one thing the Coronet's gone, and I can't picture people camping outside a multiplex), but if it does I plan to rent a Jar Jar mask for trolling purposes.  

[Merusk]

I don't think it is possible to overstate the amount of hype surrounding The Phantom Menace.

Personally,  I don't remember anyone being 'meh' about it.

Nobody was. Lines for days. My senior Architectural Thesis class went as a group, rotating through the camp-out spot for 2 1/2 days on a schedule to buy our 67 tickets to opening night. We weren't first in line, either. We built a cardboard Star Destroyer that went on a classmate's VW Microbus as they drove down I-75 to opening night. It was the first mass-media bit of Star Wars content in over 15 years and we were hyped for it.

The hate wasn't there initially, either. There was a lot of, "what's up with Jar-Jar" but none of the vitriol that's spewed these days. That all came much, much later.

Fuck, even Episode 2 got hype and people quoting that ridiculous "Yoda Man" commercial.

[Mattemeo]

I think people are seriously forgetting the hype for The Phantom Menace. Sure, as the prequels came out, the hype diminished as people generally realised they were poor to average fare at best, but the year up to the release of The Phantom Menace was utterly dominated by Star Wars. It's also worth remembering that even in 1999, the internet was a shadow of what it is now, so the hype-train and reactions to things are so much more immediate today; and if we're being honest the prequel trilogy would have really suffered if it came out now. The recent Hobbit movies are in a similar position; they're not bad, they're ok, they're an over-wrought CG filled set of prequels to a much more beloved Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the immediacy of the internet has definitely diminished the power of Jackson's box office (all three movies together don't add up to Avatar's gross).

Abrams has two things to overcome - people's attitude (in retrospect) to Lucas' own hatchet job on the series in both prequel trilogy and his unnecessary rejigs of the original trilogy - and the unholy mess that was Star Trek: Into Darkness, which was by no means a total flop but deserved to be. On the other hand, because of those, a lot of people's expectations have been severely lowered - the two teaser trailers to date have been a pleasant surprise for a lot of us.

[eldaec]

The other thing Disney has to overcome is that in 2015 there are far more properties with the same kind of pull that star wars has. Not least Disney's Marvel serials.

The financial success of the Star Wars prequels reminded the studios that even mediocre (or bad) films can succeed as part of the right hype train. It contributed to how concepts like LotR, Harry Potter, Twilight, Hunger Games, and Marvel have been sold.

A film as bad as Phantom Menace would not even take 1B today, because there is much more nerd bullshit available for us to choose from.

[murdoc]

I stood in line for 6+ hours each to buy tickets and then to later get a seat for the midnight showing of Phantom Menace. The best part of that movie was getting swept up in the hype.

I think I saw it twice in theaters, the first time being carried by a loud, boisterous crowd that made me ignore most of it's problems. I only watched it about month again after seeing it that second time in theaters and realizing just how bad it might be. I honestly forgot how awful it really is.

There's no way this movie hits Avatar numbers, but I am at least holding out hope that they will do a fun, entertaining movie.

[angry.bob]

Harrison Ford looks god damn disturbing. He's got that "one foot in the grave" look that not even Christopher Lee has. He looked as bad as Nimoy did. I don't want to see a bunch of desicated husks running around trying to be action heroes.

[Ironwood]

You didn't watch Crystal Skull ?

[Tannhauser]

"As a physician, you of all people should know the dangers of...reopening old wounds."

[Riggswolfe]

Harrison Ford looks god damn disturbing. He's got that "one foot in the grave" look that not even Christopher Lee has. He looked as bad as Nimoy did. I don't want to see a bunch of desicated husks running around trying to be action heroes.

This is part of why I suspect the original trilogy characters will mainly be in supporting roles. I was a bit butthurt at the thought at first but really, all you need is to think back to the Crystal Skull to see why it's a good idea. That movie came out seven years ago and Harrison Ford liked tired and old in it. Oddly, in that single shot in the 2nd teaser he looked more alive than he did in the entire Crystal Skull movie.

My guess is this movie will be essentially the OT characters passing the baton to the three new actors and while I love those characters I think once you're in your 60s and 70s it's time to let the kids have a shot at things. I would love Luke to stick around as some kind of mentor figure but other other than that I think it's time to let the newbies have a shot.

[Lakov_Sanite]

I don't see why anyone would think that the OT guys will be anything but supporting characters.  Likely some will even be killed off in this or the next movie for a deep emotional response without sacrificing any of your hot new talent.