Jump to content
IGNORED

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Captain Kelsten

By Captain Kelsten
in Film, TV & Radio

 Share

Recommended Posts

Nick R

Nick R

Posted
Posted

Andrew Rilstone (who I mostly know from his writing about Doctor Who) has started writing some blog posts about Star Wars:

The first involves Planet of the Apes, the Wombles, and nostalgia:

http://www.andrewrilstone.com/2015/02/298.html

The BBC showed the whole of Flash Gordon in December 1976 (over the Christmas holiday); followed by Flash Gordon's Trip To Mars in June and Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe the following Christmas. Star Wars was released in the USA in May '77, but no-one in the UK saw it until 1978.

...

So, thanks to the BBC, every little English boy who saw Star Wars in the spring of 1978, was as familiar with the thirty eight year old movie serial that Lucas was doing a homage to as their father's were. More so. Daddy pointed out it would have been a very lucky boy in 1936 who managed to go to the same cinema 15 weeks in a row.

I once remarked to the editor of Sci-Fi Now that the point of Star Wars is that so much is implied and so little is said so that you seem to be seeing this vast universe out of the corner of your eye. He is kind enough to have implied that this is one of the wisest remarks ever made: at any rate one of the wisest remarks ever made about Star Wars, or at rate one of the wisest remarks ever made about Star Wars by me. But I do think this goes a long way to explain why we watched it so many times. To see the aliens in the Cantina again; to get a proper look at the lightsaber; to memorize the controls on an X-Wing. Watching it over and over to see all the stuff that wasn't actually there.

Everything else followed from that: Star Wars blueprints; attempts to construct life-sized X-Wings out of carboard boxes and lightsabers out of tomato canes. Because when Luke handles the-lightsaber-that-was-his-fathers for the first time, we wanted to reach out, through the screen, and grab it, and keep it forever. Not the lightsaber itself. That moment.
It's a feeling I've never had for anything else. I didn't want to be a Jedi Knight, necessarily; or an X-Wing pilot; or even to be friends with Luke and Han. I just wanted to be there. On the other side of the screen. Inside.
Which is why everything since 1977 has been such a let-down. Walkers and Snowspeeders and Jedi Fighters are all very well, but I want squads of X-Wings and a single blue lightsaber. We've been back to Tatooine, but it's not the Tatooine of our childhood.

And the second is about Star Wars Rebels:

http://www.andrewrilstone.com/2015/03/292.html

If lightsabers were real weapons and Ezra was a real boy, then finding one in his host's bedroom would either be like finding a loaded kalashnikov, or else like finding a bona fide holy relic, the Grail or a fragment of the True Cross. But they aren't and he isn't. He reacts to the lightsaber, not as person of a particular age in a particular possible world, but as a Star Wars fan. I said last time that when Obi-Wan hands Luke the lightsaber, we all want to reach out and grab it — not only the lightsaber, but that moment. And that's what Ezra is quite clearly doing: not handling a weapon or an artefact, but playing with the best toy in the universe. Wow. Cool. (Yippee.)

...

Star Wars began, as everyone knows, with a twelve second tracking shot of a huge spaceship — what we would now call a Star Destroyer — passing over the audience's heads. Star Wars: Rebels begins with a close up reaction shot as a Star Destroyer passes over Ezra's head. Which is to say: Star Wars begins withus looking up at a Star Destroyer and collectively saying "wow!". Star Wars: Rebels begins with us looking at a cartoon kid looking up at a Star Destroyer and saying "wow!"
And I am quite sure that the writers and artists knew exactly what they were doing. The cartoon kid is Everyfan. He's done what we wished we could do. He really is "on the inside". He really does get to play with all the cool toys. But he knows it's a movie. He's only playing. It's fun.

That's a really cool present for all of us incredibly serious old fans. Whether it will mean anything to the actual kids remains to be seen.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Glasgowchivas

Glasgowchivas

Posted
Posted

Any word on the next trailer? Likely to be shown before Avengers 2?

I think will it debut at the Star Wars Celebration event in early April. Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy are attending and have teased something new. Itll probablly be released on-line once shown to prevent leaks but it'll almost certainly be attached to Avengers 2.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
glb

glb

Posted
Posted

Ah, that makes sense. Didn't realise there is a Star Wars event upcoming. Will be difficult to resist the urge to watch the next trailer online, but quite tempted to hold off until it's on a big screen (Avengers 2 would be great as will most likely get to see that on IMAX).

Link to comment
Share on other sites
RJames

RJames

Posted
Posted

The next secret cinema is Empire. They did a great job with BTTF, expensive and delayed though it was.



But the problem is, will they have to show the crap special edition?


I'm so spoiled by the Harmy versions that I fear it'll look crap.



Still, being in a reconstruction of a spaceport somewhere with stormtroopers all around could be pretty cool. Secret Cinema have been getting really good at these...



http://www.secretcinema.org/tickets/


Link to comment
Share on other sites
Glasgowchivas

Glasgowchivas

Posted
Posted

The word is that JJ has fought and lost the battle to be the Godfather of the new series.

He won the fight to push Ep.VII back to December but has been squeezed out for future instalments.

The release today was updated to include him as an Executive Producer but only after the studio was questioned as to why he had no credit on Episode VIII.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
MDY

MDY

Posted
Posted

Was posted on his youtube today, but he's been working on it for 4 years..

EDIT: Doing a quick search.. looks like a couple of 'almost done' minutes of just the animation were posted on Reddit a couple of years ago and several versions of it later popped up where people had added music and sound effects..
http://www.slashfilm.com/votd-unfinished-star-wars-anime-features-massive-space-battle/

This is the finished 7 1/2 min film which he only posted today..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. Use of this website is subject to our Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, and Guidelines.

  I accept