Star Wars: The Force Awakens

[Darren]

We started our Mega Star Wars DVD Watching Marathon last night with what I still call "Star Wars" (aka A New Hope, Episode 4, Han Shot First George You Twat). One of the boys hardly looked up from his iPod throughout the whole thing, the other watched up to the Death Star battle then kind of lost interest. This doesn't bode well for the rest of the films.

I enjoyed it though! Apart from all the unnecessary Special Additions.

Edit: in fact I realised that Star Wars might actually be my favourite of the lot, despite long considering Empire to be the best. I just love the structure, the long Tatooine section with the droids and Jawas, Mos Eisley, the Death Star control room, the bodged rescue, the trash compactor. Watching it last night I kind of reconnected with 8 year old me watching it for the first time, just revelling in the alien-ness, the weirdness, the adventure.

[Rev]

Empire is the best film, clearly, but A New Hope is clearly the most fun/coherent standalone film.

Where is the best to download the Despecialised edition from? Is there anywhere that has it in a slightly more reasonable file size?

[KartoffelKopf]

We started our Mega Star Wars DVD Watching Marathon last night with what I still call "Star Wars" (aka A New Hope, Episode 4, Han Shot First George You Twat). One of the boys hardly looked up from his iPod throughout the whole thing, the other watched up to the Death Star battle then kind of lost interest. This doesn't bode well for the rest of the films.

I enjoyed it though! Apart from all the unnecessary Special Additions..

I sat my 7 year old down recently to tell him the story of how I was his age when I first saw a Star Wars film at the Cinema. I went on to tell him all about how it was a Star Wars/Empire double bill at Bromley Odeon and I chuckled to myself about remembering my dads face when Han was encased in carbonite thinking that the film was far from ending as the rest of the cast would now go and have to save him and then his relief when it ended on a cliffhanger.

I reminisced about him taking me to the Showell Brothers toy shop on Eltham High Street afterwards where we bought some figures and the X-wing toy. I gave him a hug and told him I was so ecstatically excited about the new film and how we'd been burnt by the shit prequels and how it was all so prophetic that the new film was out this year, so near to his 7th birthday and how awesome itll be watching it together in London at the Imax.

He just turned to me and said "I dont really like Star Wars Daddy, can I go and play Minecraft now?"

He's still fucking going and he's going to fucking like it.

[Mr Cochese]

I sat my 7 year old down recently to tell him the story of how I was his age when I first saw a Star Wars film at the Cinema. I went on to tell him all about how it was a Star Wars/Empire double bill at Bromley Odeon and I chuckled to myself about remembering my dads face when Han was encased in carbonite thinking that the film was far from ending as the rest of the cast would now go and have to save him and then his relief when it ended on a cliffhanger.

I reminisced about him taking me to the Showell Brothers toy shop on Eltham High Street afterwards where we bought some figures and the X-wing toy. I gave him a hug and told him I was so ecstatically excited about the new film and how we'd been burnt by the shit prequels and how it was all so prophetic that the new film was out this year, so near to his 7th birthday and how awesome itll be watching it together in London at the Imax.

He just turned to me and said "I dont really like Star Wars Daddy, can I go and play Minecraft now?"

He's still fucking going and he's going to fucking like it.

The circle is now complete.

[Darren]

Anyway, shows what I know, son who didn't completely ignore Star Wars has just told me he's already put the Empire DVD in the machine ready for tonight. There's still (a new) hope!

[Davros sock drawer]

From memory the Empire special edition is definitely the best one, with a few generally good cosmetic changes and no stupid additions, EXCEPT the pointless replacement of Vader's pissed-off "prepare my shuttle" with a much longer and clumsier line spelling out how he's going to get to where he's going next.

"Bring my shuttle"

[Darren]

It's so long since I saw the unspoiled version I'd forgotten the line.

[Davros sock drawer]

I refuse to watch the newer versions, so fortunately I can't quite remember what it was replaced with. Something like "Tell my Super Star Destroyer that I will be popping back in a sec, on a shuttle, so that the audience doesn't say "hey, how did he get back there so quick!?" when they see me on the bridge in the next scene"...

[K]

The actual line is "Please arrange to have my shuttle waiting for me upon my arrival in the hangar bay so that I can stop Luke Skywalker, my son, from escaping from Cloud City with Lando Calrissian, Princess Leia and those gay robots in the Millenium Falcon and foiling my plan to rule the galaxy with him (Luke Skywalker)."

[Harsin]

I'm in the minority, but I want the freaky monkey faced emperor back in Empire.

[dataDave]

I really enjoyed the cinematic Special Editions.

The blu-ray ones can do one.

[glb]

I sat my 7 year old down recently to tell him the story of how I was his age when I first saw a Star Wars film at the Cinema. I went on to tell him all about how it was a Star Wars/Empire double bill at Bromley Odeon and I chuckled to myself about remembering my dads face when Han was encased in carbonite thinking that the film was far from ending as the rest of the cast would now go and have to save him and then his relief when it ended on a cliffhanger.

I reminisced about him taking me to the Showell Brothers toy shop on Eltham High Street afterwards where we bought some figures and the X-wing toy. I gave him a hug and told him I was so ecstatically excited about the new film and how we'd been burnt by the shit prequels and how it was all so prophetic that the new film was out this year, so near to his 7th birthday and how awesome itll be watching it together in London at the Imax.

He just turned to me and said "I dont really like Star Wars Daddy, can I go and play Minecraft now?"

He's still fucking going and he's going to fucking like it.

Gah, meant to pos this but fat fingers - can someone who hasn't dish out some green?

Love memories like the above, and the deflation of the nostalgia by a little 'un. Recently, a mate sat his lad down to start watching the prequels, having already done the originals, and ended up with his lad loving the antics of Jar Jar. Kids know nothing.

[Davros sock drawer]

I'm in the minority, but I want the freaky monkey faced emperor back in Empire.

I'm with you on that. This blanket uniformity that he tried to retcon into the series is one of Lucas's biggest sins IMO.

It's good that it's weird and different to how he looks in later films. Makes it more interesting.

[Mr Cochese]

George seems to have taken the idea of Death of The Author extremely literally, and gone about stamping his authorial voice over the series with such brutality as to prevent any possibility of interpretation.

[Ivanho]

Anthony Daniels is taking pot shots at his cast members again. The Kenny Baker stuff is nothing new, or unexpected, but the Hamill comment is.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/news/a669837/c-3po-vs-r2-d2-anthony-daniels-on-his-bitter-star-wars-feud-with-kenny-baker.html#~pp1OIKXxbg3c5V

[Benny]

What a wanker.

[Darren]

So much to roll your eyes at in the full interview.

"What is funny is C-3PO looks the same - Harrison, Carrie and Mark .. not so much..."

So the people have aged 30 years but the mask hasn't? Stop the press!

"We actually got bored and quite tired of looking at Carrie in her gold bikini."

What... I mean, how... Just... No.

[Sabreman]

Those comments just sound like friendly jibes, probably the kind made between them in person in set.

Not that I'm saying Daniels isn't a knob, but newzpaperz.

[Rev]

He is a nob, but quite a likeable one reaaaaaaally.

[TehStu]

I'm with you on that. This blanket uniformity that he tried to retcon into the series is one of Lucas's biggest sins IMO.

It's good that it's weird and different to how he looks in later films. Makes it more interesting.

Thing is, he could have hand waved it easily, like overt Sith power use deforms you, or something. In fact, didn't KotOR do that, until the daft episode 3 lightning reflection scene? Why wasn't Luke, the only other person we've seen fry, deformed by force lightning? Nrgh.

[b00dles]

I'm now annoyed because I remembered how bad that whole scene with Rear Windu was and Palpatine's 'mid transformation' make up was comical. The way Anakin just suddenly goes 'oh alright then, Rear Windu must have been a wrong 'un, let's go dark side' is just poor too.

[jonamok]

I think anyone who thinks TPM is the worst of the prequels should be forced to rewatch the whole trilogy with matchsticks propped under eyelids, and no wee-wee breaks. The horror of Jar-Jar Binks and young Mannequin Skywalker simply pale next to the weapons-grade shite that was to come.

[Darren]

I've got that to come in the next few days (well maybe without the matchsticks and with toilet visits allowed). We've watched the OT over the last few nights. By the end of Jedi I'd managed to forget all the special edition bollocks from earlier in the film (the alien blues band, sarlacc worm etc.) and then right at the very end up pops Hayden bloody whatsisname, gurning and actually looking embarrassed to be there, spoiling the end of a brilliant trilogy with an unwelcome reminder of the shitty prequels, like some kind of infection. It doesn't even make sense for that version of Anakin to appear, as we all know.

I'm steeling myself for what's next. I can get through this. I can!

[dismembo]

Thing is, he could have hand waved it easily, like overt Sith power use deforms you, or something. In fact, didn't KotOR do that, until the daft episode 3 lightning reflection scene? Why wasn't Luke, the only other person we've seen fry, deformed by force lightning? Nrgh.

I always got the impression that Palpatine had that deformation happen on purpose, in an attempt to garner sympathy from Annakin. Or perhaps that's what he really looked like and felt that the 'normal' appearance he'd been projecting had served it's purpose.

[Harsin]

I always got the impression that Palpatine had that deformation happen on purpose, in an attempt to garner sympathy from Annakin.

"Hey Anakin, I know people have been telling you the Sith are evil your entire life and one murdered your father figure, but actually we're not that bad. Now please ignore that I look and sound like a demonic monster man and if you could go and murder some children for me that would be peachy. And remember NOT BAD."

[Rev]

Thing is, he could have hand waved it easily, like overt Sith power use deforms you, or something. In fact, didn't KotOR do that, until the daft episode 3 lightning reflection scene? Why wasn't Luke, the only other person we've seen fry, deformed by force lightning? Nrgh.

Well...

Anthony Daniels is taking pot shots at his cast members again: "Poor Mark. He was a young lovely looking lad when he was first Luke Skywalker and now… well…"

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/news/a669837/c-3po-vs-r2-d2-anthony-daniels-on-his-bitter-star-wars-feud-with-kenny-baker.html#ixzz3mYrsIqzP

[dismembo]

"Hey Anakin, I know people have been telling you the Sith are evil your entire life and one murdered your father figure, but actually we're not that bad. Now please ignore that I look and sound like a demonic monster man and if you could go and murder some children for me that would be peachy. And remember NOT BAD."

Perhaps I should have have added that it was meant to look to Annakin as though it was Mace Windu who had deformed Palpatine, rather than actually allowing or causing it to happen himself.

[glb]

I think anyone who thinks TPM is the worst of the prequels should be forced to rewatch the whole trilogy with matchsticks propped under eyelids, and no wee-wee breaks. The horror of Jar-Jar Binks and young Mannequin Skywalker simply pale next to the weapons-grade shite that was to come.

Watched all six, in episode order, a while back. TPM got away with a lot from early marathon excitement, and does have two solid set-pieces (pod race, Dual of Fates). It's Attack of the Clones that is the biggest heap of manure by virtue of being so bloody boring. It nearly derailed the whole thing, and as a result made Revenge of the Sith seem a lot better simply because it wasn't AotC.

[SeanR]

I like it when this happens

[Hexx]

IDGI