Jump to content

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (JJ Abrams 2015)


crocodile

Recommended Posts

I don't think that music would work "developed" - it's not much more than a cadence, and the sparse, distant presentation is what makes it so effective. "Sweeping" wouldn't be right for it. That moment itself doesn't strike me as an outright theme, but that tone as a whole could be explored very deeply.

I think he went with the same idea of a more mysterious Sith theme at the end of Be Careful of your Friend (I find that music incredibly menacing and ominous) and the end of Palpatine's Seduction with another new choir motif

It's like Williams wrote a more primordial Sith motif and views it more like an ancient religion

Williams on auto pilot, just like most of that score!

no!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think that music would work "developed" - it's not much more than a cadence, and the sparse, distant presentation is what makes it so effective. "Sweeping" wouldn't be right for it. That moment itself doesn't strike me as an outright theme, but that tone as a whole could be explored very deeply.

It's like Williams wrote a more primordial Sith motif and views it more like an ancient religion

That's exactly what it feels like to me. It's great.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anybody got a timestamp for this Sith music? I can't say I've noticed it before.

There's something about the whole scene, but it's the brief passage for violas/celli at 40:29 that I think we're all focusing on.

That's one of those really poetic moments that tease what the prequels could have been.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, come on. There are a lot of good scenes in Revenge of the Sith, most of them involving McDiarmid. Another stellar moment with awesome Williams underscore is when Palpatine tells Anakin he's going to be on the Jedi Council. They're walking towards the camera and become dark silhouettes, then Palpatine says, "They need you. More than you know." Williams delivers again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My biggest problems with it come down to 3 things:

1. Grievous' characterization, I realize he was a throwaway to get Anakin and Obi-Wan apart, but he was built up so well in the animated series that preceded the film. He had the potential to be a truly menacing character, and he really had the design to seem threatening. There was some lost potential there.

2. The speed with which Anakin gives himself to Palpatine.

3. Padme's cop out reason for dying. Her character has always been portrayed as strong and independent, so this was out of character for her.

Everything else I liked very much.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My biggest problems with it come down to 3 things:

1. Grievous' characterization, I realize he was a throwaway to get Anakin and Obi-Wan apart, but he was built up so well in the animated series that preceded the film. He had the potential to be a truly menacing character, and he really had the design to seem threatening. There was some lost potential there.

2. The speed with which Anakin gives himself to Palpatine.

3. Padme's cop out reason for dying. Her character has always been portrayed as strong and independent, so this was out of character for her.

Everything else I liked very much.

1 - That's the price Lucasfilm pays for designing a throwaway villain then deciding they want to develop him better. He could have been the Prequels' answer to Darth Vader but there was a lot of opportunity wasted with him. He's supposed to have been this all-powerful Jedi killer but he kind of looked like a joke in Episode III. I heard a crack theory about Max von Sydow playing Grievous, and I'd have to admit as crazy and unlikely as it sounds (the concepts we've seen clearly show a more humanoid figure) it'd give the writers a chance to develop Grievous in a different way.

2 - I can agree. I always imagined Anakin's transformation to be a lot slower, both mentally and physically. Not just "Give yourself to the dark side." "OK".

3 - Again, agree. This even conflicts with what Leia said in Episode VI about remembering her mother. I assumed prior to Episode III that Padme would be one of the characters instrumental in starting the Rebellion and would survive to see Leia as a toddler, even if she had to give up Luke to the Larses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agreed! Really that's the way it should have been, and I wonder if that was the intention at some point. As you said, it contradicts what Leia said in Jedi. Padme certainly could have lived, and perhaps died early in the Rebellion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agreed! Really that's the way it should have been, and I wonder if that was the intention at some point. As you said, it contradicts what Leia said in Jedi. Padme certainly could have lived, and perhaps died early in the Rebellion.

Lucas didn't really care about the original films, unfortunately. Padme dying didn't make sense, neither did Obi-Wan knowing Artoo. The original Star Wars clearly establishes that they didn't know each other, regardless of the cutesy retconning in the prequels. I mean, Jesus, Uncle Owen didn't even know Anakin. This makes no sense. Don't even get me started on how ludicrous it is that they transform Anakin/Vader into a monster with a cape. We know he had to eventually end up in the suit, but it makes zero sense in the context of Revenge of the Sith. Just think, if the original Star Wars didn't exist and we were watching the prequels in order, I'd like to think that everyone would have a serious problem with a bunch of robots attaching a cape to Vader while they're trying to save his life. The fucker should have been soaked in the bacta stuff like Luke in Empire, then received artificial limbs. Instead, they transform him into a monster. Huh? I'm drunk, but you know I'm right.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of the most frustrating things about prequels is that they had three potentially cool villains in each film. First it was cool looking Maul which turned out to be a non-character in the end. Then Christopher Lee himself (how awesome was that?) was wasted. And then this cyborg thing. I do get that each one of those characters was supposed to foreshadow some aspect of Vader (his rage, charisma and half-machine aspects, respectively) but I wish there was more meat to that.

Karol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agreed. The films would have been better if there was single bad Jedi, along with Palpatine, in all three of them. Or if they just did more with Dooku, and had no Grievous at all. Maybe Grievous is a cyborg Maul instead or something (if they did his "death" differently). I dunno.

Drinking has begun.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They should have just had Obi-Wan pursue Dooku instead of even introducing Grievous. Maybe have Dooku ally with the Jedi when he realizes he's just a pawn and how screwed up everything has gotten. Then, Anakin can kill him, before fighting Obi-Wan. Having him die right at the beginning was pretty stupid.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In its defence, Revenge of the Sith could almost work. It has a lot of good ingredients in place.

Karol

RotS would be a good two-part TV movie. But as a movie per se, it's miserable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, come on. There are a lot of good scenes in Revenge of the Sith, most of them involving McDiarmid.

Unfortunately he has one of the worst scenes too, the whole I am the Senate and confrontation with Mace Windu sequence

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, come on. There are a lot of good scenes in Revenge of the Sith, most of them involving McDiarmid.

Unfortunately he has one of the worst scenes too, the whole I am the Senate and confrontation with Mace Windu sequence

Samuel L. Jackson's line delivery in that scene is truly terrible, even by prequel standards. "The o-PRESSION of the Sith has ended. YOU, have lost!" "He is the Traitor aaaaah"

"Don't listen to him Anakin aaahhh”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Samuel L. Jackson was generally very bad. Some of his lines are good, like when he tells off Anakin or when he's like a sullen asshole (which just seems to work for him), but otherwise he's monotone and awful. One of the very worst scenes is when Anakin tells him Palpatine is a Sith and it's like no one involved is even trying.

"I think Palpatine is a Sith Lord." (umm...you know he is in fact the Sith Lord--was this a mistake in the script?)

"A Sith. Lord?"
"Yes."

"We must move quickly."
*extremely slow walk*

???

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I still don't get how the scene of him yelling at Palpatine turned out so awful when Samuel L. Jackson is a ******* notable screamer. Many of his most iconic moments are yelling.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For the ardent Star Wars fan who cant wait till next december before finally seeing how Leia got on.

The QI series L Christmas Special had Carrie Fisher as a guest panelist.

http://youtu.be/rbW7E7oLNBk

She does rather well endulging Stephen Fry's and Jimmy Carr's geekiness and despite looking quite old, still has some radiance.

Quite a funny lady.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bespin - I'd recommend watching The Clone Wars (especially seasons 3-6, but there's some good stuff mixed into the first half too). It's a lot of fun, and FEELs a lot more "Star Wars"y than the prequels (without leaning heavy on allusions to the OT like Star Wars Rebels has been).

The Priestesses are from the last arc of the last season.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wouldn't worry too much about it - I think Episode VII packaging will be their entire line for 2015 product, and that will just be a nice repack that kids will want and will make some money.

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
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.