Peter Mayhew Talks Star Wars: Episode 7.
During an appearance at Wizard World San Antonio Comic Con, Peter Mayhew sat on a panel and shared stories from the Star Wars set, how playing such an iconic character has changed his life, his thoughts on the upcoming sequels and more…
From Blastr (via MakingStarWars):
After joking that he was working on a little project that he thinks some people might show up to watch, he said the J.J. Abrams-directed Episode VII “will be the best Star Wars film I will have seen.” Mayhew added the film will utilize no, or very little, computer generated effects and will instead be very practical.
As for behind the scenes tidbits, Mayhew revealed that the day this table read photo was taken, he had previously seen many of his former costars like Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, but it was the first time in a while he had met with Harrison Ford. Mayhew said the actor nearly “throttled” him with a hug.
In other Ford news, a fan inquired whether Mayhew and the rest of the cast was giving Han Solo grief for reportedly being injured by a door on the Millennium Falcon set. He said everything we’ve been reading in the press about that is false. What that precisely means regarding Ford’s ankle injury, Mayhew did not say.
From day 1 since Harrison Ford’s injury happened we at SW7N told you that the stories in the press about the seriousness of Ford’s injury and the possible delay of the movie were false. I’m glad Chewie confirmed that. 🙂
When asked about being treated like royalty by younger actors, he said Hayden Christensen and even Ewan McGregor viewed him as an “old professor” on the Episode III set. Mayhew said he advised Christensen how much Star Wars impacts the lives of the people in it and when the young Anakin saw him again at a premiere and agreed, the once and future Wookiee told him he’d “graduated.”
Mayhew also said that the scenes on Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back were among his most difficult to film. When George Lucas noticed Chewie wasn’t quite covered in enough snow, he asked the actor to roll around on the cold ground. Even with the suit on, he was freezing and when he went to take it off later in the day, it dropped to the ground in a frozen heap. That night, they had to throw the Wookiee costume in the wash at their hotel and just hope it was still there the next day.
Finally, Mayhew said he has never had trouble slipping back into the Chewbacca role. He said he doesn’t know how it happens, but as soon as he puts on the head, the Wookiee emerges and the man gets lost in there.
You can watch the whole panel here:
Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.
Born on April 24, 1980.
“Mayhew said the actor nearly “throttled” him with a hug.”
Good lord, careful with Chewie. He’s fragile!
Peter and Kenny Baker (R2D2) are the two original cast members I wanted back the most. Fingers now crossed for Billy Dee and Caroline Blakiston (Mon Mothma).
I do think Mayhew is the type of person who would just claim it’s going to be the best star wars film. But it certainly has the potential to be.
CGI should be used as a tool only to enhance the movie, not overtake it. T2 is a perfect example of the right use of CGI. The Robert Patrick T-1000 character enhances the movie when he turns to liquid metal after he is shot each time. That is the way it should be used in ALL movies, as I watch Episode 3 and it looks like one big videogame.
CGI is a tool, just like practical effects.
EP III looks great.
If CGI makes movies into video game, then practical effects makes movies into puppetry play.
No, or little CGI? Hmm, kinda worries me a little. JJ shouldn’t sacrifice too much to please the fans. (OT fans, please chill.)
He may be over exaggerating, but I honestly don’t think JJ would do anything to really jeopardize the film’s overall quality. He’s even said himself that CGI will be used where it’s necessary, but if they don’t need it, they’ll go with practical effects. A perfect game plan in my opinion. I think we should be expecting something along the lines of the LOTR trilogy as far as the balance between CGI and practical effects is concerned. After all, how could Andy Serkis do a mo-cap character without CGI?
I think that, since the film is early on in development, the absence of digital images on the film itself is to be expected. Nonetheless, if Peter Mayhew is saying that the shots feel complete without CGI, that’s a good sign.
He’s not doing it to cater to OT fanboys, he’s doing it to cater to film fans. Most big blockbusters are fueled by CG and people are simply bored of it now. The majority of film fans want to see a physical style again rather than a video game style. It’s good that JJ isn’t doing what is convenient. It’s good he is taking the effort to try and bring back a spark of authenticity that has been lost in big budget films.
Yup, I agree with you 100%.
You guys are laughable. George Lucas himself would have used CGI in the 70s if the technology was right. The miniature model effects used during the Death Star sequence were considered revolutionary at the time. I bet if you guys were in the 70s you would be complaining that special effects should go back to models held by cheap strings, like Flash Gordon.
CGI for the sake of CGI is, of course, bad. But you guys are on the other far end of the spectrum, where CGI is automatically inferior.
Wessell changer you clearly don’t understand. You seem to think the argument about the context of effects is just black and white.
That doesn’t really dismiss the fact that a majority of the movie-going audience (not just Star Wars fans) are bored with the overuse of CGI and would prefer to see modernized practical effects used in film over computer generated images.
Hmmm, let’s see. The biggest movies so far in 2014 are Transformers and Guardians of the Galaxy.
Not a CGI effect in sight!
ha! ha! ha!
… You clearly have very little understanding of the film industry… Im not gonna take the time to explain it to you. That’s what the internet is for.
Anon @ 19:48,
I see your point, but it’s actually viewed as black and white. Just re-read the Mayhew interview. There is clearly a “CG baaaaad, practical effects gooooood” mentality going on.
Sure, a combination of both would be great, but the way Mayhew (and everybody else on production for that matter) who bash CG for being CG is disgusting.
Of course you’re not going to take the time to explain it. That’s because you’re stumped. Audiences are NOT tired of CGI effects, as indicated by the box office results of Transformers, Guardians, and many other movies this year.
It’s people like you who let your hate of the prequel trilogy overshadow all common sense. CG by nature is not bad, and is overused all the time. Open your eyes.
omg, like the other guy, I can’t be bothered to explain your stupidity. You don’t understand the original point. You’re twisting my point into something completely different.. and then arguing that completely different point.. It’s like me saying I don’t like dogs and then you twisting my statement into something else and then bringing in completely irrelevant facts such as guardians of the galaxy making the most at the box office or whatever. Stupidity at it’s core.
Those are pre-established franchises with enormous, world wide fan bases. Of course they’re going to gross an enormous amount of money in the box office. JJ is trying to change the pace a little bit by giving the general movie-going audience an alternative. How exactly can you accurately measure the average movie-goer’s appreciation of CG versus practical effects using box office earnings as the foundation for your argument if there are no current big-name movies filmed with practical effects? You’re argument couldn’t be so invalid.
Transformers? You do realize that the reason that movie was an international success was because many scenes were filmed in China – which was the country that watched the movie the most. What Michael Bay has done to the Transformer franchise is complete butchery, but that discussion is for another forum.
Whether the TF fans like it or not, Michael Bay resurrected the Transformers franchise!
too bad ol´ Peter Jackson feels opposite – to him CGI is pretty everything…just watch Desolation of Smaug….
AND IT WAS BEAUTIFUL
LOTR Trilogy kicked An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug square in the teeth. They’re hardly even comparable.
exactly. but what did you expect? everything I’ve heard since October 2012 has been kiss-ups to the OT fans. Originality and trailblazing will come eventually, I guess.
So, just because they say EpVII will feature practical effects, you immediately assume that it’s going to be identical to the OT? For god sake, more than thirty years have gone by since ROTJ and the technology of practical effects has certainly not come to a halt. In fact, prothetics, makeup, animatronics, scale-modeling and other effects of this nature have all greatly improved the passed few decades. I assure you, the ST will show us trailblazing the likes of which the 21st century has yet to behold. Better wear your diaper in the theater or you’re gonna have some embarassing cleaning up to do.
I think that should try to make the PT fan happy by having a cgi old man do gymnastics with a lightsaber
What comes around goes around. Lucas thumbed his nose at the OT fans since 1997 ruining the originals and not releasing in a high quality format. Its about time the OT fans get some respect cause we are the fan base that made SW what it is today.
THANK YOU! That had to be said.
Damn right!!!
Preach on, brother!
THANKS.
Yeah.
Of course they are going to resemble the OT; they are SEQUELS
That’s because the OT fans aren’t complete fucktards and are not completely ignorant to the truth, they actually value the fuckin story and the characters and aren’t blinded and misguided by special effects to not see every hole in every corner of every scene in the PT story.
Go watch the scene when Anakin becomes Darth Vader,( one of the most anticipated scenes in film history, that turned into one of the most disappointing scenes ever filmed) and then come here and talk smack about the OT.lol No matter what your opinion is of them..it don’t stop the fact that pretty much the whole population of earth laugh at the PT fans. The fact that they are gearing the new movies towards the original should tell you that…and the fact that George lucas retired and admitted he fucked up, should probably open your eyes a lil as well. From the first scene in episode 1 to the last scene in episode 3 was nothing but a clusterfuck of contradiction and confusion. and I hope the rumors about Disney remaking all three of them are true. Lucas didn’t give a rats ass about those movies, and it is very obvious that he just shit the stories out over night like a damn tv episode. those films were nothing more than tools for him to promote his new technology to sell to other companies. He didn’t make the special editions of the OT because he wanted to fix what he thought was wrong with those films..he did it only to have an excuse to re- release them, use the money off of the SE’s so he could make the PT, cash in on the CGI after every movie company in the world used it. retire and sell all of it for billions, as he laughs at your stupid ass all the way to the bank and on the way to the Bahamas….”ITS A TRAP” yes that’s right..and u fell for it hook line and sinker. No matter how much you PT and EU fans whine and cry, it will never stop the inevitable.good always conquers evil. Star wars has been saved, and peace has been restored to the REAL star wars galaxy.and there is nothing you can do about it, and it wont be stopped. This is going down, so you might as well make peace with it. Thank god for Kathleen Kennedy and J.J Abrams. …while every PT fan on earth cried out in terror as Lucas made the big announcement to step down. the OT fans made a sigh of relief that caused a Tsunami. You can reference the scene in Ace Ventura: when nature calls, where he leaves the ashram and the monks are partying and celebrating his departure as pretty much what it was like to the people who know the truth. (THE WHOLE WORLD) …well…besides the few mindless philosophies he left behind, stick that into your computer generated hopscotching, backflipping,cartwheeling yoda and smoke it.
I’m sorry, I couldn’t even make it through your comment. It was filled with too many nerd tears.
Riddle me this – if people thought the Prequel Trilogy movies were garbage, then why did they make more money than the Original Trilogy? Collectively, the films made 1.5 times the amount of money that the Original Trilogy made. Surely, they would have tanked if they were hated so much!
Its called advancement in monetization. Analysis of the money made off a film in 1977 vs. 1999 vs. now is like comparing apples and oranges.
I agree. This worries me.
I like CGI. I like the look of prequel trilogy.
I understand that these films will not look the same as the prequel trilogy, but I do not want them to look like the original trilogy either.
I was hoping for something in between PT and OT.
Abrams goes too far in order to satisfy old fans.
There will be balance in the force and there will be balance in the effects people. You’ve all got your heads up your asses because the effects will be awesome and no one will be able to say shit. What will make or break the sequel trilogy is the dialogue. DIALOGUE DIALOGUE DIALOGUE people. They need to make sure this movie have good word-talking.. Prequel boys, I’ll give you CGI and how sick the double light saber duel was but admit to me right now that when Anakin and Padme are talking to each other, you want to kill yourself right? “… no because I am just so in love with you!”
I keep thinking about Mon Mothma. It’s certainly plausible, they did ask denis lawson to come back as Wedge so they’re certainly open to the idea of bringing back some minor characters. I’d love to see Caroline Blakiston come back.
He is such a pussy for saying no because he wanted a bigger roll.
All they have to do, is to decide not to please the six PT fans and we’re set.
No have you not been reading all the posts on here. the PT has billions of devoted adoring fans it’s just that Disney doesn’t what there money. But hay what does Disney know abo
About making money
“the PT has billions of devoted adoring fans”
.. Your claim says it all
You do know that post was sarcasm. Right?
I mean I think I laid it on pretty thick 🙂
Oh it was sarcasm ha. No really, PT are so delusional I just thought you were one of them ha
Billions eh? and you sir…get the retard of the year award…congrats! defending the PT is the equiv of admitting that you think George Bush jr was a great president and his story of why he invaded Iraq was completely believable…
PT has many fans. Just go to IMDB. Majority loves these movies.
OT only fans love act as majority, but they are not.
ST should carter both PT and OT fans, not just OT. That is stupid.
Stop living in past man. There is whole new generation of fans who grew up on PT.
You keep saying this on article after article. Do you think that if you keep proclaiming it, it will actually BECOME true? Of the millions of Star Wars fans, the only proof you have ever provided that “majority love PT” is a voluntary poll of about 50,000 people who defend the PT. What about the millions of others who watched the PT and cringed at all of the horrible dialogue, plot holes, and on and on?
no, that’s not right, not enough snow on chewie… could you roll around in the snow, peter? that’s it, faster more intense
Raaarrrrrgggghhhhhhh!
Translation: You’re the best.
^ What I hate most about you OT diehards is your annoying, relentless bashing. A whole generation of kids (now young adults) love and appreciate the Prequel Trilogy and you disregard them like they don’t exist; to you, the only “real” Star Wars fans are the crybabies who remember Episode IV when it first came out in theaters and won’t accept the film series unless it’s a play by play of Episode IV and V thematically and visually, which is what you’re going to get with VII. Please realize you’re not the only one who had a childhood on this forum.
The hate is swelling in you now. Give in to your anger. With each passing moment you make yourself more my servant.
whenever you can’t think of a rebuttal, resort to quoting from the movies. It’s worked before, I guess you can retry that old trick.
What’s the point of providing a legitimate response to a comment made by an obvious hate monger?
“What I hate most about you OT diehards is…”
Exactly. +1000
By the way, I only quote the Emperor as my way of saying “you’re not being taken seriously because your statement has little to no substance.”
Sorry Max but you are delusional. You PT fan complain tht Disney seems to only care about appeasing OT fans and then turn around an say that an entire generation loved the PT. if that’s true why would Disney not be trying to win over all those fans. The simple answer that you PT fans can’t admit is that Disney knows how to make money the fact that they are pitching these movies connection to the OT and not The Pt is because the Ot are loved and and the Pt are not.
This has nothing to do with the PT being good or bad. The ST will be about the OT’s main characters, and completely brand-new people. In-universe, the PT’s main characters are all dead by now. So it makes all the sense in the world that Disney’s using the OT as their main promotional/mktng. tool.
You are missing the point. The Pt fan is complaining that VII is being marketed to OT FANS. Why? Obviously the story follows after the OT but that’s not what the PT fan complains about. So why would Disney be snubbing PT fans. Simple because they are a negligibly small group and trying to win them over would cost more fans than it would gain.
With all due respect, if the point is delving into a petty argument between fans of this or that SW trilogy, then I couldn’t care less if I missed it.
My point is about marketing and promotional tools and devices. Because again, that’s the reason why Disney’s using the OT to promote the ST.
It’s not the aftermath of the Clone Wars, the Jedi Purge, the demise of the Republic and the rise of the Empire that will be resolved in the ST.
All of that’s already been resolved in the OT, precisely. It’s the aftermath of the Galactic Civil War that needs, and will get closure, in the ST.
This is a rather basic fact, and it’s not about being a fan of the OT or PT. It’s simple and mere common sense.
Why would they go back to referencing the prequels when this is a SEQUEL trilogy anyway?
That’s preposterous.
My point exactly in the comment right above yours.
I’d give you a like, but for some reason the “like” button doesn’t work for me.
Same here. I think it may be the little lightsaber icon that’s inhibiting us from liking comments. Perhaps trying a different browser will suffice.
I liked the comment for you.
I have always loved you Duke.
So how about a game of tummy sticks?
No offense but u pT fans are dense. I repeat pt fans complain they are being snubbed. Why would an enormously successful company like Disney that obviously knows how to make money snub a fan base if it was as large as u PT fans seem to think it is?
Really Hundo? Cause the fact that you can’t see how funny and pathetic you are is the soul reason I love you so dearly.
What I hate about PT fans is that they are mad at the rest of the world for hating the sh*tty movies they like.
THIS. A THOUSAND TIMES THIS.
What I hate about PT haters is the fact, that they can not see how funny and pathetic they are.
They are living in their imaginary world in which OT is center of the universe.
While you wrap yourself up in the fabricated idea that the PT is actually widely appreciated by Star Wars fans above the originals… Keep telling yourself that, buddy.
The OT is the core of the entire saga and the Star Wars universe. Everything else is inferior.
I don’t think you realize that fans of the OT really wanted the PT to be good. Unfortunately for us all, Lucas fell far short of the mark of making the PT good movies. If the sequels resemble the quality of film making as the OT, then I believe you will realize just how crappy the PT really is.
Speak for yourself.
PT are not good movies, I agree. They are great movies.
You’re Blinded with OT idealizations.
OT fanatics wanted an exact copy of the OT.
And I’am glad that PT is different.
And you must be just blind to not see the weakness of the PT. Actually, strike that. You must be deaf to not hear the weakness of the PT, most notably the awful dialogue. The “visual” is actually the PT’s biggest strength.
Star Wars Episode 2 was a bad movie if you can’t get that you have terrible taste if you think its great.
Wrong on all accounts.
Fans of the OT (myself included) wanted the PT to be something it could never be: perfect.
Then again, meeting the expectations that I clearly remember everyone had by the time Ep. I came out was impossible.
Lucas did not fall short of anything. SW is his vision, after all. You can like/dislike a creative mastermind’s vision, but you have to respect it. If you like it, enjoy it. If you don’t, move on to other things that might be more to your liking.
The main problem most OT fans have with Lucas’s vision was that we were old enough to imagine our own versions of the PT, even long before the films came out.
In the end, the PT just didn’t happen to meet most people’s personal versions of the fall of Anakin, the Republic and the Jedi. Again, that was impossible.
Now, are the prequels the best films ever? Certainly not. Is the PT as good as the OT? No. But the PT isn’t nearly as bad as you bashers make it out to be either, only because Lucas went in a different direction to what most of us had in mind since ’83.
Problem is most of you forgot the most important thing about SW: looking at it through the eyes of a kid.
You all went to the theater expecting to enjoy a trilogy of kid flicks through the eyes of an adult.
Those of us who did look at them for what they were, have no problem with the PT. Obviously, those who were kids themselves at the time, love the PT. And the PT generation is as entitled to their feelings and opinion of their films, as we OT fans feel about ours.
“Wrong on all accounts”. You said yourself that you wanted the movie to be perfect. Other reasonable fans just wanted good movies that they could enjoy watching, and feel like “That was a really good movie,” not “Well, hopefully the next one will be better”.
The PT are great movies? A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back were on the AFI 100 list for top movies of all time. That list includes classics like Gone with the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, and The Maltese Falcon. You are trying to make the argument that the OT are generational films, but in reality they are timeless.
Truth.
The prequels had good and bad qualities. Other than some overuse of cgi like the clones, Jar Jar, and Yoda looking completely different, I thought they looked beautiful. I really liked Qui Gon, and Darth Maul as well.
The real problems were the terrible actors who were cast to play the most important character in the saga, and Lucas’ god awful writing and directing. Some of the worst dialogue and timing in movie history. Absolutely cringe-worthy.
I was pretty embarrassed after dragging my adult friends to the midnight premiere of episode 1.
The fact that Lucas will have little to do with the ST has me genuinely excited for these films, as the less involved he was with the actors and writing, the better the film turned out to be.
I feel like I’ve been waiting 30 years for the movies we’re about to see…Oh shit! I have
This here illustrates the principal difference between fans of the OT and PT. OT fans insult the PT MOVIES, while PT fans insult OT FANS, apparently for the mis-perception that they are all old. I am profoundly insulted by the insinuation that as someone who saw ANH in the theater when I was 7 years old that I am now ancient (at only 44 years). Have a little respect. If it weren’t for the original OT fans, there would not have been any more Star Wars after ANH for you to enjoy, as misguided as you may be, anyway.
To be clear, my post here followed a series of “Just die already old OT fan, die” type posts that were subsequently deleted. Just to give a little context.
I don’t like this company-wide indoctrination going on. It seems like every person associated with the production of VII, whether they are an actor, director, or screenwriter, says the same thing: “we hate CGI, we love practical effects, we honor the old movies, we hate the new ones…” because it’s what the old-school fanboys want to hear. The way they diss Episode I-III is sickening. If they really wanted to please 70s-80s fanboys and turn their eyes away from the kids who grew up in the 90s and 00s, they should just un-canonize I-III and get it over with. Because I know that’s what they want.
Disney/Lucasfilm should set aside nostalgia and actually appeal to the audiences growing up in the year 2014/2015. Imagine if George Lucas played it safe back in 1977? Star Wars would not have been as memorable or original as it was.
You have a short memory because Lucas and the PT fans took shots at the OOT all during the PT era.
George Lucas constantly updating the films in 1997 SE, 2004 DVD’s and 2011 BluRays, and then saying those versions don’t exist anymore in 2003, and then doing a 180 and releasing them on DVD in 2006, but with a crappy transfer.
Or all the PT fans on TFN chiding the OOT fans for years saying, “The effects in those movies are outdated, I would never let my kids watch those versions as they have only seen the SE.” Or buying Lucas BS that the OT movies were never about Luke, as it was written to be the Tragedy of Darth Vader even back in 1977.
If Lucas would have released the OOT on DVD and Bluray equal to the SE transfer, he never would have split the fanbase. But Lucas CREATED the OOT fanbase, and now the movies are being catered to us, and YOU guys are the ones whining. I love the irony!!!
I wonder when we’re actually going to get news about Episode VII and not just fanboy kiss-ass comments saying how great practical effects are.
I’m sure practical effects are great, but how about the film’s plot? Characters? Casting? Title?
This article is entitled “Peter Mayhew Talks Star Wars: Episode 7.” Practice some patience, pipsqueak.
Dat alliteration.
Yeah, audiences are getting tired of CG. is that why there’s so many hit movies with CG in it?
Wake me up when there’s some real news about Star Wars VII, not these re-re-re-re-re-re-re-reaffirmations that the film will use practical effects.
Yes. Audiences are indeed getting tired of CG. That’s absolutely correct. Your point about there being hit movies containing CG has nothing to do with debunking that fact.
I don’t think anyone is specifically getting tired of CGI movies. They just use that as a bases of complaint when the real problem in my opinion is that everyone is trying crap marketing ploys to reboot every hit from the 60’s to early 90’s that could have benefited largely from modern day effects and film making. Like robo-cop, ninja turtles, and any epic from Greek mythos to every vampire movie, werewolf movie, and grand scaled disaster flick.
Even if they’re not trying to reboot said franchise, they’re all trying to top classics and classic formulas. Like science fiction, post apocalyptic periods and any grandiose movie type possible. Which usually just results in a over the top less than stellar movie of version of the original. They’re all trying to be marvel studios, and they just don’t have the right in. And by marvel studios I simply mean, they wanna make these huge hit, sci-fi, action epics, that they can’t pull off. Don’t blame the CGI cause it’s finally getting GOOD. Blame the studios all trying to niche the next nerd market.
And furthermore, I think why the PT trilogy fans (myself included at least not episode 2) are all worried and upset, is that we hope they don’t simply ditch out every good thing from the PT, go back to a movie that resembles episode 4 just cause they don’t wanna make the same mistake Lucas did. Which would be a wrong way to do it in my eyes. But I feel like that’s the main concern. Going overboard with practical effects, cruddy frame rate (35mm with only 30fps instead of 60) and slow light saber fights. God I know that last comment will start an uproar from people, but some of the light saber fights in the PT were just simply badass.
I totally agree, they don’t shut up about these practical elements. When really, there probably won’t be a big contrast with SW7 and any other modern big effects movie. Think The Hobbit, or Planet of the Apes. Both take place in fictitious worlds, and include CG characters. Yet, both use real locations, props, and costumes, combined with substantial CG. Both look great, and I hope SW7 will be no different. You need beautiful CG visuals nowadays to compete with what’s out there.
By the way people hate the now deceased eu also.
I love it when people refer to themselves as “the audience” or “everyone.” It doesn’t at all reek of false-consensus bias. If only there were a way of thinking what the general public thinks… like, maybe, ratings on a movie Web site, like an internet movie database. Or, better yet, like a scientifically conducted poll, done by a large polling company http://www.gallup.com/poll/3757/public-gives-latest-star-wars-installment-positive-rave-reviews.aspx
Anyway, Mr Mayhew is the man. But I wish I had his optimism about this being “the best Star Wars film,” and his mention that the film “will utilize no, or very little, computer generated effects and will instead be very practical” is worrisome.
Doesn’t need to be “practicle”, just needs to be good.
The dialogue doesn’t need to be understandable, it just needs to be a decent volume.
*practical
jesus, it’s written correctly all over the article and comments
Its so ironic to hear PT fans complain as they were the ones shouting everyone down during the PT days. You argued the saga was always 1-6 and the story of Darth Vader and there was never going to be an ST as you would talk as everything Lucas said was the law. And he turns around and sells SW to Disney and is an advisor on the ST and goes against EVERYTHING you preached for 15 years! The story is 1-9 now and the Tragedy of Darth Vader is so 10 years ago!
First: all of boys 15-20 I know prefer PT over OT. My 15yo cousin´s son told me his favourite episode is Attack of the Clones. We 40´s love the OT because we´w been kids at the time, because of nostalgia. Same with the next generation…
Second: CGI – CGI is not a priori bad. It can be done well (Avatar). The point is that the right CGI is the one you CAN´T see or, in other words – your brain won´t tell you Beware! CGI happening on screen! Those who doesn´t like CGI in fact doesn t like bad CGI. And that happens most of the time. When you see Desolation of Smaug you see lots of bad CGI (which is not the basic thing that ruins this film)…same with PT – there are good CGI and bad ones. The decision of making the clones cgi was…well…not enough considering the level of CGI in 2000…so CGI is good, if it´s good, which mostly is not 🙂
I have yet to meet ANYONE in real life who prefers the PT over the OT. I know people who like the PT (like myself) but nobody who prefers it. Even my nephews and their friends say ‘Episode 4 & 5’ are the best as they call them by episode #’s.
You are living in the basement, if you’ve never met someone who prefers the PT in real life.
Trust me I would LOVE to meet someone who prefers the PT over the OT. And I am not talking about a kid, I’m talking about an adult as I would love to pick his brain on what he likes more about the PT then the OT. I’m being serious as it would be fascinating, because I seriously have never met anyone like that.
So his cousin’s son’s half-brother’s best friend’s next door neighbor likes the Prequels more then the Originals?
LOL!
“I think my lightsaber is bigger than yours little Annie! Tee- Hee!”
I’m under 30 and i have a strong dislike for the prequel trilogy, but about 45 % of the dislike is because of Attack Of The Clones.
Well, i dislike 1&3, but i do hate 2.
It seems like every time someone confirms the ST will be practical effects the pro-fake-looking-cgi trolls go on their hissy fit spree. I can’t wait till all you guys see how Star Wars was supposed to look. VII’s going to obliterate the Prequels in every way imaginable!
Totally agree! The difference I am noticing about the ST Bashers (PT lovers) and PT Bashers (OT lovers) is that the PT bashers WANTED the movies to be great, and never blasted them until AFTER they came out. The ST bashers are already complaining about a movie they haven’t seen yet! The OT fans have been consistent for each movie with the PT & ST: We get excited, and hope and blends nicely with the OT movies, and if it doesn’t, then we will criticize. The ST bashers are complaining because they heard a few details that it won’t look like their precious PT?
Yeah totally! Here’s the thing… I’m sure the spin offs will be CGI fests… so PT-ers still get their fake fix (as if the modern film industry isn’t saturated by that enough). But when we want our OT fix we are just a bunch of old farts who are stuck in the past.
PT BASHERS: You were the Chosen One, PT! You were supposed to unite the fanbase, not divide it! You were suppose to enlighten the next generation, not leave it in darkness!
PT FANBOYS: I HATE YOU!!!!
PT BASHERS: You were like a brother to me, PT! I loved you.
PT FANBOYS: AHHHH!!! I’M BURNING!!!! OH, MY FLESH IS CONSUMED IN HATRED AND AGONY!!!
PT BASHERS: I… I loved you, PT. Well. There’s still the OT. Bye-bye.
> Implying that the PT fans are the ones that caused the divide.
I don’t think so.
No, George Lucas caused the divide. He is the true failed Chosen One. He was supposed bring balance to the Force. Hopefully, his story treatments for Episodes VII + will redeem him…
I think that both sides of fans need to get their heads outta their asses. And by both sides I mean those who hate the PT or those that don’t. What it comes down to with CGI is simple, you either have to use it for a certain shot, or character, or not. There is ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with using CGI. It’s whether the movie is good, and looks good or not. With the frame and bit rates in computers now, CGI is getting more and more realistic.
The use of Mo-cap is also a GREAT thing. Now. It adds an actors portrayal not just someone building a model up and tweaking facial expressions. Cause face it, that’s hard as HELL to do perfect. To me it sounds like this production is doing what most are starting to lean to…as much on location as feasibly possible, mixed with cgi compliments. Cause let’s face it, when doing things set outside this earth, there’s going to be cgi. Especially for little nuances that just aren’t quite there even if shooting on location.
So the argument of “every movie is littered with cgi now, waaaaahhh, why can’t we just have all real locations and puppets??”, because you ignorant fools this isn’t 1977. They want to create new stories. New characters. New drama and that just might need cgi. And furthermore to any fool whining about how CGI looks like a video game (maybe Lucas was too bold, but he tried, the tech just wasn’t quite there, and he went overboard, lesson learned) go watch guardians of the galaxy!!! Or dawn of the planet of the apes. The apes, groot, rocket, and every bit of those movies look INCREDIBLE.
Trust me when I say this, I used to hate cgi cause to me it was obvious I was watching a computer generated character. But the use of mocap, and how much CGI has improved, I never once felt that I was looking at fake apes, raccoons or giant trees. Because the production, quality, and the actors emotions were there.
If you hate CGI THAT MUCH, it’s time to stop bitching, and simply go watch indie films at your locally owned theater. Cause it’s not going to change. The model and mixture will simply get better and better. Sounds like most people who whine about CGI in movies need to take their head outta their ass, and realize THEY ARE STILL JUST MOVIES, here to wow us and take us out of how mundane real life can be. Give me light saber battles every second, blaster fire, big ass star ships, and little green yodas flipping around all day compared to a movie that’s as “realistic” to earth ground life as possible!! This is fantasy, fucking have an imagination!
I agree with you that if CGI is used to enhance the movie, I don’t think anyone would have a problem with it. As I stated earlier in this thread, the T-1000 Robert Patrick CGI enhancements are GREAT in T2.
My biggest beef with CGI is it has sacrificed the story and characters, because the directors think the effects are more important.
We can debate all day about the CGI in the Prequels, but the bottomline is the reason the Trilogy doesn’t work for the Bashers is simply they dont care about the characters, other then maybe Obiwan.
Hayden Christenson never clicked with many fans, now was it because of his acting? Lucas’s script? Or Lucas idea of how Anakin Skywalker should be as a teenager? Thats another debate…
Padme was a bland character who again didn’t click with many who didn’t like the Trilogy. Many of us never understood her motivations for falling in love with this guy who admits to slaughtering a bunch of sandpeople, along with the women…the children too!
So when Anakin & Padme’s lives turn tragic, nobody really cared! The Anakin/Obiwan fight on Mustafar should have been like Luke and Han fighting, as you would be torn because you love those characters, and wouldn’t want to see anyone win. But I guarantee most people were happy when Obiwan finally put Anakin out of his misery.
So yes, the CGI is overrated because the story and characters will be the make it or break it for most fans. But I still contend the advent of CGI is when summer blockbusters quality dropped. In the 1980’s, you HAD to have an interesting story because you couldn’t sell dazzling effects to the public in trailers, where now you can sell a crappy movie like Independence Day by blowing up the White House, and it makes millions. And 18 years later, does anyone really care about Indepedence Day?
Darth Rybo… I agree the Guardians of the Galaxy CGI for characters was very good… but the ships still looked sorta fake… like that huge army of fighters at the end of the movie.
“because you ignorant fools this isn’t 1977.”
Well you are aware Episode VII will use puppets. Take your own advice… get over it, get your head out of your ass. Episode VII will use puppets… well mechanical at least.
Hopefully VII will set a new standard for production, that practical with accented CGI will be the best way to go from now on. I think the CGI fest that was 2000-2015 will be what marks that era as “dated”. Sort of like how uber reverb on snare drums was the signature of the 80’s. Lets move on, CGI only had it’s run.
The PT fans have their panties in a bunch because they are now being treated like the OT fans were from 1997-2013.
It annoys me to see how hardcore OT fans feel like they were being ‘persecuted’ against by Lucas. “Oh no, Greedo shot at Han. The franchise has been tainted forever. George Lucas hates me.” It just comes across as being entitled.
And, in all honesty, the film will probably have a lot of digital work in it in the end – particularly the stuff in space. It’s no big deal.
It has nothing to do with the changes, it has to do with Lucas NOT releasing the OOT in the same quality as the SE.
NOBODY would care about the SE, if Lucas released the OOT with it in every release. Lord of the Rings, T2, ET, Bladerunner all have EVERY version when you buy them on DVD or BluRay.
That is why I say that Lucas created this rift in the fanbase by dividing fans when he released only certain versions of the Original movies.
EXACTLY! He had it out for the fans… just look at the release that used the Laserdisc transfer of OOT… Lucasfilm seriously couldn’t pay for a better transfer? (though thankfully it looks like we’ll be getting a 4k transfer of the OOT… something the last 2 prequels won’t beable to do since filmed in 1080 p :/ So maybe our years of misery living with the revised edition will not be in vain?)
There’s also what Lucas said in response to fan’s reactions to episode I, basically saying that we just don’t get it anymore. If I remember right he said something along the lines of “if the fans want to see Terminator then they can go watch Cameron” or something along those lines. He had it out for his dedicated fan base, though since he worked in his critic-free bubble he probably wasn’t aware of why.
To be fair he did acknowledge that complaint a bit with toning down Jar Jar, but the damage had already been done. And then we got grains of sand and Darth Vader “nooooooooooooooooooooooo!”. So not all is forgiven!
Speaking of which… since Lucas is such a nice guy, anyone recall his treatment of David Prowse?
Oh man they haven’t even gotten a taste as far as I’m concerned… because it’s not George doing it to them… it’s JJ. We had to have our own childhood hero rip our hearts out… I loooooooooved George Lucas when I was a kid! I remember doing a big presentation about him in high school.
Me too, i also did a presentation on George Lucas & the original Star Wars Films.
I’m certain all the flying in space stuff will be CGI models, I highly doubt they will film models against blue screen. Computer monitors etc will be CGI. And I’m sure they will film some scenes for whatever reason against green screen. Basically anything that once required matte paintings and things to be added in later like training balls will be CGI effects. P.S don’t forget light sabres and laser blasts will be CGI
Even the Prequels used ship models haha!
Lies! Those lightsabers and blastera are real in the OT but fake in the PT.
Everyone knows this.
I’m not sure how the laser effects in the OT were created but the light saber was overexposed film with rotoscoping I think.
this post is spot on and needs to be quoted a million times, took the words right out of my mouth “That’s because the OT fans aren’t complete fucktards and are not completely ignorant to the truth, they actually value the fuckin story and the characters and aren’t blinded and misguided by special effects to not see every hole in every corner of every scene in the PT story.
Go watch the scene when Anakin becomes Darth Vader,( one of the most anticipated scenes in film history, that turned into one of the most disappointing scenes ever filmed) and then come here and talk smack about the OT.lol No matter what your opinion is of them..it don’t stop the fact that pretty much the whole population of earth laugh at the PT fans. The fact that they are gearing the new movies towards the original should tell you that…and the fact that George lucas retired and admitted he fucked up, should probably open your eyes a lil as well. From the first scene in episode 1 to the last scene in episode 3 was nothing but a clusterfuck of contradiction and confusion. and I hope the rumors about Disney remaking all three of them are true. Lucas didn’t give a rats ass about those movies, and it is very obvious that he just shit the stories out over night like a damn tv episode. those films were nothing more than tools for him to promote his new technology to sell to other companies. He didn’t make the special editions of the OT because he wanted to fix what he thought was wrong with those films..he did it only to have an excuse to re- release them, use the money off of the SE’s so he could make the PT, cash in on the CGI after every movie company in the world used it. retire and sell all of it for billions, as he laughs at your stupid ass all the way to the bank and on the way to the Bahamas….”ITS A TRAP” yes that’s right..and u fell for it hook line and sinker. No matter how much you PT and EU fans whine and cry, it will never stop the inevitable.good always conquers evil. Star wars has been saved, and peace has been restored to the REAL star wars galaxy.and there is nothing you can do about it, and it wont be stopped. This is going down, so you might as well make peace with it. Thank god for Kathleen Kennedy and J.J Abrams. …while every PT fan on earth cried out in terror as Lucas made the big announcement to step down. the OT fans made a sigh of relief that caused a Tsunami. You can reference the scene in Ace Ventura: when nature calls, where he leaves the ashram and the monks are partying and celebrating his departure as pretty much what it was like to the people who know the truth. (THE WHOLE WORLD) …well…besides the few mindless philosophies he left behind, stick that into your computer generated hopscotching, backflipping,cartwheeling yoda and smoke it.”
Keep in mind it’s only 1 film that’s confirmed not to be a CGI fest… those PT people might get what they want in 8 since the looper director said the prequels were “beautiful”. 8, 9, and spin-offs I guess we’ll see if they go back to fake looking CGI. Just ffs leave us OT people alone and let us have one realistic looking movie.
Some of the complaints about the PT are just so over the top.
Namely that it looks like a different universe than the OT. Well, there’s a reason for that. In the PT, Lucas wanted to give the feel of a galaxy that had been at peace for a long time, and wasn’t a military industrial complex. He likened it to the 1950s….smooth, sleek, almost whimsical in design. Contrast that to the OT, which was a universe oppressed by nearly 3 decades of war and “human supremacy.” Things looked lived in because they were, it was a dirtier, less whimsical time…just like the late 70s and early 80s….hmmm imagine that.
Was the execution perfect? No. Primarily because Lucas had fallen out of touch with the world in the decade in between The Last Crusade and The Phantom Menace. Was the acting bad? Well…it was…uninspired…even people that have since proven to be phenomenal actors were handicapped by Lucas’ words and poor ability to direct his actors.
So yeah, there were problems, but if you can let go of your hate and come to terms with it, you can relax and enjoy.
That is reasonable, but I do think the “look” complaint is extremely legitimate. The PT stuff looks like it’s more high tech than the OT; I think they could have done a better job of 50’s-iffying the SW universe without making the sleekness look modern if you know what I mean.Something was off, and it wasn’t the fault of the art department.