Updated with Ford’s Appearance on Live with Kelly and Michael. Harrison Ford Has Seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens and thinks “It’s a Wonderful Movie”
Harrison Ford was on Good Morning America today and while discussing the growth of Han Solo as a character and refusing to take the interviewer’s bait to reveal any new information about the movie, he did reveal that he has seen the film and had this to say about the experience of seeing it on the big screen.
“It was great. It’s a wonderful movie, it’s got great production values. It’s a real big movie and I was delighted to see it.”
Ford was in his best and most fun cranky old man form, but still managed to lay that praise on the new film while also discussing Han Solo, dismissing any knowledge of Facebook relationship statuses, and talking about the desire to do another Indiana Jones film. Check out the entire interview below.
Update!
Harrison Ford also appeared on “Live with Kelly and Michael” today. The actor talked in greater details about the 2 accidents he’s been part of from the past year:
Dayum! The man looks good! Be still my Han Solo loving heart!
You know what makes it even better? He steadfastly refuses to do anything stupid like dye his hair, get plastic surgery, or make any other attempt to pretend to be younger than he is. In stark contrast to a LOT of Hollywood, that’s JUST how good Harrison is looking into his freaking SEVENTIES. Awesome.
Harrison Ford says it’s a great script. Very reassuring!
Must have missed that – he said ‘great production values’ and that it’s ‘a really big movie’. Now, I refuse to believe or read much into ANYTHING anyone involved says leading up to release, but if I WAS to read into that, it sounds like a big, loud, expensive-looking movie that as dumb as a sack of hammers. You know – a JJ Abrams joint.
While I think (hope) it will be more than that, I also read the same thing into his comments. When you start talking about production values in the second sentence of your description of a film, that means it’s all flash and no substance. Basically, the Prequels. I’m choosing to stay positive and remember that this is Harrison Ford. He’s not exactly known for ringing endorsements or enthusiasm, especially in interviews. lol
Having been there as a ’77 original fan in ’99, yeah, pretty much I’m doing my best to temper expectations this time around, while still HOPING for a good film.
I too kind of hear this
I would ask you to at least consider the possibility that Ford’s comments may be effusive because he really wants to avoid saying anything related to the plot. Focusing on scope and production value is consistent with what Disney/JJ have said all along.
I have rarely ever agreed with you: on this point I agree. I hope you are wrong. Either way we find out in 17 days.
Oh, don’t get me wrong, please. I sincerley hope I’m wrong too – all I want is an awesome SW movie to share with my kids. Unlike some very peculiar people you meet on the internet, I take no pleasure in hating stuff for hate’s sake.
He said “great script” about when he was asked why he made his fourth appearance in Star Wars, not about what he thought after seeing it (that was the “production values” part).
per jj abrams himself – the big three were all on board before a script. It was the money. Doesn’t mean he wasn’t being honest about the movie though.
Well, to be fair, they were onboard with a Lucas script, not before whatever we ended up with as a shooting script.
and to be fair as well – Disney abandoned that Lucas Script.
I love this guy!
Harrison does look amazing for 70 something. As far as the movie being amazing and wonderful, I will reserve any expectations until I see it in the theater. But damm some of those trailer look good.
No doubts there is going to be some stunning action sequences in the film. Now, the fact that the trailers have generally avoided both story and performances could be read exactly two different ways. I know which one I’m hoping it is, but with Disney telling everyone to lower their expectations, I have this nagging worry it may be the second. Ah well, got our tickets for me and my kids for the Saturday show, so we’ll find out soon enough!
Is Disney asking people to lower their expectations regarding the film or box office?
I’ve only heard it being for the box office.
Lower expectations? Link to Disney doing so please?
They meant to lower expectations in terms of the box office, not in terms of the quality of the film.
The lady interviewing him seemed to actually care about seeing the new film. Did not expect that from a GMA host. I guess that guess to show just how diverse the fandom is
Even though I might get flack for saying this too early, Star Wars: The Force Awakens does indeed brought the franchise to a new age of itself, one where it will stand the tests of time if the recent negotiations and interviews seem any indication. Star Wars will be destined to be the James Bond of America…Geddit?
You felt that the franchise was in danger of not standing the test of time prior to the Disney acquisition? Erm…okay.
I think he means it looks to be an enduring, ongoing, popular and good-quality series like the Avengers is showing itself to be.
Thanks for your understanding!
Oi. Please no. Avengers 1 was pointless fank-wankery, and 2 was an unfocussed mess of a story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1xAUfdK9FE
Not quite.
“It was great. It’s a wonderful movie, it’s got great production values. It’s a real big movie and I was delighted to see myself being killed off at the end.”
“The only thing that would have made it better is if I’d had a chance to see Mark on set at the same time, at least once.”
.
🙂
“Or have James Earl Jones dub my “I am your father” part right before Kylo kills me. He did a wonderful job in Empire and deserves a credit”
honestly, they only way Indy 5 can happen is with Lucas/Kasdan script, and I think if TFA proves sucessful enough both Disney and George will greenlit it.
Harrison says his story is more complex. that means kylo or someone else is his kid. something emotional invested is out there making things “complex”
“It was great. It’s a wonderful movie, it’s got great production values. It’s a real big movie and I was delighted to see it.”
Coming from Harrison Ford, that’s good enough for me.
It’s as good as Simon Cowell saying “Eh, well you’re not AWFUL…”
Agreed. Guess we shall see in 17 days!
Simon Cowell and Harrison Ford mentioned in the same sentence, must be a world’s first,
“Great” and “Wonderful” is the same as “not AWFUL”. Step away from the razor blade.
It was a reference to Simon’s reputation of hating absolutely everything. Him saying “not awful” is a huge compliment in that context.
Oh I see. You must excuse me. I know very little about Simon Cowell.
All you need to know is that he hates everything with a passion. Everything.
Got you.
That was a big red flag. All he has to say is that “it’s got great production values”? He makes it look like a movie that’s all about special affects. You know, like the prequels.
Have you listened to the whole interview ?
– So what convinced you to come back for no4 ?
– A really good script…
*nods solemnly*
$$$cript
I agree, that line taken out of context worried me quite a bit. Sounds like a very political way of complementing a bad movie (heck you could say transformers 4 has “great production values”), but honestly I think from the full interview that he really did enjoy the movie. I think he is just getting a litter tired of always talking about it, so he is reverting back to more the the standard actor responses.
While I stand by my statement above about the Ford not going over board regardless of his thoughts, after watching his statements back 4 or 5 times I have to say from his facial expressions and his words, I dont think he was particularly taken in by the movie. His “got great production value” comment says a lot, and his “big movie” says a lot. Like he is saying “its got lots of explosions and big shots….but…”. He could have said “its really really good.” Or “I thought it was great!”. His reaction is a bit cold. Guess we will have to wait and see. Im going regardless and so are you.
didnt Spielberg say the same thing yesterday? abou the “biggest” movie? I hate to be right this time around but this is truly worrying
Ford wasn’t all that taken with the originals either. Those worked out pretty well
Harrison Ford is notoriously laid back in Hollywood. I wouldn’t read too much into it.
I dont get it? What was he supposed to say? Some people here wanted him to say something dramatic like “greatest movie ever! My God!”. He isnt going to say that, even if he thought that. There is bound to be people disappointed regardless of the movies quality. Its the nature of the beast. Then those people will cat call him and call him out for the rest of his career saying “well he said TFA was greatest ever so….”. His words are re-assuring enough for me. Besides, in 17 days I get to decide for myself. Ford could have said “I guess its alright”. You would still be going to see it 17 days from now, and so would I.
That’s exactly the point – pre-release, what is anyone expecting ANYONE involved to say? “It’s shit, please don’t drop any cash on tickets because I really don’t need any of those back-end points.”? For me, the reason for posting was to counter the constant reading of non-commital-to-good comments from stakeholders as meaning this is going to be “teh bezt Stars War evah!!!!!”. All of this stuff, from the ‘Berg, to Ford, to JJ, to Disney – all of ’em across the board, is TOTALLY meaningless until after the thing has made its money and left the theaters.
He still looks so handsome!
Some of you whine worse than Anakin. Waaaa Waaaa Waaa suck your thumb and go see TFA in a few weeks.
I recall a bunch of people like you in the lead up to TPM – going to be the best movie ever, SW will own the world, George is a genius! It was funny, in an odd sort of way, to watch them instantly turn into the biggest bunch of whiny bitches the internet has ever seen.
Yeah, and I’m sure you were one of those people too.
They didn’t instantly turn into whiny babies either, it took a few months for the general consensus to dictate their opinion and that’s when all of the Star Wars fans realized that perhaps it wasn’t as good as they thought.
6 days, 7 nights had good production values too, amirite?
Can you also quote where he said “it was great. It’s a wonderful movie”?
Want to delve into his pre and post release comments on KotCS? The man is a true professional, and has always been quite upfront with the fact that his job before release is to do the press and say good things about his films. Once they’ve had their theatrical runs, he’s more frank.
Just maybe, he actually really enjoyed it.
I love 6 days 7 nights and still waiting for the bluray release. It´s one of the last true adventure movies out there..
This article still needs some editing. I see at least two instances where “big” hasn’t yet been changed to “great.”
What you’re doing is the Twitter equivalent of sub-tweeting 😉
So long as at least one person got it, I’m a happy man.
🙂
Glad everyone appears to like it. This has zero effect on me… Maybe if Simon Pegg came out and was like… wow I loved it. Kevin Smith liking it gave me some hope but it’ll always boil down to my own feelings after I’ve seen it.
It doesn’t seem possible at this point for it to be bad but there is still a chance! My gut says at worst… it’ll just be ok. Which is fine by me at this point. I’ll take it! 😛
exactly. Anythings possible, but I feel like the WORST this movie could be is average, even if JJ plays it “safe” with this movie.
Kevin already saw it, he said as much when the trailer came out and he discusses the trailer on fatman on batman. But he has no doubt about this movie breaking all records.
“As an actor, I think it’s my obligation to support the film without
making a complete ass of myself,” the 68-year-old actor adds.”
(Harrison on Indy 4 and Shia, Eonline)
Anyone who trusts the opinion of someone “obligated” to say nice things is making a complete ass of themselves.
I know everyone made a big fuss about how happy he is and all that but in this interview it seemed like he was just going through the motions. He has to do this. Maybe hes tired of promoting it which is possible but it’s obvious he would say nice things about the movie regardless of how he truly felt.
What more was he supposed to do?
I didn’t say he had to do more than what hes doing. Hes doing what he has to, and the smart thing to do. I just said it seems like hes going through the motions at this point because hes probably tired of promoting the movie.
I’d love to see his reactions to the PT. Someone should get him to record a commentary track for all the prequels in character as Han.
YES!
Ian McDiarmid too as Darth Sidious. Their griping would be hilarious.
I was pretty optimistic about TFA until John Boyega came out saying he was hesitant about how fans would react to it and Kathleen Kennedy started talking about the movie ending with a “force back”. That really scared me ! I guess Daisy Ridley’s comments on her “wooden acting” are a cause for some concern too, but not so much as the two aforementioned interviews. As for Harrison Ford’s and Steven Spielberg’s opinions, I take them with a bucket of salt.
The force back was end of shooting not the Movie. Daisy’s comments are JJ saying she was wooden…. on her first day. Him first day of a huge movie and you’ve all of no big roles… I would bet she was nervous. If you read on she says she relaxed. John worrying about how fans react…. just about EVERY actor does this at some point. Not an indication on the how the film will play out.
Nobody should be paying attention to what these people think about their own work(positive or negative) until years go by and they are no longer obligated to promote it.
As a director, It’s JJ’s job to direct, teach, guide and lead! Just because he told Daisy on the first day of shooting that she was wooden doesn’t mean she acted wooden the entire shoot! I’m fairly optimistic that she livened up a few notches after that critique……
Had JJ simply told Daisy they had enough practical effects on set, she prolly would’ve cracked a smile instead of freaking out.
That´s what I am telling: the movie gon be gud but I have a feeling that they shat on the story and/or on the Star Wars architecture (basic premises).
Wonderful movie. Ok. But Great Production value? Really Big? Not much of an endorsement. Maybe for a Michael
Bay or Roland emerich film.
Practical Effects.
Huh…you know some people are getting worked up about what Harrison said on GMA and taking that to meaning TFA is hollow. Yet look at the Michael & Kelly video and look how passionate Harrison is when he says he wants people to experience the movie NOT be told about it.
Lol I don’t think anyone expected him to say “This huge movie I have a major role in is just okay. The acting was decent but the direction and screenwriting were kinda iffy.”
This new trilogy is going to be it’s own thing. That scares some, but not me.
Change is inevitable. From George to JJ and Rian to Colin.
I hope most just enjoy the new trilogy for whatever it is and the new story Disney and Co. decided to share with us.
From Harrison’s comments to JJ’s, Boyega’s to Spielberg’s, it’s clear the film (through making it and seeing it) has moved them to share how they feel about it. That alone tells me this new film must be emotional, jaw-dropping, and one that will go down in history as a beloved (and most controversial so far) Star Wars film.
Now back to Battlefront….
I’m excited for the film based on what I have seen, not what people associated with the film have to say. I’ll only care what they think when they are talking about it years from now when they aren’t promoting their own work or longtime friends/collaborators work as Spielberg is doing with Kennedy/Abrams.
No doubt! To each his own.
he really has changed, damn. i mean he….smiles !!!
Not to be skeptical, but he said the same thing about Kingdom of the Crystal Skull…
for the record, Harrison Ford has NEVER praised a movie just because he is in it.The Force Awakens is probably the first movie he has praised in over a decade. He will usually just compliment the people he worked with and say he had a great experience. He did not say the same thing about Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as he did the Force Awakens, he said he was delighted to work with Steven and the woman who plays Marion again..you literally just made that up..lol…and honestly all you bandwagon rider’s hopping on the “Kingdom of the Crystal SKull was a horrible movie” train….get the f*&k over yourselves….Yes it wasn’t really a good Indiana Jones movie compared to the others….and that kid from the Transformers is a jackass….but that movie isn’t as bad as you people make it out to be. He has been in FAR WORSE movies than that….If it wasn’t an Indiana Jones movie most of you wouldnt say a bad thing about it and focus more on Ender’s game or SPace Cowboy’s…..which WERE actually horrible films.
Stop… Stop! My mouth is too full with the words you’re cramming in it!
First of all: That was not made up at all. Ford said years ago that he was proud to be a part of filming KOTCS and he would gladly come back for a 5th movie. Maybe he genuinely enjoyed it, I don’t know. That’s entirely up to him.
Second: There’s a difference between a band wagon and a common opinion. You can criticize people’s individual views all you want, it changes nothing. Just because you think differently than other people doesn’t make them wrong any more than it makes you right.
All I’m saying is there’s no need to go head over heels because an actor in a movie says that movie is good. No need to be cross about it.
It’s still merely an opinion, film is art, it’s subjective. I liked Indy 4, but that’s just an opinion. If you wanna go by reviews it got 78 percent good on rottentomatoes.com
regardless of what he said about any other film, i don’t understand why you or anyone else would doubt tfa SIMPLY because ford said he enjoyed working on indy 5. ford has also said in the past that he didn’t enjoy star wars at all, does that mean you’ll stop liking star wars? get a grip.
lol
Why do people hate on the Crystal Skull so much? I have seen it 4 times and enjoyed it every time. Indy had his old wit, and the story was cool, as was the adventure and action. No, I don’t like LaBleof but hey, he wasn’t that bad. Not as good as the #3 masterpiece, but close to the first one overall and definitely better than the Temple of Doom Stinker.
“Actor under contractual obligation to praise movie, praises movie. News at 11”
I know it’s unlikely he’ll be cast due to his inexperience and lack of name recognition but seeing Ingruber’s face next to Ford on here is really uncanny even out of costume.
It’s not like there is a long list of Harrison Ford lookalikes in Hollywood though or even sound alikes.
My future guess ranking of the films, just my personal don’t throw beer bottles at me:
ANH/ESB
ESB/ANH
ROTS
TFA
ROTJ
TPM
AOTC
at this point we should probably have two separate rankings: lucas and post lucas.
Not really its all Star Wars and they all form a singular story.
You certainly could rank them separately, but I think it will be difficult for two reasons. First, the post Lucas works include Lucas’ work as canon. So, discussing the overall narrative arcs will naturally blend (even if all parts don’t blend or make sense). Second, JJ, Kennedy, et al clearly have an affinity for the original trilogy and are trying to respectfully return to some of the OT’s characteristics. So, if successful, the post Lucas films might be great insofar as they connect well. To me, there will always be two questions: is a particular film good, and how well does it fit in the overarching narrative within the SW universe. With that in mind, my ranking is as follows:
ANH
ESB
ROTJ
TPM
ROTS
AOTC
No matter how TFA plays out, it will be hard to separate it from the bigger narrative simply by virtue of being post-Lucas.
i’m only talking about for comparison’s sake. the original six all sprang from lucas’ mind while the new ones are from an almost completely new team. its kinda like the new trek movies vs the old ones. same universe, but really different feel.
I do worry a bit about them straying from Lucas’ treatments. Yes, Lucas direction was bad in the PT and the focus totally on CGI and not on character development was a mistake, but the mythology was still spot on. People gloss over that because of the bad dialog and poor direction. But he did make a good story arc. (Never understand the hatred of the midi-Chlorians, I thought that was a great idea and very much embraced the Force all around us statement by Yoda.
BUT, despite my belief that this new film will finally give us a new Star Wars worth watching over and over, it may lose some of the gravity that Lucas’ mythology driven stories had. So while I am thinking we may get a very entertaining movie it might lack gravitas. But, JJ is great at creating interest and intrigue (C’mon, the LOST pilot was amazing) and Kasdan knows the mythology in his head from the earlier episodes, so maybe, just maybe this new episode can be a top 3.
Let’s just hope, and pray for the next 15 days.
That is my ranking too. Thought TPM is very close to ROTJ. The only reason it ROTJ wins is that it had the Emperors greatest scenes.
I told myself I would be skeptical of TFA till I saw it. I have avoided 95% of the spoilers and basically am going only on the trailers alone, but they look and feel like what I enjoyed in Star Wars.
So now I am getting my hopes up, but trying hard to temper them. If you expect little and it turns out to be really good, or dare we hope, great, it will be an awesome experience in the theater.
Exactly! I think all of the trailers give us reasons to believe that the film will have a really good look and feel. Most of the comments by JJ and Co point to respectful care of the material. It is natural to feel confident at this point. My feeling is that if the story is not good or the twists are controversial, you will still have an impressively constructed film which should easily rank well in the overall saga.
ROTS? You mean the movie where Annakin kills Younglings wholesale??
He hated them. Not only the men, but the women… and children too.
He also hated sand, which is coarse and irritating and gets everywhere.
just like my p3nis
I am sure TFA will be better than ROTS.
Thanks, ob1adobe! Try as I might, I just can’t quite guess where I will rank, TFA. Perhaps because I expect it to be dangerously high on the list. And that gives me pause for many reasons.
My version.
1. IV/VII
2. VII/IV
3. VI
4. III
5. II
6. I
7. V
Empire is last?
Gimme a break.
Sorry man, try not to take it personally. It’s last because, in my own eyes anyways, it was way too dark for a Star Wars movie in terms of plot advance, which is not my thing.
There’s a reason it’s called the dark side.
stop telling me how good the film is and take my dang money already!!
You haven’t given it yet?
New half an hour interview with JJ: http://www.aol.com/build/519288850/
Thanks, LadyMusashi! I thoroughly enjoyed this interview. I already liked JJ, but every time he talks, I am more confident that he was/is an excellent choice for the film.
14:50 Star Force strikes back!
He has more emotional context in this film than the previous movies? So I think an evil son qualifies for that.
Probably, but there is a ton of emotion in both of the big moments we have seen so far. “Chewie,we’re home” and “They’re true, all of them” both resonate quite well in the glimpses we have seen.
Whoever says “I’m not here to make friends” is full of shit.
^^ Harrison is living proof of the value of being a world-class friend in a large circle.
One thing that’s always awkward about these is that Harrison Ford is not, I think, the type that likes to talk about himself. He comes across as extremely non-self-centered, like talking about himself is actually uncomfortable – aggravated by the fact that he’s probably the most famous male on earth right now. There’s a lot to be admired in his value of others – which I always found more interesting than Han’s swagger anyways.
Stil can’t get over all the smiling and joking around. Good to see him enjoying his job again 😀
” It’s a wonderful movie, it’s got great production values. It’s a real big movie and I was delighted to see it”
Translated: The special effects are great, but it’s no Kubrick.
Cynical much?
Were the originals Kubrick?
Not his style but in terms of overall craftsmanship, writing, staging, lighting, etc, Empire Strikes Back is on the same level. ANH is pretty damn near perfect as well, save for some hammy scenes (trash compactor).
Still pretty subjective to the individual opinion.
Is anyone expecting it to be another Kubrik?
wow this is the most publicity hes gotten in years. hes having fun