Star Wars VIII Script Is "So Good", Abrams Wishes He Could Direct It

[Johnny Novgorod]

"Don't change the channel folks, we've got a great show tonight!"

 

[Fox12]

At no point have I ever been "impressed" with Abrams' work; he is a mediocre director who releases derivative work with virtually no originality and Ep. 7 is no exception. About as middle-of-the-road a movie as possible, nowhere near as poor as any of the prequels, barely scraping a c+ compared with any of the originals.
Thank god he's gone and someone with talent is taking the helm on the next one.

Yeah, J.J., I'm going to echo what other people have said. The Force Awakens was fun. It felt like Star Wars again, and I was super excited while I was watching it. It hit all the right beats and proved that Star Wars can be renewed and enjoyable.

But we need some risks in the next movie. We need more than just scene and script pulls from the originals. We need the next movie to feel like something new in the Star Wars universe, and not just a "welcome back!" movie. And honestly...I don't think Abrams can pull that off. He's good at making things blow up for sure, and that is a part of Star Wars, but there's also more to it, and I don't think he can get it there. I think keeping him on to help is a good choice, but from here on out, I'm don't think he would be a good choice to in charge. Star Wars needs to grow and do its own thing now, and his part in starting that is over.

yeah sorry I don't want risks I want a good movie and risks tend to not work well with star wars. More importantly while its the same formula as the original in my opinion the force awakens was better then a new hope.

...

You realize the first Star Wars was a huge risk? As was Lord of the Rings, and just about any other film that actually matters. Hell, the second Star Wars took some huge creative risks that could have killed the franchise in its infancy. You want a good movie that doesn't take risks? Those things don't work together, because only unambitious, poor film makers contiously decide to play it safe.

OT: I'm glad Abrams is gone, good riddance. He was always an awful choice. What a terrible film maker. This last movie was so bad that its put me off his films for good. He's on the same black list as Michael Bay, except Michael Bay is a better movie maker. I'm excited to see new films set in the Star Wars universe. I just hope they do a better job of holding the lore together then they do with Marvel.

It is a little sad to see them bringing in completely different writers and directors to make their films, but I guess Star Wars is a cottage industry now. It's not really art, it's a product on an assembly line.

 

[ecoho]

yeah sorry I don't want risks I want a good movie and risks tend to not work well with star wars. More importantly while its the same formula as the original in my opinion the force awakens was better then a new hope.

Some of the most amazing movies Hollywood has ever put out were because a studio took risks with a formula that normally doesn't work, but managed to implement it in a way that no one else could ever emulate. Meanwhile, it's very rare that sticking with a "working formula" produces anything beyond bland results that are just trying to ape what other movies have done, only better, in the past. I don't want to see Star Wars try to be every-other movie out there; I want to see Star Wars be its own thing, and that means treading new waters.

At no point have I ever been "impressed" with Abrams' work; he is a mediocre director who releases derivative work with virtually no originality and Ep. 7 is no exception. About as middle-of-the-road a movie as possible, nowhere near as poor as any of the prequels, barely scraping a c+ compared with any of the originals.
Thank god he's gone and someone with talent is taking the helm on the next one.

Yeah, J.J., I'm going to echo what other people have said. The Force Awakens was fun. It felt like Star Wars again, and I was super excited while I was watching it. It hit all the right beats and proved that Star Wars can be renewed and enjoyable.

But we need some risks in the next movie. We need more than just scene and script pulls from the originals. We need the next movie to feel like something new in the Star Wars universe, and not just a "welcome back!" movie. And honestly...I don't think Abrams can pull that off. He's good at making things blow up for sure, and that is a part of Star Wars, but there's also more to it, and I don't think he can get it there. I think keeping him on to help is a good choice, but from here on out, I'm don't think he would be a good choice to in charge. Star Wars needs to grow and do its own thing now, and his part in starting that is over.

yeah sorry I don't want risks I want a good movie and risks tend to not work well with star wars. More importantly while its the same formula as the original in my opinion the force awakens was better then a new hope.

...

You realize the first Star Wars was a huge risk? As was Lord of the Rings, and just about any other film that actually matters. Hell, the second Star Wars took some huge creative risks that could have killed the franchise in its infancy. You want a good movie that doesn't take risks? Those things don't work together, because only unambitious, poor film makers contiously decide to play it safe.

OT: I'm glad Abrams is gone, good riddance. He was always an awful choice. What a terrible film maker. This last movie was so bad that its put me off his films for good. He's on the same black list as Michael Bay, except Michael Bay is a better movie maker. I'm excited to see new films set in the Star Wars universe. I just hope they do a better job of holding the lore together then they do with Marvel.

It is a little sad to see them bringing in completely different writers and directors to make their films, but I guess Star Wars is a cottage industry now. It's not really art, it's a product on an assembly line.

yes some of the greatest movies are risks but then again ALL of the bad ones were too. now im not saying they shouldn't change something or other and make the films a bit more of their own thing, but don't screw with the formula that works. Then again im a firm believer if it isn't broken DONT FUCKING FIX IT!

 

[Lord Garnaat]

I'm glad to hear that the next movie will be good, and even more glad that Abrams has nothing to do with it. I think that Abrams is one of the least talented directors currently on the market - no new ideas, no creativity, no substance. Just flair and nostalgia, always completely derivative and dependent upon the works of better creators than him. He isn't as offensive as Bay or the other hacks, but it really angers me that he continues to be a lauded success despite his obvious lack of originality.

Say what you want about George Lucas and his prequels. Say that they had terrible writing, that the focus was on the wrong things, that his romance plots were terrible. Say that when he wasn't being restrained by the higher ups he made poor decisions. But dammit, do you know what the prequels weren't? They weren't just A New Hope copied again, word for word, plot for plot, with new characters tacked on. The prequels might have been a mess, but at least they were creative and tried new things - new worlds, new plotlines, elements and themes we hadn't seen before. The Force Awakens might be competently put together, but that's only because they seriously just took a pre-existing plot and remade it - no effort was required.

I like the new elements they introduced in Abrams movie - I like Rey, and Finn, I like the new force powers, I like the new feel of the lightsabers. I want to see more of this new stuff. What I don't want is more of the bland, safe, unambitous recycling that is Abrams only forte.

So yeah, this is good news.

 

[MrCalavera_v1legacy]

Yeah, J.J., I'm going to echo what other people have said. The Force Awakens was fun. It felt like Star Wars again, and I was super excited while I was watching it. It hit all the right beats and proved that Star Wars can be renewed and enjoyable.

But we need some risks in the next movie. We need more than just scene and script pulls from the originals. We need the next movie to feel like something new in the Star Wars universe, and not just a "welcome back!" movie. And honestly...I don't think Abrams can pull that off. He's good at making things blow up for sure, and that is a part of Star Wars, but there's also more to it, and I don't think he can get it there. I think keeping him on to help is a good choice, but from here on out, I'm don't think he would be a good choice to in charge. Star Wars needs to grow and do its own thing now, and his part in starting that is over.

I like the new elements they introduced in Abrams movie - I like Rey, and Finn, I like the new force powers, I like the new feel of the lightsabers. I want to see more of this new stuff. What I don't want is more of the bland, safe, unambitous recycling that is Abrams only forte.

Agreed. As much as i found TFA enjoyable, it cemented my opinion about Abrams being mostly good at recycling other people's ideas. VIIth is like a cool "Greatest Hits" album, but if i'll see similar amount of references in VIIIth, i'll throw a little sith fit myself.

 

[Fox12]

yes some of the greatest movies are risks but then again ALL of the bad ones were too.

I don't think that's true at all. Plenty of films played it safe, and lost in a big way.

The Lone Ranger, John Carter, and Green Lantern, for instance, were all films that were considered safe bets by hollywood, and seriously under performed. And those are just recent examples from the top of my head.

All the great films tended to be risky ventures, however. Successful franchises need a strong base if they want to thrive, and they can't do that unless the original films have a spark of creativity and risk involved. Hollywood keeps forgetting that, and tries to make franchise films without taking any real risks. The results are films like Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman, Dracula Untold, I Frankenstein, and The Amazing Spiderman 2. All of those franchises failed because they didn't have a strong foundation on which to build. Risk isn't only important, it's necessary from time to time.

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

yes some of the greatest movies are risks but then again ALL of the bad ones were too.

That is 100% wrong. Plenty of movies stuck to a "safe" formula and completely tanked because the people at the helm had no idea how to make the formula work.

 

[Ishigami]

I saw your movie, JarJar.
Its a small justice in a dark world you haven't gotten your claws on this one too.

Pretty much this.

I hope we will get someone who can actually choreography a sword fight scene and someone who knows how to film a fight scene in general... seriously...

 

[Qizx]

Hopefully Rey will be reworked as a character with flaws who isn't quite so perfect at everything. I liked the movie for what it was: A blatant means of revitalizing the franchise by giving a greatest hits remix of what people liked from the first movie...plus that little bit at the end, because Abrams loves his mystery boxes so much. However, they Rey character was flawless in every sense of the word: tech/mechanic saavy, skilled fighter, able to pilot and repair ships she's just been on despite having never left her home planet before, she's a crack shot with a laser pistol, she gets Han's approval,

Spoiler: and then that whole other part where...

...she becomes the most competent and skilled force user in mere moments where it took Luke 3 movies and several years to become a fully fledged Jedi Master.

It's honestly a wonder why anyone bothered to show up at the final act apart from Rey. She seemed like she could have taken on the entire First Order by herself.

Thank you!

Spoiler: If you have not seen the movie do not click.

I agree 100% it was just annoying how she was able to use the force very well, and fight extremely well, even against someone supposedly training in those arts for years. She and Finn should have been one shotted by Kylo the second they showed their faces.

 

[Something Amyss]

yeah sorry I don't want risks I want a good movie and risks tend to not work well with star wars. More importantly while its the same formula as the original in my opinion the force awakens was better then a new hope.

Yeah, if you want to shoot this down faster than a non-Luke trench run, the prequels were the ones that took risks.

 

[Nazulu]

yeah sorry I don't want risks I want a good movie and risks tend to not work well with star wars. More importantly while its the same formula as the original in my opinion the force awakens was better then a new hope.

Yeah, if you want to shoot this down faster than a non-Luke trench run, the prequels were the ones that took risks.

They didn't take risks with the prequels. Lucas didn't give a shit what anyone thought and tried to make it pander to every single audience in some of the stupidest ways ever.

Unless you meant he took risks by not having any quality control.

 

[Something Amyss]

They didn't take risks with the prequels. Lucas didn't give a shit what anyone thought and tried to make it pander to every single audience in some of the stupidest ways ever.

That's an interesting interpretation, but has no real relation to the films.

 

[Nazulu]

They didn't take risks with the prequels. Lucas didn't give a shit what anyone thought and tried to make it pander to every single audience in some of the stupidest ways ever.

That's an interesting interpretation, but has no real relation to the films.

You mean besides there being no inherit risky ideas

 

[SecondPrize]

Here's hoping it actually has space combat in it.

 

[Something Amyss]

You mean besides there being no inherit risky ideas

No, and putting those words in my mouth is dishonest. I don't mean anything of the sort, and you know better. It's the entire reason you responded to me.

I don't know if you're expecting some sort of counter-argument from me, but it seems like a waste of time to argue in good faith when you seem uninterested in doing the same.

 

[Nazulu]

You mean besides there being no inherit risky ideas

No, and putting those words in my mouth is dishonest. I don't mean anything of the sort, and you know better. It's the entire reason you responded to me.

I don't know if you're expecting some sort of counter-argument from me, but it seems like a waste of time to argue in good faith when you seem uninterested in doing the same.

Not putting words in your mouth, I'm trying to figure out what you are talking about. I'm interested to know how you see it.

 

[Lightknight]

At no point have I ever been "impressed" with Abrams' work; he is a mediocre director who releases derivative work with virtually no originality and Ep. 7 is no exception. About as middle-of-the-road a movie as possible, nowhere near as poor as any of the prequels, barely scraping a c+ compared with any of the originals.
Thank god he's gone and someone with talent is taking the helm on the next one.

After Lucas' bastardization of his own franchise, derivative is exactly what was needed. Sure, this wasn't a great film, but it felt like a Star Wars movie and like it belongs alongside them. No one is going to think it was the best of the franchise. But they are going to see it as a return to what was great after a particularly infuriating hiatus that was the trilogy of I-III.

 

[Nazulu]

At no point have I ever been "impressed" with Abrams' work; he is a mediocre director who releases derivative work with virtually no originality and Ep. 7 is no exception. About as middle-of-the-road a movie as possible, nowhere near as poor as any of the prequels, barely scraping a c+ compared with any of the originals.
Thank god he's gone and someone with talent is taking the helm on the next one.

After Lucas' bastardization of his own franchise, derivative is exactly what was needed. Sure, this wasn't a great film, but it felt like a Star Wars movie and like it belongs alongside them. No one is going to think it was the best of the franchise. But they are going to see it as a return to what was great after a particularly infuriating hiatus that was the trilogy of I-III.

No one is going to think it's the best!? That's surprising since it's so popular. But I think you're right because I haven't seen any yet. Very odd.

Have to say I definitely don't see it like you do LK. I found it started off far more bleak than any of the originals, then left me wondering what the hell is going on more than the originals, and then become far more goofy than any of the originals. The first 3 felt more whimsical than anything, like a classic Disney movie (something the prequels did better).

The tone is a mess, even when it seemed focused at the start, it became the same mush I see in most popular new movies, and the repetition just reminded me of the times we live in (they know how to cater to every audience alright). It also felt rushed with everyone running around, meeting new (old) people and constant threats coming in right after. I'm more likely to compare this to Die Hard 4.

Edit: And another thing the ruins it for me is how the war is just... Well It's The Same War! I can't think of it as connected to the originals because it makes it feel like nothing was accomplished. The atmosphere in general is a forced awakening.

 

[Lightknight]

At no point have I ever been "impressed" with Abrams' work; he is a mediocre director who releases derivative work with virtually no originality and Ep. 7 is no exception. About as middle-of-the-road a movie as possible, nowhere near as poor as any of the prequels, barely scraping a c+ compared with any of the originals.
Thank god he's gone and someone with talent is taking the helm on the next one.

After Lucas' bastardization of his own franchise, derivative is exactly what was needed. Sure, this wasn't a great film, but it felt like a Star Wars movie and like it belongs alongside them. No one is going to think it was the best of the franchise. But they are going to see it as a return to what was great after a particularly infuriating hiatus that was the trilogy of I-III.

No one is going to think it's the best!? That's surprising since it's so popular. But I think you're right because I haven't seen any yet. Very odd.

Popularity doesn't mean they'll think it's better than the original three. It just means that it's popular. Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 was popular ($30 million budget that made over $107 million back) to make a point and case.

It's as popular as it is because it is a star wars movie. I mean, episode 1 made more than a billion dollars over its life time and yet people would go back in time and stop Lucas from making it just a hair after they killed baby Hitler.

But this didn't do anything to make fans HATE it like episode 1 did. So I'm not seeing it as hated but I'm also not seeing it as beloved as episodes 4-6 were. I think it's better than episodes 1-3. So it should be one of the middle titles when all the dice falls. Somewhere between or in the fourth best and fourth worst place where the 9 films are considered.

Have to say I definitely don't see it like you do LK. I found it started off far more bleak than any of the originals, then left me wondering what the hell is going on more than the originals, and then become far more goofy than any of the originals. The first 3 felt more whimsical than anything, like a classic Disney movie (something the prequels did better).

The tone is a mess, even when it seemed focused at the start, it became the same mush I see in most popular new movies, and the repetition just reminded me of the times we live in (they know how to cater to every audience alright). It also felt rushed with everyone running around, meeting new (old) people and constant threats coming in right after. I'm more likely to compare this to Die Hard 4.

Sure, it had problems. But it did feel like Star Wars even if it wasn't exactly like them. Too many intentional similarities and returning cast members not to feel that way. I think Abrams did a perfect job in making it return to its roots. The next films are where we're going to start to see them gain a breath of their own hopefully. Maybe the directors will take note of the criticisms of this film and build on those without losing the spirit of the franchise.

 

[Nazulu]

Hope you don't mind the cuts.

Popularity doesn't mean they'll think it's better than the original three. It just means that it's popular. Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 was popular ($30 million budget that made over $107 million back) to make a point and case.

It's as popular as it is because it is a star wars movie. I mean, episode 1 made more than a billion dollars over its life time and yet people would go back in time and stop Lucas from making it just a hair after they killed baby Hitler.

But this didn't do anything to make fans HATE it like episode 1 did. So I'm not seeing it as hated but I'm also not seeing it as beloved as episodes 4-6 were. I think it's better than episodes 1-3. So it should be one of the middle titles when all the dice falls. Somewhere between or in the fourth best and fourth worst place where the 9 films are considered.

I just mean that everyone is so diverse about everything and how it was hyped to hell, I really thought I would see more of an Avatar reaction (which was pretty diverse).

Sure, it had problems. But it did feel like Star Wars even if it wasn't exactly like them. Too many intentional similarities and returning cast members not to feel that way. I think Abrams did a perfect job in making it return to its roots. The next films are where we're going to start to see them gain a breath of their own hopefully. Maybe the directors will take note of the criticisms of this film and build on those without losing the spirit of the franchise.

I have never seen it like that LK. Throwing in similar themes and bringing back cast members doesn't automatically make it feel the same, they have to make it feel like it belongs in the same universe before I can compare them (I don't mean quality wise). TFA doesn't at all for me. It feels completely different (vision and writing wise), which isn't bad at all, though it does become more of a generic action film as it goes on.

I also think they should embrace that bleak war atmosphere they established in the intro while greatly toning down on the humour to make this the more realistic war trilogy. I wish they would've aimed to top the originals.