Something from the prequels I don't want to see in the new films: Jedi superheroes.
I know Lucas says in the OT all we were seeing were old out of pratice Jedi and a new Jedi not properly trained, but hey THAT'S what I want from my Jedi and dark side users. I DO NOT want to see people jumping 200ft high jumps, I DO NOT want to see Jedi deciding, one time only and completely out of nowhere, to run super fast (please NEVER do that again).
I DO NOT want my Jedi to bleat on about not having kids and all that bullshit. They were so boring, so utterly lacking in character whatsoever. Let them be people with conflicts and emotions, not soulless robots.
The prequels truly did ruin a lot of what makes Star Wars Star Wars. Let it me mystic, let it be spiritual, stop giving us scientific explanations for why someone has the force, as if the battles between force users comes down to your midichlorian stat. FUCK THAT.
I don't care what anyone says but the prequels were fucking shit movies. Phantom Menace was actually the best, the most Star Wars film of the three. It wasn't blighted by shit CGI all over the shop. I mean it seems like 90% of the sets in 2 and 3 had EVERYTHING CGI, even the fucking floor. As a result it does look like nothing more than a computer game cut scene. It has no solidity, no believability to it all. All the scenes in the Jedi temple etc look so fake it is embarrassing, and that shit only gets worse with time.
These were poorly produced films, Rick McCallum and George Lucas was clearly a fucking horrible combination. Seemingly everything was done to be as cheap and quick as possible, even if it hurt the quality of what they caught on (shitty) digital film. Why build a set when we can rely on CGI to fill in EVERYTHING in the background! That is not how you help actors feel part of the world, and that is the part where all this CGI reliance really shows. Actors with no sense of urgency, with literally no reaction to things that should make them flinch (Obi Wan with Grievous unleashing 50 lightsabers from 5 feet away being a prime example). The actors had nothing to work with, and with poor script to deliver and seemingly non existent direction from Lucas too I feel sorry that they're getting most of the flak. I've seen behind the scenes clips of Lucas talking to the actors, it actually terrifies me he was making huge budget films, he simply does not have a way with actors AT ALL. Like a novice father being lumped with directing the kids school play this Xmas... awful.
From this final trailer we see an actually intriguing set up. We have two characters who have been living in obscurity and simply don't know much, if anything about the Jedi, or the dark side. Rey probably knows more than Finn, who has been indoctrinated, radicalised even, by the First Order. There is so much possibility here. Imagine seeing him, for whatever reason it is, to realise he wants out of this. Then seeing him learn the truth, seeing him discover what has gone on, seeing him react the first time he sees the Force being used, or indeed when he uses it himself for the first time. IT's going to be glorious. Getting right back to Star Wars roots. We'll see characters in awe of the Force. That is what Star Wars is to me. The fact that it is Han telling these characters is just perfect. He's seen it all and used to be a cynic, but now he has first hand experience and is the one bringing the news to these new characters. It's beautiful, and already in this one trailer alone exceeds anything and everything the prequels managed.
Doesn't hurt that the film looks absolutely magnificent. Tons of CGI of course, but done with an eye towards realism. Lighting looks real, movement looks real. It is so kinetic. Oh god it's glorious. The tone and look of the film is head and shoulders in a different league to the prequels. It shows what someone passionate about Star Wars, who truly gets it, can achieve.
I love Lucas for the Universe he created, but so much of what makes SW what it is is thanks to many other people collaborating together. With the prequels he took a top down approach and had nothing but Yes men/women at his side agreeing with every crappy idea he had. He wrote terrible scripts single handedly, with seemingly no input from anyone else and that itself is probably the biggest problem. I think his early drafts became the film. In all the previous films the scripts had a lot of flab cut, a lot of important things changed, input from many people, and indeed people like Kasdan taking on writing duties altogether... it really really shows. The new films look to be delivered from people who care about this world, and I love that. I have complete faith, and thank Disney for taking this on and doing it right.
A new, great generation of Star Wars awaits.
