RE: Star Wars 7
I loved Star Wars in my teens , seeing them as they came out.
I didn't mind the phantom menace too much because it had visually spectacular things but in the end I didn't end up caring at all about the story or where it was gong etc
What I did love was the visual aspects of that movie. I found the Nubian capital special and the costumes beuatiful. The flying go-cart racing was memorable.
What I think was missing was I didn't really find any of the characters charming or endearing.
If I watched the next too about the Siths I didn't remember them (I think I watched them all but they barely held my attention). None of the Sith actors created a memorable role.. just your standard off the shelf villian in my memory.
The love story was boring but didn't have to be.. if you follow below.
Over all , I think it really came down to actors not finding a way to bring simple scripts alive.
I liked Natalie portman quite a bit but she didn't have a decent supporting cast and of course she wasn't the only Star on camera.
Have you watched "The Hunger Games" ?
I had a really negative pre-conception of those (who wants a film about people hunting people... it was only after getting in the theater that I found out it was about a totalitarian government forcing unwilling participants to fight each other to the death)
, and I'm sure the novels were more intellectually complex than the movies... but I found the movies fascinating. Visually Artistically, story line, intriguing context, and good exciting and engrossing action(and i don't really like action films at all)
I guess I won't go into a too deep Tom22 review of all the things specifically I liked about the Hunger Games
but, as a whole the Hunger Games movies would have completely fallen appart, even with the visual things and back story I liked,
fallen apart without the great acting by Jenifer Lawrence... who's role as a star had her almost always on camera. Her facial countenance , posture , movement are all part of acting and they were essentially in every scene... of course the spoken words are even more important...
... and really the scripts weren't very good. The actor's (woody harrelson was great too, as was the co-star love interest Josh hutcheson) brought terribly cloying dialogue and what were essentially flatly written characters to life.
One public speech that Jenifer Lawrence made was so stereo-typically terrible in Catching Fire if anyone else read it but somehow she pulled it off into a great scene that should have been like a poor tv movie as written.
SOOOOOOO
I'm thinking Star Wars comes down to who they cast (hopefully discover good actors instead of recyle big names).
Harrison Ford's Han Solo launched his career and without his persona (which he carried to indiana jones and to some degree throughout his career) I'm not sure the film would have worked. The others though too. Alec Guiness.was an old name that made Ben Kenobi's mystical statements believable .... because you felt he believed them.. not just some old man playing an old man. Guess I'll stop but the "flat characters" of the boy luke and the princes leia were brought alive with wry smiles and memorable and distinct mannerisms. The voices of Darth Vadar and Cp30 are memorable and unique. (think how important the voice actors that bring the cartoon characters Home and Bart simpson to life) An the actor who invented/distilled yoda made a scripted speech pattern into a style unique and recognizable due to emphasis.
LOL
Guess I'm procrastinating again today !
Acting ? Singing? they're one and the same in some ways.... at the root there needs to be belief in an attitude and posture being presented... and those need to be specially flavored to be memorable and engaging.
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