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Movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens - No spoilers allowed
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It's interesting looking at how a movie from one genre works and how one doesn't.
Star Wars vs Dune
Both stories employ many similar aspects, there are futuristic weapons, soldiers/armies, evil emperors, messiahs, weird hairstyles and looks, aliens, costume design, etc etc.
Everything Star Wars did hit the mark, every single one of those aspects above.
Dune, while an interesting story, just never hit one mark in any of those aspects above.
So one became an all-time greatest ever movie franchise and merchandise behemoth, with multiple spin-off media. While the other fizzled and died as it was born.
Star Wars vs Dune
Both stories employ many similar aspects, there are futuristic weapons, soldiers/armies, evil emperors, messiahs, weird hairstyles and looks, aliens, costume design, etc etc.
Everything Star Wars did hit the mark, every single one of those aspects above.
Dune, while an interesting story, just never hit one mark in any of those aspects above.
So one became an all-time greatest ever movie franchise and merchandise behemoth, with multiple spin-off media. While the other fizzled and died as it was born.
SM
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Interesting article...
http://au.eonline.com/news/714183/the-star-wars-the-force-awakens-theory-we-hope-we-re-wrong-about
Pushing the Luke indirectly/directly kills Han angle.
But I like these points that the article made....
----
J.J. also claims that the question that led him to accept the job was Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy asking him: "who is Luke Skywalker?" If that question was enough for J.J. to dive into directing the film and if that question was enough to bring the Star Wars franchise back to life, it has to be something extremely complicated, layered and intriguing, right? A betrayal of that magnitude would certainly do the trick.
----
There has to be some kind of connection regarding Kylo, his obsession with Darth Vader, and Luke Skywalker.
----
He's not directing Episode VIII. He's one and done, so his only job is to kick off the new trilogy. Luke betraying Han in any form is certainly a ballsy way to do that.
----
http://au.eonline.com/news/714183/the-star-wars-the-force-awakens-theory-we-hope-we-re-wrong-about
Pushing the Luke indirectly/directly kills Han angle.
But I like these points that the article made....
----
J.J. also claims that the question that led him to accept the job was Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy asking him: "who is Luke Skywalker?" If that question was enough for J.J. to dive into directing the film and if that question was enough to bring the Star Wars franchise back to life, it has to be something extremely complicated, layered and intriguing, right? A betrayal of that magnitude would certainly do the trick.
----
There has to be some kind of connection regarding Kylo, his obsession with Darth Vader, and Luke Skywalker.
----
He's not directing Episode VIII. He's one and done, so his only job is to kick off the new trilogy. Luke betraying Han in any form is certainly a ballsy way to do that.
----
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Leia Organa won’t be called “Princess” in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, except by one person
She’s known to the galaxy at large and the entire “Star Wars” fan community as Princess Leia, but in the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the Alderaan native diplomat will be getting a new title.
“She’s referred to as General,” director and co-writer J.J. Abrams tells EW. “But … there’s a moment in the movie where a character sort of slips and calls her ‘Princess.’…The stakes are pretty high in the story for her, so there’s not much goofing around where Leia’s concerned, but it felt historic to have her, especially with Harrison, back in scenes together. I can only imagine the baggage that they bring to it, I’m just a fan who loves this stuff, but they’ve been living with it — and living in it — since ’77.”
Actress Carrie Fisher went on to describe the character in the upcoming film, calling her: “Solitary. Under a lot of pressure. Committed as ever to her cause, but I would imagine feeling somewhat defeated, tired, and pissed.”
She’s known to the galaxy at large and the entire “Star Wars” fan community as Princess Leia, but in the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the Alderaan native diplomat will be getting a new title.
“She’s referred to as General,” director and co-writer J.J. Abrams tells EW. “But … there’s a moment in the movie where a character sort of slips and calls her ‘Princess.’…The stakes are pretty high in the story for her, so there’s not much goofing around where Leia’s concerned, but it felt historic to have her, especially with Harrison, back in scenes together. I can only imagine the baggage that they bring to it, I’m just a fan who loves this stuff, but they’ve been living with it — and living in it — since ’77.”
Actress Carrie Fisher went on to describe the character in the upcoming film, calling her: “Solitary. Under a lot of pressure. Committed as ever to her cause, but I would imagine feeling somewhat defeated, tired, and pissed.”
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New video from the Jedi Council, who discuss separately: Daisy's staff, Plagueis, General Leia, Han Solo, etc...
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Never seen these before. Deleted scenes from the Prequels....
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Never seen these before either. Star Wars bloopers Ep 1 thru to 6.
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Btw, another thing.....in all the movies you never see any written words in the scenes, like signage, names on buildings, equipment, etc etc.
It's interesting given every human character speaks English, but we never see the English language. Yet among alien characters who speak their own language we do see their language/hieroglyphs.
It's interesting given every human character speaks English, but we never see the English language. Yet among alien characters who speak their own language we do see their language/hieroglyphs.
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Big deal. The movie comes out in a few weeks, everyone HERE goes off on tangents every day. Some of you are incredibly anal.
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I'll post 58 times in a row next
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Or how about 54 facts about The Force Awakens....
1. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is the seventh episode in the cinematic saga of the Skywalker family.
2. It is the first “Star Wars” episode since “Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,” which was released in 2005.
3. However, it is a sequel to “Return of the Jedi,” which was released in 1983.
4. It takes place several decades after the end of “Return of the Jedi.”
5. “The Force Awakens” reunites original “Star Wars” cast members Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca).
6. The lovable droid R2D2 will also return.
7. The three leads of the film, however, are Daisy Ridley (Rey, a ship-parts scavenger), John Boyega (Finn, a possible stormtrooper) and Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron, an X-wing pilot).
8. The cast also includes Adam Driver (“Girls”), Gwendoline Christie (“Game of Thrones”), Andy Serkis (“The Hobbit” films), Domhnall Gleeson (“Ex Machina”), Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years a Slave”) and Max Von Sydow (“The Exorcist”).
9. John Williams, who scored the previous six “Star Wars” films, has returned to score “The Force Awakens.”
10. The film’s director, J.J. Abrams, had also directed the two latest “Star Trek” films.
11. Abrams was more of a “Star Wars” fan growing up.
12. “The Force Awakens” is the third “Star Wars” film not directed by George Lucas.
13. Lucas had directed the original “Star Wars” in 1977 and the three prequels, which were released from 1999 through 2005.
14. Irvin Kershner directed “The Empire Strikes Back,” and Richard Marquand directed “Return of the Jedi.”
15. “The Force Awakens” introduces a new droid character named BB-8.
16. BB-8 rolls along like a soccer ball, while a disc-like headpiece stays in place.
17. The filmmakers achieved this using practical effects, which they displayed at Star Wars Celebration last month.
18. Abrams wrote the screenplay for “The Force Awakens” with Lawrence Kasdan, whose previous credits include “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Return of the Jedi,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “The Big Chill.”
19. Michael Arndt, who won an Oscar for writing the screenplay for “Little Miss Sunshine,” was once on board to write the Episode VII screenplay, but he was replaced by Kasdan.
20. Abrams has said that he was reluctant to make the movie, but Kathleen Kennedy talked him into it.
21. Abrams likened the entire “Star Wars” story to Hollywood westerns, citing the need for “John Ford landscapes.”
22. It will be the first Abrams movie that doesn’t include a score by Michael Giacchino.
23. Kennedy, one of the film’s producers, is also the president of Lucasfilm.
24. “The Force Awakens” is the first “Star Wars” film since Disney bought Lucasfilm for $4 billion in 2012.
25. Oscar Isaac used to dress up as a gonk droid when he would attend “Star Wars” movie openings.
26. The apparent villain of “The Force Awakens” is named Kylo Ren.
27. Kylo Ren’s lightsaber bears the signature red beam of a Sith lord, along with two smaller beams that seem to act as a hilt.
28. The desert planet seen in both teaser trailers for “The Force Awakens” is not Tatooine, the home planet of Anakin and Luke Skywalker.
29. On the contrary, the planet is called Jakku, a fact revealed at Star Wars Celebration last month.
30. The first teaser for “The Force Awakens” is nearly 90 seconds long, featuring an ominous voiceover from Andy Serkis.
31. It includes very brief glimpses of Boyega, Ridley and Isaac in action, along with BB-8 and the mysterious Kylo Ren, who is apparently played by Driver.
32. It concludes with a money shot of the Millennium Falcon swooping through the air over the sands of Jakku.
33. The second teaser trailer, which debuted at Star Wars Celebration, is nearly two minutes long.
34. Mark Hamill provides the narration on the second trailer, hinting at another Skywalker family member being strong in the Force.
35. The trailer features much more detail than the first, including cool shots of Kylo Ren, a super stormtrooper of some sort, a wrecked Imperial Star Destroyer and the skull of Darth Vader.
36. The biggest and best detail, however, is a shot of Han Solo and Chewie, which caps the trailer.
37. Harrison Ford was injured on the set of “The Force Awakens” last June.
38. Ford’s injury disrupted the production schedule for a time, but he eventually returned.
39. “The Force Awakens” will open Dec. 18 this year.
40. “The Force Awakens” will be the first “Star Wars” movie not to be released in May.
41. “The Force Awakens” is the first film of a new trilogy of films in the Skywalker saga.
42. The second film, Episode VIII, will be written and directed by Rian Johnson (“Looper”).
43. Episode VIII is scheduled to be released May 26, 2017, a day after the 40th anniversary of the first “Star Wars” film’s release.
44. Shooting locations for “The Force Awakens” included Pinewood Studios in England and the desert near Abu Dhabi.
45. Even though the film takes places about 30 years after the events of “Return of the Jedi,” elements of the Galactic Empire remain.
46. Surprisingly, elements of the Sith may remain, too, even though Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine both died in “Return of the Jedi.”
47. Otherwise, very few details of the plot have been made available.
48. However, Ridley says her character meets up with Boyega’s character, and they take off on an adventure.
49. Isaac said his character has been given a mission by a “certain princess.”
50. “The Force Awakens” doesn’t have a direct connection to the other standalone anthology “Star Wars” films Lucasfilm has planned.
51. The first such standalone film,”Rogue One,” will be directed by Gareth Edwards and is pegged for a December 2016 release.
52. The plot of “Rogue One” will focus on the efforts to steal the plans to the first Death Star as seen in the original “Star Wars.”
53. “Fantastic Four” director Josh Trank had been slated to direct another upcoming standalone film, but he dropped out last week.
54. “The Force Awakens” is going to make a lot of money.
1. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is the seventh episode in the cinematic saga of the Skywalker family.
2. It is the first “Star Wars” episode since “Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,” which was released in 2005.
3. However, it is a sequel to “Return of the Jedi,” which was released in 1983.
4. It takes place several decades after the end of “Return of the Jedi.”
5. “The Force Awakens” reunites original “Star Wars” cast members Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca).
6. The lovable droid R2D2 will also return.
7. The three leads of the film, however, are Daisy Ridley (Rey, a ship-parts scavenger), John Boyega (Finn, a possible stormtrooper) and Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron, an X-wing pilot).
8. The cast also includes Adam Driver (“Girls”), Gwendoline Christie (“Game of Thrones”), Andy Serkis (“The Hobbit” films), Domhnall Gleeson (“Ex Machina”), Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years a Slave”) and Max Von Sydow (“The Exorcist”).
9. John Williams, who scored the previous six “Star Wars” films, has returned to score “The Force Awakens.”
10. The film’s director, J.J. Abrams, had also directed the two latest “Star Trek” films.
11. Abrams was more of a “Star Wars” fan growing up.
12. “The Force Awakens” is the third “Star Wars” film not directed by George Lucas.
13. Lucas had directed the original “Star Wars” in 1977 and the three prequels, which were released from 1999 through 2005.
14. Irvin Kershner directed “The Empire Strikes Back,” and Richard Marquand directed “Return of the Jedi.”
15. “The Force Awakens” introduces a new droid character named BB-8.
16. BB-8 rolls along like a soccer ball, while a disc-like headpiece stays in place.
17. The filmmakers achieved this using practical effects, which they displayed at Star Wars Celebration last month.
18. Abrams wrote the screenplay for “The Force Awakens” with Lawrence Kasdan, whose previous credits include “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Return of the Jedi,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “The Big Chill.”
19. Michael Arndt, who won an Oscar for writing the screenplay for “Little Miss Sunshine,” was once on board to write the Episode VII screenplay, but he was replaced by Kasdan.
20. Abrams has said that he was reluctant to make the movie, but Kathleen Kennedy talked him into it.
21. Abrams likened the entire “Star Wars” story to Hollywood westerns, citing the need for “John Ford landscapes.”
22. It will be the first Abrams movie that doesn’t include a score by Michael Giacchino.
23. Kennedy, one of the film’s producers, is also the president of Lucasfilm.
24. “The Force Awakens” is the first “Star Wars” film since Disney bought Lucasfilm for $4 billion in 2012.
25. Oscar Isaac used to dress up as a gonk droid when he would attend “Star Wars” movie openings.
26. The apparent villain of “The Force Awakens” is named Kylo Ren.
27. Kylo Ren’s lightsaber bears the signature red beam of a Sith lord, along with two smaller beams that seem to act as a hilt.
28. The desert planet seen in both teaser trailers for “The Force Awakens” is not Tatooine, the home planet of Anakin and Luke Skywalker.
29. On the contrary, the planet is called Jakku, a fact revealed at Star Wars Celebration last month.
30. The first teaser for “The Force Awakens” is nearly 90 seconds long, featuring an ominous voiceover from Andy Serkis.
31. It includes very brief glimpses of Boyega, Ridley and Isaac in action, along with BB-8 and the mysterious Kylo Ren, who is apparently played by Driver.
32. It concludes with a money shot of the Millennium Falcon swooping through the air over the sands of Jakku.
33. The second teaser trailer, which debuted at Star Wars Celebration, is nearly two minutes long.
34. Mark Hamill provides the narration on the second trailer, hinting at another Skywalker family member being strong in the Force.
35. The trailer features much more detail than the first, including cool shots of Kylo Ren, a super stormtrooper of some sort, a wrecked Imperial Star Destroyer and the skull of Darth Vader.
36. The biggest and best detail, however, is a shot of Han Solo and Chewie, which caps the trailer.
37. Harrison Ford was injured on the set of “The Force Awakens” last June.
38. Ford’s injury disrupted the production schedule for a time, but he eventually returned.
39. “The Force Awakens” will open Dec. 18 this year.
40. “The Force Awakens” will be the first “Star Wars” movie not to be released in May.
41. “The Force Awakens” is the first film of a new trilogy of films in the Skywalker saga.
42. The second film, Episode VIII, will be written and directed by Rian Johnson (“Looper”).
43. Episode VIII is scheduled to be released May 26, 2017, a day after the 40th anniversary of the first “Star Wars” film’s release.
44. Shooting locations for “The Force Awakens” included Pinewood Studios in England and the desert near Abu Dhabi.
45. Even though the film takes places about 30 years after the events of “Return of the Jedi,” elements of the Galactic Empire remain.
46. Surprisingly, elements of the Sith may remain, too, even though Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine both died in “Return of the Jedi.”
47. Otherwise, very few details of the plot have been made available.
48. However, Ridley says her character meets up with Boyega’s character, and they take off on an adventure.
49. Isaac said his character has been given a mission by a “certain princess.”
50. “The Force Awakens” doesn’t have a direct connection to the other standalone anthology “Star Wars” films Lucasfilm has planned.
51. The first such standalone film,”Rogue One,” will be directed by Gareth Edwards and is pegged for a December 2016 release.
52. The plot of “Rogue One” will focus on the efforts to steal the plans to the first Death Star as seen in the original “Star Wars.”
53. “Fantastic Four” director Josh Trank had been slated to direct another upcoming standalone film, but he dropped out last week.
54. “The Force Awakens” is going to make a lot of money.
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While we're all talking numbers...
There are a large number of interesting plot lines and rumors in this video I had never heard before about this movie. Way to go kid.
There are a large number of interesting plot lines and rumors in this video I had never heard before about this movie. Way to go kid.
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Here's 1 quirky fact...
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No one will stand in my way. I will show them the dark side.
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Nope. You will just have to suffer
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Star Wars 7 – The Force Awakens Runtime Revealed
In just over one month (from the time of this writing), fans around the world will bear witness as the force awakens and Star Wars 7 hits theaters. It’s been a long road for fans of the franchise – after George Lucas’ prequel trilogy failed to live-up to expectations. In the time since, Star Wars video games have come and gone without fanfare and Lucasfilm batted around the idea of a live-action TV series set in the Galaxy Far, Far Away; however, it wasn’t until Disney purchased the Star Wars brand that momentum started building for a revival of the force.
Now, three years after the announcement of Disney’s acquisition, through all the casting announcements, teaser trailers, leaked merchandise, and (lately) official interviews, fans do not have to wait much longer for Star Wars‘ return to theaters. Each day brings new speculation, and much is still locked in J.J. Abrams’ now-standard vault of secrets; yet, in the run-up to release moviegoers are also getting concrete answers: today, we’ve learned just how long viewers will be sitting in the theater when The Force Awakens.
Over the last few days, Entertainment Weekly has been pushing out new behind-the-scenes details from their time interviewing the cast and crew of Star Wars 7. In the process, we’ve learned more about Starkiller Base and General Hux (played by Domhnall Gleeson) as well as received confirmation that our Luke Skywalker backstory questions will be addressed when The Force Awakens finally hits theaters. But, outside of the fictional narrative, the upcoming issue also reveals that Abrams has finished editing Episode 7 – and settled on a runtime of 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Here’s the official word from EW:
“The final edit of Star Wars: The Force Awakens is complete and has a running time of 2 hours and 15 minutes. Picture was locked on November 3rd 2015 at midnight, but JJ Abrams and crew will be spending the next few weeks finalizing the film’s visual effects, sound effects and a final scoring session with composer John Williams.”
Readers who are less familiar with post-production processes might be surprised to hear that Abrams is still working on the movie – specifically that the director and collaborators are still fine-tuning the film with only one month before release. As indicated in the quote, the filmmaker won’t be making sweeping changes at this point, allowing for Lucasfilm to announce a finalized runtime, and is merely tinkering with special effects, sound, and score.
At 135 minutes, The Force Awakens is right in step with most Star Wars film entries; though, where exactly it lands on the spectrum of shortest to longest Star Wars series films depends on which original trilogy version is used – given that the Return of the Jedi “Special Edition” also runs 135 minutes.
In case you’re wondering, here’s the full breakdown:
At 2 hours and 15 minutes, fans should get a lot of Star Wars for their money but The Force Awakens will also have a significant amount of exposition to get through – in order to payoff prior narrative arcs, tell the Episode 7 story at hand, while also setting the stage for Star Wars 8 (and future installments in the shared universe). That all said, Abrams’ Star Trek “reboot” came in at 127 minutes – facing similar challenges (building on previous films and laying a foundation for sequels). So, a 135 minute runtime for Star Wars 7 isn’t a significant departure from a framework that the director previously found success in.
That all said, fingers crossed that Abrams has set aside a decent chunk of that 2 hour and 15 minute runtime to shed some light on where Luke Skywalker has been the last thirty years.
- By Ben Kendrick
In just over one month (from the time of this writing), fans around the world will bear witness as the force awakens and Star Wars 7 hits theaters. It’s been a long road for fans of the franchise – after George Lucas’ prequel trilogy failed to live-up to expectations. In the time since, Star Wars video games have come and gone without fanfare and Lucasfilm batted around the idea of a live-action TV series set in the Galaxy Far, Far Away; however, it wasn’t until Disney purchased the Star Wars brand that momentum started building for a revival of the force.
Now, three years after the announcement of Disney’s acquisition, through all the casting announcements, teaser trailers, leaked merchandise, and (lately) official interviews, fans do not have to wait much longer for Star Wars‘ return to theaters. Each day brings new speculation, and much is still locked in J.J. Abrams’ now-standard vault of secrets; yet, in the run-up to release moviegoers are also getting concrete answers: today, we’ve learned just how long viewers will be sitting in the theater when The Force Awakens.
Over the last few days, Entertainment Weekly has been pushing out new behind-the-scenes details from their time interviewing the cast and crew of Star Wars 7. In the process, we’ve learned more about Starkiller Base and General Hux (played by Domhnall Gleeson) as well as received confirmation that our Luke Skywalker backstory questions will be addressed when The Force Awakens finally hits theaters. But, outside of the fictional narrative, the upcoming issue also reveals that Abrams has finished editing Episode 7 – and settled on a runtime of 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Here’s the official word from EW:
“The final edit of Star Wars: The Force Awakens is complete and has a running time of 2 hours and 15 minutes. Picture was locked on November 3rd 2015 at midnight, but JJ Abrams and crew will be spending the next few weeks finalizing the film’s visual effects, sound effects and a final scoring session with composer John Williams.”
Readers who are less familiar with post-production processes might be surprised to hear that Abrams is still working on the movie – specifically that the director and collaborators are still fine-tuning the film with only one month before release. As indicated in the quote, the filmmaker won’t be making sweeping changes at this point, allowing for Lucasfilm to announce a finalized runtime, and is merely tinkering with special effects, sound, and score.
At 135 minutes, The Force Awakens is right in step with most Star Wars film entries; though, where exactly it lands on the spectrum of shortest to longest Star Wars series films depends on which original trilogy version is used – given that the Return of the Jedi “Special Edition” also runs 135 minutes.
In case you’re wondering, here’s the full breakdown:
- Star Wars 1: The Phantom Menace – 136 min
- Star Wars 2: Attack of the Clones – 142 min (IMAX Edition – 120 min)
- Star Wars 3: Revenge of the Sith – 140 min
- Star Wars 4: A New Hope – 121 min (Special Edition – 125 min)
- Star Wars 5: The Empire Strikes Back – 124 min (Special Edition – 127 min)
- Star Wars 6: Return of the Jedi – 134 min (Special Edition – 135 min)
- Star Wars 7: The Force Awakens – 135 min
At 2 hours and 15 minutes, fans should get a lot of Star Wars for their money but The Force Awakens will also have a significant amount of exposition to get through – in order to payoff prior narrative arcs, tell the Episode 7 story at hand, while also setting the stage for Star Wars 8 (and future installments in the shared universe). That all said, Abrams’ Star Trek “reboot” came in at 127 minutes – facing similar challenges (building on previous films and laying a foundation for sequels). So, a 135 minute runtime for Star Wars 7 isn’t a significant departure from a framework that the director previously found success in.
That all said, fingers crossed that Abrams has set aside a decent chunk of that 2 hour and 15 minute runtime to shed some light on where Luke Skywalker has been the last thirty years.
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