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How 'Star Wars' ruined sci-fi
CNN ^ | 5/2/2014 | CNN

Posted on 05/04/2014 2:13:54 PM PDT by Dallas59

Now that the cast of the seventh "Star Wars" movie has been announced, you can imagine the anticipation among the millions of fans of the film franchise. And why not? The six "Star Wars" films have been enormous successes: they have grossed over $2 billion domestically at the box office, spawned scores of books, comic books and merchandise (how many kids have their own light saber?) and made household names of characters like Darth Vader, Han Solo and Luke Skywalker.

(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Chit/Chat; Music/Entertainment; TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: cinema; film; movies; sciencefiction; scifi; starwars
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To: MarkL

There is an excellent study by Art DeVaney showing that media executives have no idea what will or will not be a hit. The really blew it with Firefly, but I suspect they got paid anyway.


181 posted on 05/11/2014 6:31:46 PM PDT by 1010RD (First, Do No Harm)
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To: x

Star Wars got Hollywood excited about SciFi again, but they’re dumb, exceedingly well-paid, bureaucrats. It’s foolish to expect too much from them.


182 posted on 05/11/2014 6:35:35 PM PDT by 1010RD (First, Do No Harm)
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To: DemforBush
The Matrix is nothing but an interesting reworking of The Gnostic heresy. There aren't many original ideas beyond the premise, except for those that are inevitable consequences.
183 posted on 11/30/2014 3:43:10 PM PST by FredZarguna (Jean à de longues moustaches. Je répète: Jean à de longues moustaches.)
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To: buwaya
Yep.

It's amazing to me how many people are arguing that cowboys- with-rayguns is not science fiction. Of course it is. At one time, it was just about all there was. It grew, it matured, it was more thoroughly explored as a genre, but that does not make the pulp stuff "not science fiction" any more than it makes a film series with FTL travel, galactic empires, and multiple alien species "similar to the Lord of the Rings."

It's escapist ψφ. It's not deep, but I would take it over Octavia Butler's dreck any day of the week.

184 posted on 11/30/2014 3:48:57 PM PST by FredZarguna (Jean à de longues moustaches. Je répète: Jean à de longues moustaches.)
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To: Ted Grant
Jack Kirby influenced everybody.
185 posted on 11/30/2014 3:49:50 PM PST by FredZarguna (Jean à de longues moustaches. Je répète: Jean à de longues moustaches.)
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To: Sherman Logan; GeronL
Nahh, you need to read LOTR.

Absolutely. Peter Jackson does such great violence to the characters that the films are a pale shadow of the books. I truly believe PJ is incapable of subtlety of any kind. Game of Thrones was made to be adapted. LOTR was not.

And a gazillion hours of "extra material" without Old Tom? Please be serious.

186 posted on 11/30/2014 3:54:22 PM PST by FredZarguna (Jean à de longues moustaches. Je répète: Jean à de longues moustaches.)
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To: ClearCase_guy

One of the most underrated series ever; and it featured Adam Baldwin, too...


187 posted on 11/30/2014 3:55:57 PM PST by FredZarguna (Jean à de longues moustaches. Je répète: Jean à de longues moustaches.)
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To: yarddog

Good science fiction is, beneath everything else, about the human condition and good verses evil.


188 posted on 11/30/2014 3:56:18 PM PST by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
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To: Tax-chick
...fad of comic-book based movies...

Hah! Comic book movies are hardly a fad.

Batman, 1966, 1989, 1992, 1995, 1997, 2005, 2008, 2012.

Superman, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1987, 2006, 2013.

Karate Kid, 1984, 1986, 1989.

Howard the Duck, 1986.

The Punisher, 1989.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 1990, 2014.

Captain America, 1990, 2011, 2014.

Richie Rich, 1991.

Casper, 1995.

Steel, 1997

Blade, 1998, 2002, 2004.

X-men, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2014.

Josie and the Pussycats, 2001.

Spider-man, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2012, 2014.

Hulk, 2003, 2008.

Daredevil, 2003.

Elektra, 2005.

Iron Man, 2008, 2010, 2013.

Kick Ass, 2010, 2013.

Green Lantern, 2011.

Thor, 2011, 2013.

The Avengers, 2012

Wolverine, 2013.

Guardians of the Galaxy, 2014.

That's all I can think of right now.

189 posted on 11/30/2014 4:02:01 PM PST by webheart (We are all pretty much living in a fiction.)
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To: MarkL

China will have more Christians that the entire world by 2025 ...


190 posted on 11/30/2014 4:04:52 PM PST by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
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To: Harold Shea
Never got why no story by Niven ever got made into a movie.

And so much crap from Stephen King did...

191 posted on 11/30/2014 4:09:48 PM PST by rockrr (Everything is different now...)
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To: webheart
Crap, I forgot

Fantastic Four, 2005, 2007.

192 posted on 11/30/2014 4:12:32 PM PST by webheart (We are all pretty much living in a fiction.)
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To: RginTN
What a movie snob.

No, I think this is.

193 posted on 11/30/2014 4:23:45 PM PST by OneWingedShark (Q: Why am I here? A: To do Justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God.)
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To: FredZarguna

While I enjoyed the LOTR movies and think PJ did about as good a job anyone could have, I agree he had real difficulty with characterization.

The problem is that it was just a really, really difficult story to film.


194 posted on 12/01/2014 3:36:49 AM PST by Sherman Logan
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To: webheart

Other than Batman and Superman efforts, they’re all pretty recent, at least to me.

My son informed me this morning that the book that has been filmed most is “Dracula,” followed by “Tarzan.”


195 posted on 12/01/2014 12:29:54 PM PST by Tax-chick (R.I.P., Dad, 11/25/14. Thanks for the lawyers, guns, and money.)
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