Why JJ? And, who should be directing Star Wars?

I'll admit, I really thought Mission Impossible III was well done. I also enjoyed Super 8, for what it was. Star Trek was a huge disappointment. I still haven't seen Into Darkness, but plan to. But Star Wars? How does JJ rate a chance at Star Wars?

Any opinions on JJ Abrams as a director?

And, who would you like to see directing future Star Wars films?

__________________
Have you ever held a lion in your arms? I have. He smelled funky.

Quentin Tarantino

__________________
It reminds me of a toilet paper on the trees
- Paula

Duncan Jones.

__________________
"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

Ron Howard

I'm not averse to directors bringing their own vision to any future Star Wars offshoot films (I really like TUS' suggestion of Duncan Jones, for example). But when it comes to Episode 7-9, who better than Steven Spielberg?

I'm not even a purist really, and I'm far from a Spielberg standard-bearer... but there's a kind of stylistic continuity that I'd want between the original trilogy and this new sequel trilogy. J.J. Abrams might be able to execute that, given what he did with Super 8, but Spielberg just feels like the one to bring the main story home. He should have been involved with the prequels.

Did Spielberg's detachment from the prequels have anything to do with the Director's Guild of America? Since the apparent reason George Lucas couldn't have him direct Return of the Jedi was because Lucas had left the DGA.

Duncan Jones is a great shout. Ron Howard... not so much.

__________________
TOP 100 | "Don't let the bastards grind you down!"

I said when I heard the news about Disney buying Star Wars that JJ should do it.

He has a knack for capturing the tone of older films.

Ok, Super 8 wasn't a great film, but the tone he captured was very Spielberg and Lucas esk.
Star Trek was the same... even though he'd never really watched Trek, he managed to find that tone and give a refreshing angle to it at the same time.

JJ is by far the best choice. He has the right eye for it.
Just hope he cuts back on lens flares.

__________________

What?

Super 8 was one of the best films to come out that year. The overall atmosphere he managed to create and sustain throughout the film, was nothing short of masterful.

I just didn't find Super 8 all that super...

Copied ideas, trying too hard to be a clone of Spielberg films of old. It worked as a faux nostalgic film, but didn't really make a mark on me.

Does it help to know that Spielberg was a producer on that film, as well as something of a mentor for Abrams? I don't think the intent was to copy, but rather to honor.

I've only seen Source Code from Jones so I can't really voice an informed opinion on him except that SC was a same old action/thriller flick with an intriguing story plot. A fun ride but not iconic.

For me, Ron Howard is an excellent story teller that gets you involved with the movie, its character and what transpires. He has a rather substantial list of such movies, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000165/?ref_=sr_1 and Star Wars, from its inception back in the seventies, WAS about getting caught up in it all.

Oh, and JJ, IMO, should do the francise very well. I thought he captured the original line up's personality and interaction wonderfully with Star Trek, and this is coming from someone who watched the original star trek TV series as a kid and continued to, growing up (well, older, anyways)

Actually, Ron Howard was behind Willow with Lucas behind him... if he can build a world like that, he could do Star Wars.

Personally, I don't mind lens flare, its kind of ridiculous but I think it has a kind of aura about it which makes me want to explore space.

As much as I love Willow, its of its time and tbh I can't see that kind of atmosphere being replicated in the newer trilogy. In fact, its unrealistic to think it will. I'll agree with you in saying that I would want films to return to that style, but right now, in the digital age, the new Star Wars will be computer generated.

I would like to see Joss Whedon work on a Star Wars at some point, even if its just the script. I think he has a good eye for comic relief, a key aspect to the older films and Serenity showed that he had an ability to make a great science fiction film.

Also I want to just note that John Williams is kind of overlooked when it comes to Star Wars discussion, his soundtrack on the original films really makes the films imo.

You should watch Moon, it's a smart and well-made sci-fi thriller that is far superior to Source Code (which itself, however, is among the better action movies of the century so far).

And thanks for the link, but I'm not a fan of Howard's filmography. Of the films of his I've seen, I like Frost/Nixon the best, I think A Beautiful Mind and Cinderella Man are overrated, and the rest are either below average or just awful.

I really hope J.J. Abrams restrains himself with the lens flare effect, if anything because I don't think Star Trek and Star Wars should look and feel the same. I'm fearful they will.

His Star Trek movie was anything but Star Trek. It just had the ship and the characters from the mythical TV series but lacked the actual substance of Star Trek, which was present in its purest form in The Next Generation series.

Well, he wrote Lost which is still one of the most memorable TV shows ever made. He got more talent than George Lucas post 1980.

As for my opinion I don't think I can say that anybody would be qualified to direct more films of this already exhausted franchise.

In "Star Trek" 2009, the scene where Doctor McCoy gives Kirk the injection to get him onboard Enterprise and Kirk's lips and hands swell up gave me a bad deja vu of when Jar Jar Binks gets his head eletrocuted in the speeder in "The Phantom Menace".

Please stay away from this kind of childish crap humour JJ!!!

Make the serious Star Wars movie that we all want to see.

I disagree. JJ Abrams is doing a fantastic job with Star Trek, especially with the recent "Into Darkness." He manages to give the audience both loud spectacle and thought provoking drama as well. No, it's not at all like Next Gen because originally Star Trek was nothing like Next Gen. It was about an exploration into the unknown, into danger and uncertainty, not the more pacifistic, Utopian society that Picard and his crew lived in. I love Next Gen, don't get me wrong, but the original Kirk and Spock Star Trek was more exciting, and the films are trying for that vibe, and succeeding, in my opinion.

That said, JJ Abrams doing Star Wars is something I'm happy about. He's a great choice, a fine director, and will deliver a high quality product, probably even worthy of the original (non prequel) trilogy.

__________________
"You, me, everyone...we are all made of star stuff." - Neil Degrasse Tyson

https://shawnsmovienight.blogspot.com/

I did not really care for JJ Abrams Star Trek (I am not a hard core Trekkie) but I thought Karl Urban was DeForest Kelley brought back to life!

__________________
Fear and Loathing in MoFo... The Gunslinger 45's Top 50 Favorite Films

In the 10 Ring: Gunslinger45's reviews