Bare in mind modern CGI i.e. 2008-2009 is far in advanced of what we saw in them 2 films, just look at Star Trek.
I personally cant see a reason to use costumes and models anymore, there really isnt any need, CGI is very close to real and gives far in advanced flexibility then models and costumes.
I agree, CGI is very close to real. But costumes and puppets ARE real. They are tangible, part of the scene. They are actually there for the actors to see and interact with. They (like CGI) have to be well done of course, or (like bad CGI), they just look cheesey. Let me use Jurassic Park as an example of where CGI and animatronics (rather than mere "puppets") can compliment each other perfectly in a film. (Stan Winston RIP)
One area where I personally just can't stomach CGI is it's use in set creation. Creating a CGI monster/dinosaur/robot what have you, is fine, for the most part, but (and this is just my opinion), a computer generated set never looks good. It
always looks fake. I know it's mainly done for financial reasons etc, but still, CGI sets always make me think I'm looking at a game rather than a film.
I agree there are some valid points, i just feel a lot of the people who said they were rubbish is down to nostalgia.
That's a perfectly valid opinion. However, being the only childhood Star Wars fan amongst my friends, I can promise you that plenty of people who didn't like/get the originals, loathed the new ones as well
Nothing wrong with adding the old characters into the story, lord of the rings wouldnt have been very good if they kept changing all the characters throughout the film.
To be fair though, the Lord of the Rings trilogy only spans a couple of years, whereas the SW series spans decades. We are quite literally dealing with different generations. There is just no need for Chewbacca eg, to be in the prequels. Again, just my opinion
While some films are as you describe, there are some very distinct films that use all the above and show great cinema, examples for me are the new Batman films, brilliant story, acting, CGI and still "dumb" enough for average joe to understand.
Yep, Batman is a good example of how to make an intelligent blockbuster (if that's not too much of an oxymoron), but frankly it pees all over Episode 1-3. The CGI is used as a means to an end and is unobtrusive... it isn't there for the sake of it. The direction, acting, story etc were all a cut above the new SW trilogy I'm afraid, by quite a considerable margin.
But you need to ask are films dumbed down because audiences want that or is it because the film industry is becoming stagnant with a lack of imagination?
Well, that's a debate for another thread, but you're dead right... Hollywood is almost completely lacking in any creative or imaginative spark. They churn out some mindless drivel at times, and regurgitate the same old ideas, remaking perfectly fine films because they don't have any new ideas.
However, it's we the public (generally speaking of course), who propel this stuff to the top of the box office rankings. We'll pay for the tickets, buy the merchandise for our kids... Hollywood, being what it is, is hardly likely to turn down our cash
No offence, but if you watched the trailer magick linked above, where he was fighting darth vader, well.......lets just say if it was released today it would flop.
Yet again, you're right, but that's because it's a 30 year old trailer, for a 30 year old film. And let it be said that Episodes 1-3 did not have the same financial success as 4-6 did in their day.