“They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Naturally they became heroes.” — Prologue, Star Wars novelization by George Lucas
Star Trek is about to go dormant, a decade after descending into gross suckage. I can’t help but hope that it hibernates for decades. It likely won’t. The Star Wars franchise once descended into dormancy after a disappointing third film; when it revived fifteen years later, things had become even worse. (Admittedly, the new Battlestar Galactica kicks ass, but that’s only because it’s a re-imagining of the original concept; if it had picked up where the old show left off, it wouldn’t have worked.)
But why does Star Wars suck now? What happened? Where did it go wrong?
I wrote this three years ago during my rant on the last film:
As we left the theater, Pam wondered aloud if George Lucas had even watched the first three films before making the last two. He seems to have forgotten what Star Wars was about. Or perhaps changed his mind.
Now that I’ve read the script and the graphic novel for the upcoming Star Wars Episode Three: Revenge of the Sith, I’ve begun to think more on where the franchise failed.
The Role of Our Heroes
In the original Star Wars, Han and Luke and Leia were accidental heroes. They were small players on a big stage. The galaxy in which they lived was vast, and full of wonder.
Luke, for example, was a simple moisture farmer on a backwater planet. He had no future. His dreams of leaving to join “The Academy” were constantly dashed.
LUKE: It just isn’t fair. Oh, Biggs is right. I’m never gonna get out of here!
THREEPIO: Is there anything I might do to help?
LUKE: Well, not unless you can alter time, speed up the harvest, or teleport me off this rock!
THREEPIO: I don’t think so, sir. I’m only a droid and not very knowledgeable about such things. Not on this planet, anyways. As a matter of fact, I’m not even sure which planet I’m on.
LUKE: Well, if there’s a bright center to the universe, you’re on the planet that it’s farthest from.
THREEPIO: I see, sir.
Now we’re asked to believe that all along Luke was some crown prince, destined for greatness. That Chewbacca and Yoda are pals. (Wait and see, wait and see.) Instead of being bit players in a galactic struggle — iconic everymen (and everywomen) — our heroes are actually larger-than-life bluebloods upon whom the fate of the galaxy has always rested.
Give me a break.
Focus Shift
The first film (or fourth, depending on how you count) focused on the periphery of this galactic struggle. The second film shifted more to the center, though it still felt as if our heroes were only small players. The third film, however, crossed the line: our heroes were in the thick of it, key to the galaxy’s freedom. And with the prequel trilogy, we’re no longer able to see the periphery at all. Lucas has forgotten about it. (Or discarded it.)
And with it, he’s forgotten about fun.
Would it be fun to watch a movie about the United States Senate debating trade sanctions? Of course not. Would it be fun to watch a movie about a Kennedy or a Bush kid coming to power? I don’t think so. Would it be fun to watch a movie about a poor kid who becomes a karate champion? You know it would. (“Wax on, wax off, Daniel-san!”)
Over the past twenty years, Lucas has gone from a young, creative artist to a wealthy movie mogul. His realm of experience has changed, and I think that shows in his filmmaking. If you skim early drafts of The Star Wars, which once included material from all of the films in the series, it’s clear that Lucas has shifted from the realm of the common to the realm of elite. What was once important to him, no longer is. He’s writing from his experience, and his experience is one of wealth and comfort.
Scale
In the prequels, Lucas has changed the scale of the films. The galaxy seems small. Our heroes play central, pivotal roles in the titanic (but nonsensical) political struggles.
One of the wonderful things about the original Star Wars universe was the diversity of life and civilization, the awesome scale of the story. The galaxy seemed vast. No wonder our heroes were small players; there were simply too many other people for them to be anything else. There were always new and bizarre aliens to discover, strange new worlds to explore. (To be fair, Lucas has continued to entertain with unique worlds; I loved the water world Kamino in Attack of the Clones.)
In the early years, the Star Wars story was continued in novelizations and comic books. Authors like Alan Dean Foster and Brian Daley seemed to grasp the fundamental concept of a vast universe. The comics most certainly got it. These supplementary texts effectively conveyed the sense of scale present in the first film.
The prequels, however, make the galaxy seem like a small and petty place.
Prettification
The original trilogy — or at least the first two-thirds of it — was dirty and gritty. That was part of its charm. The Millennium Falcon didn’t work. Luke’s garage was a mess (and whoa! so was the jawa’s sandcrawler). The base on the ice planet Hoth was in scattered disarray. Yoda was a slovenly housekeeper. The Death Star was mostly polish and chrome, but even it had a stinky trash compactor.
The space ships and the ground vehicles looked real. One got the feeling they might have been produced on a planet called Detroit, and that with time they’d gradually fallen apart. Many of the ships and vehicles we saw had outlived their warranties.
Compare that with the new trilogy. Everything is bright, shiny and new. Only Watto’s shop on Tattooine bares any sort of resemblance to the old messes we’re used to. (Oh — and the pods for the pod-race; they’re fairly junky.) All of the space ships we see are sparkly clean. Maybe that’s a cost of moving from models to computer animation.
The water world Kamino (to which Kenobi flies to learn about clone troopers) is fascinating, but I have to wonder: don’t things on this planet rust? Isn’t there seaweed of some sort? Or is everything just washed clean by the perpetual rain? And, on a larger scale, do all of the planets have oxygen-based atmospheres?
De-Mystification
In the original trilogy — especially the first film — The Force was a mysterious mystical mental power. It was a rare gift, difficult to harness.
The prequel trilogy has made a mockery of The Force. Does anyone say “May the Force be with you?” Of course not. George Lucas has forgotten about it. All he remembers is the Jedi mind trick, that Jedi can jump really very high, and that the Force can let bad Jedi shoot lightning out of their fingertips.
Yes, the Force was a silly quasi-religious structure. So what? It was fun. It doesn’t even exist in the prequel trilogy. It’s been replaced by midichlorians and magic.
QUI-GON : With your permission, my Master. I have encountered a vergence in the Force.
YODA : A vergence, you say?
MACE WINDU : Located around a person?
QUI-GON : A boy… his cells have the highest concentration of midi-chlorians I have seen in a life form. It is possible he was conceived by the midi-chlorians.
MACE WINDU : You’re referring to the prophesy of the one who will bring balance to the Force…you believe it’s this boy??
QUI-GON : I don’t presume…
YODA : But you do! Revealed your opinion is.
QUI-GON : I request the boy be tested.
I guarantee you, that scene would never have found its way into the first trilogy. (In fact, I’ll go so far as to say that if The Phantom Menace had been made first, there never would have been a sequel of any sort. The film would have bombed because of stuff like that.)
It may be that George Lucas has lost religion during the past twenty years. Maybe he’s an atheist now, and doesn’t want to encourage any sort of religious thought, and so has shifted the Force from “hocus-pocus religion” (as Han would call it) to a pseudo-scientific explanation. I’d rather have the hocus-pocus religion, and so would you.
Bad Acting
Natalie Portman is not a bad actress, but George Lucas’ direction sure makes her seem like one.
Ewan McGregor is not a bad actor, but George Lucas’ direction sure makes him seem like one.
Even Hayden Christiansen isn’t that bad an actor, but it’s unbelievable that he was asked to carry this prequel trilogy on his shoulders. To make matters worse, George Lucas seems to have chosen to print the worst possible reading of his every line.
Marketing
Do I really need to go into this? Have you ever seen a larger marketing juggernaut? It makes me wonder if the this prequel trilogy is simply a six-hour long advertisement meant to get consumers to buy toys, tacos, and dark chocolate M&Ms.
The appearance of the first Ewok marked the end of Star Wars as we know it.
Nonsensical Political Struggles
Here’s a quiz:
1) What is the plot of The Phantom Menace?
2) What is the plot of Attack of the Clones?
3) Who are the good guys in each of these films? Who are the bad guys? Why?
The first question is moderately easy. The bad guys are the (gasp) Trade Federation. They’ve blockaded Naboo for some reason (do we ever know why? does it matter?).
(And let me rant about this for a moment: how stupid is it that the “blockade” is simply an equatorial band of ships? A band of ships that may even be in stationary orbit above the queen’s palace? Pretty damn stupid, I say. Even stupider is the fact that when our heroes try to escape the planet, they blast off right into the blockade instead of, say, heading toward the polar regions in order to elude the known enemy. Dumb.)
The second question, however: I defy you to answer the second question. (Harry Knowles once mounted a spirited, and earnest, attempt to do so, but only confused me more. He seemed to miss the irony that the plot actually needed explaining, and that it took him several hundred words to do so. Inadequately.)
Here’s a second quiz:
1) What is the plot of A New Hope?
2) What is the plot of The Empire Strikes Back?
3) What is the plot of Return of the Jedi?
Hmmm. Suddenly it seems obvious that the prequels lack a…
Loss of Wonder
The fundamental problem with the prequel trilogy is that they no longer impart a sense of wonder.
The first Star Wars films were filled with wonder: the aliens in the cantina, the lumbering Star Destroyers, the awesome power of the Death Star, the Imperial Walkers storming the base on the ice planet Hoth, the cloud city of Bespin, and even the speeder race across the forest moon of Endor.
The first two films amazed because they imparted a sense of wonder. Our heroes were small, but they’re actions took place on a vast an awesome stage.
Compare this to the eye-sore that is the climax of Attack of the Clones. Can you follow what’s happening? Of course not. Nobody can. It’s an orgasm of gratuitous digital effects. There are hundreds, or thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of objects on screen at once. There’s nothing to latch onto.
My heart broke for every dead X-Wing pilot in the first film. When Porkins flamed out, I cared. I cared because the battle was kept on a small scale, an identifiable scale. There’s no wonder involved in an all-out fight between a gajillion clone troopers and whoever it is they’re fighting. (I can’t even remember, which is a bad, bad sign.)
Another example: I want to be awed by the vast Asimovian city-world of Coruscant, but I can’t. It’s an ocean of skyscrapers and painful-to-watch aerial highways. It’s nothing but a cornucopia of digital effects. It doesn’t give me a sense of awe; it makes me depressed.
What Might Have Been
For several years, I have maintained (and I continue to maintain) that the ideal Star Wars episode one was actually Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It would be child’s play to retcon that film so that it occurred in the Star Wars mythos. It would fit perfectly.
But there are scores of other possibilities that would have worked well. Any half-way literate Star Wars fan could have constructed a better prequel trilogy than what Lucas has produced. My heart aches to consider what might have been.
Conclusion
Is there hope for Star Wars? I think there may be. But if a final trilogy is going to be made, it oughtn’t be done for many yeas. A decade maybe. Yes, I know George Lucas is old, but so what? The less he’s involved the better, in my opinion. I think it’s important that the stories come from his mind, that he provide the basis for the screenplay, but the best thing that could be done for the franchise now is for Lucas to take a back seat. Let others take the helm.
Despite all of these complaints, despite the fact the current state of Star Wars sucks, the fact remains that I will go see Revenge of the Sith in the theaters. My geek friends and I have discussed boycotting the film on principle, but ultimately I’m going to lose this moral battle. And maybe that’s the only thing that matters. (The one saving grace is this: my expectations for this film could not possibly be any lower; it’s as if it cannot help but exceed them.)
The kids I know have begun to love love Star Wars. Harrison and Emma, for example, have now seen the entire original trilogy. They love it. They play Star Wars all the time, exactly like we used to do. I hope they don’t see the prequel trilogy for many years. Let them enjoy this sense of wonder while they can.
Postscript
It’s still possible to produce Star Wars material that maintains the feeling of the original trilogy. It happens all the time. Books, comics, and video games all tap into this feeling now and again. For example, the game Jedi Outcast, which I obsessed over several years ago, did an outstanding job of putting the player in a galaxy that felt like the one from the original trilogy. It’s possible, but not from the mind of George Lucas.
Links
My memories as part of the Star Wars generation
Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace script
78 Reasons to Hate Star Wars Episode One (as if you needed any more)
Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones script
64 Reasons to Hate Star Wars Episode Two (as if you needed any more)
My review of Attack of the Clones
Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith script (plot summary)
2) What is the plot of Attack of the Clones?
The plot of the Attack of the Clones is so simple a nerf herder could follow it.
After manipulating the crisis betweent the Trade Federation and Naboo to become elected Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, Palpatine/Darth Sidious sends his apprentice, the former Jedi Count Dooku to lead a separatist movement and stage a “civil war” as an excuse to gain support for a Grand Army of the Republic.
Sometime between his election as chancellor and Episode II Palpatine manipulated Sifa Dious (sp?) into visiting the Kimino cloners to arrange a clone army based on the DNA of Mandalorian Warrir turned Bounty Hunter Jango Fett. The transaction was then erased from Republic records and the Jedi archives.
Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker stumble onto this plot when they are assigned to protect Padme from assasination attempts–she and Bail Organa from Alderan have been the most vocal opponents of the Republic Army.
Anakin has been harboring a crush on Padme since he met her ten years earlier. He is elated when he is assigned to protect her when she returns to Naboo to weather the crisis.
Meanwhile following leads from gleamed from his investigation of the Cloners, Obi-Wan travels to the planet Geonosis to track down Count Dooku and the separtists.
While on Naboo Anakin has visions that his mother is in danger. He and Padme return to Tatooine and discover not only has she married Cliegg Lars but has been captured by Tusken Raiders.
Anakin tracks down the Tusken Raiders and when his mother dies in his arms he slaughters the Tusken Raiders like animals.
Meanwhile R2-D2 has intercepted a message from Obi -Wan Kenobi on Geonosis. When Anakin views the message it becomes clear that Obi-Wan has been captured. Padme and Anakin travel to Geonosis to rescue Obi Wan but they are also captured by the separatists.
Meanwhile, Yoda has traveled to Kimino to take command of the army of the Republic which was authorized by one vote solicited from a manipulated Jar Jar Binks.
On Geonosis Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padme use their combined skills to fight their way to freedom. Mace Windu and the Jedi arrive to arrest Dooku and the Sepratists. The Jedi are out numbered by the droid army until Yoda arrives with the Clone Army. A fierce battle ensues.
Obi-Wan and Anakin track down Dooku. Due to Anakin’s rashness he and ObiWan are defeated. Yoda saves them but Dooku escapes.
Dooku reports to his master in an industrial section of Coruscant.
Later Palpatine, the Senate and the Jedi oversee the departure of Clone Troopers for the War against the separatists.
On Naboo Anakin and Padme are secretly married.
I think the plots of the prequels are more complicated for a variety of reasons. The original series was made in the 1970s and 1980s as a response to more cynical and violent films of the times such as The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and Death Wish. And as a response to the political strife of the sixties and early seventies such as the Vietnam Conflict, Watergate, oil embargos, and the Mideast conflicts. The audience was ready for a lighthearted, straightforward fairy tale and Star Wars was that fairy tale. The back story that became the prequels was written at that same time but Lucas had neither the budget nor time to film the entire series at the time.
When he returned to series, Lucas and our culture were further tempered by war, strife, and political corruption. Like any other artist, Lucas would want to use his art to address the world around him. The world had grown more complicated and complex and so did the films.
I don’t think the inclusion of midiachlorians lessons the Force but develops it further into a a more pantheistic religion–the philosophy behind the force is that the universe is a unified whole and as unified whole is divine.
you guys are stupid
I just watched all the prequals and the original movies again after being shelved months. After it was all over – I came into the computer room and typed “Star Wars sucks” into Google.
Lucas messed up Star Wars – fan boys will defend it to the end – but if you’re a true fan you can see the new movies for what they are – Eye Candy over content – a vast number of objects in motion – lacking emotion.
There are a few parts in the movies that give a glance of what these new movies could have been – but in the end there is no emotional stir. No attachment to any of the characters.
Something happened to Lucas on the way to the bank – maybe he lost his emotional attachment to his characters in place of vivid graphics and amazing sounds.
Oh well, I guess I have to live with what Star Wars has become – Lucas has to live with what he made Star Wars into…
-jay
Wow, that is impressive: your #2 on the google list for “star wars sucks” above the “official anti-Star Wars Organization”! Beware, lest they turn their snarkiness upon you.
I still can’t believe how bad the script was. I cringe.
The digital stuff is fun but it lacks the texture which makes it difficult to connect with. With the older version you can almost imagine the smells.
I really liked the original Star Wars and TPM, but after that it seemed to have too many digitial effects, it hurts your eyes. I think the old ones were better because it actually made you sad when a rebel died, instead of a clone, and when a corrupt Stormtrooper died, instead of an annoying droids (which are ok, but I still don’t like as much) the original one seems more like a large galaxy where you know everyone (even though there are many people) which makes it more sad when people die, but in AOFC and ROTS it is just like lasers flying all over the place, I even noticed that in the games (Battlefront 1 to Battlefront 2) it is a shame, some of my favorite characters and events(Greivous, Darth Maul, Tatione on Episode 1) weren’t put into the old movies, because those were the only things I liked about 1-3. They just didn’t seem to have a good plot. And the cheesy love scenes were getting annoying wasting valuable time, in the old Star Wars they were short, undertandable, and weren’t cheesy. I mean what the heck is, “The sand is course, unlike you.” suppoesed to mean?
Sorry to post again, but I wanted to add the fact that I think Anakin is too much of a crybaby and a sissy to be Darth Vader, I think someone that was more evil should have been Darth Vader.
P.S. I always thought Greivous would’ve been great in the original series. Heck, if he wasn’t in Episode 3, I wouldn’t have even watched it.
I think they didn’t have Darth Vader reconize R2-D2 or C3PO because it would have made the scene where we see C3PO being made by Anakin in Eps. 1 stupid, and not as good.
Here is the ironic thing about what you have written: it isn’t George Lucas who doesn’t have a clue what Star Wars is about….its you. You obviously don’t have a clue and you never did. Its funny that you think the man who created this universe doesn’t know what its all about. How dare you tell him what he can and cannot do in his epic. The problem is that you like Star Trek and Battlestar Gallactica. You are a sci-fi fan, not a Star Wars fan. I am a Star Wars fan and I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. Of course I will always love the original the most, but that is because those are the characters I first fell in love with, not because the movies weren’t good. You also point out the books and comics as being good. The books often didn’t have the pulse of Star Wars (especially the one’s written by Brian Daley and Alan Dean Foster) and the comic books (especially Dark Horse) never even had a clue. Star Wars is still great, but you are definitely a moron. So, do me a favor and go watch some crappy sci-fi and leave my Star Wars alone.
Just my 2 cents
I like 4-6 as a kid very much. Phantom was brilliant due to the Sci-fi effects and CG, but 2-3 just sucked. In 2 I walk out totally disappointed and I did not feel satisfied as a movie goer. The love scene was a total disgrace… In 3 the plot and dialog had so many errors that I got bored. It was just a clear attempt by Lucas to fit 3 and 4-5, and, let me assure you, the tie-up was bad. The use of the FORCE was totally misused and lacked the status it had in 4-5.
But overall …. I still love Star Wars and so do my kids (6 and 10 years old).
SciFi fan
Wow…this article’s almost a year old and there’s still people talking about it. This is a good thing, because fantastic points are made. Also, I applaud you for taking dowingba’s comments into consideration and correcting yourself on several counts; it takes true guts and willpower as a journalist/writer/analyist to admit biases. That said, I will agree with all the ANALYTICAL posts presented here. Not the ones that offer complete jiberish accusing the article-writer of being a moron, and then present no proof. Those are just silly.
The only thing I wish to speak of at length is that there are a select few things that I, as a life-long star wars fan, enjoyed about the prequals. None of these are nitty gritty details. In fact, they are all very grand elements of the new movies (and even the old movies) that I think were things Lucas was aiming for. Sure, he messed up the details, but there are a few things he did well. I will discuss them below.
1) Evolution (or Reverse-Evolution) of Technology: I love the technology of star wars. I like knowing how things work, and the equipment used in the universe. That said, I at first could not BELIEVE how the ships looked in Ep 1. It was too sleak, to polished. The comparison of technology between Ep 1 and Ep 4, in terms of vehicles AND weapons, looked like the equivelant of comparing a Lexus to a Gelopi. Then, as the other prequals came out, I began seeing familiar shapes, hearing familiar sounds, and so on. I LIKED that by the time Ep 3 came out, I saw what looked like the beginning of Star Destroyers, fighters that looked like they could become TIEs, X-wings, and A-wings. Even the Clone Trooper armor evolves slightly between Ep 2 and 3 to more closely match Stormtroopers (you even see the Scout Trooper armor, just jungle green). The Imperial Guard uniforms are also present in a different form in Ep 1, at the very end if you catch it. This ties directly in with an earlier comment that technology REGRESSES when the Old Republic falls into oblivian, and the Empire takes over. At first, when I only had Ep 1 to judge this, I wouldn’t have believed such a statement. Now, after 2 and 3 have been realeased, I think there is hard evidence to support that position, and I actually enjoy watching the transition throughout all the prequals and into the original films.
2) Jedi Talent Increases: This is actually present in BOTH sets of films. If you watch the overall progression of ability and power in both Luke and Anakin in their respective trilogies, you can actually see them getting “better” as Jedi. Luke starts out losing against even a simple Remote. In Empire Strikes Back, we see him go through some real training, and ends by contacting Leia from a distance. By Return of the Jedi, he’s deflecting blaster bolts left and right, as well as slicing speeder bikes in half as they pass by. Watching Luke become a more confident person as well as proficient warrior is one of the better parts of the original trilogy as a WHOLE, and the same can be said for Anakin in the prequals (poor direction and line delivery aside). In Ep 1, Anakin doesn’t have any idea how to control what he’s got, but can use it instinctually. This is actually a better start then Luke had. In Ep 2 he knows how to control his power, though haphazardly. We see him taking risks with his powers, and making mistakes that Obi-Wan has to correct. We see a young man that Obi-Wan is trying to reign in and teach him to focus himself. To me, it seemed like a teenager with the will to run 100 miles but no idea how to pick a direction. The power is pent up. In Ep 3, we see Anakin at the pinical of his power before his dark side corruption, and by all rights it looks as though he’s SURPASSED Obi-Wan, outperforming him on multiple levels. Regardless of whether the character thinks he deserves more, the fact is that we witness his progression into an extremely powerful individual, and watching that overall transformation in and of itself is quite intreguing.
3) The Emperor: Believe it or not, the political maneuvering doen by Palpatine throughout the first 3 movies is actually ingenius. What’s funny is that he seems smarter as Palpatine then as Sidius. Sidius simply orders the Gungan Army destroyed in Ep 1, not seeing the trap when it would probably have been obvious for him. But beyond that, if you watch carefully, you can see Palpatine playing a rather good game of chess through all 3 prequals, making choices in Ep 1 that pay off in Eps 2 and 3 (and even 4 with the dissolution of the Council/Senate as reported by Moff Tarkin). He convinces Amidala to vote no confidence for Velorum because he KNEW he would be nominated for Supreme Chancler, KNOWING he would then purposely plunge the Republic into war, KNOWING that he could get emergency powers granted to himself because of it, KNOWING that he could convince the Republic that in order to maintain order against threats like Greveus the Empire must be created. Because he had a foot in bad guy territory under the noses of the Jedi, he was able to manipulate both the good and bad against each other in order to attain the title and authority of Emperor. He even put himself at risk to force the Jedi to act in a way that Anakin would think un-Jedi like, convinceing him that Palpatine’s side is correct. If you really pay attention to how Palpatine maneuvers, it actually works quite well and is, again, a large scale change that takes place over multpiple movies.
To appreciate the things I have just described, one cannot look at each film individually, but as films that compliment each other. Only then can some of the large overarching themes be unearthed. They tend to be completely ignored by die-hard fans because they are paying more attention to minute details. Basically, it should be noted that overall themes are still present and actually going stronger then one might think from all the arguing. Lucas can at least give us that much.
I am ashamed to be a member of the Star Wars generation. I really wish we had some other… some better defining moment. Some other link as a group of people. I enjoyed Star Wars as a kid, heck, I was so wrapped up in the whole thing I even bought into the ewoks, but I’m ashamed. I should have looked farther, tried to see beyond the showy canvas of nonsense, but I just didn’t want to and now our whole generation is probably paying for that. But every generation becomes disillusioned, or so I’ve heard and, in this case, the disillusionment may be a good one. Instead of turning in upon ourselves, it’s that inward fantasy that’s crumbled and maybe, just maybe, we’ve got a chance to go out into the world with what’s left of our lives and quietly make it a better place, instead of the other way around. Maybe we could be the inside-out generation? That might be something to reach for.
Yeah, I’ve been pretty upset about how disappointing the prequels were. It’s nice to know there are others out there who felt as let-down as I was. Of course, it’s also rather sad that a couple of sci-fi movies constitute a ‘major let-down’ in my life, but that’s another issue altogether…
My opinion? WELL, since you asked!! It seems that a ‘good’ star wars movie can be defined in 2 very different terms.
There are those of us who think good sci-fi filmaking combines character development, emotional dialogue, PLUS action & effects to produce a broad, epic story. The original trilogy had all of these aspects. It had plot holes and some bad acting, but as sci fi fans the good outweighed the bad.
Then there are those of us who think a sci-fi movie is good if it gets your heart pounding, pushes the special effects boundaries, transports you to another time and never lets up on the other-worldliness. The prequels had all of these in abundance, but NONE of the emotion or interesting dialogue of the originals.
Thus, those in it for the action and effects are happy with the prequels, while those in it for a bit more are left sorely dissapointed.
Lucas was never great at character development and dialogue, but the writing in the originals was FAR superior to that in the prequels. Luke and Leia’s relationship may have been a little underdeveloped (at least it was for me), but Anakin and Padme’s courtship was an absolute joke – and not a very funny one. Whatever small bits of good writing and emotion there were in the originals is completely absent from the prequels.
That, at least, explains to me why I can’t stand to sit through the prequels because they are so awfully painful to watch, yet others can sing their praises as though nothing’s wrong. We’re simply looking for different things.
I will say this though: Lucas has slipped (or lost his mind), and I will not be convinced otherwise. I’m not an expert, but I know something about film and theater. One thing is always true in any production: Bad acting from good actors is the director’s fault. If Hayden really sucked, Lucas should have fired him (the orignal Aragorn was let go for being too young – Hayden’s performances were a far worse crime). Every badly acted scene that made it to the big screen is the responsiblity of none other that Lucas himself.
The CGI issue? I am a huge fan of CGI, and I love what it can do. Lucas abuses it, horribly. ILM, in general, in fact, abuses it. A real life, physical model – no matter how low budget or crappy looking – always sells a scene better than a cartoon. If you can’t animate CGI well, if you can’t apply textures and proper lighting to make it look real, it’s a useless tool that defeats the entire illusion.
To some, the above points aren’t the main aspects of Lucas’ films. But to me, they are what makes a film worth watching, and therefore I say these movies suck hard.
EDIT: in the above post, I meant to refer to Han and Leia’s relationship, not the Jerry Springer Incest Special that was Luke and Leia’s relationship
They were all silly and anyone of us could have made a better prequel. I totoaly identify with the above writer about the metachlorians or whatever, I thought it was great that there was something mystical and ancient among a vast realm of technology, and what was kewl about it was it still kicked ass. So silly how he ruined it, especially with the part that Anakin was born without a father, what a load of crap. And the Jedi should not have had a council in the middle of the busiest planet on the solar system. Thats like buddist having an office in Manhattan, just plain silly, anyways I can go on and on, but yea i totaly agree, Lucas ruined his own work, its forever ruined.
Oh and another thing, Queen Amidala was elected??
And if she was elected, thier best choice was a 13 year old girl to rule the planet? Who was her Campaign manager, Yoda? What kind of idiocy is this?
Im sorry for the horrible movies that were made with my name on the box, but it wasnt me, an evil sith kidnapped me and mind tricked everyone into thinking he was me. My actual movie was supposed to go like this…
Phantom menace:
Anakin was the same age as luke when he first begane his training, which is why yoda was so hesitant to train luke in the first one, and because of anakins age refuses to train him, Obi Wan defys yodas orders not to train him because Obi Was also told He was too old to recieve training but Qaijon trained him anyway because he saw his potential (So was I if you can remember). So Obiwan is an outcast renegade and he takes Anakin somewhere quiet to train him, and basically sacrifices everything he ever worked for to train Anakin because he believes he is following the principles of a true Jedi. Anakin of course proves to be a superior student. After the disapearances of several Jedi, Yoda is forced to reconcile with Obi Wan and his new padawan and tasks them to find out what has happened to them. Obi wan and Anakin are then sent to nabu to discover what happend to the jedis that were sent there, while on Nabu Anakin is recognized as the lost prince and rightfull heir to the throne of nabu. Because of this Chancellor Palpatine must step down from his seat of power, which he does gladly. While in Nabu Anakin decides to leave his newfound kingdom in the charge of Chancellor Palpatine to continue his Jedi studies. They then continue thier search to Alderon (spelling?) where they discover that the royal family there has been dethroned and that the actual ruler of the planet is a person named Darth Maul. Obi-wan and Anakin Defeat Darth Maul and rescue the royal family, Anakin then meats princess Amidala, OF OLDERON. They are obviously intrigued with one another and the movie ends.
Attack of the clones:
Darth Maul having been defeated in olderon barely escapes with his life, Darth maul is branded by the public as the mastermind of an evil plot to bring down the empire, it is here where you discover that he is not the mastermind, but simply the apprentice of Palpatine, the sith master. Palpatine sends Darth Maul to the planet Daranir 3 to oversee the clone facility they have secretly developed to make a new generation of super soldier. The planet is for the most part uninhabitable and the facility is underground, the planet is charted, because with the current technology its pretty hard to hide a planet, but they dont know about the underground facility, the facility is complete with fertilization labs and barracks and everything a clone soldier would need for training. Palpatine has resigned as the chancellor of Nabu and becomes a political enemy of the current state, and is rallied by the people. Palpatine starts a campaign of hate against the current government and believes that humans and other species are much to different to be in unified government and vies for seperation from the union of planets. His campaign of hate starts to spread, though he is not supported by the majority, he gathers enough followers to be a force to be reconned with. All the human populated planets succeed from the union, except for Olderon and Nabu. They choose to remain with the federation. Yoda knows now what Palpatine truly is, he is using the fears of the people and his powers of the force to bend entire planets to his will, it is then that Yoda realizes that the emperor is too powerfull to take on his own, yoda retires to the degoba system to avoid the oncomming onslaught that is about to happen. Yoda tries to persuade the other Jedi to do the same but they decide to fight for the Union of planets. Palpatine sends Darth Maul to the Degoba system to destroy yoda, yoda destroys Darth maul. Palpatine then sends his clone army and siezes controll of the galaxy, he is ratified and proclaimed the emperor by the people, though he tries to refuse the title it is forced on him with pleading and begging of the people, they proclaim him the savior of the Galaxy. He who drove away the corruption and brought everlasting peace to the Universe.
Episode III:
Things are pretty messed up now, so Obi-wan takes refuge in Tattooine, Anakin stays with him but then must leave because he recieves a premonition about Amidala. Anakin tries to warn him not to go but he goes anyway, he reaches Alderon and finds that everything appears normal, alderon has entered an agreement with the empire and will remain untouched as long as it agrees with the policies of the new empire, Anakin Marries Amidala in a ceremony and in turn unites Nabu and Alderon, this raises many concerns with the empire because the two planets combined can raise a formidable military. Anakin is also plagued with visions of Amidalas death. The Emperor palpatine can also see these visions. He uses them to lure Anakin to the dark side with promises of having the power to change fate, that only with his aid can he save her. Anakin agrees that he would do anything to save her, Palpatine then convinces Anakin that the reason Amidala dies is because of Yoda’s doing, Beyond all reason Anakin goes to the degoba system to destroy yoda, Yoda Beats Anakin within an inch of his life and is then saved by Obi Wans intervention. Despite himself yoda listens to Obi wan and spares Anakins life, Anakins body is wracked with wounds from the the fight with Yoda, His limbs are dismembered and must be cyberneticaly Altered to live, the fury of yodas wrath forever changed anakin to the darkside. Palpatine Personaly Takes Anakin away from the Alliance forces and Begins to corrupt his mine further. They then travel the galaxy together to destroy the remaining Jedi in the galaxy and to crush any further resistance that they may face. Amidala dies giving birth to twins, Darth Vader hardly cares anymore so hardly notices when Obi Wan takes luke to his uncle on Tattooine, and leaves Lea in place to be the future princess of Olderon. You of course know what happens to luke.
The simple truth is that George Lucas is not the visionary we thought he was. He did not have nine episodes in mind when he made star wars. He didn’t have three. If dear reader you doubt that, look for the original scripts. “A New Hope” is the 4th or 5th version of the script written for the movie.
Did anyone really buy Obi-wan’s “Certain point of view…” speach? Lucas made these movies to make money, to sell toys. But he accidently inspired a universe.
The Star Wars universe is a thousand times more complex than the trifle Lucas imagined. From Zahn’s books, to the Xwing, tie fighter, and Dark Forces video games. The fact that Lucas invalidated most of the books (plots that he authorized) with his pathetic prequals, is an outrage.
The stewardship of Star Wars has long been taken from George Lucas. The point is just being driven home. The history of the books is far more believable, interesting, and logical than the movies.
I vote that the prequals be stricken from record. They are of an alternate timeline to the true Star Wars universe. This Alternate Timeline is also home to the Star Wars Holiday Special, Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure, Star Wars: Droids, Star Wars: Ewoks, and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor.
George Lucas, I cast you out. After a time of exile and penance, we may allow you to return to the universe we hold dear. But for now, BEGONE!
I rather like all of the TV movies and cartoons that were made of Star Wars. However, yes the alternate timeline idea is fantastic. Lucas had a brilliant spark that he managed to coax into a flame. However, he has been a very terrible keeper of that flame. He has successfully turned iconic characters, legends of film into laughable characitures, drowning in a sea of CGI.
Look, the real reason the prequels suck has very little to do with CGI, poor plot, or bad acting. The OT was full of all these things, from the almost comical stop-motion movement of the AT-AT Walkers in TESB, to mark Hamill’s high-school musical caliber acting. No, my friends, the problem with the prequels is Vader… Vader… Vader… If you are like me, having grown up with the OT Vader was larger-than-life. Is there not one of us who didn’t feel the grip of cold fear around our necks when Vader appears in the cave on Dagobah in TESB? In fact, the feeling of pure EVIL is palpable throughout EP 4-6. He totured Leia, for Christ’s sake, in EP 1, and then, to put the uppity be-atch even further in her place, blew up her whole planet. As one writer stated before, he tortured Han in Ep 5 just because he could. He killed high ranking Imperial officers on the spot for the slightest infraction… Now… We are expected to believe that skinny, small, whiny, moping, Hayden Christenson is DARTH VADER???? WTF??? To use an old Hollywood saying… Vader was the man/cyborg/sith we loved to hate. Who the hell can hold a candle to our beloved Dark Lord in the prequels? Not Darth Maul, who, by the way, looks like one of the freaks you might see at an Oakland Raiders game, no… not him… Count Dooku? Just because you are named after a turd doesn’t mean I’m scared of you… Palpatine/Sidious… If he were any more over the top in EP 3, he could have been one of the gay guys in Mel Brooks’ the producers. No one FEARS Anakin at any point during the prequels. He doesn’t inspire ANY emotions in anybody. Then, as Darth Vader, fully dressed, HE CRYS OUT in anguish over Padme… well, I can’t speak for you, but every fiber of my being rebelled against that injustice. (A little dramatic, I know, but COME ON…) Sure, you could make the argument that he killed some Tuskan Raiders in EP 2, and he took out some children in EP 3, but the raw, unadulterated fear and power that was MY Darth Vader in the OT is missing. No, the plot of the prequel is decent but the essence and meaning of Darth Vader is totally lost in the telling. May the Force Be With Y’all….
In my opinion Lucas has a lot to answer for!
I agree with the original poster entirley. I grew up with the original Star Wars films I loved them, and watched them far more than I possibly should have.
But, Lucas’s systematic deconstruction of a legendary trilogy didn’t start with the release of the prequals. For me it started when he began fiddling with the originals, tweaking here and there, adding CGI sections in. While I admit, some of these additions were great, some of them began to strip that magic from the Star Wars universe. For example. In the first release of Jedi, when all hell breaks loose on Jabba’s barge and Han is suspended by his feet on a skiff above the Salac (apologies for spelling!)trying to rescue Lando pointing a gun at the tenticle, Lando Says:
“Whoaa wait I thought you were blind?”
To which Han replies simply.
“Trust me!”
To me, for many years this implied the possibility that Han was finally begining to believe in the force. The remastered version however changed Han’s reply to:
“I can see a lot better now!”
This simple change completely destroyed my conviction that Han may be discovering the force.
You may be sitting there now thinking what the hell am I chatting about, so what! But my point is that Star Wars was more than Lucas’s vision, it was personal to me. Lucas showed me a world, a universe and left me marvelling and saying ‘wow I wonder what is on the other side of that door, or what kind of creature left its remains in the Rancor pit, who was Bobba Fett. The latter being one of my bigger grievances.
I agree whole heartedly that Lucas must have forgotten half of what went on in the original trigology when he started on the prequals. There are just far too many plot holes and continuity errors. To name but a few, Leia, when asked in Return if she remembered her Mother she replies
“Just a little bit, she died when I was very young.”
Well you got that right, her mother died a few seconds after giving birth to her! There is R2D2 with his flying rocket gizmos, and Chewie who goes from being a pivotal character amongst the wookies and personal friend of Yoda to a low down co-pilot for a back-water smuggler? These I believe are unforgivable errors that should not have been made.
Is CGI to blame? Possibly! I think a lot of people of my generation would agree with me here. I was an 80’s child, born late 70’s I grew up with the 80’s films, where sets were constructed in their entirety, and actors acted with other actors and used detailed and scaled props. And I think it is quite safe to say that, while there have been some recent epic films that I have loved, Gladiator, the Matrix trilogy, Lord of the Rings etc, but nothing can beat the oppressive feeling of Aliens, with its gritty combat because the sets were real and the actors acted in a true environment, without a blue screen and the direction of computer animators. Willow, which I enjoy watching more than Lord of The rings.
I think when push comes to shove, Lucas had an amazing vision, its just that that vision didnt leave room for CGI effects, and really didnt need them.
Unfortunately, now when I watch the original trilogy it is tainted by the prequals, and my belief that Lucas had money and franchise on his mind rather than producing quality prequals.
All that said, could any films of that genre live up to the expectations of the original trilogy? Have any films of the same genre seen as much popularity or success? I think that to true Starwars fans, those who were there to watch on the release of each original, Star Wars episodes 4,5&6 will always be the pinnacle of Sci-Fi against which all else is judged. Those who saw the films second hand may be more tollerant, but for us old timers, weve seen the best and rest just don’t compare.
In my opinion Lucas has a lot to answer for!
I agree with the original poster entirley. I grew up with the original Star Wars films I loved them, and watched them far more than I possibly should have.
But, Lucas’s systematic deconstruction of a legendary trilogy didn’t start with the release of the prequals. For me it started when he began fiddling with the originals, tweaking here and there, adding CGI sections in. While I admit, some of these additions were great, some of them began to strip that magic from the Star Wars universe. For example. In the first release of Jedi, when all hell breaks loose on Jabba’s barge and Han is suspended by his feet on a skiff above the Salac (apologies for spelling!)trying to rescue Lando pointing a gun at the tenticle, Lando Says:
“Whoaa wait I thought you were blind?”
To which Han replies simply.
“Trust me!”
To me, for many years this implied the possibility that Han was finally begining to believe in the force. The remastered version however changed Han’s reply to:
“I can see a lot better now!”
This simple change completely destroyed my conviction that Han may be discovering the force.
You may be sitting there now thinking what the hell am I chatting about, so what! But my point is that Star Wars was more than Lucas’s vision, it was personal to me. Lucas showed me a world, a universe and left me marvelling and saying ‘wow I wonder what is on the other side of that door, or what kind of creature left its remains in the Rancor pit, who was Bobba Fett. The latter being one of my bigger grievances.
I agree whole heartedly that Lucas must have forgotten half of what went on in the original trigology when he started on the prequals. There are just far too many plot holes and continuity errors. To name but a few, Leia, when asked in Return if she remembered her Mother she replies
“Just a little bit, she died when I was very young.”
Well you got that right, her mother died a few seconds after giving birth to her! There is R2D2 with his flying rocket gizmos, and Chewie who goes from being a pivotal character amongst the wookies and personal friend of Yoda to a low down co-pilot for a back-water smuggler? These I believe are unforgivable errors that should not have been made.
Is CGI to blame? Possibly! I think a lot of people of my generation would agree with me here. I was an 80’s child, born late 70’s I grew up with the 80’s films, where sets were constructed in their entirety, and actors acted with other actors and used detailed and scaled props. And I think it is quite safe to say that, while there have been some recent epic films that I have loved, Gladiator, the Matrix trilogy, Lord of the Rings etc, but nothing can beat the oppressive feeling of Aliens, with its gritty combat because the sets were real and the actors acted in a true environment, without a blue screen and the direction of computer animators. Willow, which I enjoy watching more than Lord of The rings.
I think when push comes to shove, Lucas had an amazing vision, its just that that vision didnt leave room for CGI effects, and really didnt need them.
Unfortunately, now when I watch the original trilogy it is tainted by the prequals, and my belief that Lucas had money and franchise on his mind rather than producing quality prequals.
All that said, could any films of that genre live up to the expectations of the original trilogy? Have any films of the same genre seen as much popularity or success? I think that to true Starwars fans, those who were there to watch on the release of each original, Star Wars episodes 4,5&6 will always be the pinnacle of Sci-Fi against which all else is judged. Those who saw the films second hand may be more tollerant, but for us old timers, weve seen the best and rest just don’t compare.
We’re forgetting one crucial element to STAR WARS’ success. With ROTJ being the least favorite of the Original Trilogy, it suffered greatly due to the absence of one producer: GARY KURTZ. Anyone familiar with him will know some of his contributions had made it possible for ANH and TESB of being two of the greatest films ever produced. His involvement with ROTJ at the time would’ve been a crowning achievement had he stayed. Kurtz also produced AMERICAN GRAFFITI, THE DARK CRYSTAL, and the much maligned (but under-rated) RETURN TO OZ. At the time with his involvement with ROTJ, there no Ewoks; no Death Star 2 (he didn’t like to tread on familiar ground); no Emperor (at leat not til Episode IX); no relation between Luke and Leia (Luke’s sister was somebody else); Han was going to die in battle; Leia would’ve become Queen of her people; and Luke seperated from his friends to continue his training. The ending to ROTJ would’ve been very much sad and uplifting, with a downer very much like that on TESB. The possibilities could have been limitless, and I ache very much to have seen this. Alas, it’s all hindsight.
I think that what most ppl fail to see is that Lucas completly ruined star wars for many different reasons.
I will go into those and would like everyones opinon.
For one…the story was setup with the original 3 but when Lucas wrote the prequels it is as if he disregarded everything from the original 3. If you watch the prequels first and then the originals things will be said that will make you say “wtf is he talking about?” “That never happend”
I.E..
“Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough but your uncle wouldnt allow it”–REALLY? WHEN?
“That’s what your uncle told you. He did’nt agree with your fathers ideas and thought he should have stayed home and not gotten involved”- INVOLVED IN WHAT? WHAT IDEAS?
Leia remembering her real mother as she tells Luke in ROTJ.–FUNNY SINCE YOU WERE 1 MINUTE OLD.
“I haven’t gone by the name of Obi-wan since well before you were born”- OH REALLY?
“you will go to the dagobah system there you will learn from yoda the jedi master who instructed me”-SO YODA TOUGHT OBI WAN?
“he thought you might follow ole obi wan on some damn fool idelasitc crusade like your father did” -WHAT DAMN FOOL IDEALSTIC CRUSADE?
Now lets go on all the times in the 80’s where lucas said the real story was about anakin and how he was this great jedi that everyone admired and was a hero to the galaxy and ppl looked up to and how he reached this great height only to fall prey to the darkside and have a tragic fall from grace..
WHAT FALL FROM GRACE? WHAT KIND OF ANAKIN DID WE GET? we got a 2nd grader…and then we got a teen age smart mouth punk who got smart with his amster from scene one..and a little whiney brat “its not fair” (quote anakin there)….even if you did not know the story of darth vader you would expect this punk to turn bad or evil….where is the tragic fall from grace? How can we have emotion and feel sorrow for someone or sense they fell from grace when they are nothing but a little whiney teen age brat punk lol COME ON?
Not to mention in the original 3 lucas had great screenwritters and directors…..lucas tried to do these all on his own..direct all 3…write all 3….and we see the result. WOnder how much money he saved doing that and if that was the goal all along?
At any rate its clear the prequels are crap….and I like many waited almost 20 yrs for them. I will never forgive Lucas for what he has done. I agree with the original poster that I think the prequels were more or less pout out to make money and to be one long 6 hr commerical for what Lucas arts CGI department is capable of.
THANKS GEORGE …thanks a lot
I think that what most ppl fail to see is that Lucas completly ruined star wars for many different reasons.
I will go into those and would like everyones opinon.
For one…the story was setup with the original 3 but when Lucas wrote the prequels it is as if he disregarded everything from the original 3. If you watch the prequels first and then the originals things will be said that will make you say “wtf is he talking about?” “That never happend”
I.E..
“Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough but your uncle wouldnt allow it”–REALLY? WHEN?
“That’s what your uncle told you. He did’nt agree with your fathers ideas and thought he should have stayed home and not gotten involved”- INVOLVED IN WHAT? WHAT IDEAS?
Leia remembering her real mother as she tells Luke in ROTJ.–FUNNY SINCE YOU WERE 1 MINUTE OLD.
“I haven’t gone by the name of Obi-wan since well before you were born”- OH REALLY?
“you will go to the dagobah system there you will learn from yoda the jedi master who instructed me”-SO YODA TOUGHT OBI WAN?
“he thought you might follow ole obi wan on some damn fool idelasitc crusade like your father did” -WHAT DAMN FOOL IDEALSTIC CRUSADE?
Now lets go on all the times in the 80’s where lucas said the real story was about anakin and how he was this great jedi that everyone admired and was a hero to the galaxy and ppl looked up to and how he reached this great height only to fall prey to the darkside and have a tragic fall from grace..
WHAT FALL FROM GRACE? WHAT KIND OF ANAKIN DID WE GET? we got a 2nd grader…and then we got a teen age smart mouth punk who got smart with his amster from scene one..and a little whiney brat “its not fair” (quote anakin there)….even if you did not know the story of darth vader you would expect this punk to turn bad or evil….where is the tragic fall from grace? How can we have emotion and feel sorrow for someone or sense they fell from grace when they are nothing but a little whiney teen age brat punk lol COME ON?
Not to mention in the original 3 lucas had great screenwritters and directors…..lucas tried to do these all on his own..direct all 3…write all 3….and we see the result. WOnder how much money he saved doing that and if that was the goal all along?
At any rate its clear the prequels are crap….and I like many waited almost 20 yrs for them. I will never forgive Lucas for what he has done. I agree with the original poster that I think the prequels were more or less pout out to make money and to be one long 6 hr commerical for what Lucas arts CGI department is capable of.
THANKS GEORGE …thanks a lot