A little article on how to save Star Wars...

Barcik · Wed 19/05/2004 09:39:15

Quote from: DGMacphee on Wed 19/05/2004 08:12:06
[LGM]What?!?! You obviously haven't SEEN American Graffiti, Peter Thomas!!![/LGM]

Well, I didn't like it either! Huh! There you go!

Actually, Lucas isn't much of a director, and he hasn't gained his fame for that. Except for Star Wars and American Graffiti, all of his titles are unknown independant flicks. I haven't seen them myself, but on IMDB they all have roughly 20-30 votes and are average in rating. So, he has just done 4 movies we know, two of them shitty. Great?
What he really is is a big-shot producer. Here, he does know his way around.

DGMacphee · Wed 19/05/2004 12:40:00

[LGM]I guess you haven't SEEN THX-1138, Barcik!!![/LGM]

Darth Mandarb · Wed 19/05/2004 17:40:21

Here's my theory on the Star Wars prequels ...

The Star Wars Trilogy (ep. IV, V, and VI) are legendary.Ã,Â Sure we can look back on them now and find faults, but remember the magic of them when you were a kid.Ã,Â They're a cultural phenomenon with over 20 years of adoration and love.Ã,Â How can you top that?Ã,Â How can you make something that can even compete with that?Ã,Â In my opinion the answer is flatly, you can't.

I think it was a mistake for GL to even try.

Who knows ... in 20 years perhaps after watching the prequels 200 times (like I've seen the OT) perhaps it'll all blend together as one piece, but right now I'm afraid, it just doesn't.

Here's my thoughts on why the prequels aren't accepted:
1) GL had (adopted) kids in the interim and these movies are VERY geared towards kids as a result.
2) The new special effects make it feel VERY not Star Wars.Ã,Â You don't associate CGI with Star Wars becauce the OT (Original Trilogy) didn't have CGI.
3) The Galaxy of the Prequels is a FAR different place (perhaps far too different) than that of the OT.

All of this makes it feel less like Star Wars.

My gripes about the Prequels:
1) Everybody says Jar Jar sucks.Ã,Â I disagree, I think his voice acting sucks!Ã,Â I would totally agree there.Ã,Â But the technical achievement was excellent!Ã,Â They just picked a voice only 2-4 year olds would like.Ã,Â (see point 1 above)
2) The technology appears to be more advanced in the Prequels than in the OT.Ã,Â I was VERY much looking forward to less (or at least equal) technology in the PT.
3) Yoda as CG in AotC.Ã,Â Come ON George what were you thinking??Ã,Â Sure it looked awesome but Yoda is a puppet for GOD's sake!!

What would I have done with the prequels?
1) I would have started them with Anakin as a 14-15 year old leaving Tatooine with QuiGon (not a whiney little 9 year old bad actor)
2) Darth Maul would have spanned the trilogy (like vader) and Anakin would fight him to take his place next to Sidious (the Emporer) in Ep. III (then fight Obi-wan)
3) JarJar's voice would have been different.
4) I would have made it FAR darker to really build the impending doom of 20 years of Galactic civil war approaching.
5) I would have tied it FAR more into the OT ...

So ... can GL salvage the PT with Episode III?Ã,Â I guess time will tell ... I suppose anything is possible.Ã,Â GL is, in my opinion, one of the greatest story tellers of our time.Ã,Â So I hold out hope that a story so amazing and redeeming will come out of episode III.

Good lord, I wrote a lot.

SSH · Wed 19/05/2004 17:58:33

Star Trek has had it's share of duds, but Enterprise as a prequel is much better than episodes 1 and 2 of SW. On the other hand, Star Trek had to pretty much go back to prequels becuase the new technology had just about reached a point that there always had to be some part of it break down in order to stop them getting the easy way out of a problem....

TheYak · Wed 19/05/2004 20:43:01

I'm extremely surprised that nobody's mentioned Indiana Jones.. surely at least one of the Indy flicks gives Lucas some redeeming value for you? (I've always leaned a lot more towards Indy-fan-ness than SW-fan).

Evil · Wed 19/05/2004 21:34:40

They just need to make a futuristic action movie with no talking, and extreamly little plot. 10 minutes of a silent plot build up and 2 hours of extream space fighting. It'd be like the Matrix if Charley Chaplin stared in it... Just without the comedy, bouler hats, and Hitler facial hair.

LordHart · Wed 19/05/2004 21:58:38

Darth, your idea rocks... but then again, you are a Sith Lord.

Anyway, I am really amazed they have never made a Star Wars TV series. Maybe it hasn't happened, because Lucas would pump millions of dollars into each episode and overload it with crappy effects, and also he couldn't come up with any original stories... but I think I'd make a fair crack at it.

You make a series called Tales of the Jedi Knights, and have either the spirit of Yoda tell the stories, or have Mark Hamill as Luke (come on, he isn't doing anything), training the new crop of Jedi and using this ball thing that held the history of the Jedi, which I think was called the Omnicube or something, which was introduced in one of the comics. Anyway, you have him you that to tell the yound padawans stories of past Jedi, and you could have a few guest star episodes, like having Samuel L Jackson reprise his role as Windu, and then you'd have all sorts of one hour episodes, from space battles to intense jedi fights... and also, no Lucas, no Jar Jar Binks (unless you kill him, but I suspect that'll happen in SW3... bloody bastard, brought the downfall of the republic he did... just make us hate him more George

), no crappy actor as Anakin/Darth, make episodes concerning the Clone Wars, Darth Vader or the Emporer really dark, and have more emotion and acting than what the prequels do.

Also, the special effects need to be on par with that of the OT, not super fucking advance PT shit... $:-\$

Flippy_D · Wed 19/05/2004 23:01:09

QuoteFabulous!

It has to be done:

BerserkerTails · Thu 20/05/2004 01:44:04

The thing that really kills me is the lack of anything REAL when they filmed Star Wars Eps 1 and 2. I mean, look at the behind the scenes footage. Hey look, we're on set! It's... Really... Green...

Everything's CG. I don't mind a bit of CG, but EVERYTHING?

Peter Thomas · Thu 20/05/2004 01:59:35

QuoteSure it looked awesome but Yoda is a puppet for GOD's sake!!

I'd agree with the puppet bit, but why is God with such emphasis? it's not his fault.

QuoteI'm extremely surprised that nobody's mentioned Indiana Jones

Wish granted: Indiana Jones Sucks just as much as Star Wars

Despite the smiley, I'm not kidding. I can't stand Mr. Jones. It's almost as bad as James Bond.

MrColossal · Thu 20/05/2004 03:15:36

actually flippy, this is what I was thinking about:

evenwolf · Thu 20/05/2004 03:43:29

I never got cuaght up in Star Wars. I can watch the movies but I don't remember many names or relationships. I enjoy the original three of course, as movies. I haven't adopted the franchise.

The newer two were pretty much people just going from place to place for no apparent reason. "We must move the princess to yet another planet, quick!"

DGMacphee · Thu 20/05/2004 03:59:04

QuoteI'd agree with the puppet bit, but why is God with such emphasis? it's not his fault.

Who else are we going to blame?? The Cosmic Muffin??

AGA · Thu 20/05/2004 04:57:09

Quote from: MrColossal on Thu 20/05/2004 03:15:36
actually flippy, this is what I was thinking about:
http://www.agagames.com/ghormak/franz/strips/fan011.gif

I prefer this one:

Nacho · Thu 20/05/2004 08:52:47

Peter Thomas, the way you say things "sucks" are not very own of a good cristian...

Kinoko · Thu 20/05/2004 11:39:17

Here's the way I see it (and because I'm me, this is all that matters).

The original, ACTUAL Star Wars is one of the greatest bunch of films ever made and its cult status is well deserved. It's special effects don't measure up to today's standards, but who cares? I think they're better because they're more fun, and they give Star Wars that "feel"... you know what I'm talking about. That... "feel" that we all love about it.

These new unrelated movies that Lucas has created are shit house. Sure, they're made by the same guy and have the same title, but they aren't Star Wars. I shall call them, "Shit House". They're some of the most painful things to watch on earth for so many reasons I just can't be bothered to name them. They're so, so very crap. The third one can't possibly save it. These movies shouldn't even be associated with actual Star Wars. If you think I'm just being too negative about them because I'm looking at them through "original Star Wars coloured glasses", then you're wrong. They're crap movies compared to anything. However, there's no harm is holding them right up next to original Star Wars to be compared, because they SHOULD have to do the original SW justice. They don't, they're shit, and I too think Lucas is a dickhead for ruining my ability to say 'Star Wars' and have people know I mean those awesome original movies. Now I have to tell people I like actual Star Wars, which pisses me off, and takes up more of my time than it should.

I agree that some great, awesome movies have come out of Lucas. I like those movies and good on him for making them, but I honestly hate him for the SW screw up. If he apologised for it, I'm sure I'd feel differently but the fact that he's done this awful thing, and still continues to do it, and still thinks it's a good idea is what sticks in my head about it.

Summary: Star Wars is great, Shit House is crap, and George Lucas should stop ruining a great trilogy and say he's sorry. He should donate all the money he made from these 3 movies (and will make) to charity as penance.

.. · Thu 20/05/2004 19:07:07

Who cares... If Lucas had never made it big with Star Wars, LucasArts may never have been made.. And without lucas arts we wouldn't have Monkey Island *Falls over backwards*

Bout ep III ... Hasn't it been confirmed or something that its called Birth of the Empire

Darth Mandarb · Thu 20/05/2004 19:11:43

[size=14]I haven't heard anything on StarWars.com or TheForce.net yet ... so I wouldn't take that title as 'confirmed'.

I thought it should be called "Fall of the Jedi"

But that's just my opinion!
[/size]

.. · Thu 20/05/2004 20:14:51

Actually it has been mentioned on theforce.net ... and was reported in the Sun... still nto confirmed though..

It was always obvious though that it would be something to do with The Empire getting stronger (Rise of the Empire, Fall of the Jedi) etc..

Pesty · Thu 20/05/2004 23:28:03

One thing that should be kept in mind when discussing ALL of the Star Wars movies is that George Lucas has said in interviews that he wrote the story to get "young people" back into religion. The whole thing started out as religious propaganda, and maybe it still is. I'm not exactly sure if that's still his plan today or if he just wants to get them over with and to hell with the young people's beliefs!