George Lucas Blames 'Star Wars' Critics for Killing Series

[arglebargle]

Lucas has his problems, and they are exacerbated by the wall of sycophantic yes men who have now surrounded him. He's too close to the Star Wars story, and does not apparantly have anyone who will tell him when his tin ear for it is screwing up things. Lucas has insulated himself from any real world feedback. He's externalizing the blame.


It's no shock that the Star Wars film that had the least Lucas in it (Empire Strikes Back) is often considered the best. Lucas really got a lot of help from other writers even on the original story, who really helped punch it up. I've a friend who's seen one of the earlier drafts of Star Wars, and he rolls his eyes at it.

Luke Starkiller, pudgy farm boy, unwilling hero who get dragged against his will into the rebellion. Ugh.

Lucas has brought this on himself. The last three Star Wars films got harsh criticism because they were poorly done, with a wooden feel for his own world. Same for the last Indiana Jones movie.

Was reading his angst about no distributors being interested in his Red Tails movie. There's a reason. Sometimes the Hollywood set has no clue about things and won't support it (Original Star Wars movie). Sometimes they look at what you've done and think you're not worth the gamble.

I wish Lucas luck in his plan to do little art films. Perhaps he can get the magic back. But not every director is going to release a steady stream of great films, not everyone is a Scorsese, Eastwood, or Frankenheimer.

 

[ShiningStar]

Yes, but a majority of the complainers say that the prequels screwed up the Starwars legacy and mention nothing about Return of the Jedi. Actually, at the time hardly anyone really complained about the Ewoks. I remember all the kids in school all talking about how "funny" they were.

Was Return of the Jedi a bad movie? No. I don't think any of the movies were bad.

The biggest deal is most people don't like change. Especially "older people". Most people watched Starwars when they were kids and then 20-30 years later and seeing a new version of it and hate the fact that "it changed".

This inability to accept change is why a lot of "older people" that do what I do for a living get pushed out. Technology demands change, and if the person implementing refuses to change, the have to be pushed aside.

It's a movie. Accept it for what it is and judge it on it's own merit. Not on some movie released 30+ years ago in 1977.

you're trying to break it down to the least demoninator to accept it in your terms, thats fine, for me who watched the orginals and love the star wars universe, the movies sucked, had nothing to do with change, it was horible in my book. THan again so was that Star Trek pile of dung they are calling a movie than knowing that wouldnt work threw in the word "revision" also meaning we cant do better but we want money.

 

[YosemiteSam]

you're trying to break it down to the least demoninator to accept it in your terms, thats fine, for me who watched the orginals and love the star wars universe, the movies sucked, had nothing to do with change, it was horible in my book. THan again so was that Star Trek pile of dung they are calling a movie than knowing that wouldnt work threw in the word "revision" also meaning we cant do better but we want money.

The Star Trek? Are you referring to the 2009 series reboot? I thought that movie was great and am pissed off that they aren't already in post production of the sequel to that movie.

 

[ShiningStar]

Yeah? What exactly sucked about them besides the fact that they weren't xerox copies of the first three?

to detailed for what he needed. In the first three, the overall story of the first three was good vs evil, you had an empire, (evil), and rebels (good), than the story spun and the common uninterested person could ejoy the movies and the deep detailed nerd (me) could enjoy the films.

In the newer ones, Jar Jar binks aside, i had a problem with C3PO being built by Anakin, I think if Anakin was supposed to be that technically engineered from the get go, C3po would not have been built as a standard protocal driod as he was explaining in one of the movies. HE speaks as if thats how he was created straight off the line, if Anakin had previously built him, he would have tweaked a lot and i dont see how a butler droid would interest any kid. I had problems with this from the get go. Thats also years after playing the role playing games.

 

[ShiningStar]

The Star Trek? Are you referring to the 2009 series reboot? I thought that movie was great and am pissed off that they aren't already in post production of the sequel to that movie.

thats fine, but to geeks like me and my friend it was a slap in the face, but thats opinion and therefore i threw mine out and thats that.

 

[arglebargle]

The Star Trek? Are you referring to the 2009 series reboot? I thought that movie was great and am pissed off that they aren't already in post production of the sequel to that movie.

I think the sequel to that is in production at least....

Not out on time, but not canned either.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Yeah? What exactly sucked about them besides the fact that they weren't xerox copies of the first three?

For one, way too much dependence on CGI and wowing the crowd with special effects rather than focusing on the story, which is what made the first series so great. (Though the ewoks were stupid.)

Age has zero to do with it. Good and bad movies are made today just as they always have been. The prequels simply weren't as good, though I did like the last one. But #2 was poor and #1 was practically unwatchable.

 

[CowboyWay]

I somewhat agree with him. He started it with JarJar, but the herd mentality took over with the bashing afterwards.

No, he started it with the Ewoks. Think about it. Cute fuzzy little critters that he figured would sell a zillion toys based on. Jar Jar was just the present day "cutesy" critter.

We just didn't notice it as much with Return of the Jedi because for the most part, most of us were young, and since it was the first time he pulled something like this, we didn't notice it.

Think about the Ewoks, and then compare it to the the first couple of movies. There weren't anything like them prior to that.

The ewoks and jar jar was only in there to sell merchandise, and it backfired on him (at least jar jar backfired)

 

[joseephuss]

That's like blaming Jews for the Holocaust.

For some reason I saw "Jaws" in your post. I had to read it a few times before I read it correctly.

 

[ShiningStar]

No, he started it with the Ewoks. Think about it. Cute fuzzy little critters that he figured would sell a zillion toys based on. Jar Jar was just the present day "cutesy" critter.

We just didn't notice it as much with Return of the Jedi because for the most part, most of us were young, and since it was the first time he pulled something like this, we didn't notice it.

Think about the Ewoks, and then compare it to the the first couple of movies. There weren't anything like them prior to that.

The ewoks and jar jar was only in there to sell merchandise, and it backfired on him (at least jar jar backfired)

so the whole point of him trying to express that simple technology can save the day didnt have anything to do with it, just merchandising?

 

[bbgun]

For some reason I saw "Jaws" in your post. I had to read it a few times before I read it correctly.

Sharks are like the ***** of the sea, so I guess it makes sense.

 

[arglebargle]

No, he started it with the Ewoks. Think about it. Cute fuzzy little critters that he figured would sell a zillion toys based on. Jar Jar was just the present day "cutesy" critter.

We just didn't notice it as much with Return of the Jedi because for the most part, most of us were young, and since it was the first time he pulled something like this, we didn't notice it.

Think about the Ewoks, and then compare it to the the first couple of movies. There weren't anything like them prior to that.

The ewoks and jar jar was only in there to sell merchandise, and it backfired on him (at least jar jar backfired)

Originally, the story was to be set on the planet of the wookies. Apparantly, wookies tearing Imperial Troopers limb from limb was considered 'too violent', and they eventually morphed into the much more toy-friendly Ewoks.

 

[arglebargle]

For some reason I saw "Jaws" in your post. I had to read it a few times before I read it correctly.

I saw Jawas there.

 

[burmafrd]

Star Wars was a classic movie. You do not change classic movies?

have they ever done anything with Gone with The Wind to gussie it up for present times? NO.

Citizen Kane

Casbalanca

10 Commandments

Ben Hur

Guess what- none of them were ever 'modernized'

That is why many who loved the original Star wars hate the new versions - from the BS about Han shooting first to the rest of the new age PC garbage it all stank.

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

I don't feel that I paid much attention to the critics, but I just was not that impressed with the first two. I thought the third was pretty well done.

 

[Wolfpack]

The original 1977, A New Hope, has a dark serious feel to it. Everything from the way the starships and equipment are weathered and look used to the dialog. Solo's dialog is to break that seriousness with his one liners and it lets him shine.

That seriousness left after The Emprire Strikes Back for some reason.

The screenplay work in the Ep 1-3 is terrible and not at all on par with 4 & 5. Lucas had alot of help on 4 and turned much of 5 over to others as he is a weak writer.

 

[arglebargle]

The original 1977, A New Hope, has a dark serious feel to it. Everything from the way the starships and equipment are weathered and look used to the dialog. Solo's dialog is to break that seriousness with his one liners and it lets him shine.

That seriousness left after The Emprire Strikes Back for some reason.

The screenplay work in the Ep 1-3 is terrible and not at all on par with 4 & 5. Lucas had alot of help on 4 and turned much of 5 over to others as he is a weak writer.

If you want to see someone take apart the phantom menace, check out the exhaustive plinket review of it. Done as a parody of a movie reviewer/serial killer, it nonetheless exposes massive problems with the films. Can't link here due to language, etc.

Some of the bits are priceless: Getting fans to describe the characters of the first Star Wars, vs the Phantom Menace where they can't even remember them. Ouch.

RedLetterMedia's 'Plinkett' Star Wars

 

[bbgun]

If you want to see someone take apart the phantom menace, check out the exhaustive plinket review of it. Done as a parody of a movie reviewer/serial killer, it nonetheless exposes massive problems with the films. Can't link here due to language, etc.

Some of the bits are priceless: Getting fans to describe the characters of the first Star Wars, vs the Phantom Menace where they can't even remember them. Ouch.

RedLetterMedia's 'Plinkett' Star Wars

Love that guy. He just eviscerated the last Indiana Jones movie, but he should've spent 15 minutes on the refrigerator scene alone.

 

[CowboyWay]

so the whole point of him trying to express that simple technology can save the day didnt have anything to do with it, just merchandising?

When Rocky went to Russia to train to fight Drago, he didn't have Ewoks holding the punching bag.

Ewoks were nothing more than cute, cuddly little teddy bears that Lucas intended to sell merchandise of.

Like another poster said earlier. Few will dispute Empire as the best of all the movies. There was none of that garbage in there, because they didn't need it. The story was good enough.

 

[MonsterD]

When Rocky went to Russia to train to fight Drago, he didn't have Ewoks holding the punching bag.

Ewoks were nothing more than cute, cuddly little teddy bears that Lucas intended to sell merchandise of.

Like another poster said earlier. Few will dispute Empire as the best of all the movies. There was none of that garbage in there, because they didn't need it. The story was good enough.

That is my contention too, just make a good story not some sorry-a piecemeal work of hot wet garbage meant to appease the Star Wars image.