George Lucas is "Retiring" From Film

[Evill_Bob]

EVERYONE QUIT BITCHING, WE NEED TO FIND SOMEONE TO REFILM THE PREQUIL TRILOGY.

Granted, I liked Obi-wan played by Ewan McGregor. That was good. Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn was a good move. Ray Park played the painfully short role of the near mute Darth Maul quite well. And we've all come to accept Temuera Morrison as Jango Fett and by extension Boba Fett. But Hayden Christensen as Anakin? THE EXISTANCE OF JAR JAR BINKS!?

It may not have been Hayden's fault, may have been George that said "Ummm yeah... uh Hayden? Could you sound less like a iconic figure and more of a whiney twat?" Mark Hamill pulled off the whiney little snot turned force powered badass quite well in the original but that bastard also MADE the Joker in Batman so let?s not try to compare people to him shall we?

Onto Jar Jar Binks. The red flag that something wasn't quite right. Many may try to compare him to the Ewoks but lets face it. Moronic frog people from the swamp just don't have the same likeability as cute little teddy bear people who turn out to be vicious little man-eating gremlins.

That said, even the Ewoks kinda pissed me off, the best of the best of the Empire were bested by these little creepy freaks. Did kinda ruin the Empire's indomitable juggernaut status but those poor Stormtroopers could never quite hit shit anyways. But the battle between the Trade Federation Battle Droids against the Gungans could have gone in another movie while Yakety Sax plays (most know it as the Benny Hill Theme).

Ha, I said "EVERYONE QUIT BITCHING" and then proceeded to ***** myself.

 

[thelonewolf266]

Its kind of disturbing how many people direct hate filled, insulting and just unnecessary comments towards a man that merely changes something he himself made(and no I'm not suggesting he was the only one involved in making star wars).Yeah you don't like the prequels and you don't like him changing small things like making Yoda CGI we understand now get over it and stop acting like he killed your mother and then desecrated her grave.For the record I grew up watching the original trilogy and loved them.I believe them to be superior films to the prequels but I still like the prequels, even if I didn't I wouldn't throw a hissy fit over it every time it comes up in conversation.

 

[Trucken]

But then he's always been a douchebag. He fired an editor for one of the original films because the guy thought lucas' "shot-reverse-shot" scenes of characters merely walking and sitting down were too uninteresting and lazy. The only reason the original trilogy looked so good was because he had people there to challenge his stupid ideas. He actually wanted Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade to take place in a HAUNTED CASTLE! If you look at the footage behind the scenes of Indy 4, everyone points to George for the bad ideas, such as space ships and aliens... the original title was going to be "Indiana Jones And The Men From Mars". So George can't create movies for shit, but he has good ideas if others can direct them

Holy shit, George Lucas is the Vince Russo of movies. That's a very scary thought.

OT: I'll admit that I've never been a fan of Star Wars, but I just can't understand why he refuses to release the originals. All the fans want it, so why doesn't he just give it to them?

 

[Baron von Blitztank]

He already made Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
The damage has already been done, this is just him returning to his bond-villain lair to cackle maniacally for a while

 

[Mullahgrrl]

And this, is why idiotic fanboys should be hated.

What? because they make the world better?

I say we go after Uwe Boll next!

 

[Sovvolf]

Well... I guess it had to happen sometime. I'm sorry George, I never hoped you'd quit your career, just wish you'd took a step back and understood that film making is a group process. As for people complaining about people complaining about the changes (wow that sentence seems redundant), please understand that it was people that were complaining about changes during the movie process that made the original Star Wars trilogy what it is.

Not every thing Lucas did on that project was gold. The project required a group effort, rewrites, people pitching in with ideas and having the bravery to disagree with him and point out what would be stupid. These days, Lucas was just too powerful for that to happen. I doubt they'd be many people on his staff that would question him creatively, their job may depend on it. Being forced to change things a listen to others ideas is what helped the series. When given free reign, the prequel trilogy happens.

Now let me get this out of the way. I don't hate every change that happened in the re-releases. Some I find are for the better. I've watched the trilogy side by side with the originals, the 90's re-release and the Bluray version. The weakest of the lot is the Bluray version by far, can't note any positive changes. However with the re-release, the lightsabres have been tampered with and look a little better from scenes, no longer looking like they are drawn on, Vaders voice in the re-release has more boom to it which helps add effect, Ian Mcderrmid (I think thats the guys name, the fellow that played the Emperor) replaces the actor in the second movie and finally, the song at the end of ROJ is changed for the better (in my opinion).

Hell there's even some CGI shots that I enjoyed, mainly of the Falcon, like where it sets off in the first. Also some shots of the X-wings in the Death Star fight... Yeah they look pretty good.

However yeah it doesn't out weigh the negative changes of which I wont list on here for the sake of time. Plus you already know them.

I hope that George will eventually return but I think this drop into the low budget indy place he's off to may do him some good as a film maker. Get him back to his roots. I mean, ladies and gents, watch some interviews of him from the 80's are least round the time of the originals. He looks like a man with a genuine love for the industry. Be nice to have the old George back.

 

[Swifteye]

And then thousands of fanboys who have an overdeveloped sense of identity in other people's work literally ripped the artist out of his artwork with there complaining. Congratulations internet you whined so hard you made an artist give up. You sad sacks can go and be happy in your notions of purity over a series of films that you in no way contributed and yet are so central to your life that you still ***** about them after decades. Ah but why do I even bother clearly bitching louder makes you more important and I'm sure I'll hear plenty of that in response to this post.

On a less deeply cynical and blind rage filled note, in an alternate universe somewhere where people support what George Lucas did with the movie the internet is weeping right now.

As someone who is fairly optimistic and still enjoys even the stuff people say was bad about star wars I must say you're stance on the subject is all wrong. They are over entitled but george lucas is a person who has made legitimate mistakes that needed addressing.

 

[Samus Aaron]

Who the hell cares that Lucas altered his films? Is he not entitled to create his stories as he wishes? Further, his edits are so minor that they're barely noticeable at all, and any person who hasn't seen the unaltered versions wouldn't think any less of the altered versions. I really don't see why Lucas is so hated despite everything he has accomplished.

1. Because they aren't HIS films, they're OUR films. Once you release a movie/game/etc to the public, it's no longer just YOUR movie/game/etc. Same reason that (some) fans of TF2 got so annoyed when it turned into "Hat Fortress 2". Because THEIR game (regardless of who made it) was given a dramatic shift in its focus. So why do I hate that Lucas keeps altering "his" films? Because as a result, he's altering MY film. Hence why I still don't own a single Star Wars DVD.

2. Because after years and years and years, Lucas FINALLY gives Star Wars fans what they want (Star Wars on DVD), but then pisses on our years of looking forward to it by forcing the changes down our throats. At least in the VHS days you had the option of watching the originals, watching the remastered versions without changes, or watching the brand new versions with the new scenes tossed-in. These days it's either the new versions with ALL the changes in them, or dusting-off your old VCR to watch the originals.

Oh, and don't give me this "minor changes" BS. Yeah sure, on their own each change isn't that big of a deal, but we're talking about at least a dozen changes. Not to mention that as minor as I might admit to them being, they're still niggling annoyances that I shouldn't have to deal with when wanting to enjoy a movie.

"MY" films? No, my friend, the Star Wars films are not yours. They do not belong to you. They are the property of George Lucas (as far as I know), and being his property, he can do to them what he wishes. You are not entitled to someone else's work. The memories may be yours, but if Lucas wants to change his films he can do as he wants, and those memories will stay the same. It's not like Lucas is just sitting in his underground lair, thinking of how he can ruin the lives of his most devoted fans.

Oh, and Lucas is not "forcing the changes down your throats." It's YOUR decision if you want to buy it or not, and if not, you still have the VHS tapes unaltered and just as you remember. And your suggestion that "I shouldn't have to deal with" Lucas's changes? It just sounds so pompous.

Forgive me if I have sounded harsh, but it's no more harsh than the Lucas-hate of many diehard star wars fans. Realize that even if Lucas doesn't re-release the Star Wars movies exactly as you want, you'll still have the original VHS tapes, and, lacking that, the memories. Sure maybe those memories won't be as HD as they could have been, but they will always be there. Maybe if fans had been more positive with their criticism, presenting their grievances in a more constructive way, Lucas would have reciprocated and given you what you want. But I guess it's too late for that, so we'll just have to live and let live.

 

[Durgiun]

Who knows, maybe when he dies someone will give us good a better trilogy than what we got last time.

 

[Stalydan]

Now for the corporate fat cats to really run Star Wars into the ground!

You'll all be running to Lucas, begging him to return and save us all, just mark my words escapist!

Thank the fans for the extended universe and the stories they managed to create. I recently read the Thrawn Trilogy. It was pretty damn awesome, more so than anything that Lucas did the franchise past Return of the Jedi. Arguably Revenge of the Sith, it's the one bit of the prequels that I think is a really good film.

 

[Metalix Knightmare]

Now for the corporate fat cats to really run Star Wars into the ground!

You'll all be running to Lucas, begging him to return and save us all, just mark my words escapist!

I really can't see it being worse.

I can. You think Jar-Jar and the Ewok's were bad? Wait till you see the introduction of Anakin's new little sidekick buddies the twinklemites Designed from the ground up to be as adorable as possible according to our marketing department's findings. Watch as they get episodes dedicated to them over the Jedi and the wars in attempts to make the audience love them and buy their toys.

Or, in an attempt to tackle the tween demographic and Twilight fandom, they remake the films entirely, but rather than focus on the awesome war, they focus on the character's romantic turmoils. Watch as Han Solo grapples with the angst of being in love with the same woman that one of his best friend is.

Do NOT doubt the depths the people who greenlight shows and movies will go to. Do you REALLY want the people who created Jersey Shore and the Twilight films working on Star Wars? Cause that's what we are at risk of now.

 

[Virgilthepagan]

I think like a lot of people I'm pretty happy about this news. I actually got a chance to sit down and watch the redone dvd version of the original trilogy the other day, and all I felt was confused. The original movies were still there and fun, but every little addition just distracted. I think my favorite example was the lengthened intro to Mos Eisley, where another minute or so of Jawas and droids getting into little antics was added. All it did was break the pacing, and looked horribly out of place. Another senseless point was doubling the length of the battle between Obi Wan and Vader, what was the reason for it?
Imagine if HBO came back to Game of Thrones ten years from now, and then decided to use new technology to insert Tyrion into another six scenes, and to add direwolf puppies into the background. It wouldn't make the show better, just more cluttered.

If all George can add these days is clutter, then maybe its better if he stops in general. At least that'd prevent him from adding a fifth Indie film where he battles villains modeled after the asian kungfu Genre.

 

[krellen]

You own the experience, he owns the property. How you experience things is within your power. What he does with the property is within his.

Before Disney, no one would have made this ludicrous argument. Could you imagine a world where the works of Shakespeare were still the sole property of the Shakespeare estate?

 

[Treblaine]

Now for the corporate fat cats to really run Star Wars into the ground!

You'll all be running to Lucas, begging him to return and save us all, just mark my words escapist!

Really? You sure Lucas isn't a corporate fat cat himself? Even though he railed against the studio system in the past in setting up his own studio he has become the very thing he sought to fight against. There must be a name for how people tend to end up like the thing they seek to destroy.

The entire prequel trilogy is a shameless soulless cash in, and Lucas doesn't seem to care about how much he has utterly botched Vader's origins story and the establishment of the empire. I mean do you see Lord of the Rings resorting to such merchandising. The ONE good part of the Prequel Trilogy, Tartakovsky's Clone Wars well that was too good. He pulled it from air, got a tiny DVD release then retconned it out of history with his own version (with almost the exact same title) that was monumentally worse and borderline unwatchable.

I don't think you get how long it took the Star Wars fans to recognise this, what had happened, it took SO LONG for us to admit that Lucas had completely lost it and even longer to then realise that what he had, he didn't really have it. He depended so much on listening to and seriously considering the advice and criticism of the people around him. He rails against the studio system who didn't like Han Solo being essentially Greedo and have Chewbacca be an Ewok!

More than anything Lucas has shattered the perception of Auteur Infallibility.

He didn't make a single change in the Special Edition that improved the film. They were just his pet peeves. He forgot that he was an entertainer, he's like a Stand Up comedian who thinks he can just go out there and complain rather than tell any jokes. Han Solo is the type of guy shoots first, everything about the 3 films he appears in he is like that, when he meets Vader in Could City he immediately pulls his gun and tries to kill him. It was just the personal beliefs of an old man that Han should never shoot first, even if held at gunpoint.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

Why did you just happen to choose the one scene in the entire original trilogy that was improved by the 1998 rerelease? Not the 2005 rererelease (Jar Jar Binks is in the original trilogy? AAAAHHHHH) but that scene is a lot better with the Flute music , not the rather annoying Ewok singing.

OT: Well, besides the rererereleases, the biopic, and writing for Indiana Jones 4: Aliens, how many movies has he really been doing recently?

 

[Sovvolf]

Why did you just happen to choose the one scene in the entire original trilogy that was improved by the 1998 rerelease? Not the 2005 rererelease (Jar Jar Binks is in the original trilogy? AAAAHHHHH) but that scene is a lot better with the Flute music , not the rather annoying Ewok singing.

I'm glad someone agrees with me on that one. The flute music works much better than the Ewok singing. I just found the singing to be annoying and it just didn't fit the mood.

 

[Sylveria]

And the world rejoiced. At least the world would rejoice if the originals weren't removed from production and there's 6 years of shitty post-production 3D rereleases coming down the road. Should have done this 13 years ago Mr. Lucas.

 

[Sylveria]

Now for the corporate fat cats to really run Star Wars into the ground!

You'll all be running to Lucas, begging him to return and save us all, just mark my words escapist!

I really can't see it being worse.

.

Or, in an attempt to tackle the tween demographic and Twilight fandom, they remake the films entirely, but rather than focus on the awesome war, they focus on the character's romantic turmoils.

They did, it's called Episode 2.

 

[walsfeo]

It's not that he's a bad person, it's that he's a crappy writer and questionable director. Don't get me wrong, he's one of the best producers in the world, but his skills do not always live up to his enthusiasm for mucking about in stuff.