It's Time To Forgive George Lucas

[Wuvlycuddles]

Two things: First, compare the hours of enjoyment you've gotten from the Star Wars franchise to the hours you wasted/hated from the Star Wars franchise, i'm willing to bet that you've spent more hours enjoying Star Wars than you have hating it.

Secondly, lets say you have never seen a Star Wars movie and you watch em in order, from PM to ROTJ, the series only gets better, right? Thats not an entirely bad thing, plenty of film series get worse every film, for example, the Matrix trilogy. I watch the first film from start to finish then i just watch some of the cooler fights in the second and third as the rest of those two films are unbarable.

I would also like to point out that ILM worked not only on the Star Trek films, but also Star Trek: TNG. Making the Lucas (at least somewhat) responsible for at least two other freakin awesome sci fi series.

 

[domicius]

Worst of all, however- and here I'm not sure how much of this can be laid at Lucas's feet; I don't know how much input he really had- was the casting. Ewan MacGregor was a fairly good call as Obi-Wan, and who hasn't wanted to put a lightsabre in Samuel L. Jackson's hands, but the twin mannequins that are Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman absolutely sucked the energy out of any scene either of them was in. Having them together in a scene proved a miracle cure for insomnia, as they blatantly exercised their inability to emote or portray convincing characters. Christensen was particularly bad- he took Anakin Skywalker's slow slide towards the dark side, justifying every increasingly bad decision with the protection of his love, and turned it into an emo-tastic poutfest.

And then, there was the dethroning moment of suck [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/DarthWiki/DethroningMomentOfSuck]: "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tim5nU3DwIE]

Actually, the performance an actor turns is very much in the director's hands - it's how a good director can take an "unknown" actor and turn them into a very effective character. Admitedly, not all directors are good at this. By the accounts of all the actors in the prequels, however, GL is especially bad at it, as evidenced by the disaffected face of just about any of the main actors.

On the other hand, the movies are very very pretty. Even if they don't hold up so well. Maybe he'll make a special edition soon! Yay! Zzzzz!

 

[Shintsu2]

Movie Bob is just being a preachy idiot as all critics are when they start analyzing and passing down their high and mighty judgements. "Thou shalt not mess with my childhood nerddoms" - GET OVER IT. God forbid the person who CREATED the thing that you like does what he wants with it. He did it the way he wanted to. Yes, blah blah sentimental value of old movies from the 70's and 80's - nothing will match their legend - I don't buy it. But series as a general can easily run afoul, I would have pointed to Star Trek as a series that managed to make many movies and continue to be entertaining (alternating pattern of high/low with the even number rule - yes I buy into that lol, always been right for me) - but the travesty that was "Star Trek '11'" was so bad, the trailers pained me so that I didn't dare watch that travesty of a film. In that regard, Movie Bob was quite accurate and refreshingly so - I mean they called it "This generations Star Wars" WTF!?

People can say whatever they like, I think most people LIKED the prequels and a very vocal minority likes to run their mouth about how "blah blah - it's not PERFECT in my opinion - rant rant George Lucas should have made my fan story into a movie". So what, you're telling me that RotJ having the Empire fall as the grand finale would have been better if he made a trilogy of sequels? Any potential sequels to RotJ would be SO hard to make and make well, and you want to talk with screwing with the Star Wars universe that would do it way more. Leave the books to let your mind explore the period after RotJ. Given the way ANH starts, it lends itself to having prequels to explain how things came to be. If you were so satisfied with not having the backstory - don't watch the freakin' prequels! Just ignore them and stop blubbering on about how they're so bad (because they're not, just because you wish they didn't use CG and that they used your fan story doesn't make them bad to everyone else who appreciates them).

I was a kid right around the time Episode I was premiering, so to me this was amazing. I had watched and thought the other Star Wars movies were cool, but Episode I was to me what probably ANH was to many people who were around when it premiered. I'm not going to deny having any favouritism due to being a kid and excited about a new movie, but I wouldn't be the Star Wars fan I am today without the prequels to have really got me into the series. Maybe it's because when I watch movies I don't sit there thinking of ways to pick at it and find flaws in it. I don't know what kind of great life a movie critic must have (self-proclaimed ones too) but they must be miserable a lot trying to find things to pick at to make a fine movie horrible.

The way some of you talk, it's like the prequels were some super low budget crap movies. Good lord I've watched some low budget movies, and not the "nostalgic" kind - the plain out bad kind, like "Wow, this movie is so poorly made it's unbearable to watch". Theoretically speaking in some aspects people might consider the classic The Day The Earth Stood Still to be cheesy and antiquated, but like ANH it's timeless. Now compare to some of those cheesy alien movies from the 60's, none of the famous ones just completely random ones that no one remembers. EXACTLY, NO ONE remembers and no one wants to. They're just not enjoyable. I think every Star Wars movie will always be enjoyable to any generation, as soon as the people who were kids when ANH die of old age everyone will still enjoy and like the Star Wars franchise - perhaps with less fervency than the original fans if there aren't any new movies out when they're around or if someone other than Mr. Lucas makes the films which will almost guaranteed not be anywhere close to any of the current films. Seriously die hard old school fans, if you hate the prequels so much - just think about a "Star Trek '11'" in the Star Wars universe, a Star Wars that completely FUBARs the series universe by doing stupid things just to make it popular with more people. Think about the fact THERE WERE CARS IN STAR TREK (When in the future did we decide to use outdated vehicles when there are flying shuttles?), just think if they put real Earth style cars in Star Wars. How f$@&ed up would that be? See Darth Vader driving around in a damn Grand National or something...that kind of scale of screwed up, where he has a cell phone and all that - just look at Transformers to see how they can mess with stuff you think you know.

Again, I'm no movie critic - but then again I enjoy watching movies where I suppose some people enjoy just hating what they see. I only watch genres I like and premises that interest me - so I know I am bored of a sports movie, romance story, etc before I even start watching it so I bypass it completely. No one can just enjoy the damned movies without nitpicking. But like Movie Bob said of the Back to the Future series - no more. It's complete. The way those are setup further movies would be obvious cash cows. Consider the original Star Wars trilogy, while it was GREAT and people loved it - did the prequels totally destroy the Star Wars universe and just make the whole thing bad? Maybe some of you still foolishly think so, but I think more people like than dislike the prequels and thanks to this Star Wars on the whole.

Prequel haters get out of your movie critic chair and get back in the enjoyment chair, you're missing out on a lot...George Lucas didn't rape your childhood or whatever - if you think so then you are convincing yourself of it, probably because you don't get enough attention. Stop being so melodramatic.

 

[Dark Angel Warlord]

Gotta remember George is one person im sure others had thier hand in messing up the movies
gotta blame everyone not just one single person

 

[humpingmonkey]

Overall, it is his creation, and therefore he doesn't have to care whether we see it or not. HE does need to be forgiven because there is nothing to forgive. Sure, maybe the movies weren't perfect, but I wouldn't call them "awful" either. In the end it just shows that he is human and not every single movie in existence is going to be a masterpiece. They were technically a success since he made millions of dollars on it. I just think people should get off their high horse and look at the good aspects of the first three episodes.

 

[humpingmonkey]

FORGIVE ? ! ? NEVER ! ! !

George Lucas is like the Prophet Mohammed. It is remotely possible that he was once touched by greatness, something special and divine, but then he became corrupt and like SouthPark said, "raped my childhood memories for money". If he was a good man he wouldn't have done that. If he were still a genius and not some sort of "film media vandal" I could forgive. If he had produced something good recently, I might forgive. But lets face facts, the man hasn't done anything except coat his legacy in a veneer of fecal matter and roll in the money like a porky cocaine addicted swine. At age 7 I was a StarWars Fan. Now like Darth Vader I scream a powerless "NOOOOOOO" at the appalling tragedy that has unfolded, but unlike Darth, I had no say in it. It is time George Lucas be put out of our collective misery by having 100,000 Jarjar Binks action figures rammed up his rectum before he does any more damage to his films (if that is possible).

You really should get a different hobby.

 

[Maciech42]

I never hated the prequel trilogy, I always thought the legions of haters out there were bat-shit bonkers.

 

[Zuljeet]

I will stop being angry w/ George when he stops trying to destroy his own franchise. Jar Jar indeed >.>

 

[elricik]

I was never pissed off in the first place. He's not really destroying the originals, I'm sure he has them somewhere, if not I have my original VHS tapes (but no VCR). And yeah the prequels aren't as good as the original films, but that doesn't mean their horrible, horrible is watching a Uwe Boll movie. In fact Revenge of the Sith is my second favorite star wars film (next to return of the Jedi). If anything we should be pissed off about the crappy Star Wars games that keep coming out.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

People can say whatever they like, I think most people LIKED the prequels

I'm pretty sure a show a poll would tell you otherwise.
Or simply Google "Han shot first"

The way some of you talk, it's like the prequels were some super low budget crap movies. Good lord I've watched some low budget movies, and not the "nostalgic" kind - the plain out bad kind, like "Wow, this movie is so poorly made it's unbearable to watch".

Plain bad movies are great. I love Plan Nine from Outer Space and that's generally seen as the worst movie of all time.

Theoretically speaking in some aspects people might consider the classic The Day The Earth Stood Still to be cheesy and antiquated,

Against Keanu's version? He's antiquated when he's brand new.

Now compare to some of those cheesy alien movies from the 60's, none of the famous ones just completely random ones that no one remembers. EXACTLY, NO ONE remembers and no one wants to. They're just not enjoyable.

Them!, Attack of the 50ft Woman, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, Amazon Women of the Moon, Manos: The Hands of Fate? Wonderful.

Prequel haters get out of your movie critic chair and get back in the enjoyment chair, you're missing out on a lot...George Lucas didn't rape your childhood or whatever - if you think so then you are convincing yourself of it, probably because you don't get enough attention. Stop being so melodramatic.

I got immediately out of my chair to get myself a sandwich, Phantom Menace bores me when it's not making me enraged.

There's one thing Lucas can do to get absolved of his crimes against movie-making.

Release the ORIGINAL prequels on DVD for a reasonable price. None of this "enhanced" version, as it was just plain effing about with a classic.

That's worth a thousand Hail Mary's and then I'd take him off my hate-list.

 

[tomservo4prezident]

The only things worth hating Lucas for are:

A) beginning the career of Hayden Christensen
and
B) putting Hayden Christensen at the end of Return of the Jedi.

B is a travesty, but other than that I don't care.

 

[Talo_AML]

Sure he doesn't owe us the fans anything. But that doesn't mean I cant be pissed off about him screwing up the prequels or that canon trashing Star Wars: The Clone Wars cartoon.

 

[Pills_Here]

Yo. YO. Big ups to Movie Bob for dropping some information about C.S. Lewis that didn't directly pertain to the narnia series. As for Georgie, it is his story and I suppose he's in his right to do whatever he wants to it. Anyone still angry with the phantom menace is probably into starwars enough to make up their own alternative to what the films depict. It's a lot like the later Dune novels (and in many ways like the dreck Herbert Jr. is writing these days), some good ideas buried in a mountain of unlikable characters and unnecessary exposition.

 

[PhiMed]

C.S. Lewis, in describing his gradual personal transition from staunch atheist to Christian philosopher (and author of the Narnia books) described his period of unbelief as a state of being "angry with God for not existing."

Ow Ow Ow, I don't know who that guy is but that comment made my brain owie, I'll have to read Page 2 some other time

I think the theory there is that you can't be angry with God and not believe in Him at the same time. Or is it just the strangeness of the sentence that vortexed your brain?

OT: Sure I'll forgive the little scamp! But only if I get to tug on his magic beard for luck.

The amount of stupidity from his comment hurt my brain, if he was angry with God, he failed at being an Athiest

I don't think you're allowed to call C.S. Lewis stupid when you've already admitted that you don't know who he is. "I don't know who C.S. Lewis is" is virtually an equivalent statement to "I'm almost illiterate".

Also, of course he failed at being an atheist. He went from being an atheist to being one of the most influential Christian thinkers of the last 150 years. But how could you possibly have known that? Bob only said it earlier in the sentence.

Comment fail.

OT: I've never really understood all the hatred for the prequels. They're certainly not as bad as Someone Masquerading as My Favorite Movie Character and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

 

[zelda2fanboy]

It's just a movie.

That doesn't mean that they didn't have a huge effect on Human history, psychology, belief and dreams.

Star Wars was merely recycling thousands of years of mythology and the previous 50 years of war movies, Westerns, and sci fi. Everything that Star Wars "contributed" to the collective unconscious was already there to begin with. Granted, it did it very well, but no better than the many movies that came before and after.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

It's just a movie.

That doesn't mean that they didn't have a huge effect on Human history, psychology, belief and dreams.

Star Wars was merely recycling thousands of years of mythology and the previous 50 years of war movies, Westerns, and sci fi. Everything that Star Wars "contributed" to the collective unconscious was already there to begin with. Granted, it did it very well, but no better than the many movies that came before and after.

You could say the same about Zelda

 

[Dancingman]

Am I the only one who thinks this article is far too whiny?

 

[lijenstina]

George who ?