R.I.P. Star Wars Obsession 1977-2008
It has been said that all good things must come to an end and those words throughout the ages have always been proven true. The best one can hope for is when something “good” approaches its end, it gets the chance to go out in a blaze of glory. The hope that it will be allowed to go out on top, to exit the stage in its finest form and to leave us all wanting more and lamenting its finish.
Sometimes things work out that way, but other times they don’t. Often something “good” slowly starts to degrade. It erodes upon itself, still clinging to past visions of greater glory in a deluded self perception of continued relevance. It leaves the rest of us with no other recourse other than to stand around its proverbial death bed and watch its flame finally extinguish as nothing but a shell of its former self.
These sad events can often be seen as a company existing long past its usefulness (can you believe Friendster is still around?), professional athletes that play long past their prime… and for me, worst of all and the most tragic of all the examples… when a beloved movie franchise turns itself into a laughing stock, loses all touch with its true fan base and finally becomes so bad that even the most die hard and loyal supporters of the franchise are forced to look in the mirror and acknowledge that the glory is gone, and accept the beloved object of their fandom is dead.
As a life long Star Wars fanatic I had to face the facts and finally say the words. STAR WARS IS DEAD, AND MY OBSESSION HAS DIED WITH IT.
And I’m not alone. Around the world the great masses of former Star Wars legions spoke loudly with their silence this weekend. A new Star Wars movie opened (granted, it was animated which accounts for a little bit) this past weekend and pulled in numbers so low I had to pinch myself. A Star Wars movie… had an opening weekend of UNDER $15 million.
To all those who would try to rush to defend those number with excuses ranging from “this was a kids movie”, or “it’s only because it was an animated film” or worst of all “You just don’t get it”… I ask this question: If this EXACT movie had been released 10 years ago… do you think it’s even possible that it would have made a dollar less than $50 million opening weekend? Not a chance!
So what happened?
Return of the Jedi ended the original trilogy in magnificent fashion. The most dramatically brilliant lightsaber duel between Luke and Vader in the Emperor’s throne room set to a musical score that will live forever, the single greatest space battle scene in the history of film or television and the perfect completion of Darth Vader. It was brilliant, it was awe inspiring, it was legendary, it was a trilogy of near perfection. It left us satisfied, it left us cheering and the only sadness that came from it was the knowledge that it was over. Film would never be the same again.
The downfall of the franchise has been discussed, debated and argued extensively, but some points warrant some repeating.
The Phantom Menace started right… and everything was going fine until… until that moment… that pivotal moment that changed everything and forever shook the fans faith in George Lucas forever. JAR… JAR… BINKS!
It signaled the beginning of the end, and that Lucas had lost both his way and his touch with reality. His idea was to make something that little kids would love. Here’s the problem that has resonated throughout the Star Wars franchise ever since… there is a huge difference between making a character that kids will ALSO like, and making a character SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED JUST FOR LITTLE KIDS. When you take a character designed just for little kids and drop his into the middle of a franchise that was NOT meant exclusively for little kids, you spoil the soup and ruin the taste of all the other ingredients. And that’s what Jar Jar, and George did.
But being the faithful Star Wars fan that I was, I continually held out hope that the next one would be better. Somehow, Lucas would right the ship and get the Star Wars universe back on track and revive the former glory of the franchise. Yes, Phantom, Attack of the Clone and Revenge of the Sith all had elements that were good, certain scenes that stood out… but as a whole the essence of the franchise had been irreparably changed and damaged.
Star Wars had always been something that all ages could enjoy. Both kids and adults could adore R2-D2, we could all be scared of the Rancor, we all dropped our jaw at the size of the Death Star and kids and adults alike could agree that Darth Vader was the greatest character in all of fiction! But with Phantom and Jar Jar, that all changed. Now children were the target demographic. Fart jokes “Pee-UU-Sa” and cultural puns “Esqqueeeze Me” were now the norm.
Even as we got to Revenge of the Sith, the scenes that could have been really poignant and dramatically stirring were sanitized and dumbed down.
After Revenge of the Sith, although my favorite of the new prequels, something died in me. The naive optimism that still existed in me was extinguished… but I didn’t know it, and it took me a couple of years and the release of the new Clone Wars to discover it (as I sort of posted about the day I was heading to the premiere of Clone Wars). It was true, my Star Wars obsession, and fandom, had died. It died a slow, painful, humiliating death.
Seeing Clone Wars was the last nail in the coffin. Yes the action was great… but it was empty action whose enjoyment had nothing to do with the fact that it was a Star Wars movie. Clone Wars was the last gasp of life in the franchise as it gave itself over totally to the dark side (becoming nothing but a little kids franchise dropped into the continuity of an all ages franchise).
Ahsoka Tano, the annoying little orange Jedi Padawn who replaced Jar Jar’s “Pee-UU-sa” with calling Anakin Skywalker (her Jedi Master) “Sky-Guy” and R2 “R2 Two-ie” is the true heir the the mantel of franchise killer once held by Jar Jar. Yes, Ahsoka is the new Jar Jar, only worse… because there is no tiny grey area with her… she is 100% and unapologetically a WB kids show character aimed directly at children.
It was the final nail in the coffin, the nuking of the fridge and the jumping of the shark all rolled into one and confirmed the already existing truth. Star Wars was dead, and actually had been for a few years already and now there’s really nothing left to do but start the grieving process and begin to accept it.
So good bye Star Wars universe. You were a critical part of my life for almost as long as I’ve been alive. You helped shape my imagination, you made me fall in love with movies, you influenced the movie industry like very few other movies had and above all you entertained me more than any other property in the entertainment industry. It breaks my heart to see what you have become, and I’ve tried to be a faithful fan… but you’ve been unfaithful to me and the rest of us. Good bye, fare thee well and may the force be with you.
85 Comments, Comment or Ping
B-Tray
I’m with you again on this one John. The only thing I’m looking forward to now that is Star Wars related is The Force Unleashed for my 360.
Aug 19th, 2008
Ross Miller
John, does this mean you won’t obsess about the original trilogy that you love, won’t hold it as your favourite films now? Or does this simply mean you won’t be fanatical and obsessive about any NEW Star Wars projects that may come out?
Aug 19th, 2008
John
Hey Ross,
The original trilogy will stand forever, much like the memories of a loved one who has passed on. But moving forward, it’s dead to me now.
Aug 19th, 2008
Ed
even worse guys is that star wars has been passed by the dark knight and is now the second highest grossing movie. Very sad.
Aug 19th, 2008
John
Hey ED
I wouldn’t worry about that at all. The Dark Knight is selling tickets at triple the price that Star Wars did in its time. The Dark Knight hasn’t sold 1/3 the amount of tickets that Star Wars has.
Aug 19th, 2008
Antonio
I agree with you, John. I, too, had noticed my obsession with Star Wars dissolving into a jedi mist over the years. At first, I thought it was just me growing up, but looking back I do have to put the reason (blame?) to Lucas and the new trilogy.
Interestingly enough, I’ve started re-watching the Star Trek series and enjoying them a lot. Go figure…
Aug 19th, 2008
Ross Miller
John,
So it will be a kind of appreciation like any other film you have come across and think is amazing but not on the “geek” level as you used to?
Aug 19th, 2008
Phil Gee
I’m hanging in there for the re-release of the movies in 3D myself John. Nothing can take away from how much fun it is to watch the original films on a giant screen (unless Georgie Boy fucks that up in some way).
The one thing that frustrated me about the completed saga was the continuity errors and how Lucas’ choices in the prequels made the universe seem so much smaller (and i know everyone has said this).
The original films created so many unique looking characters. I remember being fascinated by Mr Squid Head at Jabba’s Palace. He had no lines. He wasn’t important. The only way you could find out his name was to read the action figure card but the fact that he looked so cool and nobody else in the film looked like him, that all the hundreds of other characters all seemed to be of a different race individually, made the Star Wars universe feel massive and abstract and this was sorely lacking in the prequels.
Continuity wise, though i can see that as a broad storyline over six films, it is a great tale, the plot points of the prequels and choices made were so bad in some cases that I have no choice but to think of each trilogy as a seperate entity. The big one for me is Padme dying in childbirth (oh sorry, she lost the will to live didn’t she) and yet, during that sweet scene between Luke and his sister in ROTJ, Leia talks about her memories of her friggin mother who “was very beautiful but sad”………………….
…….WHAT THE ~#*#
I’m sorry but I cannot get over that one, and that was when i gave up on the thing really.
You have to wonder what Star Wars will become after Lucas is dead (not that i’m wishing that on him………though there are days;p). I imagine that he has all kinds of agreements put in place with the company that nothing he has done can be undone and such but I do wonder.
Aug 19th, 2008
Junior
I have never been a huge Star Wars fan or a fan period. I did enjoy watching the original trilogy, specially when it was remastered and re-released in theaters. I for one did not like episodes one through three. I am still disappointed with myself for waiting in line to watch The Phantom Menace.
The only true trilogy that will never see this horrible end will be Back to the Future. I hope they never add on or remake the film. I understand there are allot of people out there that will disagree and like to trash this fantastic trilogy. But let me make this one point. There probably very few out there that come across any of the Back to the Future films on Direct TV or cable and change the channel.
Aug 19th, 2008
Chris
Jeez, did Moriarty’s (Aint it Cool News) Clone Wars review set this off? It’s like this movie is setting off a retirement party.
Aug 19th, 2008
DJ Machismo
I’ve yet to see the new Clone Wars movie, and will undoubtedly buy it once it comes to the home movie market.
So I shall see what all this hubub is about soon enough.
Though I doubt I’ll really ever lose my Star Wars obsession status. What with The Force Unleashed coming out, and the plethora of expanded universe titles available… Star Wars is far from a dead or dying obsession for myself.
Aug 19th, 2008
Haole
This is something I was thinking about earlier today. Origionally wasn’t Star Wars meant for kids to begin with? So what happened? Is it just that Gearoge Lucas thinks less of kids now or are kids just that stupid that they really like Jar Jar Binks characters? Or if I were a kid would I have been that stupid to like Jar Jar?
Aug 19th, 2008
kc
I’m a few years older than a lot of you and actually remember watching Fonzie jump the shark. I was there when KISS went disco and the Bee Gees redid Sgt. Pepper.
There was always something hollow about the prequels to me. They were like a beautiful girl that seemed like the one until she opened her mouth. Star Wars lost it’s soul, somewhere along the line.
Maybe with the rebirth of Star Trek, Lucas will find his way again. I was never one to choose sides in that fight, for they both were franchises that made me dream of different worlds. I’ll skip star wars until a new hope arrives.
Aug 19th, 2008
Jalon
Hahah, hilarious. Dude, Star Wars is / was dead since the new trilogy (or the end of the old one for that matter).
Aug 19th, 2008
AjaxLou
Took you a while John. Many of us were on our last flickers after TPM. AOTC sealed the deal.
Aug 19th, 2008
Johnny Boy
This is not really a Star Wars film and it was never meant to be such. It was always designed as a television show aimed at kids. I think if people look at the Clone Wars from that perspective, then they will see that 15 million is about right. This is a tie in product… NOT A STAR WARS FILM.
The prequels were Star Wars films… awful films by general consensus. But to judge this new Clone Wars 2 hour pilot by comparing it to a film is not really a fair thign to do.
By the way the first Clone Wars Vol. 1 & 2 were pretty good.
Aug 19th, 2008
Robert(wolf)
I saw Clone Wars, and you know what the two main problems with that was? Was made for TV and for kids. Clone Wars should have been only for TV but Lucas tried to milk our money buy tossing the Star Wars name on the big screen-Epic fail! Like you said John, Star Wars was for all ages, not just for one demographic. Clone Wars will be forgotten just like other minor crap Star Wars cartoons from the 80’s.
I went to buy some Star Wars figures this weekend, when I took Anakin Skywalker off the hook, I stopped, paused and dropped him to the floor and walked out of the store. I feel hurt too!
I didn’t mind the prequels all too much, heck I think the prequels had some amazing moments. But the prequels didn’t live up to the OT and that was a kick in our Jedi balls.
Lucas needs to lay Star Wars to rest for about 5 years and bring it back with a kickass TV show.
Aug 19th, 2008
Robert
Star Wars died a long time ago, all we got were resurrected zombified corpses of the movies we loved.
Aug 19th, 2008
T-Vo
First of all the new clone wars movie is not a movie but 3 epsiodes of the new animated TV series.
As far as losing the obsession for Star Wars, I think its only natural because we all eventually grow up and have jobs and families and other things that take precedent in life. What you can do is share it with your kids and let their wonderment of it all bring a smile to your face and you will only be able to live vicariously through them since we are all more or less, jaded adults in the information age.
The new direction of the star wars universe since the prequels has been geared more towards kids with ROTS being the one exception which should be ranked as top 2 or 3 of all the star wars films.
Star Wars wil live on. Look whats on the horizon… Fanboys, the live action Tv show and 3-d movies coming to big screen. The expanded universe will go on forever and as we get older, young padawan fans will take our place and the force will go on and on.
Its been a great run, name something else in pop culture that had endured for this long and will continue on.
Aug 19th, 2008
Benjamin
I agree. I am actually young. My first Star Wars movie was TPM when I was 13 and I liked it. Then I finally saw the original trilogy and I loved it. I couldnt wait for EP2. I left the cinema thinking: well, the love scenes sucked but the action was great and the beginning of Darth Vader was set. Then came Episode 3, with great Clone wars cartoons in between. It started great, then the padme scenes came. I lived. The end fights were great. Then comes the birth of darth vader as we have known him. And he ruins the scene with the first line :( Then adds a horrible scream. I still bought the dvds and watch them here and there, but the sad thing is that the entire movie a have a finger on skip scene button :( I hope George Lucas never directs again.
Aug 19th, 2008
Senor Chefy
I’m no Star Wars (or George Lucas for that matter) apologist. Still- all this vitriol and “the dream has died” unleashed as an outcome of the Clone Wars CARTOON is kind of amusing.
Anybody remember the ‘79 Star Wars special? The Ewok TV movies? Droids/Ewok cartoons? The Marvel comic books?
All “kiddy”.
All shit.
The OT was “lightning in a bottle”. Star Wars never jumped the shark. It’s always lived a double life.
Aug 19th, 2008
bigsampson
johny boy…..3 comments up……your tottaly in denial….campea is 100% right…..im only 29 but thru out my life star wars has been my favorite series of media next to aliens….and i got to say that lucas has killed the series totally….i hated the movie more then john did….i just wacthed return of the jedi…easily my fav … and u know what it was like a task to watch it cause in my head the universe has been destroyed with its last few add ons……seriously uck lucas…i hope u get beat up by a amputee you douche bag……..star wars no more! fuk your light saber!
Aug 19th, 2008
T-Vo
Heres another thought, did people lose obsession of interest because the movies and shows that are being made are pretty much already known what happens? Kinda anti-climatic, don’t ya think?
Now imagine if they made a Epside 7, With an aging Luke, Han and Leia and the story is now about their children. You would have Star Wars fans in droves wanting to know more about these new characters and the story lines could have infinite possiblities not the finite endings of the prequels where we all sat around waiting for the hammer to drop.
Aug 19th, 2008
Dragonslayer
That was just beautiful…[sniffs]
But to be truthful, my Star Wars obsession died a year after Ep. 3 came out. I’ll still watch it, sure. I have to say, maybe they should’ve just done the original trilogy (Star Wars Ep. 4 will always stand as one of my favorite films). I mean, I liked the prequels, especially Ep. 3. But my obsession has been dead for a while.
George doesn’t have it anymore, and he never will again…
Aug 19th, 2008
Derek 8-Track
i seriously teared up a little there at the end.
Aug 19th, 2008
chris (the real one)
meh im an 80s baby and ive never been into the star wars obsession…thought the original trilogy was average as best besides the groundbreaking special effects (for its time)…and the prequels sure as hell didnt help either…..but i do feel what ur saying……it sucks to see a franchise u love being drug through the mud (cough…transformers,,,cough) its never easy
Aug 19th, 2008
chris (the real one)
and that was a very well written article john…bravo i felt ur sadness….
Aug 19th, 2008
Dragonslayer
@Derek 8-Track
I wouldn’t hold it against you. Star Wars, just like Sunperman, is unfortunately dead, and we can’t do anything about it. R.I.P.
Aug 19th, 2008
George
Its a sad day when a post like this has to be written. Hell, I am a star wars freak and I didn’t even go to see this new thing. And that has made me really sad.
But one thing I don’t like is adjusted box office.
The way I look at it is release gone with the wind today as it is. Its brand new no one has seen it its just a new film - does anyone really believe it would make as much money as the adjusted figure says? Would it become the biggest film of all time? no it wouldn’t.
It has to be put into context. its all about the time and the place.
Lets remember the old films did not have half as many things competing for their dollar from audiences….
they didn’t have to compete with video games, the internet, tivo, dvd, blu ray, 2 billion cable t.v. channels etc etc so I personally think there is no point comparing them because you have to look at the times.
I also think that is why Titanic will never be knocked off the top. That was right on the cusp of a lot of new technology. Downloading, dvd etc etc it was at the right place at the right time. I mean people were going on about how The Dark Knight might beat titanic - well so far its only one billion dollars away! it might do it!! ;P
I just think you have to look at everything happening in the culture at the time.
Aug 19th, 2008
Mr. Chris
I’m still convinced the fans ruined the last two movies with their whining and George gave into it. I wanted to see the route George was going with Jar Jar… and then he made him a senator who stands around in the background, passes a bill, and says nothing. There’s no way that was his plan after everything he went through in the Phantom Menace. Jar Jar joined the army at the end of that movie; I was half-expecting him to become a bad-ass killing machine by the sequels.
Aug 19th, 2008
John
Hey George,
I disagree with you about adjusted box office numbers.
The bottom line is… “Which movie had the most people buy tickets to see it”. That’s the ultimate question. Box office dollars can measure that… but as time and prices change you need to revert to base ticket sales, and The Dark Knight hasn’t had nearly as many people stand in line to buy tickets for it as Gone with the Wind or Star Wars or many other films.
Aug 19th, 2008
Jason Stanley
It is a sad day. I will hold on to my Back to the Future collection even tighter now as I believe that to be the last trilogy of my childhood to hold true.
*sniff*
Aug 19th, 2008
Mykrantz
I find this whole post line incredibly amusing. A bunch of grown men waxing over movies that they saw as children, through the eyes of a child, and lamenting that none of the prequels lived up to the original great films. Well, NO SHIT!!! You know why? Because you weren’t a kid when you saw Episodes 1-3. You have grown up and have lived life since then, to add to that the internet didn’t exist in 1977-1987, so you didn’t have geek chic rage rants to jade your impressions. The complaints modern adults have about Jar-Jar are the same complaints adults had back in 1977 about C-3PO and R2-D2 when episode 4 was released.
Yes, the Clone Wars wasn’t a great movie, it was entertaining, in it’s own way, but it delivered Star Wars action and Star Wars crappy dialog, but it was obviously made for TV, and combined into a movie as an afterthought.
That many people who post on the internet cannot connect with their inner child, and simply enjoy a Star Wars movie is no surprise, because you get the ‘fans’ who are worried about some perceived ‘net-cred to actually allow themselves to enjoy it.
Star Wars didn’t change, you did…
Aug 19th, 2008
John
Hey there MyKrantz,
Your hypothisis is critically flawed when you say:
“Star Wars didn’t change, you did”
What do you base that on? If your theory of “A bunch of grown men waxing over movies that they saw as children, through the eyes of a child, and lamenting that none of the prequels lived up to the original great films. Well, NO SHIT!!! You know why? Because you weren’t a kid when you saw Episodes 1-3.” was true then it would hold true for everything I saw as a kid.
Star Trek for instance. Disney movies. ect. ect. ect. Sorry, but your argument doesn’t hold water.
If your arguement was true, then ANYTHING I loved as a kid and watched again now I would still love. And that’s just not the case. I watched Star Wars (the original) again a few weeks back, and it still has all its magic. I also watched Pete and the Dragon a few months back… man I loved that movie as a kid. Guess what, it sucks now. So there goes your argument.
Aug 19th, 2008
LESLEY
Like a good friend that has passed on unexpectedly, what many of us will remember is seeing Star Wars for the first time in the theatre way back in the summer of 1977 and how utterly mind-blowing fantastic it was. Nothing can take that away the experience at that first viewing.
John - after a short grieving period, you’ll be fine - trust me. And if Star Wars’ only purpose was to get you interested in films, then we can all be thankful for that.
Lesley
Aug 19th, 2008
Mr.Death
@ MyKrantz
Hello, I’m a teenager. I was about 7 when Phantom Menace came out. i didn’t like it then either.
Aug 19th, 2008
Salem
I’m so sorry for your loss John. Would you like a hug?
Aug 19th, 2008
790
Jar Jar, and the Gungans were just another alien race like the Ewoks.
Lucas put them in the film as an alien race living alongside the humans on Naboo.
I never really hated JJBinks that much /// dont get the WTFisum.
What I do hate is this new cartoon/movie, and the thought that Darth Lucas wants to redo the films in 3D, now thats trully frightening…
Other than that, (Star Wars) dosnt really play a huge role in my life anymore,,, we all grow up and move on. :-)
Unless Lucas hires an outside Director to shoot episodes 7, 8, and 9,,, Star Wars died along time ago.
Aug 19th, 2008
J
I honestly think THE CLONE WARS is getting a bad rap. Everyone has been looking for a good excuse to completely rip on Lucas for the last few years, and an animated movie seems like a good enough reason. Sure, the prequels didn’t live up to the hype, but let’s be honest, could they have ever lived up to the hype? Twenty years of hype? I don’t think so. I personally think that if THE CLONE WARS hadn’t been dropped in theaters as a quick cash-grab, we wouldn’t be seeing the rampant “Star Wars killed/raped my childhood” complaints we’ve seen since it’s release. Had it just been a show, people would’ve complained and then eventually got over it, just like they did with the previous CLONE WARS cartoon. Remember all the nagging about the 4 to 5 minute runtimes, the hyper-stylized anime, the fact that it was in the prequel timeline? Now, everybody seems to agree it was pretty good, but, at first, everybody seemed to hate it.
Honestly though, if CLONE WARS killed the love, then you obviously haven’t seen the DROIDS cartoon from the 80’s, or the EWOKS animated series, or, the worst of the bunch, the duo of live-action EWOKS movies. I’d take THE CLONE WARS over any of those any day of the week. Those spinoffs are TRUE abominations.
It’s funny that it’s become the hip thing to bash on STAR WARS. Everybody seems to have jumped on that bandwagon. It’d be refreshing to see someone just go “Hey, CLONE WARS isn’t that great, but, it’s a spinoff and spinoffs are rarely as good as the source material.” Rather than “CLONE WARS killed my childhood and buried it lime. Damn you, Lucas, damn you to hell”.
Aug 19th, 2008
MH
I was born in ‘74 and loved Star Wars stuff as a kid. As annoying as Jar Jar was, to me the real problems were an overcommitment to CGI and poor acting. It could well be that those problems resulted from making kids the target demographic — maybe cartoonish scenes and acting that is melodramatic or more like kids pretending are more appealing to kids than realistic scenes and acting.
Maybe the standard for box office success should be tickets sold as a percentage of living persons.
Aug 19th, 2008
IG-69
Star Wars has been disappointing us and crushing our souls a little bit at a time since even before the prequels. The points were I went from Star Wars Fanatic to just Star Wars fan was 1999 when the book Vector Prime came out and killed off Chewbacca. He was the least favorite (other then C3PO) major character to me but still…He was killed off in such a lame, arbitrary way by a bunch of 90s-dated, copy-cat villains (Oh, living space-ships, how original). Around that same time 1998-1999 Star Wars WEG stopped publishing its RPG stuff and that was really the second MAJOR nail in the coffin. Sorry to any gamers here but Wizards of The Coast Star Wars just plain sucks compared to WEG and the rules were too different to transliterate characters from one game to the other.
Where do I begin with the movies? They just lacked everything in spades (other then silly gimmicks and CGI). I still liked them but like as in liking a cold piece of pepperoni pizza in the morning, not the fresh baked deep-dish of the original trilogy. Not even the music is the same or as good as before.
As far as the new Clone Wars cartoon, it was typical push-pull (just like an abusive g/f), give us some cool stuff then show us something really lame-like a gay Hutt or IG model assassin droids afraid of a gay Hutt. I thought IG was supposed to be one of just 4 droids that look like that, now they are everywhere! It just shows a lack of imagination on the part of GL by not coming up with more new droids, different aliens, and different ships. That’s why the current incarnation goes over like warmed over microwavable entertainment-because that’s what it is.
Aug 19th, 2008
John
Hey IG-69
DUDE!!!! I frigging LOVED the Star Wars WEB game system. I don’t get to game much anymore, but when I do, and the group wants to play Star Wars, I INSIST on playing the d6 WEG system!
D6 FOREVER!
Aug 19th, 2008
ROD
John’s right, but I’d recommend spending a couple of weeks with the Knights of the Old Republic Games. Yes, they’re games, but they both have great storylines and both won games of the year.
With all due respect to John’s rules of Video Game Movies, these actually had a decent story written into them. They could have scratched the prequels for all I care and shot these 2 games as movies. They’re that good. The only thing that sucks is that they’ve left the second one as kind of a cliffhanger and no one knows if they’ll ever release a third.
Aug 19th, 2008
Mykrantz
“If your arguement was true, then ANYTHING I loved as a kid and watched again now I would still love. And that’s just not the case. I watched Star Wars (the original) again a few weeks back, and it still has all its magic. I also watched Pete and the Dragon a few months back… man I loved that movie as a kid. Guess what, it sucks now. So there goes your argument.”
———————————————————————————————-
You misunderstand my argument, I am not saying everything you see as a child will always be great to you, I am saying you see it in a different way, and it shapes how you view it today. I used to love Thundercats when I was a kid, but watching it as an adult, I see it is is barely watchable. If episodes 4-6 were released today with modern special effects, they wouldn’t be the great movies many people hold them up to be.
Star Wars obviously has a special place in your heart, because it was the first movie you remember seeing as a kid, helped create your love of film, and that was the same for me. However I similarly enjoyed episodes 1-3. Both trilogies have flaws, and episodes 1 & 2 are slightly worse than episode 6, but episode 3 is right up there with episodes 4 & 5. They all share crappy dialog, great action, and follow an epic storyline.
It is really sad that so many people feel the prequels ‘ruined their childhood”, or some other such nonsense, because they really aren’t much different from the original trilogy. The major difference is they don’t have people’s childhood nostalgia, about a movie that changed the movie industry and re-defined the sci-fi movie. Kids growing up today will likely feel similarly about the Lord of the Rings movies and the first Spiderman.
I am sorry you feel you love of Star Wars has died, I truly feel sad for you. (100% sincerely)
Aug 19th, 2008
John
Hey MyKrantz
You said:
“If episodes 4-6 were released today with modern special effects, they wouldn’t be the great movies many people hold them up to be”
100% completely disagree with you. Those movies and their stories hold up. Thundercats not so much.
Aug 19th, 2008
Geoff Gresh
As a filmmaker, what’s interesting to me is that I’m still obsessed with Star Wars, but in a much different way. My brother (who’s 15 years older than me, he was 9 on the release of the original) was right in that bullseye to fall in love with Star Wars, and as his younger brother, I had no choice but to follow. When all you see on your third birthday is Star Wars figurines you think “free toys” and you start falling in love with them. And for a long time I only ever thought of or needed those 3 movies. I didn’t seek out any of the books or comics or games. I was only really interested in that trilogy and those toys, which became more complicated and fascinating over the years.
I remember the experience I had seeing all 3 films during the Special Edition craze at the Ziegfield theater here in New York. I was instantly re-obsessed. But this time I had the idea in my head that I wanted to be a filmmaker, and I started to wonder exactly how Lucas had made me feel the way he did, shot by shot. I guess I knew then that I was the kind of kid that liked to know how they made the sausage. The first “behind the scenes” book I ever bought was “The Making of The Phantom Menace” by Jody Duncan, who also wrote some of my other favorite making of books at the time (”Jurassic Park,” etc).
I guess I went into the prequels like you might go into an ice cream shop after you’ve already had a satisfying dinner. And when you look back at the Phantom Menace and consider that it was made just a few years after Jurassic Park, the artistry at work was flawless and clearly the culmination of Lucas’ Quixotic voyage to invent or pay for every filmmaking technology he might ever need. And so we had Sony building the first production-level cinema HD camera basically FOR George. No Attack of The Clones, no Cloverfield or Zodiac or Che or Game. Or at least those movies might have still been shooting on film. You gotta give the guy credit for pushing forward the way we make these flimsy entertainments, even if it was in service of films with faulty character choices and deadpan acting. (I maintain that the plotting of the prequels is actually pretty solid, even if it’s been oft-criticized. If there’s anyone that knows Joseph Campbell in and out, it’s George Lucas).
So yeah I guess it’s obvious that that same fascination I had in the movies has been worn down to an obsession with the sausage filling, at the expense of the grilled up weiner. But there are worse things in life. :)
Also, it’s funny you write this now, because very recently I wrote this: http://gresh.tumblr.com/post/41372011/lucas
Aug 19th, 2008
Baron von Pupi
I’m sorry, but the worst thing that has ever come out of Star Wars and ever WILL come out of Star Wars is the Holiday Special and this came out right after the FIRST movie. If your love of Star Wars didn’t die then it should never die. Is it so hard to not like crappy sequels without all this self-important drama? Those first movies are still there, ready to be watched. Is Jaws dead to you because of Jaws 3-D? Are the first two God Father films dead because of God Father III?
Aug 19th, 2008
Kristina
It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday
Aug 19th, 2008
Zach
I haven’t seen a Star Wars film since the Phantom Menace, so I feel you John. George took something great and turned it to shit.
Aug 19th, 2008
james
I agree with 790, the gungans are just another race like ewoks, bith, and ithorians. They are just there as a native species of Naboo, nothing more and nothing less.
As for the Clone Wars movie, I don’t see how one movie that is really meant for television would tear you’re love for Star Wars apart. It’s just a movie. It isn’t great, but hey! No Star Wars film will ever live up to the original trilogy.
Though I do think it would be a good sign if the original trilogy came out in 3-d. Seeing the starship battles and the lightsaber duels like that would truly be satisfying.
Though John, it is your decision to move on.
Your Star Wars Obsession will live on in the force… always.
Aug 19th, 2008
Red Sky Design
Hey John…
Sorry for your loss.
Ebert just eviscerated Clone Wars in his review and pretty much buried any creative relevance that George Lucas had left.
Do you think people in Hollywood notice when critics like Ebert (legend) savage a film or director? Do you think George Lucas is now “box-office poison?”
Thanks.
Aug 19th, 2008
George
Well I just think comparing box office with adjusted inflation is kind of pointless.
Times, culture and society change and shift so drastically that to compare a film released now to a film released 70 years ago just seems pointless. You have to take everything into consideration. not just ticket to ticket sales.
and if gone with the wind was made now and opened against the dark knight/harry potter/lotr/star wars today who do you think would sell more tickets?
Times change and that has to be taken into account. well thats how I feel anyway.
Oh and I am not saying this in any kind of dark knight ott love silly defence.
I find it funny that people thought dark knight might beat titanic when it is currently one billion dollars short.
I don’t care about domestic. Worldwide is where its at for me.
Aug 19th, 2008
Ryan
Mykrantz — my feelings exactly.
Plus:
As I grow older, I just want more violence, more hot chicks, more fire, less talking. What is there not to get about that. The fact of the matter is, not everyone is into that.
Also in context, you have to realize that the characters of Star Wars are 100% relatable. Having Eps. 1,2 and 3 makes them tangible, and as much as I hate it, there is no absolute good or evil. Maybe that’s what I want to believe, but it’s not true, so it makes Eps 1-6 much more realistic, unfortunately for the rest of us, we would like just the guts and glory story line and no background.
Aug 19th, 2008
GT
http://www.nukedthefridge.com/?p=262
A suspiciously similar article…
Aug 19th, 2008
Johnny Boy
People need to realize that this is TV episodes released theatrically. It’s not a film. TV and film are different… the narrative structures are different, and hence the primary reason the Clone Wars is getting so much bashing. Don’t people do some research before going to a movie to understand what they are watching? Seriously, some people are just beyond belief. This type of bullshit happens all the time regardless of the film. Same thing happened went I went to see The Orphanage…. half the theater was filled with morons who had no clue they were watching a Spanish film and complained because of the subtitles… My theory is they saw Del Toro’s name attached to the film as a producer, thought of Pan’s Labriynth, and decided to watch the film without even knowing anything else. Now we have Star Wars: The Clone Wars and people are bashing it like crazy because they don’t realize it’s a TV pilot and they are still upset over episodes 1-3.
Watch and see, after the episodes start rolling in and the story begins to develop, naysayers will start tuning in. I saw Clone Wars Volume 1 & 2 on dvd and liked that, so I’m sure I’ll enjoy the new Clone Wars series. I just know what to expect because this is not a Star Wars film. It’s just another product within the Star Wars expanded universe.
Aug 19th, 2008
790
If I recall Boba Fett came out of the X-mas special. First as a collectable action hero figure giveaway and then Lucas put him in the next Film “Empire Strikes Back”.
Also IG-69,,, dude or Droid, you need to read the Star Wars novel “Tales of the Bounty Hunters”. Came out about 8 years ago. It tells the story of the IG models, and its the best story in the book. Youll really dig it.
Aug 19th, 2008
Josh Lasser
The first Star Wars film I saw in the theater was Jedi, I knew the story of the first two already, and absolutely loved my first big screen experience with the franchise. I followed the series through some of the books, the Special Edition movies, the prequels, and saw Clone Wars this weekend. I was definitely disappointed, but I’m not giving up on the franchise yet. Unspun by Amazon actually has A New Hope as the best movie of all time. I’m more an Empire person (all the way down at #28 on the list), but the love can’t be completely gone, there’s no way that Clone Wars somehow drops A New Hope from the top perch.
Aug 19th, 2008
Balcony Fool
Getting awfully tired of people “defending” this film by saying “it’s three tv episodes put together-give it a break.”
You know what? If I’m going to pay $10 for a movie ticket, I expect to be treated with a little bit of respect by the filmmakers. If “Clone Wars” is just a few tv episodes that don’t hang together very well as a feature, then why, exactly is it being released theatrically?
Also, have Samuel L. Jackson and Christopher Lee signed on to do the series? No? Ah, so this *is* something unique from the series it’s set to launch. It’s, well, a movie-and it should behave like one.
Aug 19th, 2008
fritzilla
Amen brother. I am the biggest Star Wars fan of anyone I know. Sure I know some people that are big fans, but no one on the level that I am.
And I am feeling EXACTLY like you do.
I haven’t seen the movie and for the strangest reason have no interest. Well, I guess it’s not that strange considering there are so many people like me on this blog that agree.
Aug 19th, 2008
Darren J Seeley
Banthashit!!!!
While it is true Lucas never is quite satisfied with his films, and tends to ruin more than he improves (such as that *wonderful* image John has put with the post. Revel in it in all its Sabastian Shaw glory!) let’s play fair. Phantom Menace wasn’t a horrible film; I didn’t mind Jar Jar Binks that much (so long as other characters, such as C-3PO, mention how odd and clumsy he is, although, C-3PO should have been the comic relief and no one would bitch) but come on, get the hell over it already.
Lucas did respond correctly by minimizing Jar Jar in Clones and Sith. I do think Lucas misunderstands the classic fanbase from time to time, but he clearly hears them out.
The planned live action TV show could be the last hail mary; even if the best bet is to concentrate on one of the bounty hunters, the events after ROTJ (not counting or set even after the post ROTJ novels) or a stranded Jedi, cut off from all/any communication.
But to suggest that the failure of the animated cartoon is solely based on the downward spiral of the franchise, with the exception of the Frankenstien moment, Sith, the best of the the three prequels, ended on a high note. I think people would much rather see a live action film as opposed to an animated one.
It also goes without saying that if the quality of the animated film is less than great (as far as story and character goes) then the failure (or perceived failure) then that will reflect on how many people will show up. Indeed, in the trailer, the new character talked in the annoying Disney Channel kidspeak, and that would be a turnoff. Word gets out that our worst fears are confirmed, and the crawl (which could be like the original 77 film-without a chapter title) and John Williams score is gone.
This isn’t the nail in the coffin. SHIT. The’ nails were passed out like a deck of cards in Return Of The Jedi the second the Scarrlacc burbed Boba. But Lucas was successful in his prequels in my point of view, and I don’t think we have seen the last of Star Wars, I think it can rebound (so long as there are no more films like Clone Wars unless the ppl who made Titan AE step in) I think there is life of some kind, although that life seems to be ignored.
Too soon of a write-off.
Hey, I’m sorry I have to have some disagreement with the int’ friend here.
But if Star Trek can bounce back (or at least promising to) and Galactica can rise from the ash, should we really give up just yet? I’ll skip Clones, I want live action. But for every nail in a coffin, I want to see the opposite end of the hammer to pry them out from time to time.
We shall see.
@Phil Gee
Since Lucas never changed Leia’s line, it is speculation that her memories are related to the Force, or she only remembers her adopted mother. (Bail’s line “We always wanted to adopt” in Sith might enforce this; seems like someone can’t have kids?)
Aug 19th, 2008
Darren J Seeley
“Pete and the Dragon”
So bad today John can’t even remember the name.
Pete’s Dragon.
:p
Aug 19th, 2008
ScreenRant.com
Amen, brutha. Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Great post.
Vic
Aug 19th, 2008
darkbhudda
Knights of the Old Republic I & II captured the magic far better than the prequels.
Aug 20th, 2008
Brian
Good post.
Even my 9 year old daughter prefers the original trilogy.
Aug 20th, 2008
Yats
Ok even though my excitement for Star Wars has dampened ever since the release of that Clone Wars movie…i still do have hope…yes i do!!…though its hard to ignore the Clone Wars movie, my hopes are still riding high for the live action Star Wars TV series, to revive the franchise…it tells the story of the rise of the rebels against the Empire and it doesnt have Goerge Lucas penning down the scripts…so maybe Star Wars is not dead…yet…..come on guys!
Aug 20th, 2008
Giren
I love Knight Of The Old Republic video game. Lucas should make it into the movie rather than Clone Wars…
Aug 20th, 2008
Robert
John,
You get my undying respect for mentioning the d6 WEG system. I am STILL in a weekly d6 SW game with one of the original playtesters for the system. My passion for anything new coming out is dead, but the trilogy will never die.
Aug 20th, 2008
Letodan
Well, I respect what everyone is saying! I myself have been a big fan of Star Wars all of my life because, I’m in my thirties so, I saw the movies at the theater and played with the toys all my childhood. I think some of you take things way too seriously though.
I saw the new Clone Wars last weekend. I enjoyed it but, didn’t love it. I’m growing tired of this clone war things because, like many of you guys, it wasn’t what I wanted to see. I would have love to see something a lot darker without the stupid annoying robots. But that’s what GL decided to show us and, I respect that. I like to think that, there was dark wars on other planets and we just didn’t see them in the movies. For now, the clone wars is un uninteresting period… Endless battles with stupid robots… You never feel that there is danger for the jedis… That is sad… But, I know that someone, someday, will show us what the clone wars were really!!
I always find it funny when someone say, “that’s it, I’m done with it… RIP Star Wars… Blah blah blah… ” But, as soon as a new project will surface and seem interesting, you guys will be the first to jump on it… Even if you don’t admit it really… I know I’ll do it… Why? Because I love this universe… and I know that somewhere, there are interesting stories to tell… We just haven’t seen them lately. GL decided to show us the part for kids… But, someone else someday will show us again the parts for grown-ups. The part where there are dark sith lords lurking somewhere… Where there are deadly robots who have great programming and don’t have to answer “roger roger” everytime. Like many said… Knights of the old republic, the video games, had the universe right… Hopefully, Force unleashed will have it too… And maybe, I hope, the future live action SW series. And if not, it’s ok… someone will get it someday… Because I think the Star Wars universe will probably live on forever… Just like the Star Trek universe… or Tolkien’s universe. There are lows… but there will be highs again… Just take the Batman universe… There were highs and lows… Luckily, we are living a high moment right now… It will come back for Star Wars too!!
Aug 20th, 2008
Paul
I got originally lured to see SW Ep1 due to the Episodes 4,5 & 6. Then I got lured again to see SW Ep2 due to Tartakovsky’s CLONE WARS animated series (which is often omitted here by John while it is by far superior to anything SW out there), I got lured into seeing SW 3 by the hope of seeing Darth Vader. My point : since Lucas run out of material to lure us he won’t be getting my money again anytime soon.
Aug 20th, 2008
BamBamAlakazaam
This is the most depressing post i’ve ever read. A classic tale of Master-Apprentices.
Aug 20th, 2008
BamBamAlakazaam
…I know REBOOT STAR WARS!!!
ehem…
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!! (forced laugh)
*kicks self in the head
Aug 20th, 2008
Supernetuser
You guys, as someone who wasn’t around for the original Star Wars, I envy with a passion you people who were able to see it at 13 in the theater. I saw the original a few times, the one with the bad special effects. I however, do praise myself greatly for not going to see Phantom Menance, not even for camping out in line much less wearing Jedi Robes to the premiere. I am grateful I didn’t do either. Star Wars was always meant to be an all-ages thing to enjoy (I hate using the word franchise, but we all know that’s true), but now you guys are somewhat right. Episode III did not stick with canon if what you guys are pointing out is right. Leia had dialog which stated she remembered her mother. But the movie makes it obvious Amidala dies.
Now, I also have to mention that I heard a rumor elsewhere that the books stretch out Episode III. Amidala actually somehow escapes death to become a force user, so the death was an exaggeration so she could go into hiding. This does not come from me but it comes from other sources in other areas on the wide open space that is the Internet. Yeah, though, the animated movie doesn’t thrill me enough to go see it. Better luck next time.
Aug 20th, 2008
John
After Phantom Menace, I held out hope for one more movie. Then, after Attack of the Clones was pretty much the same thing, it was clear that Lucas had lost it. I just did my best to pretend they didn’t exist, and that nothing else was ever made for Star Wars.
My Star Wars love has thus been preserved!
Aug 20th, 2008
JAY
http://www.katu.com/entertainment/movies/27050434.html
quote:
“…The point is that Lucas makes movies for himself now, not the fans. He only cares about selling his soul to cheap, disposal special effects in lieu of writing, story or acting. I know that George Lucas neither wrote nor directed The Clone Wars, but Star Wars is his franchise and ultimately he bears the burden of responsibility. The Clone Wars is a travesty and the innocence of childhood we’ve all been holding onto is gone forever. Thanks George. Thanks for convincing me not to spend any more of my cash on your silly, stupid and unnecessary little projects anymore.”
Aug 20th, 2008
HAZMAT
…?…huh?
i have the DVDs and i watch them all the time! i still like starwars…just because the last one sucked doesnt mean the obsession ended.
im still obsessed so im a living proof.
no- dude, john, im really sorry but i have to completely disagree on this…and i usually agree with most of the things you say because you never talk out of your ass like some poeple do and you make sence but star wars is FAR from dead my friend
maybe i just misunderstood what youre trying to say here….
Aug 20th, 2008
Elizabeth
I was actually watching Attack of the Clones for a few minutes on G4 last night and I know my husband gets cranky when I nitpick the prequels so I just kept grumping around and making annoyed noises.
Finally he said, “Oh, just say it” and I finally figured out what the real problem was.
It was SO damn close to being good. That’s what makes it so frustrating and difficult to watch. The visuals are stunning, completely gorgeous. The plot outline is solid, the characters on paper probably look fantastic. Even some of the acting comes out to show how strong the casting really was.
But I’ll just come out and say it, though it pains me to: the writer and the director were bad. So bad, in fact, that it ruins the film, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth, and you walk around trying to figure out what hit you. Lines that shouldn’t be emphasized were, lines that should have been huge are barely given any attention. Actors that previously have been brilliant suddenly are giving wooden and useless performances half the time.
And the dialogue! And the relationships! It just keeps getting worse and worse!
If these movies had been made like Empire and Jedi, with Lucas providing backup but different writers (actually, New Hope had different writers too, which helped) and different directors at the helm to make the hard choices, then I think they would have blown us away.
I want to find what yes-man told Lucas to get back in the director’s chair and smack him.
Aug 20th, 2008
Yo
o well
Aug 20th, 2008
Charlie
No no no…George Lucas has been out of touch since the beginning.
I mean, COME ON, he made Greedo shoot first in the remasters. He even complained during the original filming of Empire “You’re ruining my movies!”
He had a good idea, but didn’t know what to do with it.
Aug 21st, 2008
Cenobite
Help us KOTORO, you’re our only hope…help us KOTORO…
Aug 21st, 2008
rick
It is amazing that the Clone Wars vol. 1 & 2 did so much for me that I don’t care to see anything else of star wars. My recent foray was with KOTOR and the ever-popular Battlefront.
Video Games are the new movies. The Force Unleashed will make up poor sales in the feature film front. Oh, and this cartoony crap will continue onto our tv screens.
I thought batman had jumped the shark with Batman & Robin, probably the worst comic book movie I’ve seen ever. The franchise finally got serious again and look what it has wrought: 2 great movies and has gained back the respect it lost.
Aug 21st, 2008
Rodney
This is a great story. And much like John I am a die hard Star Wars fan. My obsession isn’t tainted yet since I refuse to watch the animated movie.
I fear I will end up like John. So I will avoid it for now.
Oh, and you know its a great story when other movie pundits decide to shamelessly rip off your story idea.
Bill Gibron did.
Aug 22nd, 2008
more american graffiti
lets face it - lucas was /is all about the effects/ hot cars- that why american grafitti his best film
Aug 22nd, 2008
more american graffiti
(Type your comment here. Make sure you’ve read the commenting rules before doing so)
Aug 22nd, 2008
Dragun
Frankly, all I hope from the franchise is that people eventually end up watching its influences like The Hidden Fortress and Metropolis. Star Wars in and of itself? Meh. Star Wars as a gateway to great cinema and sci-fi literature? Thumbs up.
Aug 22nd, 2008
TD-0013
I’ve come to the realization that the only decent Star Wars content out there anymore is either Karen Traviss books, or FAN created stuff. Traviss’ books make you actually THINK about things you thought you knew about, but in a different light, while the fans create stories and even films that are in some cases BETTER then what we’ve been fed by LFL these past four times in the theater.
I’m like you, John. A massive part of my life has been greatly influenced by the Original Trilogy, and while I’m not giving that up without a fight, I don’t see myself getting all that excited about any new official SW products/media coming down the road anymore.
Give me the O.T.
TD-0013
Aug 25th, 2008
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