The ‘Star Wars’ Prequels Into One 85-Minute Movie

[Senser81]

The potential for awesome was so high with these movies. Clever use of an imagination and bringing new things to the table for an untapped storyline would have and should have been amazing. Lucas could've blown everyone out of the seats and more people would be kissing his toes as one of the greatest of all times.

I think this is wrong on many levels. The potential for awesome was low because it was still a Lucas film. You are expecting too much from Lucas...he was a great effects guy and found some good actors for his first set of films (outside of Mark Hamill), but the storylines were somewhat cliche and the dialogue was awful at times. There is no way he could have come up with another original set of movies to equal Star Wars.

Also, I don't think people really cared about the new things brought to the table. General Grievous? Mace Windu? Yawn. If you aren't going to make another great original movie, then don't even bother with the introduction of new characters.

[Villain]

I think this is wrong on many levels. The potential for awesome was low because it was still a Lucas film. You are expecting too much from Lucas...he was a great effects guy and found some good actors for his first set of films (outside of Mark Hamill), but the storylines were somewhat cliche and the dialogue was awful at times. There is no way he could have come up with another original set of movies to equal Star Wars.

You really can argue and be disagreeable about anything, can't you? I love your use of "so many levels" when you only really bring up two. One that it's a Lucas film (therefore it has to suck - but everyone loved the first ones...) and second that he sucks at dialogue. Anyways...

Maybe not everyone was that cynical about Lucas' abilities at that time (I wasn't, I wasn't even a teenager yet). He made it seem like he had this grand plan for the franchise and it was "planned that way all along." Which is, of course, bullshit. Or a really sad plan. Either way, the potential is high because the Star Wars universe has so much to offer, despite Lucas being in charge of it. The potential was high because he could've drawn on dozens of superbly creative people who were enormous fans of what he had created in the beginning.

Obviously he failed. He's clearly got a big head (just look at it) and he is much better suited for dealing with the technology than the creative writing, casting, editing, etc. I'm not a big fan of Lucas but you can't deny that he's pushed industry standards ahead technologically, for better or worse.

Also, I don't think people really cared about the new things brought to the table. General Grievous? Mace Windu? Yawn. If you aren't going to make another great original movie, then don't even bother with the introduction of new characters.

I agree, but I think it can be pulled off if you do it right. Like I mentioned, there were really only a few major plot points that had to be worked in (as demonstrated by Topher Grace being about to "trim" all the extras out). Lucas instead did his best to force in all these aspects of the original pictures that just had no place in the story - Chewbacca, R2-D2/C-3PO, Boba Fett, Tatooine, etc.

Anyways, I can rant on this for days so I'm going to stop now. The new movies sucked and it's all Lucas' fault. I think that's pretty clear. I think that the newer movies could've been successful had there been a more creative team.

As to your points on the original stories being cliche and boring - look at the time. They were breakthrough movies even if they were, to the t, archetypal "hero's journey" formula. There's really nothing wrong with going by that because it's a great way to tell a story (Avatar literally made a BILLION dollars doing that, and The Matrix (first one) was successful the same way). The lame thing is that he didn't even bother to take it to that fundamental level in new movies.

[Senser81]

You really can argue and be disagreeable about anything, can't you? I love your use of "so many levels" when you only really bring up two. One that it's a Lucas film (therefore it has to suck - but everyone loved the first ones...) and second that he sucks at dialogue. Anyways...

You can really get butthurt about anything, can't you? I was just stating my opinion. Even Return of the Jedi was kind of lame, saved only be a few good scenes and the fact that it was the final installment of the original trilogy. The best movie Lucas made (Empire) was also the one in which he was least involved. Lucas then got out of the movie industry for many years. Its not like he continued to make great movies. I don't think anyone had the expectation of the prequels being on the level as the originals. But no one thought they would suck so bad.

As to your points on the original stories being cliche and boring - look at the time. They were breakthrough movies even if they were, to the t, archetypal "hero's journey" formula. There's really nothing wrong with going by that because it's a great way to tell a story (Avatar literally made a BILLION dollars doing that, and The Matrix (first one) was successful the same way). The lame thing is that he didn't even bother to take it to that fundamental level in new movies.

I don't even know if you are trying to make a point, or if you are just failing spectacularly at pointing out the obvious. Similar to Avatar and Matrix, so much of the Star Wars's success was due to the innovative effects. There is nothing wrong with a cliched storyline if the movie is done well with great realism, but its not something you can keep going back to. Do you think 20 years from now James Cameron is going to come out with Avatar 2, and it will be as successful as the original?

I don't think anyone in their right mind would think that Lucas would come up with another innovative set of movies after taking a couple decades off.

[j.hen]

The Hero's Journey formula literally applies to just about every movie ever made, ever.

[Buzzman]

I always forget people actually loved the Star War series.

[Senser81]

The Hero's Journey formula literally applies to just about every movie ever made, ever.

Yeah, like how in the beginning of Jaws, the shark is just attacking a stranded girl on a buoy, but by the end of the movie the shark is eating Robert Shaw inside his own boat. Talk about a hero's journey!

[Houston]

I always forget people actually loved the Star War series.

Yeah, it's very hard to find a fan of Star Wars so I often forget too.

[Villain]

The Hero's Journey formula literally applies to just about every movie ever made, ever.

I could give you a list of awesome movies that don't if you wanted me to.

[Senser81]

But R2-D2 is a prime example of a droid who was cool as fuck in the prequel moves, and then turned into an oversized trash can in the originals by the standards they set in the prequels. Remember when R2 was getting the fuck kicked out of him by that little bitch in Jabba's boat thing...why didn't he just spray his ass with oil and light him on fire like he did to a bunch of other droids. Shit why didn't he just do that every time something happened to him.

Slightly disagree, because IMO R2-D2 was the most competent member of the Rebel Alliance. He was the only one who could do anything -- all the other people were completely worthless. Put R2 into an X-wing with Luke Skywalker, and R2 is getting shot at, repairing the ship, and the Death Star is destroyed. Put Luke into a Snowspeeder with Dak, and within moments the ship has crashed into the snow, with a disgusted Luke leaving Dak to be crushed by an AT-AT foot.

Han gets pulled into the Death Star tractor beam, gets himself frozen, and gets captured by Ewoks. Luke slacks off in his Jedi training. Ben Kenobi opts out. Lando sells out his friends. Leia gets her home planet destroyed, and becomes Jabba's sex slave. Admiral Ackbar tucks tail at the first sign of battle. C-3PO is almost like a double agent for the Empire.

R2-D2 successfully delivers the vital Death Star plans to Ben Kenobi, even with clueless Luke trying to hinder him ("he says he belongs to an Obi-Wan Kenobi, but...). R2-D2 locates Princess Leia in the Death Star. R2-D2 stops the trash compactor. R2-D2 fixes the Millenieum Falcon. R2-D2 gets into the Endor shield generator. R2-D2 gets Luke his lightsaber against Jabba.