Star Wars - Impressions, no spoilers, just impressions!

[celedhring]

Lucas lets loose about the new Star Wars films.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/george-lucas-quips-he-sold-851545

George Lucas Quips He Sold 'Star Wars' to "White Slavers"

Come on George, don't hold back, tell us how you really feel.

[celedhring]

That said, despite the massive bitterness, he has a bit of a point. Star Wars in 1977 was a revolutionary film. The new one doesn't even try.

Still, rather have something like The Force Awakens than "new planets and spaceships", if those planets have Jar Jar Binks living in them.

[Berkut]

There is another thread for discussion about the film itself, although I guess at this point concerns about spoilers should be minimal.

Who hasn't seen it by now?

[celedhring]

There's no spoilers in anything I've said or linked.

Put it here since it concerned "impressions" of the film more than anything. The two threads confuse me a bit at this point.

[Valmy]

There is another thread for discussion about the film itself, although I guess at this point concerns about spoilers should be minimal.

Who hasn't seen it by now?

I haven't. My desire to see it is flagging as well.

But we are supposed to give impressions, that strikes me as an impression.

I thought Lucas' assertion he had done something new and daring in any of the films after the first two was rather questionable when I watched that interview. That somehow Star Wars had not sold out until he sold it to Disney. Now granted Disney is among the most soulless sell out corporations that has ever existed but it was just a small shift in degree, not some kind of tragedy.

[Syt]

But Disney is also a corporation that has become very good at entertaining people.

But yeah, there's milestone movies and there's game changers. Star Wars was a game changer (other recent ones I would count would be Jurassic Park for CGI, and Pulp Fiction, possibly the first Matrix), and I don't see how he could have kept the "wow"-factor alive that the first or first two movies achieved with the audience.

I find it funny that he says that Star Wars is primarily a family saga or soap opera. That's a feeling that at least the prequels didn't transport well. Instead we got CSPAN and History Channel. I imagine he had an idea where he wanted the final trilogy to go or how it was supposed to end, and is now (understandably) disappointed that it's going somewhere else. But I found that Ep. VII was less about the space-shooty-bang-bang and more about the characters and their connections, including the changes within the Skywalker family, so I'm not sure where his criticism comes from. I think many fans like the OT for the characters and their stories first, and the spaceships and battles second (because without the former, the latter are just empty spectacle).

[Valmy]

But Disney is also a corporation that has become very good at entertaining people.

I didn't say they didn't have their good points.

[Valmy]

I find it funny that he says that Star Wars is primarily a family saga or soap opera. That's a feeling that at least the prequels didn't transport well. Instead we got CSPAN and History Channel. I imagine he had an idea where he wanted the final trilogy to go or how it was supposed to end, and is now (understandably) disappointed that it's going somewhere else.

I watched the interview and it was rather weird. He did not address the prequels at all in that respect. I found it interesting that it sure seemed like he was just rehashing old ideas and old characters and introducing items specifically for the purposes of market research and merchandising...then in this interview he sounds like some kind of hippie artist who let the record label buy his soulful peace anthem opus. A little surreal if you ask me.

[celedhring]

And the hippie artist got 4 billion dollars out of it, not a shitty 100$ contract for all his works until he died.

[Syt]

And the hippie artist got 4 billion dollars out of it, not a shitty 100$ contract for all his works until he died.

Didn't he donate the money?

[celedhring]

And the hippie artist got 4 billion dollars out of it, not a shitty 100$ contract for all his works until he died.

Didn't he donate the money?

He did, but what I mean is that he can't say he didn't get a great deal. The way he talks it's like Disney somehow swindled him. He chose to cash in. If he was so protective he could have easily worked some creative veto into that contract, and take less money.

[lustindarkness]

Poor bitter old man can't admit that someone can make a better movie with his material than himself.

[celedhring]

Poor bitter old man can't admit that someone can make a better movie with his material than himself.

He's made at the very least two Star Wars movies that are comfortably better than TFA, and I would say even three. 

[lustindarkness]

His best Star Wars movie was the first one. The best Star wars movie did not have his dialog (Empire Strikes Back). 

This is The Truth because I say so.

Edit: And my original comment stands anyway, he is a bitter old man.

[Berkut]

Poor bitter old man can't admit that someone can make a better movie with his material than himself.

He's made at the very least two Star Wars movies that are comfortably better than TFA, and I would say even three. 

Empire is better, and Star Wars was in fact pretty groundbreaking, but not objectively better, IMO.