The Captain's Blog: Star Wars. A New Hope?
It's no secret that I am a massive Star Wars fan. Always have been, always will be. The collection of toys in my office will hold testament to that. It's always bothered me that the prequels are rubbish (and they are, I'll have no argument here!), but I could never work out the main reason why?
Sure, I could go in to the details why Jar Jar Binks should be hung from a crane and lowered slowly into a tank of Piranhas, I could talk about Lucas' directing talents (or lack of them!). I could even site the many reasons why you should never, EVER, try to explain the force with Midi-chlorians!
But I won't, not here...
The main reason why the prequels were rubbish is (prepares for outraged shouts and dissent)...
George Lucas grew old and raised children!
Before all the parents out there light the flaming torches and raise the lynch mob, let me explain myself. When Lucas made Star Wars he was in his early thirties. Film making was his passion and he was full of the spittle and rage of youth. Star Wars was his epic fantasy masterpiece that he had been toying with ideas for years. Making the film itself was a trauma and one of the most stressful experiences he would ever go through. However, the one thing he had in bucket-loads was passion. The first film was crafted out of blood sweat and tears. It was so hard for him that he gave the job of directing the first two sequels to other people, Irvin Kershner (Empire Strikes Back) and Richard Marquand (Return of the Jedi).
The Empire Strikes Back is arguably the best in the franchise, but that's mainly down to the director. There wouldn't have even been sequels without Star Wars. There also wouldn't have been the groundbreaking Industrial Light and Magic, Lucasfilm, Skywalker Sound, Skywalker Ranch, etc. etc. Star Wars was a baptism of fire for Lucas. It was extremely difficult to make and Lucas was never happy with the finished result (hence the awful remastered editions) but it was an instant hit and is regarded as a masterpiece. It was good because it was a labour of love!
The prequels were made when Lucas was in his mid fifties and had children, the first of which he adopted in his late thirties. By the time he directed Episode One - The Phantom Menace, he was comfortably middle aged, surrounded by a loving family, a massive personal empire and enough money to do whatever he liked! Lucas decided to direct the prequels himself, which was in my opinion his biggest mistake. I have seen Hayden Christensen in other films and it turns out he can actually act!
Lucas was too comfortable. He had the joy of raising children in his head and he decided to aim the prequels at a younger audience; hence Jar Jar replacing Chewbacca. Can you really imagine anyone saying "Let the Gungan win!"? Life had made him soft. He no longer had the hunger of youth or the burning ambition to make a piece of art. What we got were poorly directed, poorly acted, watered down versions of Star Wars intended for, let's face it, his own children! In essence, caring for his children had taken away his edge and changed his idea of what makes a good film.
Combine that with his almost god-like status, unlimited cash and the inability of any of his staff to say no to him, it was a recipe for disaster. If Lucas had employed popular science fiction directors like say, oh I don't know... J J Abrams, to direct the prequels, then I think the films would have been altogether different. I hold out a "new hope" that the brand new sequels will be darker, grittier and bring back the magic and power of the force. Mr Abrams, may the force be with you... Always!
Sure, I could go in to the details why Jar Jar Binks should be hung from a crane and lowered slowly into a tank of Piranhas, I could talk about Lucas' directing talents (or lack of them!). I could even site the many reasons why you should never, EVER, try to explain the force with Midi-chlorians!
But I won't, not here...
The main reason why the prequels were rubbish is (prepares for outraged shouts and dissent)...
George Lucas grew old and raised children!
Before all the parents out there light the flaming torches and raise the lynch mob, let me explain myself. When Lucas made Star Wars he was in his early thirties. Film making was his passion and he was full of the spittle and rage of youth. Star Wars was his epic fantasy masterpiece that he had been toying with ideas for years. Making the film itself was a trauma and one of the most stressful experiences he would ever go through. However, the one thing he had in bucket-loads was passion. The first film was crafted out of blood sweat and tears. It was so hard for him that he gave the job of directing the first two sequels to other people, Irvin Kershner (Empire Strikes Back) and Richard Marquand (Return of the Jedi).
The Empire Strikes Back is arguably the best in the franchise, but that's mainly down to the director. There wouldn't have even been sequels without Star Wars. There also wouldn't have been the groundbreaking Industrial Light and Magic, Lucasfilm, Skywalker Sound, Skywalker Ranch, etc. etc. Star Wars was a baptism of fire for Lucas. It was extremely difficult to make and Lucas was never happy with the finished result (hence the awful remastered editions) but it was an instant hit and is regarded as a masterpiece. It was good because it was a labour of love!
The prequels were made when Lucas was in his mid fifties and had children, the first of which he adopted in his late thirties. By the time he directed Episode One - The Phantom Menace, he was comfortably middle aged, surrounded by a loving family, a massive personal empire and enough money to do whatever he liked! Lucas decided to direct the prequels himself, which was in my opinion his biggest mistake. I have seen Hayden Christensen in other films and it turns out he can actually act!
Lucas was too comfortable. He had the joy of raising children in his head and he decided to aim the prequels at a younger audience; hence Jar Jar replacing Chewbacca. Can you really imagine anyone saying "Let the Gungan win!"? Life had made him soft. He no longer had the hunger of youth or the burning ambition to make a piece of art. What we got were poorly directed, poorly acted, watered down versions of Star Wars intended for, let's face it, his own children! In essence, caring for his children had taken away his edge and changed his idea of what makes a good film.
Combine that with his almost god-like status, unlimited cash and the inability of any of his staff to say no to him, it was a recipe for disaster. If Lucas had employed popular science fiction directors like say, oh I don't know... J J Abrams, to direct the prequels, then I think the films would have been altogether different. I hold out a "new hope" that the brand new sequels will be darker, grittier and bring back the magic and power of the force. Mr Abrams, may the force be with you... Always!
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Can't argue with any of this, although I didn't hate the prequels quite as much as many fans of the originals. Still, let's also not forget George had a divorce in the mix, which I attribute for him giving us the absolute stupidest hero's death in the history of filmmaking. Padme, who is a strong, dedicated politician and warrior that passes that onto her daughter, simply gives up the fight, abandons the children in dire need of protection, and bites the dust because her boyfriend turns out to be a loser? I still want to throw things at the screen when I watch it.
Very interesting point J. Yes, you're right about her character. I guess another issue would be that for some reason many heroes tend to be (or have to be) orphans in literature (and I guess film) so she had to die. But your explanation for it...makes sense...
Olga wrote: "Very interesting point J. Yes, you're right about her character. I guess another issue would be that for some reason many heroes tend to be (or have to be) orphans in literature (and I guess film) ..."Thank you! Padme's death was stupid. She should have died in battle and had her premature children ripped from her still warm corpse, just like in the Walking Dead. And WTF is with Darth Vader wearing platform boots and rising from the slab like Frankenstein's monster? Why didn't they get a really tall person in the suit instead of Hayden whatsit just because he was vein enough to ask if he could?
Grrrr....
Calm down Jon, I'm sure you want to live to see the next one...
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I think he left too long a gap between the movies, as the original plan was to make the 9, but indeed he got distracted (?) with more technical side (that maybe is his more natural milieu) and created a fantastic industry that's completely changed cinema forever. Yes, he had the vision and he brought it to fruition, but after the first movie he delegated correctly. I agree with you he would have been better off leaving it others, the directing. But I guess, maybe precisely because of his age and because he'd have children, he wanted to rediscover things...(OK, I won't call it a middle age crisis) and see what he could do with all the resources he didn't have when he made the first one. It goes to prove that money isn't everything...
Thanks Jon.