logo Sign In

Oscar Isaac says tinkering with Star Wars trilogy made films "less interesting"

Author
Date
Author
Time
 (Edited)
Post link

Ever since taking control of Star Wars in a $4.05bn (£2.5bn) deal in October 2012, Disney has been careful to avoid criticising its creator, George Lucas, for almost bringing the space opera saga to its knees. Not so Oscar Isaac, star of JJ Abrams’ forthcoming Star Wars: Episode VII, who has said the digital tinkerings introduced on the 1997 “special editions” of 1977’s Star Wars, 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back and 1983’s Return of the Jedi made the classic original trilogy “less interesting”.

Speaking to <span style=“color: #0066cc;”>the Huffington Post</span>, Isaac echoed the views of fans and critics who have wondered why Star Wars required the addition of a squealing CGI Jabba, or whether the revised version of Return of the Jedi might have reasonably dispensed with irritating new digital members of the Max Rebo Band for scenes at the Hutt gangster’s palace. The actor defended Lucas’s right “as an artist” to make the alterations, but said the original movies were “awesome”.

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/sep/29/star-wars-oscar-isaac-tinkering-less-interesting-films

I saw Star Wars in 1977. Many, many, many times. For 3 years it was just Star Wars...period. I saw it in good theaters, cheap theaters and drive-ins with those clunky metal speakers you hang on your window. The screen and sound quality never subtracted from the excitement. I can watch the original cut right now, over 30 years later, on some beat up VHS tape and enjoy it. It's the story that makes this movie. Nothing? else.

kurtb8474 1 week ago

http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=SkAZxd-5Hp8


Author
Time
Post link

Fascinating. More and more people involved with this film are openly criticizing Lucas.

Author
Time
Post link

“But as a fan, I’d much rather go back and watch the old thing, because it’s a product of the time. It’s what did you do at the time with the things that you had. And that’s what made that movie so amazing. At that time with that technology he made this thing and it was fucking awesome. So, you know, to go back and kind of tweak it with new stuff, it doesn’t make it more interesting for me as a watcher. It makes it less interesting, but I can’t fault him for doing that.”

I'm not really surprised he did speak out in this way since Abrams and crew seem to be going in the opposite direction Lucas may have taken based on the PT... more focus on story, character development, practical effects, etc. I wonder if Disney holds the same attitude as Isaac... not to eliminate the SE and reverse the changes, but work on getting the UOT properly released.

Author
Time
Post link

I saw Into Darkness so I'm as skeptical about Episode VII as I was about Episode II but I'm a little less cynical than I was about Episode III.

JJ is the director not the writer but he didn't put his foot down and stop really awful nonsense getting into his Star Trek films.

The tinkering didn't make the OT films less interesting in my view.

They made the SE less coherent than the OUT and less enjoyable from a straight story telling perspective but in a sense the films became more interesting from a WTFWHT perspective.

Lucas went from a bit of a Nerd God pre-1997 to an object of morbid psychological curiousity post-1999 and it's this Lucas we have been dealing with ever since.

Author
Time
 (Edited)
Post link

A release of the OUT is inevitable. I'm sure most people in Lucasfilm would've loved to see the OUT released, Rick McCallum included, but they didn't want to question George. Now that he's gone I'm sure it'll be released, especially with all the buzz we've been hearing about it everywhere. 

EDIT: People involved in these films are even saying that the SE's were detrimental to the story of the originals, and that's really saying something. Imagine if PT actors said that?

The Person in Question

Author
Time
Post link

Imagine PT actors saying that releasing the PT was detrimental to the PT...oh boy that would be something.

Author
Time
Post link

I imagine with the distance of a few more years, somebody will break ranks and openly criticize the prequels.

There's a certain loyalty and respect for George there, and if I had the chance to have worked for him, I'd be reluctant to knock him.

Forum Moderator

Where were you in '77?

Author
Time
Post link

I think SilverWook is right, and now that there are workers/actors now working for Lucasfilm but not Lucas himself, they're willing to go against what he's done since he isn't their current, future, or previous boss. Criticizing the SE's is the equivalent of criticizing George Lucas's "true vision" after all.

The Person in Question

Author
Time
Post link

Didn't Terence Stamp talk pretty frankly about the whole thing back then?

Author
Time
Post link

^I think he went on the record saying "Actors like performing with actors" or something along those lines.

Author
Time
Post link

Baronlando said:

Didn't Terence Stamp talk pretty frankly about the whole thing back then?

I believe he was unhappy that he had to act and interact with a cardboard cutout of Natalie Portman... although... nevermind. :-)

Author
Time
Post link

He likely deleted those posts at Disney's request. This shows that clearly Disney isn't afraid to appoint people who don't worship Lucas and all of his decisions (a la Rick McCallum)

The Person in Question

Author
Time
Post link

I don't think McCallum worshipped Lucas. He was just very good at the job George wanted him to do.

He has joked about George phoning him up when he's old and gray to go back and tweak things some more.

Forum Moderator

Where were you in '77?

Author
Time
 (Edited)
Post link

I didn't mean worship literally, I just meant he was a total yes man, which was exactly what he was supposed to do at that job. I'd probably do the same, I mean George was his boss and he was supposed to speak positively of all George's endeavors. Now that Disney's in charge though the workers won't be beholden to hail all Star Wars material as some kind of scripture like they did before. 

The Person in Question

Author
Time
Post link

moviefreakedmind said:


Now that Disney's in charge though the workers won't be beholden to hail all Star Wars material as some kind of scripture like they did before. 


And you can all go to bed happily ever after.

That's some bad hat, Harry
Author
Time
Post link

unamochilla2 said:


Abrams and crew seem to be going in the opposite direction Lucas may have taken based on the PT... more focus on story, character development, practical effects, etc.


Really? We've got a title, a YouTube video of The Millennium Falcon, a couple of leaked photos and sweet bugger all else and from that you have inferred that this film is going to be like Ibsen in space. That's some imagination you've got.

That's some bad hat, Harry
Author
Time
Post link

Easterhay said:

unamochilla2 said:


Abrams and crew seem to be going in the opposite direction Lucas may have taken based on the PT... more focus on story, character development, practical effects, etc.



Really? We've got a title, a YouTube video of The Millennium Falcon, a couple of leaked photos and sweet bugger all else and from that you have inferred that this film is going to be like Ibsen in space. That's some imagination you've got.

 Back when that post was made, we knew even less. Though, optimism doesn't hurt...

Author
Time
Post link

Easterhay said:

unamochilla2 said:


Abrams and crew seem to be going in the opposite direction Lucas may have taken based on the PT... more focus on story, character development, practical effects, etc.



Really? We've got a title, a YouTube video of The Millennium Falcon, a couple of leaked photos and sweet bugger all else and from that you have inferred that this film is going to be like Ibsen in space. That's some imagination you've got.

We've gotten more than a couple of leaked photos and also dozens of concept art have been leaked, which may or may not be real or utilized in the film.  My comments were mainly based off of the cast and crew involved with the film, Kathleen Kennedy's comments since 2012 regarding the film, actors interviews, Abrams set videos and now the announcement of the removal of the episode number from advertising.  I think my statement about them seemingly going in the opposite direction of PT is valid.  I never said the film was going to be good, though.  Too soon to make that assumption.