Phil Tippett on the Special Editions: "They're shit" + £2b for George to direct the Prequels

‘Brilliant Effects Master Phil Tippett Sheds Some Light on George Lucas’ ‘Star Wars’ - Tinkering Mind’

https://web.archive.org/web/20121223080236/http://www.movies.com/movie-news/phil-tippett-star-wars/4324
 

In case the above link goes down or breaks, a screenshot of the above 2011 article at Movies•com can be seen here:-

A couple of insightful snippets from the Movies•com interview…

 
'But since it’s on everyone’s minds this week, we did want to share some of Tippett’s thoughts about what George Lucas is doing to Star Wars. It’s one thing for all us nerds to complain, but how does someone who created the visual effects for the original Star Wars trilogy feel about George’s needless tinkering?

Surprise: He hates it too. It didn’t take long before the topic came up last night in the Q&A, and Tippett’s response was a simple, “They’re shit.” He doesn’t think they’re necessary at all, citing as one example how he loved Lucas’ original, Sergio Leone-like approach to shooting Mos Eisley as this minimal, barren place and how now it’s just “filled with a bunch of… CGI shit.”’
 

and…
 

Movies•com: ‘Us fans bitch and moan and gripe whenever George Lucas starts messing with Star Wars again, but is that something effects people who actually worked on the film feel? Are we the only ones who think he’s a crazy person?’

Phil Tippett: 'No, not really. At a certain point, even going back to Return of the Jedi at ILM…they had a little room where you could get chips and drinks and I was getting something. George and Richard Marquand, the director, came in and Richard was saying, “George, I don’t totally get where we need to go with this picture.” And George said, “Well, did you see Benji?” “No George, I didn’t see Benji.” “Well, what we’re doing now is kind of like a cross between Benji and what we did on Empire Strikes Back.”

So even then he was thinking about keeping his company alive and merchandising toys and stuff like that. It’s really hard with franchises. It’s really hard to keep things going. It’s really hard to think of a third movie in a franchise that’s better than the first two, ya know? Whoever it was, Pepsi Cola or whatever, paid him $3 billion to do the next three movies as long as he worked and directed it, so…’

For the opinions of many others who worked on / contributed to the making of the Original Trilogy films - or in and around Star Wars since - on the unaltered theatrical version of the Original Trilogy films no longer being available:-

George Lucas: Star Wars Creator, Unreliable Narrator & Time Travelling Revisionist - and then scroll down to Category #28.
 

This article is a quality read too - Phil Tippett: Following his imagination to the stars and beyond - and the OT’s Mad God thread.

A few articles on the $2 billion deal PepsiCo struck with Lucasfilm prior to the 1997 Special Edition release and the Prequel Trilogy began filming (articles are from 1996):-

www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-05-16-fi-4728-story.html

www.upi.com/Archives/1996/05/16/PepsiCo-forms-Lucasfilm-alliance/5885832219200

https://web.archive.org/web/20161221183955/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/14/business/media-business-advertising-hype-with-us-lucas-empire-invading-resistance-futile.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0 (NY Times - 1999)

https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/19990322monday.html (NY Times - 1999)

www.deseret.com/1996/5/19/19244070/online-document-pepsico-to-feel-force-of-star-wars

www.starwarsaddicted.it/2020/10/pepsi-pago-george-lucas-2-miliardi-di-dollari-per-girare-i-prequels

A very brief mention on the 1997 Special Editions - with a couple of overview and retrospective type videos…

‘Star Wars - Are the Special Editions bad?’:-

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYVEbFXQ2JI - a 9 minute video from the Cinemassacre youtube channel.

‘Star Wars 1997 Special Edition Retrospective’:-

www.youtube.com/watch?v=obumGmfRHuc - a 26 minute video from the Mr Sunday Movies youtube channel.

'Top 10 Worst Star Wars Special Edition Changes:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p9ozSFOMQY - a 15 minute video from the WatchMojo youtube channel.

The following OT•com ‘info thread’ has a number of in-depth sources, info, and discussions on the 1997 Special Editions…
 

1997 SE : The changes to the OT films & general 1997 Special Edition discussion thread

‘In anticipation of the Prequel Trilogy films; the hype & publicity, merchandise, fans hopes, beliefs, and expectations’

a video on the merchandise for The Phantom Menace - including the billion+ dollar PepsiCo and Lego deals…

‘The Phantom Menace Marketing Invasion’:-

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiGnf77PCZ4 - a 23 minute video at the Mr Sunday Movies youtube channel

a Pepsi advert for the 1997 OT Special Editions - as part of the billion+ dollar PepsiCo deal…

Pepsi Star Wars commercial (1997):-

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZDnaDr0CBg - a 30 second video at the Hello From TV Land youtube channel

A collection of Pepsi / KFC / TacoBell / Pizza Hut tv adverts for the Prequel Trilogy…

Old Star Wars Ads are EPIC…:-

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hesw2XkfITk & www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZvHIeMZG_g
& www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCW-_R29GVU & www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mq0EPH59J8
& www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXbJcqIYowI & www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjVaIPAXUR0
& www.youtube.com/watch?v=M19PYGAaWJA & www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yCYXKrvONE
& www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1QosmF4oos & www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl2BAcB2Bk4

‘How Hasbro Bet Big on The Phantom Menace and Almost Lost’

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhhEFk7NLXo - a 7 minute video, from the IGN youtube channel

‘The Road to The Phantom Menace: Star Wars prequels, fandom, film making, marketing & merchandise’

www.youtube.com/watch?v=awfMg7RxZOU - a 70 minute video at the Dark Corners Reviews youtube channel.

‘Pizza Hut Star Wars Episode 1 Implementation VHS Tape’

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSHZpeyCSqU - a 12 minute video at the Drew Stewart youtube channel.

‘The Phantom Menace Had 9 Completely Different Tie-In Games’

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bCa-ThoNmQ - a 17 minute video at the Flandrew youtube channel.

‘Star Wars: Episode I Hype! (1 of 5) - Leonard Maltin’s George Lucas Interview, Merchandising, More’

1 of 5: www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoJI020y0ig (70 minutes) - at the Chris Baker youtube channel.
2 of 5: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WthLdpNSgo (44 minutes) - at the Chris Baker youtube channel.
3 of 5: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Eb1GLK1A1A (53 minutes) - at the Chris Baker youtube channel.
4 of 5: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnMptwVujc8 (48 minutes) - at the Chris Baker youtube channel.
5 of 5: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QID2WOsfi0Q (37 minutes) - at the Chris Baker youtube channel.

‘Exploring The Phantom Menace Marketing, Merchandise, and Hype! | The Bombadcast’

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XzCg8bsyPE - a 2 hour podcast video, from the Beyond The Blast Doors youtube channel.

‘Star Wars Prequel Trilogy Merchandise Is Literally Worthless’

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGG9DP9RSyc - a 16 minute video, from the Fact Fiend youube channel.

The Merchandise…

 
• Phantom Menace merchandise puts toy shops on alert - 1999 pre-film article, from The Guardian

• Return of the Jedi shoppers - 1999 article, at CNN Money

• 80 Billion Tons Of Jar Jar Merchandise Now 70 Percent Off - 1999 article, at The Onion (yes, I know!)

• Lucas admits Star Wars [TPM] ‘let down’ - April 2002 article, from the BBC

• “The toys for the film were ‘over-licensed,’ ‘over-shipped’ & ‘over-saturated,’” - George Lucas - 2014 article, at Scripps

• Trouble in Toyland (‘$150 million worth of merchandise remains unsold’ - TPM) - 2001 article. at Forbes

• Star Wars flop burns UK publisher - 2000 article, at IOL

• ‘Star Wars’ - Attack of the Toys - 2002 article, at CBS News

• ‘Star Wars’ merchandise scaled back - 2002 article, at The Washington Times

• New Crop of Toys Feels the Force - 2002 article, at Fox News (I am so sorry!)

• Movie products falter (merchandisers across the board skittish after TPM flop) - 2002 article, at Tampa Bay Times

• Will the empire strike again? Merchandise sales for unlikely to hit Episode I’s $2 billion - 2002 article, at CNN

• For marketers, risky bets on ‘Spider-Man’ tie-ins look promising (‘That is a direct result of several recent movie marketing flops and failures, most notably The Phantom Menace’ in 1999. Those debacles left sponsors and licensees with warehouses overflowing with unsold toys, games, food and other products.') - 2002 article, at NY Times

• Where did it all go wrong for George Lucas’s Star Wars prequel? [TPM] - 2019 article, at The Independent

• Episode 1: The Phantom Menace - overview on TPM merchandise, from The Toy Collectors Guide
 
 

The Hype and Publicity…

 
• How The Phantom Menace Teaser Trailer Became a Cinematic Event - 2019 article, at Den Of Geek

• The Phantom Menace: Star Wars prepares to strike back - April 1999 article, at The Guardian

• The triumvirate of Star Wars fans - April 1999 article, at The Minnesota Daily

• The ‘Phantom’ front lines - May 1999 article, at EW

• ‘Phantom Menace’ madness Anticipation, hype for ‘Star Wars’ prequel are out of this world - 1999 article, at Deseret News

• Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace - 1999 article, at Rob’s Movie Vault

• Dark Side Lite - 1999 article, at Slate

• Millennium’s End: The Fandom Menace - 2000 documentary, at IMDB

• Episode 1 Hype - a 10 video playlist (from at the time of release) - 2022 youtube playlist, at ch3rri

• The Phantom Menace Was The Most Hyped Movie Ever - Not Infinity War - 2015 article, at Comics Vine

• Which film was more hyped/anticipate prior to release? TPM or TFA? - 2019 query, at ResetEra

• ‘Star Wars: The Phantom Menace’ Was The Prequel To Today’s Fan Culture - 2019 article, at Huff Post

• Here’s What It Felt Like to See The Phantom Menace For the First Time - 2019 article, at TOR

• The Phantom Menace anticipation and backlash - 2022 article, at All The Right Movies

• Hollywood sends in the “Clones” - 2002 article, at CBS News

• Master of the universe (AOTC preview; “The movie [TPM] didn’t match expectations” - George Lucas) - 2002 article, at The Guardian

• Christensen talks up Star Wars showdown (“I will say, on the record, the final fight sequence in this film will, in my opinion and not having seen any of it cut together, surpass any fight sequence that has been put on film so far.” - Hayden Christensen) - 2003 article, at The Guardian

• Star Wars Fans Flock To ‘Sith’ - May 2005 article, at CBS News

• Hasbro’s hyping ‘Star Wars’ - 2005 article, at CNN Money

Who Made the Trailer for The Phantom Menace? (w/ David West Reynolds) | TRASH COMPACTOR 43:-

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkQ4FOSpITo - a 64 minute video at the superb Trash Compactor youtube channel (and podcast)
 

^ The blurb: 'In this episode, Josh interviews Dr. David West Reynolds about his unbelievable journey from archaeologist to editing the hugely-anticipated teaser trailer for Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999). Learn how Dr. Reynolds went from earning his PhD researching ancient sites to launching an expedition in Tunisia to uncover forgotten Star Wars filming locations from the first movie.

Hear the serendipitous story behind producer Rick McCallum connecting with Dr. Reynolds’ work and bringing him on board to help scout new desert planets for the prequels. Get a peek inside Skywalker Ranch and Lucasfilm during the production of The Phantom Menace leading up to the trailer’s debut. Find out what it was like collaborating with “the best trailer editor in Hollywood” to shape two minutes that would preview this new era of Star Wars to anxious fans everywhere.

Listen as Dr. Reynolds details the conversations and debates that determined which Phantom Menace scenes and surprises to tease or preserve for theaters. Discover why choices for the trailer were so complex given filmmaker George Lucas’ wildly different vision for the prequels compared to what adult fans may have hoped for.’

Fan Expectations, Hopes and Beliefs - on the basis of lore and previously featured material in the OT & EU…

 
• Pre-PT era lore | an OT & EU scrapbook resource | additional info & sources welcome - a 2024 OT•com info thread
 

^ as part of the pre-PT era lore category of 'The Star Wars Universe: OT & EU - archetypal Life & Lore before the release of the Prequels (the PT ushering in George’s ‘nu-SW rules’ + more retcons)’ section in ‘An Index Thread for General Star Wars Discussion’

Some reviews of 1999’s The Phantom Menace - from around the time of release…

1. www.nytimes.com/1999/05/19/movies/film-review-in-the-beginning-the-future.html & https://archive.is/xBuLk
2. www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/star-wars-phantom-menace-review-752675
3. https://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace-1117499730
4. www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace-101886
5. http://edition.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9905/13/review.phantom.menace/
6. www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-may-18-ca-38249-story.html
7. www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/movies/reviews/phantommenacekempley.htm
8. https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,990986,00.html
9. https://www.salon.com/1999/05/19/star_wars_2
10. https://nypost.com/1999/05/18/mechanical-says-jonathan-foreman
11. https://nypost.com/1999/05/18/sexless-says-thelma-adams
12. www.theguardian.com/film/1999/jul/16/11
13. www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Force-Wavers-in-Phantom-Animation-amazes-2765274.php
14. https://slate.com/culture/1999/05/dark-side-lite.html
15. www.villagevoice.com/1999/05/18/all-droid-up
16. www.indiewire.com/2013/03/read-eli-roths-unearthed-scathing-1999-review-of-star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace-100146
17. www.chicagotribune.com/ct-xpm-1999-05-18-9905180282-story.html
18. https://web.archive.org/web/20010806145242/http://www.film.com/film-review/1999/11853/27/default-review.html
19. https://nymag.com/nymetro/movies/reviews/64/
20. www.decentfilms.com/reviews/starwars1
21. https://ew.com/article/1999/05/20/phantom-menace-reviews-are & https://archive.is/CIyl8
22. www.rogerebert.com/reviews/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace-1999
23. www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/star-wars-episode-phantom-menace-review-daring-beautiful & https://archive.is/iCalh
24. www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/07/26/the_phantom_menace_1999_review.shtml
25. www.reelviews.net/reelviews/star-wars-episode-1-the-phantom-menace

IMDB: www.imdb.com/title/tt0120915
LetterBoxd: https://letterboxd.com/film/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace
RottenTomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_episode_i_the_phantom_menace
MetaCritic: www.metacritic.com/movie/star-wars-episode-i---the-phantom-menace
ICheckMovies: https://icheckmovies.com/movies/star+wars+episode+i+-+the+phantom+menace

Some reviews of 2002’s Attack Of The Clones - from around the time of release…

1. https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/parents/moviesguide/archive/20020524a.html
2. www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/star-wars-attack-clones-review-752674
3. https://variety.com/2002/film/reviews/star-wars-episode-ii-attack-of-the-clones-1200549814
4. www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/star-wars-episode-ii-attack-of-the-clones-97836
5. https://edition.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Movies/05/15/ca.s02.review.clinton.star.wars/index.html
6. www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-attack-of-the-clones-review-20151202-story.html
7. www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/entertainment/movies/features/starwarsfeature.htm
8. www.ign.com/articles/2002/05/14/review-of-star-wars-episode-ii-attack-of-the-clones
9. www.salon.com/2002/05/16/attack_clones
10. https://nypost.com/2008/08/10/send-in-the-clones-2
11. www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/empire-original-attack-of-the-clones-review
12. www.theguardian.com/culture/2002/may/10/artsfeatures
13. www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Just-another-Clone-Episode-II-trumps-2835067.php
14. www.slantmagazine.com/film/star-wars-episode-ii-attack-of-the-clones
15. www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/starwarsepisodeiiattackoftheclones
16. www.myreviewer.com/DVD/38087/Star-Wars-Episode-II-Attack-Of-The-Clones-2-Discs-UK/38135/Review-by-Jitendar-Canth
17. https://observer.com/2002/05/an-old-dog-no-longer-barks
18. www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/05/AR2005050501750.html
19. https://nymag.com/nymetro/movies/reviews/6012
20. https://decentfilms.com/reviews/starwars2
21. https://ew.com/movies/2002-rewatch-star-wars-attack-of-the-clones
22. www.rogerebert.com/reviews/star-wars-episode-ii-attack-of-the-clones-2002
23. www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/star-wars-episode-ii-attack-clones-review-pleasant-surprise/
24. www.bbc.co.uk/coventry/films/reviews/n_s/star-wars-episode-ii.-attack-of-the-clones.shtml
25. www.reelviews.net/reelviews/star-wars-episode-ii-attack-of-the-clones

IMDB: www.imdb.com/title/tt0121765
LetterBoxd: https://letterboxd.com/film/star-wars-episode-ii-attack-of-the-clones
RottenTomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_episode_ii_attack_of_the_clones
MetaCritic: www.metacritic.com/movie/star-wars-episode-ii---attack-of-the-clones
ICheckMovies: https://icheckmovies.com/movies/star+wars+episode+ii+-+attack+of+the+clones

Some reviews of 2005’s Revenge Of The Sith - from around the time of release…

1. www.nytimes.com/2005/05/16/movies/some-surprises-in-that-galaxy-far-far-away.html
2. www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/star-wars-revenge-sith-review-752673
3. https://variety.com/2005/film/reviews/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-of-the-sith-2-1200526059
4. www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-of-the-sith-105698
5. http://edition.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/05/20/review.sith/index.html
6. www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-revenge-of-the-sith-review-20151202-story.html
7. www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2017-2005May18.html
8. www.ign.com/articles/2005/05/11/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-of-the-sith-2
9. www.salon.com/2005/05/18/star_wars_iii
10. https://nypost.com/2005/05/16/lucas-strikes-back-at-last-as-thrill-ride-sith-fills-the-darth-dearth
11. www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-sith-review/
12. www.theguardian.com/film/2005/may/13/starwars
13. www.sfgate.com/movies/article/When-Sith-sticks-to-Darth-it-s-brilliant-When-2634181.php
14. https://slate.com/culture/2005/05/later-vader.html
15. www.slantmagazine.com/film/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-of-the-sith
16. http://legacy.aintitcool.com/node/20157
17. www.scifimoviepage.com/revengeofsith.html
18. www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2005/05/18/sith-the-promise-fulfilled/fa4fca80-6aa1-44a3-a80e-de41899e8b2f
19. https://nymag.com/nymetro/movies/reviews/11989
20. https://decentfilms.com/reviews/starwars3
21. https://ew.com/article/2005/05/18/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-sith-3
22. www.rogerebert.com/reviews/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-of-the-sith-2005
23. www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-sith-review-disappointing-slab &
24. www.bbc.co.uk/films/2005/05/09/star_wars_episode_3_2005_review.shtml
25. www.reelviews.net/reelviews/star-wars-revenge-of-the-sith#

IMDB: www.imdb.com/title/tt0121766
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/film/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-of-the-sith
RottenTomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_episode_iii_revenge_of_the_sith
MetaCritic: www.metacritic.com/movie/star-wars-episode-iii---revenge-of-the-sith
ICheckMovies: https://icheckmovies.com/movies/star+wars+episode+iii+-+revenge+of+the+sith
 

There are a number of OT•com member reviews for ROTS on here - at the time of release - in the ‘Beyond the Original Trilogy’ forum.

Some of the ‘early’ and noted youtube video reviews on The Prequel Trilogy…

(Note: youtube premiered in Dec 2005; yet easily accessible & free online video hosting in general… wasn’t really ‘a thing’ before that)

The Phantom Menace…

Confused Matthew : TPM Review - www.youtube.com/watch?v=pobw4VL8DhI - original airdate of June 2008

-

Plinkett / RLM : TPM Review - www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxKtZmQgxrI - original airdate of December 2009

MovieNight / JPMN : TPM Review - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzCgmHoD7hQ - original airdate of March 2012

Belated Media : ‘What If EPISODE I was good?’ - www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgICnbC2-_Y - original airdate of Feb 2012

Chris Stuckmann : The Phantom Menace Review - www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUXx-A5khOw - from May 2015

Star Wars Spaced Moments : inc many TPM takes - www.dailymotion.com/video/x2nxe74 - 6 minute video; from 1999-2001

Jeremy Jahns : TPM Review - www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyisFK6dHnk - original airdate of Feb 2012

HelloGreedo : TPM Review - www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa2R374Y1Zw - original airdate of Nov 2015

HelloGreedo : Critic & Fan Reactions on TPM | 20th Anniversary - www.youtube.com/watch?v=onGF58ee0vI (from 2019)

Sam’s Reviews : TPM Review - www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJM5Citn3rY - original airdate of Oct 2013

Pitch Meeting : TPM Review - www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAvprzqwbo8 - originally airdate of May 2018

Honest Trailers : TPM - www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sKRRY5tQz8 - original airdate of Feb 2012

How It Should Have Ended : TPM - www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4hvUvBmoaA - original airdate of Feb 2014

Attack Of The Clones…

Confused Matthew : AOTC Review - www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMYp8pek0zk - original airdate of June 2008

Plinkett / RLM : AOTC Review - www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPt1am18lR4 - original airdate of April 2010

MovieNight / JPMN : AOTC Review - www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHbESd7h0V8 - original airdate of May 2013

Belated Media : ‘What If EPISODE II was good?’ - www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAbug3AhYmw - original airdate of Aug 2013

Chris Stuckmann : Attack of the Clones Review - www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHdcd8BHsnw - from 2015

The Unusual Suspect : Prequels Review (compilation) - www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjTp65UNQUs - originally aired in 2015

Jeremy Jahns : AOTC Review - www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkwbJvgPdSY - original airdate of March 2015

HelloGreedo : AOTC Review - www.youtube.com/watch?v=msgtEkTH6d8 - original airdate of Nov 2015

Sam’s Reviews : AOTC Review - www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DHzDWIAlxA - original airdate of Nov 2013

Pitch Meeting : AOTC Review - www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw4YSikZlqY - originally airdate of March 2019

Honest Trailers : AOTC - www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nJS-LPcFfw - original airdate of May 2014

How It Should Have Ended : AOTC - www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cxjlN9e9-c - original airdate of Nov 2015

Revenge Of The Sith…

Confused Matthew : ROTS Review - www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9a2Ior6xLQ - original airdate of July 2008

Plinkett / RLM : ROTS Review - www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYWAHuFbLoc - original airdate of December 2010

MovieNight / JPMN : ROTS Review - www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQLVN1QUpbA - original airdate of May 2013

Belated Media : ‘What If EPISODE III was good?’ - www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wKqH6vlGHU - original airdate of Dec 2015

Chris Stuckmann : Revenge Of The Sith Review - www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHvoWFUCbio - from August 2015

Mark Kermode : ROTS Review - www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki1qiUrMENs - original airdate of 2005; video uploaded in 2009

Jeremy Jahns : ROTS Review - www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYm9TprRBUk - original airdate of April 2015

HelloGreedo : ROTS Review - www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFjK3N1rxMA - original airdate of Dec 2015

Sam’s Reviews : ROTS Review - www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7Bw4J_8Bvs - original airdate of Aug 2014

Pitch Meeting : ROTS Review - www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSyiVPbVj9A - original airdate of April 2019

Honest Trailers : ROTS - www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l5eZp8Ae9c - original airdate of Dec 2015

How It Should Have Ended : ROTS - www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2ScVx4mRDE - original airdate of Dec 2015

As an aside…

Some still-live articles, from around the time of PT’s release, covering the issue of racial stereotypes in The Phantom Menace…

Star Wars accused of race stereotypes - at The Independent, 1999.
A Galaxy Far, Far Off Racial Mark? - at The LA Times, 1999.
Our Inner Child Meets Young Darth Vader - at Wall Street Journal, 1999. (available in full here: https://archive.is/LImc6)
The Merchant of Menace (Racial stereotypes in a galaxy far, far away?) - at Slate, 1999.
George Lucas’ Jedi mind trick - at Salon, 2000.
All Droid Up - at Village Voice, 1999.
Racial Ventriloquism - at The Nation, 1999.
Jar Jar Binks: A Cultural Rorschach Test - at Chicago Tribune, 1999.
Shuffling Through the Star Wars - at NY Times, 1999. (article in full here: https://archive.is/60lyu)
Some things just aren’t funny - either in Notting Hill or a galaxy far, far away - at The Observer, 1999.
The Tao of “Star Wars”, Or, Cultural Appropriation in a Galaxy Far, Far Away - at JSTOR, 1999.
All The Tropes - Space Jews - at All The Tropes, 2004.
Portrait of the artist as an antimsemite - at New Internationalist, 2004.
Voice of Neimoidians - at TFn, 1999. (“Thai people trying to speak the lines as best they could in their best English” and then hired “English actors interpreting a Thai person trying to speak English” - Matthew Wood, (on the process for the sound of the Neimoidians).
 

George Lucas’ response and quotes can be found in the following articles…

Star Wars: Lucas strikes back - at BBC, 1999.
Lucas derides accusations of racial stereotyping - at The Guardian, 1999.
George Lucas’ Jedi mind trick - at Salon, 2000. (listed above, but here too, with more of George Lucas quotes in response).

^ Why nobody told George some of the people criticising the use of those stereotypes in TPM were actually Jamaican, or from the West Indies, and some critics were black, Jewish, Asian… and from all over the world… is lost on me.

As well as George Lucas’ claim (in the BBC article linked above) that people didn’t like Jar Jar and wanted rid of him so…

“…they came in and they started calling the film racist.”

 
A handful of more modern articles covering the issue of racial stereotypes in The Phantom Menace…

Star Wars: A Tale of Racism - at Globe, 2021.
The Phantom Menace was Racist and Here is Why That Matters - at Contemporary Racism, 2019.
Things We (Still) Kinda Hate About The Phantom Menace - Uncomfortable Ethnic Stereotypes - at Time, 2012.
Neimoidians with stereotypical and disappointing Japanese villain accents - at Jimmy Won twitter, 2019.
Racial Stereotypes In The Phantom Menace - at ScreenRant, 2019
Racism in a Galaxy Far, Far Away - at Asian Amaerican Popular Culture, 2017.
If You Prick Watto, Does He Not Bleed? - at Jewish Currents, 2019
Times Star Wars Went Too Far - at Looper, 2021.
Star Wars stereotypes: Not a force for good - at AlJazeera, 2014.
Racism and Ethnic Stereotypes in ‘Star Wars: The Phantom Menace’ - at David Chen, 2014.
Racist trolls may think they own Star Wars, but the saga’s diversity issues are not cut and dried - at The Guardian, 2021.
Star Wars: Five Most Horrible Mistakes Of ‘The Phantom Menace’ - at Bell Of Souls, 2023.
Diversity in a Galaxy Far, Far Away: Star Wars’ Poor History and New Hope in Representation - at The Mary Sue, 2015.

Some articles on racial stereotyping in Lucas’ and Spielberg’s 1984 ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’ film…

We need to talk about Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom… - at Little White Lies, 2020.
Why Indiana Jones & The Temple Of Doom Wasn’t Filmed In India - at ScreenRant, in 2023.
Why Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Was Banned in India - at MovieWeb, 2023.
Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom Was Banned In India – For Obvious Reasons - at SlashFilm, in 2023.
Indiana Jones Star Says it is Unfair to Label Temple of Doom as Racist - at MovieWeb, 2022.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: Notes from watching its most racist moments - at FirstPost, 2019
“Anything Goes!” The Curious, Qualified Appeal of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”… - at The M0vie Blog, 2021.
‘Temple of Doom’ is the Indiana Jones movie that Indians won’t forget in a hurry - at ScrollIn, 2023.
Indiana Jones and the Dangers of White Superiority - at Student Film Reviews (academic paper), 2020.
“I just thought it was horrible”: Indiana Jones Original Writer Left Franchise After Overly Racist Plotline Forced India to Ban $333M Movie - at FandomWire, 2023.
This Is the Indiana Jones Movie Steven Spielberg Called “Horrific” - at Collider, 2023.
The racist literary origins of Indiana Jones - at Washington Post, 2023. (article in full, here)

INDIANA JONES - A Primer On Racist Film Tropes - a 37 minute youtube video from ‘FOCAL - Filmmakers Of Colour And Lustre’.
 

George Lucas in a 1989 New York Times article ‘on the racism that swirled around Temple of Doom film’ (article in full, here)':-

“There are so many special interest groups now that no matter what you make a film about someone is going to be offended.”

It is also important to recognise that Star Wars, like many Western-made films and TV series, has and still does, have issues with using racial stereotypes in its content. This is improving, increasingly so in recent Star Wars content, yet it is still present…

Chapter 4 of ‘One Way Out: Andor Season 1’, a 13 minute section of a much longer youtube video, by Ladyknightthebrave, highlights just this - especially regarding Latine actors in Star Wars - amongst other topics of discussion in the GFFA such as politics, military history, the prison complex, police state, freedom fighting, and fascism (the whole video is worth a watch too).