Anchorhead

MalaStrana#2 said:

It’s true it looks more like a sequel to the prequels than a prequel to the OT. So was Rogue one. So was the Bad Batch, so it’s surprising you enjoyed it that much.

Rogue One doesn’t feel like a prequel film or an OT film (to me). All new people, locations, mission, etc. It feels standalone to me. My only nitpick was it having Vader in it. I’m not a fan of the character. Sacrilege, I know, but I’ve never found him interesting. I’m also sorry they showed Leia’s face and gave her a line. Would have worked better, I think, if we just saw her from behind as someone handed her the plans. But that’s for another discussion…

Bad Batch is for sure prequel heavy, but it’s animated so I suspect that’s what made it interesting to me. Plus they aren’t directly in the prequel story, just adjacent to it. Worth mentioning again; I’m not really familiar with the prequels, so all these Bad Batch characters are new to me.
They could do a live-action Bad Batch and I think it would work. Even as a short TV series.

This new Kenobi show just seems like a sequel to the third prequel, so it won’t be for me. Yes, I realize that’s exactly what it is timeline-wise, but I’m speaking more of feel, look, and characters. I may give it a look, but it would only be out of curiosity.

I did the same thing with one of the prequels. Not sure which film, but it was Kenobi going to someone’s apartment either underwater or in a terrible rain storm. Some kid answered the door, and I lasted all of two or three minutes before I realized I had zero interest in whatever was going on. I saw that same building in the last episode of Bad Batch. Again, prequel time frame, but not prequel characters (at least not that I know of).

I was mildly interested when this was all first announced. Ewan is the perfect age for this now. Also, not being familiar with the prequels, I would be going in fresh and with nothing to reconcile story-wise. As more has come out, however, I realize this isn’t for me. Not personally, nor am I the target audience. This is clearly for prequel fans - and that’s fantastic, by the way. Other than Bad Batch (which I really like), most Disney era Star Wars has been backward-looking. Good for me, bad for the TFN faction.

I figured I’d probably pass on this, but after seeing something in Bendu’s video discussion above, I’m certain of it.
This;

Here we go with that idiotic behind-the-back sabre twirling. I guess it’s supposed to be the cool move because it was all over the prequels, but I can’t help but laugh at how ridiculous it is. Every person who did that - placed their weapon behind their back - would be slaughtered instantly. Too bad Disney is carrying it over from Lucas.

Good luck with the series. It is my sincere hope that whoever is looking forward to it finds it to be just as fulfilling as the first season of The Mandalorian was for me.

Going to Multiverse tonight. Looking forward to seeing Wanda. Looks like she has a much bigger role than I originally thought. Three episodes into Moon Knight. Digging it. I’ll stay out of this topic for a bit so I avoid any spoilers.

Finally. We’ve been in the Solar System Far Far Away for 40+ years. Time to step out.

AspiringCreator said:
People should remember that if it wasn’t for toxic fans? George would still own the franchise and be happy about it with maybe the extent of him being done with Star Wars just coming from him growing tired of speaking about the same few topics with every interviewer.

He created the toxic fandom. Also, there was a very easy fix for it. He chose instead to dig his heels in and even went further by trolling the fans (e.g., selling Han Shot First T-shirts, “it’s my movie, not yours”, etc).

Her score for Loki is outstanding. One of my absolute favorites. Genius work. I’m a soundtrack nerd from decades back and listen to film scores more than anything else, by far. Her score for Loki is in my regular rotation.

This will be the highlight of he show for me for sure.

Abrams has mentioned in interviews that Seven Samurai is one of his favorite films. He’s also mentioned that John Ford and Terrence Malick were big influences.

That’s good news for sure. Visions has been one of my favorite Star Wars things in a long time. Stay with the hands-off format and let the animation studios tell the story they want to tell.

Omni said:
Sure, the oojason “time travelling revisionist” thread can be seen as a response to Lucas’ “efforts of burying history” over time, but when people come to this website and that thread stands tall, with no “a moment to thank George Lucas” or something thread next to it, it paints an obvious picture on how the community views him.

It’s not a response to his decades of lying and suppression of the theatrical versions of Star Wars, Empire, and Return. It’s a catalog of the facts and explanations of his decades of lying. This site exists almost solely as a way to try to get the original films released and in the absence of that, find ways to try and preserve them. That cataloging of the lies is something that should be at the forefront of what we do here. We’re one of the only places bothering with the truth and the facts to back up the discussions.

We don’t need a Lucas praise thread. Obviously we appreciate his work. That’s why we’ve spent years trying to get it released and preserved. There are plenty of Lucas-as-genius sites out there where people spend all day discussing all that rhyming, poetry, ring theory bullshit where Lucas is praised like some sort of film savant.

Stardust1138 said:
… but as long as films like Marvel and what Star Wars is becoming are successful the storyteller will be pushed out of the equation.

The MCU is light years ahead of the Star Wars franchise where consistent story and vision are concerned. Casting, writing, acting, depth, etc - all are significantly better that the Star Wars franchise. That consistent vision also translates to their TV shows as well.

Across both mediums, the MCU holds a solid and connected narrative. After 1977, Star Wars hasn’t even held a narrative from one film to the next.

Lucas was already well into writing with the intent to sell toys by then. Plenty of articles and interviews about it.

Regarding the topic; I wanted to walk out of the theater when watching how he’d ruined the 1977 story. I didn’t, but I turned on Lucas that day. Star Wars had gone from an outer space adventure to a children’s toy advertisement.

I won’t weigh in on the different classes of like or don’t like of TLJ - because I don’t care, not even remotely. I saw the first two sequels and thought they were bad. I didn’t bother with the third. Of those two, I thought TlJ was particularly bad. It was all over the place with the slow speed chase, the casino sidetrack, and with Luke being some sort of hermit kook.

I’ll say this though: I don’t care. It’s a movie in a very convoluted franchise with a harshly divided fan base. I watch what I like, I ignore what I don’t. I don’t give so much as a passing thought. Truth be told, I haven’t cared for much since 1977. One or two recent offerings, but not worth mentioning here.

Regarding Rian’s tweets and social media posts when he was criticized; Incredibly unprofessional. When you set out to make a sequel in a loved franchise and you openly admit you’re going to turn the franchise and the fans on their ears, be ready for some blowback and be ready for it to be harsh. All that maaaahh deeeeeeek!!! bullshit is just weird and childish. WTF, Rian?

theprequelsrule said:
I want an adaption of Heir to The Empire. Why not? Bring what is certainly THE most beloved EU material to life.

As well as being the novel that brought the franchise out of retirement, and setting its course for decades after.
No doubt, it could be done as a heady film or TV series.

This is where I think Disney could gain back some ground with disappointed fans by going full-on with the Lando series. It’s possible I’m way off here, but with the divided fan base and critical reaction to the Fett series, now might be a good time to step away from The Saga.

Calrissian is a long beloved character in the franchise and there are all sorts of stories they could tell that didn’t have to weigh in on OT or PT. Give us some stories about all those years before we met him. There’s no end to what they could do. It would be familiar but also new and adventurous at the same time.

thebluefrog said:
The Obi-Wan tv series will be interesting to see if the public still cares about Anakin and Obi.

I think that’s the most interesting test\biggest question (not sure how to word it) concerning the Obi-Wan series. How do people really feel about this sort of Prequel reconciliation that seems to be taking place within the Disney shows.

I think Disney hurt their fan base credibility with the Boba Fett series. Fett is a long time universally loved character with the fans. It should have been a slam-dunk and certainly looked to be from the first teaser. It was entirely different and as we’ve seen here, almost polarizing.

Obi-Wan could still be a great series, but it’s not a given anymore. Will be interesting for sure.

I’ve not weighed in on the ST because I only saw the first one. I’ll say this though, Star Wars would be MUCH better served if they would have gone with known and liked EU novels.

Add me to the list of people who thought JJ was a poor choice to launch the Disney film era. There are SO many respected and loved novels they could have brought to the silver screen. The weird choice to try and correct films from 20 years earlier really seems an odd direction to take the franchise. Particularly when a lot of fans didn’t think those films needed to be corrected.

Thrawn & Mara Jade would have been awesome and better choices of story lines to continue the franchise.

thebluefrog said:
…in 10 years people will have forgotten the sequel characters.
And that’s the real tragedy.

Tragedy?
Natural disasters, genocide, terrorist attacks, global pandemics - those are tragedies. Fictional movies are entertainment. Star Wars isn’t a series of documentaries.
I’ve been waiting 40 years to see Star Wars the way I watched in the theater the summer of 1977. It’s unfortunate that I never will again, but it’s hardly a tragedy.

theprequelsrule said:

Anchorhead said:

Darth Malgus said:
Come on, even the Original Trilogy has problems, even if no one wants to admit it…

I’m more than happy to admit the OT has problems. They started in 1980.

You have ice in your veins Anchorhead.

😉

Darth Malgus said:
Come on, even the Original Trilogy has problems, even if no one wants to admit it…

I’m more than happy to admit the OT has problems. They started in 1980.

I’m not familiar with the prequels, so I guess it’s lost on me as to why that’s not subtle. Neither here nor there. I’ll never see them, so it doesn’t matter.

SparkySywer said:

What is that picture? A prequel scene, but what is happening?

I can’t speak to Rowling because I’m not familiar with her stories. I can, however, speak to Lucas and his ever-evolving delusion of grandeur. He long ago bought into his own press and his sudden crafting of his Original Vision that he wrote in 1974 (eye roll).

RogueLeader said:
Honestly I think even a different director would’ve led to things being different

I don’t think time of production and release would have made any difference. Prequel fans have had a strong online voice for quite a while. I do think, however, you’re right on the money with it being the choice of director.
A different director, one who wasn’t trying to correct Star Wars, could have made a big difference. Also having a solid narrative throughout the three films would have made a world of difference. That weird approach to letting each person continue where the other person left off is a very weird business model.

If anything, I think the more forgiving view of the Prequels may be a direct response to the sequels being a sort of “careful what you wish for” moment.

Mandalorian, Rogue One, and several of the Visions episodes are proof that great Star Wars stories can be told. The Sequel Trilogy, to me at least, is proof that it isn’t a given just because it has Star Wars in the title.

Edit

And while I’m thinking about it, what is the weird, almost addiction, to everything having to be a trilogy? Star Wars was a single story in 1977 and it worked perfectly. Each of the Visions entries is a single story, the characters’ journey in Rogue One are also a singular story. Hollywood is replete with singular great films. If anything, forcing things into trilogies has often been a bad idea. There is no shortage of terrible and unnecessary sequels to truly great films. More doesn’t guarantee good. But I digress.

The sequel story could have also been great if it were a solid single film - again, with a better director, studio, story, etc. Disney deciding it had to be a three-film series did not help matters at all.

Stardust1138 said:
…in the case of an auteur like George…

That’s being very generous. To me, Lucas is nearly the opposite. Star Wars is largely derivative. At times, some of the scenes are nothing more than direct recreations of other films, novels, and comic books. Here is one of the many examples. Plenty of other articles, sites, and video comparisons out there. https://youtu.be/WtGAQLxYZJ0

When I think of auteurs, the first ones who come to mind are Hitchcock, Kubrick, Spielberg, Coppola, Fellini, Orson Wells, Penny Marshall, Jordon Peele, Nora Ephron, and a few others.

Now that I’m guilty of further derailing the discussion, perhaps we can get back to it.

Stardust1138 said:
the only thing I can think of that I dislike about the Original Trilogy is Luke and Leia kissing but in a way there’s a lot of mythology that does the same thing. So while it is weird that they do kiss it’s not completely unheard of within myth and we know it influenced George

They weren’t related when he wrote the movie. No mythology, no influences, no anything else. It was a farm boy and a princess in the only thing Lucas had written. There was no Original Vision or multi-film Saga

Star Wars was just a single outer space adventure movie. It’s well documented that he wrote the Empire line ”no, there is another” without having any idea where he would go with the story.

He had writer’s block later and ham-fisted his way out of it. It’s weird because it was poorly handled by a bad writer. If Lucas really had anything beyond one film in mind, he wouldn’t have hired two writers to come up with possible sequels to his only script.

It’s truly sad how Lucas has spent decades crafting this revised image of himself as some deep thinker who embarked on a grand 12-film/6-film/9-film/the media made that up/it was always my idea/etc, Saga (genuflect).
The only thing Lucas is truly great at is revising history. Some of us got on this merry-go-round at the beginning. We know the truth because we were there as it was happening.

https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/George-Lucas-Star-Wars-Creator-Unreliable-Narrator-Time-Travelling-Revisionist/id/66986