I can’t really say that i’m a big fan of Star Wars, especially the prequels, and i’m not even that big of a fan of the original trilogy either (Episode IV bored me to tears the first time i saw it) but i generally like SW and i appreciate it for what it is and what George Lucas has achieved with the whole franchise. More so with the original trilogy than with the new prequels (gag).
The last two movies have been so bad i actually forgot that i even liked the first three.
Like that classic scene in AOTC. Where Natalie Portman gets knocked out of the flying spaceship thing onto the sand, lies there looking dead, then a robot comes up and says “let’s go” and she’s like “ok” and hops right up and walks away. That’s my nominee for worst scene in a movie ever.
I picked up a bootleg copy of The Two Towers 4 Disc Extended Edition last night and watched it back to back with The Fellowship Of The Rings Extended Edition. Just for continuity’s sake. Started watching it around 9pm and got through both movies sometime around 4:30am. It sure is gonna be fun to watch all 3 Extended Editions back to back again this time next year once the Return Of The King EE DVD comes out. What is that? Like almost 12 hours of LOTR?
Anyhow, point is, i can just imagine how shitty George Lucas will feel after seeing all three LOTR movies and how perfect they will have all been (Return Of The King in about 3 more weeks!)… compared to how utterly disappointing (on soooo many levels) his last two Star Wars flicks have been. And that’s also compared to his own original Star Wars trilogy which is like what? Over 20 years old now? Point is, new trilogy sucks. LOTR is the new SW.
One of the problems i think is that there’s too much goddamned CG! And most of it shitty looking!
The first two LOTR movies prove that CG does not have to look like shit. The shots of thousands of orcs in Moria and Helm’s Deep might have been just as overstuffed with CG characters as Attack Of The Clones, but they didn’t look so silly. Hell, even the Ents and Gollum were more believable than the ridiculous Episode 1 & 2 creatures, possibly because they weren’t in constant motion. Did Lucas not realize that the actors almost never look the CG characters in the eyes?
I’m not sure if you’re aware of all the fanboy bitching about how Lucas is further ruining his once highly regarded (still is.. in some respects) and ‘infallible’ movie franchise (at least until Peter Jackson’s LOTR came along and became best new movie franchise) by going in and ‘fixing’ his original trilogy and adding more CG, making Greedo shoot first.. amongst other horrible changes, etc etc but it’s a pretty big deal in the world of SW geekdom. I hate that the original 3 were mangled on re-release. The computer animated stuff especially did nothing for me (newly added Han Solo/Jabba The Hutt scene anyone? yikes).
If they don’t offer the original versions on DVD, they’re nuts. At least for the purists. George Lucas is collectively raping everyone’s childhood memories of the original Star Wars trilogy with those changes.
Apparently the original trilogy is getting a DVD release in September 2004. What isn’t known yet is whether it will be the original untouched trilogy or the re-released special edition version.
And rumor has it that he’s going to make it even worse by making MORE changes for the DVD release of his ‘original trilogy’. Please George! Stop tinkering with your movies! And if you must, go fix Howard The Duck instead!
Michael Jackson parallel to original trilogy:
Something wonderful and original gets made over and over until the original coolness is almost gone.
Incremental perversion of art!!!
…don’t forget that the newly made over version will rape our childhoods too.
Yes its fucking sad he’s made so many changes to the originals, and there is a damn good South Park episode about it all. I think tim burton should direct the next one >: )
#1 | Comment by RobertBruce — November 30, 2003 @ 10:59 pm
Best. Post. Ever.
#2 | Comment by thess — December 1, 2003 @ 2:53 am
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Although, Michael Jackson hasn’t been found guilty of anything yet and I think we can all agree that Lucas has. But the parallel (in particular the last line) is right on!
#3 | Comment by Dave — December 1, 2003 @ 3:08 am
Interesting post, but I really shouldn’t comment since I’ve never seen any of the orginal Star Wars or any of the LOTR movies. I hate "Alicia" Woods. The only part I really like from the new SW is when Darth Mal and the two Jedi start throwing down. (see I don’t even know the Jedis’ names)
#4 | Comment by bligityblah — December 1, 2003 @ 3:42 am
Yes, why does all CG animation and all 3D rendered characters in video games (ok not in GTA series thankfully) feel the need to move around constantly?
All designers are constantly like ‘look how real my guy moves’ except most people’s arms don’t swing constantly while sitting and talking.
Or that Star Wars ‘aliens’ wouldn’t constantly buzz around around like Watto.
Yeah, Lucas does NOT know how to work with CG at all.
#5 | Comment by smash — December 1, 2003 @ 8:59 am
bligityblah? how can you have not seen neither of the LotR movies OR SW? *puh* … you must correct this mistreatment of yourself immediatly.
#6 | Comment by Matt — December 1, 2003 @ 1:44 pm
I HATE HATE HATE that E. Wood guy so I won’t watch LOTR because of him and I’m a DVD snob so I won’t/can’t watch any of the old SW movies. Plus I’m lazy.
#7 | Comment by bligityblah — December 1, 2003 @ 2:06 pm
So true. so very, very true. The new star wars movies have so far blown more than any other movie franchise has ever blown. I used to think the crappy horror movie sequels that kept gettinng worse were bad, but at least they knew they were bad. Start wars ep. 1 and 2 are bad movies trying to be good. Something like Halloween resurection knows it is campy and crap. Poor George Lucas though. I mean, he isn’t going to be remebered for his classics orginal 3 movies, but rather the ultra shit prequels that he made which ruined the collective memories of many star wars fans concerning the series. Luckily we have Peter Jackson making a new fantasy series that doesn’t have dialogue that sucks so very mightily. George Lucas shoudl get someone else to write the new movie for him, but that isn’t to be so, cause they are almost one shooting this next crapfest. So all we can do is wait to be dissapointed. i only hope that Sammy Jackson gets killed off in a way that shows respect to a guy with a pimpin’ purple lightsable…..but the movie will probally suck
#8 | Comment by KVL — December 1, 2003 @ 2:22 pm
correction: the movie will probally suck…. except if natalie portman gets nekkid… cause then it would be half decent.
#9 | Comment by KVL — December 1, 2003 @ 2:23 pm
I like the new Jabba/Han scene in ANH. The stepping on the tail was classic! Greedo shooting first though…c’mon now. We all knew Greedo was gonna take him down, they didn’t have to justifying it by having him take a shot. Who misses from 3 feet away? Honestly people.
Ah, LotR. I think the Orcs looked too false. Beats haveing too much CG though. Just looks silly. I read somewhere that there is only two scens in TPM in which CG is NOT used. C’mon.
I think Palpatine’s role is very well thought out, and it redeems the trilogy. OT was the best though, and no one can touch it. Ah, jsut wait for the Obi/Ani battle though, kids. Oh. Baby.
#10 | Comment by whoa — December 1, 2003 @ 3:28 pm
bligity-
I have the originals on DVD..
bootlegs…I can’t just believe I admitted owning bootleg stuff…anyway…Lucas released Dolby 5.1 Laserdisc versions in Japan…and they’ve been ripped *IN* 5.1 Dolby.
#11 | Comment by smash — December 1, 2003 @ 4:39 pm
I’m abig fan of the First 3 SW. As for the last 2. Ahhh. The first one was boring as all hell. I think I’m the only person in the world who laughed at Jar-Jar Binks. The second one was a little better, the saber duels was cool. I hated the kid who played Darth Vader. He seemed too pissed off about nothing. I will go see the 3rd flick just because I saw the other two when they opened. Will I be waiting in line 6 years in advance? Hell No!!!!! I will go online and buy my Tix. the day of and walk past all the nerds and kick dirt in there faces.
Where does everyone get these bootleg DVDs? I think I’m the only full paying full price for this crap.
#12 | Comment by Shifty Mcnutz — December 2, 2003 @ 1:42 am
I sort of agree with you, but have to say that Star Wars is completly done by Lucas, his creation, his ideas, his thoughts, whereas Rings is all J.R.R. Tolkien and this is just someones take on it. I don’t think Tolkien could have made the film as well. But none the less, LOTR does look better and is more interesting
#13 | Comment by Darren — December 2, 2003 @ 2:07 am
I think you are completely off………the dialogue in LOTR is a mess.
It’s just absolutely childish…..they continuously use phrases that are modern slang, WTF?
Steupss, what do I know.
#14 | Comment by Discommode00 — December 2, 2003 @ 2:13 am
Yes the computer generation in Star Wars is upsetting me also, but I still like them. Lucas is still trying to push the technological envelope like he did 20+ years ago, but now the audience is not as easily impressed as before.
Look forward to this, there is NO WAY Lucas can screw up Episode 3. I cannot wait for the 1st time Vader walks onto the screen and James Earl Jones booming voice says something completely kick ass. Not to mention we get to look at Portman for another movie.
Everyone has said Episode 1 and Episode 2 have stunk, and I do agree they were a bit of a dissapointment, but theres no way it could live up to expectations. Too bad Lucas didnt do all 6 20 years ago. But ya know what, Darth Maul kicked ass, The litesaber action scenes were incredible. Absolutely amazing. And Episode 2, the Jango Fett/Obi Wan fight scene, it was fantastic. That whole ocean city Kamino and the creatures there, I think the guys name was Lama Su, coolest things I have ever seen. Star Wars still rocks in my opinion.
As for Lord of the Rings, fenominal. I had never even heard of LOTR until the 1st movie came out. I didnt even see it in the theater because I am a Star Wars nut and didnt even give it a chance, but now I love it. The Extra 2 disks in the Special Extended Edition DVD sets are great to watch, amazing sets, almost everything was built, not computer generated. Even Rohan and the dead marshes, made, not computerized. It really shows the detail they put in the movies. Dont ask me how they made money cause it looks like they spent trillions.
But right now, who cares we have 2 fantastic movies to look forward to. I cant wait.
#15 | Comment by Zett — December 3, 2003 @ 9:38 am
Both LOTR and Star Wars are fucking sweet. Lord of the Rings is an awesome movie because CG is only used on things that cant be made real. Star Wars has the CG with the lightsaber fights, which either way are sweet, and the starfighters. The original Star Wars movies were cool because everything was real. A few things used computers and shit like that were used, but only when needed. The LOTR series went back to that style.
#16 | Comment by Zero — December 8, 2003 @ 6:18 am
This question is ridiculous. Of course Star Wars would win…. Lord of the Rings isnt real! duh! 😀
#17 | Comment by Andy — May 4, 2004 @ 12:16 pm