Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[The Doof]

Originally Posted by HylianBowcaster

Damn it, he wouldn't be trying to defend the PT at every turn if you guys weren't constantly shitting on it. Neither side is EVER going to convince the other one to change their mind so why are you still trying? Somebody's got to be the bigger person and just let it go already.

Um, because it's fun?

[happydood]

Originally Posted by The Doof

I actually get what Lucas was going for. That you don't have to be a jedi to have an innate attachment to the force. That even blunders can be the universe speaking through you and that no one or nothing should ever be discounted because of this. Could have been an interesting character and theme to explore in a SW trilogy. I get it. I just hate how he executed it - or failed to execute it.

Well said. 'You see, Lord Vader? (S)he can be reasonable."

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Originally Posted by The Doof

Look, as long as Georgie's kids like the prequels, I'm happy. Those movies were paid for and in the black before he even shot a frame, so if he decided to make expensive birthday videos for his children more power to him. He shouldn't feel responsible for demolishing the nostalgic temple built by millions of people who grew up with the SW OT. But if he ever truly cared about the universe he "created" then MY GOD MAN ARE YOU INSANE?!!! LOOK WHAT YOU DID!!!!!

[svenge]

Originally Posted by Shaft Windu

That's a common reaction. Many people find shelter in ridicule when they are not capable of comprehending...

With all the resources I have at my disposal (an actual university degree, a journeyman's understanding of Laser Tag Theory, a pair of season tickets to the Sir Topham Hatt symposium at the local community theatre, a worn-out tape of Quantum Leap, and a modicum of common sense) what I'm comprehending is that you're full of it when you say that you can make a coherent whole out of the PT and its corrupting influence that's spread even to the OT (i.e. Han no longer shooting first, Hayden's ghost) and that there's meaning and depth to caricatures (note that I didn't mis-type "characters") like Jar-Jar Binks.

[happydood]

Originally Posted by hipster.doofus7

I will never understand why some people spend sooooooo much time in a thread about movies they hate, created by a filmmaker they despise. It doesn't even matter if they loved the UOT. I can definitely understand why some people love or hate these films. What I don't understand is the state of mind of certain people in this thread.

Just the very idea that people would completely immerse themselves with something that is obviously very negative to them.... completely baffles me. Some of them go as far as using the objects of their disdain as their avatars. I don't get that either. Normal people usually use something positive on their avatar. But for people to put something they despise on their avatar, just to show everyone how much hate they have simmering in them.... jesus christ. Does their hatred of George Lucas completely overshadow any love they may have for any other films? I hope I never get to a point in my life where I understand that kind of behavior.

REALLY well said.

[BouCoupDinkyDau]

Originally Posted by Shaft Windu

Nobody said you couldn't be critical! I'm critical too... Fire away! Find faults all day long and when you finally find that you really hate these movies just walk away. There are so many franchises out there: "Pirates Of The Carribean", "Underworld", "Twilight" - really "badass" and dark and vicious. You might like that. But you said you knew better what fits into the Star Wars universe than Lucas! I just dare to doubt that assumption!

Man, our tastes in film (yours and mine) appear to be almost 100% polar.
I only mildly enjoyed the first Underworld, and that's about it.

As for franchises, I'd take:
Alien
Indiana Jones
Star Trek (TOS and TNG)
Lord of the Rings

Star Wars used to be on that list (used to be at the very top in fact). Back to the Future and The Matrix could have held spots as well if their sequels hadn't turned out so sub-par. Same with the damage done by Spidey 3 and the upcoming god-awful looking reboot. Same with Blade. X-men gets honorable mention for parts one and two, and for First Class.

[dookiex]

Originally Posted by The Doof

Look, as long as Georgie's kids like the prequels, I'm happy. Those movies were paid for and in the black before he even shot a frame, so if he decided to make expensive birthday videos for his children more power to him. He shouldn't feel responsible for demolishing the nostalgic temple built by millions of people who grew up with the SW OT. But if he ever truly cared about the universe he "created" then MY GOD MAN ARE YOU INSANE?!!! LOOK WHAT YOU DID!!!!!

But think about it, what he's destroying is the FANS version/interpretation of the universe. As far as Lucas is concerned, the universe is what he makes it into and he has all the rights in the world to do so. It's not as if made the original trilogy and went "Fans, Star Wars now belongs to you, it is all yours now." He brought out Star Wars with the perfectly clear message of "Hey folks, I made this thing, I'm really happy with it right now, I hope you like it too." For all we know, maybe it was entirely an accident that the original Star Wars turned out the way it did. Maybe Lucas had different ideas on how to to about filming it and with the narrative but just didn't get a chance to do it. For all we know, the true George Lucas Star Wars could actually be a complete dud that would never have had fans and his actual released original "dud" turned out to be what the fans loved.

Basically, I think it's quite unfair to make a comment such as "if he ever truly cared about the universe he "created" then MY GOD MAN ARE YOU INSANE?!!! LOOK WHAT YOU DID!!!!!" He clearly loves his Star Wars universe except he sees the Star Wars universe differently from how the fans sees it.

[dookiex]

Originally Posted by BouCoupDinkyDau

Man, our tastes in film (yours and mine) appear to be almost 100% polar.
I only mildly enjoyed the first Underworld, and that's about it.

As for franchises, I'd take:
Alien
Indiana Jones
Star Trek (TOS and TNG)
Lord of the Rings

Star Wars used to be on that list (used to be at the very top in fact). Back to the Future and The Matrix could have held spots as well if their sequels hadn't turned out so sub-par. Same with the damage done by Spidey 3 and the upcoming god-awful looking reboot. Same with Blade. X-men gets honorable mention for parts one and two, and for First Class.

Out of that list, lets face it, you don't really like the Alien franchise, you just like Cameron's Aliens :P

The list is also lacking, you're missing out on such greats as:

Godfather
Batman
Die Hard
Bourne
Lethal Weapon
Planet of the Apes
Superman
Terminator
Rocky
007
Halloween
Friday the 13th
Nightmare on Elm Street
Scream
Austin Powers
and amongst other things, Harry Potter is undeniably probably the best franchise in history apart from 007 (and the films are not bad, not bad at all)

Should check them out

[Jay444]

Originally Posted by dookiex

and amongst other things, Harry Potter is undeniably probably the best franchise in history apart from 007 (and the films are not bad, not bad at all)

Should check them out

The Harry Potter films are exceptional, you are 100% correct, and I agree it just may be the best franchise in history. I know, they don't follow the books exactly, but these are movies, so they have constraints. But what a fantastic series and the talent involved was unreal. Seriously, casting those four kids (Harry, Ron, Herimone and Draco) and having them grow up and be as good as they were is something truly amazing.

[BouCoupDinkyDau]

Originally Posted by dookiex

Out of that list, lets face it, you don't really like the Alien franchise, you just like Cameron's Aliens :P

It's the film for which all other films are based.

The list is also lacking, you're missing out on such greats as:
Godfather
Bourne
Lethal Weapon
Planet of the Apes
Rocky
007
Austin Powers

All good, but I'm not particularly endeared to any of them.

Batman
Terminator
Halloween
Friday the 13th
Nightmare on Elm Street
Superman

Don't love the whole franchise on these. In almost all of these cases, I only like them for the first two movies (although I like Halloween III as a stand alone film, and I like Nightmare 3).

Die Hard
Scream

Only like the first movie on these two, so again, I can't really say I enjoy them as a franchise.

Originally Posted by Jay444

The Harry Potter films are exceptional,

Dang it! Forgot about Potter as well. Add that to my list too.

[Shaft Windu]

Originally Posted by BouCoupDinkyDau

Man, our tastes in film (yours and mine) appear to be almost 100% polar.
I only mildly enjoyed the first Underworld, and that's about it.

As for franchises, I'd take:
Alien
Indiana Jones
Star Trek (TOS and TNG)
Lord of the Rings

Star Wars used to be on that list (used to be at the very top in fact). Back to the Future and The Matrix could have held spots as well if their sequels hadn't turned out so sub-par. Same with the damage done by Spidey 3 and the upcoming god-awful looking reboot. Same with Blade. X-men gets honorable mention for parts one and two, and for First Class.

Just for the record: I don't like Pirates, Underworld or Twilight. It was merely a suggestion for someone of whom i guessed that he likes movies I dislike and vice versa...

Matrix was a great Trilogy - especially Reloaded.
LotR was a missed opportunity IMO (the books are far better).
I liked Terminator Salvation, X-Men Last Stand and First Class.
My favorite franchise apart from Star Wars would be Planet Of the Apes.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Originally Posted by svenge

With all the resources I have at my disposal (an actual university degree, a journeyman's understanding of Laser Tag Theory, a pair of season tickets to the Sir Topham Hatt symposium at the local community theatre, a worn-out tape of Quantum Leap, and a modicum of common sense) what I'm comprehending is that you're full of it when you say that you can make a coherent whole out of the PT and its corrupting influence that's spread even to the OT (i.e. Han no longer shooting first, Hayden's ghost) and that there's meaning and depth to caricatures (note that I didn't mis-type "characters") like Jar-Jar Binks.

Post of the year!

[dookiex]

Originally Posted by Jay444

The Harry Potter films are exceptional, you are 100% correct, and I agree it just may be the best franchise in history. I know, they don't follow the books exactly, but these are movies, so they have constraints. But what a fantastic series and the talent involved was unreal. Seriously, casting those four kids (Harry, Ron, Herimone and Draco) and having them grow up and be as good as they were is something truly amazing.

It's probably the ONLY series of films where we literally see the characters grow up. Very brave move to stick with essentially the same cast for 10 years (minus the original Dumbledore of course). Probably the best franchise in existence in all sense of the word (books, films, merchandising, food products, theme parks, etc.).

[Weirded Wonder]

[octagon]

Lord of the Rings was a missed opportunity but Jar Jar is a complex amalgam of mythology, mysticism and Buster Keaton.

Okay.

[Jay444]

Originally Posted by Beard Esquire

F#$#! I did read that in his voice. Well played, sir. Well played.

[happydood]

Originally Posted by Jay444

The Harry Potter films are exceptional, you are 100% correct, and I agree it just may be the best franchise in history. I know, they don't follow the books exactly, but these are movies, so they have constraints. But what a fantastic series and the talent involved was unreal. Seriously, casting those four kids (Harry, Ron, Herimone and Draco) and having them grow up and be as good as they were is something truly amazing.

I agree with you. I love the films and I love the books more. I do, however, think it's arguable that the first couple of films where the acting is more stilted and the direction a little less fluid now get a pass due to the improvements in films 3 and up. Not to mention things in them aimed squarely at 7 year olds. But I'm a fan, warts and all.

I'm going to use a word that's become anathema around here, but in terms of 'mythological' stories, that is, popular, stylized, representational stories designed to teach people the basics of humanity and right vs. wrong, Harry Potter and Star Wars are probably at the top of the list in terms of their impact. And I'll add Lord of the Rings. But I think it's interesting that Harry Potter and Star Wars (as Lucas now defines it) set out to do similar things- bring kids in with a general lightness of tone and then gradually become darker and darker. You can argue that one does it better than the other, but there were plenty of people who were down on those first two Harry Potter movies.

[BouCoupDinkyDau]

Originally Posted by Shaft Windu

Matrix was a great Trilogy - especially Reloaded. ?
LotR was a missed opportunity IMO (the books are far better). ??
I liked Terminator Salvation?, X-Men Last Stand???! and First Class.
My favorite franchise apart from Star Wars would be Planet Of the Apes.?

Again, almost 100% polar.

[The Doof]

Originally Posted by happydood

REALLY well said. I hate to judge according to stereotypes, but does anybody remember the Star Trek sketch on SNL when The Shat hosted?

You know what it is? What it REALLY is? It's simple heart-break. Put on your melodrama glasses and your hyperbole ear muffs but it is absolutely true that most of our hearts were shattered apart the moment Jar Jar said "Ex-queeze me." Most of us were holding onto that one part of our childhood because it was truly, absolutely perfect. I will admit to probably thinking about SW every single day of my life in some form or another. I'm not an uber-geek. I don't go to conventions or collect all the crap. But those films were THAT impactful.

They are just movies, but then again......they aren't. God, now I sound like Harry Knowles. Whatever. Onward! A simple movie doesn't inspire an entire generation of kids. So what you are seeing here is denial and bitter heartbreak on a CULTURAL scale. When these things get re-released and treated with disrespect by the guy who made them (the 2004 DVD xfers) it PISSES US OFF. So we come out here and *****. Because the emperor either never had clothes on or decided to trade them in for a Barney suit. The original sw films were a once in a a generation type of experience. But we couldn't know that as kids. We believed Lucas could pull it off again. He made it look so simple before. And it was just SO, SO different from what he had set us up for.

I'm glad at least some people liked them. But running around saying "I love Jar Jar! He's better than Han Solo anyday!" is just a lightning rod for us bitter denial-ists. Hey, speak your mind of course, just be prepared for the backlash.

There are real tragedies out there and many truly terrible things to legitimately worry about - but that doesn't make being punched in the heart any easier. And that's what it was.

I hate to admit that a series of children's films could have the kind of lasting effect on me that SW did, but whatever.

[svenge]

Originally Posted by Jay444

The Harry Potter films are exceptional, you are 100% correct, and I agree it just may be the best franchise in history. I know, they don't follow the books exactly, but these are movies, so they have constraints. But what a fantastic series and the talent involved was unreal. Seriously, casting those four kids (Harry, Ron, Herimone and Draco) and having them grow up and be as good as they were is something truly amazing.

I've always been truly neutral on the entire Harry Potter franchise (never read the books or seen the movies, but do know the basic concept) and my thoughts are that Heyday Films and Warner got exceedingly lucky in terms of things that they wouldn't be able to control.

They didn't have to replace any of the primary 3 actors (impressive considering it was over 10+ years and the odds that child actors inherently have) and got enough business to be able to quickly (as such things go) cover the entire book series with 8 films.

Originally I thought it was going to perform much like the Narnia series did (which were apparantly good films, but not enough of a money maker to justify making all the books into movies) and last no more than 3-4 films.