[OT, Starwars] He has seen the light... maybe...

[Mark]

The poor man brought us arguably THE best sci-fi/adventure mythos ever...

Nope. Can't agree with that at all. What he did, IMO, was take an otherwise obscure genre, previously confined to B-movies, the small screen and pulp fiction books and mainstream it for an extremely wide audience appeal. He then capitolized on that effect through tie in products (with the foresight of genius and despite conventional marketeer's nay-saying). Unfortunately, he followed it up with one good sequel (arguably better than the first movie), a second mediocre sequel (already showing his storytelling wasn't maturing with his audience) and poorly received prequel (that was trying to recapture the experience of the first movie).

...and here his trying to do it again-...

What he failed to realize is that his audience, by the time of the prequel, was much more technologically savvy and flooded with other (movie and television) products in that genre. His emulators also had the advantage of an ever-growing technological support system which he, himself, helped develop (or, more properly, was developed in support of him and needed more to do when he was done with them). He seemed to have forgotten that it was the story that drew us all in, and the special effects that sold the products. He dressed up his first story, a good one, and reaped the harvest. He dressed up his sequel, a weak story, and didn't achieve a "second coming".

...his every move is being second-guessed by legions of cruel, snide "fans" who never really were in danger of actually LIKING the new movies at all.

His audience, now a generation older, was also jaded by the kind of mob mentality that the internet fosters. When something is good, it is treated to raves, when bad, to rants. The internet is prone to highlight the extremes of opinion. The actual breadth of middle-ground thinking is never accurately represented online. The larger the weight on either side of the extreme, is usually (for right or for wrong) the mob that wins the virtual shouting match.

I poke fun at Uncle George now and then, but really, I'd love to shake that man's hand with a tear in my eye.

Personally, I'm from the middle-ground of thinking. Like Henry, I'll wait and see (probably enjoying the next movie). I've enjoyed all of them thus far, to varying degrees. I can't really be "monumentally" disappointed because I've never let my expectations get all that high.

Just my opinion, of course.

 

[LostSoul]

I'm upset about Episode I for two reasons:

1. It wasn't very good. At least The Matrix came out that year.

2. All the "Star Wars geeks" came out of the closet and into the pop culture light. Suddenly, liking Star Wars put you in with the same group of people who liked Star Trek and played D&D.

I hope Episode II will be good. Who can say. If it's bad, I'm sure there will be another good movie around the corner.

(Watching The Empire Strikes Back at the moment (what a cheesy name) and they've just hit Cloud City. My favourite 20 minutes or so of movie footage. Almost as good as the end of Casablanca.)

 

[Valavien]

I don't know if anyone noticed but the dialogue and acting was just the same in Ep's IV, V and VI as they are in EP 1

I also really like Alien 3 and Alien Ressurection. Alien 3 was a really nasty dark movie and only needed one Alien to do the job just like in the first. It's music was great also. One minute Ripley is having a deep and meaningful with the doctor then two seconds later he's next on the menu - really nasty! I love the intercutting at the start also - The music and scenes that are depicted are truly excellently done

 

[LostSoul]

Alien 4 was a really fun movie, kinda like The Mummy.

 

[LostSoul]

Awesome... they just froze Solo.

I love that scene. It's perfect.

 

[Savage Wombat]

I hope the dialogue in SWII improves. Not the acting ability, the lines themselves.

I can think of dozens of clever, humorous, or dramatic lines from the original trilogy. Lines that immediately draw back the emotions associated with that scene.

I can't think of any, really, from tPM. That, to me, shows the true weakness of the prequel.

Here's hoping AotC has something more to offer.

 

[Wolfen Priest]

wait wait wait

Alien came out in 1979, and I see very little about either the 70's or the 80's that made it what it was. Aliens, although it centered on Colonial Marines with big guns, transcended the 80's action film; it wasn't a movie about a superhero with a machine-gun and thermonuclear hand-grenades.

I really must point out here that you are flat-out wrong. Ripley was a 'super' hero[ine].... she sure did use a machinegun.... and I believe that even a thermonuclear device was used at some point or another (maybe not, but it wouldn't have been out of place).

And if you think more modern sci-fi movies like The Matrix and The Fifth Element stack up to the more classic titles of the 80's, then you and I should just agree to disagree.

 

[Jack Daniel]

Wulf Ratbane


Go Episode II, woo-hoo!

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Heh... Getting there.

All I need is a gut and a comic shop.

I can but dream...

 

[BOZ]

How in the world can you think it's a good sign that Lucas has revised his "marketing approach?"

Designing his movie around a marketing plan is what got us in this mess in the first place.

Designing a movie-- what used to be a work of art-- around market forces, like trying to see which way the rabbit jumps, is a profoundly stupid approach.

Here's an idea, George: Make a good film. Remember how that works?

Obviously not.


Wulf

man, you don't know much about hollywood. about 90% of it is marketing (possible exaggeration, and commerically successful films (i.e., star wars) take the cake.