Will anyone stand up to George Lucas?

[Kai Lord]

Many people, inside and outside the film industry (myself included), believe that one of the primary reasons the SW prequels have been *ahem* "lacking" is due to the fact that no one has had the testicular fortitude to stand up to Lucas and tell him which of his ideas just plain suck, as Gary Kurtz, Lawrence Kasdan, Harrison Ford, etc. used to do with the original trilogy (particularly the first two films.)

When the prequel trilogy began every actor and crew member was so in awe of George and the saga that nobody questioned his ideas and techniques.

But now SW is just so...mediocre. The story has fallen so, so far below the special effects, and even those were overshadowed by The Matrix in 1999 and The Two Towers in 2002.

The Lord of the Rings has eclipsed even the original SW trilogy in quality and current mainstream appeal, yet Peter Jackson still allowed the input of his crew to impact his vision. The Two Towers EE DVD reveals that as much as he loved the character of Treebeard, he took to heart the opinion of his editor that including scenes of the ent talking the hobbits' ears off and putting them to sleep might do the same to the audience, so those scenes were trimmed from the theatrical release (which PJ has gone on record as saying are the true "director's cuts" of the films, not the EE's.)

The original Star Wars was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, just like all the LOTR films. And the second was even better. Star Wars used to be the outer space high fantasy of everyone's dreams; now its a saga of 10 year old brats, cringe inducing gungans, and Degrassi Junior High level romance set against PS2-style special effects. Entertaining, but moderately and forgettably so.

Will the cast and crew of Star Wars become disenchanted enough to challenge George and push him to make the last film better or will Episode III be more of the same? What do you think? Can SW be great again?

 

[Kesh]

No.

 

[Capellan]

Personally, I think you just insulted the writers of Degrassi Junior High

 

[WayneLigon]

I think that after Ep 3, Lucas might relinquish control since he'll have 'completed' what he set out to do. Then, maybe, we could see a third-party Star Wars film (something from the time of the Republic would be awesome). Otherwise, we'll have to wait until he chooses a 'sucessor' or dies, one.

 

[KenM]

Well, since Ep3 is now in post prodution, its a little too late for people to tell GL what sucks about the movie. IMO GL is a control freak, its his money, his company doing all the work, making all the cash, so i don't think he would care what people say.

 

[Alcareru]

Well, since Ep3 is now in post prodution, its a little too late for people to tell GL what sucks about the movie. IMO GL is a control freak, its his money, his company doing all the work, making all the cash, so i don't think he would care what people say.

Yep Its too late. GL said he wasnt going to follow his original idea of doing 3 trilogies becasue he wanted to spend time with his family, etc. Instead what he will do is tinker ad infinitum with the 6 movies he does do. I am sure that, for instance, a digital Yoda will be inserted into the classic trilogy, forever obliterating Frank Oz and Co. performance. That is what we have to look forward too I think.

 

[danzig138]

I figure ultimately, they are his movies, so he can do whatever the heck he wants with him, and I doubt at this point that anyone will tell him anything sucks. Personally, after accounting for the fact that I'm not 4 anymore, I loved the prequels. I have more issues with the reworkings of the originals than with the prequels.

 

[John Crichton]

I don't like Lucas' directing style, which is simply subjective. I have small issues with a few of the prequels which are similar to my minor gripes about Return of the Jedi. I also have yet to see the last part of this huge saga; one that is bigger than the current fave, Lord of the Rings - a movie that had the best writer in history to base a story off of. When Peter Jackson writes, directs and produces his own original 6-part movie trilogy then I will start to compare the two film series.

So, should anyone be telling Lucas anything? Sure! Some of his earlier punch and magic will be forever lost. Any good creator should consider the advice of others who are involved with a huge project. And yup, he takes all the credit and blame for everything Star Wars film related. But we have no idea what goes on behind closed doors. Yes, he is the man with the plan and a well-known egotist. Only the people involved know the amount of debate and lobbying that goes on in the creation of Star Wars.

Will the cast and crew of Star Wars become disenchanted enough to challenge George and push him to make the last film better or will Episode III be more of the same? What do you think? Can SW be great again?

It never stopped being great. The newer films have expanded on what came before. There are a few stylistic things that I would have changed but they are not my movies. I look forward to Episode 3 will high hopes. If it is as good as Episode II, I will be happy. However, I believe it will be even better.

 

[Dark Jezter]

John pretty much summed up what I was going to say. Frankly, if Episode III is as good as Episode I and Episode II, I'll be content.

 

[DarkSoldier]

After Ep3, I hope George will relinquish control so that the stories of the Old Republic can be filmed; I'd love to see a trilogy about the Great Hyperspace War or the Great Sith War.