http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd0j97RhZUQ

We should love the prequals because George Lucas made the original trilogy, and didn’t expect people to like it, and also because he thinks he’s god or something. Thanks.

Exactly my thoughts after reading this post, many of the iconic things from the original trilogy didn’t come from Lucas. It’s a shame that Lucas has absorbed so much of the credit though, few people seem to know about guys like McQuarrie, Kershner, and Kurtz.

I remember watching “From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga” as a kid and being fascinated with all of the different elements that went into making those films. I highly recommend it to any fan of Star Wars, especially if you want to see more of the people who made the original trilogy so great.

The main issue here, though, is simply the assessment that because the prequels ambitious and influential (Which they are, gotta give them that) it means they’re automatically good.

Influence can come from bad things, too, and in fact, often times, movies in Hollyowood are not influenced by quality previous work, but by succesful previous work.

The problem with the prequels is that they shift the focus of the story to the point that they miss the point of the original trilogy. What was once the story of a young, immature man becoming a wise man who’d help and heal another man who had sunk in the deepest darkness had become the story of the Dark Man’s fall and redemption. I wouldn’t mind this if it simply didn’t feel son incongruent with the previous work we’re talking about, but it does, and by a lot.

Not to mention that a lot of the performances were weak, the visuals were a bit too emphasized, the plots were lacking, the dialogue and characterization were bland and so on.

It’s OK to like the prequels, but pretending they’re worthy successors to the original trilogy is merely presposterous and an exercise on mere obliviousness to how films work.

And I suppose you’d have us believe that fans of The Godfather only dislike the third movie because they were older and crankier when it was released too? And not at all because of any objective assessment of the quality of the movie?

I was about 8 when I saw the original episodes for the first time and they are still my favorite ones. My brother was 8 when he saw the 3 prequels for the first time, and those are his favorites.

So in summary the problem are not the films, the problem are the absurd, closed-minded fans.

Star Wars is a modern monomyth. That’s a packed pair of words, so let me elaborate. Many of us have heard the name Joseph Campbell, and the reason is that he’s the guy who posited that there are common elements in all of mythology.”

Wow! I’ve never heard THAT before!

Oh, wait, right. EVERYONE THINKS THAT. BECAUSE LUCAS SAID SO.

The first trilogy is the complete monomyth. It goes through all the Campbellian stages (arguably, the first movie itself does, but certainly the first trilogy). If that’s what the movies are supposed to be, the prequels aren’t needed. Et voila.

The other thing Star Wars is, of course, is a rip-off of The Hidden Fortress. But it’s good, so who cares.

I’m not sure you know much about the history of Star Wars or about Joseph Campbell (though the latter you admit).

Take, for example, this comment: “In fact, he [Lucas] didn’t predict Star Wars would generate any.” Not according to Peter Biskind. In fact, in 1977, Lucas figured the real money would come from merchandising. So he made a great deal for the rights, and then made a whole lot of money.

You’re a fan, and that’s great. But if you’re going to write a few essays about it, know what you’re talking about.

There are some big ambitious ideas there but Lucas did too much himself, he really needed help. He’s not the director that these big ideas needed.

The dialogue was bad, the casting fell down in really important roles and the most important dramatic scene in the entire 6 movies is a guy yelling Noooooo!!!!