Star Wars Vent

[Genius Gone Insane]

I'm venting here after reading negative reviews on the release of The Phantom Menace. If you don't like it then don't read it and go fuck yourself.

People are stupid, no offense. I read the reviews and I facepalm. "Bad acting." "Jar-Jar is racist." "Bad dialogue." These criticisms are analogous to saying that the Superbowl wasn't a good game because the Patriots have ugly uniforms. Or "Opeth aren't good musicians because their music isn't catchy enough." (I don't even like Opeth BTW).

I can't believe that it's been 7 years since the Saga was complete and people still don't get it. People have had 13 years to watch this movie and still almost no one gets it. I have read a grand total of one article on the Internet that demonstrated that someone actually understood Star Wars. Fucking mind-boggling.

Star Wars is fucking brilliant. It's still 50 years ahead of its time. Your typical film is a two hour long candy and bubble gum Backstreet Boys pop love song; Star Wars is a six-movement symphony.

Sure, some of the performance is not virtuoso. The acting and the dialogue is somewhat sterile. There is no Daniel Day Lewis in Star Wars.

But all of that is secondary to what Star Wars is about. You don't need YoYo Ma on cello to hear a great symphony.

Star Wars is a dynamic symphony of events. It is like a Choose Your Own Adventure book. Each time you watch it, you inevitably watch a different story unfold. For instance, maybe the third time you see Revenge of the Sith, you might think about why R4-P17's head got ripped off, and what it might be foreshadowing. And then the fourth time you watch you think about why R4-P17's head was different in the first place, and maybe it is foreshadowing something different than you had originally thought. And then you think to another movie entirely, and then AHA! Now I get it!

But no: instead of being understood, recognized, or appreciated, The Phantom Menace -- and by association, the entire Star Wars Saga -- is "an exercise in disappointment," "oddly sterile," "pop-culture calamity, ... soulless, passionless," and so forth.

It bothers me more than it should. But I feel bad for most of us. Our grandchildren will get it, but most of us do not.

OK I'm done.

I'm going to see the 3D release tomorrow in the theater and I'm going to love it. Have fun watching GI Joe 2.

 

[PhilTheBeard]

Dude i can't agree with you more! I love star wars in and out and it is the most epic story in creation IMO. There is so much depth in the story that if you don't really pay attention you will never get.

 

[DanLights]

Probably the first thing I've seen you post that I can agree with 100%

 

[Old_Gregg]

I dont have a problem with the phantom menace, but having said that I do think the guy in this vid makes some good points



Couldnt bring myself to watch any of the other parts if I'm honest, but in this part he did make me rethink my overall view on the film though.

Would still watch it again anyways so meh

 

[Danny Drama]

Love Star Wars, still dislike the prequels. Not for what they are but for what they could have been.

There was an article not long ago that got it. Number 1 on this article http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-4-biggest-missed-opportunities-in-fiction_p2/

 

[Tommy Evans]

Proud member of the 501st right here!

 

[roy22341]

The movies were sad pathetic attempts to cram as much merchandising opportunities and pointless computer effects into two hours as physically possible. In that regard, they were a huge success. I'll take the original trilogy, which has interesting characters, a coherent plot and some actual tension.

 

[TheDriller]

I gotta say I agree with both the Cracked article and the video linked above, the Star Wars prequels are terrible, and The Phantom Menace especially has no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

It's as if Lucas took all the good principles of film making, how to tell a good story, how to write strong interesting characters, how to get the audience roped into a believable fantasy world...
He took all these things and fucked them out the window then sat down and scribbled out a script in about 15 minutes.

 

[infest]

The movies were sad pathetic attempts to cram as much merchandising opportunities and pointless computer effects into two hours as physically possible. In that regard, they were a huge success. I'll take the original trilogy, which has interesting characters, a coherent plot and some actual tension.

This. The prequels have nothing on the original trilogy. They are immensely shallow and lack any substance that made original Star Wars special. With that said, I don't HATE them. They had some cool moments, impressive action and nice visuals( that made the movies artificial as hell too ). But I just can't shake the feeling that Lucas was so detached from reality that he completely forgot what was it all about. 50 years ahead of it's time my ass. If that's where we're heading then we're in for one fucked up ride.

 

[CAlexanderParra]

Yeah, let's face the facts.

This

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRFUoqA_vm0&feature=related[/ame]

will never be as good as this.

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

It's as if Lucas took all the good principles of film making, how to tell a good story, how to write strong interesting characters, how to get the audience roped into a believable fantasy world...
He took all these things and fucked them out the window then sat down and scribbled out a script in about 15 minutes.

^This is 100% inaccurate. This is absolutely exactly the ignorance I'm referring to. In no way was the script written in 15 minutes. Quite the contrary.

Think about the title: The Phantom Menace. Just sit back and think about it for 5 minutes. You won't do it because you are lazy and you don't like getting your hands dirty. But if you ever want to enjoy this movie for what it is, you should take a step back and think about the title and why the hell George Lucas gave it that absurd name.

Anyway, obviously you are entitled to your opinion, and you are certainly not in the minority on that, so I am not trying to sling shit on you. It's just really frustrating when I see so many people missing the boat on this. People just hate change i suppose.

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

Yeah, let's face the facts.

This

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRFUoqA_vm0&feature=related

will never be as good as this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRY5dl_oxvo

^again, it's sad to me because once you really understand Star Wars, statements like this lose their meaning. This quote above means nothing. It's totally irrelevant. Again, it's like saying "The 2012 Superbowl was not good because it was the 2012 Patriots playing and not the 2008 Patriots." It just makes no sense at all.

 

[drew_drummer]

Star Wars is fucking gehy.

 

[Line666]

Star Wars is fucking gehy.

Ghey ghey ghey, in a galaxy far far away...

Thank fuck.

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

Actually I'm glad you say that. If you think it's ghey, that's at least a valid opinion, and you just don't like it and I am good with that. But when you say "it's got a bad script, bad acting etc" you just sound ridiculous.

 

[roy22341]

Maybe you're right and I missed something huge. I really wanted to like these movies, and I've really tried to sit down and think about how they advance the stories in parts 4, 5 and 6. And honestly, I can't think of anything that happened in the new trilogy that was even remotely connected to anything in the original other than "Oh look - Vader got evil and C-3PO is still goofy!

 

[JeffTD]

Ghey ghey ghey, in a galaxy far far away...

Thank fuck.

Yup. Can't stand the whole franchise. Freddy Mercury was spot-on.

 

[Pedro Teixeira]

I've never seen someone so passionate about a movie , I like your spirit. But I hate Star Wars, watched like 4 of them I think, hated them all, never really connected with the story or even the whole theme of it

 

[Melb_shredder]

See I'm not a massive stat wars fan. I was too young for the original trilogy. So I saw the 'prequalogy' and liked it. Then I saw the originals and went OH WAAH?? how do the prequels exist when the original outcomes and stories ended up portraying such a different feel.

So I'm on the, 'the prequels pretty much sucked' camp BECAUSE I enjoyed them first and then that changed after seeing the original 3...

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

I've never seen someone so passionate about a movie , I like your spirit. But I hate Star Wars, watched like 4 of them I think, hated them all, never really connected with the story or even the whole theme of it

Yes indeed, self proclaimed-Genius Gone Insane. Bare with me and my insanity.

Interesting to hear other people's opinions. Again, if you saw Star Wars and you simply don't like watching cheesey talking trash cans and grown men dressed up in shiny looking gay golden outfits, I am totally cool with that. Nothing worse then seeing that guy at the shopping mall wearing a Chewbacca tee shirt.

I am just totally bummed that the folks my age who loved the original 3 now tend to hate the prequels. It is unfortunate because people like that are really missing out on something amazing.

One more thing I need to add: the ruthless merchandising is the icing on the cake. George Lucas has admitted as much. That's really what makes the whole thing a masterpiece. 35 years ago, Lucas stood up and fought against the film industry. He did everything he could to break off from the industry's bureaucratic ways, which were limiting the artistic abilities of young filmmakers. So he broke off, and now with all the financial success he's become his own version of what he had originally fought against. He basically made the same choices as Anakin, and they both got burnt. The people that once loved him now hate him. That's why this thing is truly a masterpiece.