Star War Prequels- The Prequel to Talking About Prequels Post
I've said before that a great painting tells you something about both the subject and the artist that you wouldn't have otherwise seen. Similarly, a great performance of a song brings out something in the song and in the singer that is completely individual and cannot be replicated by anyone else. Well, there's something I left out. Here it is- a great painting not only reveals insight into both subject and painter but it also provokes a response on the part of the person viewing it. A great performance of a song or a symphony or a play, not only brings out nuances in the performers and the material but it brings the audience into the equation as well.
But here's the thing, we don't get to choose how the audience will participate in the art that we put out there. We cannot dictate their feelings. We don't get to choose whether they cast us as the villain or the hero in their imagination or if they imagine being us or being connected to us or even replacing us entirely, so that they can recreate our story in their own image. This is what it is to be a creator... but if you burn to express and create, this is exactly what you hope to achieve.
Recently, I watched the Star Wars Prequels on cable. I figured that I might as well, since I've been meaning to revisit them for some time and there they were in front of me. With commercials, the films all clocked in at three and a half hours, but since I lack the patience to sit in front of the television for two or more solid hours, the commercial breaks were actually helpful. Every commercial is a chance to throw in another load of laundry, or grab another project to work on.
I loved Star Wars. I wouldn't even be watching the stupid prequels if I hadn't seen and loved Star Wars. I'm not alone in that. Lots of people love Star Wars, but I want you to remember my first point. My Star Wars is colored by the way I, as an audience member, interpret and interact with it. My Star Wars and your Star Wars are probably different and that's a good thing.
If we're going to talk about why I don't like the Star Wars Prequels (and why I don't like the majority of recent entertainment franchises) then I think it might be useful to start with why I loved Star Wars. As far as I see it, Star Wars is about a kid from nowhere who manages to pretty much save the world because he wants to do the right thing, dreams of having an impact in the world and is willing to risk his own life and safety in order to do the right thing and make a difference. Luke is a fundamentally admirable person, the kind of person we should want to be. His success is something we can all aspire to.
And if Luke hadn't been a good person, he'd be dead. He removes the restraining bolt from R2D2 because he wants to hear Princess Leia's plea for help, clearly meaning to do something about it if can. That sets off the plot. If not for that action, Luke would have stayed home, and the Stormtroopers would have found him and killed him along with his Aunt and Uncle before taking R2 and the plans. The end. As far as we know, a Jedi Knight isn't some weird monk with no feelings, he's a warrior who uses a spiritual force that binds everyone together and that everyone can theoretically tap into. The philosophy seems to be about not being caught up in hate and negativity, even when you think you have cause for it, as opposed not caring about anyone and sitting on your ass in the temple.
As a bonus, I love the world building in Star Wars. It looks like the kind of broken down world where people actually live. Stuff is scuffed and smudged. Even better yet, it doesn't have any hint of being anyone's creepy sex fantasy. Everyone wears clothes. There's no sex beyond a pretty tame kiss for luck, but it's still romantic. The princess even has stuff to do beyond getting rescued and acts like an adult, rather than a giggling teen. Princess Leia comes across as a woman who has already seen some heavy shit go down and, like Luke, she is putting herself at risk in order to do something about it.
If you can't tell, I hate that we seem to be in age of glorifying the lazy and worthless. I see too many movies and read too many books where the message is "Oh just sit on your lazy worthless ass until it turns out that you're the chosen one. Fuck those people who try and scheme and work for stuff, they're all jerks. The right thing to do is nothing. Good people are people who don't try, they just get stuff handed to them just because they deserve it for existing and agreeing with me." My Little Purple Peeps, every blond cheerleader I ever met has spent years busting her ass in gymnastics and dance, and some of them had to spend their allowance on hair bleach. People who accomplish great things do so because they are making an effort, taking risks and working hard. I support your right to sit on your ass and do nothing, but don't expect a goddamned medal for it. Good luck with magic fixing everything for you. Hope it works out.
My biggest problem with the prequel films is that they try to connect themselves to Star Wars on a superficial level, but they completely lose sight of themes and greater concepts. It looks like Star Wars, but it isn't Star Wars. I think we'd all much rather have had movies that didn't look like Star Wars, but felt more like Star Wars. Still, I do understand why some things turned out the way they did. I can imagine Lucas being concerned about presenting movies that didn't have close enough ties to the original films and fans complaining that the new characters weren't as cool as the ones they loved.
The thing is, Lucas did have characters that we knew and loved and who would appear in the prequels. We had Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Obi Wan Kenobi, Yoda and Palpatine. That's actually more than enough characters to provide a connection. We even had one character in that group who is a good guy and will remain a good guy and who will be handing off the good guy torch to a new bunch of good guys in Star Wars. I can understand that Lucas really wanted to write the story of Anakin's fall from grace, but damn is that a hard one to pull off. How are you going to get an audience to relate to a protagonist who is a bad guy? We know he's a bad guy. We know he's going to do horrible things. We've seen him do them. Even a great writer would be hard pressed to make us relate to that guy, but it's so far beyond Lucas and this genre that we're pretty much screwed before we start.
The prequel films are saddled with a story that no one can relate to, not unless you're a homicidal murderer. Still, we might still have entertaining movies with cool action scenes and we know we like Obi Wan and Yoda, so let's see how this all plays out, shall we?
But here's the thing, we don't get to choose how the audience will participate in the art that we put out there. We cannot dictate their feelings. We don't get to choose whether they cast us as the villain or the hero in their imagination or if they imagine being us or being connected to us or even replacing us entirely, so that they can recreate our story in their own image. This is what it is to be a creator... but if you burn to express and create, this is exactly what you hope to achieve.
Recently, I watched the Star Wars Prequels on cable. I figured that I might as well, since I've been meaning to revisit them for some time and there they were in front of me. With commercials, the films all clocked in at three and a half hours, but since I lack the patience to sit in front of the television for two or more solid hours, the commercial breaks were actually helpful. Every commercial is a chance to throw in another load of laundry, or grab another project to work on.
I loved Star Wars. I wouldn't even be watching the stupid prequels if I hadn't seen and loved Star Wars. I'm not alone in that. Lots of people love Star Wars, but I want you to remember my first point. My Star Wars is colored by the way I, as an audience member, interpret and interact with it. My Star Wars and your Star Wars are probably different and that's a good thing.
If we're going to talk about why I don't like the Star Wars Prequels (and why I don't like the majority of recent entertainment franchises) then I think it might be useful to start with why I loved Star Wars. As far as I see it, Star Wars is about a kid from nowhere who manages to pretty much save the world because he wants to do the right thing, dreams of having an impact in the world and is willing to risk his own life and safety in order to do the right thing and make a difference. Luke is a fundamentally admirable person, the kind of person we should want to be. His success is something we can all aspire to.
And if Luke hadn't been a good person, he'd be dead. He removes the restraining bolt from R2D2 because he wants to hear Princess Leia's plea for help, clearly meaning to do something about it if can. That sets off the plot. If not for that action, Luke would have stayed home, and the Stormtroopers would have found him and killed him along with his Aunt and Uncle before taking R2 and the plans. The end. As far as we know, a Jedi Knight isn't some weird monk with no feelings, he's a warrior who uses a spiritual force that binds everyone together and that everyone can theoretically tap into. The philosophy seems to be about not being caught up in hate and negativity, even when you think you have cause for it, as opposed not caring about anyone and sitting on your ass in the temple.
As a bonus, I love the world building in Star Wars. It looks like the kind of broken down world where people actually live. Stuff is scuffed and smudged. Even better yet, it doesn't have any hint of being anyone's creepy sex fantasy. Everyone wears clothes. There's no sex beyond a pretty tame kiss for luck, but it's still romantic. The princess even has stuff to do beyond getting rescued and acts like an adult, rather than a giggling teen. Princess Leia comes across as a woman who has already seen some heavy shit go down and, like Luke, she is putting herself at risk in order to do something about it.
If you can't tell, I hate that we seem to be in age of glorifying the lazy and worthless. I see too many movies and read too many books where the message is "Oh just sit on your lazy worthless ass until it turns out that you're the chosen one. Fuck those people who try and scheme and work for stuff, they're all jerks. The right thing to do is nothing. Good people are people who don't try, they just get stuff handed to them just because they deserve it for existing and agreeing with me." My Little Purple Peeps, every blond cheerleader I ever met has spent years busting her ass in gymnastics and dance, and some of them had to spend their allowance on hair bleach. People who accomplish great things do so because they are making an effort, taking risks and working hard. I support your right to sit on your ass and do nothing, but don't expect a goddamned medal for it. Good luck with magic fixing everything for you. Hope it works out.
My biggest problem with the prequel films is that they try to connect themselves to Star Wars on a superficial level, but they completely lose sight of themes and greater concepts. It looks like Star Wars, but it isn't Star Wars. I think we'd all much rather have had movies that didn't look like Star Wars, but felt more like Star Wars. Still, I do understand why some things turned out the way they did. I can imagine Lucas being concerned about presenting movies that didn't have close enough ties to the original films and fans complaining that the new characters weren't as cool as the ones they loved.
The thing is, Lucas did have characters that we knew and loved and who would appear in the prequels. We had Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Obi Wan Kenobi, Yoda and Palpatine. That's actually more than enough characters to provide a connection. We even had one character in that group who is a good guy and will remain a good guy and who will be handing off the good guy torch to a new bunch of good guys in Star Wars. I can understand that Lucas really wanted to write the story of Anakin's fall from grace, but damn is that a hard one to pull off. How are you going to get an audience to relate to a protagonist who is a bad guy? We know he's a bad guy. We know he's going to do horrible things. We've seen him do them. Even a great writer would be hard pressed to make us relate to that guy, but it's so far beyond Lucas and this genre that we're pretty much screwed before we start.
The prequel films are saddled with a story that no one can relate to, not unless you're a homicidal murderer. Still, we might still have entertaining movies with cool action scenes and we know we like Obi Wan and Yoda, so let's see how this all plays out, shall we?