Comments | beccatoria: I Love Star Wars.

beccatoria

I Love Star Wars.

Apr 04, 2010 23:24

I hate the prequels.

Actually, that's not entirely true, but I mostly hate them, and I've never really written out why, at least not here. I'm not the only kid who hated the prequels. Hell, I wasn't exactly a kid when I first saw the movies, impoverished as my childhood was by parents who never thought to show them to me until the cinematic ( Read more... )

geoge lucas can't have it, i hate the prequels, myths are public property, star wars

Comments 50

mymatedave April 4 2010, 23:01:14 UTC

Yes, so many times yes. Have you seen the youtube series which "reviews" episodes 1 and 2?

Very funny, slightly sick, and the guy does also does reviews of other scifi movies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfBhi6qqFLA

beccatoria April 4 2010, 23:04:13 UTC

Oh, yeah, I know and love this dude, and was considering linking to his stuff in my post but decided against it cus it was long enough anyway. I've been meaning to make this post for a few weeks but it was the release of his Ep II review that kind of kickstarted me into it.

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beccatoria April 4 2010, 23:18:52 UTC

Yeah, and I get that perspective, because it's the only one that makes any sense, but it's also kind of...my huge problem with it?

It really hit me when I rewatched the original trilogy and heard the flat-out awe in Yoda's voice, "Mmmm, powerful Jedi was he, powerful Jedi." When I heard Obi Wan's sorrow at failing him.

I...didn't want the prequels to be about Anakin Skywalker, psychopath. That, in itself, undercuts a lot of the majesty and wonder and terror and redemption of the character in the original trilogy?

It's a consistent, plausible reading of what the prequels gave us, but also a fundamentally disappointing one. Especially since the movies don't acknowledge his psychosis which makes watching him as the main character a very disjointed experience. In addition to wondering why such wise people as the Jedi are presented as didn't know that Anakin needed a lot of help ( ... )

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beccatoria April 5 2010, 00:12:40 UTC

Well, it does to me. Both in terms of his own character and in terms of others reactions to him, the fact that he was this great hero who fell to evil was really kind of central to my understanding of him. My issue is that I don't feel I can coherently read the reactions and statements of either Yoda or Ben Kenobi, or even Luke's certainty about his father's true self in the context of the psychopathy he exhibits in the prequels.

As to the prophecy, to be honest, they regard that with trepidation and a lot of concern rather than hope. There is constant talk of it being misread, or one person will raise it as a possibility and another will parry by talking of how arrogant Anakin's abilities have made him. They didn't even want to train him, even knowing the prophecy initially. It's far from presented as some wonderful, blind hope ( ... )

i_kender April 5 2010, 00:43:02 UTC

Yes god yes. I love Star Wars, hate the prequels, and like some of the Extended Universe stuff.

Two questions: One, I've never seen the deleted scenes in the prequels. Are they any good? Do they add anything to the story?

Two- the Clone Wars cartoon. Have you seen it? Is that any good? Does it, in fact, add anything more to the brotherhood/fellow warriors aspect of Anakin and Obi Wan's friendship?

And yes, I even love the Marvel Star Wars comics from the 80s, and think my twelve year old self could have written better prequels/sequels. Because I *loved* those films and that universe when I was a kid. It was almost my religion.

beccatoria April 5 2010, 10:14:33 UTC

*clings to you* STAR WARS! PREQUELS!

Okay, the deleted scenes from the prequels are a mixed bag but there are a few massive dropped balls in terms of the things Lucas cut. Frankly most of the prequel deleted scenes aren't that interesting, just stuff like an extended pod race or an extended sequence of arriving in Theed in the Bongo Water Taxi Thing. Similarly in Attack of the Clones my main memory is of loads of extra shit about Padme and Anakin on Naboo which I remember being cringe-inducing but not quite as awful as the stuff in the actual movie. I DO however remember a wonderful scene where when Anakin and Padme arrive on Geonosis to save Obi Wan from Dooku, instead of getting caught in the ridiculous droid factory sequence, what appears to happen is that they just walk in under Padme's guise of Senator and ask for Obi Wan's release in a formal capacity. Of course Dooku says tough shit and has them arrested. But hey, I'd take it over the Computer Game Sequence we got ( ... )

i_kender April 5 2010, 20:31:22 UTC

Bwahaha... but will you watch the animated Star Wars sitcom if it involves creative input from Seth Green and Robot Chicken? ;)

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/44524

beccatoria April 6 2010, 00:09:01 UTC

Yes! I have seen that news and I'm interested to see where it goes. I think it has the potential to be awesome or awful... But I'm also waiting to see if it's even true or just a rumour...

Thread 6

rjsteamboat76 April 5 2010, 01:17:08 UTC

i much prefered the novelization of ROTS. that being said, my all time favorite SW stuff is KT's Republic Commando series and the follow up novel Imperial Commando:501st. i know she's not exactly popular cuz she does have a habit of being a bit snarky with fans at times, but it's still my favorite. how can you not love it, when she gave us the Mando culture. and yes, that means i reject what dave filoni did with Mandalore on TCW. meh, i'll stop raambling. heh.

beccatoria April 5 2010, 10:35:18 UTC

Yes, the novelisation of ROTS is pretty amazing for what it manages with the material, but Matthew Stover is phenomenal.

I do understand the popularity of Traviss' work, but I can't get on board with her for two reasons. Firstly because I don't actually think her stuff is that great. I understand why people like her Mandos, but frankly I find them tedious and overly perfect. I actually really like Mandalorians, even the ones that are written based on the history and culture she invented, such as the ones that appear in John Jackson Miller's Knights of the Old Republic comic. They're awesome, shockhead warriors. But Traviss' guys are superbest at everything, morally superior to everyone, and so holier than though I want to punch them in the face.

Traviss harps on endlessly in interviews and on her own various web presences about how she wants to turn a critical eye back on the Jedi, etc., but has never managed to do so with her own guys. In fact, her novels don't smack so much to me of a nuanced interpretation of ethics so ( ... )

sache8 April 5 2010, 02:04:42 UTC

I actually really enjoy The Phantom Menace. For an intricate handful of reasons that sort of congeal into this distant fondness. The first and foremost is just a good association with that period in my life. I was a senior in high school, it was Star Wars and we all had such high hopes and I skipped school and waited in line for seven hours on a Wednesday for tickets and had the time of my life geeking it up with geeks. For those three months, everything was one giant plus in my life, and Star Wars was only the icing on the cakes. Second, TPM gave me Naboo and handmaidens. I don't think I have to elaborate further on that point. Third, I actually did not mind Jar Jar. Was he over-the-top? Yes. Did it strain all rational credibility that any leader in their right mind would make him a 'bombad general'? Hell, yes. But I guess I'm just the kind of person who has spent so much of my life being the awkward one in the room that I don't mind having an awkward fool in the gang. Not every alien sidekick can be as cool as Chewbacca ( ... )

beccatoria April 5 2010, 10:47:23 UTC

Yeah, I can see that. I mean, I really don't have anything like the hate for The Phantom Menace that many do. When it came out and there was huge backlash, I was...well okay, I thought, it wasn't as good as the originals (and unlike you I really do dislike Jar Jar) but it didn't ruin anything. And the podrace was fun!

I think the best way I can put it is that even though, leaving the cinema after going to see The Phantom Menace, I would have admitted that there were parts of the movie I didn't like, things that made me go "bzuh?" and stuff that was just badly handled, I was buzzing. I was 16, I went with my dad and my 14 year old friend and we spent the entire walk home re-enacting the Qui Gon/Obi Wan/Darth Maul duel (I got to be Darth Maul ( ... )