Crouching Gungan, Hidden Jedi

[athelind]

I've growled and snarled at... well, pretty much everything George Lucas has done to the Star Wars since the decision to trade in Wookies for Ewoks in Return of the Jedi To be honest, though, the only part of the "Special Editions" that really bother me is Greedo Shooting First.

As for the Prequel Trilogy... I only saw The Phantom Menace once, and, despite Jar Jar and midichlorians and a projector bulb that burned out during the one scene everyone says is the best part of the film, I did enjoyed the first time around. I didn't like it enough to see it again, and then the Toy Store Gimmicks and the Grumbling Fanboys and David Brin's "Star Wars Despots vs. Star Trek Populists" all started invading my brain.

In other words, I let myself fall into the trap that I always try to avoid: I let the critics make up my mind for me.

I let the trailers grab me for Episode II, and, again, enjoyed it in the theater -- but I started picking out the plot holes and inconsistencies and the superficial message. It didn't seem as much a toy commercial as Episode I, but I was pretty disgruntled by this point.

I was determined to blow off Episode III -- wait for video, maybe, if that. The franchise was dead to me, I insisted.

On the other claw...

A recent interview with George Lucas, a comment to a Star Wars thread in howardtayler's LiveJournal, and a series of essays at Space.Com have me reassessing my reactions.

I think I've been taking the movies both too seriously, and not seriously enough. There's stuff under the surface that I've let slip by, because I've been too busy complaining about the fanboy details.

I plan to see Episode III. Ideally, I'd like to re-watch Episodes I & II immediately beforehand -- and possibly follow it up with the Classic Trilogy, Special Edition or otherwise.

And maybe I'll even let tealfox talk me into a Star Wars d20 campaign.

Comments

[hedgegoth.livejournal.com]

fwiw, the book was not bad at all, much better than the noveliszations for 1 & 2

[stalbon.livejournal.com]

I'd disagree. Overall, I thought it did too much. If you've read Labrynth of Evil, that is probably better, in my opinion. Still, they're both relatively good, yes.

[cargoweasel.livejournal.com]

Noo, don't get sucked in to the hype!! Stand fast!! Stand fast!

[lynn-onyx.livejournal.com]

Kevin Smith liked it...

Kevin Smith's "Revenge of the Sith" review!!!
*SPOILERS*

""Revenge of the Sith" is, quite simply, fucking awesome. This is the "Star Wars" prequel the haters have been bitching for since "Menace" came out, and if they don't cop to that when they finally see it, they're lying."

[terminotaur.livejournal.com]

I finally got the soundtrack today. I was impressed. While not the cohesive whole that was the first 3-5 movie soundtracks, there is one in particular that pulls in one of the central new themes alone with the New Hope mournful/hopeful melody (one that appears in parts throughout the different tracks) and a section of music that I swear is a direct lift from a dramatic point of Empire Strikes Back. That I'd count as a possible good sign.

I didn't hate the first prequels as much as everyone else did, but I didn't approach these things as deep entertainment either. However, I do find it interesting that the first movie and the rest of the series deals with a grand democratic institution that gets corrupted by a contrived war.... Maybe I just see things a little strangely. I don't have much of a problem with Gungans and Ewoks. However I think someone was making fun of our ex-Prime Minister with the way those Trade Federation people talked. :)

[hitchkitty.livejournal.com]

However, I do find it interesting that the first movie and the rest of the series deals with a grand democratic institution that gets corrupted by a contrived war....

Insert obligatory observation on current events here.

[araquan.livejournal.com]

I dunno. My biggest gripe with the first two has to be some of the acting. These aren't supposed to be Oscar(TM) material in any event, but sometimes I really thought I was watching the Padawan Drama Club putting on a school play.

[darkkdragon.livejournal.com]

I am going to set aside a whole day, and I will watch the whole series start to finish... that outta get Star Bores out of my system for a great while, heh

[soreth.livejournal.com]

I like the part where David Brin describes our culture as "A culture that defies the old homogenizing impulse by worshipping eccentricity, with unprecedented hunger for the different, new or strange".

Oh yeah. Because I TOTALLY saw that every day of my life when I was growing up in Suburbia. Yep, every moment of my schooling days was filled with the worship of eccentricity and hunger for the different, new, and strange.

What makes it so morbidly humerous is that I was near to the only one doing those things.

Yeah. A culture that defies homogeny. We didn't have it in 1999 when he wrote that article, we don't have it down now in 2005, and I will wager this nation has *never* had such a culture. I don't know where Brin picked that idea up, but I'm sure not seeing any signs of it being around here.