Lucas Speaks • Why He Is Done Directing Star Wars

[darthpsychotic]

source: (cbsnews.com /george-lucas-on-why-he-is-done-directing-star-wars/)

[Sith Hunter#1]

I feel sorry for him in one sense, he’s starting to sound a little bitter about the whole thing…however the prequels & his attitude towards the fans criticism after them has done him no favours.

“You go to make a movie and all you do is get criticized…and it’s not much fun,”…shouldn’t any director/producer expect that from any movie that is ever made….you are never going to please all the people all of the time.

George was heavily criticized after The Phantom Menace & I think that changed his attitude slightly in his decisions regarding Episode 2 & 3. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a “Prequel Hater” but they just didn’t hit the spot for me, Revenge of the Sith being by far the best in my opinion.

I think the main difference with The Force Awakens is that it has the classic characters back. This is one of the main reasons what draws the fans back for more. While I fully understand the limitations of not being able to have them in the prequels, that was one of the major problems for the movies. They lacked the same type of characters that made the classic trilogy what it was.

To be fair to George, after selling the franchise to Disney & coming away with a very tidy sum of money in his back pocket, I suppose he has every right to criticize the new movies…he’s bound to as they won’t be how he envisaged them to play out. I just hope he keeps his comments professional & doesn’t lose the respect he has built up over the years.

He always said that Star Wars was ultimately supposed to be “fun”…I’m sure The Force Awakens will be that & so much more.

[buzzfunk]

Meh.

Lucas mistake was and still is that he doesn't "get" his own creation. I don't feel sorry for him because you know, when your ego is so bloated and still to this day you cannot admit that you're maybe a great story teller but a shitty writer and director, then you deserve all the bitterness in the world. Its my own opinion that the prequels are, in fact unwatchable.

They didn't age well either.

Also what people seem to forget is that ANH was as good as it was because of the cut his then wife Marcia Lucas did because 20th century fox was ready to pull the plug. Empire was great because of Irvin Kershner hands down and while im no ta huge fan of ROTJ it was still leaps and bounds better than any of the prequels. The prequels are like a bad memory. The only good think about them was the music.

[Evil_Elvis]

Lucas created this whole crazy thing called "The Star Wars" so for that he gets ultimate respect and a by at a lot of things. I understand his frustration at the whole raped-childhood type behaviour of some fans, the internet has given a lot of people a voice and audience they maybe wouldn't or shouldn't have had, particularly around the time of the Prequels when the net was just coming into it's own.

Also, didn't he give the money from the sale to Disney to education charities in the States? It's not like he was down to his last million at the time though.

[Bandersnatch]

Also, didn't he give the money from the sale to Disney to education charities in the States?

Yep.

www.edutopia.org

[Freezus]

Just wanted to chime and share my opinion on this.

I feel that it is mostly the fandom's fault because since up to 1999, A huge chunk of SW fandom thought that the OT was THEIRS to own and be like, "I proudly own VHS/Laserdisc copies of the OT." and that made them feel like SW was theirs to own when it really wasn't. On the VHS copies and even on disc versions, It says, "A LUCASFILM PRODUCTION" as well, the normal "Directed by George Lucas" (ANH) and the usual "Executive Producer George Lucas" credit (TESB and ROTJ.)

Most fans did seem to forget that about all three movies which resulted in them having this ridiculously high expectations on what the PT should look like since 1983 when ROTJ left theaters. They were expecting a grown Anakin Skywalker to start out in Episode I and spend the next two films fighting the Clone Wars and that the PT should be this identical carbon copy of the OT, scene for scene, beat for beat with a fight on top of a volcano in the third film. Lucas didnt want that. He wanted to tell the prequels his way and different from the OT. The OT always was going to be the middle trilogy where everything is battle damaged and worn out. The PT was supposed to take what we've seen in the OT, then inverse the themes...

For example, It's the time of the Old Republic which meant everything had to look less worn out; nice and shiny. See? There's your inversion of the themes and senses presented in the OT. If the PT had gone what fans was dreaming about since '83. People would have accused Lucas of being unoriginal and ripping off the OT. (Funny how some people are now accusing Disney and Abrams of ripping off the OT by copying the imagery from Episode IV and V? Funny how we think like that?) He didn't do that. In fact, Lucas was smart to try new avenues in the story of the Skywalker Saga. Did it succeed? I think so, but everyone has different tastes.

So when people see stuff like the PT deviate from what they had in the back of their minds since '83, what happens? Their entitlement of "ownership" over the franchise go into "OCD" territory going so far to demand Lucas do this and there for Episode II and III to the point where it got out of control. That kind of OCD tendency seems to be unstoppable even now 10 years after the conclusion of ROTS.

I really think Disney shouldn't try so hard to appease that segment of fandom where I call the prequel haters. They should have experimented with TFA and tried new things instead of playing little too safe for comfort. Who I blame here? The Prequel haters. I'm not going to name who because some of them are members here but I believe they're to blame for the state of the franchise because of their sense of entitlement. This really needs to stop because it's becoming really silly when you have a group of disgruntled fans who think Lucas owes them shit start arguing with the Flanneled One, that's when fandom starts being fun and start looking and looking like a stupid high school fight or argument and it's one that is overdue for an intervention by a teacher/principal but unfortunately there's not one.

So I'm asking everyone involved since I know all the parties involved read this forum (Disney, LFL, Lucas, the haters, etc) to just please stop with this stupid shit and just enjoy the PT/ST for what they are: MOVIES. I know some of you will object to that and say, "But-But!" My response to that? Shut up and let us enjoy the movies. Simple as that.

Maybe EvilElvis is right.. Maybe some people were never meant to have a voice on the internet. Just like the current Republican party was never meant to have a voice on every form of media. Unfortunately we can't stop them or make them get off the net but we can learn how to tolerate these kind of people.

[buzzfunk]

Lucas created this whole crazy thing called "The Star Wars" so for that he gets ultimate respect and a by at a lot of things. I understand his frustration at the whole raped-childhood type behaviour of some fans, the internet has given a lot of people a voice and audience they maybe wouldn't or shouldn't have had, particularly around the time of the Prequels when the net was just coming into it's own.

Also, didn't he give the money from the sale to Disney to education charities in the States? It's not like he was down to his last million at the time though.

God, keep your smart ass pants on. Its obviously that we all bow to him for creating SW to begin with. But this wasnt about the OT. The critic hes talking about was and is for the prequels.

And what makes you think "Some fans" were frustrated? Anyone who a common sense of narrative and good film taste was frustrated. Not only people like myself (childhood raped, yes).

And no one says he isn't a good man. Yes, he cares about people and gave away a lot of his money. I respect him for that but that he can't just laugh off the critic and admit to himself well you know, the prequels were kinda crappy just shows that selling the SW property was the right thing to do.

I'm glad he did. I also thank him for creating ILM and the countless industries he invented while making star wars.

[bearvomit]

personally I think this man is just as influential if not more so than Steve Jobs. this was his baby and he took it a little personally that Disney didn't want to use his ideas for the new trilogy. He's probably had his version of the story in his mind since ROTJ and they read it and said GTFO.

He was once again being rejected by a big studio. His professional life had come full circle.

It was like poetry.

[Evil_Elvis]

Smart ass pants? Sure, why not...

My point was, while it's totally acceptable to like/dislike things in the way people have ad infinitum, the dawn of the internet/chat rooms/forums occurred around the same time as the Prequel build up and has given every btfo virgin a forum to spew forth their venom at the fact that the film they'd imagined in their heads wasn't what they got in a way that Lucas and the world at large had never experienced before.

Everyone had their opinions and it was suddenly a matter of logging on and you could assign and share the most ridiculously OTT verbiage to describe what is essentially a children's movie with the world, writ large.

The theory of monkeys and typewriters stands here, while you can do it, sometimes maybe it's better if you don't. It's entertainment after all. If you find you don't like it, there's hunners of other shit out there for you to tune into.

That, and you missed a "had" out.

Good chat though.

[buzzfunk]

Everyone had their opinions and it was suddenly a matter of logging on and you could assign and share the most ridiculously OTT verbiage to describe what is essentially a children's movie with the world, writ large.

The theory of monkeys and typewriters stands here, while you can do it, sometimes maybe it's better if you don't. It's entertainment after all. If you find you don't like it, there's hunners of other shit out there for you to tune into.

I agree it surely got tiring hearing everyones opinion but again the OT was about him being bitter and blaming everyone but himself for the crappy writing. Yes the fans were shitty. Yes the internet helped to spread the venom but the movies sucked and that isn't something you can blame on the fans.

[Freezus]

personally I think this man is just as influential if not more so than Steve Jobs. this was his baby and he took it a little personally that Disney didn't want to use his ideas for the new trilogy. He's probably had his version of the story in his mind since ROTJ and they read it and said GTFO.

He was once again being rejected by a big studio. His professional life had come full circle.

It was like poetry.

Well, imagine if Steve Jobs was alive today...Would he have liked it if his company increased the size of the iPhone to 4.7 and 5.5 thus splitting up the market into two segments of iPhone users? How about the part that they added Touch ID or 3D Touch? Let's not forget iPad Pro..These are ideas that Jobs strongly opposed but it took his death for the company to say fuck you and went ahead with these concepts... This is basically LFL and Disney telling him, "Fuck you" in the nicest way possible and he didn't even want to direct the PT.. If memory serves, he originally wanted Kasdan to write Episode I and Kasdan told him GTFO because people know how much of a control freak he is ever since the end of Empire's production.

Lucasfilm today mirrors Apple without Steve Jobs. Apple did take a nosedive in quality during that time Jobs was not running the company. That begs the question: How long before it happens to LFL enough for Disney to beg him to come back to briefly run the company again?

Smart ass pants? Sure, why not...

My point was, while it's totally acceptable to like/dislike things in the way people have ad infinitum, the dawn of the internet/chat rooms/forums occurred around the same time as the Prequel build up and has given every butt-hurt virgin a forum to spew forth their venom at the fact that the film they'd imagined in their heads wasn't what they got in a way that Lucas and the world at large had never experienced before. Everyone had their opinions and it was suddenly a matter of logging on and you could assign and share the most ridiculously OTT verbiage to describe what is essentially a children's movie with the world, writ large.

The theory of monkeys and typewriters stands here, while you can do it, sometimes maybe it's better if you don't. It's entertainment after all. If you find you don't like it, there's hunners of other shit out there for you to tune into.

That, and you missed a "had" out. Good chat though.

Exactly. This was just case of fans with a bad sense of entitlement going all OCD on Lucas. He didn't even deserve one iota of their venom. If they accepted these movies as something different yet still Star Warsy, you'd have seen Lucas make his version of Episode VII a lot more earlier than 2010 and Kasdan would still likely be onboard either as a writer or an executive producer. My thought? Everyone that spewed bile at Lucas owes him an apology for expecting too much from him. So I'm going to apologize to George Lucas on behalf of these haters since they will never do that themselves. So here goes..

Dear George Lucas,

If you are reading this or one of your reps is reading this...I apologize for the way a large segment of your fans have treated you for the past 15 years. Your films is still thrilling as a family film fare. I, understand what it's like to be criticized and be bullied because of choices I made or said anything. They were wrong to claim ownership over your franchise. The Prequels were yours to make. Sure, they're flawed, but we can still get together in a family room to watch them with our children and grandchildren. You should not expect these kind of fans to represent the entire fandom because a fraction of the fandom didn't like how they turned out. Some of us are actually great fans who wouldn't mind to see all six movies that you made with love and care over and over again with our hard earned money. You shouldn't let these haters define who you are and what you want to do. Be that great storyteller we know you as. We want to see you tell great stories. You are an innovator and a brilliant man. You can rise above all of this hatred that has built up in some of these fans for the past 15 years and for that I apologize on behalf of them.

Sincerely Freezus.

[dromag]

It saddens me to see all the GL hate.

This guy was the same guy who provided us with the amazing Original trilogy that was forward thinking and that he fought tooth and nail for. It was ground breaking and took chances that no one else would. He took the same chances with the prequel trilogy and was BBQed for it. There's really no justification for the personal attacks many have levied against him. I appreciate what George has done for film and cinema and hope filmmakers continue to take bold chances that don't appear popular.

[Topeka]

Can we not follow the Lucasfilm playbook from the 90s and rewrite history? Star Wars wouldn't be what it is without Marcia Lucas and Richard Chew. Empire wouldn't be what it is without Kirschner and Kasdan.

That's not to take away anything from George. But he does work best when there are capable people around him to reign him in.

[Freezus]

Can we not follow the Lucasfilm playbook from the 90s and rewrite history? Star Wars wouldn't be what it is without Marcia Lucas and Richard Chew. Empire wouldn't be what it is without Kirschner and Kasdan.

That's not to take away anything from George. But he does work best when there are capable people around him to reign him in.

It saddens me to see all the GL hate.

This guy was the same guy who provided us with the amazing Original trilogy that was forward thinking and that he fought tooth and nail for. It was ground breaking and took chances that no one else would. He took the same chances with the prequel trilogy and was BBQed for it. There's really no justification for the personal attacks many have levied against him. I appreciate what George has done for film and cinema and hope filmmakers continue to take bold chances that don't appear popular.

Exactly. It's been 10 years since Revenge of the Sith ended. My advice to these GL haters? Move. The. Fuck. On. The guy hasn't made a SW movie in a decade. Let Lucas enjoy his retirement in peace, guys.

But it does feel like May 1999 all over again because all that SW hatred still exists in a new form: Finn hatred in the other thread. "OMG, Finn's lines has racial overtones." Just. Stop. That kind of racist talk is why I want to avoid most people because no one is going to be happy with SW, PT or ST.

I'm going to see TFA just like everyone else, but I'm not going to nitpick the film just because some fans may or may not be racist. You have to wonder if these same kind of haters will spew vitriol at J.J. Abrams because they don't like the movie. If they still don't like TFA after December 18th, then I dare them to make a good SW movie while still following the GL playbook he created in 1977 then updated in 1999.

[dromag]

Can we not follow the Lucasfilm playbook from the 90s and rewrite history? Star Wars wouldn't be what it is without Marcia Lucas and Richard Chew. Empire wouldn't be what it is without Kirschner and Kasdan.

That's not to take away anything from George. But he does work best when there are capable people around him to reign him in.

The only revisionist history going on with Star Wars are the ones to praise big Hollywood for saving Star Wars and shitting all over GL. When it was GL that fought for the independence to make these movies the way he wanted to free from the meddling of corporate suits and unions.

Everyone knows that the OT was a collaborative effort and yet it was George who chose those people free from corporations reining him in. Sheesh I don't give a fuck if you hate the PT but good lord give credit where it's due.

[Freezus]

The only revisionist history going on with Star Wars are the ones to praise big Hollywood for saving Star Wars and shitting all over GL. When it was GL that fought for the independence to make these movies the way he wanted to free from the meddling of corporate suits and unions.

Everyone knows that the OT was a collaborative effort and yet it was George who chose those people free from corporations reining him in. Sheesh I don't give a fuck if you hate the PT but good lord give credit where it's due.

The funny thing? The only reason everyone's praising Hollywood is because now it's putting out endless sequels to superhero movies and also shitting out either sequels to Frozen or new CG animated movies.. Wow what originality there, Hollywood! Hollywood is in bad shape where you can't go one day without not seeing a superhero movie. It's gotten so bad to the point where you have Hollywood legends like Steven Spielberg coming out and say, "Hey, stop with that stupid shit."

Maybe Hollywood needs to be saved by GL. Again.

[stan Marsh]

it's easy to pick apart movies that someone else had to dream up and bring to fruition. From what I can tell Disney is making ANH 2.0, they aren't exactly going out on a limb, and as previously said they have the OT actors to bring back.

George had to make a Star Wars trilogy that was without the major actors and satin a time so drastically different it would've been tough to not do it CG. THX, American Graffiti, and Indiana Jones were pretty cool too. The guy deserves ultimate respect

[Freezus]

Stan,

Exactly. People forget that Lucas made other properties like Indiana Jones and Willow. It's easy for a large percent of people in blind rage to forget that he made movies that is not related to SW and I might add, most of them were actually DECENT. They're like "OMGZ, He made only SW lulz!!!" The guy has a decent body of work. Tucker: Man and His Dream was decent. Willow is what it is - a fun family fare. It's not like Lucas did any R-Rated movies, but his movies has for most part been decent and easy to have the kids to watch with. Like you said he deserves all the respect in the film industry for trying to challenge the conventions of filmmaking and if people want to single out the Prequels, why not give his other films a fair criticism while we're at it?

[stan Marsh]

I don't think Tucker or Jack were great films but bring up Coppola and all anyone says is Gidfather genius. GL gets harsh criticism

[dusith]

All this Lucas bashing is just a bunch of whining bullshit. I saw ANH in the theatre when it released in '77; I was ten. Those of us here on MF old enough to remember know that 'Star Wars' made people freak out about seeing a movie and it changed everything regarding how movies are made, viewed, and marketed. Hollywood scrambled to produce sci-fi films in an effort to cash in on Star Wars fever, but nothing was really very good; just a bunch of rushed garbage.

Lucas fought like mad to hold onto his vision of the story he wanted to tell. I think everyone who's bitching has too much time on their hands. Yes, the prequels where not as awesome as the OT, but you know what... my kids don't think that. They can watch with wonder and be swept up in the story, and in the SW universe. Ultimately, these are films for children and families, not for basement-dwelling cranky pants fan-boys. But haters gonna hate...

[Bandersnatch]

All this Lucas bashing is just a bunch of whining bullshit. I saw ANH in the theatre when it released in '77; I was ten...

Of the same age group, you and I are. I agree 100% with everything you said.

[Freezus]

I don't think Tucker or Jack were great films but bring up Coppola and all anyone says is Gidfather genius. GL gets harsh criticism

Agreed. Don't forget Lucas has helped produce some of Coppola's early movies.

Of the same age group, you and I are. I agree 100% with everything you said.

I agree. I'm 35 myself and I loved the OT even though it was released to VHS and rereleased to theaters in the 80's.

[Alexrd]

Lucas mistake was and still is that he doesn't "get" his own creation.

But the fans do?! Please... He gets it better than anyone, and the interview only proves it.

It's this pretentious attitude from fans in general and now Lucasfilm that makes this whole sad attempt to please part of the fandom laughable at best. Hopefully time will give him the recognition he deserves.

[Freezus]

Via: washingtonpost.com

Lucas, to his credit, never really took the bait, but a disturbance in the Force persists. On a recent episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” the host, in a twerpy mood, asked his guest Harrison Ford: “Who do you like better, George Lucas or J.J. Abrams?” The audience howled. Ford paused, feigned discomfort, and said: “George has been amazing to me. He’s been the author of the early chapters of my life and given me the opportunity to have a really extraordinary life.”

Partly so he doesn’t have to read the worst about himself and his movies, Lucas says he has assiduously avoided the Internet since 2000 — no Facebook, no Twitter, no e-mail even — but that doesn’t mean he avoids people.

Out in the world, people recognize him (in the most banal places, while catching a movie with his wife at a cineplex, or reporting for jury duty, or accidentally walking into the frame of someone’s YouTube video about molten salt reactors) and they still need to pour out their feelings. Not to kvetch about Jar Jar Binks (what would be the point anymore?), but to tell him that they were once children. To tell him what “Star Wars” meant to them then and what it means to their children and grandchildren today. That story never gets old.

I find it funny that everyone would bash him online but is apparently cowards when they approach him and tell him how they love the movies...

[SI]

How anyone could hold any type of SW related hatred towards the man is beyond me.

[KyleKartanMG]

How anyone could hold any type of SW related hatred towards the man is beyond me.

PERIOD.

This article makes me melancholy in alot of ways. It's like "the last goodbye" to Mr. Lucas who brought so much joy and happiness into my life with his creations.

I really hope he enjoys his retirement and his new Family. By all means: he deserveres it. For me I would be so happy if he would have done Ep VII at least and hand it over to Abrams or some other director AFTER starting the Sequels. But we wont ever get this so I go along with the ride which is coming very very soon.

[Bandersnatch]

From from the mouth of the Creator: washingtonpost.com /lucas-to-feel-the-true-force-of-star-wars-he-had-to-learn-to-let-it-go/

[royalguard96]

How anyone could hold any type of SW related hatred towards the man is beyond me.

PERIOD.

This article makes me melancholy in alot of ways. It's like "the last goodbye" to Mr. Lucas who brought so much joy and happiness into my life with his creations.

I really hope he enjoys his retirement and his new Family. By all means: he deserveres it. For me I would be so happy if he would have done Ep VII at least and hand it over to Abrams or some other director AFTER starting the Sequels. But we wont ever get this so I go along with the ride which is coming very very soon.

I could not have written a reaction any better than this.

[Alexrd]

But we wont ever get this so I go along with the ride which is coming very very soon.

They could have at least followed his story, but unfortunately they chose not to. I don't see Disney releasing his treatments either. I'm more interested in those than in the movie.

[Hokusai]

The prequels wouldve been better if Disney had been involved... and this new trilogy will suck without Lucas

[Evil_Elvis]

I was faffing about on youtube and came across this. There's a whole bunch of other AFI vids that are worth your time, the Carrie Fisher one is particularly funny but this one struck me as worthy of sharing. Watching this and then thinking that there are people angry at this guy because what he wrote somehow touched their lives but then didn't deliver for them whatever they had built up in their heads over the years preceding the Prequels just bewilders me.

I was accused of smart-assery previously on this thread for saying Lucas gets a pass cos he made this thing that brought us all together, this kind of moment shown in the video shows, for me, why I feel that way. He created Star Wars and Indiana Jones, two things that have touched my life immeasurably. Too fucking right this guy gets a pass from me and fuck anyone else who doesn't feel the need to get on board the appreciation of the guy.

We're on the cusp of a new generation of Star Wars, here's to it not being marred by people's belief in what it should be rather than the appreciation of what it actually is.

MTFBWY!

[ETandElliott]

He needs to stop coming out of his reclusion and making baffling comments that make him look like a jackass. We know he isn't, but fuck. Go back to banging your hot wife, George.

[Zaius]

George Lucas is the worlds most successful Film student. (hollywoodreporter.com)

[Alexrd]

He needs to stop coming out of his reclusion and making baffling comments that make him look like a jackass. We know he isn't, but fuck. Go back to banging your hot wife, George.

Yeah, who would want someone to speak his mind (or in this case, reveal the truth) without offending anyone?

Someone needs to check the definition of 'jackass'...

[kmartnintendude]

I admire and think George Lucas is awesome. My feelings about the prequels have always been mixed. So much was right about the films. The design aesthetic, the music, the podrace, the film titles, the opening crawls (IMO,...I know that most people didn't like them), Ben Burtt's sound effects. On the other hand, there were vital things that were wrong, which made them bad films by any metric by which you'd normally judge narrative and acting. Despite all three episodes having things that made me cringe (mostly the acting and writing), I still defended the prequels fiercely to others until I saw Episode III. These films needed to be judged as a trilogy, and I still think they do, to an extent. However, following Episode III, I couldn't deny that the quality was different from the Original Trilogy and that the x-factor which determined their problems seemed to be George. These were bad movies, but they were bad movies which I liked. And I liked them, in part, because, as the DVDs were released, I tried to crawl into Lucas's likely high-functioning Aspie brain and figure out what the hell he was thinking. And when I emerged on the other side, to me, they were still Star Wars.

I really have hated the rift which has existed among Star Wars fans since 1999. It seems that you fall into one of two camps: prequel-gusher or prequel-basher. Very few have found the space in between. To give you examples of what I find fallacious about either position, I would point to two popular analyses of the prequels. In the prequel-gusher camp, I think that Star Wars Ring Theory tries too hard to find genius which, in all likelihood, just isn't objectively there. On the other side, you have Red Letter Media's Mr. Plinkett Prequel Reviews which, while very entertaining, miss just as much of what's good about the prequels.

I think that, if you're going to find any genius in the Star Wars prequels, then you have to start with where George Lucas was in his life when he made them. He was a middle-aged divorcee raising three kids, all of whom I believe he adopted. I would argue that the prequels, especially the Skywalker story arc, is a love letter to his kids, especially his son Jett. Surely Jett is the only reason that George made the otherwise baffling decision to make Anakin Skywalker a 9-year-old born into desperately disadvantageous circumstances.

With the prequels, George Lucas basically made the entire Star Wars saga into a 6-episode series with the overarching theme of "The sins of the father do not have to be the sins of the son." The core series stayed such for ten years. Despite their serious flaws, many story points in the prequels were communicated subtextually and are lost on most because they refuse to see past the serious flaws which the movies have. I'm sure most of us appreciate the use of visual and circumstantial parallels which place Anakin and Luke in similar situations in which they are given similar choices but ultimately end up in different places.

I think we would have gotten different films altogether if George had made them at any different point in life. Who's to say if they would have been better, though? He obviously had a lot of directorial "rust," having not directed a filim in 20-plus years by the time of Menace, and I think that is to blame for much of the phenomenon of great actors giving the worst performances of their careers. With regards to dialogue, writing that was even George's weakest area at the time of the original films. And while I think that some of his prequel collaborators bear a little blame for not giving him more feedback (I have only guesses as to why), the buck ultimately stopped with George.

With Episode VII, I think Mr. Abrams and Mr. Kasdan and Ms. Kennedy are trying to heal the rift among the fans. They want us in the theater in order to reaffirm to us that Star Wars can rise to the level of what most people have always said were its best moments. I seriously question the perceived prequel hate from J.J. Abrams in the marketing. I really think that George's "btfo" comments are part of the marketing, too: maybe not a year ago, but at least they are by now. I think that Episode VII will be scarce as far as prequel references go. But I hope that early Episode VIII and IX rumors which I've heard, which indicate that there will be more explicit prequel references to tie the trilogies together, are true. Think about it: they really have to, if the saga is to maintain any semblance of thematic symmetry.

The only other option is to remake the prequels. And I will admit that, with as prone to reboot franchises as Hollywood has been the past ten years, the idea thrilled a part of me at first. And, then, I thought about it: George Lucas is getting pretty old. He is loaded with money and has access to good healthcare, but I know he's a diabetic with weight control issues. This is the man who I think we will find out in less than two weeks basically gave (for $4 billion dollars) the franchise back to the subset of fans who claimed he never had any stake in it since 1997. I sincerely hope that Disney and Lucasfilm never insult him in the worst way imaginable, at least not while he's still with us.

tl;dr: Cut George Lucas some slack. He deserves praise, he deserves criticism. It's not all-or-nothing. I think the new filmmakers will heal the rift among fans as much as they can.

[Alexrd]

In the prequel-gusher camp, I think that Star Wars Ring Theory tries too hard to find genius which, in all likelihood, just isn't objectively there.

The Ring Theory isn't about the prequels. It's about the saga's composition and themes. All six movies. To say that it isn't objectively there is a lie because it's something observable. It's not gushing either, it's reasonable and well-argued, even if one doesn't like the movies.

To compare something like that to the RLM "reviews" which whatever the purpose are objectively fallacious (omission of facts, cherry picking, non sequiturs, strawmen, etc) is not very fair.

And as far as finding the space in-between, the same can be said about the OT, whose "flaws" are if not ignored, easily forgiven. Those same "flaws" are frequently used to trash the prequels over and over.

[Bandersnatch]

^This.
Alexrd wins today's internet.

[kmartnintendude]

The Ring Theory isn't about the prequels. It's about the saga's composition and themes. All six movies. To say that it isn't objectively there is a lie because it's something observable. It's not gushing either, it's reasonable and well-argued, even if one doesn't like the movies.

To compare something like that to the RLM "reviews" which whatever the purpose are objectively fallacious (omission of facts, cherry picking, non sequiturs, strawmen, etc) is not very fair.

And as far as finding the space in-between, the same can be said about the OT, whose "flaws" are if not ignored, easily forgiven. Those same "flaws" are frequently used to trash the prequels over and over.

Okay, my statement about Ring Theory was false, and the comparison to RLM's reviews weren't fair. That was due to stupidity on my part. I just dislike how the fanbase of Star Wars has been polarized like never before since the prequels. And I've seen lots of prequel lovers go to prequel haters, point to Ring Theory, and act as though that should shut them up and make them appreciate the movies. And I've similarly seen prequel haters point to RLM's reviews in recent months, and expect prequel lovers to acknowledge that the PT had serious flaws in story and acting (which I chalk up to flaws in direction). And, yes, the OT had lots of flaws as well, but I don't think those movies' issues were as prevalent and detrimental to the viewing experience. I like the prequels, but I can't commit to loving them as much as the OT.

[dusith]

Let's see...

Does the title contain the words 'Star Wars'?
Some action between villains and heroes?
Are there lightsabers?
Droids?

That's really all I need to enjoy these space operas. Anything else is gravy.

[royalguard96]

Ring Theory is the greatest analysis I've ever seen of the Star Wars franchise.

[doafhat]

The ring theory is interesting, but good intentions don't smooth over the very serious issues in the on-screen execution of the prequels for me. To use another example, I'm sure David Lynch and company put a lot of genuine effort went into adapting the story of Dune into a motion picture -- but that movie is ultimately still a mess.

I won't say people are wrong if they really enjoyed Episodes I-III, I'd be lying if I said they didn't have some redeeming qualities to them, but man... fart jokes, "Yippee!" and Video Game Kung-Fu Yoda existing in the same cinematic universe as "I love you" / "I know" and "Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter" is just something I really have trouble reconciling.

[Bandersnatch]

Here is the complete Charlie Rose interview with Lucas: http://charlierose.com/watch/60665244

[The_Somnambulist]

Finally! Woo! Thanks for posting!

Only Lucas can buck Rose's black room and oak table.

[Bandersnatch]

Please watch the entire 55 minute interview, not just the 2 snippets that were inexplicably selected after I posted the complete link.
kthxbye

[dromag]

Please watch the entire 55 minute interview, not just the 2 snippets that were inexplicably selected after I posted the complete link.
kthxbye

Excellent thank you!

[Sith Hunter#1]

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/de ... ce-awakens

Happy New Year George!

Yes you created all of this...
Yes the fans are totally & forever will be thankful for what you did & made...

Now please go quietly & with what respected dignity you have left & leave what YOU decided to sell to the other respected & dedicated directors & producers to continue the way they see fit...no point taking a sulky strop... The Force Awakens has broken box office takings globally...you should be proud!

I used to have a lot of time & respect for him, however the older he gets the more negative he becomes & his attitude doesnt come over as professional as it should be.

Stop acting like a dick George & grow up man!

[CoGro]

Love him or not (that goes for his filmmaking, contribution to the arts, etc) this scorched earth game he's been running is very poor.

He isn't the first person to sell a cherished IP and he is wise enough to know the pros and cons of doing so. He is doing nothing but damaging the brand he basically devoted his life to build. It's very sad.

[doafhat]

He's apologized for the "white slaver" comment, followed by an "Aw shucks, Disney's really super" statement, but I question his judgment in saying what he did in the first place. There wasn't anything to be gained in saying what he did so quickly after TFA's release.

One of the most common themes of the Lucasfilm transition has been the constant "There wouldn't be Star Wars without George Lucas" drumbeat, but at the risk of sounding incredibly sappy, let's not forget it's the fans that made Star Wars as successful as it has been. I feel like it's becoming increasingly evident that fans embraced Star Wars for reasons that Lucas doesn't really understand anymore.

[Bandersnatch]

...fans embraced Star Wars for reasons that Lucas doesn't really understand anymore.

And for reasons that I don't think Lucas ever understood in the first place. And I've been one of his staunchest supporters.

[Topeka]

Fantastic interview. The Charlie Rose talks always are. It's out of character to see Lucas throw a hissy-fit until you realize the Disney folks are the first people in 30 years to tell him "No, we're not doing this your way."

As admirable as Lucas is, his ego consumed him to the detriment of his work.