That's the thing, this wasn't really made "in Hollywood". He funded it, he shot it. The only reason he involved anyone else was for Fox's distribution network. I heard an interview with a Fox exec who said that Lucas just completely blew off anyone who tried to talk to him about the movie. The man's a complete egomaniac, he thinks he's god's gift to movie making at this point and obviously doesn't listen to anyone's input.

my biggest gripe with the whole thing.

a Jedi, a learned man of mercy and honor leaving his protege to burn alive at the edge of a lava pit rather than end his suffering in one stroke knowing full well he'd been part and parcel to his upbringing and undoing?? in the very creation of the monster he'd now become?

I dont think so.

It isn't that they're bad, just that they're frequently unnecessary and sometimes distracting.

It is funny that in regular films the director usually does everything possible to screen out the confusion of the real world so that you can focus on exactly what you're supposed to. In computer animated films (and in many ways the last three Star Wars are just CG movies) to show off the technical skill as much of the distracting world as possible is crammed into the frame.

George Lucas came into the Monterey Bay Aquarium when I was working there about a year ago. He got to get in early and walk around with his son. I saw him and went 'Meh' inside. (He's just a regular shmoe like the rest of us.) But when one of the MBA Guest Services people asked him to shake his hand, Lucas looked at him and said, "No." He then just walked away.
Nice. :rolleyes:
But then again, the Guest Services guy was kind of a jerk too. They deserved each other.
:D

Ah, now I see. One of my favorite SNL skits of all time was the one where they made fun of George Lucas. He called himself God the entire time. I guess it isn't too far off from the truth.

Alex, I suppose the focusing on special effects worked, because there were moments in the movie where I found myself watching the background and forgetting about what the characters were saying.

I watched episode IV last night (or at least most of it, I fell asleep). It is such a fun movie. There's comedy and whimsy that is completely lacking in 2 and 3. It isn't like the world is any better in 4, 5, and 6 either. In fact it's worse. Did Lucas actually write these himself?

Lucas wrote and directed the very first Star Wars script himself. And if you watch it objectively, you can see that it's the least polished of the original trilogy in terms of dialog, direction, and cinematography. However, all of those could easily be ignored due to the novelty and genius of the wholly original presentation of the story.

For Empire and Jedi, Lucas has a story writing and producing credit. The scripting and directing were handed off. IMO, the dialog, writing, direction, edtiing, etc. are superior in both of those movies. However, I tend not to compare them as a whole to the original because, well, it's the original and like I said I'm willing to forgive Star Wars some of its flaws because of the level of originality.

Then comes the prequels. Not only was Lucas never a particularly good screenplay writer or director to begin with, he has done neither for decades so he's even worse. He's insulated himself from the movie making world (heck, from any aspect of the real world) to an extreme degree. He's allowed his ego to grow to galactic proportions. So, completely forgetting the rather brilliant move he made for Empire and Jedi, he refuses to relinquish those roles and insists on doing it "his way". Feh.

We all should have seen this coming with the Special Editions. That was his true vision? That's what he truly wanted? Thank the lucky stars that at the time he made the original trilogy, he had budget restrictions and a studio to answer to to reign him in.

Traci, if you love reading on this, here's the original review thread for Revenge of the Sith.

traci: here's where I separate from the rest of the crowd: Empire Strikes Back is the only movie of the six that I think is much good. Star Wars was fun, but I find it impossible to watch any longer now that the flush of discovery has worn off. Return of the Jedi had some very good elements but shot itself in the foot by recreating the Death Star destruction and the inane teddy bear dance at the end.

Empire Strikes Back is where good story coincided with decent writing and filming. Unfortunately the four films since then indicate this was more accidental than a matter of skill. Also, I think John Williams should get about 30% of the credit for the success of Star Wars. The music was that perfectly matched that it created depth of mood where Lucas was unable to. Watch it with the music off and it loses a lot.

:mad: That's all it took for the song to start playing in my head.

BUM BUM BaBaBA BAAAA Bum. ............

I think I tend to watch these movies with rose colored glasses on. I enjoy them all. Sure the acting sucks, the dialogue sucks, and there are huge plot holes. It's still a fun and exciting story. I suppose I interject things where I think they should be in the movies.

This sweet little Annakin turning into the world's darkest sith lord still has me fuming though. Come on! Also, in episode IV, darth vader doesn't have nearly the presence that he does in 3. He gallumphs around like a lackey to the pointy nosed guy (sorry, I have a long way to go till geekdom.)