a99kitten's Musings

I blog about a WHOLE LOT of stuff :)

Totally want to see this!

http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/03/11/george-lucas-documentary/

I’ll have to say that as a fan of Star Wars since I was a little kid, I do not believe George Lucas raped our childhood (dang funny song though – thumbs up!)

If the large number of bad (in my personal opinion that is) artists in this world can get away with making the complete schlock they spew out at Cannes, Sundance and other arty-farty film festivals, then George is allowed to do whatever he wants to these movies – they are his movies. They were his idea, his images, his characters. We don’t have to like them all. Of course…I will still wear my Han Shot First t-shirt proudly and with utter conviction :)

But calling out the latest trilogy as trash is an untrue statement to me. Were they as good as the first trilogy (to me) – no. Not at all. There are parts of each of them that I thought were really good but when I think “Star Wars” I will always think of Han, Leia, Chewie, the Cantina, Hoth, Endor, Ewoks and Darth Vader will always be a big menacing breathing apparatus. But the new trilogy did introduce Star Wars to a whole new generation of kids and this allowed them all to venture into our world(s). So you can look at The Phantom Menace and Jar-Jar Binks as the gateway drug… :) Plus the final 30 minutes of Revenge of the Sith kicked serious ass.

I view George Lucas as a genius really. He created some of my most favorite films of all time, pioneered special effects into previously unknown and unthinkable territory, is a marketing genius (bastard has taken a lot of my money – I think I should get my own room, or at least my own closet, at Skywalker Ranch!) and has stayed pretty private and quiet – away from all of the Hollywood crap. I love that about him.

I will buy the (hopefully planned) new Indiana Jones 4-movie set even though I already have the trilogy boxed set, much like I own the first trilogy on VHS, then the special edition on VHS, then the remastered anniversary DVDs, then the boxed DVD set of 6……and I will likely go see whatever movie he does next solely because he did it.