Lucas to retire?

[rodneyfaile]

Im just saying many people regard Star Wars to be a lot better than it is. Nostalgia is not just relevant to when you were a kid.

If Lucas made another Star Wars movie, would you go see it?

I would.

 

[Solo4114]

I sympathize with Lucas, but on the other hand, if you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.


Look, if you're gonna go mucking about with works that are cherished the world over to suit your own flights of fancy, you've got to expect to catch a bit of crap for it. If you're not up for that, hey, stay home.


Personally, at this point, it's less the constant tinkering that bothers me and more the constant tinkering while ALSO refusing to release "archival" versions alongside the new releases. Go ahead and tinker all you like, like an old man forever adjusting this or that in his house. But what Lucas seems to fail to recognize is that art is not solely HIS property. It's also the property of the public.

U.S. Copyright law actually reflects this, in theory, given that works can eventually enter the Public Domain and the rights to those works are no longer the exclusive rights of the author.



At any rate, given what I've taken away from his recent work, I won't personally be shedding a tear that there won't be any more George Lucas helmed Star Wars products, although I guess I can sort of sympathize with the fans who desperately want more SW product. I mean, if he changes his mind and goes ahead with other stuff, bully for him. I'd probably skip 'em anyway at this point, though.


That said, don't go blaming fan criticism for Lucas' own decision that he doesn't want to make the films any more. That's HIS decision and HIS alone. Nobody "made" him stop making film. He has now CHOSEN to do that. I mean, in all honesty, how many here would stop making props merely because idiots on the internet criticized the quality of your work? Now, how many of you would stop making them if you were also raking in boatloads of cash for your work?

I'm gonna guess you'd say "Pfft. Who cares what those jagoffs think? I'm makin' bank, yo." Or something to that effect. It's a choice. YOUR choice. Or rather, Lucas' choice in this case.

 

[ShadowX81]

YOU didn't like the PT so NO more should be made, regardless of how many people liked them.

In that case I apologize to the three of you.

 

[JoMamma_Smurf]

In that case I apologize to the three of you.

:lol :thumbsup

 

[Scott Graham]

I hope he makes more movies like THX 1138. Small movies instead of trying to hit home runs with everything and the kitchen sink would be nice.

 

[tripoli]

Given the fandom and conventions as well the outpouring of sci-fi enthusiast, I think the one that you cannot please all of the time is far outweighed by the ones George can. Sorry to see that it is affecting him but he should know better, especially given the studio crowd mentality. Hate to see this as the excuse for him to leave the big films behind.

But I would say overall, that he should do what he enjoys, period. He has made himself to have that capability, in a capacity not many others can equal in comparison.

 

[hankey01]

He's in the wrong business top not have thick skin. Shame..all he has to do is release a nice HD copy of the unaltered films to make fans happy, but he'd rather retire than satisfy the fans he created.

He should realize it was his hunger and drive that created Star Wars..and some new blood brought in to direct/ write could sure have helped bring that 'edge' back. He could produce, consult..whatever..but he's become what he struggled against in his youth..an in flexible corporation. Shame.

 

[Nwerke]

The only favor you've "done" me is the reminder and appreciation that I will never be so blatantly inconsiderate and selfishly destructive of the interests of others.

Oh, get over yourself. You would inflict the godawfulness of another three latter-day Star Wars movies on the world but it's US who are the inconsiderate and selfish ones? Gahhh! And it WOULD be another three, you know they only come in trilogies. Seven and a half hours of godawful, godawful crapola. And you think we should welcome that prospect.

Now, obviously, we don't have to go see them. And I wouldn't, I absolutely would not. But how am I going to avoid seeing the trailers, the random clips on Youtube, the stilted exchanges of dialogue, the sub-par production design, the crappy merchandising everywhere, etc? Some of that stuff would be around for the rest of my life. And it's gonna be like fingernails on a blackboard. So, who is the inconsiderate and selfish one again? I'll argue you suffer less from the world forgoing three more ****ty films than we would suffer from the world NOT forgoing them.

You know why he did it that way? Because that is how he made the original trilogy.

He didnt lose his touch, you just got older.

Get outta town. Star Wars and Empire are brilliant films. And if all three prequels were only as good as Jedi, they wouldn't rate the hatred they get.

Think about that. Expectations weren't that high. George only had to make movies as good as the Ewok one from the OT. And he couldn't.

If Lucas made another Star Wars movie, would you go see it?

I would.

Since I find the PTs actually unbearable, that's an easy AWW HELLZ NAWWW.

 

[Commander Max]

With him stepping out, perhaps there is a chance the original unedited SW could see the light of day in a modern format.

I do have an image of a LFL board meeting with a very old GL, ranting an raving about, "THAT FILM".
Board members saying, "yes George, what ever you want."

"He does that every meeting, we released the original SW years ago."
"We tell him that we keep making his requested changes."
"Last time he wanted to change Luke into a little girl from Kansas."
"We just showed the Wizard of Oz, he said he was so happy we left in the Ewoks."

 

[Colin Droidmilk]

Screw all of you naysayers, I like Jar Jar Binks. Meesa Likes that scene where he gets his tongue caught in the pod engine coupler beam and it goes numb...........of course I'm a dentist. LOL.

This did provide TPM with a good line for 3P0 - some putdown about 'that JarJar creature' iirc.

 

[spectre_general]

The difference between the OT and the PT isn't just nostalgia. I remember at the time they came out there was backlash and Lucas basically said "there was no way any movie could have met such unrealistic expectations".

But then Lord of the Rings came out, a series at least as anticipated and nostalgic as the prequels, and they were excellent movies that everyone loves.

So it's not impossible to meet high expectations, and nostalgia is not the problem the prequels have.

In fact I find it works in reverse, as nostalgia is why I am so forgiving of Indy IV.

I thought Lucas' response to fan outrage was the most interesting part:

When fanboys wailed, Lucas did not just hear the scream of young Jedis; he heard something like the voice of the studio... a voice telling him how to make a blockbuster. “On the Internet, all those same guys that are complaining I made a change are completely changing the movie... I’m saying: ‘Fine. But my movie, with my name on it, that says I did it, needs to be the way I want it.’ ”

It's not that he's surrounded by yes men so much as he is contrary. People (like me) wonder what happened to pre-1990 Lucas and what changed. This is him here, a stubborn, independent creator, for good or bad.

 

[Commander Max]

What I do not get is SW made his career. It made him a billionaire and a number of other projects and companies possible. What he did before SW only got his foot in the door. After that he took the reins and milked SW for just about everything it was worth. That was before the prequels, and the 97 re-release. Once he got the bug to alter the movies he didn't stop. Now he acts like the original that made him doesn't exist.

This displays a level of nuts that is hard to comprehend.

Where would he be today if SW didn't happen? He would be the guy that made American Graffiti, maybe he would have made some other hit. But by now nobody would know or care about GL.

He really needs to thank his fans for his success, after all if it wasn't for all of us. He would be nowhere.

Instead he belittles us, thanks a lot George. You know where you shove that lightsabre.

 

[hankey01]

People (like me) wonder what happened to pre-1990 Lucas and what changed.

"He is more machine now..than man. His mind is twisted and evil."

"Then <the creator of Star Wars> is truly dead."

 

[spectre_general]

If Lucas made another Star Wars movie, would you go see it?

I would.

I wouldn't, actually. Here's why!

Whether good or bad the movie, the article was right about just how overexposed it's all gotten. I'm sick of the watering down, and just want to lay low and forget about it all until hopefully at some point in a year or two, I can watch the originals again without all kinds of distracting stuff gunking it up for me.

For example, when I heard all six were coming out in 3D? I looked at my original taped off tv videos, and my remastered videos, and my special editions, and my prequels, and the dvds, and all I could think is that I just didn't want to give any more money to this.

Even if it was only the OT in 3D this year, I'm just not interested.

... unless it started with Lucas in a backward baseball cap rapping "Yo, OT 3D (yeah you know me!) and we'll show all three post-episode 3!" I'd go to that.

EDIT: PS, I'll also go to Red Tails, which looks amazing.

 

[Organic Mechanic]

Y'all are just terrible.

George Lucas is my friggin' hero, and I don't care who knows it. The man has made some of the best films I've ever seen, has all but created the effects industry, redefined marketing, and has turned all that into a god sized pile of money.

Haters gotta hate.

 

[hankey01]

Y'all are just terrible.

George Lucas is my friggin' hero, and I don't care who knows it. The man has made some of the best films I've ever seen, has all but created the effects industry, redefined marketing, and has turned all that into a god sized pile of money.

Haters gotta hate.

Do you like Jar Jar? Do you prefer Han Solo shooting second after Greedo misses from point blank? Do you like rocks that appear and disappear in front of R2?

Seems to me all people want are the films they LOVED, not these half modified jokes. Fans created his VAST empire by buying his merchandise and films..but he slaps us in the face by refusing to SELL us the very movies that made his wealthy. Do I hate Lucas?! No. Do I hate what he's done to films I loved?! YES!!!!

Show the fans some appreciation and give them what they are screaming for!!! Yes the prequels sucked...but he made a boatload of cash off us for those too.

They are not just HIS movies!! WE paid him!! They are not JUST HIS. They are film history and the belong to the fans too. If nobody paid to see Star Wars it would have ended there. Millions of fans paid their hard earned money again and again for a product they loved.

 

[Organic Mechanic]

Do you like Jar Jar? Do you prefer Han Solo shooting second after Greedo misses from point blank? Do you like rocks that appear and disappear in front of R2?

Seems to me all people want are the films they LOVED, not these half modified jokes. Fans created his VAST empire by buying his merchandise and films..but he slaps us in the face by refusing to SELL us the very movies that made his wealthy. Do I hate Lucas?! No. Do I hate what he's done to films I loved?! YES!!!!

Show the fans some appreciation and give them what they are screaming for!!!

Oh no. Don't mistake my intent. I expressed this same sentiment earlier in the thread.

This is why I haven't bought the BR yet. The DVD boxed sets w/ the OOT are perfect for my needs.

Would I like the OOT on BR? Damn straight. But those DVDs will play in a BR player too. So I ain't cryin'.

My comment was more directed at the degree of viciousness in some of the posts in this thread.

 

[dbalschi]

..but he slaps us in the face by refusing to SELL us the very movies that made his wealthy.

You could always just watch the dvd's from years ago. Heck, I still have my VHS boxed sets.

 

[tgreco]

you mean the non anamorphic versions from the laser discs that he stuffed under special features?
so not only can we get a black bar on the top and bottom, but now we can get it left and right too... .just the way they deserve to be seen.

 

[Organic Mechanic]

you mean the non anamorphic versions from the laser discs that he stuffed under special features? so not only can we get a black bar on the top and bottom, but now we can get it left and right too... .just the way they deserve to be seen.

1. They look great despite their format.
2. Who cares if they are called Special Features? They are the only things ON the special features disc. :lol
3. The top and bottom black bar has never bothered me. I never understood that complaint. As for getting bars on the sides, there is a solution. Get a 16:9 display.