People keep asking me if I'm going this weekend to see the final installment of the Star Wars prequels. Probably not. Yes, I'll see it eventually, and probably while it's still in theaters. But I'm in no hurry.
I'll acknowledge that George Lucas is a good storyteller, but he is by no means a good director. And the nostalgia for the original Star Wars films - I still remember going to see Return of the Jedi in the theater with my family, and when the original Star Wars came out, it was the first time that my parents hired a babysitter for me - means that many of us who remember the original films fondly feel obligated to see the new films.
Fine, except for this unfortunate detail - the new movies just haven't been very good so far. The early reviews indicate that the third film is markedly better, but comparing it to the first 2 prequels, that's a low bar to clear. Lucas takes actors like Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen, who have turned in good performances in other films, and turns them into cardboard. Only Ewan McGregor seems immune from being compressed by Lucas into a 2-D construct 'acting' against a blue screen (or green, or whatever they use these days). Ever wonder what the original films would have been like without Harrison Ford? Without his Han Solo, would we hold those movies in such high regard? Maybe. But take Ewan McGregor out of this series, and I'm not sure if the first two movies are even watchable.
The Star Wars saga tells a fantastic story, simplistic at times, but still engaging. George Lucas isn'ty the the storyteller that Tolkien is, but may be the closest thing to him in the realm of sci-fi filmmaking. But he's nowhere near Peter Jackson, Ridley Scott, Spielberg, Mel Gibson, or these guys when it comes to directing the epic film. I really wish he would have entrusted the directing duties to someone else. I'm out $15 to $20 after the first two movies, and I can't say that it was worth it. But I'll fork over my money for the third installment all the same. You're robbing us blind, George! At least make the 7th, 8th and 9th episodes, to make up for these last three films, OK?
1 comment:
Lis sez:
Oh, George needs an editor waaaay worse than he needs somebody to direct. (Although, is Lawrence Kasdan doing anything these days?? He did Empire, didn't he?) He also needs somebody to smack him upside the head and lecture him on believable motivation.
Sith is okay-ish. Ultimately it sucks just as much as Clones did, but we forgive it that because we can actually see where the story is starting to connect up.
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