Why don't I like Star Wars? (no spoilers)

[gentle_dissident]

I was impatient for 3 to end.

The last part of 3 the weak point in the galaxy. I hope it gets an update. At least it has a fierce battle.

[Hydra009]

The problem with 1-3 for me was we knew where they were going, we knew how things turned out.

That's the key problem with prequels.  There's no surprise because we already know how they'll turn out.  Offhand, I don't recall many that were actually very good.  X-Men First Class, I suppose.  That one at least had a bunch of characters that weren't in the other X-Men movies to provide some novelty and surprise.

Prequels do badly for another reason as well.  Prequels get made because there's an established franchise (which may have already hit its high water mark) with a need for new content but the writers are unwilling or unable to do a sequel.  Maybe the main character dies.  Maybe the conflict was wrapped up just a tad too tidily.  So what do you do?  Prequels!  The snag is that the setting/characters are less advanced - future developments haven't happened yet, the technology is more primitive, and the characters are less developed.  That badass you liked from the first film? Pre-badass.  That cool starship outfitted with the latest plasma weapons?  Those don't exist yet.  Basically, you have to sell the audience a world where most of the cool stuff that they liked is gone.  It's so hard to do prequels well, it's no wonder they tend to be bad.

[gentle_dissident]

That one at least had a bunch of characters that weren't in the other X-Men movies to provide some novelty and surprise.

Sounds like SWEP1.

Weren't we told a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, that the the prequels were eventually coming? I think they did alright. There's a lot of animosity for the CGI, but I enjoy the artwork. Sometimes the physical props get dismissed because it's assumed they're CGI. The lack of physical craftsmanship turned some people off. Myself, I enjoy the show.

Don't get me wrong, I was one of those hoping Disney would buy Lucasfilm and make the last 3 with minimal CGI. Now, if Disney could save Nintendo....

[Hydra009]

Sounds like SWEP1.

Weren't we told a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, that the the prequels were eventually coming? I think they did alright. There's a lot of animosity for the CGI, but I enjoy the artwork. Sometimes the physical props get dismissed because it's assumed they're CGI. The lack of physical craftsmanship turned some people off. Myself, I enjoy the show.

They did alright?  Are you saying what I think you're saying?



Imo, it's not really the CGI that sunk it - though Lucas sure loves to insert that stuff willy-nilly, distracting from scenes rather than adding to them - it was the poor writing.  A lot of the characters were awful - especially in the dialogue department - and the plot was horrid, mandating idiocy for much of the cast.

[Sargon The Grape]

Not to mention, Lucas didn't even use his actors' performances in those movies. Watch Hayden's face in this shot. See that "morphing" he goes through? Multiple takes were composited into that one shot.

https://gfycat.com/EthicalCapitalAmmonite

[Munch]

Lucas isn't the fantasy genius everyone thinks he is, he just got lucky the first time.

[trdsf]

Lucas isn't the fantasy genius everyone thinks he is, he just got lucky the first time.

Oh, the original movie was quite deliberate, not a matter of luck -- Lucas dug into Joseph Cambpell and deliberately aimed for every button he could.  That's why it worked.

Also, he can't have known going in that he was creating a blockbuster (although he probably hoped he was), so he was free to just make the movie.  He didn't have to look over his shoulder at a marketing behemoth that needed to be both fed and protected.

[gentle_dissident]

Perhaps we can all agree that the prequels were a disaster unfolding.

[Rahim17]

lol you know what I don't understand? Walking into the theatre to pick up our tickets May 18th this group of 20 y/o girls is walking by and they say, "what is Star Wars anyways?" and another replies, "I think it's about aliens fighting or something..."

If you don't like it that's fine, but how do you spend 20 years on Earth without knowing what it is?

[SGOS]

I watched the Firefly episodes after seeing "Serenity" and without any foreknowledge of the material. I liked the movie and the early episodes of the TV show, but they couldn't hold the overarching theme very long. Pity, it had potential. Or maybe that was all there was to say about those guys?

I saw Serenity under the same circumstances.  I had never heard of Firefly.  Serenity at first, just seemed like another "almost made it" Sci Fi attempt.  I had some problems believing in Reevers, but something else grabbed me at an unconscious level, I suppose.  About a year later, I remember being haunted by something undefinable about a movie that I couldn't even remember the name of.  I just wanted another look, and through some creative googling descibing plot parts, I was able to actually identify the movie by name.  So I rented it again.  Then I bought the DVD for my own.

A few years later, a new girlfriend told me it was a wrap up done to satisfy the unquenched thirst of a large following of ardent fans, who created a shit storm when something called Firefly was put on the chopping block by a network boardroom.  There were write in campaigns complaining it wasn't given a fair chance and aired at inappropriate times for the content, but management dropped it.  She bought me a copy of the series, which barely amounted to a year of episodes, but I was taken.  Later I bought another set in Blu-ray.  I think there was much more for the series to develop and explore.

It was my first exposure to Director, Joss Whedon, who I decided was a Sci Fi genius, although he's directed some other strange, but interesting, things too.  I was amazed at the first Avengers film, which surpassed my expectations, and during the credits at the theater, it identified Joss Whedon as the Director, which of course, I took as explaining everything that delighted me so much about the Avengers.  I thought Whedon had dropped off the map with the demise of Firefly.  I'm grateful that he didn't.  I enjoy his irreverent treatment of religion, although he treats Firefly's Preacher Man with a great deal of compassion and respect.

[Hydra009]

Yeah, I love a lot of Whedon's stuff.  Buffy, Angel, Firefly/Serenity, Dr Horrible, The Avengers.  He has a knack for witty dialogue, quirky bands of heroes fighting against almost impossible odds, and killing off beloved characters (usually not the lead, but someone very close to the lead).  He also loves ruining some fan theories.

I like how in his stuff, most of the characters aren't particularly religious.

[SGOS]

Yeah, I love a lot of Whedon's stuff.  Buffy, Angel, Firefly/Serenity, Dr Horrible, The Avengers.  He has a knack for witty dialogue, quirky bands of heroes fighting against almost impossible odds, and killing off beloved characters (usually not the lead, but someone very close to the lead).  He also loves ruining some fan theories.

I like how in his stuff, most of the characters aren't particularly religious.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog was fascinating, but it was too far out there to ever be more than a cult classic.  I don't think I've ever seen anything like it.  I don't know what Whedon was shooting for, but it was strange.  And then there was Summer Glau in her River Tam character who shredded the Preacher's Bible by literally cutting out all the things that didn't make sense.  When he protested, holding a handful of shredded paper, she told him his Bible was broken, and she had fixed it for him.   

[gentle_dissident]

I like how in his stuff, most of the characters aren't particularly religious.

It seems that in sci fi, religion is a topic to be explored and not paraded as a real thing to take with you after the story has played out. Having said that, may the Force be with you.

[SGOS]

It seems that in sci fi, religion is a topic to be explored and not paraded as a real thing to take with you after the story has played out.

Exactly

Having said that, may the Force be with you.

And with you.

[Baruch]

It seems that in sci fi, religion is a topic to be explored and not paraded as a real thing to take with you after the story has played out. Having said that, may the Force be with you.

In Babylon Five, the Catholic church was still around, running a monastery in the interstices of the station, and even in the distant future (500 years later) it was still around on Earth post apocalypse.  More realistic than most scifi ... which I find to be atheist wet dreams.