Nothing but Star Wars

I said I'd post this the other day but really didn't have the time or mental focus to get to it. As a fan of about a million of the geeky pursuits in the world it is inevitable that I would have some thoughts on Star Wars.



Honestly any true American has seen at least ONE of these films and if you haven't... well go back to 1970s Russia you commie! Damn red menace. Well it's well known that there is an "original" trilogy which actually covers the fourth through sixth chapters. Then in the 90s and early 00s there was a second prequel trilogy. The original trilogy is considered a cinematic classic and well those movies should be. Working with at the time state of the art graphics and building a story based on old samurai movies they were unlike anything that had been available to the public. So they came into the public awareness and became the first true blockbusters in the movie industry. The awesomeness of these movies allows them to be enjoyed 30 years later by people born two generations after the initial releases.

That's enough about that shit. The prequel trilogy was, unquestionably, unable to live up to the high standard of the first trilogy. The characters weren't as good, the acting was decent at best, the dialogue was atrocious. It just wasn't the same, though by the third movie the tone of the series was back.

Well before I spend too much time talking about this junk I want to get straight to my points. I have a small list about what I like about the series and what I hate about the series. I'll try not to get too deep with my descriptions as it cannot be received well. If you don't like the series you won't want to hear any of it, if you do like it then you'll probably just want to argue incessantly to my annoyance. I'll keep it relatively short for everybody's sake.

POSITIVE
The storytelling - The original trilogy, the first movie in particular, is based heavily on old samurai movies. That's something that sets it apart from other sci-fi space movies that are based on a tired format. The characters worked in the setting and everything moved along at a great pace.

The prequel trilogy was really just a set up for the older movies, oddly enough, but it accomplished it effectively. While all three movies were weaker and less unique than the original movies they managed to set the story up perfectly.

NEGATIVE
The Hardcore Fans - Insufferable at best the hardcore fans are a huge downer. They take Star Wars so seriously that it has taken over their life to a frightening degree. They are more well versed in the fake lore of Star Wars than in anything in the real world. They can be abrasive when trying to make a point or communicate to a normal person about the series. They have formed deep opinions on the series and won't listen to anything else.

POSITIVE
KOTOR - Knights of the Old Republic was a collection of two games for the PC and XBOX. RPGs in the western sense KOTOR was immensely fun and open. The first game had one of the greatest twists in gaming history! In both you become a Jedi and must decide between dark side or light side which was really fun. The combat system would be familiar to anyone that played Final Fantasy XII as it's practically the same, just less refined. Waited for years to hear of a third one only to find out it's an MMO. So the series is effectively done, but it was the best Star Wars gaming experience yet.

NEGATIVE
Touch Ups - In the late 90s George Lucas, Mr. Star Wars himself, released "special edition" versions of all three original movies. He later expressed that he will continue updating the movies as technology improves. This caused a lot of controversy since so many people loved what the movies were. Director's always have a special cut, but to keep updating after 20-30 years is odd. I think the inclusion of modern effects next to 70s effects comes across awkward and takes away from the experience. AND HAN SHOT FIRST! It's way more badass that way. To go back and change something so small is fucking awful. Fucking moving on.

POSITIVE
Han Solo - Harrison Ford is a damn fine actor and in the late 70s into the 80s he produced some of the best performances in adventure movies. His portrayal of Han Solo is memorable because he played the guy so damn cool. You couldn't dislike this guy even through has dickishness. Han is THE man.

NEGATIVE
The Expanded Universe - UGH! I could write for days about this. The expanded universe is the intellectual property of the Star Wars universe. That means it's all the novels, comics, and pen and paper stuff. While the movies were clearly thought out with a particular path the expanded universe stuff is completely directionless. It's the worst science fiction writers with the most unoriginal ideas writing for characters they didn't create. The emperor reborn as a clone, a new character that constantly upstages the movie characters, the Empire played out 20 or 30 times and a super powerful alien invasion are just some of the crap they came up with. I read some of the books as a kid and even then I could tell how bad they were. Star Wars is popular and would always live on, but most of the expanded universe stuff just reads like bad fan fiction.

NEGATIVE
Prequel Trilogy ruins the Force - Everyone loves the force. It was the magical powers the Jedi used. It gave you the ability to do stuff like shoot lightning out of your fingertips and control people's thoughts. It was mystic and secretive in the original trilogy. The aura of the force as an ever present, mysterious power was captivating! But then the new movies came along and made it all boring and scientific, de-mystifying one of the coolest things about the Jedi. MIDICHLORIANS MY LEFT ASSHOLE!!

I don't feel like writing about Star Wars anymore. I could talk about all the little details that make Star Wars so awesome (the scroll, lightsabers, Leia's bikini) but most of those would be beating a dead horse. If you know Star Wars you know the little stuff. You know it's pop culture influence. The more you think about it, though, the more you become like one of THEM. My final thought is that the movies should be watched 4-6, then 1-3 and that's it. Leave it at that. Just enjoy the movies, but don't make it the focus of your life. Or do, I don't care.

My link of the post is the Wookieepedia which is a Star Wars wiki. If you want to see how in depth these fans take their Star Wars universe just look here. It's a huge resource for every little detail ever mentioned in anything ever related to Star Wars. From some obscure Jedi mentioned in a book 20 years ago to Darth Vader it's all covered here in excruciating detail. I'd say go look at it, but for your very soul please don't!