George Lucas blames critics for killing Star Wars series

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  1. profile image0
    Stevennix2001posted 13 years ago

    According to MSN, George Lucas was emotionally hurt by various fans and critics who bashed his "Star Wars" prequels, and said that he felt somewhat betrayed by them; hence he's never going to make another "Star Wars" film again. 

    Who's to blame here?  George Lucas for not being able to take any honest criticism?  Or maybe we should blame him for the fact that if he had made the prequels good to begin with, then he wouldn't have this problem?

    Or do you firmly side with Lucas in that everyone was too harsh on his prequels, and it's the critics and Lucas' haters fault for not openly embracing his prequel movies as is? 

    Who's the the real bad guy here?  Does Lucas have a point?  Is he over reacting?  How do you feel?  Are you sad that Lucas won't make another new Star Wars film outside the ones already made?  Or do you simply don't care?

    Please discuss.  By the way, here's a link to know more: 


    http://movies.msn.com/paralleluniverse/ … y/feature/

    1. WryLilt profile image87
      WryLiltposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Um I thought that meant the series was finished, so it didn't matter?

      1. profile image0
        Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

        Well from my understanding, Lucas is upset by what people have been saying harsh things online about his Star Wars prequels that he's refusing to make any more Star Wars films in the future, so I guess fans that were hoping for a possible "Episode 7" or "Episode 8" are going to be very disappointed...

    2. Titen-Sxull profile image70
      Titen-Sxullposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I'm glad Lucas won't be ruining - I mean making - any other Star Wars films. Yes its true he's a large part of why the originals even exist but he's also a large part of why the prequels sucked (though it's not JUST Lucas' fault).

      I'm hoping that someday the rights to Star Wars will pass to someone better suited to directing. Then, and only then, will we have a sliver of hope of getting a new actually GOOD Star Wars film. Personally I don't think we NEED another Star Wars but I do think a Star Wars reboot or sequel, if made correctly, would definitely bring in an audience and win back some of the disgruntled fans.

      Right now I'm following Star Trek more closely, JJ Abrams definitely delivered a fun fast-paced first installment but now I'm hoping he'll mellow the characters out just a tad.

      1. profile image0
        Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

        Well to be honest, I'm really surprised George is acting so sensitive to all this, as one would assume that a filmmaker like himself would be used to criticism.  But then again, I haven't read all the negative comments that he's referring to, so they must've said some pretty harsh things to make him feel this way.  That or Lucas really needs to get his ego in check.

      2. vmartinezwilson profile image61
        vmartinezwilsonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

        I was going to say the same thing Titen.  I couldn't stand the last 3 movies...not one.  I actually liked that they added CGI to the original, but man, the new ones were weak in plot, acting and energy.

        It damn near sucked the life out of me watching it, especially watching the first where Amedala was a young woman and Anakin was a boy, then the next movie they're making out.  Yuck.  Grossed me the hell out.

        1. profile image0
          Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Yeah, I kind of felt the same way about the prequel trilogy too.  It almost seemed like Lucas was too busy focusing on the settings of the movie rather than focusing on the actual film itself if you know what I mean.


          lol  Well I don't know if this helps or not, but I know from talking to a few Star Wars experts, they say that Queen Amedala (the character, not the actress) is supposed to be like 14 years old, and Anakin is allegedly around 8 years old in episode 1.  And in episode two, Amedala is in her mid to early twenties, while Anakin is supposed to be like 18.  At least, that's what a lot of Star Wars fans tell me.  lollol  Anyway, I hope that helps.  smile

          1. vmartinezwilson profile image61
            vmartinezwilsonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I've been told that, but I'm such a visual person.  In the movie, no age is clarified and we all know Natalie Portman was a grown woman and that kid looked about 8, maybe 9.  Yuck.  I've never read any of the books, so it is safe to assume many filmgoers have not as well.  I know I'm not the only visual person out there.

            This is the same issue Harry Potter had.  I thought the last movie was great, but my husband (an avid HP reader and follower) thought there was  too much missing.  In that same vein, I thought part one missed character arc/growth, plot arc and climax.  His response?  But, it stayed pretty true to the book and Harry's growth was inside.  Well, I'm a film goer...I can't see inside, unless it's acted superbly and directed with precision.  It was a good movie, but I didn't see any inner growth, only turmoil. 

            It's the distinction between what we see and what we read.  Star Wars fans can say all they want about who is what age, but the film doesn't necessarily speak to that.  All they needed was one inference or another to Amedala's age other than her being young.  Coming from Senator Palpotine, that could mean anything under 25.  It means nothing.  If it's not  said or seen on the movie screen it isn't a fact, no matter what a book says.  How many times has a movie changed itself entirely for film and there is no explanation, yet it is obvious.  Interview With a Vampire comes to mind, Armand was a young redheaded boy for crying out loud.  But, not on film, because him lusting on Louie would have been gross.

            Now, I'm ranting, lol, lol

            1. profile image0
              msorenssonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

              I enjoyed reading your post..

            2. profile image0
              Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this



              Yeah, that's true.  You do bring up a lot of valid points there, as the age distiction in the prequel series should've been made a lot more clear in the movie prequels.  Plus, even if that was the case, I think the fact that Queen Amidala is an elected queen lacks a lot of logic if you think about it.  I mean what advanced civilization elects a fifteen year old as a freaking queen to rule over them?  I can understand if Amidala inherited her position at such a young age, but why elect someone that young?  If you ask me, the whole notion lacks of any kind of sensible logic. 



              lol Yeah, that's definitely true, as most film adaptations aren't always a 100 percent faithful to the source that it's almost expected.  I am glad you cited this though, as I think you brought up a lot of valid arguments.  Plus, unlike most Lucas bashers that foam at the mouth with nonsense, you seem to bring a lot of real criticism that explains why the prequels weren't good to begin with, as I can't say I disagree with anything you just said.

                 lol  Nah, rant away! lol j/k

    3. T B DeForge profile image59
      T B DeForgeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      There are films and film-makers. While the film-maker aka Lucas in this case cannot help but feel the film is his own, Star Wars is no more his film than this comment to your forum is mine. You can bash it, praise it, ignore it, whatever. Should I tak it so personally? Yes, I may want my comment to be profound and inspiring to you readers, but the point is I posted this comment for the happy readers of hubpages. That the origional Star Wars films are legendary is the result of praise of numorous filmgoers and critics. That the prequals fall short is the result of those same fans dissapointment of one thing or another. Had the prequals not been part of the Star Wars saga, fans would not have been half as upset. That reflects on the fans, not the films. In brief, I think both the negitive critics and Lucas have taken this a little too far.

      1. profile image0
        Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

        That's a very good observation there, and you may have a point.  i think on the one hand, one of the main problems why the prequels get so much criticism is because the original trilogy set the bar so phenomenally high that anything less than instant classic would be deemed a failure. 

        But on the other hand, I think Lucas needs to realize that even though he may not like the negative criticism that his prequels received, there's still a large fan base that still enjoys them all the same.  What about them?  Shouldn't their opinions matter too?  Or is Lucas only looking at the critics and negative opinions exclusively?  I, personally, didn't care for the prequels for various reasons, but I have met other people that genuinely loved them, and a lot of these same people even dared to put the prequel trilogy on par with the originals.  Do I agree with them?  No, but do I respect their opinions?  Certainly.  After all, who am I say they're wrong?

        I didn't like the Matrix trilogy, but I certainly wouldn't condemn anyone that loves that series. 

        Same thing with me and my love for the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and the "Harry Potter" franchise.  Both those series have been praised by film critics, won various awards (i.e. Return of the King winning best picture), and made a lot of money, yet there's still people to this day that say those franchises are pure garbage.  Alas, that's their opinion, but what makes their opinions about those franchise any more or less right than mine? 

        Therefore, I think Lucas needs to understand that just because there's a lot of people that genuinely hated the prequels, it doesn't necessarily mean that EVERYONE hated them; hence he's over reacting if you want my honest opinion.

        Having said that though, I do think that him stepping away from making anymore star wars films would be for the best though in the long run.  From what we saw in the prequels, it definitely seems like Lucas lost his touch as a filmmaker, and the prequels would've been better off if he had allowed someone else to handle it creatively.

    4. goosegreen profile image61
      goosegreenposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I think the stories are ok. The main issue is that the movies were dumbed down for a younger audience. The characters were overdone Anakin was annoying & Ja Ja was something out of a pantomime. The other actors were by & large quite solid.

  2. knolyourself profile image61
    knolyourselfposted 13 years ago

    My opinion three was enough and after that was just a trap. He should have gone back to making films like American Graffiti which is a great film.

    1. profile image0
      Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I don't disagree, but you can't really blame the guy for wanting to market a product as well as he has with Star Wars.

      1. vmartinezwilson profile image61
        vmartinezwilsonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

        I don't blame him for adding the new 3.  It was a smart move and kept the series fresh.  I do blame him for putting subpar product out there. 

        I think he's pretty pompous to rush 3 films out and then whine when everyone doesn't love it.  I'm sorry, but not everyone's going to love it.  Look at Avatar, another movie chocked full of special effects and great plot, even thought it is a variation of Fern Gully, it was well thought out and fully realized.  The sequel isn't even coming out until 2013 and they've already started preproduction on that bad boy in 2010.  I'm expecting a great film, because they are spending their time on it.

        Lucas should just realize this is the industry.  It is extremely critical when someone produces subpar work.  And let's face it, it is subpar work.  The new Star Wars MMORPG has better plot lines, dialogue and narrative flow than any of the last 3 films. 

        IMO, he wants people to plead with him to make more.  It's like my daughter whining that she's never going to play with her bff again because they were roughhousing and being too loud and I sent her bff home.  It's not true and don't waste my time with empty threats. If you're not...don't.  There's no need to tell me you're not, I wasn't pleased in the first place and don't care. 

        Same goes for Lucas, if he's not going to make any more, why tell all of us complaining about the movie...we don't care.  He sucked so badly at it last 3 times, why would I think it would be any better this time?  It's to get his fans rallying on his side.  He really needs to get over himself and make movies that are good and make him happy.  I criticize Spielberg all the time for doing it (because I love his directing, especially when  he does blockbuster action films), but I can't blame him for filming things he loves and interests him.  Not only does it make him happy, but his films are usually better for it.

        OK, i'm really done ranting now. lol

        1. profile image0
          Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this



          Again, I don't disagree with you on any of this.  However, I have been told that when Lucas first started his film career, he was surrounded mostly by company suck ups and "yes men" who pretty much fed his ego over the years. 

          As I mentioned in my hub about my feelings of Lucas re-releasing the film series in 3-d, I think one of the key things I noticed about Lucas is that if you ever watch how he conducts himself in interviews, during his early years, he seems to be very knowledgeable about films, and his style of directing was open to collaboration early on.  In fact, I think one of the brilliant things about the original trilogy is that makes great subtle references to other classic films of the past, while still remaining it's own creation. 

          However, when it comes to the prequels, it's kind of a different story.  The problem with them if you ask me is that for one, the original trilogy set the bar so phenomenally high that anything less than stellar would be deemed a disappointment by many.  Add in the fact that Lucas hasn't directed a film in years, and the fact that he had nothing but "yes men" surrounding him throughout his career, he naturally started to feel that he could do no wrong as a filmmaker; hence he feels that if his prequels are bad, it's not his fault for making poor quality films...  No, in his eyes, he thinks it's everyone else's fault.  Of course, this is exactly why Lucas never should've directed the prequels himself. 

          Don't get me wrong, he could've stayed on as a producer for those films, like he did with "Return of the Jedi" and "Empire Strikes Back", but I think if the prequels showed anything, it shows just truly out of touch Lucas is as a filmmaker.  On one of the videos that I have on my "Stars Wars 3-D" hub, I have this one video that shows a great contrast between the young george lucas and today's version. 

          In fact, here's the direct youtube link to it if you want to watch it yourself, as it's amazing how different Lucas was as a filmmaker, when he was younger, versus how he is now. 

          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rVKE_O-LAw





          Yeah, that's true.  That's the problem when you surround yourself with suck ups, as it makes a filmmaker lose touch with his audience over time; especially when they don't direct a movie in years. 

          If you ask me, I think the prequels would've been better off never being made.  Sure, there were a few moments that were good, but most of it was really subpar at best, as you said.  Kind of sad really, as I think the prequels could've been something special if left in the right hands.

          Well, as usual, you bring up a lot good points there, and I definitely agree with the analogy you used to describe George Lucas.  I think George Lucas should probably just stick to being a producer though if you ask me.  Heck, if anything, I'd argue that he's probably made a bigger impact as a producer than he ever has directing, so it's probably best if he steps aside for now.

          1. vmartinezwilson profile image61
            vmartinezwilsonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Well, for me, the directing wasn't what took the movie down.  It was the script.  he really took the movie down as well as the casting.  What I found interesting is that he wasn't involved with the new Star Wars MMORPG, which has a wonderful narrative and plot line base with an excellent script.  That says a lot about the whole fiasco to me. 

            And him not make more money off of Star Wars?  I'll believe it when I see it.  Every time new technology came out, every episode of Star Wars was re-released with limited edition this or that.  He has never shied away from selling his money maker. 

            As for those prequels, I didn't care for them. Any of them, but I do understand why he made them.  There was so much potential there.  He just needed to have someone else write it...that way, he could be objective about the script's standards.  Whose going to tell him it sucked monkey balls?  No one.  lol

            1. profile image0
              Stevennix2001posted 12 years agoin reply to this

              Oh I never said anything about the script being perfect, as that was another major problem with the prequels, as there were way too many plot holes if you ask me.  By the way, you should check out Mr. Popo's hubs on the first two star wars prequels, as he really nails all the flaws associated with those movies.

              http://mrpopo.hubpages.com/hub/In-a-Gal … plot-holes

              http://mrpopo.hubpages.com/hub/In-a-Gal … les-Part-2

  3. profile image0
    msorenssonposted 13 years ago

    He is an artist. Artists create for the pure pleasure of creating, but he also is a businessman...Above all else, he wants to be admired, and that his creation be admired as well...
    If he deems that his efforts are not appreciated, he can continue to create. I am sure he does and one of these days, he will again come up with something just as awesome if not more.

  4. Kangaroo_Jase profile image73
    Kangaroo_Jaseposted 13 years ago

    The first three films. .  .  . Good.  .   ... Good.

    The second three films . . . 'Take evasive action. . . . it's a trap!!!!!!'

    1. profile image0
      Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      lol

  5. Nickalooch profile image59
    Nickaloochposted 13 years ago

    I couldn't agree anymore with you Steve. His ego is downright appalling.

  6. JKenny profile image93
    JKennyposted 13 years ago

    Oh dear, poor George. I'm playing the worlds smallest violin. I'm glad that there won't be anymore Star Wars films made by Lucas, as he has shown that when he is in total creative control of a film, he makes a poor job of it. Ironically, the film widely regarded as the best of the whole series, 'The Empire Strikes Back' was the one that he had the least creative control over. You had the late Irvin Kershner, directing it, Gary Kurtz was the producer and Lawrence Kasdan wrote the screenplay.

  7. skinsman82000 profile image82
    skinsman82000posted 13 years ago

    Talk about taking your ball and going home.  If you're afraid of viewers criticizing your work, don't make movies.  I have a feeling that he's just using it as an excuse so the fans stop criticizing his work.  With the amount of money he makes from everything associated with each film, if he really wanted to make 3 more, I doubt fans saying something "sucks" would deter him.

  8. leahlefler profile image95
    leahleflerposted 13 years ago

    Jar Jar Binks.

    Really, George? Did you HAVE to subject us to that obnoxious character in ALL THREE prequels?

    I still love them, but Mr. Lucas should be able to take a few honest criticisms about his work.

    Also? Han shot first.

  9. Michael Willis profile image68
    Michael Willisposted 13 years ago

    It is tough to take such a movie classic as the original Star Wars Trilogy and go back to "before time of the trilogy" and make a new series.
    Plus...What was with the "video game" atmosphere of the NEW first three??? Especially the first New "back to the beginning" with Jar Jar Binks and all? I thought I was watching a tv commercial for an X-Box series coming out.

  10. skinsman82000 profile image82
    skinsman82000posted 13 years ago

    Check out the movie Fanboys about kids going to see The Phantom Menace in 1999.  They meet a guy with a huge Jar Jar tattoo.  Hilarious....

  11. mhope324 profile image60
    mhope324posted 13 years ago

    If Mr. Lucas was so hurt by the criticism, he would have NEVER released the Phantom Menance in 3D, which comes out next week. In the end, it's all about money, and as long as the money is flowing, Mr. Lucas will keep schlepping this god awful first prequel. He needs to be sorry for the awful reviews Red tails is getting, even though he did not direct it.

    btw...it's Jar Jar everyone hates the most....sorry George Lucas!

  12. JKenny profile image93
    JKennyposted 13 years ago

    I watched 'Half in the Bag' by Red Letter Media on youtube- where they talked about Red Tails. They showed a few clips, and it looks awful. Lucas may not have directed it, but you can tell he had the final say. Some of the dialogue was just as clumsy as the Star Wars prequels. I won't be seeing it when it comes out.

  13. waynet profile image70
    waynetposted 13 years ago

    Really they should have done direct sequels to the originals and not have all that bollocks with Anakin Skywalker and the cheesey relationship with Amadala. Just think what they could have done after the original stories I mean the stories actually continued on in comic book form and there was some excellent stories in them.

    I remember when there was fans all touting for Peter Jackson to direct Episode 3, because they though he would have done a better job and that speaks volumes to me. Young Anakin was a little brat and even when he was an older Anakin he was still a selfish brat with a whiny voice that just pissed me off....The only great thing to come out of the prequels was the Emperor, at least he was consistent, the rest was a jumbled mess really.

    George Lucas really is best off being a producer and let someone else bring about the magic of any future Star Wars projects....Wasn't there talk of a live action tv series or something?

    1. profile image0
      Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      There was, but it's been put on indefinite hiatus at the moment.  According to Lucas, the production value of the show would be equal to that of what we've seen in the movies; hence it wouldn't be economically practical.  Therefore, according to Lucas' exact words, he says he won't make the live action series until he can get the same level of visual production value that the prequels had, while spending maybe like an eighth of the cost...if that makes sense...

      1. waynet profile image70
        waynetposted 13 years agoin reply to this

        That probably backs up the fact that he cares more about the look of the show than the story....George Lucas is a character for sure! With all his millions he could make it....he's just crying cos of the criticism.

        1. profile image0
          Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Yea, but what can you do?  From what know about lucas, he's the type of guy that'll do things however the the hell he wants, without really considering what the fans want from him. 

          As far as special effects go, I think Lucas should refer back to when he was younger where he said, "A special effect is just a tool.  A means of telling a story.  A special effect without a story is a very boring thing."  It seems that Lucas forgot that over the years...

  14. Bill Yovino profile image80
    Bill Yovinoposted 13 years ago

    Bad script, bad acting, over-reliance on special effects.

    1. skinsman82000 profile image82
      skinsman82000posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      you just described 80% of movies being made today, haha.

      1. Bill Yovino profile image80
        Bill Yovinoposted 13 years agoin reply to this

        Sad, but true.

 
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