George Lucas and The Kingdom of Crushed Dreams

Okay, first of all I'm back and ready to return to the business of blogging.

Second of all, let me jump on the bandwagon here and start putting in my own two cents worth on the following:

What is the deal with George Lucas? Is he evil or not?

Before I get into this, let us put this whole thing into perspective. He started out just like any other USC film graduate with a dream - he wanted to make movies, just like his contemporary Francis Ford Coppola and Little Stevie Spielberg (though Steve went to a different alma mater, but never mind). And George IS the man who brought such films to life as THX-1138 (which I have the 2-disc edition of and it is wonderful, TYVM) and American Graffiti, both classics and worthy of watching regularly.

It isn't his fault that what he is best known for is that crazy story on his weathered, crinkled old yellow legal pad about a boy, a girl and a whole universe. After all, we sallied forth to our local theaters time and again to watch it and bought all the merchandise that came out. Hey, I still have all my old Star Wars drink glasses from Burger King. Don't you?

As he got older, though, I do think that he lost that same touch he had for a story that he had way back when. I could live with the Ewoks, Yoda's funny speech pattern and I can even forgive The Star Wars Holiday Special (So I like it - come on, fight me).

What I CANNOT forgive is his lapses in judgment in trying to explain away everything that made the first series of films (i.e., Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi) so magical and so entertaining.

*Did we really need to have midi-chlorians introduced?

*Was Jar Jar Binks really necessary?

*Did the courtship of Anakin Skywaker and Padme have to be so treacly and sweet?

*Did Darth Maul have to have such a small part? And what about Count Dooku?

*What was with General Grievous' Eastern Ukranian accent?

*Did we need to have so many disparate changes in the "Special Editions" of the original movies?

*And why the chapter notations (Star Wars now being know as Chapter IV: A New Hope, Empire as Chapter V and so on); couldn't we just have the subtitles in the beginning and be done with it?

I don't know; maybe now that Lucas is sitting on the pile of money he made from the merchandising deals he cut with the Star Wars series he feels he can churn out anything that has the same characters and his blessing (The Clone Wars, anyone?) and not have to expend too much effort on it. After all, it'll just be that much more money in his pocket to spend on Skywalker Ranch and his next "brilliant idea".

After all, I don't think it was Spielberg's idea to put cute prairie dogs in the last Indiana Jones flick.

I guess he just doesn't feel like cowtowing to his core audience anymore. But what does he feel like doing? After all, if you ignore the people who got you where you are now, what does that do to your credibility in any future endeavor?

Just think about Lucas' output after 1977: can anyone remember anything else he did that wasn't Star Wars-related? Oh sure; he was responsible for helping Spielberg create the Indiana Jones film (and "Young Indiana Jones" TV series) juggernaut, he wrote the story for that 3-D Captain Eo thing that was at DisneyLand (or -World or whatever) for a few years, he wrote the story for Willow (which should have been a harbinger for things to come, methinks), but what else?

In the end, we should be happy that someone has had a successful career doing something that they love. But what if what they love doing one day becomes a business? A franchise? A billion-dollar-a-year enterprise with lawyers and executive boards and everything? Do they suddenly become a jerk in everyone's eyes? Not necessarily, but if they lose sight of that special talent that got them where they are to begin with, then - I say - yes.

It's not too late for George Lucas; he could change his mind and get back to basics for those mythical last three Star Wars films he promised way back in the beginning, introduce whole new ideas and begin just one more mythical journey that makes us all feel like kids again...or he could pull another chintzy, slap-dash burlesque that makes the Emperor lose just another piece of his clothing.

Everyone seems to expect the latter anymore. And I can't blame them. But maybe - just maybe, mind you - I'll be the one who sits in the back, away from the rabid throng of bandwagon-jumpers denouncing their once-revered messiah, drinking from my Luke Skywalker glass, hoping for the day when I can see a post-1983 LucasFilm logo on the screen and no longer feel a sense of dread.

Until that day comes, however, I'll thank you to keep your midi-chlorians away from me, thank you very much, Mr. Lucas; and take Jar-Jar with you.

Dope out.

-TGWD