Recently, I went through all eight SW films in a single sitting (not the ninth since it hasnt come out on disk yet), and when I got finished, the biggest question in my mind was, Why have people turned this into a cult thing? There's no real storyline once you get away from "Episode 4", just retreads. Episodes 1-3 are laughably written and acted. Episodes 5 and 6 totally took 4 away from its Saturday-afternoon-serial-sendup roots. And 7 and 8 are just weak. So why is this such a phenomenon? Was everyone that desperate for something to love?
People do enjoy letting familiar stories continue - witness the Star Wars, Star Trek, DC Comics, Mission Impossible, Bourne Identity, and countless other series. This, even if the writers would be better off coming up with their own original universes (I'm looking at you, 2009 Star Trek prequel). Devising backstory for prequels risks creating more questions than are answered; I don't know anyone who liked SW episode 1. At the other end, winding up these complicated, strung-out stories usually proves disappointing (viz. Game of Thrones). But MARKETING!
Recently, I went through all eight SW films in a single sitting (not the ninth since it hasnt come out on disk yet), and when I got finished, the biggest question in my mind was, Why have people turned this into a cult thing? There's no real storyline once you get away from "Episode 4", just retreads. Episodes 1-3 are laughably written and acted. Episodes 5 and 6 totally took 4 away from its Saturday-afternoon-serial-sendup roots. And 7 and 8 are just weak. So why is this such a phenomenon? Was everyone that desperate for something to love?
ReplyDeletePeople do enjoy letting familiar stories continue - witness the Star Wars, Star Trek, DC Comics, Mission Impossible, Bourne Identity, and countless other series. This, even if the writers would be better off coming up with their own original universes (I'm looking at you, 2009 Star Trek prequel).
ReplyDeleteDevising backstory for prequels risks creating more questions than are answered; I don't know anyone who liked SW episode 1. At the other end, winding up these complicated, strung-out stories usually proves disappointing (viz. Game of Thrones).
But MARKETING!