George Lucas - Why the Vitriol?

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by crookeddy, Jul 29, 2013.

  1. J.T.B.

    J.T.B. Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Obviously.

    A reasonable defense would be here are the reasons why, here are the advantages, here are the practical considerations. A simple declaration of personal preference is not generally regarded as a sound argument.

    If you read back in the thread I don't think I or anyone else claimed otherwise. What I am discussing is whether that position is beneficial to the history of the films.
     
  2. 137th Gebirg

    137th Gebirg Admiral Premium Member

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    Why do I feel like I just sat down in the Argument Clinic all of a sudden?
     
  3. Sindatur

    Sindatur The Gray Owl Wizard Admiral

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    When did this happen?

    Episode 1 Budget = $115M Box office Domestic $431M/Box Office World Wide Over $1Billion
    Episode 2 Budget = $115M Domestic $302M/Worldwide $649M
    Episode 3 Budget = $113M Domestic $380M/Worldwide $848M

    3 movies that cost a combined total of less than $350M, made $1.5B. Damn, I wish someone would kill my finances in the same manner. The Domestic Box Office alone was enough to make a profit and keep the Franchise alive
     
  4. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Premium Member

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    Then you factor in sales to cable, home video and merchandising and I'd say Lucas made a killing on the prequel trilogy.

    While fans, like myself, were screaming about Jar-Jar, it was a savvy move by Lucas. A character that was going to draw in younger audiences.
     
  5. 137th Gebirg

    137th Gebirg Admiral Premium Member

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    So then what you're saying is that George Lucas is the poster boy for being a profound sell-out, by generating such a character at the cost of good storytelling, just for the younger demographic to fill theater seats? While it may be profitable, this only serves to potentially alienate a strong fan-base.

    But then again, who am I kidding? Trek in general, and Abrams in particular have been accused of doing this over and over for years and people still keep coming back for more.

    Common sense isn't.

    :shrug:
     
  6. Gaith

    Gaith Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Right, because if there's anything family-ticket-dragging, toy-buying young boys hate, it's spaceships and laser swords and weird alien creatues and boy heroes. :p

    If anything, Jar Jar probably cost the PT a bit in thwarted repeat TPM ticket purchases. Surely his hugely lessened presence in the following two movies speaks for itself. ;)
     
  7. J.T.B.

    J.T.B. Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    That's a good point, but I can easily picture an "Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie"-style marketing meeting where they rhapsodized about the benefits of bringing a funny cartoon-like character to the franchise. In fact, in that Simpsons ep didn't one of them say they needed to "Rasta-fy" the character by a certain factor? Rasta, Jamaican accent...

    But that's not to say that it wasn't a valid choice for Lucas to make. He's responsible for a lot of money and a lot of jobs, and maximizing profits is the name of the game. It's not conducive to good filmmaking, IMO, but I understand it.
     
  8. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Premium Member

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    It did a billion dollars worldwide. Whose to say that less Jar-Jar isn't the reason the other two films brought in less money? :techman:
     
  9. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

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    I'm not debating which version should be preserved from a hisotical point of view, merely that as long as he has creative control over the films he can do what he likes with them. If we don't like it we can choose not to watch it/ buy it etc..
     
  10. JarodRussell

    JarodRussell Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Like boycotting would change anything. People are not unhappy with a product that exists, they are unhappy that a certain product does not exist at all. You can't vote with your wallet on that one. You won't get your local city to invest in busses by not taking the train.
     
  11. Set Harth

    Set Harth Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I know a guy who saw it 9 times, but I know that's not likely to be representative of the general population. :alienblush:
     
  12. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    And we have the right to dislike him for exercising those rights in the manner that he does...hence this thread topic.
     
  13. J.T.B.

    J.T.B. Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    OK, but the post you were replying to in #93 was specifically about the historical aspect.
     
  14. Locutus of Bored

    Locutus of Bored Yo, Dawg! I Heard You Like Avatars... In Memoriam

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    I saw TPM 13 times when it came out. Granted, I had a theater right by my house at the time and a friend who would get me discount tickets, but still, I saw it a lot of times even with my misgivings about parts of it.
     
  15. Set Harth

    Set Harth Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I think the thrill of there being a new SW film, warts and all, had a lot to do with it.

    I like to say I saw it 3 times in the theater, but it might possibly have been 4. I honestly can't remember, but I lean toward 3 because I know specifically where each of those took place.

    When the DVD first came out I watched it so many times a family member said, "I think you have a problem".
     
  16. trevanian

    trevanian Rear Admiral

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    JarJar didn't do wonders for ancillary stuff either. I was at CINEFEX at the time, and we pushed that issue -- the whole issue was TPM -- up a full month (only time I recall that ever happening there) to get the issue out while the movie was in release. Basically killed the sales on the previous issue by shortchanging it, figuring this TPM would sell out like the TITANIC whole-issue coverage.

    Well, the issue did NOT go like gangbusters, even with an extra month on the newsstands, and I think a big reason was the custom cover they did for us -- a JarJar closeup. Man, EVERYbody knew you needed spaceships or a light saber fight on the cover to scream STAR WARS, yet Lucas and ILM did the mag the favor of highrez Jarjar. Blehh!

    By way of comparison, the next issue was a MATRIX cover story that did VERY well indeed ... and was a great damn cover of the docbot
     
  17. TREK_GOD_1

    TREK_GOD_1 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Box office does not mean the films were great. The OT is still held in high regard by many--something that began as the films were in theatres. Can anyone say the same of the prequels?

    What--exactly--is of any value in the video gamey prequels? The poor characterization? The overdoses of painfully choreographed lightsaber fights which had no heart? Portman's terrible acting? The Jedi made to look like easily fooled dopes?

    What?
     
  18. sidious618

    sidious618 Admiral Admiral

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    Lucas did not almost ruin the franchise because fans didn't like the films. They did very well and the property is alive and thriving. Whether you liked the films is irrelevant.
     
  19. Melakon

    Melakon Admiral In Memoriam

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    I'm disappointed that Lucas apparently became trapped by his own creation. He tried to do other things, but the only thing that kept the money rolling in was Star Wars. It's a tragedy when compared with his early promise. The student project version of THX-1138 even got mentioned on network news magazines at the time.
     
  20. Set Harth

    Set Harth Vice Admiral Admiral

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    read: not omniscient