............... even so, do you think you could still write a better love story than George Lucas?
[Question directed at Bill]
[Question directed at Bill]
Question to those most disappointed with the SW prequels
- Thread starter suarezguy
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Much of the Lucas universe derives from ancient myth and archetypes more than modern literature such as Dune or sci-fi such as 2001 and Star Trek, though I'm certain that one and fairly sure at least two of those had profound influence on the crafting of the SW universe and the characters.
Lucas was more about Joseph Campbell and the ancient Greek writers than he was Frank Herbert.
Lucas was more about Joseph Campbell and the ancient Greek writers than he was Frank Herbert.
Maybe so, but there's a lot of DUNE in A NEW HOPE ... "spice," in fact is actually mentioned, by name.
Thanks for that Ancient Mariner, I had forgotten about that moment.. and there are probably other little moments that we can deduce a psychic connection between the two in the movies. I'm thinking about how fandom subtexts everything out the wazoo with most things and sees connections and tension and all kinds of stuff between characters that was often not written there in the first place. So why can't we see clearly the bond that Anakin and Padme seemingly do have, as intended by Lucas? Why isn't it a big part of the story? I think if Anakin had been a sympathetic and charismatic bad boy we wouldn't be struggling to see what was (presumably) intended to be evident, it would come naturally as part of the undercurrent of a great romance.
That's the bit that is missing. A great romance
That's the bit that is missing. A great romance
I've always liked the original Logan's Run. Omit some of the painful mid-'70s cheesiness and wildly dated elements and it's a prime example of what seventies sci-fi and fantasy filmmaking got right. A couple of the original Apes sequels were amazing.
Honestly? I don't know. I do know that no one is breaking down my door to pay me to find out though.
But is it really the writing, or the directing, or the acting, or a combination of all three that make the Anakin/Padme romance so poor?
Wasn't George Lucas involved in Willow? There was a nicely handled romance in that one, as I recall ... between Val Kilmer and some chick who looked like a female Michael Jackson.
For some reason I'm a Beneath groupie.
2takesfrakes said:
Madmartigan/Sorsha got repurposed for the SW book Heir to the Empire as the Luke/Mara thing.
Joanna Whaley looks nothing like Michael Jackson.
You do realize there are plenty of legitimate reasons to criticize Star Wars, and not just the prequels, without having to invent any, right?
For the most part I agree. And I know a great deal of the dialogue between Anakin and Padme can be easily dismissed as poorly or clumsily written. However, there are a couple of moments where I think Lucas gets it right. Anakin's reaction to being a father is one of them. The other is a scene that is oft-maligned, but I think really "gets" the whole madly, crazily, stupidly in love banter that a couple can have: The balcony "You are so beautiful" scene in RotS. It's cheesy, corny and absolutely the kind of conversation that can happen when two people are in an all-consuming love. That moment works - but people react poorly to it because it's the kind of sickeningly sweet nonsense people in love can say to one another that makes the rest of us (or at least some of us) simultaneously say, "yuck" and "I wish I was that in love".I think if Anakin had been a sympathetic and charismatic bad boy we wouldn't be struggling to see what was (presumably) intended to be evident, it would come naturally as part of the undercurrent of a great romance.
That's the bit that is missing. A great romance
Or a Krayt Dragon.
Why can't Disney just reboot the prequels? I would be all for that and I'm certain others would be, as well. Just ... do 'em over! I'll go see it ...
Honestly? I don't know. I do know that no one is breaking down my door to pay me to find out though.
But is it really the writing, or the directing, or the acting, or a combination of all three that make the Anakin/Padme romance so poor?
I still don't know where all this DUNE stuff is going. Spice? Okay. Maybe. But the word spice and spices' collective value as a traded commodity goes back many centuries here on Earth, so it may have had nothing to do with Frank Herbert. At all.
Remember, Lucas immersed himself in history and mythology and I don't think we can just say that Han dumping a spice shipment meant for Jabba is any proof that DUNE is directly referenced. If it was, fine. Cool. But....where's the evidence, though? And does it matter?
Remember, Lucas immersed himself in history and mythology and I don't think we can just say that Han dumping a spice shipment meant for Jabba is any proof that DUNE is directly referenced. If it was, fine. Cool. But....where's the evidence, though? And does it matter?
There's also the whole desert planet thing, and a few other vague connections. ( I'm thinking of a long post I saw on another site a few years ago. )
And if you want to take it to ROTJ: Jabba, perhaps more so in the concept art stage, bears a similarity to a certain character from the Dune mythos...
And if you want to take it to ROTJ: Jabba, perhaps more so in the concept art stage, bears a similarity to a certain character from the Dune mythos...
The original DUNE movie had alot of trouble bringing the book to the screen, because STAR WARS took so many ideas from it ...
Frank Herbert made a list of the comparisons between ANH and Dune and there was talk of a law suit but it was all dropped.
No.
The original Dune movie crashed and burned long before Star Wars because studios weren't interested. The subsequent Lynch-directed Dune, like so many other subsequent space adventures (BSG, for example) gets made because of Star Wars.
Besides, one could also say Lucas ripped off Asimov's Foundation and Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress, as well as Buck Rogers and half-a-dozen other influences. The fact is, Lucas' creation is a truly unique amalgamation of pre-70s pop culture and classic mythic archetypes.
It's hard to write off the similarities to Hidden Fortress or Jack Kirby's New Gods as mere coincidence.
