Star Wars sucks. There, we said it.

Maclean's ^ | June 19, 2015 | Jaime Weinman

[Mmogamer]

Movie critics are almost always wrong. If they hate it, it is almost certainly a good film to see. If they like it, usually it is dreck.

[ansel12]

The first time around, I was looking for something more Sci-fi, and I walked out, but eventually I forced myself to just relax and try to see it as others did.

I got it the second time and thought that it was kind of a fun movie, but that first one was it for me.

[Olog-hai]

“The Force is with us, indeed, and a lot of it is hot air,” wrote the New York Times’ powerful critic, Vincent Canby …

If it bothered the NYSlimes, it did a decent work there.

[odds]

“The plot seemed incomprehensible, the made-up fantasy names absurd.”

It’s simple: initially The Force wasn’t with them! ;)

[BenLurkin]

Oh come now. You just have to approach it with the right attitude:

Disney Princesses Welcome Star Wars Princess Leia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HTOWbxykLI

[Mr Rogers]

I seem to have been the only person who remembers walking away from watching the first film’s original release, seen on The Big Screen, saying, “That was stupid!” And the sequels somehow managed to go downhill...

[chajin]

After all, as Kenny and others point out, Lucas’s visual language and storytelling in Star Wars were inspired by Akira Kurosawa.

Kurosawa was influencing America directors long before Star Wars, so that is no surprise. Mark Hamill growing up in Japan may have had something to do with his being cast for the Luke Skywalker role, though Lucas was also looking for unknowns, and other than a few minor roles in TV and B films, he was quite unknown.

[jjotto]

Yep.

I never thought of Star Wars as science fiction either. Just a kids’ story/fantasy.

[Darksheare]

Ewoks, Jar Jar Binks, midichlorians, Vader as an idiot duped into the dark side instead of wanting more power...
The idiotic decisions by Lucas himself go on and on..

[Dr. Sivana]

“a film with comic-book characters, an unbelievable story, no political or social commentary, lousy acting, preposterous dialogue, and a ridiculously simplistic morality. In other words, a bad movie.”

The comic book characters of Ancient Greece and Rome (Zeus/Jupiter, Venus/Aphrodite, Hermes/Mercury), are still with us,with the same famous stories told and retold numerous times.

"Star Wars" as a whole has a lightly gnostic undercurrent (one Force, light and dark), and the bit in "Phantom Menace" about Anakin having no father borders on blasphemy.

Seventy-five years later, "The Wizard of Oz" still makes everyone's Top Ten. There is nothing inherently wrong with trying to do a top shelf version of the old movie serials with high production values, just as there was nothing wrong with Hitchcock making Psycho as a top shelf horror movie with high production values (despite record production time).

There is nothing about the Star Wars franchise that prevents the next "My Dinner with Andre" from becoming a reality.

As Samuel Goldwyn once said, "If you want to send a message, try Western Union."

[SkyPilot]

I watched this entire video once, featuring behind the scenes footage of Lucas making The Phantom Menace:

Star Wars Episode I The Beginning: Making Episode I

Several points come across rather clearly:

- Lucas is not nearly as talented (or as smart) as he thinks he is

- Statements from him such as "Jar Jar is the key!" are not only laughable, but demonstrate his foolishness

- He bullies his staff, and they treat him like a demi-god in return

I still cannot make myself call the third sequel, "Episode 1" anymore than I can force myself to call the 1977 original "Episode 4." It is the equivilent to people asking me to call Bruce Jenner "Caitlyn" or refer to that butchered man as "she."

Still -Lucas is a billionaire, and I am not. But at least I have a belief in Christ, which is something he clearly lacks. For him, this fantasy he created is his religion, along with the virgin birth of the annoying blonde kid playing Vadar as a boy, and the rest of "The Force" garbage.

Good luck to him......he is going to need it.

[Sir Napsalot]

>>> “..... a film with comic-book characters, an unbelievable story, no political or social commentary, lousy acting, preposterous dialogue, and a ridiculously simplistic morality. In other words, a bad movie.”

Who could live without a NYTimes/New Yorker “renowned” film critic? (I’ll be the first one to raise both of my hands)

Wny does even every film need to be gritty, amoral, ideology-driven, or completely dry but edgy/profound dialog?

The same critic probably praised the “Tomorrowland” to no end, is my guess.

[Captain Peter Blood]

Frankly there is a lot truth in this article. I think the Star Wars movies along with others probably helped dumb down the film industry.

Where once you had a plethora of diverse films of all types we see too many special effect laden movies deigned for mass appeal and little else.

This is not say that good drama’s, thriller’s, and comedies are not there but they certainly get overshadowed in the film market today and as such do not get the kind of audience they once did. I will backtrack and say that a really good comedy can score big if it’s done right.

[ozzymandus]

People are afraid to admit they think Star Wars sucks. I’ll admit it, every Star Wars movie sucks, and I’ve never watched one all the way through.

[DiogenesLamp]

Movie critics are almost always wrong. If they hate it, it is almost certainly a good film to see. If they like it, usually it is dreck.

I think this movie critic is very astute and highly accurate. I enjoyed his criticism of the movie (Star Wars, "the Phantom Menace")better than the movie. Actually I hated the movie, and this guy explained better than anyone else, why I hated the movie.

I think George Lucas is a talentless hack, and only got lucky with his talent pool in the original movie. They tossed out his worst ideas. Everything he's done since has been worse and worse dreck. Each succeeding episode has been more sucky than the previous.

[C. Edmund Wright]

yeah, and that unknown carpenter named Harrison Ford was not expected to steal the movie from Hamill and the princess, but he did.....and the rest is history.

[Mmogamer]

Lol Plinkett.. ya those reviews are a hoot

[PAR35]

The first two films glorified fascism and racism.

The award scene at the end of the first move is cribbed straight from Leni Riefenstahl. The plot line of the second movie is that a Black man will sell out his friend for a chance at a white woman.

[Captain Peter Blood]

Agreed on Lucas. If you look at his track record he hasn’t made that many films. He is not really that good a director or writer and the last three Star Wars films he did make that pretty clear.

I really liked “The Empire Strikes Back”, simply because he did not write or direct it and it shows.

He got pretty lucky on Star Wars and he and Spielberg did very well with Indiana Jones, although the last one could have been so much better with a different script. It was bad and even Harrison Ford thought so. I have read they were thinking of another film but that Ford’s comments got the boys all upset to the point they may never so another film. Too bad with a really good script I think Ford would have one more Indiana Jones left in him to do and then pass the torch, but not to LeBouf. I think Chris Pratt might be the guy.