comment #1

Peter T Chattaway says ...

FWIW, the original article has been archived here:
http://web.archive.org/web/20001203001900/http://mrshowbiz.go.com/news/Todays_Stories/990504/showcon050499_1.html

comment #2

moviemaniac2002 says ...

I'm old enough to have been an audience member
on that May 1977 weekend....and it's an experience that will stay with me forever...Lucas
literally hot-wired both our hearts and brains with
his primal good vs. evil galactic swashbuckling.
The audience exploded with laughter, cheers
and loud applause....

So it's tragically sad to watch how far he
fell with the prequels. Though blessed with
total creative and financial independence, he
squanders years and millions on Annakin's conversion to Darth Vader...a foregone conclusion that could have been told in a two minute flashback.

And in doing so, he proves to the entire world how wise he was to let other people direct
"Empire Strikes Back" and "Return Of The Jedi"
Instead of a clash of good and evil, we get
convoluted garbage about trade agreements,
instead of memorable antagonists, we get
vast CGI armies of knock-em-down, bowling-pin
robots more suited to a video game than a real
film. And drowning in this tidal wave of technology
...the actors. The good actors (Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Samuel L. Jackson)are reduced to monotone chesspieces, glumly pushed along
the digital playing board by Lucas. And for his
Annakins, Lucas searches far and wide and casts a woefully untalented child and a painfully
wooden young actor who, in a way, compliment
each other in their extreme awfulness.

And so, with "Clone Wars", Lucas now sits
in his own, half-trashed Death Star, Imperial
Emperor of a Kingdom he himself ravaged.
Sad, sad, sad.

comment #3

soap-and-water says ...

i'm ashamed that i went to the clone wars opening night... but was heartened that there were about 15 ppl in the cinema!

quite surreal, the feeling of wanting the thing to be over so i could be free of it.

most HE regulars should be able to spot where they've stitched the three TV episodes together.

that girl sidekick... my christ, now i know how ppl felt about jar jar.
(Who kids love, by the way, which makes him one of the biggest successes of the prequels)

and if this is the most compelling three-episode arc they had up their sleeve to bestow big-screen status on... LOOK OUT!

comment #4

MDOC says ...

I have fallen into the trap of calling the prequels a failure too, however if I was Lucas I would point to the scoreboard. Phantom Menace 924 Million total gross, Clones 640 Million, and Sith 848 Million. Thats a lot of bank for movies everyone hates.

comment #5

shanana says ...

Get off it, Jeff, YOU'RE TOO OLD FOR STAR WARS! These movies were made for adolescents between the ages of 8 and 12 years old. The new CARTOON coming out on the Cartoon Network is not premiering during Adult Swim - it is not for adults. Neither was "Droids" or "Ewoks" - the SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS that ran in the mid-eighties.

So, you think you were right about Lucas? How about posting your old articles regarding the the Matrix sequels. You wrote that the scripts were worthy of OSCAR NOMINATIONS! YOU LIKED "The Matrix Reloaded!" To this day, you defend the Wachowski Brothers for making eye candy for the brain dead.

So, Star Wars sucks because Hayden Christensen is a terrible actor, as opposed to Mark Hammill, Carrie Fischer? Jar-Jar Binks is annoying, unlike Chewbacca? The dialogue is dumb? It's always been dumb! As a matter of fact dialogue in all tentpole films are awful because all the dialogue uttered in these movies is there only to propel the plot forward. Don't believe me? Go watch "The Dark Knight" again, and count all the moments shared by Bruce Wayne and Alfred, where they just talk about things that normal (real) people would talk about. Shit, just listen to the dialogue in that movie - IT'S AWFUL! "Did Batman save you again tonight, Daddy?" "Acually, I saved him" AWFUL!

If you are one of those people who think Lawrence Kasdan is what made you love "The Empire Strikes Back," please go kill yourself now, or - better yet - go watch "Silverado," "The Big Chill," and "Grand Canyon," then kill yourself.

If you think Frank Darabont could have "saved" the new Indiana Jones (which you gave a good review for god knows what reason), go watch "The Shawshank Redemption," "The Green Mile," and "The Majestic." Then, go kill yourself. After watching those three trite, emotionally manipulative piles of garbage, you know you will want to.

I know you like good movies, so move on. How about a nice post about Benoit Jacqot, Aki Kaurismaki, Michael Haneke, Andrei Tarkovsky, or Apichatpong Weerasethakul. Maybe some "Elsewhere" in that "Hollywood Elsewhere," so we can purge ourselves of all these BAD Hollywood movies.

comment #6

VictorLazlo says ...

I'm no Lucas apologist, but let's get real. Clone Wars is a animated kids tv show put on the big screen before it debuts on Cartoon Network later this year. It has to be compared to similiar shows for 7 year old boys like BEN 10, not the Dark Knight or even WALL-E.

comment #7

D.Z. says ...

"I was off the boat like that after seeing The Phantom Menace, but to think that it took others nine years to come to the realization that bloated Beelzebub George Lucas had spiritually destroyed his own franchise while making money hand over fist is amazing. Nine years of holding on and keeping the faith, and for what?"

To be fair, most of just assumed he was a little rusty. e didn't have our suspicions confirmed until AOTC.

"I've scanned five pages of my Mr. Showbiz article,"

Nowadays, you're lucky if you'll get three pages without your comments being removed for ad space. Also, I can't imagine Jeff Wells wearing a cowboy hat.

shanana: "So, you think you were right about Lucas? How about posting your old articles regarding the the Matrix sequels. You wrote that the scripts were worthy of OSCAR NOMINATIONS! YOU LIKED "The Matrix Reloaded!" To this day, you defend the Wachowski Brothers for making eye candy for the brain dead."

Matrix Reloaded delivered; I can't say the same about Clones or Sith. And as bored as I was by Speed Racer, at least it had people who were somewhat invested in the material, and not just cashing in like New Line did with "New Nightmare".

shanana: "So, Star Wars sucks because Hayden Christensen is a terrible actor, as opposed to Mark Hammill, Carrie Fischer?"

When Christensen can be remembered for quality voice-overs and classic films like Hammill and Fisher, then we'll talk.

"Jar-Jar Binks is annoying, unlike Chewbacca?"

Chewbacca actually stays quiet and kicks butt, while Jar Jar just runs around and acts goofy.

"If you are one of those people who think Lawrence Kasdan is what made you love "The Empire Strikes Back," please go kill yourself now, or - better yet - go watch "Silverado," "The Big Chill," and "Grand Canyon," then kill yourself."

They're still better than "Howard the Duck".

"If you think Frank Darabont could have "saved" the new Indiana Jones (which you gave a good review for god knows what reason), go watch "The Shawshank Redemption," "The Green Mile," and "The Majestic." Then, go kill yourself. After watching those three trite, emotionally manipulative piles of garbage, you know you will want to."

I think Jeff gave a "better than I expected" review, more than a good review. As for those three, whether you like 'em or not, there's still a sense of love for the material that's clearly not the case with George.

comment #8

shanana says ...

"Matrix Reloaded delivered; I can't say the same about Clones or Sith. And as bored as I was by Speed Racer, at least it had people who were somewhat invested in the material, and not just cashing in like New Line did with 'New Nightmare'."

The entire "Matrix" franchise was a pile of dogshit. Its entire plot was based on better films like "Star Wars," dressed in S&M leather, with lame-ass numbskull wire-fu fighting, but fanboys like it. Another R-rated, B-movie, kiddie film like Conan the Barbarian. Needkess to say, these aren't "adult" films. They were brainless actioners. You want adult go watch "Holy Mountain."

Plus you compare apples and oranges. Sith was the Sixth (!) in the franchise while "Reload" was number two. They couldn't even make two good movies in their franchise, and Jeff did write articles saying the writing was spectacular and he could see oscar nominations in their future.

"Chewbacca actually stays quiet and kicks butt, while Jar Jar just runs around and acts goofy."

He growls and wears the worst dog costume ever. You know, my sister and parents hated "Star Wars' often citing Chewbacca as the most lame brain character ever. You like him because you were a kid, just like you would have liked Jar-Jar.

"They're still better than 'Howard the Duck'."

Yeah but they're all worse than "Star Wars," "American Graffiti," and "THX" But since your pulling up AWFUL films Lucas was involved in, how about "Dreamcatcher," "French Kiss," "Wyatt Earp," and "The Bodyguard."

"I think Jeff gave a "better than I expected" review, more than a good review."

It deserved a BAD review.

As for those three, whether you like 'em or not, there's still a sense of love for the material that's clearly not the case with George.

Gee, that's funny, I see the same soulless, sappy, trite, emotional manipulative films that Hollywood has been pumping out for years as Oscar bait. That's probably why they were all released around Oscar season.

comment #9

D.Z. says ...

shanana: "The entire "Matrix" franchise was a pile of dogshit. Its entire plot was based on better films like "Star Wars," dressed in S&M leather, with lame-ass numbskull wire-fu fighting,"

Actually, it's based on more than just Star Wars; but then Star Wars was Flash Gordon meets The Hidden Fortress, so what's your point?

"Another R-rated, B-movie, kiddie film like Conan the Barbarian."

Conan is only kiddie, if you saw it as a kid. It definitely had R-rated elements to it, though.

"They were brainless actioners. You want adult go watch "Holy Mountain."'

"Plus you compare apples and oranges. Sith was the Sixth (!) in the franchise while "Reload" was number two."

True, but Reloaded was still technically the fourth project by the Wachowskis; so what's George's excuse?

"They couldn't even make two good movies in their franchise, and Jeff did write articles saying the writing was spectacular and he could see oscar nominations in their future."

So what? A lot of people make Oscar speculations which don't pan out.

"He growls and wears the worst dog costume ever. You know, my sister and parents hated "Star Wars' often citing Chewbacca as the most lame brain character ever. You like him because you were a kid, just like you would have liked Jar-Jar."

The worst dog costume ever is in Underdog. And I liked him, because he looked like he could kick ass.

"Yeah but they're all worse than "Star Wars," "American Graffiti," and "THX" But since your pulling up AWFUL films Lucas was involved in, how about "Dreamcatcher," "French Kiss," "Wyatt Earp," and "The Bodyguard."'

They're still no Star Wars X-Mas Special and More American Graffiti, though.

"It deserved a BAD review."

I hated it, too, but I can understand why people would like it, given that it's more digestible than the prequels...

comment #10

shanana says ...

"Actually, it's based on more than just Star Wars; but then Star Wars was Flash Gordon meets The Hidden Fortress, so what's your point?"

That the Matrix ripped off from movies that had already ripped off from other movies, but did it better. That's like a band ripping off Whitesnake instead of Led Zeppelin. But really I think my point is "The Matrix" sucks.

"Conan is only kiddie, if you saw it as a kid. It definitely had R-rated elements to it, though."

Yeah, it had gratuitous sex and violence, but the story is all diapers and wet naps.

"The worst dog costume ever is in Underdog. And I liked him, because he looked like he could kick ass."

And I liked Chewbacca, when I was a kid. I can recognize nostalgia, can you? I used to like "The Neverending Story," when I was a kid, that movie sucks. I think what I have been trying to tell people like you and Jeff is that you are too old for the prequels. They weren't made for you. He didn't make those movies for the fanboys, thank god. Did you run to the movies to catch "Kitt Kittredge" this summer? How about "Narnia?"

"They're still no Star Wars X-Mas Special and More American Graffiti, though."

Yeah, they're WORSE! I would take both of those choices over "The Bodyguard." Shit, I would take both of those choices over "The Big Chill," "Silverado," and "Grand Canyon."

"I hated it, too, but I can understand why people would like it, given that it's more digestible than the prequels..."

Yeah, I didn't see it, but I heard that it couldn't possibly be as awful as the "The Matrix" movies, so I like it now.

comment #11

shanana says ...

"True, but Reloaded was still technically the fourth project by the Wachowskis; so what's George's excuse?"

Gosh, I guess it was "technically" George's upteemth project. So, unlike the Wachowskis, he has no excuse.

"So what? A lot of people make Oscar speculations which don't pan out."

I thought I was answering a post where Jeff is bragging about his early speculation that the prequels would suck, and now he's gloating about it, did I miss something? Although, I'm sure that dialogue really jumped off the page at Jeff when he read it. Jeff, has a lot to be ashamed of.

"When Christensen can be remembered for quality voice-overs and classic films like Hammill and Fisher, then we'll talk."

I don't think he is broke enough to do voice-over work, yet. But he has already made some classics: those Star Wars Films. Because, like it or not, that is how those films will be watched from now on for generations to come - 1 through 6.

comment #12

D.Z. says ...

shanana: "That the Matrix ripped off from movies that had already ripped off from other movies, but did it better. That's like a band ripping off Whitesnake instead of Led Zeppelin. But really I think my point is "The Matrix" sucks."

I wasn't a fan of the first film, myself, but if you're going to go solely by ripping off, then maybe you should be targeting Quentin, since that's his entire career.

"Yeah, it had gratuitous sex and violence, but the story is all diapers and wet naps."

Have you read the source material?

"And I liked Chewbacca, when I was a kid. I can recognize nostalgia, can you?"

It ain't just nostalgia. Mayhew put a lot into the character you just can't do with CG.

"I used to like "The Neverending Story," when I was a kid, that movie sucks."

It's supposed to be about exploring emotional experiences unique to children. I'm not sure what you expect from it as an adult.

"I think what I have been trying to tell people like you and Jeff is that you are too old for the prequels. They weren't made for you."

If they weren't made for me, then why do they go on about trade wars and political intrigue?

'Did you run to the movies to catch "Kitt Kittredge" this summer? How about "Narnia?"'

No, but then the target audience didn't, either. Still, Narnia has some religious metaphors and allusions which would fly over the heads of little children.

'Yeah, they're WORSE! I would take both of those choices over "The Bodyguard." Shit, I would take both of those choices over "The Big Chill," "Silverado," and "Grand Canyon."'

And you're complaining to us about being too old for insipid writing...

"Yeah, I didn't see it, but I heard that it couldn't possibly be as awful as the "The Matrix" movies, "

No, the Matrix movies had a story. I'm not sure what the hell was going on in Indy 4.

"But he has already made some classics: those Star Wars Films. Because, like it or not, that is how those films will be watched from now on for generations to come - 1 through 6."

I think the prequels will be viewed in the same way that we currently view Robocop 3 and AVP.

comment #13

DavidF says ...

Lucas is a bit enigmatic in that, on one level, he clearly feels, "fuck the fanboys." On the other hand, he does stuff like Robot Chicken, showing he does have a sense of humour about Greedo shooting first and all that crap.

Here, however, I think he might have finally miscalculated. He figured he'd do a kiddie Star Wars TV Show and, in that sense, I don't know how much worse Clone Wars can be than Droids or Ewoks.

And I see why he figured he could toss the sucker into theaters and pick up some spare change before it hits TV. I doubt he could have foreseen the backlash. The sort of thing that ensures that someone like me - who saw the midnight showings of all the prequels and SEs - will not see this thing in the theatres at all.

I doubt it's killed Star Wars once and for all or anything - the 3-D showings of the original flicks should show that. And almost every critic gave decent reviews to the prequels before retracting them after. All that said, I don't think Lucas knew just how bad Clone Wars would take a hit and he probably would have been better off making $35 mil less for Lucasfilm and keeping it on TV where it belonged...

comment #14

Ogami Itto says ...

Get off it, Jeff, YOU'RE TOO OLD FOR STAR WARS! These movies were made for adolescents between the ages of 8 and 12 years old.

I hear that rationalization all the time and it's lazy and foolish. PIXAR consistently makes movies that people of all ages enjoy which don't insult the intelligence of either children or adults.

Face it: George Lucas is a hack who made three excellent films in the 70s and ran out of ideas very quickly. The primary reason he's a gazillionaire now is because he got lucky on a merchandizing deal three decades ago.

He's become a man who makes very expensive two-hour toy commercials without heart or intelligence. I was "off the boat" halfway through The Phantom Menace and haven't been back on it since.

comment #15

Rich S. says ...

I'm glad to see DavidF finally bring up 'Droids and Ewok Adventures. We've been down this road before. The only difference is this time Lucas thought he would squeeze it for some theatrical juice before going straight to TV.

That was his miscalculation. I think there's always been this feeling that the theatrical presentations should be "different" and "special." Bringing this thing to theaters crossed that line and that's where the rep is taking the hit. Hell, even Disney has never tried to milk that cash cow with its "sequels" to its theatrical classics.

Up next: "Young Indiana Jones Adventures: The Movie!"

comment #16

Howlingman says ...

Peter Biskind summed Lucas up perfectly in "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls," when he described the Lucasfilm empire as "an inverted pyramid balanced atop a pea." The pea is Star Wars, the empire is everything else -- LucasArts, the merchandise, everything . Outside of Indiana Jones, all other non Star Wars projects he's produced have been either abject failures or marginally interesting ones.

comment #17

shanana says ...

"Face it: George Lucas is a hack who made three excellent films in the 70s and ran out of ideas very quickly."

My parents, my sister (who was seven when the first one came out) and my brother (who was nine when the first one came out) all hated Star Wars. Star Wars was only beloved by people who loved Star Wars. Those people are too old, now. As far as the pixar comparison. Hannah Montana has a huge tween audience, I don't think there is an adult anywhere who would watch those shows. Face it, some kids stuff is only liked by kids. P.S. You're not only lazy and foolish, you're a mook to boot.

"If they weren't made for me, then why do they go on about trade wars and political intrigue?"

Oh, I forgot ALL THAT detail it went into about trade wars and political intrigue. Ratatoulle talked about cooking, KIDS LOVE THAT SHIT! Wall-e was about POLLUTION, all the kids LOVE that.

"Have you read the source material?"

No, I watched the MOVIE which is what I am talking about. I hate comics.

"No, the Matrix movies had a story. I'm not sure what the hell was going on in Indy 4."

It had a suck story, and please explain what the hell they were about. Not that I'm defending Indy, I didn't even see it.

"I think the prequels will be viewed in the same way that we currently view Robocop 3 and AVP. "

Except those movies were box-office duds. Plus they were sequels, therefore not drastically altering the original story. The prequels are here to stay.

comment #18

Chapman Carruthers says ...

Dead in Denver? This thread is dead in the water. Nothing to see here... move along.

comment #19

jeff says ...

For what it's worth, I had the pleasure of taking my almost-six-year-old son to The Clone Wars on Saturday. He's been looking forward to this movie for months, and when he left the theater, he told me that it was the "shortest movie I've ever seen" (I didn't have the heart to tell him that it felt like one of the longest to me). He was absolutely, 100% thrilled with the movie. Does this little anecdote prove that Lucas is doing something right? Does it prove the criticism that Lucas is just a sell-out hack? Maybe both; maybe neither. But I am one dad who won't soon forget the look on his son's face after the movie, which probably mirrored my own face walking out of a theater back in May 1977.

comment #20

twicks says ...

I had a similar experience this weekend, waiting for the wife to come out of Target...saw a dad and his two sons walk out of the store, each of the kids holding a new lightsaber and stormtrooper helmet. The three of them could not have looked happier.

comment #21

Richardson says ...

Wow, a pretentious artsy DZ has joined the games! This is awesome! shanana, I really, really hope you stick around and continue to argue with DZ at length -- this is the first time I've ever seen anybody match his level of inanity.

comment #22

Richardson says ...

"Except those movies were box-office duds. Plus they were sequels, therefore not drastically altering the original story."

I can't resist, I just have to point this out -- 'Alien vs. Predator' is the highest-grossing movie in two franchises, and was a prequel to all of the 'Alien' movies which contains numerous contradictions which, if anybody bothered to try and make canon out of 'Alien' the way they do with 'Star Wars', would be just as problematic continuity-wise.

"Star Wars was only beloved by people who loved Star Wars."

Talk about a self-evident truism!

I'm sure the fact that your sister hated Chewbacca completely invalidates the fact that the movie was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay.

comment #23

Richardson says ...

"Does this little anecdote prove that Lucas is doing something right?"

Not really. The problem is, there's no "control" group.

Now, if you had taken the kid in to a movie he had no ideas about and he liked it, it might prove something. Given how it's a known fact that marketing affects kids more than adults, it really just means that Lucas's marketing is doing it's job.

On the other hand, I was directing a nine year old a few weeks back, who loves the 'Star Wars' prequels (and kinda hates the originals), and he and his two brothers had zero interest in 'Clone Wars'. They only cared about live-action Anakin.

I do agree he's doing something that connects with children, it's just a shame that he now believes that that's mutually exclusive with connecting with adults.

comment #24

Yves says ...

Shanana-- less ripping and more recommending. Thanks for Benoit Jacqot, Aki Kaurismaki, Michael Haneke, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Holy Mountain, but aside from Apichatpong Weerasethakul, do you know of any contemporary filmmakers who are doing amazing things? How about Steven Soderbergh? He balances out his studio pics with art films. How about David Fincher, who takes risks in big budget films? Charlie Kaufman and his crew, Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry? Even the worst of Johnny To is better than the films that you despise.

comment #25

Ogami Itto says ...

As far as the pixar comparison. Hannah Montana has a huge tween audience, I don't think there is an adult anywhere who would watch those shows. Face it, some kids stuff is only liked by kids. P.S. You're not only lazy and foolish, you're a mook to boot.

In the case of PIXAR films children -- as well as adults -- ACTUALLY watch and enjoy them. Hannah Montana has no appeal aside from tweens and pedophiles and has nothing to do with PIXAR.

And as others have pointed out, Star Wars was not just a big box-office hit but was also critically well-received, hence the Oscar nominations.

As far as your little family anecdote (which is probably a fabrication to prove your "point"), apparently they're even bigger assholes than you are.

comment #26

shanana says ...

"In the case of PIXAR films children -- as well as adults -- ACTUALLY watch and enjoy them."

I'm sorry I did not DIRECTLY respond to the Pixar comment that was made. Your right, adults LOVED "Cars" and "Finding Nemo." I just watch those two films again and again. I think Cars was nominated for two oscars. "Phantom Menace" was critically very well received, and? You don't like do you?

"As far as your little family anecdote (which is probably a fabrication to prove your "point"), apparently they're even bigger assholes than you are."

Trust me there's enough asshole to go around, hop on board. Here's sumthin' special just for you.

http://current.com/items/89204971_death_star_over_san_francisco

comment #27

dangovich says ...

or - better yet - go watch..."Grand Canyon," then kill yourself.

Can I kill myself first?

comment #28

shanana says ...

"Shanana-- less ripping and more recommending. Thanks for Benoit Jacqot, Aki Kaurismaki, Michael Haneke, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Holy Mountain, but aside from Apichatpong Weerasethakul, do you know of any contemporary filmmakers who are doing amazing things? How about Steven Soderbergh? He balances out his studio pics with art films. How about David Fincher, who takes risks in big budget films? Charlie Kaufman and his crew, Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry? Even the worst of Johnny To is better than the films that you despise."

Benoit Jacqot, Aki Kaurismaki, and Michael Haneke are all contemporary and I like there stuff. I wasn't a huge fan of "Funny Games" even before Haneke remade it in America. I'm not a Soderbergh fan. I think his commercial films look nice, that's about it. His art films aren't that great either. I like what he is trying to do, and I hope Che is great. Although I am not a big Biopic fan or a Che fan for that matter. But a four hour movie shows guts and ambition. Jonze is great, I hope "Where the Wld Things Are" can live up to the hype and controversy. Personally, I don't want to raise my expectations too high, even good directors can make uneven or bad movies. I like Kaufman, anyone who breaks the traditional narrative deserves my admiration. Gondry is too cute. I love " Eternal Sunshine" but his other films need more story. I love his old school animation, though. I'm not familiar with Johnny To, but I will check out his stuff.

Right now, I have two films coming to me from Netflix, "Come and See." A russian film. The trailer looks great. You can watch the film on youtube if you like. It looks beautiful. And I have the Jacques Tati film, "Trafic," coming as well. I haven't seen it, I hope its funny.

comment #29

D.Z. says ...

DavidF: "He figured he'd do a kiddie Star Wars TV Show and, in that sense, I don't know how much worse Clone Wars can be than Droids or Ewoks."

Droids and Ewoks weren't just cash-ins, though.

Rich: "I'm glad to see DavidF finally bring up 'Droids and Ewok Adventures.We've been down this road before. The only difference is this time Lucas thought he would squeeze it for some theatrical juice before going straight to TV."

No, the difference is that the Droids and Ewoks shows were meant for the-then fans of the films, and not just fans who will buy anything from the series in general.
Same with Young Indiana Jones. Now Indiana Jones Jr. with Shia is just a cash-in.

shanana: "My parents, my sister (who was seven when the first one came out) and my brother (who was nine when the first one came out) all hated Star Wars. Star Wars was only beloved by people who loved Star Wars."

I wasn't a big fan, either, but I can stand the people who loved Star Wars more than the people who loved Titanic.

"As far as the pixar comparison. Hannah Montana has a huge tween audience, I don't think there is an adult anywhere who would watch those shows."

Well, yeah, but Hannah Montana's meant for pre-teen girls, while Pixar is meant for families. There's a slight difference.

"Oh, I forgot ALL THAT detail it went into about trade wars and political intrigue. Ratatoulle talked about cooking, KIDS LOVE THAT SHIT! Wall-e was about POLLUTION, all the kids LOVE that."

Well, kids can relate, at least.

"No, I watched the MOVIE which is what I am talking about. I hate comics."

It ain't based on a comic, but a series of pulp novels.
The comics are just adaptations.

"It had a suck story, and please explain what the hell they were about. "

It's about humanity in the face of self-aware technology which suffers from some of the same flaws as human beings.

"Except those movies were box-office duds. Plus they were sequels, therefore not drastically altering the original story. The prequels are here to stay."

AVP made money, actually. And they didn't alter the original story, but they did equally ruin its value as a franchise in the same way as the prequels.

comment #30

shanana says ...

"The difference is that the Droids and Ewoks shows were meant for the-then fans of the films, and not just fans who will buy anything from the series in general.
Same with Young Indiana Jones. Now Indiana Jones Jr. with Shia is just a cash-in."

The Saturday morning cartoon watching fans, and both Ewoks and Droids had action figures. I was too old for young Indiana Jones so, I don't know if it had toys or not. It doesn't matter though, the clone wars cartoons released before Sith didn't have action figures, so was Lucas selling out then or not?

Ratatoulle talked about cooking, KIDS LOVE THAT SHIT! Wall-e was about POLLUTION, all the kids LOVE that."

"Well, kids can relate, at least."

No, they can't, but in time, as they grow older, they will be able to understand the subtext and it will endear the movie to them even more.

"It ain't based on a comic, but a series of pulp novels.
The comics are just adaptations."

Oh well, pulp novels, way better than comics! I take back everything I said, "Conan the Barbarian" is really deep and stuff. Ditto for the Destroyer and "Red Sonja."

"It's about humanity in the face of self-aware technology which suffers from some of the same flaws as human beings."

Actually, that's the subplot of "2001: A Space Odyssey." No, "The Matrix" was about Neo being the one in the matrix and wire-fu, then he flies, then he fights some more, and they're running up walls and shit, crazy man! We know he's the one because Carrie-Ann Moss totally wants to do him, and she barely knows the guy! Next we check out a killer rave in a cave ( Shit, that rhymes)! It's awesome! All the while, Neo and Carrie-Ann Moss are doing it, and it's totally lewd, too. But that's what people do when they really care for each other. Then Neo and his archnemisis Agent 7 or 11 or whatever (Numbers aren't important) fight, but there's a whole bunch of Agents 7/11s, and Neo realizes - as he's getting his ass kicked - that neither Neo or Agent 7/11 could exist without the other, so they totally combine and the rain stops and sky gets really pretty over Oakland and the Oracle tells the little girl that Neo is watching over them like digital God in their computer world, safe. Oh yeah, there is a big fight sequence in the cave with the load lifters from "Aliens." Hopefully, there was a rave afterwards.

It totally reminded me when I was a teenage and I got high with my friend and I asked him, "What if we were, like, halograms in a big computer." That's deep man.

"AVP made money, actually. And they didn't alter the original story, but they did equally ruin its value as a franchise in the same way as the prequels."

Oh, it made money. I didn't know cuz I could actually care less. But now that I know, I guess that means you're wrong. It will TOTALLY change how people view both of those franchises. Who could leave out AVP, now? Cuz both those franchises weren't DOA long before AVP showed up. I love Shaved head Ripley, but mutant Ripley is pretty good.

comment #31

Yves says ...

For good Johnny To, see Expect the Unexpected and Triad Election.