STAR WARS-bashing seems to have become fashionable since 1999, which is
telling because up until THE PHANTOM MENACE was released that year, STAR WARS had been riding high on a wave of nostalgia after having been dormant since the mid-1980s.
The relatively lukewarm (no pun intended, honest) public response to THE
PHANTOM MENACE and ATTACK OF THE CLONES might be an example of the
STAR WARS franchise suffering from the consequences of its own success
during the late 1970s and early 1980s - the creation of unrealistic and unmeetable expectations resulting from the nostalgia of a generation that has
become considerably more cynical and sophisticated since EPISODES IV-VI were released during 1977-1983.
To understand why many people don’t think EPISODES I and II live up to EPISODES IV-VI, despite their (in my opinion) being equally good movies, you
have to look at the historical context in which these movies were released.
When STAR WARS: EPISODE IV (A NEW HOPE) was released in 1977, it was
truly a revolutionary moment in the way films were made and marketed. Quite
simply, before STAR WARS, there had never been a film (or a filmgoing experience) quite like it. The most sophisticated science-fiction
cinematography up to that point had been Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A SPACE
ODYSSEY (1969), and while that remains an impressive benchmark in its own
right, it didn’t wow people in 1969 the way the STAR WARS wowed people in
1977. STAR WARS was so far ahead of the game in terms of SFX and sci-fi movie concept in 1977 that there wasn’t even anyone in the same ballpark (although the rest of Hollywood would catch up quickly, with Steven Spielberg’s CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE 3RD KIND in 1978 and E.T. four years after that). This largely remained true through 1980 and 1983, when THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (EPISODE V) and RETURN OF THE JEDI (EPISODE VI) were released. STAR WARS captured the imagination of many people between the ages of 5 and 30 during the period from 1977 - 1983, especially those closer to 5 than to 30. There was nothing quite like it.
Fast-forward two decades. It’s the late 1990s/early 2000s. That generation of
children and young adults who’d loved STAR WARS during the late 1970s/early
1980s are nearly twenty years older (and more sophisticated), and have high
expectations for the prequels. After all, the STAR WARS movies were so magical when they were younger, so it’s reasonable to expect that the prequels would be magical all over again, right?
WRONG.
Filmmaking has come a long way since the original STAR WARS TRILOGY was
made. In the years since, we’ve had SUPERMAN, E.T., GHOSTBUSTERS, BATMAN, PREDATOR, ALIENS, the TERMINATOR movies, JURASSIC PARK, THE FIFTH ELEMENT, MEN IN BLACK, THE MATRIX, MINORITY REPORT . . . you name it. What made STAR WARS cutting edge during the late 1970s and early 1980s has been improved upon a hundred times over since those days. George Lucas has upgraded the SFX for EPISODES I & II to reflect those developments (indeed, one of the reasons he waited so long to follow up the original STAR WARS series was because he was developing the filmmaking technology to make the newer films possible), but to stay true to the flavor of the original movies, he couldn’t stray too far from the old concepts. A generation (the generation that came of age in the late 1980s and 1990s, who had experienced STAR WARS only as video fare until EPISODE I’s release) that has grown up on THE TERMINATOR, MEN IN BLACK and THE MATRIX is definitely going to find STAR WARS quaint: it’s a relic of an earlier, less sophisticated time.
As for the old-school STAR WARS fans who complain that EPISODES I and II aren’t as good as EPISODES IV-VI, I believe that many of them are looking at
the older STAR WARS movies through the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia. I recently rewatched the old STAR WARS movies, and while I still enjoy them, I
must admit that they are dated . . . not just in terms of SFX, but in overall
concept. Upon further reflection, I’ve found that EPISODES IV-VI are about on
the same level as movies as EPISODES I and II. In other words, the STAR
WARS movies are as good as they’ve ever been, if you look at the objectively and not inflate the value of the original trilogy and thus, unfairly dismiss the value of the newer movies. The generation that grew up on the original STAR WARS trilogy has grown more sophisticated and yes, more cynical since the time of 1977-1983. They were children and very young adults when the first STAR WARS trilogy was released, and their virgin minds were ready to impressed by what was then the novel experience of a STAR WARS movie. The bottom line, however, is that no matter how wonderful the original STAR WARS movies were, they were just movies. Nostalgia has made these older fans expect the new STAR WARS movies to be the cinematographic version of the Second Coming. When the new STAR WARS movies are released and appear to be what they’ve always been (just movies, albeit very entertaining and imaginative movies), they feel disappointed.
I’ve rambled for a bit here, but the bottom line is this: STAR WARS today is as
good as it’s always been, so long as you don’t have an unreasonable expectation that the newer movies can make you a kid again. All the flaws that people charge EPISODE I and II with having were there in EPISODES IV-VI as well; nostalgia just blinds them to those flaws. If you watch all five completed STAR WARS movies in a row, you’ll notice a consistency to their strengths and weaknesses.
theforce.net
