I would say the prequels are about the rise of a villain. Never got the feeling that Anakin was a hero. He makes plenty of mistakes and always gives in to his desires even though he is supposed to be composed and at peace. He is also greedy, jealous, and vengeful. Doesn't really sound like a hero to me.
@@nicolasacosta1673anakin was a hero, the republic favorite him more than any Jedi because he fought to protect and end the war not for fun, the same reason everyone loves Luke skywalker. Both impulsive rebels that seek adventure or satisfaction. The reason he prequels started with anakin as a kid was to show how Innocent he was from good guy to bad guy. So it was powerful when Luke didn’t turn to the dark side to be just like anakin skywalker
@anime_world6684 He massacred a whole tribe of sand people. Talks shit about Obi Wan behind his back. And marries Padme which is against the jedi code. He's constantly making selfish decisions. He's not a hero, he's an extremely flawed man that ultimately sells his soul to the devil to become all powerful only to end up a slave all over again.
@nicolasacosta1673 he wouldn’t have had to massacred a tribe of sand people that tortured and killed his mother if obi wan and the the galaxy’s heroes the jedi saved shmi instead of playing politics He assumes obi wan is jealous of him and holding him back which the Jedi council is actually doing while the Jedi council actually are talking shit behind obi wan back. If you watch Star Wars again it doesn’t matter what prequel show or move you need to watch to see for yourself Anakin is a bad person for marrying Padme? I’m just gonna assume your the type that thinks the Jedi code is perfect and anakin didn’t bring balance to the force in the end And anakin sells his soul to the devil because the Jedi let it happen. Anakin was the chosen one and if he was never allowed to join then Palpatine would take the chance to train him since maul died like yesterday. If the Jedi didn’t serve the republic but served the force then they would do anything like stealing shmi or playing tricks to gamble her freedom instead of forgetting an entire innocent society. And they refused anakin become master to stagnate his growth to wisdom since anakin only wanted to be master to learn how to save a life but was denied so anakin chose plan B with Palpatine. And anakin failed and became Palpatine’s slave so his son that he gave created saved him and anakin killed his master and freed the galaxy
@@anime_world6684 Since you made assumptions I'll do the same thing thanks. (he wouldn’t have had to massacred a tribe of sand people that tortured and killed his mother if obi wan and the the galaxy’s heroes the jedi saved shmi instead of playing politics) You seem like one of those people who think the jedi suck and are actually evil. The fact of matter is that Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan just happen to crash land on Tattooine. Jinn happend to run into Anakin whom he believes is the chosen one. He wasn't playing politics he was just trying to save Anakin because he thought he was the chosen one. The jedi don't have the time or the manpower to save every slave in the galaxy and if anything that's the Republic's job not theirs. To assume they could do that is just idiotic. Do you know how big a galaxy is? Also the jedi aren't supposed to have any attachments so saving Anakin's mom would just cause problems for his training. (He assumes obi wan is jealous of him and holding him back which the Jedi council is actually doing while the Jedi council actually are talking shit behind obi wan back. If you watch Star Wars again it doesn’t matter what prequel show or move you need to watch to see for yourself) All of this is just wrong and I don't know where you got this from. The jedi are never shown holding Anakin back or talking trash behind Obi-Wan's back. The only person talking trash was Anakin no one else and he ASSUMES they're holding him back. The only time you could say they held him back was when they denied giving him the rank of master which I wold argue it is in their right to give that rank to anyone they deem worthy and they simply didn't think Anakin deserved it. Which Anakin proves them right because he has a little hissy fit right after becasue he has no control over his emotions like the movie is CONSTANTLY showing you. Anakin is not a good guy if you pay attention to Episode 2 you can already see how evil he can be. George Lucas even compared him to Hitler one time during an interview so yea. (Anakin is a bad person for marrying Padme? I’m just gonna assume your the type that thinks the Jedi code is perfect and anakin didn’t bring balance to the force in the end) Never said it was perfect but the rules are the rules. Anakin breaking the rule to marry Padme makes it a selfish decision which is what I said previously. Also the jedi have a point in not allowing attachments. Literally just look at what happened to Anakin thanks to his attachments to his mother and Padme. He ended up falling to the darkside and destroying the Republic and jedi. So yea the jedi were correct actually. (And anakin sells his soul to the devil because the Jedi let it happen. Anakin was the chosen one and if he was never allowed to join then Palpatine would take the chance to train him since maul died like yesterday. If the Jedi didn’t serve the republic but served the force then they would do anything like stealing shmi or playing tricks to gamble her freedom instead of forgetting an entire innocent society. And they refused anakin become master to stagnate his growth to wisdom since anakin only wanted to be master to learn how to save a life but was denied so anakin chose plan B with Palpatine. And anakin failed and became Palpatine’s slave so his son that he gave created saved him and anakin killed his master and freed the galaxy) This one is really funny to me. Look, we all have to take accountability for our actions and can't blame other people for our circumtances. The fact is every bad decision Anakin made HE made on his own. It wasn't becasue the jedi or whatever other excuse you want to make for him it was all him and definitely a bit of Palpatine's manipulation. But his fall to the dark side was HIS fault 100%. This is like justifying the holocaust because Hitler felt wronged by the jewish people. I also want to point out that the jedi didn't want to train him becasue he was too old and had attachments to his mother at that point. Which again the jedi right about that so yea. I mean you want to make the jedi look bad but they're contantly proven right in the prequels.😆
I feel the same way about Indiana Jones. The original trilogy had religion and spirituality closely tied to the artifacts he was looking for. Sure, Indi would find things out about them using science, but there was still a sense of wonder with how mysterious and mystical the powers behind them were. But in the new movies you just find out the artifacts are just made with technology and science. They were made by aliens or a really smart scientist. It gives an undertone of sci-fi rather than a mystical adventure.
I think 4 fit those themes. It was treating the mysterious interdimensional race of beings in that film almost as gods unto themselves. So in a way, that theme of religions was kind of maintained there. The film's artifacts were still created by beings beyond human understanding. But the film absolutely ruined it by having an object allegedly made by a REAL Greek philosopher
@@officialmonarchmusic I guess you're kind of right. It still had the mysterious supernatural factor. But I still think that showing aliens that used a technological spaceship still leans it too far away from the supernatural and closer to the sci-fi realm. It set a bad precedent for the franchise.
@@christiannoriega428It was an interdimensional space ship technology, only resembling things we can actually understand. It still carried the same themes as the mysterious spiritual artifacts of the first three films and wider lore, just in keeping with 50s sci-fi and red scare mythology. Indiana Jones (the OG trilogy) is a 1930s period piece. Crystal Skull is a 50s period piece. Similar ideas, but different, imbued with the culture and fears and dreams of the time. It did feel more personal for Lucas and Spielberg, as they actually lived through this time period. In some ways, it almost felt more mystical to me, because we’d been treated to religious artifacts 3 times in a row, two of which from the same one. It was untrodden territory. That’s why I can’t get behind the fifth film, for all its talk, it doesn’t seem to care about “evolving” or fitting the time period, stuff like the German villain’s role in the space race is only paid lip service to, and the film’s artifact has never been less mysterious
Say what you will about the Prequels, but I believe Star Wars feels the most Star Wars-y when it's NOT following trends. Because A New Hope way back in 1977 was quite a go-against-the-flow film in those times because aside from Donner's Superman, SciFi movies in the '70s tended to be for the most part depressing dystopian stories with sad bittersweet-at-best endings and cold, electronic scores (A Clockwork Orange, The Omega Man, Soylent Green, The Stepford Wives, Zardoz, Logan's Run, even George's very own THX-1138 just to name a few). Going back to the pulpy adventures, escapism, classical archetypes and incredible special effects and beautiful John Williams music was such a breath of fresh air no matter what the poorly aged naysayer critics said, audiences fell in love instantly. So back to the Prequels, say what you will about the dialogues and story progression in its writing, but it did continue the trend of just doing its own thing instead of mimicking what's popular in the late '90s and early 2000s like disaster movies or deconstructive Scream-esque self awareness or Matrix-wannabe wirework CGI slow motion. Lore issues aside, I'd say the Clone Wars cartoons did this well (well, the 2D one was maybe a bit too serious and Samurai Jack-esque because they got the same guy, but still). Now compare the goddamn Sequels: they are so _PAINFULLY_ 2010s. "Hey look, mystery boxes! Hey look, Hunger Games-styled heroines and cute boys! Hey look, MCU-style banter even when it doesn't fit the tones of the scene! Hey look, NOSTALGIA! NOSTALGIA!! NOSTALGIA!!! MAKE VIDEOS MAKE EASTER EGG AND THEORY STUFF OF WHO SNOKE IS AND PLAY FORTNITE TO GET PALPATINE'S MESSAGE!!!" A lot of people cry about the plot beats similarities, but I think those could've worked (even the Prequels kinda did it too with Anakin blowing up the droid army mothership being akin to Luke's destruction of the Death Star, or Anakin killing Dooku intentionally drawing parallels to Luke sparing Vader), when it comes to the Sequels and most of the Disney era being absolutely void of soul or actual creativity, I mean that it's just a painfully cynical, safe and trend-following 2010s slop. People who insist that they'll be vindicated in the future are absolutely delusional. They'll only age and get worse in time as just a shining example of 2010s corporate trash like the Jurassic World's, the latest Terminator movies and the Disney remakes.
I always love the Star Wars prequel trilogy movies and the Star Wars original trilogy movies no matter what. The Star Wars prequel trilogy movies and the Star Wars original trilogy movies are timelessly good movies in my opinion, whereas the Disney 'Star Wars' sequel trilogy movies are neither timeless nor good in my opinion.
I went into the prequels just knowing I was going to love them. I was wrong. I have seen a good bit of the Disney stuff because of my daughter. I got some enjoyment from Rogue One and the Andor show. That’s it. Four movies and one series enjoyed out of all that material. I can no longer call myself a Star Wars fan.
I notice the difference since Farse Awakens, Even on little things like a scenes transition George always use a effect to transition tocanother scenes but in the Disney films that dosent exits
Good take on the whole topic. Its painfully obvious the people behind the sequels were NOT thinking "How can I tell a good story that fits the franchise?" but rather something akin to "MONEY!!!"
@abraham2172 honestly i thought jt was great at first to bring the og characters in but the new directors strayed away from basic storytelling by infusing real life in this world. While you have to create relationships between them star wars is not about divorce and deadbeat dads. They were too afraid of just creating a new antagonist that wasn't darth vader. Set up new heroes in the first movie being mentored in some way and having luke and leia and Han hand the keys over and the next two moves was just about the new characters and new adventures. Just sayin. Formulaic, yes, but it works
I knew the franchise was doomed the moment a Stormtrooper with PTSD over the death of his fellow Stormtroopers, decided to jailbreak the very dude responsible for their deaths, and then proceeded to murder dozens of his buddies in a Tie Fighter, while high fiving a complete stranger. Brilliant writing 😂
Nicely done. Now that you point it out, both of those final fleets in TROS are meaningless. Both sides come from nowhere, with no basis in what the characters have been doing. Kylo hasn't worked to seize control of shipyards across the galaxy, enslaving star systems and forcing them to produce war machines. Instead, he just gets a bazillion Death Star Destroyers dropped in his lap, with no struggle, cost, or sacrifice. The Not-Rebellion hasn't been trying for a propaganda victory, dropping leaflets and hitting targets that're highly visible but do little real damage. Nothing happens to invigorate the morale of an entire galaxy, except that they hired Lando for this one. Both fleets just exist, because you need to do something big at the end of the trilogy.
Agree. The entire movie was a total waste. Just running from one stupid event to another, I think, just to keep us distracted from the fact that the film had no substance.
Something that I found really jarring is how this entire battle basically turned the First Order into a gigantic Paper Tiger. Remember, in TLJ, it was mentioned that the people of the Galaxy were just too scared to resist the FO, which seemed to have taken over the place without effort within a few days after Starkiller Base destroyed Hosnian Prime. Yet, within an even shorter span of time, Lando managed to rally this ginormous Fleet to fight the Final Order. And still, what didn‘t travel to Exegol was still enough to shake off the FO like it was nothing offscreen. This really doesn’t add up. Come to think of it, nothing about this movie does.
Nothing adds up. I''m still on step one. After the Empire fell, why didnt the rebellion turn into the New Republic? Where the heck did the First Order come from? Whats the relationship between the Resistance and the Republic. Bah. Nevermind.
There is something meaningful about the civilian fleet with the whole "they're just people" aspect but it's never fully realized. Like they had the idea but didn't know how to pull it off.
@@paolofabregas 100% this. It could have been explained in two or three scenes in the first act of the first movie. Show Leia in charge of the New Republic, have her get a briefing about the First Order that explains to the audience what the hell is going on. Getting JJ “Mystery Box” Abrams was such a terrible decision.
this is absolutely true. the usual whining about how things are now and that's why Star Wars is bad now doesn't really benefit anyone, but this video actually makes great points
You are absolutely correct. I have tried explaining my feelings on the matter, especially to younger fans, but most people only seem to focus on the spectacle of it all.
The way Vader/James Earl Jones delivers the "lack of faith" line is incredible. It's so much more menacing using a calm but mocking tone then if had been delivered with Vader raising his voice or yelling. When s villain is constantly flying off the handle it doesn't make them seem dangerous to me, which is exactly what we got with Kylo. Something just hit me, there's not really a central villain in those films. Smoke is a stupid clone who we barely see and when we do he's not doing squat. Kylo is always throwing hissyfits and doesn't always seem to be respected by those around him. Hux isn't in it enough, he sorta switched sides and he was used as a punchline for Rian's trainwreck. Don't need to explain Phasma. The Emperor doesn't show up until the last movie. Not saying a villain isn't a villain if he's redeemed at the last moment. Vader was pretty much the main villain in all the films. Sure he went to the light side at the end but that was just what, 20 or 30 minutes after he threatened Luke's sister Leia when he discovered her in Luke's mind. The sequels don't have a main villain and the villains they do have are terrible.
Another layer of the prequels is that they describe how George Lucas lost his wife to the success of Star Wars and his desire for the ability to control his own universe.
Man I miss having these kind of conversations on my channel. Real Star Wars talk. I’ve just stopped making videos completely. This, though. This…well done sir! 💪🏻
Try something else. Support independent projects. 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ "Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind's journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul's fate revealed. In time, all points converge; hope's strength resteeled. But to earn final peace at the universe's endless refrain, we must see all in nothingness... before we start again." 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ --Diamond Dragons (series)
Thank you!!! Episode 7 sucked hard and I’m tired of everyone saying 7 was great and it only started to tank with episode 8. It went downhill right out of the gate.
I was really pissed off after Episode 7, I didn't expect to see a remake of A New Hope and not even Luke, Han and Leia in a scene together. There would have been so much more possible with all the possibilities this universe offers. I still haven't seen episodes 8 and 9 and will never want to see them. The only thing I really like from Disney SW is Rogue One and Andor but that should be a nice bonus and the sequels the absolute highlight.
Something else that I wanted add is that George Lucas is a well read individual. If you go back and look at the documentaries on the Prequel Dvds/Blu Rays you can see his booksheleves. The man understood mythology. Also, he had better directors and editors that better helped shape the story during the original trilogy. His 1st wife, Marcia Lucas, was among them. Unfortunately, that was missing during the Prequels. JJ. Abrhams doesnt understand what made Star Wars great. He just copies things aesthetically. He did the same thing with Star Trek. In addition, when Disney bought Lucasfilm they thought slapping the word Star Wars on anything would make them their money. Sadly they were right, at least in the beginning
Disney needs to hear this. Well done! When George Lucas shopped the Star Wars Screenplay around originally, none of the Studios wanted to make it. They didn't want to make it because they didn't understand it. They didn't understand it because the tenants of hope, spirituality, and friendship, are alien to them. The tenants of hope, spirituality, and friendship are alien to them is because to succeed in a media empire one must prioritize profit above all else and to accomplish that one must turn away from ones humanity and embrace the dark side. Now those that embrace the dark side are in control of the Star Wars story. The Empire now Rules the Star Wars Galaxy in the form of Lucasfilm Executives. Thanks for giving us Star Wars Lucas. No thanks for selling it to Disney.
Nice analysis, solid points. It’s still mind boggling that no one made an outline for the trilogy before making the first one. And it’s so clear that JJ doesn’t get Star Wars beyond the aesthetics. Your comment about Last Jedi had the same dull trope I see all over TH-cam. The first like 10 minutes of TLJ were all about Poe being a dangerously impulsive pilot that is will to compromise dozens of lives for symbolic reasons. If I were general on that ship I wouldn’t have trusted him, he is to reactionary when the stakes are that high.
Masterfully done. You described the Theme and how both sides were equipped with their own motifs and symbols. All without using those words which is great for me (can be confusing) and audiences in general. I used to think that the attachments to family was the core theme of the universe but I think that's more of a theme of the skywalker saga and not the unverse that is star wars, since the skywalkers are the antithesis to the jedi rule against attachments and the cause for the jedi implosion (anakin's attachment to padme) two times (Luke's attachment to his Kylo and his sister and best friend). I think the sequels kept that attachments theme in tact but not the overall theme you referenced hence why it didn't feel like star wars. On a BTS level I believe it's Disney's inclination toward research groups and committees, which Iger referenced in his book as impediments to the creative process (and also references his failure to dismantle them because of their connection to the board) that allow fan service and most superficial elements of the franchise to dominate screen time. I feel as though JJ Abrams is one of the most derivative and less detailed auteurs (if anyone can call him that) in film history, and seems to be the subject of Rian Johnson's theme (destroy the past/nostalgia=smashing a derivative helmet and more) in TLJ and Glass Onion (JJ=Miles, Mona Lisa=Star Wars). And that JJ was the perfect match (though not the first choice) for Disney's democratic (fan service) approach to storytelling.
The original trilogy is a splendid meal prepared by a master chef. The prequels are not as complete, but still some delicious items offered by the same chef. The sequels are just a bunch of sweet treats put on the table by kids who think they know what they’re doing; they’re intended to be super yummy, but instead just give you a sugar high, followed by a crash and an upset stomach.
The Lucas films all felt like they had a vision and passion behind them. Right from the get go when Disney released the New Hope remake in 2015 it was evident there was no vison or passion. Just nostalgia baiting and repeating the same thing over but with a new box ticking cast stripped of charisma.
"The dark side of the force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural" - Palpatine I've always understood the darkside as being a perversion of the natural force, but I've never thought of it being displayed so literally in the way you've explained it here.
You have Darth Vader, jar jar, binks, obi-wan, Rey, amadelia, Anakin, Han, boba Fett etc.. Then Rose ...Rose? Great well thought of names throughout 1-6. A galaxy far far away and Rose is a character
Not just you. Every time I hear the 20 Century Fox fanfare with Cinemascope extensions I expect to see the blue letters saying "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..."
Disney Star Wars confirming there is a ''light side'' of the force from the very first trailer was already enough. There is no light side, only the dark side and the force. the dark side is like cancer of the force. You wanna get rid of it so only the force exists.
The Original Trilogy was a worldwide phenomenon that spawned countless imitations and is regarded as some of the best movies ever made. You can't say the same for the lackluster Prequel Trilogy which gave us awful characters, wooden acting, and ruined the backstory as well the nature of the Force (midi-chlorians?)
even the EU follows the themes of the original, for example the first thrawn trilogy , deals with artificial life too, same as the dark forces and jedi knight series, with the artificially augmented dark jedi against the true jedi , like Kyle , then the Yuuzhan Vong wat, etc
There's this lack of sincerity in these movies. The 6 George Lucas movies consistently are about family and love without it feeling tongue in cheek. Star Wars takes itself seriously hokey moments and all. There is a wonderful lack of cynicism in those movies and that is the very core of the series. The two scenes I argue are truly the most important are from TPM and ROTJ. In TPM Anakin makes a point that "the biggest problem in the universe is that no one helps each other", and that line comes from his own mother. He also explains that in his dreams he wishes to be a Jedi, but his definition of what a Jedi is isn't 1-1 with what the Jedi actually are. In ROTJ Luke proclaims that he "is a Jedi, like his father before him". Why is this important? Luke is the kind of Jedi Anakin dreamed about being. A hero, who frees slaves from tyranny. The best part? He is free from the dogma of the Prequel era Jedi. If Luke can become a Jedi like his father, then his father can become a Jedi like him. Unrestrained passion is what nearly killed Anakin, and genuine true unconditional love is what saves him. When Anakin is dying Luke tries to save him, just like Anakin tried with Shmi. Except when she died she stated that her death was final and couldn't be stopped. This pushed Anakin to resent himself. When Anakin dies he makes sure to tell Luke that he already saved him by helping him find peace. He understood the beauty of death and tried to help Luke let go where he couldn't. Luke and Anakin are meant to mirror each other especially in their ages. In ROTS and ROTJ Anakin and Luke are the same age of 23 when they have their respective Emperor's Throne Room scenes. Where Anakin executes Dooku, Luke spares Anakin. These parallels are important because it shows they aren't carbon copies of each other, but reflections that go in opposite directions. You don't get any of this in Disney's movies. It's just MCU set pieces and MCU "well, THAT HAPPENED!" writing.
Best episode? 5 Best scene in it? Luke's training on Degobah. Still get goose bumbs at only thinking about it. Talking about the Force: "... it's around us, it binds us, life creates it, makes it grow. Luminous beings are we! Not this crude matter!"
Excellent breakdown. All (good) storytelling has embedded themes and greater ideas the reader/watcher can take with them. Lucas had ideas he wanted to communicate. The new writers don't. They also don't care about their predecessor's. "That'll look cool and strong woman good" were all we got out of these movies.
Excellent breakdown. I'll add some things I observed when about TLJ when I still had a glimmer of hope for the franchise. There was actually a LOT of potential they COULD have followed through on. Regarding Holdo specifically, if they had been willing to examine character flaws in her (I don't think they were) the sub plot there had great potential regarding the nature of leadership and "humanity" as you are talking about. A concept already explored in classic Star Trek, both with Spock in Galileo Seven, and with Data in Redemption part II. Her character was quite rigid, machine like, better suited for an organization programmed to follow orders unquestioningly -- like the First Order or the Empire, not a mess of rebels. Extra details briefly inferred in the novelization of that story involved Rose being responsible for stealth technology that was critical to sneak the escape ships to the salt planet. By going on that side mission without authorization, they accidentally fed that info to the First Order and ended up directly causing the deaths of those in the ships that were hit before the "Holdo maneuver." This would have better supported a reality where Holdo was correct tactically, but lacked the human connection to *lead* as Leah and Ackbar did, and would have made a better story in keeping with the themes you addressed (as well as seal up giant plot holes that exist now without these details).
There's one thing these new filmmakers forget. New ships and the sound design for the movie. We hear and feel the Star Wars universe. They forgot about that. I know it's a GL thing but i love the OG and the prequels because of the sound design. All the pod racers sounded different. When the millennium falcon flew by you heard the sparks and breath of the engine
Agree, although I kind of liked TLJ. It was the only movie in the sequel trilogy that was actually about something, instead of being a cheap copy of the first film or just a complete narrative mess. But unfortunately, because of the other two, it also gets disqualified as proper Star Wars.
There are no Star Wars movies made by Disney with "Episode" in the title. Ditch them all from canon and read books instead starting with "Heir to the Empire". Brillant stuff, quite innovative in the right places, entertaining and those books were created in cooperation with Lucas' company.
Episodes l - VI are about something. They're about how a republic can easily turn into a dictatorship and then the fight to restore freedom. Episodes 7-9 are about nothing. They copied a bunch of scenes from IV-VI, threw in some of the aesthetics and slapped a Star Wars logo on it. These "creatives" do not understand the basic principles of the IP and failed to deliver. What's shameful is how the media tries to cover for Disney's ineptitude and lack of talent.
I can tell you why. George Lucas isnt in charge. Just like when Walt Disney passed away it really hurt the company because the visionary, inventor, and creator was gone. Look what has happened to apple. Steve Jobs passes away and the innovation stops and now it's only about money. Gene Roddenberry passed away and things arent the same even though there has been decent product since his passing, but I bet the product would be unstoppable if he were still around
Disney did make a lot of very good movies after Walt was gone though, so it is possible to continue something great in a good way after the "founder" is gone, but one needs to have an understanding of what its about, respect for its original themes and to top it of, the braveness and skill to introduce new things that extend the franchise without damaging its core. Obviously none of that happened with the Star Wars franchise.
@abraham2172 Yeah some good decisions were made, but if he didn't pass when he did, Epcot would not have been a theme park and the magic kingdom in wdw would have been different.
Interesting points about the Spirit vs. Tech - and though it seems fairly obvious - i'm not sure that i've ever heard it explicitly expressed as such. Keep em coming bro, and good luck w. your comics.
Bingo. For decades I have argued that the only TRUE Star Wars movie is, in fact, the first one, whose theme was clearly faith/spirituality vs. technology. Even by EMPIRE, the conflict was no longer faith vs. technology, but Black Magic vs. White Magic, a theme that become fully realized with the character of The Emperor in RETURN OF THE JEDI. The sequels lost the thread entirely.
This theme of nature vs technology is also present in the sequels. Luke presents the Force to Rey as a Force of nature, while Snoke only sees the Force as a way of controlling the mind of his apprentices. Plus the Resistance is saved from the technology of the First Order by dogs from the salt planet and by the spiritual power of Rey lifting rocks, while Kylo Ren is distracted with the lightsaber fight he always wanted.
I guess you can make that argument but it's a bit of a stretch, I think. I remember that whole cavalry charge scene. It came out of nowhere and it felt so out of place. As I recall, I can't remember the imagery of nature vs technology in the Disney sequels in any of their big tent pole moments. Something as clear Endor vs Death Star II, Ewoks vs Empire.
@ what about that scene when Finn and Rose free the horses who are prisoners by the Canto Bight aliens who have technological looks and live in a fancy casino with holograms ? What about the phrase of Rey « I didn’t know there were so much green in the galaxy » after a life of scavenging technological ships ? This theme is still present, and not even in a subtle way. When they destroy the base of Starkiller, the planet destroys the base of the First Order by becoming a star again, as to say it’s the nature taking its rights back. And I don’t even talk about Luke living as an hermit on his planet by living with space cows and milking their milk and drinking it like a true farmer. Even the iron scene that everyone loves to laugh at, it symbolizes the absurdity and the superficiality of the technology of the First Order, who use a robotic engin to iron their jackets. I think we can’t say that the theme isn’t there, based on everything I just said
strongly agree with you. this theme from the OT is something I've been explaining to people for a long time. actually i didn't think it was realised properly in the prequels but the problem in the sequels is even worse
Mystery box in and of itself isn’t a compelling story. I have a hard time sitting down to write something and just introduce a mystery without having a definite answer.
The lack of spiritualism was a conscious and stupid choice on the part of Disney. They cheapened the force by making it “space magic” instead of the spiritual connection between one’s self and all other life. Lucas muddied it in the prequels for sure as well. These simpletons who made the sequels were so quick to disavow any type of spiritualism, they lost the one of the primary things that made Star Wars connect with audiences. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter.
The thematic mottif of the New Trilogy is that there's nothing "natural" about what Disney creates nowadays, all they do is take what already exists and make it more artificial
The reason is Disney ditched all of Lucas’ treatments and decided unsuccessfully to launch new characters. Star Wars was always about the rise and fall of Darth Vader.
7:29 I think a lot of people's inner child either died or reverted back to a two-year-old. Star Wars doesn't have to be about everything we grew up with to be Star Wars. Many of us wish Star Wars would grow up with us.... It's not about us. It's about the story. It's not about Luke, it's about The Chosen One. The Chosen One is still Anakin. The sequels didn't take anything away from nature vs nurture or man vs machine. It's not about that anymore. *Skeleton Crew:* The "Old Republic" credits are from before the Empire - Clone Wars era (seeing the insignia on them.... not KotOR. Please don't make stupid videos about them capitalizing the words. There's a huge difference between being childish and being child-like. Release your inner child and enjoy Star Wars. Get that Stigma out of your Head.
LET IT GO. Instead of whining, try supporting something new, exemplary, and independent. 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ "Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind's journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul's fate revealed. In time, all points converge; hope's strength resteeled. But to earn final peace at the universe's endless refrain, we must see all in nothingness... before we start again." 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ --Diamond Dragons (series)
The whole “atmosphere/feeling/emotion/vibe/etc-such…” of *Episodes 4 to 6* is different than *1 to 3* was and *7 to 9* was even more different. Some ppl don’t see it, or don’t care of the changes and just like to see special effects and laser beams and explosions (ppl who watch all entertainment with kind of a “casual” feeling). There’s other decades long series that have had the same kind of changes, even though the whole setting and environmental influence is different when comparing these different series (series, movie series, etc…). Example: Dragon Ball. The real problem are the ppl who accept whatever kind of nonsense they are given as entertainment.
Disney Star wars are bad because JJ Abrams is a talentless hack. I couldn't even believe it when they announced him as the director for episode 7, because those Star Trek movies he made are such piles of shit. Anyone who was a Trek fan and knew about JJ Abrams knew that Star Wars 7, 8, and 9 were going to suck ass, which of course they did.
For decades, Star Wars was driven by a single man. Now it’s a corporate product and thus it feels corporate. It’s that simple. Star Wars used to reflect the spirituality, values, and tastes of a single person. Now it reflects something created by a corporate board.
The sequels didn’t feel the same to me either. The story makes more sense than the Disney trilogy movies but the whole thing is too mechanical. No one seems like a real person. The story seems like something that was written by a computer. The Disney films couldn’t spoil Star Wars for me because it had already been spoiled decades earlier.
It makes me so sad the only "good" new star wars movie was movie 7 and that's only because they pretty much just re made a new hope with a different paint job💀😢
The prequels didn't feel like Star Wars and failed poorly in thematic storytelling too. But many are clouded and have other points of views I supoose. Star wars is more like a photocopy. When ROTJ was lifted from ANH the details were still crisp and the image was clean. When the prequels did another round of xerox things were blurred and displaced but the overall shape was identifiable. With the sequels, the copying deteriorated so badly all that's clear is random details with no context.
Bringing the Emperor back in Rise of Skywalker was pure desperation. I hated it. They should have created a new villain or let Kylo be the main villain.
Another thing wrong with episodes 7 to 9 is they have women and people of color on both sides. In the Originals the Empire was all-white men, and the Prequels bad guys were all men.
If you fail to see a theme that connects the sequel trilogy that is because there is no theme that connects these 3 movies. You had different directors and unfortunatelly these directors fail to work and plan out the trilogy together. At the end they had their own ideas and tried to do things how they imagined it. If any of these directors had done the trilogy all by himself it might have still been a decent trilogy. But they had to work together and they failed. J. J. Abrahms set up the characters and the story but he still left Rey´s past unanswered. (She was the mystery box). This was still fine as long as the answer came in the next movie. Ryan Johnson then discarded the mystery box and sent the whole story in a different direction. Rey was now a Nobody. And in the last Movie J.J. Abrahms tried to answer the questions about Rey´s past, give her a character ark like luke had and a big finale in just one movie. All the things that George Lucas did in 3 Movies he tried to do in just one and it failed.
Great video! Good point, well explained! As a Star Wars fan, I gave up after Force Awakens and won't even watch the other two. If I had to describe why TFA doesn't feel like Star Wars, it would be because the original movies were wholesome and beautiful, and had clear protagonists and villains. It was a simple 'good vs evil' story. TFA is an ugly film that's morally very cloudy. It seems a storm trooper has defected and become good, but then he starts hanging round with Rey - a totally unpleasant woman who seems to be the villain, and speaks like a villain, but then Han arrives and inexplicably starts helping Rey without any sense of pretence. Inexplicably, he seems to like her. Then the ex storm trooper seems to deeply care about Rey for no apparent reason even though he's just met her. This strange mixed good-evil team then meet a creepy and unpleasant orange girl who seems evil but the film treats her like a good character. Why does the movie make it so difficult to understand who's good and who's bad? Then Han's son, who seems to be the film's only true hero (though he's currently serving the empire) kills his own father, something absolutely unthinkable in a wholesome Star Wars movie. The entire time, I just have no idea whom I'm supposed to be rooting for. There is no one in the film who is clearly "good" and in fact almost every character is highly unpleasant. There is no beauty in the film. Not a single likeable female character. Everything is ugly and twisted. George Lucas put women in his films, but this doesn't have any trace of femininty, and it's painful. You leave the film just not caring about any of these characters, not caring who lives or dies. Han's son battles Rey and fails to destroy her. But he's not good either, so it doesn't even matter who wins. Plus, what is at stake? What is the film really about? We're not even told what the actual PLOT is in the first film of the trilogy or what Rey is even trying to do, or who she is. We don't know anything about any of these characters. Who is the ex storm trooper? Why does he have such an insignificant role when he's clearly the most interesting character? In a world set in a galaxy of many planets, why do characters in this film just magically all seem to bump into each other? Nothing makes sense. Everyone is far more annoying than Jar Jar. I heard 8 and 9 were far worse, so I'm never watching them!
Sidenote: The Knights Of Ren were just so pathetic. 100% unnecessary and their ship didn’t pass emissions. Because I didn’t care anything for Rey, Fin, Poe or Kylo at that point, I wanted the KOR to actually be somebody. I was so let down.
You lost me when you said "This is the guy that made LOST." JJ had a hand at creating the show, but very little involvement after that. I don't like the sequel trilogy that much, but at least get your facts straight.
As I always said: The Originals - The Hero's Journey The Prequels - The Hero's Fall The Sequels - The Soulless Cash Grab
I would say the prequels are about the rise of a villain. Never got the feeling that Anakin was a hero. He makes plenty of mistakes and always gives in to his desires even though he is supposed to be composed and at peace. He is also greedy, jealous, and vengeful. Doesn't really sound like a hero to me.
@@nicolasacosta1673anakin was a hero, the republic favorite him more than any Jedi because he fought to protect and end the war not for fun, the same reason everyone loves Luke skywalker. Both impulsive rebels that seek adventure or satisfaction. The reason he prequels started with anakin as a kid was to show how Innocent he was from good guy to bad guy. So it was powerful when Luke didn’t turn to the dark side to be just like anakin skywalker
@anime_world6684 He massacred a whole tribe of sand people. Talks shit about Obi Wan behind his back. And marries Padme which is against the jedi code. He's constantly making selfish decisions. He's not a hero, he's an extremely flawed man that ultimately sells his soul to the devil to become all powerful only to end up a slave all over again.
@nicolasacosta1673 he wouldn’t have had to massacred a tribe of sand people that tortured and killed his mother if obi wan and the the galaxy’s heroes the jedi saved shmi instead of playing politics
He assumes obi wan is jealous of him and holding him back which the Jedi council is actually doing while the Jedi council actually are talking shit behind obi wan back. If you watch Star Wars again it doesn’t matter what prequel show or move you need to watch to see for yourself
Anakin is a bad person for marrying Padme? I’m just gonna assume your the type that thinks the Jedi code is perfect and anakin didn’t bring balance to the force in the end
And anakin sells his soul to the devil because the Jedi let it happen. Anakin was the chosen one and if he was never allowed to join then Palpatine would take the chance to train him since maul died like yesterday. If the Jedi didn’t serve the republic but served the force then they would do anything like stealing shmi or playing tricks to gamble her freedom instead of forgetting an entire innocent society. And they refused anakin become master to stagnate his growth to wisdom since anakin only wanted to be master to learn how to save a life but was denied so anakin chose plan B with Palpatine. And anakin failed and became Palpatine’s slave so his son that he gave created saved him and anakin killed his master and freed the galaxy
@@anime_world6684 Since you made assumptions I'll do the same thing thanks.
(he wouldn’t have had to massacred a tribe of sand people that tortured and killed his mother if obi wan and the the galaxy’s heroes the jedi saved shmi instead of playing politics)
You seem like one of those people who think the jedi suck and are actually evil. The fact of matter is that Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan just happen to crash land on Tattooine. Jinn happend to run into Anakin whom he believes is the chosen one. He wasn't playing politics he was just trying to save Anakin because he thought he was the chosen one. The jedi don't have the time or the manpower to save every slave in the galaxy and if anything that's the Republic's job not theirs. To assume they could do that is just idiotic. Do you know how big a galaxy is? Also the jedi aren't supposed to have any attachments so saving Anakin's mom would just cause problems for his training.
(He assumes obi wan is jealous of him and holding him back which the Jedi council is actually doing while the Jedi council actually are talking shit behind obi wan back. If you watch Star Wars again it doesn’t matter what prequel show or move you need to watch to see for yourself)
All of this is just wrong and I don't know where you got this from. The jedi are never shown holding Anakin back or talking trash behind Obi-Wan's back. The only person talking trash was Anakin no one else and he ASSUMES they're holding him back. The only time you could say they held him back was when they denied giving him the rank of master which I wold argue it is in their right to give that rank to anyone they deem worthy and they simply didn't think Anakin deserved it. Which Anakin proves them right because he has a little hissy fit right after becasue he has no control over his emotions like the movie is CONSTANTLY showing you. Anakin is not a good guy if you pay attention to Episode 2 you can already see how evil he can be. George Lucas even compared him to Hitler one time during an interview so yea.
(Anakin is a bad person for marrying Padme? I’m just gonna assume your the type that thinks the Jedi code is perfect and anakin didn’t bring balance to the force in the end)
Never said it was perfect but the rules are the rules. Anakin breaking the rule to marry Padme makes it a selfish decision which is what I said previously. Also the jedi have a point in not allowing attachments. Literally just look at what happened to Anakin thanks to his attachments to his mother and Padme. He ended up falling to the darkside and destroying the Republic and jedi. So yea the jedi were correct actually.
(And anakin sells his soul to the devil because the Jedi let it happen. Anakin was the chosen one and if he was never allowed to join then Palpatine would take the chance to train him since maul died like yesterday. If the Jedi didn’t serve the republic but served the force then they would do anything like stealing shmi or playing tricks to gamble her freedom instead of forgetting an entire innocent society. And they refused anakin become master to stagnate his growth to wisdom since anakin only wanted to be master to learn how to save a life but was denied so anakin chose plan B with Palpatine. And anakin failed and became Palpatine’s slave so his son that he gave created saved him and anakin killed his master and freed the galaxy)
This one is really funny to me. Look, we all have to take accountability for our actions and can't blame other people for our circumtances. The fact is every bad decision Anakin made HE made on his own. It wasn't becasue the jedi or whatever other excuse you want to make for him it was all him and definitely a bit of Palpatine's manipulation. But his fall to the dark side was HIS fault 100%. This is like justifying the holocaust because Hitler felt wronged by the jewish people.
I also want to point out that the jedi didn't want to train him becasue he was too old and had attachments to his mother at that point. Which again the jedi right about that so yea. I mean you want to make the jedi look bad but they're contantly proven right in the prequels.😆
I feel the same way about Indiana Jones. The original trilogy had religion and spirituality closely tied to the artifacts he was looking for. Sure, Indi would find things out about them using science, but there was still a sense of wonder with how mysterious and mystical the powers behind them were. But in the new movies you just find out the artifacts are just made with technology and science. They were made by aliens or a really smart scientist. It gives an undertone of sci-fi rather than a mystical adventure.
Thats modern hollywood for you.
I think 4 fit those themes. It was treating the mysterious interdimensional race of beings in that film almost as gods unto themselves. So in a way, that theme of religions was kind of maintained there. The film's artifacts were still created by beings beyond human understanding. But the film absolutely ruined it by having an object allegedly made by a REAL Greek philosopher
Everything Disney touches turns to 💩💩💩!!!!!!
@@officialmonarchmusic I guess you're kind of right. It still had the mysterious supernatural factor. But I still think that showing aliens that used a technological spaceship still leans it too far away from the supernatural and closer to the sci-fi realm. It set a bad precedent for the franchise.
@@christiannoriega428It was an interdimensional space ship technology, only resembling things we can actually understand. It still carried the same themes as the mysterious spiritual artifacts of the first three films and wider lore, just in keeping with 50s sci-fi and red scare mythology. Indiana Jones (the OG trilogy) is a 1930s period piece. Crystal Skull is a 50s period piece. Similar ideas, but different, imbued with the culture and fears and dreams of the time. It did feel more personal for Lucas and Spielberg, as they actually lived through this time period. In some ways, it almost felt more mystical to me, because we’d been treated to religious artifacts 3 times in a row, two of which from the same one. It was untrodden territory.
That’s why I can’t get behind the fifth film, for all its talk, it doesn’t seem to care about “evolving” or fitting the time period, stuff like the German villain’s role in the space race is only paid lip service to, and the film’s artifact has never been less mysterious
Say what you will about the Prequels, but I believe Star Wars feels the most Star Wars-y when it's NOT following trends.
Because A New Hope way back in 1977 was quite a go-against-the-flow film in those times because aside from Donner's Superman, SciFi movies in the '70s tended to be for the most part depressing dystopian stories with sad bittersweet-at-best endings and cold, electronic scores (A Clockwork Orange, The Omega Man, Soylent Green, The Stepford Wives, Zardoz, Logan's Run, even George's very own THX-1138 just to name a few).
Going back to the pulpy adventures, escapism, classical archetypes and incredible special effects and beautiful John Williams music was such a breath of fresh air no matter what the poorly aged naysayer critics said, audiences fell in love instantly.
So back to the Prequels, say what you will about the dialogues and story progression in its writing, but it did continue the trend of just doing its own thing instead of mimicking what's popular in the late '90s and early 2000s like disaster movies or deconstructive Scream-esque self awareness or Matrix-wannabe wirework CGI slow motion. Lore issues aside, I'd say the Clone Wars cartoons did this well (well, the 2D one was maybe a bit too serious and Samurai Jack-esque because they got the same guy, but still).
Now compare the goddamn Sequels: they are so _PAINFULLY_ 2010s.
"Hey look, mystery boxes! Hey look, Hunger Games-styled heroines and cute boys! Hey look, MCU-style banter even when it doesn't fit the tones of the scene! Hey look, NOSTALGIA! NOSTALGIA!! NOSTALGIA!!! MAKE VIDEOS MAKE EASTER EGG AND THEORY STUFF OF WHO SNOKE IS AND PLAY FORTNITE TO GET PALPATINE'S MESSAGE!!!"
A lot of people cry about the plot beats similarities, but I think those could've worked (even the Prequels kinda did it too with Anakin blowing up the droid army mothership being akin to Luke's destruction of the Death Star, or Anakin killing Dooku intentionally drawing parallels to Luke sparing Vader), when it comes to the Sequels and most of the Disney era being absolutely void of soul or actual creativity, I mean that it's just a painfully cynical, safe and trend-following 2010s slop.
People who insist that they'll be vindicated in the future are absolutely delusional. They'll only age and get worse in time as just a shining example of 2010s corporate trash like the Jurassic World's, the latest Terminator movies and the Disney remakes.
I don’t hate the prequels as much as I used to after seeing the Disney SW garbage.
I always love the Star Wars prequel trilogy movies and the Star Wars original trilogy movies no matter what. The Star Wars prequel trilogy movies and the Star Wars original trilogy movies are timelessly good movies in my opinion, whereas the Disney 'Star Wars' sequel trilogy movies are neither timeless nor good in my opinion.
I went into the prequels just knowing I was going to love them. I was wrong. I have seen a good bit of the Disney stuff because of my daughter. I got some enjoyment from Rogue One and the Andor show. That’s it. Four movies and one series enjoyed out of all that material. I can no longer call myself a Star Wars fan.
Very well put!
Many people underestimate the importance of George Lucas in the creative process.
Agreed. Everyone hates on George but look where the series went without him.
Thank u!
I notice the difference since Farse Awakens, Even on little things like a scenes transition George always use a effect to transition tocanother scenes but in the Disney films that dosent exits
Good take on the whole topic. Its painfully obvious the people behind the sequels were NOT thinking "How can I tell a good story that fits the franchise?" but rather something akin to "MONEY!!!"
@abraham2172 honestly i thought jt was great at first to bring the og characters in but the new directors strayed away from basic storytelling by infusing real life in this world. While you have to create relationships between them star wars is not about divorce and deadbeat dads. They were too afraid of just creating a new antagonist that wasn't darth vader. Set up new heroes in the first movie being mentored in some way and having luke and leia and Han hand the keys over and the next two moves was just about the new characters and new adventures. Just sayin. Formulaic, yes, but it works
I knew the franchise was doomed the moment a Stormtrooper with PTSD over the death of his fellow Stormtroopers, decided to jailbreak the very dude responsible for their deaths, and then proceeded to murder dozens of his buddies in a Tie Fighter, while high fiving a complete stranger. Brilliant writing 😂
Nicely done. Now that you point it out, both of those final fleets in TROS are meaningless. Both sides come from nowhere, with no basis in what the characters have been doing. Kylo hasn't worked to seize control of shipyards across the galaxy, enslaving star systems and forcing them to produce war machines. Instead, he just gets a bazillion Death Star Destroyers dropped in his lap, with no struggle, cost, or sacrifice. The Not-Rebellion hasn't been trying for a propaganda victory, dropping leaflets and hitting targets that're highly visible but do little real damage. Nothing happens to invigorate the morale of an entire galaxy, except that they hired Lando for this one. Both fleets just exist, because you need to do something big at the end of the trilogy.
Agree. The entire movie was a total waste. Just running from one stupid event to another, I think, just to keep us distracted from the fact that the film had no substance.
Something that I found really jarring is how this entire battle basically turned the First Order into a gigantic Paper Tiger. Remember, in TLJ, it was mentioned that the people of the Galaxy were just too scared to resist the FO, which seemed to have taken over the place without effort within a few days after Starkiller Base destroyed Hosnian Prime. Yet, within an even shorter span of time, Lando managed to rally this ginormous Fleet to fight the Final Order. And still, what didn‘t travel to Exegol was still enough to shake off the FO like it was nothing offscreen. This really doesn’t add up. Come to think of it, nothing about this movie does.
Nothing adds up. I''m still on step one. After the Empire fell, why didnt the rebellion turn into the New Republic? Where the heck did the First Order come from? Whats the relationship between the Resistance and the Republic. Bah. Nevermind.
There is something meaningful about the civilian fleet with the whole "they're just people" aspect but it's never fully realized. Like they had the idea but didn't know how to pull it off.
@@paolofabregas 100% this. It could have been explained in two or three scenes in the first act of the first movie. Show Leia in charge of the New Republic, have her get a briefing about the First Order that explains to the audience what the hell is going on. Getting JJ “Mystery Box” Abrams was such a terrible decision.
Constructive criticism and mature explanations rather than whining about how Disney Star Wars is different from one's childhood? Subscribed.
this is absolutely true. the usual whining about how things are now and that's why Star Wars is bad now doesn't really benefit anyone, but this video actually makes great points
you mistake their lack of eloquence for whining.
You are absolutely correct. I have tried explaining my feelings on the matter, especially to younger fans, but most people only seem to focus on the spectacle of it all.
The way Vader/James Earl Jones delivers the "lack of faith" line is incredible. It's so much more menacing using a calm but mocking tone then if had been delivered with Vader raising his voice or yelling. When s villain is constantly flying off the handle it doesn't make them seem dangerous to me, which is exactly what we got with Kylo. Something just hit me, there's not really a central villain in those films. Smoke is a stupid clone who we barely see and when we do he's not doing squat. Kylo is always throwing hissyfits and doesn't always seem to be respected by those around him. Hux isn't in it enough, he sorta switched sides and he was used as a punchline for Rian's trainwreck. Don't need to explain Phasma. The Emperor doesn't show up until the last movie. Not saying a villain isn't a villain if he's redeemed at the last moment. Vader was pretty much the main villain in all the films. Sure he went to the light side at the end but that was just what, 20 or 30 minutes after he threatened Luke's sister Leia when he discovered her in Luke's mind. The sequels don't have a main villain and the villains they do have are terrible.
Something i noticed as well was how calm all the villans were in the originals and prequels, it made them way more menacing.
Another layer of the prequels is that they describe how George Lucas lost his wife to the success of Star Wars and his desire for the ability to control his own universe.
Kinda
Man I miss having these kind of conversations on my channel. Real Star Wars talk. I’ve just stopped making videos completely. This, though. This…well done sir! 💪🏻
I agree, and I don't even make Star Wars videos! 😜
Thank you!
Try something else. Support independent projects.
🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨
"Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind's journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul's fate revealed. In time, all points converge; hope's strength resteeled. But to earn final peace at the universe's endless refrain, we must see all in nothingness... before we start again."
🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨
--Diamond Dragons (series)
Thank you!!! Episode 7 sucked hard and I’m tired of everyone saying 7 was great and it only started to tank with episode 8. It went downhill right out of the gate.
What did you think of Rogue One or Solo though?
I was really pissed off after Episode 7, I didn't expect to see a remake of A New Hope and not even Luke, Han and Leia in a scene together. There would have been so much more possible with all the possibilities this universe offers. I still haven't seen episodes 8 and 9 and will never want to see them. The only thing I really like from Disney SW is Rogue One and Andor but that should be a nice bonus and the sequels the absolute highlight.
Episode 7 had no soul . It shows big time.
Something else that I wanted add is that George Lucas is a well read individual. If you go back and look at the documentaries on the Prequel Dvds/Blu Rays you can see his booksheleves. The man understood mythology. Also, he had better directors and editors that better helped shape the story during the original trilogy. His 1st wife, Marcia Lucas, was among them. Unfortunately, that was missing during the Prequels.
JJ. Abrhams doesnt understand what made Star Wars great. He just copies things aesthetically. He did the same thing with Star Trek. In addition, when Disney bought Lucasfilm they thought slapping the word Star Wars on anything would make them their money. Sadly they were right, at least in the beginning
Great video man! Hadn’t thought of this to this extent! Can’t wait to watch whatever you put out next!
Disney needs to hear this. Well done!
When George Lucas shopped the Star Wars Screenplay around originally, none of the Studios wanted to make it. They didn't want to make it because they didn't understand it. They didn't understand it because the tenants of hope, spirituality, and friendship, are alien to them. The tenants of hope, spirituality, and friendship are alien to them is because to succeed in a media empire one must prioritize profit above all else and to accomplish that one must turn away from ones humanity and embrace the dark side. Now those that embrace the dark side are in control of the Star Wars story. The Empire now Rules the Star Wars Galaxy in the form of Lucasfilm Executives. Thanks for giving us Star Wars Lucas. No thanks for selling it to Disney.
Well said!
How true this is!!!!
To be fair to Disney, Andor is far better than any Star Wars movie.
I strongly agree that the OT and the prequels are strongly connected through the themes of spirituality and technology
Nice analysis, solid points. It’s still mind boggling that no one made an outline for the trilogy before making the first one. And it’s so clear that JJ doesn’t get Star Wars beyond the aesthetics.
Your comment about Last Jedi had the same dull trope I see all over TH-cam. The first like 10 minutes of TLJ were all about Poe being a dangerously impulsive pilot that is will to compromise dozens of lives for symbolic reasons.
If I were general on that ship I wouldn’t have trusted him, he is to reactionary when the stakes are that high.
Masterfully done. You described the Theme and how both sides were equipped with their own motifs and symbols. All without using those words which is great for me (can be confusing) and audiences in general. I used to think that the attachments to family was the core theme of the universe but I think that's more of a theme of the skywalker saga and not the unverse that is star wars, since the skywalkers are the antithesis to the jedi rule against attachments and the cause for the jedi implosion (anakin's attachment to padme) two times (Luke's attachment to his Kylo and his sister and best friend). I think the sequels kept that attachments theme in tact but not the overall theme you referenced hence why it didn't feel like star wars. On a BTS level I believe it's Disney's inclination toward research groups and committees, which Iger referenced in his book as impediments to the creative process (and also references his failure to dismantle them because of their connection to the board) that allow fan service and most superficial elements of the franchise to dominate screen time. I feel as though JJ Abrams is one of the most derivative and less detailed auteurs (if anyone can call him that) in film history, and seems to be the subject of Rian Johnson's theme (destroy the past/nostalgia=smashing a derivative helmet and more) in TLJ and Glass Onion (JJ=Miles, Mona Lisa=Star Wars). And that JJ was the perfect match (though not the first choice) for Disney's democratic (fan service) approach to storytelling.
That's some good stuff man. Gave an interesting perspective on the whole saga !
The original trilogy is a splendid meal prepared by a master chef.
The prequels are not as complete, but still some delicious items offered by the same chef.
The sequels are just a bunch of sweet treats put on the table by kids who think they know what they’re doing; they’re intended to be super yummy, but instead just give you a sugar high, followed by a crash and an upset stomach.
One of the best analogies I’ve heard. Very nice!
The Lucas films all felt like they had a vision and passion behind them. Right from the get go when Disney released the New Hope remake in 2015 it was evident there was no vison or passion. Just nostalgia baiting and repeating the same thing over but with a new box ticking cast stripped of charisma.
"The dark side of the force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural"
- Palpatine
I've always understood the darkside as being a perversion of the natural force, but I've never thought of it being displayed so literally in the way you've explained it here.
The craziest thing is that Rogue One and Andor have felt the most George Lucas Star Wars. The only gems alongside S1/S2 Mando and The Clone Wars
You have Darth Vader, jar jar, binks, obi-wan, Rey, amadelia, Anakin, Han, boba Fett etc.. Then Rose ...Rose? Great well thought of names throughout 1-6. A galaxy far far away and Rose is a character
I know it's just me, but not having the 20th Century Fox fanfare just doesn't feel right
Not just you. Every time I hear the 20 Century Fox fanfare with Cinemascope extensions I expect to see the blue letters saying "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..."
They even had the Fox Fanfare on the soundtrack CDs.
9:05 episode 8 wasn't about killing the past, it's about failure and learning from it. Killing the past is what kylo, the villain, wants to do.
Disney Star Wars confirming there is a ''light side'' of the force from the very first trailer was already enough. There is no light side, only the dark side and the force. the dark side is like cancer of the force. You wanna get rid of it so only the force exists.
I agree, the sequels are a mess. The prequels and originals are six of the best movies ever made. The sequels failed to capture that feeling.
The Original Trilogy was a worldwide phenomenon that spawned countless imitations and is regarded as some of the best movies ever made. You can't say the same for the lackluster Prequel Trilogy which gave us awful characters, wooden acting, and ruined the backstory as well the nature of the Force (midi-chlorians?)
even the EU follows the themes of the original, for example the first thrawn trilogy , deals with artificial life too, same as the dark forces and jedi knight series, with the artificially augmented dark jedi against the true jedi , like Kyle , then the Yuuzhan Vong wat, etc
The Vader mask in TFA makes no sense whatsoever !
I love how the suits in this video sound like Bobcat Goldthwait
There's this lack of sincerity in these movies. The 6 George Lucas movies consistently are about family and love without it feeling tongue in cheek. Star Wars takes itself seriously hokey moments and all. There is a wonderful lack of cynicism in those movies and that is the very core of the series. The two scenes I argue are truly the most important are from TPM and ROTJ.
In TPM Anakin makes a point that "the biggest problem in the universe is that no one helps each other", and that line comes from his own mother. He also explains that in his dreams he wishes to be a Jedi, but his definition of what a Jedi is isn't 1-1 with what the Jedi actually are.
In ROTJ Luke proclaims that he "is a Jedi, like his father before him". Why is this important? Luke is the kind of Jedi Anakin dreamed about being. A hero, who frees slaves from tyranny. The best part? He is free from the dogma of the Prequel era Jedi.
If Luke can become a Jedi like his father, then his father can become a Jedi like him. Unrestrained passion is what nearly killed Anakin, and genuine true unconditional love is what saves him. When Anakin is dying Luke tries to save him, just like Anakin tried with Shmi. Except when she died she stated that her death was final and couldn't be stopped. This pushed Anakin to resent himself. When Anakin dies he makes sure to tell Luke that he already saved him by helping him find peace. He understood the beauty of death and tried to help Luke let go where he couldn't.
Luke and Anakin are meant to mirror each other especially in their ages. In ROTS and ROTJ Anakin and Luke are the same age of 23 when they have their respective Emperor's Throne Room scenes. Where Anakin executes Dooku, Luke spares Anakin. These parallels are important because it shows they aren't carbon copies of each other, but reflections that go in opposite directions.
You don't get any of this in Disney's movies. It's just MCU set pieces and MCU "well, THAT HAPPENED!" writing.
Best episode? 5
Best scene in it? Luke's training on Degobah.
Still get goose bumbs at only thinking about it.
Talking about the Force: "... it's around us, it binds us, life creates it, makes it grow. Luminous beings are we! Not this crude matter!"
Excellent breakdown. All (good) storytelling has embedded themes and greater ideas the reader/watcher can take with them.
Lucas had ideas he wanted to communicate.
The new writers don't. They also don't care about their predecessor's.
"That'll look cool and strong woman good" were all we got out of these movies.
Excellent breakdown. I'll add some things I observed when about TLJ when I still had a glimmer of hope for the franchise. There was actually a LOT of potential they COULD have followed through on.
Regarding Holdo specifically, if they had been willing to examine character flaws in her (I don't think they were) the sub plot there had great potential regarding the nature of leadership and "humanity" as you are talking about.
A concept already explored in classic Star Trek, both with Spock in Galileo Seven, and with Data in Redemption part II.
Her character was quite rigid, machine like, better suited for an organization programmed to follow orders unquestioningly -- like the First Order or the Empire, not a mess of rebels.
Extra details briefly inferred in the novelization of that story involved Rose being responsible for stealth technology that was critical to sneak the escape ships to the salt planet. By going on that side mission without authorization, they accidentally fed that info to the First Order and ended up directly causing the deaths of those in the ships that were hit before the "Holdo maneuver."
This would have better supported a reality where Holdo was correct tactically, but lacked the human connection to *lead* as Leah and Ackbar did, and would have made a better story in keeping with the themes you addressed (as well as seal up giant plot holes that exist now without these details).
There's one thing these new filmmakers forget. New ships and the sound design for the movie. We hear and feel the Star Wars universe. They forgot about that. I know it's a GL thing but i love the OG and the prequels because of the sound design. All the pod racers sounded different. When the millennium falcon flew by you heard the sparks and breath of the engine
Agree, although I kind of liked TLJ. It was the only movie in the sequel trilogy that was actually about something, instead of being a cheap copy of the first film or just a complete narrative mess. But unfortunately, because of the other two, it also gets disqualified as proper Star Wars.
There are no Star Wars movies made by Disney with "Episode" in the title.
Ditch them all from canon and read books instead starting with "Heir to the Empire".
Brillant stuff, quite innovative in the right places, entertaining and those books were created in cooperation with Lucas' company.
Episodes l - VI are about something. They're about how a republic can easily turn into a dictatorship and then the fight to restore freedom.
Episodes 7-9 are about nothing. They copied a bunch of scenes from IV-VI, threw in some of the aesthetics and slapped a Star Wars logo on it. These "creatives" do not understand the basic principles of the IP and failed to deliver. What's shameful is how the media tries to cover for Disney's ineptitude and lack of talent.
I can tell you why. George Lucas isnt in charge. Just like when Walt Disney passed away it really hurt the company because the visionary, inventor, and creator was gone. Look what has happened to apple. Steve Jobs passes away and the innovation stops and now it's only about money. Gene Roddenberry passed away and things arent the same even though there has been decent product since his passing, but I bet the product would be unstoppable if he were still around
Disney did make a lot of very good movies after Walt was gone though, so it is possible to continue something great in a good way after the "founder" is gone, but one needs to have an understanding of what its about, respect for its original themes and to top it of, the braveness and skill to introduce new things that extend the franchise without damaging its core. Obviously none of that happened with the Star Wars franchise.
@abraham2172 Yeah some good decisions were made, but if he didn't pass when he did, Epcot would not have been a theme park and the magic kingdom in wdw would have been different.
Damn this is real media literacy! Love this video. Just popped up on my feed and loving your insights. Thanks for making this!
Thanks @jamesgriffithmusic
Interesting points about the Spirit vs. Tech - and though it seems fairly obvious - i'm not sure that i've ever heard it explicitly expressed as such. Keep em coming bro, and good luck w. your comics.
Thanks, man!
Read up on the Hero with a 1000 Faces and tell me they have an inkling of what George L was trying to accomplish.
Bingo. For decades I have argued that the only TRUE Star Wars movie is, in fact, the first one, whose theme was clearly faith/spirituality vs. technology. Even by EMPIRE, the conflict was no longer faith vs. technology, but Black Magic vs. White Magic, a theme that become fully realized with the character of The Emperor in RETURN OF THE JEDI. The sequels lost the thread entirely.
Star Wars is about empire overreach. It’s about freedom vs fascism.
True. Well done. Luminous beings we are, like 1-6, not that crude matter like 7-9 ;).
Perfectly put, Paolo!
This theme of nature vs technology is also present in the sequels. Luke presents the Force to Rey as a Force of nature, while Snoke only sees the Force as a way of controlling the mind of his apprentices.
Plus the Resistance is saved from the technology of the First Order by dogs from the salt planet and by the spiritual power of Rey lifting rocks, while Kylo Ren is distracted with the lightsaber fight he always wanted.
I guess you can make that argument but it's a bit of a stretch, I think. I remember that whole cavalry charge scene. It came out of nowhere and it felt so out of place. As I recall, I can't remember the imagery of nature vs technology in the Disney sequels in any of their big tent pole moments. Something as clear Endor vs Death Star II, Ewoks vs Empire.
@ what about that scene when Finn and Rose free the horses who are prisoners by the Canto Bight aliens who have technological looks and live in a fancy casino with holograms ?
What about the phrase of Rey « I didn’t know there were so much green in the galaxy » after a life of scavenging technological ships ?
This theme is still present, and not even in a subtle way. When they destroy the base of Starkiller, the planet destroys the base of the First Order by becoming a star again, as to say it’s the nature taking its rights back. And I don’t even talk about Luke living as an hermit on his planet by living with space cows and milking their milk and drinking it like a true farmer.
Even the iron scene that everyone loves to laugh at, it symbolizes the absurdity and the superficiality of the technology of the First Order, who use a robotic engin to iron their jackets.
I think we can’t say that the theme isn’t there, based on everything I just said
strongly agree with you. this theme from the OT is something I've been explaining to people for a long time. actually i didn't think it was realised properly in the prequels but the problem in the sequels is even worse
Disney treated SW like any other generic space superhero movies. There is no reason to train and dedicate years to develop skills and abilities.
Mystery box in and of itself isn’t a compelling story. I have a hard time sitting down to write something and just introduce a mystery without having a definite answer.
The sequels are like a surface-level cargo cult version of Star Wars.
The first six movies were done with a passion to tell a story. The sequels were done with a passion to only make money and thus have no soul.
The lack of spiritualism was a conscious and stupid choice on the part of Disney. They cheapened the force by making it “space magic” instead of the spiritual connection between one’s self and all other life. Lucas muddied it in the prequels for sure as well.
These simpletons who made the sequels were so quick to disavow any type of spiritualism, they lost the one of the primary things that made Star Wars connect with audiences.
Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter.
The thematic mottif of the New Trilogy is that there's nothing "natural" about what Disney creates nowadays, all they do is take what already exists and make it more artificial
Of all videos I watched, this was the best explanation to why sequel failed… and I watched A LOT 😂
The reason is Disney ditched all of Lucas’ treatments and decided unsuccessfully to launch new characters. Star Wars was always about the rise and fall of Darth Vader.
Enjoying your channel. Thanks!
Excellent analysis!
7:29 I think a lot of people's inner child either died or reverted back to a two-year-old. Star Wars doesn't have to be about everything we grew up with to be Star Wars. Many of us wish Star Wars would grow up with us.... It's not about us. It's about the story.
It's not about Luke, it's about The Chosen One. The Chosen One is still Anakin. The sequels didn't take anything away from nature vs nurture or man vs machine. It's not about that anymore.
*Skeleton Crew:* The "Old Republic" credits are from before the Empire - Clone Wars era (seeing the insignia on them.... not KotOR. Please don't make stupid videos about them capitalizing the words.
There's a huge difference between being childish and being child-like. Release your inner child and enjoy Star Wars. Get that Stigma out of your Head.
To be fair, the prequels don't "feel" like Star Wars to me, either.
Neither does Andor, but it’s the best Star Wars content ever created.
LET IT GO. Instead of whining, try supporting something new, exemplary, and independent.
🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨
"Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind's journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul's fate revealed. In time, all points converge; hope's strength resteeled. But to earn final peace at the universe's endless refrain, we must see all in nothingness... before we start again."
🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨
--Diamond Dragons (series)
Frankly speaking, Yoda was never Lukes master, more of a teacher. Thats why he could never enforce obidence on Luke unlike the era of the prequels.
Excellent analysis.
10:21 ❤
You did I Enjoyed it so much I bought it on Blue Ray in 14K it was perfect. Finally that Starwars I always wanted.
The whole “atmosphere/feeling/emotion/vibe/etc-such…” of *Episodes 4 to 6* is different than *1 to 3* was and *7 to 9* was even more different. Some ppl don’t see it, or don’t care of the changes and just like to see special effects and laser beams and explosions (ppl who watch all entertainment with kind of a “casual” feeling).
There’s other decades long series that have had the same kind of changes, even though the whole setting and environmental influence is different when comparing these different series (series, movie series, etc…). Example: Dragon Ball.
The real problem are the ppl who accept whatever kind of nonsense they are given as entertainment.
Because it isn't
Love your books by the way there a great read!
@@psykeofficialchannel7126 wow! Thank you so much!
Disney Star wars are bad because JJ Abrams is a talentless hack. I couldn't even believe it when they announced him as the director for episode 7, because those Star Trek movies he made are such piles of shit. Anyone who was a Trek fan and knew about JJ Abrams knew that Star Wars 7, 8, and 9 were going to suck ass, which of course they did.
Love your analysis
Thank you!
George Lucas knew better.
Star Wars is the odyssey in space. It’s not that complicated.
I dont quite see the Odyssey. A man wanting to return to his wife and home?
Disney Star Wars are in name only.
For decades, Star Wars was driven by a single man. Now it’s a corporate product and thus it feels corporate.
It’s that simple. Star Wars used to reflect the spirituality, values, and tastes of a single person. Now it reflects something created by a corporate board.
The death of creativity.
Very well said!
The sequels didn’t feel the same to me either. The story makes more sense than the Disney trilogy movies but the whole thing is too mechanical. No one seems like a real person. The story seems like something that was written by a computer. The Disney films couldn’t spoil Star Wars for me because it had already been spoiled decades earlier.
This is a way stronger argument than 90% of "Sequels bad" content on the Internet. You actually make a really compelling case for a subtextual theme.
Wow a good over view
It makes me so sad the only "good" new star wars movie was movie 7 and that's only because they pretty much just re made a new hope with a different paint job💀😢
This is only concerning the mainline entries as I really did enjoy rouge one
I half enjoyed Rogue One. I was bored in the first half of the film.
It wasn’t as serious as before.
It’s true. All of it.
The theme of the sequels: " I bet these idiots will buy ANYTHING if we just slap a SW logo on it and throw in some lightsabers!"
The sequel trilogy is the textbook definition of a "skin suit".
The prequels didn't feel like Star Wars and failed poorly in thematic storytelling too. But many are clouded and have other points of views I supoose.
Star wars is more like a photocopy. When ROTJ was lifted from ANH the details were still crisp and the image was clean. When the prequels did another round of xerox things were blurred and displaced but the overall shape was identifiable. With the sequels, the copying deteriorated so badly all that's clear is random details with no context.
Bringing the Emperor back in Rise of Skywalker was pure desperation. I hated it. They should have created a new villain or let Kylo be the main villain.
The Disney trilogy is just a waste of time.
because it's not Star Wars. it's Disney kids' shows wrapped in Star Wars wrapping paper 🤔🤷♂️
well said
Another thing wrong with episodes 7 to 9 is they have women and people of color on both sides. In the Originals the Empire was all-white men, and the Prequels bad guys were all men.
Because the only Star Wars is George Lucas Star Wars.
Any other stuff is a cheap ripoff.
Now the IP is in the dark side controlled by Woke Siths.
If you fail to see a theme that connects the sequel trilogy that is because there is no theme that connects these 3 movies.
You had different directors and unfortunatelly these directors fail to work and plan out the trilogy together.
At the end they had their own ideas and tried to do things how they imagined it. If any of these directors had done the trilogy all by himself it might have still been a decent trilogy. But they had to work together and they failed.
J. J. Abrahms set up the characters and the story but he still left Rey´s past unanswered. (She was the mystery box). This was still fine as long as the answer came in the next movie.
Ryan Johnson then discarded the mystery box and sent the whole story in a different direction. Rey was now a Nobody.
And in the last Movie J.J. Abrahms tried to answer the questions about Rey´s past, give her a character ark like luke had and a big finale in just one movie. All the things that George Lucas did in 3 Movies he tried to do in just one and it failed.
Great video! Good point, well explained! As a Star Wars fan, I gave up after Force Awakens and won't even watch the other two. If I had to describe why TFA doesn't feel like Star Wars, it would be because the original movies were wholesome and beautiful, and had clear protagonists and villains. It was a simple 'good vs evil' story.
TFA is an ugly film that's morally very cloudy. It seems a storm trooper has defected and become good, but then he starts hanging round with Rey - a totally unpleasant woman who seems to be the villain, and speaks like a villain, but then Han arrives and inexplicably starts helping Rey without any sense of pretence. Inexplicably, he seems to like her.
Then the ex storm trooper seems to deeply care about Rey for no apparent reason even though he's just met her. This strange mixed good-evil team then meet a creepy and unpleasant orange girl who seems evil but the film treats her like a good character. Why does the movie make it so difficult to understand who's good and who's bad?
Then Han's son, who seems to be the film's only true hero (though he's currently serving the empire) kills his own father, something absolutely unthinkable in a wholesome Star Wars movie. The entire time, I just have no idea whom I'm supposed to be rooting for. There is no one in the film who is clearly "good" and in fact almost every character is highly unpleasant.
There is no beauty in the film. Not a single likeable female character. Everything is ugly and twisted. George Lucas put women in his films, but this doesn't have any trace of femininty, and it's painful. You leave the film just not caring about any of these characters, not caring who lives or dies. Han's son battles Rey and fails to destroy her. But he's not good either, so it doesn't even matter who wins.
Plus, what is at stake? What is the film really about? We're not even told what the actual PLOT is in the first film of the trilogy or what Rey is even trying to do, or who she is. We don't know anything about any of these characters. Who is the ex storm trooper? Why does he have such an insignificant role when he's clearly the most interesting character?
In a world set in a galaxy of many planets, why do characters in this film just magically all seem to bump into each other? Nothing makes sense. Everyone is far more annoying than Jar Jar.
I heard 8 and 9 were far worse, so I'm never watching them!
Finally someone says TFA was not a good movie
@@corporalchris9110_bricks Hated it!
Agreed.
the sequels aren't a trilogy, the three movies have basically nothing to do with each other
Sidenote: The Knights Of Ren were just so pathetic. 100% unnecessary and their ship didn’t pass emissions. Because I didn’t care anything for Rey, Fin, Poe or Kylo at that point, I wanted the KOR to actually be somebody. I was so let down.
When episode 7 opens without the Fox Fanfare, I knew that the movie will suck.
You lost me when you said "This is the guy that made LOST." JJ had a hand at creating the show, but very little involvement after that. I don't like the sequel trilogy that much, but at least get your facts straight.
Episode 1, 2, and 3 also suck.