There were a number of issues in the way the show was written and produced that alienated the fans. I've already talked about the shortcomings of a few of the characters, so now I'm going to mention some of the storytelling, production, and business issues.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Closing Time: Stargate Universe Pt. 2
Best & Worst Episodes
Now that you have a better understanding of which characters brought the show up and which brought it down, let's see them in action with an episode selection.
Now that you have a better understanding of which characters brought the show up and which brought it down, let's see them in action with an episode selection.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Closing Time: Stargate Universe Pt. 1
Now that Stargate Universe has gone off the air and it looks like the book is being closed on the franchise, I wanted to give some thoughts on why the show, and consequently the franchise, didn't reach its... final destiny. I'll be reviewing the pros and cons in a 3 part series.
I. The top 3 best and worst main characters
I. The top 3 best and worst main characters
Friday, May 13, 2011
An Objective Look at Star Wars - Ep. 6
As I said before, I didn't catch my cousins' reactions to the cliffhanger close of Empire, but they were very eager to move onto Return of the Jedi. They had been given enough time to get invested in the new characters and the story lines from the prequel trilogy were coming back into a smoother whole narrative. Episode VI has suffered the least in the new viewing order. It maintains a strong position as the epic conclusion of the saga for either six movies or three.
Surprisingly, they didn't have much to say on Jabba's palace. They liked the cool creature effects of the alien band, and of course thought Jabba was pretty nasty, but other than that, not much to say. Boba Fett didn't really add much to the scenes. He had much more gravitas in just the original trilogy when he was a mysterious, yet cool bounty hunter. Now, knowing his origin story and his traumatic childhood, the audience feels a little cheated that he is just a hired thug with little importance.
Yoda's death was very emotional and got a good reaction. Some people say that seeing Yoda use a lightsaber and fight in the prequels ruined his character, and I understand the argument they're making, but I feel his death is made all the more powerful and sad by our knowing what a great fighter he was. That after all the wars, the combat, and the epic use of the Force, age has finally caught up with him. This is one of only a handful of scenes from the originals that is actually enhanced by the back story provided by the prequels.
I wasn't at all surprised that the Ewoks were a big hit. Everyone loved them for being cute and funny. Even some of the harshest critics of Star Wars I've met have softened up for the overtly kid friendly creatures, which are far superior to the Gungans for enjoyment, despite similar functions.
The conclusion of Vader's arc was also well received. They all cried out "Look, it's Anakin!" when Hayden Christensen appeared at the end, while I could only sigh in dismay. I understood why they felt that way, but it made me truly regret showing the film in this order.
Final Thoughts
I asked my cousins what they thought of the films. Sadly, all said that Episode III was their favorite. Kat said that Episode V would have been her favorite if the effects had been better (and this included all the Special Edition stuff). This is very telling about the shift in priorities for new Star Wars audiences. They now expect and favor great visual effects spectacles over deeper storytelling. Berri even commented that the films would look great in 3D, to which I smiled and told her what was coming next year. I can't say for certain anymore if the SW franchise has truly lost its way, or if it is simply changing with the times. After all, Avatar was a smash hit despite having a recycled and predictable story. Time will tell on the direction of the franchise. In addition to the 3D conversion, more sequels have been announced, though I don't know what other stories there are to tell. If Lucas is picking up James Cameron's proverbial gauntlet, then there's no hope for old school fans like myself. I can only quote Mrs. Constanza from Seinfeld, "Why, Georgie, why?"
Surprisingly, they didn't have much to say on Jabba's palace. They liked the cool creature effects of the alien band, and of course thought Jabba was pretty nasty, but other than that, not much to say. Boba Fett didn't really add much to the scenes. He had much more gravitas in just the original trilogy when he was a mysterious, yet cool bounty hunter. Now, knowing his origin story and his traumatic childhood, the audience feels a little cheated that he is just a hired thug with little importance.
Yoda's death was very emotional and got a good reaction. Some people say that seeing Yoda use a lightsaber and fight in the prequels ruined his character, and I understand the argument they're making, but I feel his death is made all the more powerful and sad by our knowing what a great fighter he was. That after all the wars, the combat, and the epic use of the Force, age has finally caught up with him. This is one of only a handful of scenes from the originals that is actually enhanced by the back story provided by the prequels.
I wasn't at all surprised that the Ewoks were a big hit. Everyone loved them for being cute and funny. Even some of the harshest critics of Star Wars I've met have softened up for the overtly kid friendly creatures, which are far superior to the Gungans for enjoyment, despite similar functions.
The conclusion of Vader's arc was also well received. They all cried out "Look, it's Anakin!" when Hayden Christensen appeared at the end, while I could only sigh in dismay. I understood why they felt that way, but it made me truly regret showing the film in this order.
Final Thoughts
I asked my cousins what they thought of the films. Sadly, all said that Episode III was their favorite. Kat said that Episode V would have been her favorite if the effects had been better (and this included all the Special Edition stuff). This is very telling about the shift in priorities for new Star Wars audiences. They now expect and favor great visual effects spectacles over deeper storytelling. Berri even commented that the films would look great in 3D, to which I smiled and told her what was coming next year. I can't say for certain anymore if the SW franchise has truly lost its way, or if it is simply changing with the times. After all, Avatar was a smash hit despite having a recycled and predictable story. Time will tell on the direction of the franchise. In addition to the 3D conversion, more sequels have been announced, though I don't know what other stories there are to tell. If Lucas is picking up James Cameron's proverbial gauntlet, then there's no hope for old school fans like myself. I can only quote Mrs. Constanza from Seinfeld, "Why, Georgie, why?"
Monday, May 2, 2011
An Objective Look at Star Wars - Ep. 5 (sorta)
A New Hope really seemed to throw my cousins. Not only was the cinematic style completely different from the preceding films, but the story did not conform to any of their expectations (and I don't mean because it was actually good). The story arcs of Revenge of the Sith were not resolved and were barely touched upon, which proved to be very distracting. Berri declared her dislike for A New Hope because, (in a high screech that would have given Crying Wife a run for her money) "It's just that Episode III was so sad because Padme died, and Anakin turned evil and then the twins were separated, AND NOW THEY'RE FALLING IN LOVE!!" She has a point about a clear flaw in our viewing order. Anyone on their 2nd+ viewing of the originals will know that Luke and Leia are siblings and either laugh or grimace at the potential, but averted romance. First timers used to be oblivious and would probably keep guessing as they watched IV and V on who would get Leia . Berri made me wonder if, during the years of '77-'83, there was a "Team Luke" and "Team Han" thing going on. Alas, that wonderful surprise for Star Wars newcomers is now gone.
Now, unfortunately, I was only present for the first hour of the Empire Strikes Back screening, so I have less of their reactions to it that film, but here it is. For once, there was little confusion about the film's story. They were all completely clear about where the characters were and why. The narrative had a very strong hook and kept their attention for the first half hour without too many questions. Valise was even kind enough to recant her statement that "Star Wars sucks." We did hit a bump in the road when Yoda appeared. Again, the prequels had spoiled the surprise that the quirky little bat creature was in fact a Jedi Master. They had no idea what to make of him because he seemed to be acting completely out of character until he finally revealed his identity. Eventually, they just decided he'd gone crazy living in the wilderness. I think Lucas just failed to capture Yoda's quirky humor in the prequels and focused too much on the backwards platitudes.
Many fans have debated the mechanics of the cave scene where Luke fights a replica of Vader, mostly because it's an extremely deep scene of subtle and philosophical foreshadowing. The girls had an even harder time with it because they were not used to actually thinking when watching the films. Episodes I-III were very blunt films of mostly meaningless CGI action and any foreshadowing like this was spoon fed to the audience. Episode IV dialed back the CGI, but was filled with mostly basic exposition, with a bit of subtlety and vague detail. So, with their brains wired to just accept the facts as presented without much thought, I had to pause the film and explain.
The lesson Luke is taught regards fear. Yoda tells him that the only thing in the cave is what he brings with him. Luke brings his weapons, expecting something dangerous, something he should be afraid of. Inside the cave, he finds the one thing he is most afraid of: Darth Vader, and immediately kills him without hesitation. He then sees his action reflected in the face under Vader's mask. Luke went in expecting a fight and that's exactly what he found. Yoda was trying to tell him that listening to your fear will lead to anger and aggression, especially in the face of the unknown, and a Jedi has to be better than that, or risk ending up like Vader. In addition, there is the foreshadowing that Vader is Luke's father, and the audience, unknowing or not, gets a glimpse into how Vader turned evil.
Final Thoughts
I had to leave at this point, so I didn't catch the rest of their reactions to the film, but I know they liked it. For my own impressions, I finally concede that this truly the best film of the set. The universe is established enough for the audience to stay grounded, and the narrative is straight forward, yet exciting. The "new" characters have grown beyond their archetypes into more unique personalities with their own arcs. Lastly, the special effects are strong enough not to be distracting. I feel I should point out that Lucas had the greatest distance from this one. He wrote a rough outline of the story and passed it on to an experienced screenwriter and director to take over. He was rarely on set because the film was having financial difficulties which he had to deal with, which is what he's good at. Under these circumstances, the creativity of the cast and crew had a chance to shine through and create a compelling feature. It even fits pretty well into the prequel narrative as the story returns to the threads left by Revenge of the Sith. Luke finds out Vader is his father, the Emperor and Yoda are back, along with Boba Fett (although my cousins completely missed him until I pointed him out). A fine piece of cinema, no doubt.
Now, unfortunately, I was only present for the first hour of the Empire Strikes Back screening, so I have less of their reactions to it that film, but here it is. For once, there was little confusion about the film's story. They were all completely clear about where the characters were and why. The narrative had a very strong hook and kept their attention for the first half hour without too many questions. Valise was even kind enough to recant her statement that "Star Wars sucks." We did hit a bump in the road when Yoda appeared. Again, the prequels had spoiled the surprise that the quirky little bat creature was in fact a Jedi Master. They had no idea what to make of him because he seemed to be acting completely out of character until he finally revealed his identity. Eventually, they just decided he'd gone crazy living in the wilderness. I think Lucas just failed to capture Yoda's quirky humor in the prequels and focused too much on the backwards platitudes.
Many fans have debated the mechanics of the cave scene where Luke fights a replica of Vader, mostly because it's an extremely deep scene of subtle and philosophical foreshadowing. The girls had an even harder time with it because they were not used to actually thinking when watching the films. Episodes I-III were very blunt films of mostly meaningless CGI action and any foreshadowing like this was spoon fed to the audience. Episode IV dialed back the CGI, but was filled with mostly basic exposition, with a bit of subtlety and vague detail. So, with their brains wired to just accept the facts as presented without much thought, I had to pause the film and explain.
The lesson Luke is taught regards fear. Yoda tells him that the only thing in the cave is what he brings with him. Luke brings his weapons, expecting something dangerous, something he should be afraid of. Inside the cave, he finds the one thing he is most afraid of: Darth Vader, and immediately kills him without hesitation. He then sees his action reflected in the face under Vader's mask. Luke went in expecting a fight and that's exactly what he found. Yoda was trying to tell him that listening to your fear will lead to anger and aggression, especially in the face of the unknown, and a Jedi has to be better than that, or risk ending up like Vader. In addition, there is the foreshadowing that Vader is Luke's father, and the audience, unknowing or not, gets a glimpse into how Vader turned evil.
Final Thoughts
I had to leave at this point, so I didn't catch the rest of their reactions to the film, but I know they liked it. For my own impressions, I finally concede that this truly the best film of the set. The universe is established enough for the audience to stay grounded, and the narrative is straight forward, yet exciting. The "new" characters have grown beyond their archetypes into more unique personalities with their own arcs. Lastly, the special effects are strong enough not to be distracting. I feel I should point out that Lucas had the greatest distance from this one. He wrote a rough outline of the story and passed it on to an experienced screenwriter and director to take over. He was rarely on set because the film was having financial difficulties which he had to deal with, which is what he's good at. Under these circumstances, the creativity of the cast and crew had a chance to shine through and create a compelling feature. It even fits pretty well into the prequel narrative as the story returns to the threads left by Revenge of the Sith. Luke finds out Vader is his father, the Emperor and Yoda are back, along with Boba Fett (although my cousins completely missed him until I pointed him out). A fine piece of cinema, no doubt.
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