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Attack of the Clones: Less Plastic Crap, More Story?
Newsweek has an article in which George Lucas states that there were parts of Episode One that were damaging to the Star Wars franchise. (shocker, I know) "The last movie did not live up to expectations." They'll cut the merchandise by two thirds, as they still have tons of unsold Episode One merchandise. Yahoo is also running an AOTC story. Mild spoilers in the linked stories, by the way.
...start reporting things before they're entire days (sometimes weeks) old? It's quite off-putting when us nerds get the news faster from Fark, which is hardly known to be the Speedy Gonzalez of news services. ;)
At least now I know no major characters die at the end of the movie. Otherwise it would have been mentioned on Slashdot's main page.
I think this Lucas quote says it best:
"There's only one issue for a filmmaker," he says. "Will this make its money back so I can make the next one?"
From a Time Magazine article.
Only the dead have seen the end of war.
doesn't the dialog in the new trailer look just as bad as episode 1?
Photos.
...are they cutting back on the marketing because it turns the traditional SW fans off, or because they didn't sell as much as they expected to last time?
Sounds like he's trying to spin a marketing problem as if it were a nod to his critics. We could get that pap from Bill Gates if we wanted it.
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
a new hope?
sorry
That's Senator Jar-Jar Binks, at least according to IMDB and other sources.
Only the dead have seen the end of war.
Nice to see that Mr. Lucas realizes what a mess Episode One became - hopefully, this will mean a major improvement, both story- and character-wise, for Episode Two. Good for George, good for us, maybe some seven-year olds who never saw the originals will be disappointed that the film now lacks anyone they can identify with, but what the heck, I don't care.
The article (at MSNBC) does spoil some of the story but also sheds some interesting light. I don't think we can bet on Anakin killing Jar Jar for us just yet, though the co-writer, Jonathan Hales, promises no silly characters or kids. Personally, I expect Jar Jar to get screen time in Ep 2 as Natalie Portman's boobs, meaning a few seconds at most.
Quality, performance, value; you get only two, and you don't always get to pick.
Well, I can't really say for sure, but from interviews I've seen with various people involved with the film, as well as rumors this one is supposed to have a LOT more action, and be fairly dark.
I'm sure they'll play up the the romance a bit, but from what I understand it's PACKED with Jedi fighting. One rumor is that we find out why Yoda is the bad-ass he's supposed to be. Crossing my fingers to see some kick-ass Jedi fighting. I just hope I'm not let down like with the first one. *sigh*
Also, if it follows the basic trend from the first 3, The first one is more light hearted, introducing characters. The second one is dark, and deepens the plot. The third one will release the darkness, but show the light at the end of the tunnel. *shrug*
Just my thoughts, and what I've heard.
-Alex
I looked at all the new trailers bought toys the day they came out had read the book and comic book several times before the movie came out. This time I'm ignoring all of the marketing in the hope that having some surprises will help make this one seem better. I'm just wondering if anyone else is doing this and/or what you all think about this.
Cypherpunks: Civil Liberty Through Complex Mathematics. Those who live by the sword die by the arrow.
I love the Star Wars movies with a great passion, but Lucas is, basically, a consumer whore. How many revisions of Luke in Hoth gear are there? How many Nein Numb and Momaw Nadon action figures are there? If you get .02 seconds of screen time you get 5 action figures, a T-shirt and a mug. There's even a Darth Vader Beer Stein for cryin' out loud!
I'll believe it when I see it... But right now, I'm believe that Toy stores everywhere are getting container shipments full of insignifigant characters.
Either way... I'm going to see Clones. It'd have to be really bad for me not to go back two or three times.
How about the rest of you? Vocal though you are, I doubt you will stay away. It doesn't matter how bad the dialogue is... guys with lightsabers are just too cool.
For some reason I have this huge fear the Episode II will be somewhat of a click flick. Please tell me I'm wrong.
Clusters of wannabe Portman teenager girls, worry about that for a second.
Buy a Nintendo DS Lite
After the DVD came out, I had the chance to revisit Episode one. It's strange, that when you strip away all the hype, the product tie-ins, the in your face constant advertising, and just go see the movie on it's own merits, it's not really all that bad.
And, for some strange reason, it seems to get better every time you watch it. You notice more of the details and craftsmenship that went into the movie.
Finally, if you can go into the film knowing the annoying parts (Jar-Jar, the announcers at the pod race et.al), you can pretty much tune them out.
When it's all said and done, the hype surrounding TPM hurt it more then the bad filmaking... which shows how media can so dramatically effect our expectations. The article mentions 'The Matrix'.. which I knew nothing about, and was blown away when I first saw it. But the more times I see it, the more it's luster wears off... it actually looses appeal every time I watch it, while TPM, strangly, seems to get better.
So Kudos to lucas for entering into this a little wiser. I don't think you're going to see nearly as many fanatic star wars geeks lining up for months in order to see this movie, you are'nt going to be pounded for weeks on end for advertisments for product tie ins... and in the end when we do go down to the theatre (and we will.. you know it) our expectations will have the chance to be a little more realistic.
The Internet is generally stupid
So am I. ;>
Direct to Georgieboy.
Rectally. (Oh, for a _real_ one!)
I think one of the main problems Lucas is running up against is the fact that single movies don't exert the influence on mass culture they once did. Simply put, for quite some time now there has been a lack of big movies that "everyone" goes to see. This is not exactly a bad thing, it just shows that movies are differently targeted.
For example, if you ask me, there's been a distinct increase in the quality of war movies over the past decade, even though less people are going to see them. Saving Private Ryan wasn't for everyone, but I think most would agree it was at least a better movie than Force 10 from Navarone.
To get back to Star Wars though, I really think a big part of the problem with Episode I was the attempt to appeal to a wide audience. Keeping away from flaming comments about commercialism, the objective should not be to make a movie EVERYONE likes, but to make a movie every will agree was not a waste of time, even if it wasn't their cup of tea.
Debate me if you will, but I see Empire Strikes Back in this vein. A bit darker then the other movies, but bad? No. It was different, and it was good. Did everyone like it? No again, but few claim to outright hate the movie. It was quality filmmaking, not churned out sludge for mass appeal.
"Isn't that the sweetest little well-balanced undergraduate-level philosophy of life."
No, this film is about IBM in the 80's, and how they lost the PC market.
I read a Time article on this movie, and it is quite clear that Lucas either doesn't understand or doesn't care just how bad Phantom really seemed to the majority of his fans (including me.) He blames the internet for the crushing negative reaction to Jar-Jar, saying that C3PO and the Ewoks also got a lot of negative feedback and the reason those characters weren't so heavly dumped on was there was no internet to spread the word. Incredible.
I readly confess the Ewoks in particular are weak, but at least they and 3PO weren't so incredibly annoying. Jar-Jar should have been cut out completely once the fan response became clear, whatever Lucas may think about the reasons for the reaction. He states he is in the business to make money - why then doesn't he listen to his customers?? Is the man's ego really that much out of control?
I may see Clones, but I suspect unless the critics rave about it I'll wait for it to reach the dollar movie theaters first. Lucas got more money than he earned for Phantom, and I see no reason to give him more. He needs to wake up to the fact that hype will only carry him so far, and eventually he's going to have to produce a good product again.
"I object to doing things that computers can do." -- Olin Shivers, lispers.org
Much nicer and more Lucas-centric piece on Attack of the Clones at time.
Lucasfilm saved its best goodies, though, for the Web geeks, a stratum of "Star Wars" fandom that, in the past, it had communicated with only via cease-and-desist orders.
Absolutely brilliant line.
The current edition of Maxim has a pretty cool interview with George Lucas that covers a couple pages. Not too many spilers, and it also covers the general direction Lucas is taking it in (as a director and as a story). Some of us might find some cool stuff to look at in the magazine as well...
I can just imagine an archeological expedition thousands of years from now digging up an old garbage dump and what do they find? Tons of unwanted Episode 1 merchandise. "What a strange idol they worshipped" :Pulls string: "Me'sa tink d'is a ba' idea!" They'll think we're morons.
And it's not a boycott. It's the fact that Episode I sucked big time, and last week I was watching Montecristo (great movie) and saw trailers for Attack of the Clones.
And suddenly it hit me.
I was planning to watch it, it was pretty much a given. And then, seeing the scenes, I realized I don't really have a wish to see it. I just had a lemming reaction. The hype got to me. I had been brainwashed.
That is, I was going to watch it because it was a Star Wars film. But nothing I saw on the trailer, and nothing I saw in the prequel, compelled me to see it.
So, ask yourself: If this film wasn't a "Star Wars" movie, would I be compelled to see it? Would I feel it is a good film?.
I have decided it's not. And I won't give in to the hype, however alluring it becomes.
PS: For the opinion or David Brin, great science fiction writer who makes George Lucas look like the hack he is, read this.
Ok, let's recap.
Second to last movie: Ewoks.
Last movie: Jar Jar Binks.
Right now, he has one last chance with me. Two chances if he releases the first three movies on DVD ABOUT FIVE MINUTES AGO.
The sad part about it is that as member in good standing with his target demographic, I feel no urge to cruise his websites looking for "new info."
For all of you people that aren't Star Wars fans and wonder if we're really that P.O'd about tPM, well, we are. After all, I own ALL of the action figures from the first movies, and I really don't know if I'm even interested in seeing the movie now. I personally am more interested in Farscape and the idea that they might bring back Battlestar Galactica... and to put it in perspective, watching Battlestar reruns now is like going in for oral surgery.
I believe George should retire on the money he makes on this one, and sign the rights over to the fans before we sue over custody.
A bit off-topic... Released today on TV and Starwars.com. It had a few new scenes.
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
I really enjoyed this story on time.com but didn't feel like dealing with submitting it and having it summarily rejected.
Nonperiodic Central Trajectory
Think about this; The merchandisers are the ones paying to make all the SW paraphenalia. It's not like Lucas is shelling out - They're paying HIM. Lucas knew there would be a rush by people making sure they would get all the collectible crap (is it just me, or is everything but the action figures lower quality?) so they made a whole bunch of it. Sure, they didn't sell it all, but Lucas surely realized a big scrooge mcduck-sized pile of money from it.
So this movie, they're going to reduce the quantity of stuff dramatically which means - you guessed it! - there will be a huge rush on it again. It might take a little time to build up momentum, so toys r us might not have to call in the riot police to get people away from the empty action figure aisle, but it still still produce plenty of cash, and the collectibles will actually have value this time. Not that they don't already, because within just a few months many collectibles were going for over four times their purchase price. I mean, less than a month after they were off the shelves.
And while we're talking about things which could be intentional; Everyone was going to go see episode one whether it sucked ass or not, so Lucas just didn't have to try. Now, many of us will be waiting to see what our friends have to say about episode 2 before we go see it. Based on the trailers I've seen, It's going to suck, but I guess those are not necessarily static or representative.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
I hated The Phantom Menace when I first saw it.
Then I watched the original three flicks again. They're horrendous. 3P0 is marginally less annoying than Jar Jar. The stories have huge plot holes. Colossal. Mind-boggling.
You were probably ten, or five, or three when you first saw Star Wars. You were a lot easier on the inconsistencies and absurdities at that age than you are now. The Phantom Menace most definitely wasn't a film classic, but neither were the original three.
Most big-budget SF movies suck in the plot department. Remember Artificial Stupidity? Melrose Troopers? Final Fuckup? Wing Confuser? Is there a decent plot in any of them?
Jedi battles! Slap in the standard good plot with mythic overtones like the other Star Wars films (the good ones anyway) and I'll stand in line to watch it more than once.
If you really must revisit this movie, I highly suggest you do so by finding yourself a copy of The Phantom Edit. It's not perfect either, but it gives a sense of how hard it wouldn't have been for Lucas to make the original not suck.
There's a quote from Lucas in the Time Magazine SWII article (hey, surprise, they got all the major news mags!) which really struck me:
It's pretty obvious that he still doesn't get it. I don't know anyone who complained about a kid being the hero -- a few who complained about the chosen kid's acting ability, and a bunch more who complained about the cutesyness, but this was the first I've heard the idea that the problem is that audiences can't cope with the idea of a child hero. Note to George: um, ex-squeeeze me, there are a few other issues.
Episode I dialog generator:
if (drand48() < 0.5)
return "be mindful";
else
return "you assume too much";
"Lucas declined to comment for this story." Everything they have is heresay from people "involved" with the movie.
And yes, it is important to be very accurate with these sorts of facts.
another quote from the same interview: Fans are very opinionated, and that's good. But I can't make a movie for fans
keep it simple.
Your objective is simple: Destroy the Earth
Your motive is a little bit more complex: Revenge
Stage One:
To begin your plan, you must first Incapacitate a Military General. This will cause the world to sit up and take notice, stunned by your arrival. Who is this Evil Genius? Where did they come from? And why do they look so good in a Corporate Suit?
Stage Two:
Next, you will Seize control of the White House. This will cause countless hordes of Computer Programmers to flock to you, begging to do your every bidding. Your name will become synonymous with Sheer dementedness, as lesser men whisper your name in terror.
Stage Three:
Finally, you will Unleash your Thermonuclear Missiles, bringing about Horrors beyond Man's Comprehension. This will all be done from a Corporate Tower, an excellent choice if we might say. These three deeds will herald the end, and the citizens of this planet will have no choice but to elect you their new god.
Trust us, it'll all come together in the end.
The moderation options need a '+/-1: he asked for it'.
--locust
After watching Phantom Menace and being a child of the 80s, how could I not be but a bit disappointed. It just wasn't what I thought it would be. It was overtly cheesy. The comedy was very forced. It didn't seem natural.
I had no problem with the graphics. Of course, I hated Jar Jar. He was the main representative of the cheesy comedy that ensued within the film.
Another fault I found was that Darth Maul didn't seem evil enough. The part was dimunitive.
I didn't like the Trade Federation reps either as I find their voices and appearance very annoying. They were even very menacing.
The robots, egads, they didn't need to talk. "Roger, Roger"... could you be more cliche?
The biggest beef I have is with the Anakin saves the day sequence... This whole scene was far fetched from the Auto pilot to the sudden overheating of his ship to the uncanny idea that a chief component - determinal to the starbase was inside a landing hanger.
Ok... enough dissing PM for it wasn't all bad.
Now when I heard what Lucas decided to call Episode II, I inherently whinced. I begun to glaze over. I wanted more action less overcheesy forced comedy. Also, I was to look forward to a fluffer romance. Mind you... I am a GIRL! I like romances.. but after PM... I want action. hehe...
However, I changed mind my after reading an article issued by TIME. I became hopeful. I have seen images and I have seen some small footage from the movie. I am actually excited about Star Wars again. Perhaps, there is a charm about second chances. I can't wait!!
If you want to check out that TIME article... visit here:
http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101020429/
~ SeineThinker ~
Truth like surgery, may hurt, but it cures. - Han Suyin, Chinese Physician and Writer
i dont know about increasing quality of war movies. I dont think saving private ryan was nearly as good as movies like apocalypse now or full metal jacket. Same goes for foreign war movies like das boot and and some russian ww2 movies i will not try to write out. Honestly i dont think the quality of war movies is improving.
Where do you get off calling Jar Jar "ugly?" Star Wars is supposed to have aliens in it, and from an entirely aesthetic standpoint, Jar Jar is a very cool looking alien.
/. would ever admit having watched.
We hate him primarily for three reasons. First, his whiny, nasal, pseudo-Jamaican voice. Second, his entirely unfunny clumsiness and Jerry Lewis-esque pratfalls. Finally, there's his "How rude" catchphrase, which was ripped off a mediocre sitcom that nobody on
Jar Jar, I believe, can be saved. There's a good decade between Episodes I and II, which provides plenty of time for character development. First, we lower his voice an octave or two. Since we know nothing of Gungan physiology, it's possible that Binks was on the tail end of adolesence, and his vocal cords weren't fully developed. Then, ship him off to war. He is a general, after all. A few years in the trenches and he might toughen up and learn just enough to be more dangerous to the enemy than himself. Finally, war has made him cynical and bitter, so we can replace "how rude" with "kiss my amphibious ass."
Make those changes, and I think everyone would agree that Jar Jar would be tolerable, and possibly even cool.
Or go to plan B, which has Jar Jar meet his decapatastic demise at the hands of the Emperor in the first thirty seconds of the movie.
Neither will happen, of course. But can't I dream?
You want the truthiness? You can't handle the truthiness!
However, when writing "Return of the Jedi", it was becoming clear that he could really finish up everything in episode six and there wouldn't be any need for episodes 7-9. (He originally planned for the death of the Emperor and redemption of Annakin Skywalker in episode 9.)
If I recall correctly, it was this drastic change in plans that led to the dispute between George Lucas and Gary Kurtz, and why Gary Kurtz didn't stick around for episode 6. I'm not sure if this is a rumor, or fact.
But after Jedi, I don't think there were any plans for any episodes 7-9.
If I can be modded down for being a troll, can I be modded up for being an orc, or a balrog?
And yes, I know it's not for real. But the frightening part is, it's not that far from. There were, after all, Christian sects trying to get most Disney movies banned. Beauty and the Beast, for example. For similar reasons; black magic, beastiality, tools of the devil, blah blah blah.
Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
I know this argument has been used a lot.
As I am one of the very few people that did not really see the original trilogy as a kid (lived in a faraway country and the tickets sold out so fast i never had a chance) I think that the first three movies even though very lighthearted, are quite entertainiong for adults.
They are pretty darn good adventure movies. There were charecters you cared about, villians that were pretty cool, a plot that had fairy tale kind of quality - where you know it is a bit too simplistic but you still get into it.
The characters got into all kinds of exciting adventures and perils. There was a nice love story and some delicious footage where the princess was enslaved and chained in her bikinis by a fat sloberring freak - what more could you ask for?
Phantom menace on the other hand had too many characters and i didnt care about most of them, the main girl's appearence and lines were so stylized as to remove any sex appeal, the main male character was a 7 year old. There was no chemistry between any of the characters.
You never cared about anything of the adventures, because you dont care about the characters and you know who is going to survive and win.
So i think there was a difference. It was not just youth that made you like the trilogy.
This is precisely the crap that's gonna be worth mucho dinero in 20 years.
"Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus."
when you strip away all the hype, the product tie-ins, the in your face constant advertising, and just go see the movie on it's own merits, it's not really all that bad.
I have to agree with that statement, however, this is Star Wars, and "not bad" is simply not good enough. An average sci-fi movie with great effects, a tedious plot, and annoying dialogue is not what fans expect or deserve. I really hope George Lucas is spending less time on the marketing of AOTC and more time on the filmaking, but until I see the finished product, I'm skeptical of this article's spin.
Don't forget that Friday is Hawaiian shirt day.
80 Billion Tons of Jar-Jar Merchandise Now 70% Off
Gotta love the Onion.
Can I get some of those full size Jar Jar Binks mannequins on the cheap? Those would make excellent live fire target practice dummies...
Just because you can mod me down, doesn't mean you're right. Shoes for industry!
You mean, there's official Star Wars(TM) plastic crap, and I've never seen it??? If they're going to be making less of it, I'd better pick some up fast. No more generic fake do-do for me. From now on it's Star Wars(TM) plastic crap, or nothing at all... unless they make fake vomit too.
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
Why are there personal ads for Yoda??? Why. Why. Why. Here I was all worried about the Dawson's Creekishness of the preview... recovering from that based on what people have said of the second. And, now I learn they're marketing this thing with cheesy personal ad posters from Yoda. What the hell is that?
I was shocked and numbed (okay, I got over it). But sheesh... What on earth. Damaging... you want damaging? Make chessy posters of Yoda personal ads. That's damaging.
Over reacting? Probably. But what the hell??
Maybe it's just me, but I find the entire marketing scheme behind Starwars a bit disturbing anymore... Episodes 4-6 were fine. We had a Hero and his Alliance topple the Big Evil Dude and his Empire.
Now in 1-3, we see how the Big Evil Dude and his Empire got started. Fine. Except for one thing... They're marketing a mass murder to kids. Yeah! Get the Ep.1 Jar-Jar and Anakin coloring book! He's just like you, kids! Buy his toys, see the movie! Yes, watch Ep.2! Watch Anakin fall in love! He's a rebel with a cause! What? Yeah, sure, he enslaves most of the known Universe, becomes second in command to Umber-Hitler, hunts the Jedi to near extinction and kills billions with his Giant Planet Killing Weapon, but that's besides the point. Kids will eat this stuff up!
Personally, I think Eps 2-3 will be the best of the new trilogy and I'll enjoy them throughly, but the with the way they're marketing em, I NEVER want to hear a complaint about ANY videogame violence AGAIN.
You need a FREE iPod Nano
At least now I know no major characters die at the end of the movie.
However, thanks to the new toys released today, we know that Anakin loses his right arm at about the elbow in his hanger duel with Dooku, and Zam Wessel loses HER right arm in a nightclub scene.
Or maybe not.
All I know for sure is that those magnets they used to hold the severed arms onto the toys REALLY suck. Bump Anakin and his arm falls off.
--
"Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
You didn't cut merchandise because of any altrustic reason. You reduced the production of "Cheap plastic crap" because it wasn't selling as much as you thought it would.
Democrats or Republicans. They are both taking us to the same place and they are not afraid of us anymore.
I remember when I was a bit younger, some products would have tie ins...perhaps you would get a starwars toy in your frosted flakes or at McDonalds or something.
Now they are not even trying...they just have a "Star Wars Episode II" cereal - not even trying to hide a merchandising tie in.
What's next: "Star Wars Corn Based Merchandising with Sugar"
email:nospam@slashdot.org
password: nospam
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be the name of a store, not a government agency.
At the end of episode one, Annakin kept stumbling and each time he stumbled, he accidently (and unknowingly) destroyed more of the enemy. The force is really strong with you if you keep goofing up and kicking ass simultaneously. Jar jar was doing the same exact thing on the battlefield with his fellow gungans against the drones. He slips on a big elephant thingy, he kills the robots with the giant blue energy balls that fall out due to his clumsiness. He tries to rid himself of a piece of drone with a rifle that has latched onto his leg, he "accidently" ends up using the drone to blast its fellow drones. As scary as it seems, Jar jar has more metaclorins than the average Gungan, though he appears to have far less brain cells.
Ergonomica Auctorita Illico!
There is unrest in the Galactic Senate
Several hundred solar systems under
the leadership of the rebel leader, Count
Dooku, have decalred their intentions to
secede from the Republic.
This separatist movement has made it
difficult for the limited number of
Jedi Kights to maintain peace and
order in the galaxy.
Senator Amidala, the former Queen of
Naboo, is returning to Coruscant
to vote on the critical issue
of creating an army to assist the
overwhelmed Jedi.
The ultimate network admin tool needs HELP!
"Dis time wesa no be overstimatin da demanding for da episode two merchandise. Mesa now be blowin' all da movie makin."
Ergonomica Auctorita Illico!
Am I the only person who like Jar-Jar from TPM? I thought he was funny! he made me laugh he was so silly! maybe i was stoned every time i saw it(good BC buds) but still he cracked me up! anyone else out there liked jar jar?
I just hit El Polo Loco on the way over
My guess is that you'll be hitting the toilet on the way out.
python -c "x='python -c %sx=%s; print x%%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))%s'; print x%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))"
Am I the only person who like Jar-Jar from TPM?
Probably. Even the three year olds from my mother's day-care class hated Jar-Jar. So much for Jar-Jar's alleged appeal to children.
There is a civil war coming in the United States. Remember which side has most of the guns
Well, sadly, that explains laws like the DMCA.
A firewall can not protect you from yourself. Turn off what you do not need. Do not use the firewall to do your work.
As seen in the local supermarket... Star Wars Episode II Breakfast Cereal. Basically Lucky Charms with "marshmellows" shaped like light saber weilding Jedi.
Not a breakfast cereal sponsored by EpII. Its own damn cereal!
42 - So long and thanks for all the fish.
Oh my God, you're right!! Full House ripped of Star Wars!!
Some points from that article about what Lucas is having us believe:
Unfortunately, I couldn't read the original article because of my workplace's fascist filtering policies. However, these themes are fairly common in fantasy, which tends to glorify monarchy and aristocracy and tradition for the sake of itself. I would guess that is a holdover from our fairy tales and folktales, that were mostly composed by people for whom king and noblity were and had been the expected government for literally millenia, for whom change came in the form of rebellion, war, famine and plague, all of which were considered Bad Things.
OTOH, I am slightly disturbed by science fiction authors (*cough* Jerry Pournelle *cough*) who uphold rule by an elite as a great idea for the future, and portray democracy as nothing more than mob rule or rule by demogogues. If this idea seems good to you, go re-read A Connecticutt Yankee in King Arthur's Court, which isn't nearly as funny as movie adaptations make it out to be--it's rather a vicious attack on the apologists for slavery and on rule by an aristocracy. Eric Flint, in his author's notes to 1632, also had some rude things to say about this trend in science fiction. (Good book, btw.)
Most of the real myths of antiquity are too ambiguous, and have characters that are too much a mix of good and evil, too many shades of gray, and too many non-happy endings for the watered-down pap that is considered suitable for families and children these days. IMHO, the real myths have great value for children and adults of all ages, because they depict people as they really are, conflicted by emotions and desires both good and evil, and usually show the consequences of following the wrong path.Recommended reading along those lines: The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Ramayana, and The Mahabharata(sp?). That's just the ones I'm most familiar with; I'm still exploring the literature of mythology.
---dragoness
I don't see why Lucas doesn't just release a new version of Episode I that doesn't suck, and offer it to the public as a "Special Edition" version.
Oh yeah, because then he'd have to give the Phantom Editor credit for coming up with the idea first.
You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
There are condoms that glow in the dark. You haven't lived until you have used one of them and whisped "Swooooooosh, Vuuuummmm, Zuououoummmm" while making strange dances.
Buy a Nintendo DS Lite