Speculation What if Lucas is a Genius!?!?!

Oh yes. Let's equate flaws as intentional. That will shut people up.

The reason people were critical of the politics in TPM was because they didn't explain anything and so nothing made sense. Or maybe if they had, they would just confuse people even more.

The fact that they were unlawfully forcing a Queen to sign a treaty to lawfully allow their occupation in a planet summarises how stupid the whole thing was.

 

Yes, the definition of genius has been watered down - which is why we say a cinematographer or chef or painter is a genius when technically a genius is anybody with an IQ above 140. Maybe Lucas is not a polymath or renaissance man - but how many of us here could have come up with the story of Star Wars?

 

I said he was good at "basic story construction" not that "his stories are basic." Reading comprehension. He's a demonstrably mediocre writer on his one, with a tin-ear for dialogue and a poor grip on thematic underpinning and tonal consistance. Read the original drafts of Star Wars and see how middling they are until he brings other writers on.

People weren't critical of the PT because the politics or social presentation was too complex, but because there was simply too much of those things and he never managed to make them interesting.

As far as directing actors goes, Lucas and the actor's he's directed are all on the record with "he's not very good with actors." That's the man's own admission. He doesn't like/doesn't know how to craft a performance. He does a couple of takes and moves on when the technicals are correct. And honestly, honestly, the acting in the PT is bad. Scenes are disjointed, often have no emotional through-line, and often seem as if the actors are just saying words forcefully at each other instead of actually relating to one another as characters.

 

Is anyone actually answering the question in the opening post? Are there clues in the saga from 1-6 that might give a glimpse into episodes 7-9...if so then Lucas may be a genius in that respect.

The Answer: Hmmm, it's sort of moot since Disney can make their own story now. But it is fun to think about possible nuggets of future movies.

- Yoda, right before his death, telling Luke: "Pass on what you have learned." Certainly implies Luke re-building the Jedi Order to some extent.

- The disappearances of a few Jedi: begs an explanation.

- Coruscant should rreturn as a major setting for action.

 

I reakon some of the 2012 hints he's been dropping over the past few years could have been his way of having fun with the fans.

Lucas is a creative genius. Everybody that works with him, even his former associates who are now his enemies, give him this if nothing else.

When you think of the awe-inspiring creativity in the opening sequence of ANH alone, theres nothing else you can call the man.

And like most true creative geniuses, there is almost certainly an element of madness within Lucas, which probably explains some of the bad decision he makes, but personally I was always willing to forgive his flaws, because the sheer boldness of his over-arching vision was so mind blowing and still is.

 

I think Lucas' greatest talents are as a storyteller and as an artist that makes stuff look cool (so, painter, for example, as opposed to a singer). He has done some weird stuff with actors, including having Natalie Portman say her lines all by herself in front of a greescreen, when she was supposed to be having a conversation, but there was nobody talking back to her. She said that she enjoyed the "challenge", but I think it wasn't necessary. They could have had actors run lines together and just edit in post-production.
This weirdness may also explain some of the "bad acting": how do you easily have a good conversation with someone who isn't there? It's unnatural and awkward.

 

YEAAAAHHH

 

Allow me to take an actual quote from Lucas himself during The Beginning: The Making of Star Wars Episode I.

Go watch it, it's there.

 

I've seen it.

He was talking about getting CGI characters to work and be cost effective. In the context of how/why he said it, it was a perfectly reasonable thing to say?

 

Everybody seems to be saying "Lucas isn't a genius because...."

- "I didn't like the prequels."
- "The prequels were not what I wanted / expected"
- "I hated Jar Jar"
- "I wanted more Empire Strikes Back."
- "The acting was not in a style I'm used to."

blah, blah .blah.

Genius is not hinged on your personal opinion of the art being judged. People can't seem to separate the mindless populous desire for straightforward personal entertainment from the creative process and its results. The definition of Genius isn’t “I was entertained,” or "I liked it."

And artist doesn't just throw words on the page and hope people like it. Hell, a good artist doesn't care if anybody likes his work. You don't make something of value by pandering to an audience. The audience must come to you. Not the other way around.


Everything Lucas (and any good artist) does in Star Wars is carefully crafted to perform multiple functions. Jedi don't use lightsabers to "look cool." The style of the weapon, as well as their individual fighting styles say something about who each of them is. That costume isn't just fabric... its characterization. The style of Lucas' dialog in a Star Wars? It mimics and older style from a different era. The reason that Anakin had to start out as an innocent child rather than be born bad/cool like some seemed to want, and how it was fear, ambition, greed, jealous and other unsavory human traits that caused him to fall. Very much necessary. And a lot of people still haven’t figured out that “whiny, annoying and awkward,” is exactly how young people like themselves act… which is why Anakin rubs them the wrong way in Attack of the Clones. Good… it supposed to. Art isn’t there to make always feel comfortable. Its there to challenge you.
Star Wars and good artistic expression are not random.

 

I agree completely.

 

Interesting opinion...I agree with a lot of this.

 

We shall see if he is or is not. I think he burned out and i doubt the critics or the movigoers will like his upcoming ''small movies'' if he even makes them.

 

I don't think GL has that much foresight. After all, Leia kissed her brother in ANH.

 

This shouldn't even be a question by now. GL is DEFINITELY a genius.

Haters just hate (and don't particularly undertsand the PT.)

 

Lucas is a great "big picture" guy - good at overall concepts, creating universes, and wide story arcs.

He's an awful "small picture" guy - bad at crafting dialog, writing cohesive scripts, and directing actors.

He's great at what he's great at, and awful at what he's awful at.

 

It doesn't matter if he is a genius or not. In my opinion the world is a much more interesting place because of him.

 

Is he he a great pictuyre guy? I mean let's just compare what he created and how many franchises Stan Lee and Alan Moore created.

 

What if Lucas is a genius? He has created an entire universe that we are still discussing today both good and bad. I would call that GENIUS. His contributions to movie making and story telling are unsurpassed. If you don't like all of his stuff and I don't believe me, it still doesn't change the fact that he did all that stuff and helped create all that stuff that makes little sci-fi geeks like me dream about life on other planets and I have been dreaming it thanks to Lucas since 1977

 

Lucas ONLY changed the entire film industry and created a classic movie series that has impacted millions around the world.

 

Lucas was a genius.

Then he became an average filmmaker.

 

His ability to make films does not undermine his genius, he is a thinker not a doer.

 

lol...

What Lucas was great at was the big idea bits... Actually doing the whole script and directing isn't exactly his thing (A New Hope was the only one of the OT that he did everything for). It's actually a lot like other people who have launched universes... Gene Roddenberry was a good big idea man, but when left to his own devices and writing a script by himself we had things like (Encounter at Farpoint). It's when the people who are tasked to expand the universe through their own devices (be it EU authors or screenwriters) that the universe seems to do its best.

 

I would call him a creative genius....The PT and the OT have massive flaws but he changed the world we live in and made it a better place = GENIUS....movies became great and new standards we set after both OT and PT.

 

I'd call him a genius alone just for coming up with the lightsaber. That is brilliant. He was able to marry fantasy/mythology with sci-fi with that one concept.