Is Star Wars unfairly hated on?

Critics went crazy for HP and Minority Report... yet almost everyone I know who saw HP (including my little brother and a friend of his who read all the books) thought HP was ok to horrid.

Minority Report is good but the critics are acting as if it is an epic sci-fi movie... and it is not. It is simply a good movie. There isn't more than a few minutes of Minority Report that make on go "Woah!"

So are they unfair when criticizing anything Star Wars? Absolutely.

RB

The vast media conspiracy. I just re-checked Rotten Tomatoes and AOTC is in there at 63%. So not every critic out there hate AOTC. And many of the ones that do have some valid points. Very have been as cynical as gushers would have us believe.

"The man is keeping Lucas down!"

Some of you are acting like it a right of sufferage. Your right, you shouldn't care what the critics think, but you do, or you wouldn't drone on and on about it. What is so funny, is you have more or less made yourselves believe that the critics hate it, when that necessarily so. In fact, judging by most of the boards I've read, I'ld say we are about 50/50 around here, so the critics actually give it better reviews than hardcore fans who hang around Star Wars websites.

In fact, judging by most of the boards I've read, I'ld say we are about 50/50 around here, so the critics actually give it better reviews than hardcore fans who hang around Star Wars websites.

50/50??? Hardly...Go look at all the polls on this forum and on theforce.net...I believe a poll which was held right here on this forum had 65% of people giving AOTC 5 stars...You can go dig up that poll if you can still find it.

Well, if that is what you say, then I believe you. So then the critics are about equally matched with the hardcore fans. It still doesn't show some orginized hatred among critics to bash AOTC. I wouldn't give it 5, but probably 3, so I'm not a total basher.

Rik, your signature said it all,lol. Anyhoo, yes, as fans we really overreact to the critics. From reading just a few reviews, I have decided that all critics hate AOTC and therefore must be locked up. We post on these threads to relieve our tension (Release your anger! gotta love Palpy). Its just in human nature to want everyone to agree with us.

Bottom line, however much I don't practice what I preach: Each of our opinions is as important as any critc's opinion. And not everyone is going to like a movie. When that someone happens to be a big name critic, all of a sudden the movie is labeled a flop. Since it is "Legendary Star Wars", the media considers it a new revelation. Who cares what the critics think? Obviously not the people as AOTC trudges forwards to near $300 million in the box office. The people approve, and that should matter.

GL made star wars to suit himself, not the demographic responses of what the people and critics wanted to see. I applaud him for that and I will always support the free thinkers of our world. SW should always be hailed as one of the few franchises not concerned with squeezing every penny out of the public that it can. SW could have been made as big as Spidey: Rock star does a hit single for the soundtrack, bigger name actors, happy go lucky feel. But it is refreshing to see that Lucas, even in these days of ridicule, can still excercise his first amendment rights.

I think part of the critical backlash is that Star Wars (the OT) established SW as a quality brand name. Something that was greater than your average everyday blockbuster. To many, though, the PT hasn't really been better than the Hollywood muck that crowds summer multiplexes.

I guess a good analogy would be a company that continuously puts out a quality product and then suddenly puts out something that is perceived as inferior (no matter what the degree). People would be upset. They would feel cheated because their "trust" has been broken. And there the backlash begins.

Well, it is unfair to say something sucks just because it's not as good in their opinion. The critics need to be a little more responsible than that.

"I think part of the critical backlash is that Star Wars (the OT) established SW as a quality brand name. Something that was greater than your average everyday blockbuster. To many, though, the PT hasn't really been better than the Hollywood muck that crowds summer multiplexes."

Star Wars was the beginning of the "Hollywood muck that crowds summer multiplexes". It was one of the original blockbusters that began the age of summer special effects extravaganzas. From then on, we've had every sort of rip-off known to man. Tons of directors tried to catch the same lightning in the bottle. Therefore, it doesn't surprise me that some people now regard Star Wars as just another movie. Actually, it seems inevitable when the marketplace has been oversaturated with movies that try to immulate Star Wars. The industry has had twenty years to perfect the craft of its crap. Lucas is just trying to tell his story. Give it time. In twenty years, Star Wars will still be the king.

Yeah, if every critic started their review with "In my humble opinion..." then it would be ok. However, most critics have crossed the line. Critics are supposed to critique (that sounds much nicer) films, i.e. say what was good, what was bad, how it could have been better. Lines like "The magic of SW is gone" or "Only a 6 yr. old could be interested by this" have NO place in ANY review.

But, when the OT came out, they got the same reviews and the same fan reaction. I remember reading that some hard core fans hated ESB because the movie was "ruined" by adding a "stupid sock puppet (yoda)" to it. Now, however, ESB is hailed as a classic and testament to quality film making and entertainment (plus everybody loves Blue Yoda!).

Naturally, any new SW is going to get the same type of reviews. Only now, a time where fan love for SW has slowly outweighed the critics of yore to the point that SW is a staple part of our culture, when the expected reviews come out, everything is in uproar. Give it about ten years (PT Special Edition anyone? Shut up, you know its coming, lol) or until the new generation grows up and BAM we will suddenly be calling the PT the pinnacle of film making. Its all a cycle. I'm sure not everyone loved Romeo and Juliet back when Shakespeare first wrote it, but it was obviously a hit. And today we have the mass media who makes sure that we KNOW that not everyone liked something.

To me, its all Star Wars and I just don't see how the PT could be worse than the OT when George obviously put so much work in to it. He said himself that he can't please the fans and he can't please the critics, because they expect the second coming of Christ from him (remember, this is the beginning of SW, and it isn't SUPPOSED to be better than the end!). It is strange to think that some sheltered critic knows more about what SW should be than its creator, George Lucas.

Well said Cyan_dawn

Well, if that is what you say, then I believe you. So then the critics are about equally matched with the hardcore fans.

Not quite. Official-How many stars do you give AOTC?

65% 5 Stars (538 votes)
24% 4 Stars(204 votes)
5% 3 Stars(43 votes)
2% 2 Stars(23 votes)
1% 1 Star(13 votes)

That is nearly 90% of hardcore fans giving it 4 or 5 stars which is definitely way more positive than what the critics gave it!

Good post, cyan_dawn! I couldn't say that much in so few lines if I tried!

Very eloquant C_D.

Razorback: Old folks home (pssst.. it is FOLKS not FOLK's)? LOL! Funny... at least I can afford my own and don't need the state to support me and my illiteracy problem later in life.
Not to get technical or anything, but it is actuall *FOLKS'*. apostrophy after s in purlal posseive form. if you're going to bash a post, bash the content, not the poster/grammer/spelling. mine are often filled w/ mistakes, but if someone understands the point, why ebb the flow of creative juices.

The same critics who razzed AOTC are the same ones who gushed over moulon rouge. that movie consumed two hours of my life that i will never get back.

***the above statement was an opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the views of TheForce.net***

Thanks for posting that Kun2112. I don't know why people have to get on these boards and insult someone's intellengence. Oh well, I'll bet he doesn't do that again...hahaha

No, but there will be "another". We should all just lighten up I think. Aotc rocks, we know it, if someone else doesn't like it, then thats ok but it sucks hard for them! I love my SW and wouldn't have it any other way!

Not to get technical or anything, but it is actuall *FOLKS'*. apostrophy after s in purlal posseive form.

I disagree. Folks' says that it is owned by several different folks. However, an old folks home is FOR old folks. Pretend it was a home for old dogs. The dogs don't own the home, thus it is an old dogs home, not an old dogs' home!

I thought that if a word was plural, you just used an apostrophe and no extra s. Does that mean that the possesive form of Lucas would be Lucas' or Lucas's?

as 3p0 would say: I'm so confused!

*coughGETBACKONTOPICcough*

Regardless of what context it is used in,Razor Back's comments were uncalled for. Does he realize that some people type fast,and mispell,forget a comma,or whatever? My biggest problem when I'm typing fast is spelling words like their as there,or here as hear. That doesn't mean I don't know how to spell. Everyone makes mistakes,and Razor Back needs to jump off his high horse and stick to the subject,and quit acting so self superior.

It was a sleezy and ham fisted attempt to shoot down an argument that he had no plausible reaction too. Typical of most critics these days (I had to say it Razor, sorry man!)

Here's a thought:

If you're talking about a percentage of HARDCORE FANS on an INTERNET site, you have to realize that very few of these "hardcore fans" have the movie experience of a critic. In fact, many of these hardcore fans are obviously young - with less life experience and knowledge as well. At least critics generally have a certain amount of experience - which means they generally have a bit more wisdom and knowledge than the so called "hardcore fans."

Now if you could have an "over 18 poll from people who have watched hundreds of movies including the so-called classics and appreciate many genres of film" poll here, the results would be a lot different.

Wait a minute...are you trying to tell me the polls on the JC aren't as scientific as Gallup's? I don't believe it for a second.

Here's a thought:

If you're talking about a percentage of HARDCORE FANS on an INTERNET site, you have to realize that very few of these "hardcore fans" have the movie experience of a critic. In fact, many of these hardcore fans are obviously young - with less life experience and knowledge as well. At least critics generally have a certain amount of experience - which means they generally have a bit more wisdom and knowledge than the so called "hardcore fans."

Now if you could have an "over 18 poll from people who have watched hundreds of movies including the so-called classics and appreciate many genres of film" poll here, the results would be a lot different.

HERE'S A THOUGHT. WE WERE ONLY TALKING ABOUT WHAT HARDCORE FANS THOUGHT.

The hardcore fans were harder on TPM than the general public was, imho.

maybe AOTC is just a bad movie, and the critics are totally unbiased because they have no stake in the success or failure of the films they review.

the gushing masses however cant afford to be unbiased as they have invested money, time, emotion, and personal identity into AOTC, and dont want to look foolish for investing so much into something that turned out so bad.

food for thought