PT Making My Day! - Pro-Prequel Articles

Here's an outstanding breakdown of the pod race, one of the best action scenes in all of Star Wars, and a testament to George Lucas' filmmaking brilliance.

 

Hmm...

This is truly one of the most rare videos I have seen to display such truth on Lucas's abilities. In fact, I will say that it is the only one I've seen.

As someone who is aspiring and practicing into film-making, this video perfectly describes one of the reason why Lucas is such a fantastic film director. Everything is seemingly simple yet under it's sound, visuals and music is a complex Matrix each with their own code of affiliation.

 

It's one of the best examples of pure cinema in Star Wars, in which every technical element is operating at its absolute peak: cinematography, visual effects, practical effects, editing, score, production design, sound design...

 

It's nicely edited and exposited -- a pleasant watch that points out the solid visual construction and grandiose, high-wattage impact of the podrace.

However, the video maker is clearly only interested in selling the idea of Lucas as a filmmaker through his mastery of action; through the podrace. In my opinion, that sells Lucas incredibly short; as great and as varied as his action scenes undeniably are. Moreover, instead of championing TPM for its relatively restrained, phlegmatic performances, or the warmer moments of character bonding that occur on Tatooine before the race, he chooses to take a dig at the film's "emotionally vapid" dialogue and acting (his assertions, not mine) up to that moment.

Ultimately, for me, while this might be doing a disservice to his approach in the video, I can't take fully seriously the idea of Lucas, according to this person, as a "filmmaker", on the basis of action scenes alone. Instead of celebrating TPM in a wider way or respecting the myriad virtues of Lucas as a filmmaker (though "world-builder" is a more fitting and more encompassing term, in my opinion), this guy ignores the film's many triumphs of vision and surprisingly well-formulated scene construction, its multifarious environmental schema, its somewhat abstract stop-start narrative flow, and its finely-wrought, vast emotional and thematic architecture, not to mention its characters and creatures, and all it does to set up the rest of the "twelve-hour" meta-movie we call the Star Wars saga, in favour of exalting a ten-minute race sequence (albeit one of the most fantastic race sequences ever committed to film). That's, sort of... missing the point, in my view.

Still, what do I know, hey? The guy has his "focus" and pursues it quite well. Lucas is good with landscapes, shapes, speed, and rhythm -- who knew? I'm not trying to be sarcastic here (much). Because at least he's able to recognize and aptly communicate part of the white-hot "core" of Lucas' filmmaking genius. But everything else is excluded with something of a slimy put-down. Moreover, while, again, I guess this wasn't part of his tighter (narrower) focus, he doesn't really consider the podrace as an allegory for Anakin's journey; or a commentary for anything else within the film. Kubrick happily gets this kind of fussy analysis. Lucas, again, gets nothing. It's like he were the maker of very good car commercials; and not actually telling a story or a radical filmmaker (or again: world-builder) in his own right.

Also, despite his efforts, some of the YouTube comments aren't so reassuring. The usual resistance to worthy information is still the dominant response here.

While there are more positive responses, there are also some negative ones, and this is the top comment:


StarfighterX11 week ago (edited)
I hate the prequels, not because they are the worst movies ever made, because they're not. I hate them because they had so much potential, so much in them that if done right, could have made for excellent movies. There's a lot of interesting ideas in them that are poorly executed. Ideas that if executed correctly, could have made for a trilogy, perhaps even better than the original trilogy. But, they weren't executed correctly.

I like the new characters and new era of the Star Wars universe that George Lucas came up with, but they were very poorly exectued. Lucas came up with concepts but didn't go in depth with them, this was my major issue with the characters. For example, Darth Maul doesn't have a character in The Phantom Menace, he just looks cool and has a double bladed lightsaber. Whereas in the Clone Wars tv show, Rebels and the comics he is an amazing character, only if he was like that in TPM.

I like some scenes in the prequels, the pod racing scene is excellent, but overall the prequels are poorly acted, poorly paced, poorly written and poorly executed, with some pretty dated CGI and lightsaber battles that I don't particularly enjoy, but I know most people do.
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Reply 149


So.... same old anti-prequel buzz, really.

 

Also, if there's one thing (per the video title) the sequels could learn from the prequels......

It would have been NOT to throw out George Lucas' story treatments or show the saga's creator the door.

 

Naturally, there's much more to Lucas than his construction and execution of action scenes, but I think the larger point the video makes is that the pod race showcases Lucas at his very best as a visual storyteller, something general audiences that depend upon quippy dialogue and predictable characterizations tend to forget.

 

True. He is more or less trying to "paint" his view in that regard with the podrace; a painting cogitating on a painting.

Yeah, his video is pretty cool. Maybe I overreacted.

It's just that no-one, literally no-one, seems to have kind things to say about Lucas' approach to character, drama, and story from a slightly more conventional or theatrical point of view.

I've seen some horribly directed movies; and yet, for all the tomatoes thrown at Lucas for his writing and directing, I would certainly not put his films among them.

 

Still, this is the only video on Youtube to express Lucas in such light to this degree. Ain't that nutty? I lamented to such positivism on his video, I never really "caught" all of what his implications were. Or rather I ignored it. It was quite lovingly to hear something of difference, with a bit more thought-provoking conversation and some slight brilliance. Of course, I did notice the various "jabs" he pulled in the video despite him praising Lucas(My ears might be a bit old but I can still hear). Now that I am re-watching it, the video seems to have that "Yes Lucas did mess up but" vibe to it whenever he sometimes talked about Lucas.

I digress.

Though I will argue that his intent wasn't to praise TPM for it's integration of wonderfully woven narratives and themes. As he stated, it was only a "sect" of a certain aspect that he was intending to make a positive perspective on, not the entirety. However, isn't that what always is being displayed? There is always an act of slight "complimentary" when approaching certain individuals describing the Prequels in their own manner but never "full force". I presume, that there is an action in withholding of going "commando" when making in-depth descriptions. Hopefully the "analytical" reviewer will come back and revisit in which what he had started. I would be very interested to hear what he has to say.

Ha! I think I can predict that already.

"I will finish.....what you started"

Started what Kylo? Be more specific here

Bah...I'll take it. It's largely less in your face about Lucas's failures compared to other videos. I at least commend the respect and eloquence at hand towards, even if not a whole lot. It's a start I guess.

Missed the whole purpose and it's articulate intricacies painting but realized of it's specific coloring.

 

It is!!! Nutty. Definitely.

I re-watched it myself and just remembered something else I was going to say:

He doesn't extol Star Wars as this old-fashioned matinee serial. By ignoring the deliberately soapy construction and grammar that is employed, he is hardly "educating" the future filmmakers of Star Wars on how best to pull it off; or what's so unique about the original "complete" saga and why it might be worth paying closer attention to what was done.

Yet he is, in the same instance, showing that grammar off; or fragmented parts of it. Only, of course, to dismiss it. It's just rolled in for a few quick glancing blows -- like Anakin's "I'm a person" line in the junkshop -- without expounding on what makes that or any of the other scenes interesting and how they relate to this wider style that Lucas adheres to.

He comes to "bury" TPM, and "not to praise" it?

http://nfs.sparknotes.com/juliuscaesar/page_132.html

Yes. Eloquently put. Ironically, their complimentary approach is somewhat muted or restrained, much like the acting style and dialogue they apparently find awkward or lacking in depth or warmth.

Indeed. Sees a few shades; but certainly nowhere close to all.

Anyway, I'm glad you've taken things from the video already. If it's a positive thing for some, then I guess there's little point my railing against it.

 

That first and foremost!

 

No doubt, but I think we can also agree that George Lucas is not a conventional director, and that's worth celebrating.

 

Indeed. Something about rookie mistakes, and those time-honoured classics: pride, hubris, arrogance.

You know, from now on, I think I'm going to refer to it as Disney flexing their privilege.

Indubitably!

Though, for me, recognizing George Lucas as an atypical director means roving over his films and celebrating the peculiarly rich intermingling and admixture of cool/offbeat stuff.

Which is where that review/analysis falls short. That said, the podrace is a nice exhibition piece in itself, and I can see why it was chosen.

 

One thing that is making my day regarding the positive inclusion of the PT in new SW discussions is the Marvel Darth Vader comics.
Without spoilers, lets just say there is a lot of awesome PT material in issues #1-6 of DV.

I apologize since I am off topic. Just wanted to mention that these new comics are fully embracing and expanding the PT as canon.

 

http://furiousfanboys.com/2017/04/celebration-orlando-proved-big-pro-prequel-argument-real/

 

Revenge is a dish best served Hayden!

 

I have an anti-Prequel cousin who was born the same year ANH was released. I can't wait to rub this in his face.

Especially since one PT actor in particular sold out in record time.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I547 using Tapatalk

 

I also find it interesting that PT actors get a ton of likes on SW's instagram birthday wishes. You'd of course have to check other social media as well to get a better picture, but instagram is easiest to browse since it's all just photos and not a ton of other posts. Besides, it has a huge pool of users on its own.

Anyway, Hayden already has 215k likes on his birthday card wish from SW and it was just a few days ago. Here are some of the others I managed to find in the last couple of months:

Andy Serkis: 100k (from yesterday, will rise)
Hayden Christensen: 215k (2d)
Daisy Ridley: 205k (1w)

Older:

Billy Dee Williams: 138k
Ben Mendelsohn: 96k
Ewan McGregor: 241k
John Boyega: 165k
Alan Tudyk: 91k
Freddie Prinze Jr: 76k
Lupita Nyong'o: 95k
Anthony Daniels: 190k
John Williams: 185k
James E. Jones: 273k
Riz Ahmed: 55k
Adam Driver: 153k
Carrie Fisher: 176k
Vanessa Marshall: 48k
Mark Hamill: 171k
Ashley Eckstein: 88k
Ray Park: 108k
Ian Mcdiarmid: 98k
Harrison Ford: 172k
Natalie Portman: 143k
Liam Neeson: 157k
Frank Oz: 121k

Over 200k in bold.

So yeah, people on social media in general are generous with affection for our PT actors.

 

Great work there, Alienware!

The Internet is a strange beast, isn't it?

It's both the epic arena hosting the "monsters" that came to tear the prequels apart; and also the stout-hearted prequel fans (a few more than three) that fought back with lock-picks, posts, flying kicks, and so forth. Put that in your podracer engine and smoke it.

 

I mean I don't think I have as anti ST vibe as some posters here but I do agree I think CW was a good example on how SW really should have been done. Let George do all the macro creative stuff and the director and other ghost writers come in to fix the dialogue character development etc.

 

He didn´t need any other director helping him out on I-III, being a brilliant director himself. And he DID have ghost writers come in to fix the dialoque and character development etc. And it shows. Just saying.

 

This:

 

In my case before watching the PT I did know the wrong version of the quote luke i am your father and did know The name Darth Vader but not that Luke is Luke Skywalker' And during watcheing episode 3 I was immersed that I did not notice the few times he was addressed as Vader i did not get the conclusion Skywalker = Darth Vader until the suit scene

 

i agree with that guys feeling about the prequels, though i have no idea who he is, but i have no evidence that prequel hate has suddenly disappeared

 

I don't think it's disappeared so much as it has increasingly become viewed as pathetic.