What does George Lucas need to do to make a good movie?

DarthNamitt;

I have no desire of engaging in a debate along the lines you present - "How can anyone say that GL is an excellent writer or director? Truth is he is not" and "Let's be honest...the story sucks". This is not something I wish to compete with, apart from wondering how many bad directors would be able to pull off Attack of the Clones... ?

As for your complaint about the Jedi disappearing-issue, I think I would wait another couple of years before screaming blue murder about that one. Lucas' "What are you...a fan?" to McCallum was a joke, and a pretty good one, imo. And I'm not being paid anything to say that, by the way.

As for how everybody seems to complain about Lucas not getting collaboration ---
He did ask both Kasdan and Darabont to rewrite TPM. Darabont couldn't for Union reasons, and Kasdan turned the script back to Lucas and said it was just as it should be. Lucas promptly rewrote on his own. For AOTC he enlisted Hales to write with him. During the production of the films Lucas frequently shows the work in progress to his peers and collegues to get their opinions. And let us not forget the hundreds of artists labouring around Lucas every day for 3 years. Remember Burtt and McCallum challenging Lucas over the first cut of TPM on the TPM DVD? Remember Church and Tiemens being challenged to ad-lib sequences for AOTC and being encouraged to use their skills in opposition to what was already established in the look of the movie? Lucas' supposed hostility to collaboration is an often argued point among the fans, but this notion honestly doesn't correspond with my impression of Lucas and the production of the Star Wars films, before or now.

darth_melvin;
What did Schumacher have to do with Tim Burton's Batman...?
And by the way, Batman Returns is far superior to the first film!

I'd also like to once again challenge the view that Kershner made a brilliant TESB despite Lucas. If people were only willing to listen to Kersh himself when he talks about the production...but I guess it's not as much fun as listening to Gary Kurtz. Check out Star Wars Magazine TESB issue from 2000. Kersh talks at length about how supportive Lucas was of his efforts and how Lucas insisted that Kersh should make a better film than Star Wars. One example is when the film was running over schedule and over budget and Kershner called Lucas to ask if he should take some pages out of the script or whatever. Lucas simply replied "Don't do anything. Just keep shooting." and Kershner is still thrilled at this over 20 years later. As he puts it - "Do you have any idea how liberating that is?".

Another point that baffles me is that people keep arguing that he is "making it up as he goes along". Well, to a certain extent I am expecting him to! Are people really serious about wanting him to have written those films 25 years ago, or what is the basis of this argument? Of course he makes things up, he's a writer. On the other hand, how can people miss how well planned it's been? Remember the words in the original Star Wars A New Hope novel? 'Aided by corrupt politicians and the powers of commerce, Palpatine got himself elected President of the Republic', etc etc. It's not very valid to say that Lucas is "just making it up", imo.

In any case, it must be evident for all of us that there is no way Lucas is going to please everyone - just look at this very thread. So why should he pay too much attention to people that don't like his new movies? Someone will always hate them. It's been that way ever since TESB, remember?

Kir Kanos;
Maybe most of those people you have talked with who won't go and see Episode III didn't have too much of an interest in Star Wars to begin with? I think we the fans make the mistake of expecting everyone else to love these stories as much as we do, which will never happen. It wasn't that way back in the days of the OT either. Some love SW, some hate it, and some are indifferent. At least the PT has proved its importance by attracting attention even from those who couldn't care less (a quite lo

 

I personally think anyone who fancies themselves a back-seat filmmaker needs a good dose of reality!

Armchair directors drive me nuts, I feel like pulling some droid arms out of sockets!

I'm whisked away by all of the movies, and execpt them for what they are intende to be, and I have faith that when III comes out we'll be pining for the happy days of podracing and gungans.

Prepare for the intensity!

 

*chuckle*

sideous1: could I be wrong? would I be wrong?

"...The Matrix sucks on so many levels it almost hurts! Any chump can make a movie that has cool looking characters dressed in black running around with loads of slo mo bullet time and string it together with a flimsy story which doesn't work. remember...
Blade = cool
Matrix = bad

Don't feel bad duder, it's only you!"

You think Blade was a good movie? LMAO

The story of the Matrix doesn't work? Sorry but, perhaps you weren't watching it closely enough.

And any chump can make slo-mo bullet time FX? $10 bucks says we're gonna see a slo-mo lightsaber battle in EP3.

I reiterate the difference between the perception of "cool" and the perception of "relevance". While you don't think Matrix is "cool" enough, I would hypothesize SW is becoming increasingly IRRELEVANT.

The difference is trying to be cool and not succeeding versus thinking that your important but in reality being "played out".

I offer that analogy to Matrix and the prequels.

That open letter sealed it for me as it encompassed nearly every complaint/suggestion I had about the prequels. Glad I'm not the only one who thinks that way. Does your side have an open letter to GL?

Don't worry "duder", EP3 will still make a ton of benjamins.

 

"You think Blade was a good movie? LMAO"

It's certainly one of the best comic-book adaptations. Ever see "The Punisher"?

 

Agreed. Blade ruled.

I loved the Matrix, and I know people immediately started predicting it as the "new Star Wars", or the "Star Wars for the 21st Century" - unfortunately, it's good, but not even close in my books.

Anyway, I'd give the Matrix Reloaded 3 stars out of 5 - things like the freeway scene were unbelievable, but lots of the action scenes were pointless or dragged on, and the story was confusing and hard to believe as well. Plus, the "rave"/orgy scene intercut with Neo/Trinity was one of the worst scenes I've ever seen in a movie. I stopped watching MTV for crap like that, and now I have to watch in Zion?!?

But that's off-topic.

I wouldn't have any problem with Lucas using wires or the slo-mo camera stuff in Episode III, as long as it's tastefully done and within the plot.

Quite honestly, they can make a fight scene (The Duel, anyone?) look amazing.

Heh heh. Maybe Lucas should get the Wachowski brothers to do the fight scenes.

 

What afflict the prequels to begin with is the fact that they are a tragedy in origin. The Heroes journey that we saw Luke Skywalker take is non existant in the prequels. Sure, there are hints of it here and there with Anakin, but we all know where its heading. Its heading to Anakin losing his humanity in turning to the Dark-side & the Jedi are all going to get their butts whooped. THE GOOD GUYS ARE GOING TO LOSE! I think that perhaps that's the inherent problem.

McCullum says its going to be really hard to see Anakin become Darth Vader. WHY? We all expect it. We know its coming. Personally, I don't like his character. He has some charm here & there, but he's no Luke Skywalker. There is no sense of innocence in him anymore in AOTC. His love for Padme & his desire to become more powerful are his driving "Force", rather than doing what is right. Luke had the love for his friends, but I don't remember him having this lust for power that Anakin does. For me, what makes the prequels so hard to watch are two things:

1) Whom do we root for. Anakin? No. Padme? She's as bullheaded & immature as Anakin & is basically denying him his future as a Jedi. The Jedi? I'm not even liking them much anymore. They are walking around with blinders on & are being duped big time by their mortal enemy the Sith, who is sitting right there amongst them giving them orders. I mean you can't blame them, their powers are diminished by the darkside. However its hard to root for someone who is walking into a death trap. And Obi Wan is so critical of Anakin that I can't even see any resemblence to the wide older man in the OT who instructed Luke briefly anymore.

2) We know where this is all heading, just not exactly HOW: The death of the Jedi, if not the Jedi Order, save for Obi Wan & Yoda. Obi Wan & Anakin will duel it out, after which Anakin falls to the darkside completely & becomes Darth Vader. Palpatine finally reveals his true identity and declares himself Emperor of the galaxy. The dictatorship of the Empire replaces the Republic (even thought the Senate will exist in appearance only until EP4). The Skywalker twins are born and are hidden from Vader & the Emperor.

It will be interesting to watch, but its not going to be the revelation that ROTJ was to Star Wars fans.

As far as line-ups go, we saw more people go see the premieres of LOTR TTT & the Matrix Reloaded than did AOTC. And we saw all three in arguably the largest theater in Nashville, TN. There very well may be campouts, but certainly not the likes of Episode I. In Nashville, we went from over 300 camping out for Episode I to less than a dozen for AOTC. Even though it is the last Star Wars movie ever & the one people have been waiting for (Darth Vader finally emerges), there may be more people feeling relief than joy.

 

<<darth_melvin;
What did Schumacher have to do with Tim Burton's Batman...?
And by the way, Batman Returns is far superior to the first film! >>

Should have said Jon Peters/Peter Guber, instead of Schumacher, that tempered Burton for Batman 1.

(Not to get too far off topic, but I'm convinced that Tim Burton's filmmaking goal is to mass market two hours of celluloid that is filled with nothing but dark blackness. "Tim Burton's Dark Film." The fanboys would love it, even though it has no substance. Dark for the sake of being dark.)

 

I didn't think Schumacher had anything to do with the first two Batman movies. He just took the franchise & retroized it back to the 60's so badly that he basically Killed the Batman franchise. He's also the director who took Joss Whedon's original Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie sceenplay & ruined it by making it so campy that it was a total joke. Needless to say, I'm not a Schmuck-er fan.

Its a good thing that none of those actorsin Batman & Robin were making their debuts & staking their careers on the last movie or they would be waiting tables about right now, especially Schwarzenegger ( CHILL! ) .

Back to the topic at hand. What does GL need to do to make a good movie? COLLABORATE w/ either Spielberg or Irvin Kirshner. OR, although I doubt he would even touch Episode III if asked, bring in the king of dark himself to help out with the tough scenes, Tim Burton. I absolutely loved Sleepy Hollow & NBC!

 

Bottom line?

What does george lucas need to do to make a good movie? Depends on your opinion of GL I guess.

But to answer that question lies in what you think of GL's directing ability, his storytelling skills and his ability to write a good screenplay or contribute to it.

Some think ESB was the best in the whole franchise and point to Kershner directing it as the reason. Some disagree and think there is nothing wrong with the prequels believing that they are on par with the original.

 

Bottom line?

What does george lucas need to do to make a good movie? Depends on your opinion of GL I guess.

But to answer that question lies in what you think of GL's directing ability, his storytelling skills and his ability to write a good screenplay or contribute to it.

Some think ESB was the best in the whole franchise and point to Kershner directing it as the reason. Some disagree and think there is nothing wrong with the prequels believing that they are on par with the original.

I believe the magic can still be tapped but I'm not sure directing - as in directing actors, advancing story and editing script - is something Lucas can do anymore. I feel that directing - real directing - has passed him by.

Whatever happened to his comments on his interview with leonard maltin that he would most likely direct the first to set the tone and leave the directin to someone else for the last two?

Well, the tone has been set and I don't feel it was a good one. That open letter that was written in that newspaper encompassed alot of fan and general discontent.

Pass the reins to another director.

 

The journalist that wrote that letter hit the nail right on the head. There wasnt a single thing he said I didnt agree with.
The other day I was browsing the net, and while browsing I was listening to AOTC (not watching), just to see if I was being somewhat harsh with my opinions on the prequels. So I came up with this; I enjoy PARTS of AOTC. Yes, even parts of the dialogue.
As far as TPM, It turns out its the most expensive coaster I have ever bought. : )

So for GL to make a good movie he needs 2 things (In my opinion):

1.-Let go of his fatherly-sensibilities, I believe the fact that he has been mostly dedicated to his chidlren after ROTJ, has impaired his abilities to subjectively tell a story without feeling that he has to APPEAL to children at all times. I know, I know, SWs has always been a PG rated movie, and aimed at mostly @ kids. But if thats the case, why the hell do we need all the politics.?
I dont believe the rating system should keep him from delivering a kick ass EP3, of course if he can creatively get around that. Lets hope he does.

And 2.- Go back and WATCH the OT, Nobody wants anymore flagrant continuity errors.
Such as the Droids and the LArs, Lars on tatooine..Vader creating 3PO, Jedis that dont disappear,Shmis tombstone on the homestead and so on.
Oh yeah and cut the CORNY ASS love dialogue.

Just my opinion.

 

It baffles me that we can't seem to help judging the success of Star Wars by comparing its box office to Lord of the Rings and The Matrix, as Kanos does when describing how more people went to these films' openings than to Star Wars. Is this important...?

Other than that, I agree with Kanos on most of his points. I just guess that I see them more as a positive points than negative ones. The thing that had me psyched for the PT, and the thing everybody knew would be the special thing from the beginning, was the very fact the we did know how it was going to end. I've been thrilled so far to see Lucas flesh out what exactly happened back in the days of the legendary Old Republic. But I think the one thing Star Wars is forever unable to escape is the fact that it isn't new anymore. I don't think there is any chance in the world that SW could have been able to "recapture" the original excitement (at least not the way this excitement is remembered 25 years later...), simply because we HAVE seen it before. For a modern day example, see The Matrix Reloaded. I'm sure we can agree that if this had been the first of the Matrix movies, it would have been groundbreaking. As it is in fact the second, it is not groundbreaking, and people (mostly journalists, I suspect) can't help but whine that they've seen this before. Jeez, how quickly an audience gets spoiled in our day and age, my friends.

This is also the case with Star Wars. It's an impossible thing to check, but I suspect that A New Hope may have had the same reception as the new movies had it been the fourth or fifth in the line of Star Wars films, and not the original. Does anyone really think that making 6 movies on the same story can be done without a large portion of the audience at some point thinking "seen that before"? I'd once again like to point out the fact that even TESB was plagued by such criticism upon its original release. It's nothing new.

And back in 1980 George Lucas said that the prequels were an entirely different kind of story. "It's not as much fun. It's more political and more of a mystery". Well. Dead on, eh?

 

DarthNamitt ---

"abilities to subjectively tell a story" ... The Ewoks were no less subjective storytelling than the cantina in A New Hope. I'm not even sure I understand what your point against Lucas is on this...what is NOT subjective storytelling?

And you contradict yourself about the PT being more aimed at children than the OT when you ask "then why do we need all the politics?". The result of this seems to be that the plot of the PT is above and beyond the simple OT plot in terms of intricate-ness, so to speak.

And once again, I must advice people not to call the fact that Jedi haven't disappeared upon death this far in the PT a plot hole. There IS one movie left, and Lucas HAS told us that this is a plot point, as opposed to a plot hole. It is your right to believe that Lucas is lying and knows that he won't put in the films something he says he will put in the films, but I am not sure if it is wise to express such an opinion without actually having seen the films. This goes for the droids too, although according to Lucas that is not an important point.

Shmi's tombstone is not a continuity error, even if it doesn't still stand there 20 years later. Vader building 3PO is not a continuity error as nothing in the OT contradicts it. Lars on Tatooine is not a continuity error as Lars is still on Tatooine in A New Hope. If these things really bother you, I can understand why you don't like the films, my friend.

Oh, and just for the hell of it - how exactly do you talk to a girl you are madly in love with and haven't seen for many years...? I know that I sure as hell don't come off as a particularly elegant womanizer in those situations. On the contrary, I felt very much familiar with the admittedly corny lines that Anakin delivered. Remember that corny or cliched are not the opposite of real.

 

I dont believe Im contradicting myself when I say "Then why the hell all the politics".
Lucas stated in an interview (trying to tone down expectations) that it was " just a kids movie".
Hence my statement. If its "only a kids movie" then why the hell did he throw all the politics in it?.
I dont know any 8th graders that watch C-Span on a regular basis. Do you? : )

Look, I enjoy AOTC...all except the romance dialogue and what I call "CONTINUITY ERRORS".

I never had a problem with Anakin being 10, until I saw the movie. The kid sucked.

I really have a problem with Vader being 3POs creator. Seriously, take 3PO outta the first two movies and you'll see it could have been done without him, he serves the plot in no way. He should have come out in EP3 as Leas brand new babysitter, along with the already presented R2. R2s appearence was BRILLIANT. No problem there. Although now we know that R2 flew across the galaxie with Vader several times. (BUMMER.. they all share the same zip code.)

Heres a quote from EMPIRE:
"Luke, you will go to Dagobah there you will be instructed by Yoda, the Jedi master who instructed ME."

Yes he said ME.

Wrong, now we know Qui Gon Jinn instructed Kenobi. Wait a minute, is that a Lucas cronie in the back screaming "Hey Namitt, Yoda instructed Kenobi as a kid, but was later passed on to Jinn". Yeah right..
You know the word the English have for contradictory situations as these?:BOLLOCKS.
I hope Lucas remembers the Lars get Luke and Jimmy Smith gets Leia..God please dont let him forget! Heres another one; in ROTJ, Kenobi says to Luke: "When I first met your father, he was already a great pilot, and I was amazed at how strong the force was with him".
Yes a 10 year old great pilot who was described by Kenobi in TPM as just "another pathetic life form", funny he never mentioned that pathetic life form was strong with the force at all. Haha what a joke..That killed TPM for me.
Wait, no, I am lying, the stupid midi-chlorians killed TPM 4 me. The force is some kind biological anomaly, not an energy field created by all living things. Go figure.
Its odd how I never had a problem with Jar Jar, I knew he was comedic relief..hence eliminating any use for 3PO, but go figure why 3PO was in TPM after all. Someone said that if 3PO and Java and Bib Fortuna dont add anything to the story, it doesnt detract from it either. Thats bull.

Remember the old saying: If its not broken dont fix it.

Another thing I have noticed is how the TRAILERS exemplify EVERYTHING the movies should and could have been.

Anyone remember the very first Phamtom Menace trailer?..Remember those powerful words that come on the screen at the beginning and the lines that follow:

"Fear is the path to the dark side.."

"The force is UNUSUALLY (of course,its my idol VADER!!)strong with him"

They sent chills down my spine.

Same thing for the AOTC trailers..anyone felt chills when you first heard Anaking say:

"Someday I will be the most powerful Jedi ever"?. I know I did!

But man oh man, I didnt hear the other ones coming:

"Life is simpler when your fixing things" (cringe)

"You are in my very soul..tormenting me.."
(cringe)

And my all time favorite, ridiculously corny line..which I have heard in other better executed movies:

"I truly..deeply..love you"

(super-mega-hyper-special-edition-cringe)

And yes, as far as disappearing Jedis, I am crossing my fingers and holding my breath really hard, hoping it gets explained, although I have lost a lot of faith. So a miracle describes better that which I am expecting from EP3.

Anyone here know a good notary?..Id like to get this certified b4 it becomes a reality:

DISAPPEARING JEDIS AND OTHER MAJOR PLOT HOLES WILL NOT BE EXPLAINED, AND THE DROIDS GETTING A "MEMORY WIPE" WILL BE LONG KNOWN AS THE CHEAPEST COP OUT IN THE HISTORY OF SCI-FI. LUCAS WILL OPT FOR THE EASY WAY OUT.

So..Adali,read what I wrote just in the above paragraph, cause 2 years from now, I will be expecting an apology from you. See you then.

 

By the way...last night I had a beautiful dream where GL announced he was pushing back the release date of EP3 to tweak out and polish the story. It was so beautiful.
(sniff)

 

nope not deliberate, obi-wan thinks too much. GL is trying to show tension through the way obi-wan acts (particuliarly when that praying mantus type creature comes from behind in the arena) but in my opinion it is not the way jedi should respond to a situation.

GL already shows how weak the jedi have become with the staggering numbers that are killed at the end of AOTC.

i just think Jedi could be cooler, and not look like they are worried when they fight.

but that may not be unavoidable to show jedi NOT worried in Episode III , cuz we all know its the end of the jedi for a long time.

OH and in response to MAULer

I SERIOUSLY HOPE EPISODE 3 IS DEPRESSING.
IM LOOKING FOR AN EMOTIONAL CONCLUSION TO STAR WARS.

 

how can it not be depressing?

As Kir Kanos as so adroitly pointed out, the PT is a tragedy, and everything is grey.

The OT was as black-and-white as you can get, and that's part of why it was so successful.

The PT is a tragedy, and everything comes to a close that has stood for a 1000 years.

 

yeah whatever

 

<<although I doubt he would even touch Episode III if asked, bring in the king of dark himself to help out with the tough scenes, Tim Burton. I absolutely loved Sleepy Hollow & NBC!>>

The king of dark-just-for-the-sake-of-being-dark would make something that looked like Planet of the Apes. I think he lit that whole movie with, like, one light bulb.

 

It would have been cool if it were a blacklight.

 

"It baffles me that we can't seem to help judging the success of Star Wars by comparing its box office to Lord of the Rings and The Matrix, as Kanos does when describing how more people went to these films' openings than to Star Wars"

Success no. Popularity YES! Success is a relative term & to me not necessarily a financial one (unless it doesn't even break even). I consider a movie a success if it:

1) Is entertaining & clever

2)Doesn't contradict itself in leaving plot holes or inconsistencies.

3) Is CONSISTENT with its predecessors (if it is a sequel) in both story line & relative pace

4) Has well written dialogue that doesn't seem contrived or out of place with the story

5) Decent special effects if special effects are required

6) Doesn't have me leaving the movie theater wondering if I could have written parts of it better myself.

In my personal opinion, the prequels so far have fulfilled only half of these, while I felt that the Original trilogy filled all 6. The Special Editions even took the special effects & brought them up to date.

As far as Tim Burton is concerned, I think he could give GL some great dramatic ideas for helping the tonality of some of the most intense scenes like the death of some major characters & the rise of Darth Vader. Other than that I wouldn't want to see Burton behind the directors chair of the entirety of Star Wars movie.

From what I've heard from interviews with Spielberg regarding GL, once he has his mind set on something, theres no changing it. I just think GL has lost his advant guard edge as a director. The sets have been beautiful, the special effects great (although overdone at times like some of the CG creatures) & the character designs have been Choice!. But some of the plot points & a lot of the dialogue needs work. That is where two or more heads are better than one.

Mr. Spielberg, Please help GL with Episode III! You are our only hope.

 

special edition ruined the Original trilogy.

 

Namitt ---

I should be apologizing for what exactly...?

I don't care if you believe that disappearing Jedi will not be explained. Lucas has told us that it will, and (please note this) that it is an important plot point having to do with Obi-Wan's legendary line "If you strike me down I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine". And I am not going to ask you for an apology when this is explained.

Politics and 8th graders? No, I agree with you. I'm just not sure what you're looking for if TPM is both too childish and too political...see?

I'm not going to get into the "who instructed me"-issue again. It would be the threehundredandsixteenth time, and I don't have the energy anymore. Let me just say that this one single line, which can be bent and twisted and interpreted endlessly by both sides of the issue, is not nearly enough to get me worked up and disillusioned about the prequels. It's bending the truth, as Obi-Wan often does (TESB was the first movie that got people enraged at what they saw as Lucas making Obi-Wan into a liar, and nothing much has changed with the "fans" ever since). On the other hand, it's true. Yoda does instruct Obi-Wan, even in the movies. He is clearly a mentor for Kenobi, one from which he gets direction and inspiration. I don't find this even remotely annoying...

"Another pathetic life-form"? Kenobi had NOT met Anakin at this point. By the end of the movie it is clear enough that Kenobi respects the little bugger, isn't it? Oh, and being the only human ever to fly a podracer and then promptly making the upgrade to starfighter definitely qualifies as "a great pilot" in my book. And this was when Obi-Wan first knew him.

Trailers are supposed to send chivers down your spine. Does any of those moments send less chivers down your spine when they appear in the movie? They are great lines and great moments. Period. I don't know why you think a trailer shouldn't display some of the best moments of the film in question. There are plenty of cool moments that weren't in the trailers, too. Admittedly more so with AOTC than with TPM, but they were there. Imo, at least.

Cringeworthy lines? Have you seen the Star Wars Trilogy?
"But I was going into Toshi Station to pick up some power converters!"
Believe me, there are plenty!

I for one love the fact that we are in the medieval age of Star Wars with the PT!

You have to consider the chains that would hold the PT if Lucas was to adhere to every single little bit of info to the WORD. It could be a disaster. And another point is; your disapproval rests heavily on the way you interpreted and pictured the events refered to for many years prior to Lucas actually making the new films. Come on, is all this nitpicky stuff really enough to dampen your enjoyment? I don't believe so, Namitt.

 

People, people.....easy does it.

I think that there are some continuity "stretches" that exist between the OT and PT. Some, as one of the posters highlighted I can probably live with, others I cannot. But we are all looking at the symptom....not the cause. And what is the cause, everyone?

George Lucas.

What does GL need to make a good movie? As I said before, step down as director, writer and screenwriter and concentrate on special effects.

Finally, for those who wish for some lighthearted ending to EP3, I say, what for?

Because a darker ending would ruin the continuity of SW endings? To me, that is the problem....Lucas is sticking to formula too much.

Let EP3 be filled with action, comedic interludes and some drama at the beginning and middle parts. As for the last 1/3 of the movie, let it be as dark and bleak as possible.

Anyone remember the old scroll......"It is a dark time for the Rebel Alliance...."?

Give the movie its darkest possible ending without garnering an R rating. Jedi' die, Republic falls, Padme dies, Palpatine wins, Obi and Yoda are exiled and Anakin gets maimed and turns to the darkside to be the scourge of the galaxy.

How do you soft coat all this?!?

Since we already know that the FINAL ending is a positive one, it should naturally follow that this ending be a negative one. I myself would have no problem coming out of that theater with a bleak ending and only the slightest glimmer of "hope" that things will get better...but then, we already know they will.

Quite the conundrum.

 

<<Politics and 8th graders? No, I agree with you. I'm just not sure what you're looking for if TPM is both too childish and too political...see?>>

There was kind of a schizophrenic jolt somewhere between the political intrigue and the Eopie flatulence.