Unbalanced humor in the saga ?

TPM - you were right about one thing master ,..the negotiations were short -

AOTC - is this what you call a diplomatic solution , no I call it aggressive negotiations -

Episode 3 - .............. ?

ANH - get this walking carpet out of my way -

ESB - laugh it up fuzzball -

ROTJ - release me or die - ( to me it was since luke didnt have any weapons on him )

so far the the PT and OT are very different when it comes to dialog .

PT =
OT =

I dont know if old age is affecting GL's writing skills , but there is a very clear drop from the OT to the PT which is most noticable in the PT-OT humor .
I post in 3sa regularly and there will be no chance for gl to create humor in such a dark sad movie . that means the saga's fate is sealed . will this writing change affect the saga once it is all done ?

 

I think it's a matter of opinion. I loved Obi-Wan's short negotiations line, as it's completely in line with his dry humor in ANH. Also I don't like the cheesy one liners in ESB, like "Laugh it up fuzzball" and Leia calling Han "laserbrain."

Also, I laughed at 3P0's line "Die, Jedi dogs! ... Oh, what did I say?"

 

dont worry, we've got artoo with us

1) how the hell is that funny?

2) if your trying to impress a chick, stupid jokes dont help your chances.

3) in the time anakin knew him, R2 didnt do anything particularly heroic. which only makes his bad joke completely baseless.

 

They are very different stories.

There are some funny prequel stuff

"we decided to come here and rescue you"
"good job"

"Great now there are two of them."
"She can't do that, Jango shoot her or something."

"Shut me down, machines creating machines"
"Be careful R2 I almost fell..."
"for a mechanic you do an excessive amount of thinking"


It all depends on POV
they are different types of humor.

-Seldon

 

"You were right about one thing, the negotiations were short."

"There's always a bigger fish."

"I don't mind flying but what you're doing is suicide!"

"Blast! This is why I hate flying!"

"We retransmitted the message just like asked...then we decided to come and rescue you."
"Good job!"

"You call this a diplomatic solution?"
"No, I call it 'aggressive negotiations'!"

Then you have Jar Jar's antics which I personally find quite funny.

If you think there isn't humor in the prequels, it's because you're just not looking for it...or something.

 

If you think there isn't humor in the prequels, it's because you're just not looking for it...or something.

ohh, theres humor alright(maybe too much), its just not that humorous.

 

ohh, theres humor alright(maybe too much), its just not that humorous.

From your point of view. I found the PT humor to be on par with the OT.

 

I agree with Fosh. There's tons of humor, just none of it FUNNY.

 

There was humor in the PT. I think George overdid it a bit too much in AOTC. I really could have done without all of the 3PO antics in the arena. A little humor injected into a tense scene or right after one is imortant to remove some of that tension, but the 3PO stuff was overkill, not to mention not that funny.

 

Don't forget some other of Ben "I'll be here all week" Kenobi's quips in ATOC


You don't want to see me death sticks.

Care of the old folks home.

Not good.

 

"care of the old folks home" was subtle enough for me to enjoy. "don't worry, we have R2 with us" was a decent one. "you don't want to buy any death sticks" was pretty bad, not because it wasn't very funny, but because i don't want SW to turn into an anti-drug campaign.

For the most part, the OT's humor was quick little one liners that were not the focus of the diaolog and didn't detract from the current scene. For example, "would it help if i got out and pushed?" or Han's never calling Leia by her name. Funny and in character.

 

Don't forget the ironic lines that are there because we all know what happens in OT.

"Why do I get the feeling that your going to be the death of me"

"We need a system that works, one where everyone sits down and makes a decision based on what is in the best interest of the people. .... "
"sounds a bit like a dictatorship"
"well if it works"

"I love democracy, I love the Republic. The power you give me will be given back when this crisis has abated..."

I find these lines to be funny seeing the irony of it.

-Seldon

 

i think the difference in the styles of comedy is the intended audience.

in the OT, there are very over the top, sarcastic, mature lines. for the most part, you have to be paying attention to think they are funny.

in the PT, certain situations are based entirely on creating comedy, and it isnt quite as subtle. most of the humor is stuff that can hit you as funny without an established context, although there are exceptions.

 

I disagree with you greatly fosh.
The comedy of the OT is far, far away from sublte.

Now lets look at the evidence.

TESB (OT)
3P0 Dialogue
"Sir, the possiblity of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately three thousand seven hundred and twenty to one"

"What...what's going on? Turn around. Chewbacca, I can't see."

"Wait, turn around, you wolly...! Hurry. Hurry we're trying to say Han from the Bounty Hunter."
"Well at least your in one piece, look what happened to me"

"ouch! Oh! Ah! That hurt. Bend down, you thoughtless...Ow!"

______________
The Dialogue has not changed
the story has changed little
What has changed is....the "fans" perception of the saga.
3P0 has not changed
nothing has except the "fans"
Thats my stand.

-Seldon

 

As I've seen it said, "Some fans grew up only to realize that Star Wars didn't."

 

Plus, if you want to talk about lowbrow humor, you can look to both trilogies.

TPM-farting pack animal, Jar Jar steps in doo-doo.

ROTJ-Sarlacc belches, road creature belches.

TPM-Boss Nass slobbers all over the place.

Both trilogies have it. Not that I don't appreciate it, just pointing that out.

 

The Dialogue has not changed
personally, i think that the PT lines are very straight forward and objective, while the OT lines almost sound like something from a soap opera.

the story has changed little
OT-a rebellion against an empire
PT-the fall of a republic
I think theres more than a slight difference.

What has changed is....the "fans" perception of the saga.
everyone perceives something differently, and because the PT is not the OT, it shouldn?t be perceived in exactly the same light.

and by "fans" i assume you mean the people that like the OT but not the PT...

3P0 has not changed
no, he hasn?t. but who said that?s a good thing?

nothing has except the "fans"
the "fans" that you refer to are not bound to stay loyal to the franchise, but some have, and you cant ignore them.

Star wars fandom is not a hierarchy of loyalty. If epIII turned out to be the worst film in human history (which it wont), then would you still feel forced to love it?

 

To answer some of your questions fosh,

When I wrote "fans" I was refering to some of the Star Wars fans, not all of them.

3P0 has not changed, this is not a good or bad thing. This is just showing that both trilogies are similar in that aspect.

The general story arc of the two trilogies is different.
OT begins with the empire but in the end it falls
PT begins with the Repbulic but then it falls.
They both have certain things in common,
TPM-Two Jedi, A Queen, A Slave Boy, and a Gungan outcast must work together if they are to save the planet Naboo.
ANH- Two Droids, A Princess, A smuggler, A farm boy and Chewbacca must work together if they are to save the Rebel Alliance.
TESB- Luke goes to train as a Jedi then must rescue his friends who are being held captive.
AOTC-Obi-Wan goes to find a bounty hunter that is trying to kill his friend Padme. Padme and Anakin are off doing their thing and they all meet up in the end.
ROTJ-Luke must face the evil Emperor while Han and Leia fight to save the galaxy.
III (from what we think)- Anakin must face the evil Sidious while Obi-Wan and Padme fight to save the Republic.

They are very much the same story with different endings. One begins with evil and ends with the good guys winning. The other begins with good and ends with evil winning.

The Dialogue has remained about the same in all the films (in my opinion)

-Seldon

 

the OT is FAR more funny then the PT .

 

There's a thread in the CT forum about how good Han's and Leia's dialogue was, and it's the major difference between the two trilogies. But I must admit, Obi-Wan does a good job in the PT with his sarcastic quips. He may fire one in RotS.

 

Well, didn't read the whole thread but here are my thoughts. I think there are several good comedy moments in the PT(Obi-wan's definitely got some good moments) but, overall, I think the the comedy quality has diminished somewhat. But, that's OK. Still love the PT.

 

"3) in the time anakin knew him, R2 didnt do anything particularly heroic. which only makes his bad joke completely baseless."

R2 was with him during the battle of Naboo...

And the OT has more "mature" humor ??

Just when you think you've heard them all...

 

Not much too laugh with in the PT, only laugh at. Really, there is NOTHING funny in there. Some things COULD have been amusing but doesn't work because it is said by the wrong character, or delivered unconvincingly ("Shoot her or something" comes to mind), or just...MEH.

 

I LOVE Gunray's chuckle after the nexu scratches Padmé!

To me, the PT is about as funny as the OT, but in different ways.

Speaking of Star Wars humor: the burping worrt outside Jabba's palace -

 

The difference in humor between the two trilogies could be related to the period in which George Lucas wrote them. The originals were written in the late 70s - early 80s and the prequels mid 90s - today. Such a large gap in years leaves room for comedic tastes of the general public and an individual to change in the process.


A possibility.