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Jun. 12th, 2005 03:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beccaelizabethJust saw something on BBC3 called 'Generation Jedi', the basic theory of which was that we got the Star Wars films we deserved, because those of us who grew up with Star Wars have turned to the dark side.
My ever so light side reaction to that was to make rude gestures at the TV.
I am a jedi. Trying to sense the living force and guide it into paths that work. Fight for what I believe in without falling to hate.
I haven't seen episode 3 yet and I only might because mum wants my brother to see it with someone who cares. I felt like these prequel films tried to change the whole philosophical basis of what we thought we'd see in Star Wars, so I felt pretty betrayed. (As well as completely bored.)
And I'd rather the TV tried not to speak for me, because while I agree a lot of stuff keeps going the same old bad way it always has, but a lot of us keep on being rebel jedi, fighting the good fight.
(albeit in small internet based ways that don't involve leaving my flat. it's the *principle*.)
That aside, there is interesting cultural studies mileage to be had from comparing the films with the politics of the day, and the stories with the audience reaction. Prequel films are always going to be a bit tricky. The rule is start small and build. But if you started smaller in the prequels than you did in the originals then you wouldn't be building, and if you build (as the Star Wars prequels did) then you make the originals look smaller. I mean if you follow someone through ever greater deeds you get a sense of sympathetic achievement, but if you find out their Dad actually did it all bigger already you feel a bit gypped. OTOH if all Anakin ever did was smaller than Luke he'd hardly have ended up vice president of the universe. So it gets a bit awkward fitting all the expectations together.
I also had a thought about surprise twists. I read that on the later seasons of Buffy a lot of changes happened to try and keep the plots a surprise when they were being leaked on the internet. But the twist in the original Star Wars trilogy - "I am your father" - doesn't go flat just because you know it is coming. Because the thing is set up so that *matters*, and because we see how it matters to the *characters*, the twist still twists us along with it. So I figure, nothings going to be surprising more than once, so messing with the story to keep it a surprise isn't the way to make it a good surprise or good story. Making sure the story sells the twist, makes it matter, makes us care, that will make it a good story no matter how many people know about it in advance.
/obvious thought.
Also proving again that Buffy is my primary fandom now. :)
My ever so light side reaction to that was to make rude gestures at the TV.
I am a jedi. Trying to sense the living force and guide it into paths that work. Fight for what I believe in without falling to hate.
I haven't seen episode 3 yet and I only might because mum wants my brother to see it with someone who cares. I felt like these prequel films tried to change the whole philosophical basis of what we thought we'd see in Star Wars, so I felt pretty betrayed. (As well as completely bored.)
And I'd rather the TV tried not to speak for me, because while I agree a lot of stuff keeps going the same old bad way it always has, but a lot of us keep on being rebel jedi, fighting the good fight.
(albeit in small internet based ways that don't involve leaving my flat. it's the *principle*.)
That aside, there is interesting cultural studies mileage to be had from comparing the films with the politics of the day, and the stories with the audience reaction. Prequel films are always going to be a bit tricky. The rule is start small and build. But if you started smaller in the prequels than you did in the originals then you wouldn't be building, and if you build (as the Star Wars prequels did) then you make the originals look smaller. I mean if you follow someone through ever greater deeds you get a sense of sympathetic achievement, but if you find out their Dad actually did it all bigger already you feel a bit gypped. OTOH if all Anakin ever did was smaller than Luke he'd hardly have ended up vice president of the universe. So it gets a bit awkward fitting all the expectations together.
I also had a thought about surprise twists. I read that on the later seasons of Buffy a lot of changes happened to try and keep the plots a surprise when they were being leaked on the internet. But the twist in the original Star Wars trilogy - "I am your father" - doesn't go flat just because you know it is coming. Because the thing is set up so that *matters*, and because we see how it matters to the *characters*, the twist still twists us along with it. So I figure, nothings going to be surprising more than once, so messing with the story to keep it a surprise isn't the way to make it a good surprise or good story. Making sure the story sells the twist, makes it matter, makes us care, that will make it a good story no matter how many people know about it in advance.
/obvious thought.
Also proving again that Buffy is my primary fandom now. :)