The dullness of "Clones" does not mar the magic of Originals

Rating: 2/10 (17 May 2002)

After twenty five years, and a host of very well done and entertaining movies through the 80's and 90's, by fantastic directors such as Spielberg and Cameron, the original Star Wars is still my choice as the best movie of all time. It combines a very fast-paced plot with a deep feeling for character development, attention to cinematographic detail, and innovations in special effects to make the film possible. You could not suck in every thing the first or second time, it took multiple viewings to appreciate all of the details and foreshadowing hidden within the witty lines. The second movie `Empire Strikes Back' mostly built on the strengths of the first movie with its continued fast pace, and detailed plot and character development.
Lucas justifiably built up an enormous fan base from these excellent films, fans who would watch and re-watch the movies and could hardly wait for the next releases in the series. Why then, starting from Jedi, and even more so with Phantom and Clones, has Lucas been continually tormenting the original Star Wars- crazy fans to this degree?
This release was so dull that I found myself often asking my friend how much time remained for it to be over. Do you want a drink? No problem, I'll get it, but I am not going to hurry getting back
Lucas is so completely out of touch. The script was written in one overly warm afternoon while he was laying drowsily in his lounge chair, with a re-run of Episode I The Phantom Menace playing on a vcr in the background and jar jar binks' high pitched nasal voice screeching over the hi-fi. At least he got one thing right: JJB shows up for less than 2 minutes during the movie. The next step is to make NO-ONE show up for more than 2 minutes during the movie.
Ever since Lucas created the Ewoks and the entire set of deadbeat flicks starting with Jedi, he is in love with his own sappy, listless, dull, slow, humorless (unless you consider ewoks and JJB as humor), directionless scripts. What gives? If he is so in love with his own script making ability, why couldn't he have made a parallel set of films to Star Wars: be true to the action-packed legacy of the original SW: and I mean at the plot and script level, not the special effects cop-out, and he could go make a completely separate line of flicks that allow him to indulge in his need to deeply explore his own dullness.
He is far and away not alone in having created great movies. Why doesn't he learn from these other directors: let's take Spielberg for example. He creates masterpiece after masterpiece after masterpiece, and he often does movies not intended to be crowd or critic pleasers (The Color Purple, Empire of the Sun, Schindler's List, Amistad). But he brings an intensity of understanding of the human character (and soul), expressed through wit, tears, and sometimes triumph. Spielberg puts a magnifying glass to his scripts so that every minute of the film really counts. Humor is used as both an end in itself and as a vehicle to deepen understanding of the characters and to further the plot development. Lucas has proved that he achieve the same degree of success, but for some reason he chooses not to use his talent anymore.
Lucas just does not understand that his mistake is NOT in deciding that he will make a film fitting his own vision, regardless of the impact that has on critical acclaim and box office success. His mistake is that his movies are completely lacking in any message, or innovation whatsoever in direction, cinematography (except for the underwater world in Phantom Menace), character or plot development, or issues addressed. His mistake is not in trying to be different, it's that he does absolutely nothing with the vast resources and talent at his disposal, and the huge equity of character and plot development as well as fan support from the two original movies. He has thrown all that in our faces, "ha I don't need you I can do whatever I please including creating a film that is essentially fluff".
Well, I'm sorry Lucas, no matter how hard you try, I will not forget the magic of the original movie. You can't Jar Jar Binks or Ewok, or Animalda it out of me, as far as I am concerned the SW line died after "Empire" and the other third rate flicks are unrelated to the concentrated passion of the originals.