Where Has All the Fun Gone?

Rating: 7/10 (19 June 2002)

The first Star Wars (now known as 4) hit like a hammer. Never had anybody seen such spectacular effect work, so well integrated into an imaginative movie. That was 1977. I can't believe that George Lucas thought it would be ever taken as seriously today, since the lines were a goofy mix of Flash Gordon and Lost Planet Airman.
Today, there is literally nothing we can't do with CGI. And George does it, and it gets in the way of the story. Lucas has wrapped three pictures in the "Coming of the Empire" cloak, so we know that SW-3 will not turnout happy. Anniken must become Darth Vader.
I wonder if the same thing that happened to Star Trek will happen to Star Wars. As you recall, Star Trek: The Next Generation had a spectacular run on television. The next Star Trek series, Deep Space Nine was static by comparison, and revolved around politics and personalities. Action was limited by the concept, and as a result has never been the financial success of ST:TNG.
As a hyphenate, I know how difficult it is to write a prequel. Writing a trilogy of them is a nightmare. Call me old fashioned, but if the original Star Wars film with its feelings of bon hommie at the end, had ended the series, I would have been just as happy. On the other hand, you don't stop milking a cow, until she kicks over the bucket.