A Game
Changer: A Defense of the Star Wars Prequels
A lot
of hate is spewed out about Star Wars Episodes 1, 2, 3. Story wise
Episodes 4, 5, 6 are certainly more endearing and relatable. When looking
at the impact of the first 6 Star Wars films, they perfected the blockbuster
film genre. The entire film industry’s business model is crafted around
the success of the Star Wars franchise.
Since
you’re on of this website we’re going to assume you understand the difference
between the production order and chronological order of the Star Wars
films. If you don’t then your Google search has misdirected you, so hit
the back button on your browser because you will find no cat pictures here.
The
blockbuster was defined by Jaws (1975) but was perfected by Star Wars
(1977). After the release of Star Wars all studios started releasing
their huge films at the start of the summer season. It’s been a Hollywood tradition ever since. The artsy Oscar contender films come out toward
the fall, the horror, flicks around Halloween, the clunkers and contractually
obligated theatrical releases are done in the winter. The films with the
biggest hype are the popcorn flicks, the ones released from May – August.
This
was an unintended result of Star Wars, George Lucas originally set out to
create an awesome sci-fi film with believable special effects. This idea
was inspired by 1930s serials he watched as a kid. Those effects he
wanted resulted in the creation of Industrial Light & Magic, the go to
special effects studio for any film with a budget. Lucas took the
original Star Wars trilogy and crafted the best special effects studio in the
film industry. He changed how special effects were applied to films and the
industry embraced it. Films like ET (1982), Back to the Future (1985), Indiana Jones,
and Terminator would be far less spectacular without ILM. ILM wouldn’t
exist without the success of Star Wars.
The
original Star Wars trilogy concluded in 1983 but lingered around in cartoons
and some Ewok TV movies a few years after. After which Star Wars grew
stagnant without new media there wasn’t much the fans could hope for except
rumors about prequels that no one believed would ever get made.
But
then something happened that seldom remember as affecting cinema, Steven Spielberg made the blockbuster Jurassic Park (1993). The original idea
was to use go-motion (kind of like stop motion) dinosaurs. That was until
Spielberg discovered he could make realistic looking dinosaurs using computer
generated imagery (CGI). CGI was utilized in films of the past but were
clunky and noticeably. Films like Tron which took place in a computer
could certainly suspend disbelief but films like The Last Starfighter are
clunky and unrealistic with their CGI effects.
The
Special Edition trilogy was the original films recut with extra scenes and
enhanced effects capitalizing on the new CGI technology showcased in Jurassic
Park. The Special Editions were rereleased in theaters, the box office
response was phenomenal. Lucas discovered the Star Wars fans never
wained, in fact they grew as the home video market allowed the trilogy to be
reshared and rewatched countless times. The initial reception to the
Special Editions was positive.
Regardless
of hindsight, the hype generated interest in perusing his long rumored
prequels. Spielberg had preceded Lucas again, and again Lucas would take
that precedent and reshape how films were made. While many decry
the prequels as inferior to the originals, their storytelling wasn’t the
goal. It was the format in which to tell an sci-fi action story that was
at the forefront of George Lucas’ brain. Lucas could have churned out
these prequels at any point post Return of the Jedi but waited for the right
technology. He wanted to prove to himself and the film industry that
there was a more cost effective way to make quality sci-fi films.
While
the rest of the studios were making films using his techniques from the 70s, He
was crafting a new method for the digital age. The Phantom Menace
utilized over 2000 CGI shots, the most of any film that year or ever up to that point. He included the
first fully CGI main character in a film. While many justifiably hate the
character Jar Jar Binx, let’s be thankful that his creation resulted in us
having a perfect representation of Golem in The Lord of the Rings.
All the
major sci-fi/action films of the post prequel era use heavy amounts of CGI
technology to tell their stories. Lucas changed the game, he crafted a new
format for storytelling. While many may hate the content of prequel
films, they are truly an afterthought when looking at what was inspired
afterwards. An entire film industry that took one directors techniques
and have relentlessly copied them and the result of all his hard work is a
measly $4 billion dollars after the sale of ILM and all the film rights to Star
Wars to Disney.
Written by
Joseph Ammendolea
Owner/President
“I Like To Play With Toys” Productions®
