Ben Shoemate - Web Architect - Latest Comments in V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

Guest — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:30:53 -0000

I agree with you to a point on the prequels. However I personally found entertainment value in the films despite their flaws. 1) Ewan McGregor and Ian McDiarmid unquestionably gave the best performances. 2) Natalie Portman is HOT. 3) The lightsaber duels were fantastic, and brilliantly choreographed, and 4) Anything where you have Christopher Lee playing a villain can't be THAT bad. So call me crazy, but overall I enjoyed the films.

As far as the Original Trilogy, the one thing I am unhappy with is ever since the special editions, it was says 1997 as the production year in the end credits. If anything needs to be changed in the worst way - that does. It should still say 1977, 1980, and 1983 respectively. Agreed?

Be that as it may, the prequels were nowhere near as AWFUL as that last Indiana Jones movie.

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

Michaelvincentmusic — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 23:49:13 -0000

These are superb ideas you're floating for remakes. Your definitions and depth of understanding of the nature of evil would make a seminary professor proud (in a good way). The inclusion of ideas from V for V and the nazi connex'n is brilliant, I believe. 'Something' has to inspire the next generation of film-makers to include something of substance to these films.

PS - I actually had this dream one nite after having an online discussion with a friend about the whole SW-6 pkg. Someone had remade the entire series into one 3.75 hr film, (with an Intermission, like the old David Leen (Zhivago; L' of Arabia; and DeMille Bible epics).

Anyway the entire film was in black and white, and very grainy, throughout. The music was the same; the images suddenly cleared up as soon as they went into space (where everything was in color, oddly enough - and again, these aren't suggestions for the remakes - this was just my REM-sleep dream).

The film in my dream was simply called "Vader," as my friend and I were talking about Lucas' original working title for SW was Star Wars: The Tragedy of Darth Vader; and begins with him barely crawlng up out of the edge of the lava river on Mustufar; having already had a suit of some sort on for protection against the lava (he was there for other reasons I don't recall, now); but the molten liquid seeped through when he fell in. He's later rescued, and the mask is put on him. When he is told he has to wear the suit, now, for life, he is beside himself with rage, and becomes a truly imposing figure, and asks formally to be given the name Vader, so as to forget his former life as Anakin Skywalker - especially since that name was already given to him when he joined the Sith earlier, but was only a ceremonial name, (like at a baptism). But he wants it for real, so-as to be all the more imposing.

Vader was seduced earlier; before the lava-river incident; not by fear of losing a loved one, but by his inordinate ambition combined with his already enhanced gifted skills. He was smart (knowledge-wise), but had no real wisdom; he was an excellent bureaucrat and charismatic figure (like the Nazi Goering), who could convince anyone of nearly anything. But he was, as you said, a bully - and exceedingly devoted to the vision of the Empire (in ways that he thought were good, not unlike Maximus in Gladiator, where he declared to his emperor, "Rome is the light...," seeing the rest of the dark, primitive world as ignoble and in need of an Empire to 'civilize' it, even if that meant oppression (tho we never do get Maximus' views on such matters, we'd certainly have Vader's).

The love interest is with a Padme who is decidedly attracted to a 'bad boy', and who although she winds up leaving him for abuse (he is a bully, after all), she never tells him she's pregnant, tries to raise the children back on Nabu, but is impoverished by her having been ostracized by her family, and in the end relents to her family's wishes and gives the children up for adoption to Organa and his wife, and Veru and Lars, who originally were people of wealth and property, until hard times befell them on Tatooine. (I'm spelling everything wrong here, I know....'not a good enuff SW geekazoid to recall how to remedy that, I'm afraid.)

The film doesn't include all the mish-mash of Ep 1-3, and moves right into the whole encounter with Luke, Han, Leia, etc., and there's only ONE Death Star (orbiting the moon of Endore); there were Ewoks in it; etc.; Han's still initially a mercenary; Luke finds out about being Vader's kid; but because Luke has more training than Anakin, he is the greater warrior (tho Vader is more imposing, to be sure), and wins the battle between them, gets off the DS in time (as in Ret of the Jedi); and they have the big awards ceremony with Han, Luke, Chewie, et al, just like before. The End. (I woke up.)

Sorry this's so long, but 'just wanted to put my 2 cents in. Cheers, (Rev) Michael Hollingshead

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

Evildeathlifegood — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 07:25:01 -0000

I agree that the prequels suck and they could have been way better, but your version sucks even more and I didn't even think that was possible. I have a way better idea, but who cares! Nothin will ever be done with it so all this is a waste of time.

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

james — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:10:55 -0000

I agree.

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

benshoemate — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:37:50 -0000

Very, very good. Captivating in fact. Thanks for the great comment and
excellent rewrite. Now let's just raise the capital to purchase
the franchise from Lucas then re-shoot the films.

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

richardinjapan — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:35:26 -0000

continued from above

Episode III, The Way It Should Have Been

It’s three years later. Palpatine trains his Sith Army in the Dark Side of the Force. When they graduate, they take a new name with the title “Darth”. Anakin isn’t ready, because he’s still torn by his love for Amidala and friendship for Obiwan. Palpatine urges him to break with the past and accept the Dark Side.

Owen, inspired by Anakin, has tracked him across the galaxy to join him in his fight against slavery. Instead he finds Obiwan on Alderaan (Amidala moved her seat of government there after the battle on Naboo), and learns to his chagrin that the Sith seek to overthrow democracy and install Palpatine as Emperor. Amidala, with two-year-old Luke in her arms, is drawn to Owen, who has much in common with Anakin. She has entered into a marriage of convenience with Organa, who loves the children like his own.

In a blitzkrieg, the Siths eliminate all the good Jedis they can find (only Yoda and Obiwan escape) Now Palpatine unleashes his other secret army, all cloned from Captain Jango Fett’s superior DNA. Led by his Sith warriors, they are invincible, sweep all before them, and take control of government, declaring Palpatine emperor.

However, Anakin is desperate for Amidala. He runs into Owen, who is disdainful of what Anakin has become. Anakin reads Owen’s thoughts, and learns for the first time that Amidala gave birth to a son (Owen never saw Leia). He brainwashes Owen in order to track Amidala down, and speaking through him demands that she join him in the Emperor’s court. However, she spurns him and in his rage, unwittingly helped by Palpatine, he kills her with his mental powers.

Now driven by grief, he flies to Alderaan to take Luke with him, but Obiwan and Yoda team up to defeat him. They unnerve him by saying that Luke died together with his mother. He’s badly wounded, but rescued by storm troopers sent by Palpatine before they can kill him.

To protect the children, they are split up. Leia goes to Organa, who will raise her as his princess now that he inherited Amidala’s title. Luke will go with Owen back to Tatooine. Obiwan asks to stay with them to train the boy, but Owen refuses, saying the Force only leads to evil. Obiwan instead makes his home in the caves outside town, to be available when he is needed. Yoda goes into retirement on Dagobah. Anakin, rushed to surgery, surrenders himself completely to the Dark Side and becomes Darth Vader.

Oh George, George. Why didn’t you consult me first?

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

richardinjapan — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:32:42 -0000

continued from above

Episode II, The Way It Should Have Been

Fifteen years have passed. The Executive Council of the Senate has declared martial law with emergency powers. More planets, having felt their tyranny and seeing that the droid armies are not invincible, have joined the rebellion against the dictatorship. Amidala, now queen, is forced to flee from system to system, always in hiding from the Senate. Palpatine, however, has dropped out of sight.

Anakin is now an adult Jedi, having completed his training with Obiwan. Since Jedis are now vital to a planet’s defense, they can write their own ticket, and since Anakin still secretly loves Amidala, he has devoted himself to protecting Naboo. When she sees him again, she’s impressed – the kid she once bought out of slavery is now a handsome Jedi knight. She never married, although Sen. Organa has long held a torch for her.

Palpatine resurfaces – he has been organizing Jedi knights into a secret force for resistance. He speaks of creating an army with the power to overthrow the dictatorship and reinstitute democracy. Anakin doesn’t want to leave Amidala, but Palpatine flatters him, that with his powers he could do great deeds and win her love. He also exploits Anakin’s weak spot – he promises to eradicate slavery on Tatooine as a test of his new Jedi army’s strength. Obiwan still distrusts Palpatine as a former Jedi, but agrees to go along as a mentor to the young Jedis, and to shield Anakin from Palpatine’s influence.

Tearful parting between Anakin and Amidala. They both confess, then consummate their love.

Anakin returns to his home on Tatooine to eliminate slavery. Palpatine secretly instructs the knights in Dark Side techniques, and leads them into battle against the Hutts. Normally the Hutts are impervious to Jedi powers, but Palpatine suborns Jabba to betray the others. In return for agreeing to free the slaves, Palpatine leaves him in charge of Tatooine. Anakin in gratitude swears eternal obedience to Palpatine. He also takes a last name to celebrate his freedom: because he loves flying, he chooses the name Skywalker. His friend Owen, as a tribute to Anakin’s role in freeing him, also takes the name Skywalker.

Obiwan confronts Palpatine, who admits to being a Sith and defeats him easily. Anakin’s loyalties are torn, but he chooses Palpatine, whom he now calls “Master.”

Obiwan returns to Amidala, whose pregnancy is starting to show. Organa offers to make an honest woman of her, but Obiwan instantly suspects the truth.

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

richardinjapan — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:53:20 -0000

continued from above

Improvements over the original:

I had a huge problem with the age of Obiwan in Phantom Menace. According to the “official mythology”, it takes place 13 years before Luke is born. Ewan McGregor played him as a teenager, mid-twenties at most. Do the math, and that would make him 32 years older in Episode IV. Do you think Alec Guinness played a man in his fifties? No way. Here Obiwan is already grown; a full Jedi, mid thirties.
Same with Amidala – I think Lucas wanted her and Obiwan to be teen heartthrobs. A child senator? I don’t think so. In mine she is already 20, and none of this bullshit about being “elected queen.”
I eliminated the stuff about the Force being a religion, with a Messiah (born to a virgin, yet!) and a temple. Mitichlorions?!?! WTF?!?!
How is it possible that no one ever said to Luke: “Skywalker, huh? Any relation to the Anakin Skywalker who became Darth Vader?” Better that both Anakin and Owen don’t have last names, which makes sense if they’re slaves. They will both adopt the name after they are free.
I never understood the rationale about “The boy is too old to begin his training.” Luke was 19 when he started, and Obiwan not much younger than that. If the Jedi are so damn enlightened, why were they so pig-headed about that one point?
And if you’re going to clone an army, wouldn’t you choose a warrior to clone, instead of a lowly bounty hunter?
Another big problem I had with the prequels was the technology, which was without exception more advanced than in the later episodes. It’s preposterous to think that technology would regress over 32 years, or even that droids from a generation later would not be obsolete. That’s why there’s no R2D2 or C3P0 in my script.
Also, why did they portray slavery as no big deal? There were no chains, decent housing, and fairly good morale among the slaves. That’s crazy. SLAVERY SUCKS. Anakin as a former slave should be fanatic about ending it.
Best of all … NO JAR JAR BINKS!

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

richardinjapan — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:49:16 -0000

continued from above

After years of grousing about how Episodes 1-3 were a waste of George Lucas’ money and my time, and during my last hour at work on Friday in which I had to appear like I was being productive, I finally sat down and wrote out how the story should have played out, if only George had picked up a phone and consulted me.

Episode I, The Way It Should Have Been

A long time ago … etc.
The galaxy is at peace. Jedi warriors are largely feared and frowned upon, although many wealthy individuals hire them as advisors and bodyguards. Ten thousand worlds jostle for power in the Senate which governs all known planets. The political process is unwieldy, but an Executive Council of potent rulers shepherds legislation through, and the less popular decisions are enforced by the army of battledroids at their disposal.

But there is a problem – a key element in the manufacture of battledroids is in short supply. The last untapped source of the element is in the crust of Naboo, the homeworld of Princess Amidala, her planet’s representative in the Senate. She’s aghast that many of her colleagues are in favor of relocating her planet’s population to stripmine the surface, including many who have been bullied by the droid armies in the past, as well as her ally Senator Palpatine, a former Jedi.

When the Senate votes to force Naboo to relocate, Amidala secedes from the Senate. Fearing for her life, she flees, but the Senate Guard, led by its charismatic Captain Jango Fett, intercepts her, and even her Jedi advisor Obiwan Kenobi can’t talk his way out of it.

INT. SPACEPORT -- DAY

GUARDS surround AMIDALA and KENOBI.

KENOBI
The princess has diplomatic immunity. She may not be stopped.

FETT
I said arrest them!

GUARD 1 lowers his weapon.

GUARD 1
"The princess has diplomatic --"

FETT
Idiot! Don't listen to the Jedi, listen to me. Arrest the princess. If the Jedi says another word, kill him.

A HOODED FIGURE lurks in the background.

JINN
I CAN'T KILL A WOMAN.

Every guard lowers his weapon.

FETT
Who said that? There's another Jedi here!

With the help of maverick Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn, they escape from the guards and make it to hyperspace. Kenobi doesn’t trust Jinn, who he suspects dabbles in the Dark Side.
The ship is damaged, so they must put into Tatooine for repairs. Even Jinn is unable to finagle the shop to do the repairs for the little money they have on hand. However, that very day is a race conducted by the powerful Hutt clan which runs the planet and still practices slavery. Both Kenobi and Jinn recognize the Force within one of the racers, and they hurry to bet all their money on that driver.

EXT. TATOOINE MARKET -- DAY

Kenobi and Jinn join a long line of punters waiting to bet on the race.

JINN
There's no more time to place a bet.

Punter 1 turns away. Kenobi and Jinn move up in line.

PUNTER 1
"There's no more time to place a bet."

KENOBI
You can go first.

Punter 2 gives up his place in line.

PUNTER 2
"You can go first."

JINN
I've got to give up gambling.

Punter 3 gets out of line.

PUNTER 3
"I've got to give up gambling."

Against heavy odds, the unknown racer wins, and steps out of his racer. It’s young Anakin, nine years old. The Jedis recognize his talent in the Force, and buy him from the Hutts. Anakin develops an immediate schoolboy crush on Amidala.

The Hutts learn of Amidala’s presence and send their young protégé Jabba to inform the Senate, which sends Darth Maul to capture her. Anakin senses Darth Maul’s arrival, and warns Amidala to leave the planet. Both Jinn and Kenobi fight Darth Maul, but he defeats them easily. Anakin goes with them, but promises his mother and his best friend Owen that he will return one day and redeem them from slavery.

The evacuation of Naboo has begun, although many citizens prepare to make a last stand to defend their homes. The battledroids assemble on the surface to wipe out the remaining resistance. Yoda and several other Jedis come to the aid of the rebels. Yoda recoils from Anakin, warning Kenobi not to train him as the Dark Side is strong in him.

The Jedis easily defeat the thousands of battledroids – it’s no contest. Suddenly Yoda senses a greater danger; he communicates telepathically with Anakin, telling him to commandeer a fighter and fly it into the atmosphere. Darth Maul, realizing that the battle is lost, has begun bombarding the planet’s surface, and even the assembled Jedis can’t divert that many bombs. However, Anakin is able, with Yoda’s guidance, to push the bombs safely off course.

Meanwhile Jinn, still stinging from his defeat at Darth Maul’s hands, sneaks into the fleet’s flagship and challenges him again. Both recognize the Dark Side in each other, but Jinn knows he can’t allow Darth Maul to live. Maul again defeats Jinn, but before he dies Jinn mentally causes the captain of the ship to trigger the self-destruct.

Yoda, more convinced of Anakin’s power than before, urges Kenobi not to train him, but Kenobi is certain he can direct the boy’s abilities for good.

The Senate is stunned by the defeat of the battledroids, and realize they are not the future of power projection. Heading up the committee to find an alternative, Palpatine rejects the design for a prototype Death Star, and instead calls in the handsome and athletic Captain of the Guard, Jango Fett, for a secret assignment….

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

richardinjapan — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:41:53 -0000

I'm with ya, buddy. Here's an essay I wrote on the topic about a year ago.

Rewriting STAR WARS
by Richard Schwartz

Watch in stunned amazement as Richard second-guesses the most successful filmmaker of all time!

Just prior to the release of Phantom Menace, Weird Al Yankovic came out with one of his famous parodies that very accurately extrapolated from internet gossip what the actual story would be. Listening to the parody, I started to imagine what the movie would be like. Then I saw the movie, and the one in my head based on Weird Al's song was better.

If I were to rate the films in points out of 10 (as I do on some scriptwriting peer review sites):
The original - 9
Empire Strikes back - perfect 10
Jedi - 8. The rescue of Han Solo is the single best part of the whole epic, but I subtracted two points for the bloody Ewoks.

Episode One - That's also the grade I give it. It would have been a zero, but for the great duel between Darth Maul and the Liam Neeson Jedi, the only two interesting characters in the whole trilogy. And he killed both of them off!
Episode Two - zero
Episode Three - at this point, George Lucas only needed to score two or more points for an average of five on the Richard Meter. After the fantastic first trilogy, which changed the course of Hollywood history and inspired countless other film makers, all he needed was two points to average out at "Good", which is the lowest I ever like to rate even the lamest scripts I critique online.
And he couldn't do it! Episode Three is a zero, giving him an overall score of four point something (If I was good at math, I'd be producing scripts, not writing them.)

Two lines in particular stick out for me:

"Hi, I'm your half-brother Owen, and this is my girlfriend Beru."

Senator Organa: "My wife and I have always wanted to adopt a little girl."

Welcome to Science Fiction Exposition Theater.

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

adawakeman42 — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 06:42:38 -0000

Wow this was a great article, I remember seeing someone who was selling custom shirts on ebay that made some really funny jokes about how awful the prequels are. My gripe with the prequels was that even though they were rubbish if you were a fan of the originals you inevitable had to watch them at least once in the hope that one would be good.

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

timada — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 13:35:32 -0000

Lol! If you mean smoke shop as a legal pot shop... I don;'t think so! The guy from V for Vendeta is one of the best actors ever. Imagine how hard it is to play with a mask hiding your face... and he does it... and moreover, he's good at it. I'm sorry but you must have got it wrong. This actor is not like all the other silly crappy actors that end up in a Drug and alcohol treatment center or die of an overdose!

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

JoeAnne11 — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:56:35 -0000

I always wanted to see this movie V for Vendeta. I have never been interested in StarWars for example. I really hope I will get to see it once cause I heard it's really interesting. Anyway I heard that the actor have been seen quite often in a nearby smoke shop

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

starslayer — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 23:44:00 -0000

I totally understand how you feel about the prequel trilogy.

I was only 11 years old when the first prequel came out. And I was pretty disapointed. I expected the film to center around Anakin, but it was focused on weird aliens known as gungans. I'm sorry, but their culture and language is very lame. It was like babay talk and Jar Jar was very annoying!

I spent the nest 3 years trying to convince myself the next movie would be better. I only wish it were true.

Again the movie was centered about Padme, leaving out very pivital information that was from episode 4. I expected more about Owen and Beru. They were the future guardians of Anakin's son. And from the scenes with Owen, it sounded like he had much frustration and anger towards Anakin.
Sadly, they were only in one scene together and there was no talking between them. I didn't get why Owen would be so upset at Anakin.
As much as I enjoy the major fighting scene between Obi-Wan and Anakin, it felt exhausting at the end. And his fall to the dark side because of a nightmare is the lamest excause to go dark.

I love star wars and I'm a huge fan, but I was hoping for a repeat of the old movies. I wanted to see something exciting & shocking! Like the revelation in Empire when Vader announced he was Luke's father!

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

Drug Rehab Treatment — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:33:50 -0000

I loved star wars more than any other movie I ever read and I will watch the whole series every time I will have the time. I have recently seen the last movie, the one that appeared this year on cinema and of course I love it just as much as the others.

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

Darth Geoff — Thu, 21 May 2009 03:19:21 -0000

Some really great ideas here. Many are similar to what I had been thinking a couple years back when I started a little short-lived forum about rewriting the prequels: http://starwarsrewrite.foru...

I strongly agree with your concept of Anakin the addict, but the drug would have to be the dark side of the force. Stronger, quicker, more seductive. Seems pretty obvious to me.

I'll link to your article here, feel free to poke around at our old ideas and add to that stale old forum if you like.

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

Sam — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:17:45 -0000

Hell yes. Prequels desperatley need to not be anything like the fall of Anikin Skywalker actually was.

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

benshoemate — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:14:33 -0000

Hmm... not a bad rewrite. I'm not sure I can agree that the prequels are "so
close" - they are visually stunning, well shot, etc. But the changes you
suggest to the story beyond editing alone.
Even in your story rewrite I still think the missing element is
Aniken's motivation. I believe Russel Crow in Gladiator - he has a reason to
be mad.
I believe V in V for Vendetta.

To make Aniken believable you have to either 1) make him insane, or 2)
surround him with an corrupt institution and make him the dutiful servant
who will honorably follow orders no matter how painful or irrational (
Schindler's list) while all others begin to wake up and rebel - he refuses
to admit the regime and the system is corrupt.

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

jgkojak — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 12:50:46 -0000

Intruiging-

But I would argue that the frustration of the prequals is that they are SO CLOSE to being pretty good and their are so many missed opportunities, the fix is not nearly so dramatic as you propose.

Simple changes:

1) Anakin is the same actor in all three films (like Luke). I'll buy a 16 year old Anakin winning a pod race-- not an 8 year old.

2) The damage done to him by life as a slave along w/failure/guilt about not bringing his mother with him could be more emphasized.

3) Change the structure of the films:

Episode I:
Combine the best parts of Episode 1 and 2.
Mace Windu goes to Camino.
While Obi Wan is helping win the battle of naboo (in a much shorter sequence earlier in film) Anakin defies Qui Gon's orders and follows him, sees Darth Maul defeat Qui Gon, and uses his rage and rudientary training to kill Darth Maul on the spot. Much more dramatic- and a harbinger.

Movie ends with Yoda's battle w/Dooku, and the massing of clone troops.

Episode II
Begins with Obi Wan and Anakin engaged in some battle (pick from the best of the Clone Wars animated series). Then Anakin takes off the Tattooine to save his mom, dragging Padme, kills the Sand people, etc.
The middle of episode two is the beginning of Episode III (space battle/rescue or Palpatine).

Ep II ends with Anakin killing Windu and being named Darth Vader (wow! talk about a cliffhanger!- Go, do what must be done, show no mercy!)

Ep III is basically the last half of the real Ep III (the one part of Prequels that worked)- with more time/explaiatgion given to formation of rebellion, Padme's role (putting her POLITICALLY opposed to Anakin), probably show some sort of first rebellion raid on, say, a shipyard, stealing dozens of x-wings, more time in ending showing Yoda's exile, Chewbacca piloting Obi Wan to Tatooine, probably a scene with Obi Wan and Owen, certainly a scene showing Padme still barely alive to be cared for in secret by Organa on Alderaan (Leia barely remembering her mom as "sad").

All of these would kick ass, have great moments and deliver more of what we were expecting. Oh- and no Gungans/JarJar.

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

deadjoe — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:39:53 -0000

The problem with people of my generation ( I saw Star Wars in 1977) is that we had seen the prequels already. They were called The Godfather Part I and II.

That is what I was expecing.

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

Lightbringerrr — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 01:00:59 -0000

Judging from your take on the plot outlines of the Prequels( Epi 2 and 3 especially ), I can understand why they don't make sense to you, and why you don't like them;

You didn't watch them.

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

Ben Shoemate — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:08:19 -0000

I just like good story telling. The prequels weren't good stories
worth thinking about in the same way that a book like Ender's Game or
the Matrix, or the original star wars did.

In the end I think a good movie, like a good book needs a single
interesting idea to run through it holding everything together, but
the ideas itself is not enough, there also has to be a story around
that idea that involves people you believe in and care about. The Idea
in the matrix is that we live in a virtual world controlled by
machines. The Idea in star wars was that an evil empire faces a
rebellion. The idea in the prequals...I'm not sure. The idea is
something that can be summarized in 2 paragraphs. Interesting, but not
a story. The story is about the people. You go to movie for the idea,
but you care about it afterwards because of the people story. I did
not believe the people story in the pre-quels. I did not believe that
was the story of Darth Vader.

Ben Shoemate
Web Architect

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

h2o — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:13:17 -0000

Well I have to say that you summarized the prequels in a way that just makes them look shallow.

You make me think that you were so much into the original movies that whatever would have been made afterwards, wouldn't have been good enough anyways. Only an exact copy would have satisfied you.

And I like the CGI of the prequels because I can't stand Yoda's muppet look in the original trilogy (Yoda was severely overdone in those movies anyways).

If you can spare some time, drop a response.

bye

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

Nicolas Bozek — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:30:57 -0000

Not bad ... not bad at all.
I like the way you think Ben-san!
Have you ever thought of making your own movie.... with today's technology you don't need million of dollars to do it...these guys did the job with a DV camcorder and some low end PCs... and the result is quite impressive.
Check it out
http://www.starwreck.com/

Re: V is for Vader – Rewriting the Star Wars Prequels

Cody Burleson — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 18:10:38 -0000

And above all, you can never have Darth Vader scream "Nooooooooo" from behind that mask. That was so horribly out of character, it completely ruined that mask. Once the mask is on, the transition is complete, damn it. No whining after that.