What I find aggravating about Lucas is his revisionism of the intent of his work based on his audience.

I will not debate that the prequels were focused on the younger market sector, which currently has more buying power and marketing influence than kids in 1976 .

However... I challenge anyone to find an interview or article at the time of the release of the original Star Wars , in which George Lucas is quoted saying that he made that movie focusing on children... (or even from Kershner at the time of ESB)

I have found quite a few articles from that era praising those movies as a major spectacle, and movie making achievements (to a point, the prequels achieve the same), but NEVER found a critic saying that what they saw was a movie for kids (the closest thing maybe in terms of "adults and children will enjoy it the same" or some such...). Note - never a SW movie has been particularly praised for the acting or writing, but the originals did had an engrossing story. Case in point: Where is the "I am your father" moment in the prequels?

So please don't try to rationalize that adults don't like the prequels because they are no longer kids... I don't like them because they are MADE FOR KIDS... unlike the original trilogy (maybe not ROTJ....)

I think he makes movies to appeal to all ages, then and now. Same with the Indiana Jones movies he was part of. Not an easy task.
The prequels fall short of the original movies in story and lack of a Han Solo, but they aren't completely bad.
In fact, I think Attack of the Clones would be one of the better movies if you could edit out the sappy relationship crap. The bulk of the movie is pretty good.


For recent movies, the comic movie genre has taken over sci fi. You could lump it in there and have some great flicks. With any luck, upcoming movies will get us back to a traditional sci fi movie track. The last really good traditional sci fi movie, other than Cowboys and Aliens was probably The Matrix (original).

This has certainly been the case starting with "American Graffiti". "THX-1138" was the work of an auteur and meant for an adult crowd that appreciated edgy sci-fi.

I don't know, I don't recall that many adults at the time of the original trilogy release (ie born before 1958 or so) that were that enthralled by them besides from the effects. I mean there was the momentary buzz, but how many of those people now really care about the films at all? I mean, how many 55+ yr olds do you know that have opined how the new trilogy just isn't as good as the excellence of the original?

Those of us who were children when the first trilogy came out aren't fit to compare.

As for the idea the films were made for children, that can be inferred. After all, Star Wars was based on the idea of the old Flash Gordon/Commando Cody/Rocky Jones serials of the past. Lucas DID say that. And who were THOSE serials aimed at? Hint: it wasn't the people waiting to see Casablanca and Citizen Kane.



The Jedi Master

When 800 years old you reach, like Star Wars so much you will not...

Inferred, supposition, conjecture...

I don't mind if Lucas wants to make kiddie movies, or porn for that matter... I just don't trust his revisionism to give more credit to the current films. "You don't like my new films? Tough! Because I made all my movies for children, so don't sweat it"...BAH!!!

I want an actual quote from the director or producers, that the 1976 film (or the 1981 sequel) were made with a younger audience in mind. There are plenty for OFN saying he made the prequels for children. So...where is one quote where he states then that was the intent in 1976...or 1981...?

Kids were not as influential or were a considerable market sector in those days. I heard this thing made some MONEY! That money came from adults. Yes, Star Wars was a fad then, but no one was at that time saying it was a kids fad (Kids were definitively more into it...more visible, thus creating a future market).

As a kid, I watched a lot of movies intended for mature audiences that I still like... there were some animated and children's movies I still like. They are not good because of the "nostalgia"... they are plain good movies.

And doing throwback to the old serials of the 40's and 50's... more Lucas revisionism. He used to say he was inspired by Kurosawa... before the time he decided to make sequels...and thus making them "serials"...BAH!

And you can easily see the influence of Kurosawa in ANH concerning the visual style and the use of some archetypal characters. R2D2, C3PO and Princess Leia are no doubt influenced by the two bickering peasants and the princess from "A Hidden Fortress".

When it comes to the story and acting though, that was most certainly influenced by the 1930's serials.

does yoda still look like he's high on 5 or 6 different things....

You mean you missed that moment in The Phantom Menace?!?! You know, when Jar-Jar told "young Anakin" that he was Anakin's long lost older brother and that when Anakin grew up, his ears would be as large as Jar-Jar's. This was the key moment when Anakin decided to become a Sith and eventually wear the [Darth Vader] helmet to cover up his ears.

Maybe one day someone will make a Star Wars reboot along the lines of the recent Star Trek movie. At least remake Ep 1,2, and 3 in a gritty way. Let Jar Jar be an f-bomb dropping pot dealer. Let little Anakin have a couple of scars on his face where his alcoholic mom Shmi smacked him around in a drunken rage. Let Anakin's revenge on the Sand people be more of a pogrom. Man, I could go on and on . . .

I think Star Wars (ANH) appealed to a wide range of ages when it came out, and I think a lot of that was because it was kind of refreshing in its innocence. Back then you had a lot of "killer cop" and other violent movies like Dirty Harry, Death Wish, The Mechanic, The French Connection, and even John Wayne made a couple like McQ and Brannigan. Plus the Vietnam war hadn't been over that long and I think everyone in the country just wanted something fun to look at.

I heard a critic back then say that they thought Star Wars' appeal came from it being a kid's story with adult production standards, and I think that fits pretty well. TESB brought the story to a more adult level, I think, but then ROTJ went back to being more of a kids' story.

The first two prequels were much more for kids, but ROTS got pretty dark, and I think that might be where some of the confusion around Lucas' intent comes in. The first one he released had a simple story that anyone could enjoy, the second one got pretty dark and I think more adult, then back to a level for kids, then back to being more adult. I think it's hard to tell what Lucas is trying to do.