A Small Victory

Michele, I'm with you. I heard about Lucas' political moments in "Sith", and went... eh. I figured about as much. If I refused to see any movie that had an anti-American actor or director or producer associated with it, I would see none at all. Of course, if he had written "Bush = Palpatine" in the opening text crawl, I might feel a little differently. But then again, I might just think, "Hey, cool! Bush can shoot lightning with his hands!"

You mean besides the rise of the Sith and the formation of the Empire?

You tell 'em, Michele!

I've long thought some of the most embarrassing (and, frequently, funniest) movie criticism ever written comes from people who insist on viewing everything through an ideological prism. Now, sometimes, even sometimes with a movie that's not explicitly "political," that's a valid approach and works. But I think 9 times out of 10, it makes you look like a hilariously obsessive asshat who's obsessed that subliminable messages in the movies are instilling Wrongthink in the poor, deluded masses.

Well, I read Collier's post. It never clicked that the Trade Federation was supposed to be some sort of political statement. In fact, I thought it might be another racial stereotype.

There's a new Star Wars movie coming out?
Soon??

Unk
//entering ducking and running mode at ludicrous speed

It's inevitable, especially when you're dealing with a really broad canvas of intentionally universal themes like Lucas is (or like Tolkien with Lord of the Rings and Peter Jackson as his film interpreter, to take another example that draws similar interpretations.)

No, [i]Lord of the Rings[/i] isn't about Islamofascism, or the need to fight Chimpy McHitlerburton, or the Nazis in WWII.

But, at the same time, yes, it is about all those things, and also about the Roman Empire, Napoleon, Tokugawa, and any number of other times and places.

But merely because a story properly invokes timeless questions of "how is this like our current time?" doesn't mean it's about our current time, which is a subtle but important distinction, IMO.

I just cannot get enough Yoda in my life.

Yeah, Yoda kicks ass.

If I have to associate any part of SW with politics, I choose to associate Yoda kicking ass in a lightsaber battle with us kicking the terrorists' ass.

I don't know thing one about Star Wars, but that storm trooper chick can come storm troop my ass any day. She looked pissed too. Resistance is futile!

Ah shit. Wrong space thing.

I had much the same thought.

I mean, how many movies have used a variant on the "you're with me or against me" line from a hero or a villain? Too many to count, esp. if you include its close cousin, "if you're not a part of the solution you're part of the problem," a statement beloved by the Left which means almost exactly the same thing.

For some reason I find that female stormtrooper thing deeply disturbing.

As to the politics-- I support your decision not to consider it. So this next part's not for you; it's for some of the commenters.

Obviously the movies have a political message. That word "stormtrooper" is only about 70 years old and I'll give you three guesses where it comes from. The republic has a senate that gives sweeping war powers to an executive who abuses them. It doesn't have to be Bush and the war on terror; Lucas says it's Johnson and Vietnam. Whichever, the dynamic is as old as Rome and as relevant as any archetype.

Fuck subtext.

What absolutely slays me is that people now calling Lucas brilliant for his "brutal" critique of Bush were ripping him for using "offensive" stereotypes.

Forget pissed. she looks farking crazy.

"if you're not a part of the solution you're part of the problem," a statement beloved by the Left which means almost exactly the same thing."

Great observation Crank!

I haven't written a post yet, but I've got one bouncing around in the noggin.

Star Wars is left wing now? I thought it was right wing!

In 2002, the MSM said Star Wars was racist:

http://www.detnews.com/2002/entertainment/0205/18/d01-492788.htm

I'm doing a week-long countdown to Darth Vader. This post and the comments are kind of like the post I already prepared for tomorrow. Although mine's a lot shorter and has a Darth Vader soundbite commenting on the whole thing.

Hubris, I'm with you.

Give me mindless entertainment any day.

I'm probably showing my ignorance here, but I thought Storm Troopers where clones of Boba Fetts father. They should all be men. Do I need to see episode II again? I have to admit that after five episodes, the names and places are bouncing like billiard balls through my little head and I can't keep them all straight.

Thanks, bill, I was waiting for someone to say that so that I wouldn't be outed as a bigger geek than Michele (or you).

There are only female stormtroopers in twisted nerd wet dreams. Get a grip on reality, people!

Yeah, there were no female Stormtroopers just as Jango Fett's clones were/are not Stormtroopers.
They're clones and the Stormtroopers are actually recruits from across the galaxy. Remember Jango's kids are aging just a little faster than usual.

Only the left-wing parts are racist ;)

I know Lucas actually intends for Ep 3 to be some sort of grant political statement, but he also intended for Eps 1 and 2 to be watchable and we all know how that went.

(And before anyone calls me a hater, I already have my tickets).

The whole stormtroopers/clones thing gets pretty complicated interested geeks should read the following:

http://www.answers.com/topic/imperial-stormtrooper

http://www.answers.com/topic/clone-troopers

I just want to wear the sexy costume! GOSH!

sorry Michele, but it's the Princess Leia Slave-girl outfit for you.

"Smile, you stinkin' Star Wars nerd!" Only thing that could get her to look that pissed.

Why don't you just dress like Napoleon Dynamite. GOSH!
(That would be sweet.)

Of course, the thing about that outfit is that she could be flat as a pancake under there. Hell, come to that she could be a guy.

I want blue Force lightning hands...

Michele - I am so with you on this one. I've actually read a couple good reviews - from critics I respect - and I can't wait to see it. I think a lot of people flat out have a problem with overt childlike enthusiasm - no matter what you're enthusiastic about. It makes them uncomfortable.

I love the all-Star-Wars all-the-time theme around here. :)

Just in case you haven't already started:

How to make a Stormtrooper costume

[link found via here...]

I've been blogging the shit out of Star Wars lately. Just scroll down, and page back into the recent archives (this month and maybe a bit of last), and you'll find stuff. (I'm a leftie, and I don't even think SW is left-wing.)

Michele - here's something I wrote about seeing Star Wars IV when I was 10, and taking my son to see III on Friday..

http://lasthome.blogspot.com/2005/05/may-24-1977.html

I could go on and on with a love-hate diatribe about Lucas and SW. And no matter how much I think the most recent movies have sucked (lots), I'll still go see them.

Why?

'Cause I can't get this kind of scifi space & ground battles anywhere else. And scifi battles are cool.

P.S. Everytime I play Star Wars Battlefront, I weep for what could have been.

Yea, like killing Ewoks!

Hi, there. I disliked Lucas after he came up with the horrors of Phantom Menance, Attack of the Clones. But I still watched Revenge of the Clones ... twice with my friends. Tickets are cheap here in Singapore only cost US$4. I didn't like it. The dialogue is laughable. The directing is poor... well that was expected- Lucas was not good in both departments. There were also so many annoying references to the previous successful series. It sort of reminds me of the kid who got an A+ for his English paper- then after kept on reusing and rehashing the same story in new essays. Then of course there's the allusion to Vietnam and Iraq... I finally realized that Lucas was a total moron who has got his head so far up his arse that he can't differentiate shit from light. Anyhow, Chrenkoff writes a brilliant critique on Lucas' mindset.