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posted by
LaminatorX
on Tuesday March 25 2014, @06:44PM
from the Ches-ko-ba-tuta-creesta-crenko-ya-kolska! dept.
from the Ches-ko-ba-tuta-creesta-crenko-ya-kolska! dept.
mechanicjay writes:
While a bit pop-culture and light hearted, it's an indelible part of every geek's soul, so perhaps it's worthy of a front page discussion:
Over at Movie Pilot, Alex Rosenhiem puts forth a compelling argument for preservation of art and of shared cultural experience and why that matters. He couches it in the context of revisionism as applied to the Han/Greedo Cantina scene, long a source of nerd rage, countless arguments and is even it's own meme. The moment is a pivotal one for the development of the Han Solo character, but more importantly Rosenhiem argues that Art, Star Wars included, gives us access to the past and where we were at a certain point in time when we first experienced it.
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(Score: 5, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday March 25 2014, @07:01PM
In 1976, as an un-established franchise, Han was written to be the badass to appeal to that market.
Fast forward however many years to the re-release, now you've got a mega-hit on your hands with moms objecting to the little ones seeing bad stuff, etc. It's simple commercial pandering, and the fact that it generated nerd-rage was also probably pre-calculated and hit the positive side of the balance sheet too, because anybody who cares enough to be outraged is probably incapable of not buying the new movies within one month of release plus the six volume box set when it became available.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Tork on Tuesday March 25 2014, @07:26PM
"It's simple commercial pandering, and the fact that it generated nerd-rage was also probably pre-calculated and hit the positive side of the balance sheet too"
*Sigh* Sadly, you're right. But you know what really causes ache about that decision? They didn't have to do that. When he shoots Greedo first, it firmly establishes that he's a loner that only worries about himself. It is a genuine surprise that he turns up at the Death Star at the end and fires on Darth Vader. It didn't make his decision to lead the battle on Endor inconsistent for the simple reason that he got to see how important what the rebellion was doing was. And.. I'm about to fall into the nerd-trap of over-explaining my point on a web forum. Sorry.
There is some value in what George is doing. It's teaching us not only the value of good storytelling, but also the value the audience places on a piece. He crapped on a great trilogy but hopefully future filmmakers are learning from it. Afterall, the guns are back in ET!
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 2, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday March 25 2014, @07:57PM
Not that any of the writing in Star Wars is anything other than campy space opera, but the thing that grates on me worst in EpIV is the constant reinforcing of Han's character that way, Leia does it, then Luke really goes over the top with his "Take care of yourself, Han, I guess that's what you're best at" line.
I suppose by the time of the re-release, there's precious few people on the planet that don't know that Han comes back to save the day during the Death Star raid, so a little watering down of the character doesn't really matter all that much, at least for the surprise factor.
To me, Star Wars was the first big "cash out" movie, ever. I was born in the late 1960s, and seeing "C3POs" cereal on the grocery store shelves hit me as crass, even at age 12. Trading cards, action figures, bed sheets, and on and on - I don't think my parents or I ever bought any of it, though, I have to admit, I am looking for an excuse to buy the Tauntaun sleeping bag....
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2, Funny) by ramloss on Wednesday March 26 2014, @02:28AM
Helloo! spoiler alert!, I was hoping to watch Star Wars this weekend, and now you've ruined it. Thanks for nothing man!
(Score: 3, Interesting) by gishzida on Tuesday March 25 2014, @07:31PM
Um... Not so sure about that. I saw the original release something like 8 times... most of those at a large theater on Wilshire Boulevard in Westwood [west L.A.] after Star Wars was released. I own a copy of the first edition paperbacks... but I haven't bought the DVDs. Why? Because the Marketing Gurus have turned what was "novel" at the time into a marketing juggernaut of make ca$h and more ca$h... With each new product and each new novel [and soon new movies] the plastic peals off the trope. I imagine this will also be the fate of the "Avatar" sequels...
There is [was?] a similar scene in the original Indiana Jones movie where the Arab swordsman/thug/mook makes "threatening motions" at Indy with his giant gleaming sword... and Indy replies by pulling out a .44 Smith & Wesson HE2 and shooting him.
Does it make a difference that unequal force was used? Hmmmm... you choose between getting sliced and diced or shot up... Han and Indy both seem to believe it is better to be a live rascal than a dead skunk.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 25 2014, @07:39PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbJyZ4eDkIs [youtube.com]
(Score: 1) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday March 25 2014, @07:45PM
I'm definitely a fan, but I've never gone further than renting the DVDs...
I suppose I "care" that they watered Han down, but really can't get all that worked up about it - the stepping on Jabba's tail scene was a much worse atrocity, IMO.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 25 2014, @10:03PM
> because anybody who cares enough to be outraged is probably incapable of not buying the new movies within one month of release plus the six volume box set when it became available.
Speak for yourself. Can't say I was "outraged", but I do despise what Lucas did in the "re-dos".
I've never bought one Star-Wars movie (tape or disk) ever.