Even though this isn't exclusively a Star Wars blog, Star Wars is my most favorite of favorite things (narrowly leading, but leading nonetheless) and so you'll probably hear more about it than anything else on this blog.
My previous post outlined my position on the films, but it was tongue-in-cheek and a bit aggressive, so I just want to explain it in a more...diplomatic fashion.
I feel what I said in my previous post was true. You simply can't call yourself a Star Wars fan and then proceed to bash half the saga. Oh, you can prefer certain episodes over others, and you can dislike certain elements. Art is, after all, completely subjective. But how can you consider yourself a fan of Star Wars when you spit venom and hate over everything that makes the entire saga fun?
All the so-called "flaws" and "atrocities" of the I-III are either subjective preferences, fabrications and/or half truths, or elements that I've demonstrated that IV-VI have in spades and therefore add to their charm.
So why are there so many of what ANH at "A Certain Point of View" (look at the links) so accurately calls Hateboys? The so-called "fans" who see newer Star Wars as a travesty to the point that they control the entire conversation and skew it to the negative like so many political commentators, thereby ruining everyone's fun?
Nobody really knows. Some call it a generational thing, but that's bull since there are plenty of '77 fans who love I-III and many twentysomethings that don't. There does seem to be a correlation between Expanded Universe fans and Prequel Bashers since much of the EU between Jedi and Phantom apparently ignored the film's sense of whimsy.
Me? I don't really care. I'm just a Star Wars fan. If I'm at all militant about this, it's because I'm just so sick and tired of having to defend myself against people who claim to love the same things I love. I want to be able to say positive things about I-III without getting lynched by anyone within earshot.
Star Wars is an epic high fantasy in sci-fi clothing. It is first and foremost an affectionate parody of 1930's serials like Flash Gordon, and secondly a study of mythic archetypes. It has ground-breaking special effects in any age, and it is also full of intentional silliness in the form of both character interactions and cheesy dialogue. If you are a fan of Star Wars, all this is why.
If you feel the same way I do, then I suggest you check out the Star Wars Prequel Appreciation Society, found in my links to the right.
Good post, Adam. You're right, it's not a generational thing--I saw ANH in 1977 when I was 4, and Star Wars dominated my childhood, but I love the Prequels as much as everything that came before; it's all the same story to me, told by the same guy. Maybe the knee-jerk hate is more a matter of cynicism, or trying to project some kind of world-weary persona. Life's too short to act like you're too cool to care...and I guess I just don't understand how--when confronted with the story, characters, visuals, music, etc. of the prequels--somebody *couldn't* care?
ReplyDeleteI know you wrote this post a year ago, but wonderful post :). I don't have a problem with people disliking the prequels, what I do have a problem with is their need to constantly express it, and worst of all try to make their hateful opinions fact. It's been a decade since those movies came out, you'd think that they would be over it. What is done cannot be undone. Point is that if they are true Star Wars fans than they should at least appreciate, emphasis on appreciate, all movies, even if they have a preference for part of the story over the other.
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