Comments by "Harry Mills" (@harrymills2770) on "The Rise of Skywalker - First Reactions Come In" video.
-
19
-
@poolee77 : When the source material of a screenplay is a screenplay, rather than a larger work ADAPTED to the screen, there are always going to be plot holes and issues with character development. We were very forgiving in the first trilogy, because we didn't know any better, AND - probably more importantly - we'd never seen special effects that good, before. As long as they stuck to "Good guys win" and old-fashioned themes (and scenes) straight out of old-fashioned Westerns, the formula worked.
In the 2nd trilogy, Lucas tried to show he had some real depth, only he didn't. The plot and characters were subservient to the desired spectacle. This is a problem with screenwriting. You know the spectacle you want to see, and the plot and characters must serve that spectacle. Just tell a good story with good characters, and the spectacle will be there.
In the old days, you knew what story you wanted to tell, and the tricky part was providing the rich visuals needed. We cleared that hurdle in the 1970s, with a genius mix of CGI and stop-motion scale models (on a level the Japanese never dreamed of). From that point on, the visuals have driven the character and plot. People aren't wowed by all the special effects. Those effects must serve a better-written STORY. I think the epitome of this was the over-choreographed fight scene between Anakin and Obi-Wan. Defy the laws of gravity until the writers decide the fight's gone on long enough.
I bought one of the Star Wars paperbacks back in the '70s or '80s, on the understanding that the BOOK would be much better, much richer than the movies, themselves. The books were just screenplays. You know, what you write when you adapt a HUGE universe down to something in movie form. But in this case, the screenplay WAS the book, and there was just no depth there at all.
They could've kept the movie franchise going virtually forever, if they hadn't been waylaid by grievance-studies idiots. Just keep it simple. "Space Western" idea is fine. Very broad appeal.
1