2. Bye Bye George
If you had to name the one thing that has led to the decreasing reputation of the Star Wars series, it would have to be George Lucas. Up until the mid-nineties, the series had been a wholly collaborative affair, with Lucas handing directorial and some creative reins to others after the initial hit. But once the prequels came around, things began to go wrong. Lucas took complete creative control and surrounded himself with yes men so he could create solely his own vision. Tim Burton, James Cameron, Peter Jackson, even Quentin Tarantino for a time; all great directors who have got so big people feel afraid to question some of their ideas (Oh yeah Pete, a three hour adaptation of a B-movie half that length sounds a great idea). George Lucas is the epitome of this, as the prequel DVD behind the scenes attest to; every meeting is Lucas making all the decisions while creative minds sit fearful. The shocking thing is that just over ten years ago Lucas was almost regarded as one of the finest directors of all time and Star Wars as one of the highest quality franchises. The direction he has taken the series in recently has almost completely destroyed its integrity to the point where the series is renowned for cash grabbing rather than imagination sparking. Now only a creative consultant, Lucas can take a back seat and let people steer the franchise who understand why Star Wars was so popular in the first place; strong characters and good plot, not flashy images and empty action.
Alex Leadbeater
Contributor
Film Editor (2014-2016).
Loves The Usual Suspects. Hates Transformers 2. Everything else lies somewhere in the middle.
Once met the Chuckle Brothers.
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Alex