Friday, May 8, 2009
Spock Envy
Watching the excellent new "Star Trek" film, I couldn't help but think of the "Star Wars" prequels and what might have been. Here was a franchise update that was thrilling, funny and even a little sexy. It paid respect to its source material without being enslaved by it. But most importantly, "Star Trek" was fun to watch, unlike the turgid "Star Wars" Episodes I-III. I don't know what die-hard Trekkers think, but as a "Star Wars" loyalist who was always indifferent to their corner of the sci-fi universe, I am so ready for a sequel.
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I completely agree. I am a child of the Star Wars era (and I love me some Star Wars), but my dad always liked Star Trek, and so I saw all the movies and watched most of the series of that franchise as well.
But all of that has nothing to do with the fact that the I left the Star Trek movie thinking "wow, that was really good!" With the Star Wars prequels, it was more like "you know that one seen where Yoda came out with the light saber and then kicked ass? That was cool. The rest of it sucked." All of that Liam Nisson-looking-for-a-protégé stuff, and weird intergalactic C-span-style space politics was just so unnecessary. (Who needs long scenes of Parliamentary Procedure in a summer blockbuster?)
I wonder what a Star Wars "reboot" would look like if the prequels had been done in the Star Trek manner, by a young director who grew up with the franchise rather than by Lucas?
We are on the same page, Zil! George Lucas was never a strong screenwriter, and he had total control over the prequels. Not good. How would, say, McG have handled it? And so many meetings! It was like watching the Legislature, only with cool costumes. JJ Abrams managed to make "Star Trek" fresh without gutting it beyond recognition. I think you gotta have some distance from the source material, and Lucas clearly doesn't.
My dad is a longtime Trek fan. And he loved it. IMHO they took the original, and improved on it in every way.
And I agree...I would love to see what Peter Jackson or Chris Nolan or even Robert Rodriguez would do with Star Wars.
At this point, I'd settle for seeing what Tyler Perry would do with Star Wars.
Heh. Tyler Perry presents Madea Goes to Space
I believe what I said on this subject, when leaving the theater, was "George Lucas should be forced, via Ludovico Technique, to watch this movie until he understands what a sf prequel should be."
You know what I would give a back tooth for? The new cast in a new tv series.
That would be cool. And, it would serve the additional purpose of getting Zach Quinto's insufferable character off the insufferable Heroes.
Syler is one of the best things about Heroes. Except that I missed this last season.
Also, EDP... Maybe Tyler Perry will get a yen for the Sci Fi films now that he has been in one...
A TV show with this cast? My family would never see me again. How awesome would that be?! Tyler Perry enjoys costumes, so I guess his role in this film was a perfect fit. I'm ready to go see this again.
DTG...you didn't miss anything. I gave up on it 1/2 way through this season after everyone's daddy issues (even Sylar) got too annoying to bear
That's a shame, because the first season was just so damn good.
Hey, did Wil Wheaton have a cameo right at the beginning?
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