Is the Original Star Wars a Kids movie?

“The reason you don’t like the new Star Wars movies is that you aren’t twelve,” or some variation is often the defense for the new movies. Whether they mean it or not the direct implication of this statement is that you only like the Star Wars movies because you were twelve the first time you watched them, and if you watched them now you would have a similar opinion of them as you do of the new movies.

I would like to say this is absurd on its face and move on, but there is a point here. I am bias towards the Star Wars movies. I enjoyed these movies when I was a kid and it is possible that has tainted my opinion of them. The solution of course is to have someone who is unbiased watch the movies and tell me, so if anyone knows an adult about the age of most Star Wars fan, who likes the genre of Science Fiction and hasn’t seen Star Wars let me know and we’ll run an experiment.

Since that solution seems unlikely so instead I go to comparisons. If Star Wars is just a kids movie I like now because I enjoyed it when I was a kid then this should be true of other movies. I am young enough that the cartoons and movies I watched were in the 80’s so I will list them. (Please no judgment I was a child)

The Smurfs- I loved this show as a kid. I’ve tried to watch it as an adult and the nostalgia wears off about the third time someone uses Smurf to replace a word. There are bits that are OK but I wouldn’t buy the DVD.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – I used to watch these cartoons all the time, and I watched the first movie when it came out. I just watched some clips on youtube and I have to wonder if the people making it meant it to be funny, I’m not sure how else you could explain using pizza as an analogy for everything, and horrible accents. If they did then I can’t say I got it, then or now. The nostalgia is pretty much limited to the music and that’s only a few beats long.

The Transformers Movie – I watched this as a kid and loved it. Watched it as an adult and I really can’t get past the scale issues. Things are constantly changing size in this movie for no reason. They are inside of Orson Wells Unicron one minute and the next they are fighting him. Also , was the Matrix of Leadership in the movie for any reason at all? Finally, they killed Optimus Prime.

The Goonies – What can I say? I was 9 when this came out. Still there’s a decent cast here and I believe it may be the only time that Corey Feldman and Joe Pantoliano were on screen together so that has got to be worth something. I can still chuckle at moments in this movie and even understand why I enjoyed it as a kid but I wouldn’t put it on the level of Star Wars.

There is certainly room to argue that Star Wars is a superior film to any of these and I would agree, but that isn’t the argument which is being made when you say that I like Star Wars because I watched it as a kid.

None of this is saying that I hate the new Star Wars movies. I am mostly ambivalent. I do not feel that George Lucas did anything to my childhood by making them and if they are on I don’t run away screaming but give me the option of watching Ewoks or Jarjar and there isn’t much of a choice to be made.

What do you think, are the original Star Wars movies for kids?

The People Vs. George Lucas Trailer

The dark side of fandom strikes back.

My Top Sci-fi Couples

In honor of SAD(Singles awareness day) I decided to post my five favorite sci-fi couples.

5. Lois and Clark
When done right this love triangle can be both endearing and really funny. Lois has a crush on Superman but won't give Clark a second look romantically especially after the tenth time he's disappeared at the first sign of danger.
Written wrong Lois is nothing more than the damsel in distress for Superman to rescue once again, but that happens far less than it could because over the years the writers of superman have made Lois a truly strong character who can take care of herself most of the time.

4. Mulder and Scully
Never really a couple(I haven't watched the newest movie, and I'm still waiting for my money back on the first) there was something great about these two from the first moment that they were on screen together. The fact that they are equals both with skills the other needed kept them together at first but as the story grew so did their relationship. That is rare on televising where keeping things the same forever is the generally accepted way to do things.

3. Ron and Hermione
Harry Potter could have been nothing more than a set of adventure books and it still would have been a fine series of books. Not great, but fine. What lifts this above a hundred other kids novels are the characters. Harry has many people around him with strong personalities and watching the change of these two characters from hardly liking each other to happily married is great.

2. President Roslyn and Admiral Adama
On a show which has had so many failed relationships it's great to see something which seems so strong. These are two people who found someone against almost all the odds. Both are too important to the fleet to spend their time indiscriminately dating even if that were possible, but somehow in between the chaos that seems to be daily life on the Battlestar Galactica they realized that they cared for each other.
Of course on Battlestar if precedent stands this will end horribly, and the fact that Roslyn has cancer doesn't bode well, but if they can give each other strength even for a little while perhaps that will be enough for them to save the entire human race.

1. Hans Solo and Princess Leah

There are two things that are missing from the Star Wars prequels, a rouge character like Hans Solo and a female lead that I can buy as being strong. I suspect that Anakin was supposed to be that rouge like character, but he's not and I know that Padama was supposed to be that strong character, but neither had the strength of those that came after(before?) them. I haven't gotten over the "she died because she had nothing to live for" ending of the third Star Wars movie. This is supposed to be a strong character, but she can't stay alive for the twins that she just gave birth to?
Enough complaining about the prequels in and back to the point. This is the classic of opposites attract but there is more to it than that. These two are both strong and smart with goals that don't always match up and enough problems for any ten couples but they have the Ewoks to help so you know things will work out.

George Takei: Star Trek Traitor

If you don't watch the Clone Wars they you may not have heard that George Takei has betrayed Star Trek and taken a voice acting job with Star Wars. As all true fans know it is impossible to like both shows. The good news is that no other actor has sold his soul and moved between the two shows as Mr. Takei has. He makes a weak attempt to defend his actions here, but in the end he only insults Star Trek, saying that they isolated him from the other actors during the Star Trek cartoon series while the Clone Wars allows him to work with the other actors directly. I can only hope that as Lok Durd he can eliminate that pesky girl Jedi in the tube top once and for alll and redeem himself at least a little.

5 Science Fiction Movies that are Better than the Superbowl

5. Battlefield Earth
John Travolta's masterpiece, the effects, the acting, the story, the scene transitions, they are all beyond description.



4. Howard the Duck
If you thought that Star Wars was George Lucas' best work then you will be blown away by this movie .



3. Plan 9 from Outer Space
What is there to say about Plan 9 from Outer Space. The alien plot in this movie is far superior to the silly idea in most science fiction movies.


2. Robot Monster
This is the greatest villain in cinema history. Forget Darth Vader, forget Khan, forget the Joker. They have nothing on Robot Monster. Just the name itself strikes fear in the heart of men.



1. Solar Babies

The music, the dialog, the acting, the special effects, there is just no doubt. Solar Babies is a nearly perfect movie. Just watch this video and marvel at it. When quality like this is available why would anyone waist their time watching the Superbowl?

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Trespass

Is it really regular practice for thirteen year old girls to be in the Republic? Could this be the reason that Emperor was able to gain power so easily? It's not that the young girl in this episode did a bad job, but many of the problems came because she is not strong enough to stand up against the leader of the armies.
I understood the need of writing in one young girl because we needed someone who Anakin could fall in love with, and she had to be strong or it just would not be believable as a match for him, but why not have the senator in this episode of the Clone Wars be an adult?

Fanboys

The subtitle, Never Tell them the Odds seems apt for this movie. I heard about this the first years ago and have heard more than one release date, but with the new release date just over a week from now I have some hope that it might actual get released.
Generally when movies take this long I begin to assume that they won't be good, but i am willing to make an exception for Fanboys.
I don't know all of the reasons that this has been delayed but the story just sounds good. This is the story of a group of Star Wars fans who break onto Skywalker ranch to watch Star Wars episode 1 before it was released.
This is a movie made by real fans and Lucas and the Star Wars juggernaut were evidential willing to allow Fanboys to make their movie and it is finally being released.