[Chefelf]

Lucas promises a darker 'Star Wars'
Last Updated Fri, 11 Mar 2005 14:39:35 EST
CBC Arts

...

In an interview to be broadcast on 60 Minutes on Sunday, Lucas says the tone of the film is more downbeat than its five predecessors.

"I don't think I would take a five- or six-year-old to this," he says.

"My feeling is that it will probably be a PG-13, so it will be the first Star Wars that's a PG-13."

A PG-13 rating in the U.S. would mean parents are strongly cautioned that the film contains scenes that are too disturbing for viewers under 13 years of age.

The film's climax is reportedly a lightsaber duel between Anakin (Canada's Hayden Christensen) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) on a volcano planet.

"We're going to watch [Anakin] make a pact with the devil," Lucas tells correspondent Leslie Stahl in the upcoming interview.

"The film is much more dark ... more emotional. It's much more of a tragedy."

...

However, according to the biography Skywalking, Lucas actually added one disturbing image — a brief glimpse of two blackened and smoking corpses — to the original Star Wars film because he didn't want it dismissed as a children's movie.

The shot pushed the film away from a G rating and into PG territory.

http://www.cbc.ca/st...ucas050311.html

I'm not sure how seriously I take all this "darkness" talk since AOTC was supposed to be dark and it seemed to me to be more of a fluorescent orange.

However, if this is true, is it wise to all of a sudden create a film with a PG-13 when the remaning five films are PG? What about all the kids who want to see this? Isn't that unfair to them since their parents may be more hesitant?

[Helena]

I seriously doubt that the film will be 'dark' in any meaningful way - any scenes that are meant to be serious will almost certainly be undermined by the awful dialogue and ludicrous plot contrivances. But no, it probably won't be suitable for younger children either - which begs the question, why did Lucas seemingly go out of his way to aim the first two prequels at kids? Why not just adopt a darker tone to start with?

However, according to the biography Skywalking, Lucas actually added one disturbing image — a brief glimpse of two blackened and smoking corpses — to the original Star Wars film because he didn't want it dismissed as a children's movie.

How ironic, since 'they're just kids' movies' is one of the excuses PT fans always seem to be making on Lucas's behalf...

[Paladin]

I seriously doubt that the film will be 'dark' in any meaningful way - any scenes that are meant to be serious will almost certainly be undermined by the awful dialogue and ludicrous plot contrivances. But no, it probably won't be suitable for younger children either - which begs the question, why did Lucas seemingly go out of his way to aim the first two prequels at kids? Why not just adopt a darker tone to start with?

You can say that again. I checked out some of those quotes from the new movie and most of them sound like comic bookish and or the stuff that you'd get from Thundercats or some other kid's action cartoon...

[Lord Aquaman]

Perhaps "dark" simply means "more violence driven eye-candy". So now I ask you, does adding more violence automatically make it a darker film in the emotional/dramatic/tragic sense of the word?

[Hannibal]

this film will be as "dark" as Star Trek 4: The Whale Movie.

That's correct...about as serious as Star Trek 4, with more lava.

[DBrennan3333]

All kids movies try to say that they're "dark" to actually entice kids. It's a come-on disguised as a parental advisory. The marketing people ordered the stars and directors of the past two Harry Potter movies to make the same claim ad nauseum...."Hey kids, it's DARK!!!" It makes kids think they're getting a free pass into the adult world.

As for me, I say that any changes from the last two Star Wars movies are welcome ones, and from reading the story synopsis of ROTS I can honestly say that it actually IS dark. (The story is also so thick and so full of information, you have to wonder why the hell they even bothered with TPM and AOTC and didn't just get right to the good stuff).

Well, even Chef Elf thinks that that part where they're prepping for the fight against Darth Maul in TPM was pretty cool.

Based on the detailed synopsis that I read, as well as trailers and pics, I am convinced that ROTS cannot NOT be good. The story is inherently awesome. Old George Lucas (no relation to Young George Lucas) will really have to be in tip-top form if he wants to fuck this one up.

www.StarWarsEssay.Blogspot.com !!!

[Lord Aquaman]

All kids movies try to say that they're "dark" to actually entice kids.  It's a come-on disguised as a parental advisory.  The marketing people ordered the stars and directors of the past two Harry Potter movies to make the same claim ad nauseum...."Hey kids, it's DARK!!!"  It makes kids think they're getting a free pass into the adult world. 

As for me, I say that any changes from the last two Star Wars movies are welcome ones, and from reading the story synopsis of ROTS I can honestly say that it actually IS dark.  (The story is also so thick and so full of information, you have to wonder why the hell they even bothered with TPM and AOTC and didn't just get right to the good stuff). 

Well, even Chef Elf thinks that that part where they're prepping for the fight against Darth Maul in TPM was pretty cool.

Based on the detailed synopsis that I read, as well as trailers and pics, I am convinced that ROTS cannot NOT be good.  The story is inherently awesome.  Old George Lucas (no relation to Young George Lucas) will really have to be in tip-top form if he wants to fuck this one up. 

www.StarWarsEssay.Blogspot.com !!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good points regarding the dark hyperbole.

And don't worry I'm sure Old George Lucas will find a way to fuck up Episode III.

This post has been edited by Lord Aquaman: 12 March 2005 - 11:49 AM

[Paladin]

It makes kids think they're getting a free pass into the adult world. 

Yeah, kinda like smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol or being old enough to shave makes one 'grown up'. I realized that it wasn't entirely true, and shaving lost its 'magic' a very long time ago and I just wish that my beard wouldn't grow so fast that I'd need to shave three times a week. It's all a hassle, really.

[Garth Vader]

please people, it's target audience is the OC. this episode needs $$$$$$ and the makers need it badly.

[use the force]

Agreed dbrennan3333, Lucas has so much to work with here it would be impossible to fuck this movie up. Hopefully.

[Lord Aquaman]

Yeah, kinda like smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol or being old enough to shave makes one 'grown up'. I realized that it wasn't entirely true, and shaving lost its 'magic' a very long time ago and I just wish that my beard wouldn't grow so fast that I'd need to shave three times a week. It's all a hassle, really.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't even bother shaving. I just leave the beard in place.

[Paladin]

I don't even bother shaving. I just leave the beard in place.

Sadly, I can't let my beard grow since I look MUCH better when I'm clean shaven. Also, I intend to remain clean shaven for the rest of my life...

[barend]

if a thirteen year old can go and see it, it can't be all that dark...

[Lord Aquaman]

Do you ever get tired of having friends, people you've known for years, tell you that if you just gave the prequels a chance you would see how "good", "complex" and how much more "intense" they are than the old trilogy? I certainly do and this "dark" crap isn't helping matters. Lucas went so far as to say that Episode I was geared mainly to little kids so what was the point of that if he wasn't intending for them to see Episode III?

Sorry but I really needed to vent.

This post has been edited by Lord Aquaman: 14 March 2005 - 12:08 PM

[Hannibal]

TRUE.
TRUE.
TRUE.

Perhaps George Lucas has had some diabolical plot to get children involved in episode 1, only to terrorize them in episode 3, thus brainwashing them into his masonic-nazi conspiracy...

Entertain it for once, just for a thrill.

Something is rotten with gl, and I've known it all along.

Actaully its probably just an excuse for his bad filmmaking. His PRE-EMPTIVE disclaimer that its too dark and critics won't like it because of his dark vision, is just bullshit covering up for how bad a film it really is.