When I was a kid, the Star Wars universe, such as it was, seemed barely larger than the original trilogy of movies. To me, they felt like magic. Such great stories and unprecedented special effects that made this universe come alive. I would not have been able to word it like this back then, but it really did combine something akin to the drama of Greek mythology with some of the best action out there, as well as offering a glimpse of very futuristic technology. When I got older, it seemed to me that this was brilliant, and probably nothing short of American mythology.
Following the release of "Return of the Jedi" in May of 1983, the final installment of the original trilogy of movies, all seemed quiet on the Star Wars front. The toys were still popular for a while, but soon enough were replaced by the next big thing in toys, particularly the Transformers, GI Joe, Voltron and other things. The rest of the decade remained quiet regarding Star Wars, and then most of the nineties, as well. It began to feel like Star Wars had run it's course with those original three movies.
Then things changed. There was a buzz about new Star Wars movies on the way. Surprisingly, these were going to be prequels to the original trilogy. Also, in 1997, the original trilogy movies were each rereleased in movie theaters. Only they were altered, not precisely the same movies. Things were added, and many Star Wars fans began to understand the meaning of the notion that "less is more." Yes, the technology had improved, but somehow, some of the magic of the original movies was taken away by these new additions, or what George Lucas (almost alone in feeling this way) insisted were improvements.
After that, there was enormous anticipation for "The Phantom Menace," which was to be the first new Star Wars movie in over a decade and a half. People were going wild. It was no exaggeration to suggest that this was the most eagerly anticipated movie in a very long time. Then the move finally, finally came out, and....
Well, it was not what people expected. The reliance on CGI seemed excessive. There were some scenes which were simply too long, and felt like they dragged on. There was a surprising amount of politics, to the point where I heard one critic once suggest that these scenes had all of the excitement of a C-SPAN broadcast covering a session of Congress. The main villain, who was actually probably the coolest thing to have come from the movie, was killed off before the end of the movie. And the worst of all was one of the major character: Jar Jar Binks. Frankly, I still believe that he is, most likely, the very worst major motion picture character in history.
Fans hoped that there would be improvements with the second prequel, but again, there was widespread disappointment. Most people, including myself, believed that the third installment, "Revenge of the Sith," would surely be the best of the prequel movies. So excited was I about it, that I read the book version before the movie ever came out. It was an excellent book, and my excitement grew! Then a friend of mine and I took in the midnight screening and....
Once again, it was not as good as I felt it should have been. Some of the best, most enticing aspects of the story in the book were taken out for the movie. It was not bad, and in fact, was far and away the best of the prequel movies. But many people felt that the prequels actually diminished the magic of Star Wars.
Fast forward ten years. Disney now had taken over the Star Wars franchise, and there were high hopes. JJ Abrams directed the newest movie, "The Force Awakens." And it was pretty good. Many felt that it restored the old Star Wars magic. To be sure, it was not exactly original. But it was a fun movie, and many grew excited for the rest of the trilogy.
Two years later, "The Last Jedi" came out. It proved to be easily the most divisive, polarizing Star Wars movie to date. Without going into details or spoilers, there were a lot of aspects of the movie which many fans were angry about. The older version of Luke Skywalker not only seemed not really heroic, but simply a cranky old man, hardly resembling the earlier versions of that characters whom we had come to expect. Director Rian Johnson had some good ideas, and I personally believe that some of his ideas were not bad at all, although one or two of them also were not particularly great. But by now, many were growing disillusioned with Star Wars.
And then came the final installment to end the Skywalker saga. This one was titled, "The Rise of Skywalker." Frankly, it was a hot mess. Somehow, the Emperor was back and stronger than ever. Critics pointed out correctly that this effectively negated the sacrifice by Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker at the end of "Return of the Jedi." It also felt to me like it lacked originality. Also, there seemed to be outright feuding between Rian Johnson and JJ Abrams, who directed this movie as well, which were enough for a surprised chuckle when first seen in the movie theaters, but which frankly did not belong in the movie. The movie tries to fit in way too much in too short of a time. It was the longest Star Wars movie to date, and yet somehow, it felt both too long and not long enough. Most people did not like it. Unfortunately, that includes me. It felt like it landed flat, and that it was an unfortunate and uninspired end to what should have been an immortal trilogy of historic movies.
It should be noted that there are two other Star Wars movies which were released, "Rogue One" was the first, and received considerable praise, understandably. Then came "Solo," which was not awful, but also was not extremely exciting, either. By Star Wars standards, it tanked in the theaters.
However, there was one interesting thing, or trend, that altered the "Star Wars universe." There were new series of shows which extended the universe, giving them new perspectives. The main three were "The Mandalorian," "The Book of Boba Fett," and "Kenobi." I have seen each episode (at least to date) for all three, and enjoyed them. Many felt that the magic of Star Wars now had been captured by these shows, rather than the movies, which regularly disappointed fans.
Not everyone is a believer, however. Liam Neeson, who of course played Qui-Gon Jinn in "The Phantom Menace," feels that there are already too many of these spinoffs, and that they are actually detracting from the old Star Wars magic. Frankly, while I do not believe that it has reached the point yet, I do believe that Neeson has a point. Star Wars is dangerously close to having too much of a good thing. For example, while I enjoyed "The Book of Boba Fett," it was easily the least intriguing and enjoyable of the three series that I saw. And with new ideas and possibilities for yet still more shows, it feels like Disney will soon overdo all of the Star Wars associated stuff.
The problem is that not everybody agrees with this. There are some diehard fans who cannot get enough Star Wars. They watch and then discuss every aspect of every episode for every series and movie, and perhaps books or comics or video games or whatever else, as well. Admittedly, I never read too many Star Wars books or comics, and do not remember ever having played a Star Wars video game before. Nor did I see "The Clone Wars," although it is loosely on my bucket list of things to watch.
I agree with Neeson. Surely, not everybody would agree.
What do you guys think? Agree, disagree? Why or why not? Please feel free to share your opinions here, by all means!
Liam Neeson Blasts “So Many” Star Wars Spinoffs: “It’s Taken Away the Mystery and the Magic” by Eddie Fu, February 17, 2023:
Disney's expansion strategy is "diluting" the franchise, according to Neeson
https://consequence.net/2023/02/liam-neeson-star-wars-spinoffs/?fbclid=IwAR3N3sJVtmqdqIm78LyKe8buEm2SZ3BBwIXf4CLzIUEOh-Ozlth9eiWxLEY
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