Filmsane

You know this man I presume. The 2020 Presidential candidate. Yeah. That Kanye West. Well, he was a guest at Joe Rogan’s podcast recently and among the many weird things he mentioned, he briefly talked about Star Wars.

More specifically about the prequel/last trilogy debate which has been ongoing for quite some time. Personally, I love the original trilogy the most, but I must agree with Kanye on this.

“And this is about to make me mad, right here,” West said on the podcast. “The first time you’ve seen me get mad in an interview. They said George Lucas’ prequels were worse than the corporate-made Disney Star Wars. Like Revenge Of The Sith? We saw how Darth Vader was made! Like I watched that 10 times during COVID. ‘Don’t jump Anakin, I’ve got the high ground!’“I’m saying the prequels are better than anything…and I’m sorry Disney/Star Wars design team…no man, this is George. This is his baby. That thing was set in his heart to show us as children to show us The Hero’s Journey.”

The moment that George Lucas ended his involvement in the Star Wars cinematic universe, it’s the moment that Star Wars movies went downhill. In every possible way. Artistically, critically, in terms of fan engagement and terms of a lasting legacy. Yes, Star Wars is his baby and he shouldn’t have given it away to Kathleen Kennedy. The prequel trilogy (although severely lacking in so many areas), had a cohesive thread. It had a message. It had a purpose and some gravitas to the whole mythos.

I vividly remember standing in long lines at the movie theater to watch The Phantom Menace with my friend Maria (hi Maria) and I also remember being fascinated by the characters, the story and the CGI effects. Yes, Jar Jar was not my cup of tea, but everything else was spot on. Especially the actors. I’m still a huge fan of Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman because of it.

Besides, if you remember, Lucas directed only the first movie of the original trilogy. A New Hope. Here in the prequel trilogy, he directed all of them. And flawed as it may be, the prequels were filled with fun, inspirational messages, hope and they blended with the lore of the franchise. They weren’t a vehicle for some crazy lady’s moronic agenda. I’m all for making strong female characters (I can’t believe I’m using that term but OH WELL) and I love watching them whether it’s on the silver screen or TV. But what Kathleen Kennedy (and Disney) did with the female character (and to be honest with the male characters too) in the last trilogy was abysmal. Embarrassing. Downright insulting.

The hero journey felt forced and unnatural in the last trilogy admit it. And the killing of some of our beloved characters was just a middle finger to us – the fans. Frankly, I’m always going to watch a movie prequel trilogy when it pops up on TV or something. And it’s not just a nostalgia thing. No, no matter how hard Rotten Tomatoes will try to convince me that the last trilogy is far superior in quality. It’s not, and we the fans know it. We still feel it in our rusty old bones. And in our dust-covered lightsabers that a stored somewhere in our basements. I remember how I felt for them, and that’s something that Kathleen Kennedy will never take away from me.