Can "Star Wars" Strike Back?
by Scott Mantz

Lo, and behold! Hell hath no fury like a "Star Wars" fan scorned!

At least, that's what I found out when I posted my less-than-flattering review of "Star Wars: Episode II--Attack of the Clones," the latest chapter in George Lucas' multi-billion dollar sci-fi franchise. Now, I've gotten some negative feedback before, but not like this. Some die-hard fans were furious that I had the gall to criticize the seemingly infallible Jedi Master himself, while others felt that I simply had no right to review the film in the first place.

Well, let's get something straight. I'm a huge "Star Wars" fan. I didn't watch each of the movies in the original trilogy more than 100 times for nothing (which probably explains why I'm still single). It's just that after being captivated by the epic stories, colorful characters, imaginative action sequences, and sharp dialogue, I know what made those films so great, and I know what's missing from the inferior prequels.

In addition, just because I'm a "Star Wars" fan, that doesn't mean that I have to like everything about it. For instance, I'm also a Paul McCartney fan, but I'll be the first to admit that his last album didn't do anything for me.

Neither did the first two "Star Wars" prequels. Though box office returns would suggest otherwise, I still consider "The Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones" to be major disappointments. That said, I'm still trusting my feelings that George Lucas has it in him to re-capture the timeless, majestic appeal of the original trilogy. Here's how...

A long time ago (in 1977) Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford took moviegoers to a galaxy far, far away in the original "Star Wars"

1) Keep it simple! "The Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones" were plagued by too much galactic mumbo-jumbo about taxation, the stuffy Trade Federation, and some convoluted separatist movement. Ok, maybe I'm daft, but what did this have to do with the timeless battle between good and evil and the mystical power of the Force? At least the original trilogy kept things simple and vibrant by telling us just two things we needed to know: the Empire was bad, and the Rebellion was good. That left plenty of room to focus on the actual heart of the story, which was about "a boy, a girl, and a galaxy."

(left) "Who are you callin' a Muppet?" Yoda makes an impression in "The Empire Strikes Back." (right) Computer de-generated in "Attack of the Clones"

2) Less is more! Just because Lucas can fill the screen with eye-popping special effects, that doesn't mean that he has to. Talk about CGI overkill, the last two films were congested with so many computer-generated visuals, it was hard to know what to look at first. And to be quite honest, it didn't look all that great to begin with. I'll take the sharp, detailed models in the original trilogy over the fuzzy CGI effects in the prequels any day. And for the record, Yoda looked much better as a puppet in "The Empire Strikes Back" than he did as a computer-generated character in "Attack of the Clones."

"So, you wanna fool around?" Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman stumble through an awkward phase in "Attack of the Clones"

3) The script's the thing! In the early 80's documentary "From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga," Lucas remarked that a special effect is just a tool, and a special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing. Well, amen to that! With the last two prequels, Lucas was way too focused on special effects when he should have been focused on telling a good story, and the result was a weak script with some terrible dialogue. Perhaps Lucas should have delegated the writing responsibilities to a more accomplished screenwriter (like "Empire's" Lawrence Kasdan) so that he could focus on what he does best--producing the movie.

"And...action!" Irvin Kershner calls the shots on "The Empire Strikes Back"

4) Bring back Irvin Kershner! Or at least, bring in another director who can keep the material fresh and invigorating. The last two films felt like they were merely treading water to introduce the events in the original trilogy, while many of the key action sequences were totally derivative of other movies. If nothing else, the older films were filled to the rim with inspiration and magic. In fact, thanks to director Kershner, "The Empire Strikes Back" is widely hailed as the best "Star Wars" film because it was so dark, mature, exciting, and inventive. Sure, things fell apart in "Return of the Jedi" with the introduction of those kid-friendly little Ewoks, but director Richard Marquand still turned in an amazing film in its own right.

"How does this thing work again?" George Lucas steps behind the camera for "Attack of the Clones"

5) Stay Hungry! Even though Lucas already had "American Graffiti" under his belt when he started working on the first "Star Wars" movie back in the mid '70's, he still had a lot to prove. Maybe hanging out with maverick New Hollywood visionaries like Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, and Martin Scorsese rubbed off on him, but when he retreated to his palatial Northern California estate to oversee his booming business empire, he took himself out of the creative loop. When he got back behind the camera for the first time in more than 20 years for "The Phantom Menace," he seemed more out of touch than ever with how to direct a movie.

Opposites attack! Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford light up the screen in "The Empire Strikes Back"

6) Have fun! Everybody needs to lighten up--especially the actors, who gave some of the stiffest performances in motion picture history. I mean, these are "Star Wars" movies, for chrissakes! Where's the heart? Where's the humor? Where's the fun? Where's the passion?

Now, I don't expect Lucas to take my advice. After all, he's repeatedly gone on the record as saying that he makes movies for himself, and that he doesn't really care what the fans think (actually, if that's the case, then how do you explain the limited screen time of the annoying Jar Jar Binks in "Attack of the Clones?").

And ultimately, it doesn't matter what I think either. I just know why I loved the original trilogy so much, and I know why I continually go back to watch those movies over and over again. Maybe the third time's the charm, but I remain hopeful that "Star Wars: Episode III" will finally take me back to that magical, fun, and exciting galaxy so far, far away.

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