[OT] More George Lucas bashing.

[Noble713]

Barnacle Bill said:

Gotta disagree. The very first wrong turn was the Imperial Walkers - the importation of Battletech nonsense where it didn't belong. The big trick to armored warfare is low silhouette, and even in the original Luke's speeder demonstrated a suspention that would be great for a tank (a la "Hammer's Slammers"). All else (armor, weapons, training) being equal, a force of grav tanks taking advantage of terrain is going to wipe out a force of walker tanks sticking up like trees. It's painfully obvious that they did it because Battletech was popular with the comic book crowd about then. However, the point of Battletech was not futuristic armored warfare, but rather translating the medieval Samurai system hi-tech (i.e. not a tank with a crew, but a suit of armor for a noble warrior). That might have fit the Jedi thing, but as portrayed (Stormtrooper battle taxis) it was completely out of place.

Where are you getting your information from? Empire Strikes Back hit theaters in 1980. Battletech was released in 1984. So how could ESB incorporate ideas from something that didn't exist at the time?

The original concept for the Imperial vehicles was a gigantic wheeled APC. You may have recognized them, as they were reused in Ep3 (the HAVw A6 "Turbo Tank" Juggernaught on Kashyyyk). According to Wookiepedia , Lucas got the idea for the AT-AT from War of the Worlds, although their actual movements were modelled after elephants (as already mentioned).

Reading your other arguments, it seems you were looking for a standard, completely cliche plotline. I can't stand movies/books like that, and hopefully I'm not the only one. It's so boring constantly seeing the "good guy" get the girl, the "evil empire" destroyed, and everyone living happily ever after. How about something at least slightly original for a change? Something *not* churned out by 99% of Hollywood?

Films where:
1) the protagonist, or the protagonist's love interest, dies at the *end* of the film, ending everything on a depressing note. (All Quiet on the Western Front, Stalingrad)
2) the good guy experiences something that turns him into a murderous bastard as bad or worse than the "bad guys" (V for Vendetta)
3) There are no good guys, only different shades of bad (Payback, Pitch Black/Chronicles of Riddick).

Or other situations that actually bear some resemblance to actual human experiences, instead of overblown and idealized characters and outcomes.

All of the above is why I really enjoyed Episode III, despite it's numerous failings. It's probably #2 or #3 on my "Fav Star Wars movie" list, with Empire Strikes Back @ #1 for similar reasons. The arrogance of the Jedi comes home to roost in a big way, the protagonist loses his love interest (largely through his own stupidity, can't blame the "evil empire" for that one), his value system is turned upside-down causing him to commit all manner of atrocities, and the cunning, manipulative, power-hungry bastard pulling his strings ascends to the throne (a just reward for being a cunning, manipulative, power-hungry bastard....and a pretty good fighter to boot).