Tag Movies

George Lucas on Star Wars: Who Shot First?

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

***Think what you will about George Lucas, but in terms of Star Wars, it can all be traced back to him. That’s why I always find it so interesting to listen to him talk about it. His creative process, the reason certain decisions were made, and how these movies became the pop cultural staples they are. This space is dedicated to just that. This is “George Lucas on Star Wars.”***

***New around here? Check out Primary Ignition‘s “George Lucas on Star Wars” archive!***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Han Solo, Greedo, Star Wars A New Hope

The Scene: The bounty hunter Greedo confronts Han Solo over money he owes Jabba the Hutt. The two sit at a table.

In the original version of the film, Han shoots Greedo dead under the table.

In all versions following the 1997 Special Edition release, Greedo shoots at Han first and misses, prompting Han to fire back and kill him.

George Lucas Says: “It was always meant that Greedo fired first, and in the [original release] you don’t get that too well. And then there was a discussion about, “Well it’s good that it’s left amorphous and everything.” … In terms of Han’s character and everything, I didn’t like the fact that when he was introduced the first thing he did is just gun somebody down in cold blood. That wasn’t what was meant to be there.”

I Say: Like a lot of (Dare I say most?) Star Wars fans, I’m a “Han shot first” guy, and call BS on the idea that Greedo shot and missed at point blank range. If Greedo was supposed to fire his gun first, then why have the two of them sitting at a table? The notion that Greedo, or anybody, could miss a shot like that is laughable.

What’s more, I’d argue Han gunning someone down in cold blood fits perfectly with what George describes as his character arc. He’s talked at length over the years about how Han Solo starts out very selfish, cold, and out for himself. But through his relationship with Luke and Leia, he gradually starts to become compassionate and care about others. As this is Han at the beginning of that arc, it’s more than fitting for him to kill Greedo to save his own skin.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

George Lucas on Star Wars: Not Always a Brave Wookiee

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

***Think what you will about George Lucas, but in terms of Star Wars, it can all be traced back to him. That’s why I always find it so interesting to listen to him talk about it. His creative process, the reason certain decisions were made, and how these movies became the pop cultural staples they are. This space is dedicated to just that. This is “George Lucas on Star Wars.”***

***New around here? Check out Primary Ignition‘s “George Lucas on Star Wars” archive!***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

The Scene: As our heroes are trapped inside the trash compactor aboard the Death Star, Chewbacca desperately bangs on a nearby door attempting to get out.

George Lucas Says (via the A New Hope commentary track): “[One of the things I like] about this scene is that Chewie panics. He doesn’t like it here. We didn’t get a chance really for Chewie to express himself very much in the movie in terms of his emotional feelings. He usually goes along with the program. But this is the one place where he doesn’t go along with the program. He just doesn’t like it. He wants to get out. He’s not always a brave wookiee, and I like that in him.”

I Say: Chewie’s emotional side, which is a bit child-like at times, is one of his more endearing qualities. His frustration at losing the chess game to Artoo, his outbursts as Han is about to be frozen in Empire, his joy at seeing Han again in Jedi, etc. These are little moments, but they really shade him in from a character perspective and make him more three-dimensional.

So you know what, George? I like it too.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

George Lucas on Star Wars: Running Out of Environments

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***Think what you will about George Lucas, but in terms of Star Wars, it can all be traced back to him. That’s why I always find it so interesting to listen to him talk about it. His creative process, the reason certain decisions were made, and how these movies became the pop cultural staples they are. This space is dedicated to just that. This is “George Lucas on Star Wars.”***

***New around here? Check out Primary Ignition‘s “George Lucas on Star Wars” archive!***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Endor forest, Star Wars Return of the Jedi

The Scene: Luke, Leia, Han, and the Rebel Alliance arrive on the forest moon of Endor to disable the shield generator protecting the Death Star.

George Lucas Says: “The thing about Endor is I wanted an environment that was different from the other environments [in the previous movies]. But it needed to be a jungly kind of place with a lot of growth and green, which is the color of life. I wanted to give it a different look than Dagobah, which in essence had the same qualities of a swamp. Again, a cradle of life environment. Lots of life there. But I was beginning to run out of environments. Something that was unique. The only thing I could come up with was really giant sequoias, where the trees would be so big that it would give it a different look than what we’d seen before. The reason I was able to move on and do the [prequels] was because I was able to create digital environments. By the time we got down here to Return of the Jedi I had pretty much shot everything on Earth. *laughs*”

I Say: The whole “running out of environments” problem is something that’s very much evident in modern Star Wars stories. After awhile, all the different desert plants and jungle planets and snow planets start to blend together. Creators are having to work, or at least they should be working, hard to make settings that are as distinct and memorable as Tatooine, Hoth, and Endor are in the original trilogy.

This is one of the reasons I was so enamored with the planet Crait in The Last Jedi. The idea of the planet being one giant salt flat with red soil underneath is very creative, distinct, and memorable. It’s very Star Wars.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Toy Chest Theater: Logan by Cap Wolf Photos

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By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

There’s a black and white cut of Logan, right? It’s on the Blu-Ray, isn’t it?

Either way, this shot from Cap Wolf Photos delightfully captures the spirit of James Mangold’s film, and Hugh Jackman’s final performance as the character. Is Logan talked about as one of the better comic book movies of the last decade? If not, it should be…

Logan, Wolverine, Cap Wolf Photos

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

George Lucas on Star Wars: Jar Jar Binks and the Fans

Rob Siebert 2 Comments

***Think what you will about George Lucas, but in terms of Star Wars, it can all be traced back to him. That’s why I always find it so interesting to listen to him talk about it. His creative process, the reason certain decisions were made, and how these movies became the pop cultural staples they are. This space is dedicated to just that. This is “George Lucas on Star Wars.”***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

The Scene: Jar Jar Binks, the Star Wars saga’s most comedic character, is introduced in The Phantom Menace. A large portion of the audience rejects him.

George Lucas Says: “There is a group of fans from the films that don’t like comic sidekicks. They want the films to be tough, and like Terminator … They get very, very upset and very opinionated about anything that has anything to do with being childlike. Which, the movies are for children. But they don’t want to admit that. … They don’t want comedy in these movies. And in the first film they absolutely hated Artoo and Threepio. Now Jar Jar is getting accused of the same thing.”

I Say: George does have a valid point here. A portion of the fanbase, which I think mostly consists of adult males, loves the aspects of Star Wars that are dark, tough, gritty, action-oriented, etc. I think Rogue One was largely made for that side of the fanbase. (Which might be why I dislike it so much…) But the truth is, comedy has been part of Star Wars from the get-go. Look at Artoo and Threepio in the opening minutes of A New Hope. That’s all the evidence you need, right there.

All that being said, George is making an excuse here. He clearly overplayed his hand with Jar Jar. Not only did he lean too far into comedy, he largely leaned into bad comedy. And that’s coming from someone who doesn’t despite Jar Jar the way some people do…

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

George Lucas on Star Wars: Han Solo, the Cynical Foil

Rob Siebert 2 Comments

***Think what you will about George Lucas, but in terms of Star Wars, it can all be traced back to him. That’s why I always find it so interesting to listen to him talk about it. His creative process, the reason certain decisions were made, and how these movies became the pop cultural staples they are. This space is dedicated to just that. This is “George Lucas on Star Wars.”***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Han Solo, Mos Eisley Cantina, Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope

The Scene: Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi meet Han Solo, a smuggler they hope will take them to Alderaan.

George Lucas Says (via the A New Hope commentary track): “Han Solo is the foil to the idealistic Luke. He’s the cynical mercenary and Luke is the idealist, the dreamer, the one who is trying to do things to make it a better world. Han Solo is somebody who’s been beaten down by the world and really only cares about himself. Luke symbolizes the compassionate hero. … And obviously in the course of the movie, Han Solo’s character arc is that he goes from being a self-centered, selfish, cynical character to a caring, compassionate, try-to-make-this-a-better-place type character. It’s a fun part. It’s a fun character. Good stories usually involve two people who are the opposite of each other, and that’s a principle aspect of the story is how those characters beat up against each other.”

I Say: Is Han Solo the best cynical foil in movie history? If not, he’s got to be in the top two or three. He’s definitely the most iconic. And it is a fun part. So much fun, in fact, that the series almost feels like it’s missing a key ingredient without the character.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

George Lucas on Star Wars: The Kurosawa Influence

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

***Think what you will about George Lucas, but in terms of Star Wars, it can all be traced back to him. That’s why I always find it so interesting to listen to him talk about it. His creative process, the reason certain decisions were made, and how these movies became the pop cultural staples they are. This space is dedicated to just that. This is “George Lucas on Star Wars.”***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

C-3PO, R2-D2, Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope

The Scene: The original Star Wars film opens from the point of view of two droids, C-3PO and R2-D2.

George Lucas Says (via the A New Hope commentary track): “…we follow the two most insignificant characters, which are the droids. This was an idea I was enamored with that was used by Akira Kurosawa in The Hidden Fortress. Where you take the least important characters and you follow their story amongst this big intergalactic drama that they don’t understand.”

I Say: The influence of Akira Kurosawa’s work on Lucas and Star Wars has been widely documented. In George Lucas: A Life, Brian Daley notes that such influence included the “used, repaired, then used again” look of Kurosawa’s films, along with the practice of dropping audiences in the middle of a grand setting without the benefit of backstory, were also among the more notable elements Lucas borrowed for the original film.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Intro to Tarzan

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By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

At one and a half years old, Baby Primary Ignition doesn’t see a great deal of TV. But she has been exposed very selectively. We have a Disney+ subscription at the PI household. She loves the Frozen movies, Finding Nemo and Finding Dory, and as we very recently found out, Tarzan.

Released in 1999, Tarzan came down the pipe a little late for Mrs. Primary Ignition and I. But she recently turned it on for Baby, and was amazed at how responsive she was to the opening sequence. So much that she showed it to us this morning.

The sequence that’s pretty dramatic even by Disney standards. Baby Tarzan loses his parents to a leopard attack, and we see blood next to their shrouded corpses. This is after said leopard kills a baby gorilla. So of course, the gorilla’s mom adopts baby Tarzan, and we’ve got ourselves a movie.

As she gets old, Baby has started to point to things and say, “What’s that?” (In her own special toddler language, of course.) She was quite responsive during the movie’s opening, as Tarzan and his parents escape a fiery blaze. She also responded to the gorillas. Animals of all sorts are big with her. She’s started to point to different ones and say “Cow,” “Sheep,” etc. She also calls fish “elmo,” which we think is supposed to be Nemo.

But what really surprised us was her reaction to the bloodthirsty leopard. When the tiger leapt out and attacked, she actually called out “No!” She wasn’t afraid for herself, but the characters on screen.

It’s both scary and exciting to think that she’s becoming more aware and responsive to the world around her. That can only mean being a parent is about to become harder, and we’ve got to make more small decisions about what content is and isn’t appropriate for her. My days of watching John Oliver while she plays nearby may nearly be over.

Then again, we just showed her a movie where a ferocious leopard kills two humans and a baby gorilla. So maybe the child psyche is more durable than we give it credit for.

Incidentally, that Phil Collins soundtrack? Highly underrated.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Finding Nemo: A Horror Film

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Finding Nemo is a great movie. But it should really come with a parental warning. Not for the kids, but for the adults.

Before you’re a parent, Finding Nemo is a fun, heart-felt family movie. But as a father with introvert tendencies, Finding Nemo becomes a kind of horror movie.

Think about it: The kid gets abducted before the dad’s eyes by masked Australians dressed in black, and the only way to save him is to travel across the planet with some loud, ditsy broad who won’t stop singing and talking about whales. And apparently somebody slipped you a hallucinogen because everybody looks like a fish.

Honestly, it’s a degree or two away from being a Taken movie.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Rob Watches Star Trek: So Much to Do, So Little Time

Rob Siebert 2 Comments

TITLE: Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
STARRING: William Shatner, Christopher Lloyd, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei
DIRECTOR: Leonard Nimoy
WRITER: Harve Bennett
STUDIOS: Paramount Pictures
RATED: PG
RUN-TIME: 105 min
RELEASED: June 1, 1984

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I’m in awe that Leonard Nimoy directed not only this movie, but the next one as well. Can you imagine that kind of thing happening today? Say they put Mark Hamill in the director’s chair for a Star Wars movie. Or Tobey Maguire in charge of a Spider-Man flick. They’d be hounded by toxic fans to the point of never wanting to touch the franchise ever again.

Fresh off the events of Star Trek II, Star Trek III brings us the revelation that Spock’s “living spirit” is in limbo, and has found a home in the mind of Bones. Thus, Kirk and the crew set out for Genesis to reunite Spock’s spirit with his body. But they do so against the will of the Federation, and must steal the now decommissioned Enterprise. All the while, the Genesis project has caught the attention of the Klingons, who want its power as their own.

A lot happens in Star Trek III. Like, a lot. Even when you set aside the fact that they’re trying to friggin’ resurrect the dead. Kirk’s son dies. The Enterprise blows up. We have all these big emotional moments between characters as they risk their lives and careers to save Spock. On paper, this movie is just as epic and impactful as The Wrath of Khan. If not more so.

So why is it strictly okay? Why doesn’t it hold up as a successor to The Wrath of Khan?

For my money, it’s the old “10 pounds of stuff in a five pound bag” metaphor. There’s so much going on that these big moments don’t necessarily have the impact they need and deserve. Chief among them is what happens to Kirk’s son David, who we met in The Wrath of Khan. The villain kills him off during the second half of the movie. Naturally, Kirk is grief-stricken. The Search For Spock does it’s best to give it proper weight. But in trying to wrap up all the film’s plot threads, there isn’t enough time. Yes, Kirk is distraught about his son. But this is the death of his child. He should be absolutely destroyed to the point that he needs the entire movie to bring himself to suit back up.

Furthermore, Star Trek III robs the premise of Kirk having a long-lost son of any story potential it may have had. How do father and son adjust to this new connection? What role do they play in each other’s lives? Does David become a liability for Kirk in the field? Granted, David wasn’t the most compelling character in the world. But Star Trek III removes the opportunity to make him compelling.

David’s death might have been more impactful had it come at the hands of a more interesting villain. Kruge, the lead Klingon, comes off as a hollow mustache-twirler. Yes, Christopher Lloyd is fun. But he’s also campy. That’s not what you want to follow The Wrath of Khan with.

Still, the movie isn’t without its fun elements. I love that Spock’s living spirit ended up with Bones. If anything, that should have been explored more. Actually, in hindsight, that should have been an episode of the series. It’s a fantastic way to not only contrast Spock and Bones, but give them insight into one another.

Star Trek III also continues something started in Star Trek II that I find very important: It emphasizes that these people are friends. Not just Kirk, Spock, and Bones, but the entire crew. That’s why they’re willing to risk their careers to steal the Enterprise and go after Spock.

I wish they could have had more fun with the stealing of the Enterprise. Sort of like a mini heist movie within the movie. Have Kirk, Spock, and Chekov do the grunt work while Scotty and Uhura work remotely. A Star Trek heist movie could have been fun, and a good way to make this story a very different animal from The Wrath of Khan.

But alas, Star Trek III feels like a younger sibling trying to live up to an older sibling’s achievements. It pales in comparison, of course. In hindsight, I wish Nimoy had been given a better script for his directorial debut. Thankfully he’d get another chance with Star Trek IV…

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.