The Latest Round of Star Wars Whining, Or: Get A Life

Groggy's always been wary of writing about Star Wars. One, I'm profoundly indifferent to the movies themselves. I rewatched Episode IV a year ago and found it middling at best. It certainly didn't inspire me to review it, let alone revisit the other five movies. Two, I fear (perhaps irrationally) a wave of its obsessive, constantly-kvetching fans descending upon my blog with complaints about childhood rape and Jar Jar Binks. That crowd I could do without.

Nonetheless, I feel compelled to offer brief comment on the latest news - namely, that George Lucas sold Lucasfilms to Disney. And now Disney is putting Episode VII on the fast track to production.

Two general observations:

1. Lucas stated that he'd make a sequel trilogy way back in the '80s. He's waffled on the issue since then but it's not a cynical cash grab any more than anything else Star Wars related.

2. George Lucas has done a remarkable amount, through CGI re-edits and vapid prequels, to ruin his own creation without Disney's help.

These would seem self-evident to me, yet look around the internet and you'll find no end of bitching about this decision. It puzzles me that the same people who have spent the past 15 years complaining about George Lucas ruining the movies are now complaining that someone else is doing them.

Perhaps they feel Star Wars should be left alone? Possibly. Yet you know this lot will be lined up ten days in advance outside the theater, will buy 100 Burger King collectors cups and 55 pairs of Ewok boxer shorts, plus the cheapo X-Box cash-in video games, plus the eighty-three ensuing special editions of the Blu-Ray with deleted scenes of Jar-Jar's tickle fight with Watto and Chewbacca dumping on Han's shoes. These people are either mountainous hypocrites or monumental in their self-hatred. Or else they just like to bitch.

Have a good weekend everyone.