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Comment RSSStar Wars 3D Re-Releases Get Force Choked
28.01.13 # News # 2 Comments
Lucasfilm has postponed 3D versions Episode II and III – which were due out this Autumn – to focus on “rebooting the franchise”
It may not be the biggest Star Wars news we’ve heard in recent days, but the studio’s latest announcement shows that it’s being smart about moving the franchise forward – and finally owning up to its failures.
Lucasfilm had previously announced that all six films in the Star Wars franchise would get a 3D makeover, but following the underwhelming box office performance of the stereoscopic release of Episode I: The Phantom Menace, will keep its sights firmly on the new films.
And frankly, we’re glad. For J.J. Abrams’s Episode VII to work, it’s going to need a fresh feel that also fits into the existing universe – much like he did with Star Trek in 2009. And in order for that to happen, it’s probably wise to leave the previous films alone, and not get bogged down in too much “franchising”.
And besides, for better or worse, there’s a good chance the upcoming movies will all be in 3D anyway. So you’ll no doubt be getting your stereoscopic share of eye-popping space chases and in-your-face phallic imagery (didn’t you know?). And as for the 3D naysayers – this is a little bit of damage control, right?
I think it’s a shame, there are plenty of parents who want to take their kids to see Star Wars for the first time on the big screen. I don’t think it does any harm to 3D re-release the prequels two years before the new ones come out. The second and third prequels have their faults but I really enjoyed them. I expect quite a few people would skip the Phantom Menace, so the performance of the ones after it would have improved.
I also want to throw in that Ian McDiarmid is brilliant in the prequels, scenes like this are amongst the best in the whole Star Wars series:
Ian McDiarmid is probably one of the few saving graces of Episode I and II (I think that III, on the whole, is a much better movie) However the 3D conversion of Phantom Menace just didn’t add anything. In fact, revisiting Episode 1 (even in 3D) only made the problems I found first time round stand out a lot more. Considering my hatred for Ep II, I wouldn’t dare give it a retrospective.
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