It Takes a Village to Raise a Darth
In addition to providing a complex, multilayered story of political intrigue worthy of Shakespeare-or at least Syriana-what George Lucas did with the Star Wars prequels was to transform the focus of the franchise from the quest for truth undertaken by Luke Skywalker into the
tragic rise and fall and redemption of Anakin Skywalker. The great irony is that while the collective consciousness of millions of filmgoers around the world was shaped and formed by the original trilogy, audiences for the most part rejected the Star Wars prequels in exchange first for the original Matrix (before the sequels utterly destroyed its legacy) and then for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The irony lies in the fact that while we are living in perhaps the most ambiguous and complex period in human history, moviegoers eschewed a complex and ambiguous movie series in favor of not one, but two incredibly simplistic morality tales.
It is not surprising that movie fans prefer Lord of the Rings and the original Star Wars trilogy. In a world in which we are daily promised peace through war, protection of rights through the violation of our rights, and draft dodgers strutting around like war heroes, the easy black and white answers afforded by LOTR is comforting. But, after all, Lord of the Rings is, like the original Star Wars trilogy, a quest movie and by definition a quest movie must be composed of polar opposites: white versus black, good versus evil, even small versus tall. There's simply no room for suggesting that just perhaps there may be such a thing as a propensity to commit evil acts by a hobbit or an orc who enjoys flowers and poetry.
It is not surprising that movie fans prefer Lord of the Rings and the original Star Wars trilogy. In a world in which we are daily promised peace through war, protection of rights through the violation of our rights, and draft dodgers strutting around like war heroes, the easy black and white answers afforded by LOTR is comforting. But, after all, Lord of the Rings is, like the original Star Wars trilogy, a quest movie and by definition a quest movie must be composed of polar opposites: white versus black, good versus evil, even small versus tall. There's simply no room for suggesting that just perhaps there may be such a thing as a propensity to commit evil acts by a hobbit or an orc who enjoys flowers and poetry.
Related information
- In a world in which we are daily promised peace through war, protection of rights through the violation of our rights, and draft dodgers strutting around like war heroes, the easy black and white answers afforded by LOTR is comforting.
- Padme should have told Anakin right from the start to choose either her or being a Jedi.
- The Jedi Council shares blame because they contributed to the fear and distrust they already sensed in Anakin.
Most Comments Today
- Death at Disney World in Orlando, Florida Monorails collide one driver has died at the Disney World Theme Park in Orlan... 29 Comments
- A Little Good News Today Here is...a little good news today. 25 Comments
- Why Would a Web Writer Drop DayLife.Com? Before I share my story with you, dear readers, I want to point out that Dayl... 24 Comments
- Give a Damn Another new song, this one describes the feelings of us who save the world ev... 17 Comments
- Hair and Make-Up Tips from Nancy Looking good is as easy. Looking stunningly beautiful is an art. 16 Comments
- Bachelorette 5 Spoiler: Wes Hayden Spills the Beans About... This week July 6, 2009 episode 8 of the Bachelorette Jillian will finally d... 16 Comments









Joanna Lopez
Posted on 02/28/2007 at 3:02:00 PM
Lori Leidig
Posted on 02/08/2007 at 12:02:00 AM
Rosa Hayes
Posted on 02/07/2007 at 11:02:00 AM