Half in the Bag Episode 17: The People vs. George Lucas and Star Wars Discussion

ORIGINAL UPLOAD DATE: September 16, 2011
Mike and Jay are joined by Alexandre Philippe, director of the documentary The People vs. George Lucas, to discuss all things Star Wars, including the new blu-ray alterations and what's wrong with George Lucas' brain.

[@louclarkson6098]

Watching this in 2019 gives a real pre-9/11 vibe.

[@ingurlund9657]

It does. It really shows how tyrannical things have become in just 3 or 4 years. Everything now is bullying by our rulers/disney commissars. We must like the product or we are fascista. Back in 2015 you could still freely bag anything.

[@thisismyname3928]

I'm like why the fuck haven't they mentioned The Force Awakens?! Ohhhh....

[@nategrenko4395]

I think Trump's election was a turning point after which our worldviews became more cynical and bitter. Things like Star Wars used to feel worth analyzing because we believed they had redeeming values (which seems to be the ethos behind this film). Post-2016, everything just started seeming irredeemably terrible. Of course, the Disney Trilogy also came out since this HITB, which complicated our perceptions of Star Wars, to put it mildly. However, I think there is something distinctly political about Star Wars fandom, which changed along with the world's dramatic shift in political climate. In Obama's America, Lucasfilm had a flawed franchise to deal with but Disney gave it potential. In Trump's America, Kathleen Kennedy is more evil than Sheev Palpatine and we just want our suffering to end. What am I talking about? Maybe this is all correlation with no causation, perceptions notwithstanding. Star Wars movies are definitely more fun to pontificate about than actually watch.

[@louclarkson6098]

@@nategrenko4395 TDS much? You're actually blaming star wars fan backlash on trump? He can cure cancer and people will still hate him for not curing aids.

[@TheStupidWaffle]

@@louclarkson6098 well, to go the opposite side, people are mad about the new star wars being "PC" and seeing politics in the movie where none exists. Not saying that is trumps fault, but it seems like ever since then people have had their oanties in a wad and wants to be victims. Hope that makes sense

[@bdavis24fan]

The weird thing about Luke's scream is it's the same exact scream that the Emperor makes when Vader tosses him down the shaft in 6. It's makes Luke's "scream" even more hilarious.

[@thales6790]

It rhymes, you know. Like poetry

[@craftpaint1644]

Should have substituted Nooooooo with the Wilhelm Scream.

[@guyincognito5706]

Thales haha I was just going to post this comment

[@bdavis24fan]

@@TheCodefinder you're putting more thought into the sequel trilogy than the actual writers did. 😂

[@gendras1588]

@@thales6790 it rhymes like pottery

[@mupty]

I can't wait for the sequel: "The People vs Kathleen Kennedy".

[@DrachenYT]

Disney shill above aside, it would never happen, though it'd be quite a marvel. Kennedy has done worse for Star Wars than Lucas ever had, however if any filmmaker tries to craft a film like that, they'd get lambasted by "journalist" after "journalist" for being sexist.

[@richardwheatley5979]

@@DrachenYT Did you even watch the prequels?

[@TheNthMouse]

Richard Wheatley - did you even watch "The Last Jedi"?

[@Glassandcandy]

@@TheNthMouse TLJ still works as a movie. It has issues, sure, but it has characters with arcs; whether you like those arcs or its direction is up to you. The prequels are void of any character and are sterile.

[@zimNvgcatsfan]

What Kathleen Kennedy did wasn't so much ruin Star Wars as it was drain the remaining life out of an already desiccated husk. Lucas tried in his own silly way to be a sellout and ruin the trilogy with his prequels, but at least the whole thing was quirky and the movies broken in interesting ways. The Force Awakens on the other hand was a soft reboot, basically the vanilla ice cream of Hollywood right now. The movie was fine, but it lacked that spark that the original movies had. It wasn't being made by someone with a vision, but by a company that wanted to make a profit. Miss KK has turned the franchise into a corporate production, marketed by suits and devoid of any creativity. Say what you will about George, he had some..."unique" ideas at least. Then TLJ happened. Backed into a corner, the director/screenwriter did the only thing he thought he could do: subvert expectations. And really, it's a movie about family, and that's what's important. But no. Kathleen Kennedy didn't kill Star Wars, Disney and corporate interests did. Or rather, they dug up the body and violated it. Let Star Wars RIP already. Please.

[@DreamwalkerFilms]

Man, revisiting this in a post JJ Abrams world is ominous

[@Ishimura89]

The fact that the new trilogy was lackluster doesn't redeem the absolute dumpster fire of the prequels.

[@tuomas8426]

@@Ishimura89 I could not agree more.

[@KydzPlays]

@@homelessjesse9453 And the prequels Star Wars pointless which is pretty insane.

[@liamlinson7563]

@@KydzPlays prequels has better content around it than the sequels

[@repulser93]

@@liamlinson7563 To be fair, that was partially to make up for the prequels' own issues and partially because most of the best content came out years after _Revenge of the Sith_. The sequel trilogy ended less than three years ago - give it time.

[@o.brocklehurst9531]

credit for the editing of the original trilogy goes to marcia lucas, his wife. they got divorced around the time of return of the jedi and she's pretty much never mentioned in any star wars documentaries and books as a result. she also "edited" his ideas and apparently helped to rein in his weird ideas when he was writing. if you're looking for a reason why the originals were good and the prequels were bad i'm pretty sure marcia lucas's presence is a giant factor

[@ReallyRedPanda]

Glad someone brought this up, Marcia Griffin is an academy award winning film editor and was instrumental in the success of the Star Wars movies (along with some of Lucas' other films). It's a terrible, terrible shame she isn't given the credit she deserves nowadays.

[@EnterpriseKnight]

And people say Marriage sucks.

[@Semilion]

+EnterpriseKnight It does if you marry George Lucas.

[@TJ-iq2xk]

She wasn't the only editor, but she was the one that could rein him in. Also she left him for another man, they didn't just get divorced, so he was heartbroken and basically wanted to prove "I don't need her, I don't need anyone!" in making the prequels.

[@andreiasimov33]

He clearly failed, he needed her to do good movies but she didnt need him to have a good life... so who wins in the end? Obviously she.

[@KslapshotGames]

Jar jar is the key to all of this.

[@NoMoreNever]

beacs27 He actually said that didn`t he? Talk about famous last words.

[@TheForsakenEagle]

beacs27 Let's be rational here. Jar Jar is the Anti-Christ... and Hitler... and he believes police are using a justified amount of force.

[@TrOllinM4sTEr]

Quitu1849 you mean in that it rhymes.

[@Mrphilipjcook]

TrOllinM4sTEr it took 12 years to make

[@LocalMultiplex]

+Mrphilipjcook it's the first black action movie

[@MikeHarrisHazchem77]

George Lucas didn't ruin my Childhood...Fuckin Polio did..

[@Mario_N64]

What happened can u walk

[@Kaliosthesecond]

@@Mario_N64 there is a vídeo of him riding a bicicle, I think it is just a joke

[@Kaliosthesecond]

@@nickc127 lol, I have seen it but did not remember that joke

[@thatgreatlovesound]

I love the healthy, honest debating in this. Would love to see you guys have a reunion to discuss where the franchise has gone since

[@DoomETmetal94]

We absolute need a sequel video to this asap

[@monotech20.14]

RLM would have to admit they were wrong about everything. That won't happen. Making jokes about AIDs is easier.

[@alexlewis5365]

​@@monotech20.14 Wrong about what?

[@monotech20.14]

@@alexlewis5365 About Lucas in general.

[@alexlewis5365]

@monotech20.14 Hmm well, Lucas was absolutely garbage when he had full control of his projects. I do agree with rlm that he should've been kept on a short lease for the prequals.

[@paperluigi64]

The audio of Luke screaming is literally The Emperor screaming when Darth Vader throws him down that shaft in Return of the Jedi

[@TellItAnimated]

paperluigi64 it’s like poetry, it rhymes

[@sydbarrett5]

I thought so!

[@TechnologicallyTechnical]

Unfortunately, that was the version that introduced me to that film.

[@robertfitzgerald3118]

Yeah, when I heard that in the theater, I roll my eyes.

[@gspendlove]

It's like, it's Skywalker Sound. They couldn't use a different scream? Did they think we weren't going to notice?

[@Gregorz]

It's nice to see someone presenting a total disagreement with Mike, just for once.

[@pleaserewind295]

Mike can be a little stubborn.

[@razkable]

I loved American graffiti..so did the writers of simpsons..this guy is on drugs...not a perfect film but its good

[@kensuke0]

@@SirSponge941 Nah, Lucas is talented. If you can create American Graffiti which was a hit with the audience and then go on to create Star Wars and Indiana Jones, even if you had many other people hold your shit up, you're definitely talented. After he became a billionaire, he just stopped trying as much.

[@LizardOfOz69]

@@kensuke0 oh yeah my favorite George Lucas Movie: Indiana Jones. Though it's not nearly as good as the Steven Spielberg classic: Back To the Future.

[@killergoose7643]

I love how he keeps trying to defend George Lucas and Mike is just not having it at all

[@tylerreeder8996]

It's crazy watching this now and they are STILL changing that damn Han and Greedo scene.

[@stephenthedude4383]

MCLUNKY

[@chetbilks1998]

@Spaghetti Factory Monthly patch notes for the cantina scene

[@marielalescano1076]

Maclunkey!

[@ubermorph1000]

Does it detract to the overall OT?

[@gspendlove]

@@ubermorph1000 Yes. In the new version, Han Solo isn't the anti-hero who gradually comes to care about the Rebel cause. He's a good guy from the start who only shot Greedo in self-defense. In my opinion, that ruins his character arc and hurts the movie.

[@AaronAaron247]

How about Vader saying "no" when the emperor was torturing Luke in Jedi? Original version he doesn't say anything just the stare alone is enough to convey the emotion. But no he has to have Vader yell "noooooo" when he throws the emperor down that shaft.... Why?!

[@Den.Vos.Reynaerde]

Landon Schertz Nooooo... Not better. Maybe a bit.

[@Den.Vos.Reynaerde]

Aaron M Yeah, that is really painful. His quiet but clearly agonizing demeanor was really powerful stuff.

[@macgeek2004]

+Landon Schertz DO NOT WANT XD

[@Nathangeles]

Durrrr, he does it to make it "rhyme" with the terrible "Noooo" at Vader's creation in Episode 3, see? Episode 3, Episode 6, ya? It rhymes! It's like poetry!!!

[@cb00ful]

Aaron M n

[@nexusvideo]

Let me guess; you were watching the scarf lady video when testing the fleshlight?

[@JetEngine787]

You dont?

[@Yusuke_Denton]

I would too. Those are sexy scarfs.

[@turtleanton6539]

Everyone is

[@seanshamblin1131]

I wanna nut on the scarves.

[@atom_gray]

this is the way.

[@Milkra]

It's honestly so weird looking at this 4 years later

[@Powderwombat]

This is from 2011..

[@disma4191]

Because is completly wrong

[@feelsjeffman7787]

It’s honestly so weird looking at this 4 years later

[@monotech20.14]

I wonder if RLM would ever admit they were wrong about George Lucas.

[@GadflySwats]

*I AM FROM THE FUTURE!* Beware Mike! Jay will transfer his fat onto you!

[@leob4403]

GadflySwats now when you mention it, funny mike gained weight while jay lost

[@judsongaiden9878]

@@leob4403 He wears it well, though.

[@YurrWhat]

Jay at this point is stealing both Mike and Rich youth.

[@atom_gray]

Jay Jay is the key to all of this.

[@magnopere]

Mike's got that prime dad bod

[@governorboltz]

Clean shaven Jay is like Tom Selleck without his mustache. You know it's him, but you're taken aback a little.

[@commandZee]

It's maclunkey. All of it.

[@skatef0rl1fe]

Lucas did try to get another director to do TPM. Ron Howard, Robert Zemeckis, and Stephen Spielberg were all asked to do it. They each pretty much told him that Star Wars is his thing, and he should direct it.

[@TheMasterQuests]

Then Ron Howard went directed a Star Wars film not 2 decades later lmao

[@Felix-ix7ic]

​@@TheMasterQuestsI would argue that that is actually a lot of time in between those two events

[@Kollieprime9]

That’s really strange considering George didn’t direct 2/3 of the current Star Wars movies at the time lmao

[@willfanofmanyii3751]

@@Kollieprime9 He was sorta a shadow director for the other 2/3, since everything still went through him, but it also took a lot out of him.

[@Huell0]

Its odd having Mike and Jay look so presentable.

[@aspiringlich]

24:04 "Yeah, you mean like cat piss and Bengay?" His delivery of that line was so deadpan perfect.

[@riiniim]

It's so dense.

[@cyruskarloff7219]

Robert Miller What is?

[@playerselite42]

***** What the hell does your doctor know about interior decorating?

[@smasshit]

Robert Miller koi

[@TrueLunacy]

@@cyruskarloff7219the images just have so much going on

[@andrewtomlinson5237]

Lucas is a good "Ideas Man". On top of that, he is either very good at picking the right people to collaborate with, or very lucky. Star Wars captured the infamous "Lightning in a bottle" and he had the good sense to realise someone else needed to do the sequels as they would require better scripts, more intricate story and character development and direction. Getting Spielberg to make Indiana Jones is the smartest decision he ever made. Making the prequels on his own from atop his ivory couch... that was the worst decision he ever made.

[@stephenh5944]

No, that was Howard the Duck.

[@MikeSandersonVideos]

​@@stephenh5944but made worse and more concrete with prequels

[@andrewtomlinson5237]

@@stephenh5944 To be honest, I'd rather watch Howard the Duck than Attack of The Clones. At least Howard the Duck is terrible in an interesting way. Like how I wouldn;t want to attend a human autopsy, but I;d be really keen to see an alien autopsy

[@TheMasterQuests]

They really should’ve looked at the comics that Steve Gerber wrote to understand why the comic was a hit

[@SonofTiamat]

I think the real reason Lucas messed with the originals so much is because he couldn't accept the fact that other people had a hand in making his movie work and he's trying to own it a little more by tacking stuff on. It's like if an artist was working on a painting and let their child do a couple of strokes just their kid could say "I helped!" Editing saved the first Star Wars from being mediocre crap; a different director made Empire a masterpiece of film, and Jedi was already him in the process of selling out to the tykes. This is just speculation, mind you. When he had absolute creative control, his Star Wars movies sucked. When other people helped and collaborated, they were better, and I don't think he could accept that. You could point to him admitting he's not a good writer or director but a person can admit their flaws and still be controlled by them. It might even be worse for the fact they're aware of it. (by the way, was typing as I was listening. They say almost the same thing in the video but thought I'd put this here anyway).

[@SonofTiamat]

chopperbubba I'm sorry, but I don't like Abrams. He fucked up Star Trek the same way Lucas fucked up Star Wars.

[@VadersFist95]

+chopperbubba he didnt really do much to empire to fuck it up,

[@VadersFist95]

+Joseph Gibbs i mean the luke scream was bullshit

[@SonofTiamat]

Joseph Gibbs Or adding in Darth Vadar saying "no!" when he tosses the Emperor over. Fuck Lucas.

[@SonofTiamat]

chopperbubba I know man. I still remember the first time I saw Return when I was a kid and wondering what was going on under that emotionally ambiguous helmet, wondering what he was going to do. Making him talk just ruins the tension.

[@tautauson4469]

This was a very profound movie. I started watching it, thinking, "its gonna be great watching people tear Lucas apart and make jokes!" By the end, I felt kind of guilty, like I felt real sympathy for Lucas. And I can't really pinpoint why, it just altered my perceptions of the man

[@HelloMyFriend_]

@WillFanofMany keeping tradition up by answering three years later. On a side note: You're a douche

[@Katagara84]

It's been years since I saw the Special Edition of Jedi, but the lead in and start to the musical sequence still makes me cringe just a little.

[@TheSingularitarian]

Who's watching this after: ·Lucasfilm bought by Disney ·Disney fails on sequel trilogy AND anthology films ·Disney+ launches with Star Wars in 4k and MORE NEW EDITS to the OT ·The Mandalorian proves beyond a doubt that a potentially limitless galaxy has been squandered by regurgitating the same ideas, images, and even sound effects

[@danielpcowen]

SpunkyJerky The Spaz cheep .... haha

[@mland2012]

This review is good, but you should really consider re-releasing it with new special effects and CGI additions.

[@AndrewChapman]

And now have Lucas say "Maclunkey".

[@catherinelempke8451]

Man, a few years ago I got to see A New Hope on laser disc. It wasn't even called A New Hope, it was just titled Star Wars. It was... glorious.

[@darkthorpocomicknight7891]

GL changed it years later to "episode 4" now every idiot honestly thinks SW IS ANH - its all a lie. Also the ORIGINAL title was "THE STAR WARS" - he changed that too for some odd reason.

[@Takeshi357]

Well I know you're full of it because that version was never released on laserdisc.

[@joewoods5514]

@@darkthorpocomicknight7891 I low-key like the name a new hope

[@Ishimura89]

The episodic numbers were added before laserdisc even existed. What a poser

[@orlandofurioso7329]

​@@Takeshi357That's right, ut was actually in the 2004 DVD where the ep IV part was edited out

[@seebass1001]

The fact that Jar Jar is on that wall alongside legends of the sliver screen is the most frustrating yet hilarious thing I’ve seen in a while.

[@Btn1136]

“The original feature is a bonus feature” Jay at 8:10 is perfect.

[@fujifilm5127]

stand user: Rich Evans Stand: 『H A C K F R A U D』

[@lucaschamberlain253]

Rich is so good as George Lucas, gets me every time.

[@pibetry]

Ringo Starr not being a great drummer is a fucking meme. His drum tones and audio engineers have to be mentioned, but a lot of his rhythms were great and are sought after by many a drummer.

[@jgmiller804]

datshitgray Agreed. Although not technically advanced, Ringo was a incredibly lyrical drummer. His parts on In My Life are understated, unobvious a fantastic. One key to this is he was left handed but played righty. A lot of left hand lead fills. Listen to the way he leaves the bass drum out for the verses of Penny Lane. It's so satisfying when the chorus comes in and he plays that groovin swing beat on the kick. Guy knew a lot about leaving space. And his drum tone is unmistakeable. Nobody has yet to recreate that sound. Lots of unique dampening and muffling techniques were popularized by Ringo. That said, he did kind of win the lottery with Lennon and McCartney. But to say he's talentless is absurd and reveals one's own ignorance.

[@stephencarroll4681]

Dick The Birthday Boy Definitely. My favorite drum track of his is on Rain

[@squareeyedgit]

She Said She Said is my fave. I think he peaked at the same time as the Beatles' general creativity did. Superb drumming, so idiosyncratic, yet fits the song so perfectly. Ringo-haters just aren't listening.

[@Redhotlugnut]

+datshitgray Ringo played for the song not to be flashy or anything else. As a drummer of 30+ years it took me a long time to figure this out after growing up on Rush and Zappa.

[@Ryan2142]

+datshitgray I don't disagree, but people have made fun of Ringo for being arguably the least important Beatle long before the internet and existence of memes.

[@AbIllinois]

Ringo is a good drummer. Seriously.

[@Den.Vos.Reynaerde]

Marma He has an extremely recognisable drum sound. The 'throw-your-drum-kit-down-the-stairs' sound, as it were...

[@XitlalicProductions]

I think he's a fine drummer in his musical field, but I do find it odd that Paul would redo a lot of his drum parts in the studio.

[@TheNthMouse]

I … guess? I mean, sure: if you've never heard any of Iron Maiden's catalog ….

[@JimmyneutronwasokayIguess]

I agree. He’s far from the greatest drummer who ever lived but his sound is distinctive and while he doesn’t always have interesting things to say with his rhythms, he’s always perfect for what the band are looking for. I’d actually argue in many occasions he does have interesting things to say. He’s also a hugely innovative drummer who helped influence the industry in many ways.

[@Andystuff800]

Ringo wasn't even the best drummer in The Beatles.

[@chrisbelos2834]

he should make the people vs Disney

[@Lightscribe225]

What an innocent time this was

[@BollocksUtwat]

Susan's wrong. Fleshlights are amazing.

[@BollocksUtwat]

Jim t Male sex toy. Looks like a giant flashlight with a fleshy vagina bit where there would be a lightbulb.

[@pizzacunt]

Das Arschloch I beg to differ

[@mugwump7049]

Vaginas are better.

[@mugwump7049]

@Stellvia Hoenheim Only virgins, homosexuals or very unlucky guys would say that.

[@jazztom86]

After seeing The People vs. George Lucas, I realized a few things: 1. Lots of people really do need to distance themselves a fair bit from those movies, it's definitely not healthy in any way to identify yourself to that level into a film. 2. Star Wars is "A New Hope". Everything else is up to you to decide. For me also episode V and VI mean Star Wars. The prequels don't necessarily ruin Star Wars. You don't need to see the prequels as a part of Star Wars, nobody forces you to. 3. The prequels still suck 4. George Lucas has the right to change his work as many times as he likes, despite what people think. That doesn't mean it's a good idea to do so, I'd still prefer the originals, but it's definitely his right, just like Leonardo Da Vinci would have the right to take the Gioconda out of the Louvre and taking it back to his grave. 5. I stopped despising Lucas and started despising those hardcore fanatics that claim their childhood had been ruined/raped. They need a reality check as soon as possible. A ruined childhood is something more than a bad movie. 6. Prequels and changes in originals are two different matters.

[@collbackk]

Georges Lucas didn't ruin my childhood. Fucking polio did!

[@rockyseverino9230]

People keep bringing up Da Vinci. Didn't he sell those paintings when he was alive? If they were no longer his in life they certainly wouldn't be his just because he rose from the dead.

[@seanshamblin1131]

He has the right to release new versions of the movies if he wants. People, especially younglings, need to understand that they are new versions and we need to keep the originals alive.

[@jonahthejedai4973]

No, no. The Success of Indiana Jones comes from the sureheaded direction and filmmaking ingenuity of Steven Spielberg, John Williams' scoring prowess and the acting integrity of Harrison Ford.

[@DarthMomo]

They criticize him directing the prequels but he tried to get someone else to do it and everyone told him he should do it

[@Pants.69]

Hearing Mike say “hooptie” is my favorite thing ever

[@SpaceGhost1984]

I hate to compare Star Wars and Star Trek, but to me, George Lucas and Gene Roddenberry have one big thing in common: They both were very good at creating concepts and "the universe", but weren't very good at execution when they had creative control. i.e., George Lucas with the Star Wars prequels and Gene Roddenberry with Star Trek I and season 1 of TNG.

[@Solbadgreg]

True

[@ddwkc]

@Rbo SMF Well it's getting there. However, the difference is Star Trek fans are more grounded and accept the good with the bad. While SW fans can't really wrap around the fact the SW isn't that really amazing of a universe/concept/lore and can't phantom having not as good experiences as the originals. They should embrace the schlock.

[@ExecutiveChefLance]

@@ddwkc "While SW fans can't really wrap around the fact the SW isn't that really amazing of a universe/concept/lore" It seems to me that most of the people defending The Last Jedi or making some statement like this has never played any Star Wars video game nor read any Stars Wars book. It would be like if you watched the five Star Trek movies and never watched the TV shows and acted like you know Star Trek. It's like people who never read Marvel Comics acting like they know more about the Essence of Marvel then actual Comic Book fans. Disney easily could have made a Knights of the Old Republic trilogy. They could have made a movie about the Valley of the Jedi. They need to take a hint from Marvel. Marvel doesn't make up New Storylines form no where. They pick and choose from established lore in a method that makes sense to the established story line.

[@fuckgoogle2554]

Good point. That reminds me of Crichton, he writes great settings but his plots are weak.

[@DastardSilvergun]

The first star trek movie holds up well, the prequels were always a disaster

[@Henskelion]

9:02 I remember in college a few years back I learned my illustration professor was actually the guy who designed that cover art, and he apparently also did some concept art for Revenge of the Sith. Funny thing is he seemed proud of the Jake Lloyd artwork he did and hung it up in his classroom, but then seemed really dismissive of his stuff for Revenge of the Sith because of its association with the actual movie.

[@illseeyaonthedarksideofthemoon]

Is a good cover, is just what is depicted...

[@joshmargolis1424]

Lucas can come up with great ideas, but needs talent behind the pen, camera, and computer to make it work.

[@kalibos]

He came up with the first all black cast

[@JetEngine787]

The dirty truth none of us ever say. It was John Williams that made Star Wars special.

[@jpgduff]

That's not Lucas' wife was called. She edited the nonsense to make an actual story.

[@orlandofurioso7329]

​@@jpgduffFuck me, how many times do i have to read comments stemming from the Rocket jump dumpster fire misinformation filled video?

[@XitlalicProductions]

While Star Wars has been inducted into the Library of Congress/National film registry it’s not actually in there because George Lucas won’t give them the original version of the film, he’s only offering the special editions.

[@fickle_sticks3002]

Xitlalic Faraday 200 years from today, after the apocalypse, you manage to break into the national archives. You find a legendary film, heralded by your forefathers for generations, you put it in your jerryrigged DVD player. It’s the fucking Special Edition. You smash the DVD player.

[@seanshamblin1131]

What a dick!

[@charlottecorday8494]

That's so effed.

[@orlandofurioso7329]

Because the original camera negative only exists in the 1997 configuration

[@b00neDawg00]

I don’t think it would be as bad if the original versions were still available and were easily available to purchase if the special edition was a bonus’s feature no one would be as mad

[@ghihbgyu]

Did anyone else notice that there are blood splatters on the green chair?....

[@oxykilldone5113]

Their set has more of a story arc, and less continuity errors than most characters and films these days.

[@jasonbuell7958]

Lmao I just noticed that too and there's some blood spatter on the wall too. Did they murder Mr. Plinkett and the guy we see later is an imposter!?

[@cableroyson9992]

I did now

[@ludwik7326]

All right, in defense of both Mr Lucas and Ringo, I don't think it's fair to diminish the role of the initiator and director, Lucas is indeed a talented man and a groundreaker I believe, the sunset scene which might to this day still be the best in the saga was in the original script, and given it's meaning in the story, it shows Lucas knows what he is doing. He was present till the last day (obviously) of post production, to say he had nothing to do with how the movies turned out to be is Foolishness, it was a collaboration , and to his credit he was the editor to THX, and also suggested how to edit the Ark Opening scene in Raiders. And as for Ringo Starr, he is a fantastic drummer, more than technique, he has style and soul, which really reflects in Rubber Soul, Revolver and Abbey Road. The Beatles didn't choosed him because there was nobody else, but because he was a legitimately good musician, what he did fitted the Beatles's music the way a technician or a "beast" would never have. If it weren't for the Beatles, Ringo would still had made a name for himself, maybe not as a singer-songwriter but as a damn good Drummer that's for sure. In a band or in a movie, everybody brings something to the final product, and nobody should be underestimated

[@themediumcheese]

it's baffling that people disregard ringo, especially today

[@hanburgundy4317]

Especially since he learned left handed. The fill from Come Together, alone, is amazing once you learn how he did it. Talent is an understatement.

[@fernandochapa1433]

This guys made Space Cop they surely are film geniuses. Obviously i know that film is bad on purpose, but i wonder why they don’t try doing something good on purpose

[@real1mem3s]

​@themediumcheese Because he's literally the less talented member of The Beatles. This is an Undisputed fact. Cry about it.

[@ludwik7326]

@@real1mem3s I'm a drummer, and I can assure you he's great, and the most adequate member of the Beatles on his instrument, he's no songwriter sure, but he made them sound and feel great

[@ColetheAero]

My God, Mike was so....so.......so..................................thin.

[@friendlybanana4960]

Right?

[@lukeulibarri3924]

Please don't take the Lord's name in vain

[@numbnuts375]

@@lukeulibarri3924 Mike?

[@TheRealRedHood]

It left Jay and went to Mike

[@kendel36]

Originally, the prequels were to be directed by Ron Howard, James Cameron and Steven Spielberg. It was Steven Spielberg who told Lucas that Star Wars was his baby, his creation and he should be the one to finish it up with the prequels. ( Bonus : Lucas waited so long to do the prequels because under the terms of his divorce from his first wife, she would not be entitled to any of the profits Double Bonus : The Phantom Menace made all its budget back ( $100 million) before one ticket was sold. ( merchandising)

[@TheKleptix]

But he still wrote them and honestly, the story, characters and dialogue is horrible. I wonder if the different directors would've saved them.

[@lucasoheyze4597]

The fact they were in profit before release makes the shameless commercialism even more especially egregious.

[@BambooAcrobatVerte]

Sequel coming soon: The People vs. Rian Johnson I wonder what Mr. Phillippe thinks about The Last Jedi

[@danielpcowen]

This would be giving RJ too much credit

[@maxsimeck902]

holy tits i had no idea jabba was human at one point

[@crispcrispy]

He wasn't that scene was cut and not in the original star wars.

[@Rickyroo1980]

Haha touche..

[@KeeseToast]

The plan was to replace the actor with a puppet, but they cut it for budget reasons, so george went back and you know...

[@Rickyroo1980]

KeeseToast I think he may have been joking

[@superhamzah85]

His name is Mike Stoklasa, not Jabba.

[@joegibbskins]

Ringo is a better drummer than Lucas is a director. That’s a fact

[@Fulgrim_The_Phoenician]

They both suck as writers though.. xD

[@GameyRaccoon]

@@Fulgrim_The_Phoenician don't pass me by and Octopus's Garden tho

[@atom_gray]

@@GameyRaccoon no.

[@hanburgundy4317]

This is the worst take ever. Ringo was a groundbreaking drummer, and you literally have no idea what you're talking about.

[@GameyRaccoon]

​@@hanburgundy4317this

[@George-de6hd]

I love Star Wars but it doesn’t define who I am as a person and I don’t have a complete breakdown when the movies don’t turn out how I think they should because I don’t own Star Wars and it’s not my story to tell it was George’s

[@MrHEC381991]

"Just because you can do it doesn't mean you should"

[@Danderson-pr4vj]

The fandom is not unified enough for this kind of discussion anymore; it has split into 'Star Wars is better than any of its specific entries' and 'Star Wars has been terrible since 1983.' At least back then, we all agreed that the originals are good and the prequels are terrible.

[@starcola3035]

I'm so glad you millennial morons don't live in your echo chambers anymore.

[@MrHEC381991]

The expression "You were so preoccupied that you could, that you didn't stop to think if you should" comes to mind when I think of George Lucas' Special Editions and Prequels.

[@noone3216]

See Marge? I told you they could deep-fry my shirt.

[@TankNBeans]

Its true. Star wars was saved in Editing. And one of those editors was George 's wife.

[@dragonphoreal]

+Francisco Navarro The thing is it's not just with the first one. For example remember when the Empire invaded the rebel base on Hoth in Episode V? Well there was a deleted scene where C-3PO is running from the troopers, he rips of a warning sign from a door, troopers open door and a monster grabs one of the troopers. It was a silly scene despite being in the middle of a serious scene, which was obviously why it got cut out. From what George Lucas has put out since, from STAR WARS 3's opening shifting between dark, lighthearted or slap-sticky, to Red Tails trying to be both an honorary tribute to soldiers and an homage to campy patriotic WWII movies, what I can infer is that George Lucas doesn't know how to set a coherent tone for each scene or movie; he tries very hard to go for multiple tones at once and it causes a jarring clash of tones in his movies. And to add to that, a friend of mine had told me that one of the reasons that the dialogue in the prequels seems so poorly written is because for each scene he would literally have the actors read two versions of the script, one version having a serious tone in said scene while the other being more humorous her and there. And then he would try to use editing to basically merge the different takes together. (to prove this to me, he showed me the clip in 3 where Palpatine and Anakin are in the Opera house. He told me to notice how at one point the lips move but the facial muscles don't. And that was because Lucas had edited the two takes into one scene and used cgi to make it seem like one take). So what that also tells me is that Lucas has a hard time deciding what he wants for a scene, which is probably why he kept making changes to the original trilogy.

[@SomeFreakingCactus]

Shenyongo The Dragon Slayer - Absolutely fascinating.

[@sheevpalpatine6449]

@@dragonphoreal And he will still be more successful than you. At least he's gone out into the world to create such a franchise. Given this, despite the flaws of his films, just having the idea of Star Wars in his head surely forgives all.

[@vanjagalovic3621]

@@sheevpalpatine6449 Creating something you like doesn't make the creator immune to criticism, sure George Lucas is more succesful than me, but by that logic I can't criticise any director. No, being the originator of SW doesn't forgive all, espexially when other people are arguably even more worthy of SW's success than Lucas himself.

[@sheevpalpatine6449]

@@vanjagalovic3621 But what can you do. Criticising him online is going to do nothing but reinforce your hate upon him and Star Wars itself. And coming up with the idea of Star Wars does forgive all. He has created so many childhoods including my own. I am not sure about you, but millions of children all across the world, and many adults would thank him for his great story, creating so many childhoods.

[@EvaUnit02]

Can Disney just remaster and release the classic trilogy original cuts on Blu-ray already? That's all I want.

[@VadersFist95]

+Crafty Seagull no. fox still owns the rights to episode IV. might help to fact check

[@atom_gray]

@@bilbobaggins9451 so, you're still growing up...

[@kurtemeigh]

He actually didn't feel the need to direct the prequels. He asked Spielberg, Ron Howard, and Robert Zemeckis to direct episode 1. Only after they refused did he decide to direct.

[@dragonphoreal]

+kurtemeigh imagine what it would be like if Neon Genesis Evangelion creator (look it up if you have no idea what I am talking about) Hideaki Anno had directed *Revenge of the Sith*.

[@ZappasMudshark]

This is such a great discussion to watch because of the contrasting opinions. Great points.

[@nameynamename3758]

Top 3 Worst Star Wars Changes: 3 - Greedo shot first. 2 - No Old Anakin as a ghost. 1 - Boba's new, worst voice.

[@dragonphoreal]

+The Nintendo Fan 1889 Just warning you, if you get scolded by an account called Das Arschloch because you don't like George Lucas' changes to the original STAR WARS trilogy, just ignore him. He's not worth your time.

[@nameynamename3758]

Okay.

[@TheNthMouse]

Runners up: 1) the new Kenobi Krayt call 2) Vader's "No. Nooo" 3) Jabba in Docking Bay 94

[@rockyseverino9230]

All the changes from all these comments are tied for 1st place.

[@seanshamblin1131]

No, no... 1) Jedi Rocks 2) Luke fall screaming 3) Jabba in the docking bay (ANH) Gotta do five... 4) Vader's "no" (ROTJ) 5) Any one of the Han Didn't Shoot First scenes (I know its been talked about to death but I still can't believe what a ridiculous little project Lucas had to turn that into. Why can't he shoot him before he gets shot, especially when it looks so lame and was obviously a pain in the ass to do because it had to be done four times?!)

[@TheCOZ]

Jay's hair has gotten so much better since then. He's like Jay SE.

[@eriksenbriggs]

The worst part of the scream that was added to Luke falling is that it's Palpatine's voice... God damnit, Lucas.

[@VinVonVoom]

This was Ben Burtt's doing and Lucas never signed off in it but okay.

[@eriksenbriggs]

@@VinVonVoom Don't care who did it. Terrible choice IMO

[@VinVonVoom]

@@eriksenbriggs Lucas was good on removing it later on.

[@thomasnihil4878]

"He will never be done with Star Wars"...... Oh, wrong we were, young Jedi. The real enemy we didn't notice.

[@mattsmoviemagic8123]

George Lucas never intended to direct the prequel films himself. He had actually approached other people to direct but they all turned it down so Lucas was left with no choice but to direct himself.

[@vitorhunt2785]

He only approached Steven Spielberg and that was only because he is a close friend of his. He might not have wanted to direct it, but I guess his creative issues back at ESB probably made him distrust any director with the task.

[@mattsmoviemagic8123]

What's ESB?

[@vitorhunt2785]

@@mattsmoviemagic8123 Empire Strikes Back, it was directed by Irvin Kershner, and its creative dissonances with Lucas is a tale of its own and one of the reasons why he craved for total creative control, even though it ended up being one of the best movies ever made.

[@CaptGhostFace]

Hey from 2019...it gets way worse guys

[@shugaroony]

"from a certain point of view."

[@KaneRobot]

1:38 not at this point. Every fandom thinks they're the only ones, but they're not. Pretty much anything with a broad nerd fanbase treats what they're being offered with a obscenely critical eye and takes it ridiculously seriously. Star Wars, comic book movies, pro wrestling, whatever.

[@chriselathan]

KaneRobot Star Wars has just sucked overall for the last 40yrs lol

[@Windwalker88]

You guys really are the new Siskel & Ebert, if they were drunk all the time

[@keyboardwarrior327]

PBS should hire them to revive Sneak Previews.

[@nathancardenas2719]

Keyboard Warrior let's get em on adult swim Instead

[@lescovahvalich460]

Windwalker88 So exactly the same as Siskel And Ebert then

[@charlesshepherd8001]

Sorry, but these guys have nothing on Siskel and Ebert. Siskel and Ebert know a thing about movies, for one, and they didn't attacked anyone who dissagreed with them.

[@cri_c]

@@charlesshepherd8001 Yeah doxxing people or telling their audience to send hate mail totally isn't attacking.

[@shauncatania5624]

When you had the 95 vhs box set and realised you gave it away

[@Christian39521]

I did sadly.

[@tadpolegaming4510]

Ha, my friend has one, he's hanging onto it

[@cnferguson5]

I downloaded the de-specialized editions with the help of my friend. At first I thought they were just a myth.

[@Dilpickle3899]

"its real...all of it"

[@notataco4203]

How can I learn this power ?

[@Dunebat]

If you want another George Lucas film that resonated with fans: try "Labyrinth". * "American Graffiti" * "Star Wars" * "Indiana Jones" * "Labyrinth" Toss "Willow" in there and, yes, you have a decent pattern of successes. Additionally: Lucas tried to shop "Episode III" around to other directors, but they were all daunted by the project and convinced him that he alone was the guy to tell that story, so I wouldn't blame Lucas entirely for "Episode III" when any of those directors who could've told the story better but turned it down -- from Spielberg to David Lynch, even -- were just as culpable for the film because they said "no" when they could've saved it.

[@krieghart5515]

I never knew that. Kinda paints the making of the prequels in a slightly different light. What I hear and don't get though is that pretty much anyone who disagreed with GL during the making of the prequels was either fired or ignored, but I don't know for sure.

[@thepapschmearmd]

Very late, but anyone who thinks Ringo was just lucky doesn’t know anything about drumming.

[@c4ha2na9]

George Martin said that the Beatles didn't really gel as a group, didn't really meet their full potential, until they got rid of Pete Best and brought on Ringo. And George Martin would know!

[@londonhonourfrc3536]

14:23 for mike’s best adam sandler impression

[@simonnaylor3536]

The 80's were great. The 90's were awesome. I had thought for a while that it was during Limp Bizkit's performance of Break Stuff at Woodstock 99 that everything started to suck... but I now realize, it was the release of the first Star Wars special edition... in 1997. That was the beginning of the end.

[@salmagundi_media]

Great segment. After watching The People Vs. George Lucas I immediately purchased the VHS box set of the original trilogy. These films (both versions) have been hugely influential in my evolution as an artist and overall movie-goer. I understand wanting to fulfill one's artistic vision, although I feels as though Lucas is ashamed of his original films in light of the numerous digital overhauls. Isn't there anything to be said for viewing any artistic work (film or otherwise) for what is is/was during the time it was created, and the feeling it can evoke? Sure technology was limited and he couldn't bring his visions exactly to life at the time, but with what he had, he created something timeless and downright amazing. The theatrical films, great as they are, are "stepping stones" in his eyes to the digitally enhanced versions, but why does he denounce them? Why shroud them from the public forever? All the speculation that the original negatives were destroyed is a shame, and totally mind-boggling.

[@SuzakuX]

I think when Lucas was doing the prequels there were just way too many yes-men involved in the production. He needed people to reign him in and tell him when his ideas were bad, but if you go back and watch any of those behind-the-scenes features, he was completely surrounded by sycophants.

[@ShardsOfNarsil]

get the de-specialized editions.

[@dragonphoreal]

+Christian Pasquariello If you at any point get scolded by an account called Das Arschloch, ignore him; he's just butthurt that Mr Plinkett didn't like his precious STAR WARS Prequels ("therefore the Plinkett reviews are pretentious bs" according to him)

[@nosuchthing8]

Mike Justin thats why this was made. To motivate people to buy more sw stuff, and give lucas another buck.

[@nillarilla710]

I agree with Mike. American graffiti doesn’t have the vision of a great movie like Space Cop.

[@World_One_Productions]

18:40 "American Graffiti" gave birth to a fairly popular television show from the '70s and '80s, whose most popular character is immortalized in a bronze statue you guys have actually posed next to.

[@christiandaugherty6339]

The pilot of Happy Days was made before American Graffiti and George Lucas watched it to see if Ron Howard would be a suitable choice for American Graffiti.

[@World_One_Productions]

@@christiandaugherty6339 it's true that the unsold pilot with a different name was what drew Lucas' attention to Howard. It's also true that the subsequent success of "American Graffiti" gave ABC the confidence to pick up and develop that pilot into the "Happy Days" series the following year. So what I told you was true... from a certain point of view. 😀

[@Tmartin1438]

I wont have this poppycock on Ringo! He was the rock of that band! I mean not musically but he grounded the egos of Paul and John. He was doing a right handed kit while being left-handed. And was actually the famous one of the group at first.

[@mnemot]

ringo's the rich of the beatles, down to the weird things ringo said, like "a hard day's night" but also octopus' garden. that's like "rich evans cam"

[@rrmenton8016]

Following your beatls/rlm logic, I assume mike is paul and jay is john. And also plinket is billy shears. But who is george harrison? And are any of them actually the walrus?

[@mnemot]

@@rrmenton8016 following that logic mike would be paul because everyone says he's dead and also because the wheel of the worst is like the get back sessions in the sense that everyone is miserable but they make good shit, and that was paul's idea i think, and following that train of thought george would be josh because he's been annoyed at mike and has been seen playing a guitar, both on camera. can't remember if he's walked out of the table before but it fits in. now i can't stop thinking of paul mccarney wearing a top hat and holding a cane while the beatles walk dejected into the studio

[@aricheintzelma6877]

Gene Roddenberry's fans never turned on him.

[@deadflowers7017]

They didn't have reason to

[@darkthorpocomicknight7891]

Not true early Trek was very right-wing and pro-Cold War but the fans went crazy and Gene moderated and made Trek more "liberal." By the time of TNG, amnesia kicked in and everyone "loved" Gene - in reality the Trek fanbase like SW has their limit - if you go over it they will go after you.

[@Pan_Z]

@Aaron silver-lining to the prequel trilogy is all the cool worlds, spaceships, and races to come out of it. Made for some excellent material in other Star Wars media, like the original Battlefront 2. The sequels unfortunately just rehashed X-wings & Tie Fighters. Added nothing to the Star Wars universe for other media to draw from.

[@manchegocheese8529]

I think that American Graffiti’s influence on culture is pretty clear cut. Happy Days. One of television’s great cultural touchstones.

[@TheMasterQuests]

50s/60s nostalgia was the 80s nostalgia of its time

[@anadthebarbarian]

Revisiting this years later, I would say GLs 3rd "thing" would be the business side of his world. ILM, THX, Skywalker Sound, Pixar, LucasArts, etc

[@sgtcojonez]

I loved the video about scarfs.

[@RossTheNinja]

Scarf wars?

[@Tarquin2718]

I have been a fan of Star Wars since 1980 fan of Redkettermedia since 2010 but I have never seen this. This is the crux wtf. Finally. Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.

[@chelscara]

Now the next movie: "The People eat George Lucas"

[@dipshitdoodah]

13:30 Listen again to "Luke's" scream. It's actually the Emperor's scream from RotJ, as he falls down the reactor core shaft. Just at a slightly different pitch.

[@BananaMana69]

Mark Hamills scream in Empire is actually just Ian Mcdermids scream from Jedi reused. What the actual fuck?

[@AndrewChapman]

8:06 Despite the 2006 DVDs containing laserdisc transfers of the unaltered versions, I've actually gotten used to them being low res and a non-anamorphic letterboxed format. So unless they do eventually release the unaltered versions officially on Blu-ray, 4k or future formats, I'm just gonna stick with the 2006 DVDs. Not gonna bother with the Despecialized Editions or fan made 4k edits.

[@orlandofurioso7329]

Hey man, today i dumped my copies of the bonus disc to my PC and upscaled them with a software called Handbrake to 1080p, it keeps the cinema aspect ratio and looks very crisp so i think it's the cleanest version since the despecialized versions are very prone to color changes and artifacts for using the 35 mm prints, while just upscaling the DVD with PC software gives a much cleaner and coherent look. Maybe you want to look into it, since you are making a copy your DVD does not get overused and you get HD.

[@apcreed]

American Graffiti is a good film. But i have a feeling Lucas again wasn't THAT in control. Ron Howard probably did more then him.

[@rockyseverino9230]

Are you kidding? Ron Howard was still a kid with zero directing experience. That's just silly. Also, if we're gonna blame Lucas for the bad we need to give him credit for the good. You hate the prequels? Fine. The stories are on Lucas. You love the orig trig fine the stories are on Lucas.

[@atom_gray]

it's not just good, it's _good enough..._

[@orlandofurioso7329]

​@@rockyseverino9230These people are fucking embarassing i swear, only thinking in absolutes, how ironic......

[@cgvapors963]

5 years later, we can now look back on this movie and this particular, excellent, conversation they are having and see some truth. There were a lot of questions in this interview. Unanswerable questions at that time which have now been revealed. Lucas, as we know, did sell away the rights to Disney and now other directors and writers are taking their cracks at the franchise. To mixed responses.

[@sinoreanimated]

1:10 I just noticed that knife in the wall. And kudos for that reference to The Room 0:09

[@allenanddansbigshow4575]

Another video showed that George asked other directors to direct the prequel films and they all told him to do it. (Ron Howard, Spielberg etc)

[@TytheBandit]

I miss the 90's era Lucas where all his photos were very epic looking, he talked with passion about the original trilogy, and he pushed the boundaries in film...the right way.

[@leaveswindmill3324]

There should be a sequel to this called The People vs Kathleen Kennedy.

[@henrydouberly3950]

George actually made something we loved. Kathleen cloned a new hope and shoved her agenda in them

[@mugwump7049]

@@henrydouberly3950 Baaaaaa!

[@tobario]

And now everyone just wants George Lucas back.

[@Lone432345]

Maybe some people, But not me.

[@fontainus7302]

not me

[@MrLtia1234]

Replacing the people who are bad at it with the guy who was even worse? Not for me, either.

[@imreplyingtothiscomment2378]

No one's ever really gone

[@theabysshasnogender855]

17:19 "yeah, no, I don't agree with you" Mike's "okay" sounds like an "alright, but I still beat your Star Wars rant with my Plinkett reviews" lol

[@HanoverFiste3]

This dude is killer at making the counterargument. Never took a lot of these points into consideration.