As a general rule I am someone with strong cynical tendencies that I try very hard to suppress. Some people think I'm “naive” (which is really just another way of saying that the only true way to maturity and sophistication is to be miserably disillusioned with everything) but the truth is I see cynicism as pain avoidance. I indulge in it but then realize that there's not much to be gained by it and try hard to see hope even when there might not be a rational reason to hope.
When George Lucas started to muck around with the effects in the original Star Wars trilogy I thought it was a wonderful idea. Yes, some of the monsters looked awful and yes, by today's standards the space battles were pretty tame and yes, continuity could be served by adding some information into the films that allowed for a smoother transition from the new films. Generally, I thought it was a great use of modern technology.
But then the edits went further than I had expected them to go. They didn't just augment existing scenes; they threw new scenes in that messed with the pacing of the films. Changes fundamentally altered the characterization of certain parts (Han and Greedo come to mind). All in all I found most of the changes unnecessary and lacking any real value addition to the films. I was a bit disillusioned.
Then Spielberg came along and digitally replaced shotguns with walkie talkies in ET. Then I found out that Lucas was not done mucking with the original films and that they would be reworked even more for their eventual DVD release. Further changes include:
• Digitally removing the actor that played the Emperor in ESB and replacing him with Ian Mcdiarmid, the actor that played that part for Return of the Jedi and the current Star Wars movies.
• Digitally replacing the actor that played “ghost” Anakin at the end of ROTJ with Hayden Christensen.
• Several other things that I don't remember and am too lazy to google for.
At this point I was a bit disgruntled. But I said “Hey, they're his movies. I suppose he has every right to mess with them.” Soon after that I found out that Lucas considered the theatrical release of his saga “incomplete” and that the only version that would be produced from this point on would be his “definitive” editions. The originals will never be transferred to DVD or any other format moving forward. At that moment I sort of stopped being positive and became pretty cynical when it came to Lucas. I respected the fact that he *could* changed his films. But, in the sense that I have grown up with them I felt like I should at least be given the option to see the films as I saw them back then. It just seemed (and still does seem) so contemptuous to deny the people who built his empire the ability to see the film the way that they want to see it. I'm not saying to not release the “definitive“editions, but at least give me my bare bones “incomplete“editions. Yes, cynicism about Lucas and his digital tinkering ran high. I began to think things like “If you're really the artist that you hold yourself out to be, why do you waste so much of your time dinking around with stuff you have already made? Why don't you leave the Star Wars nest and make something new?”
Between being denied the films as I originally saw them and the utter lacklusterness of the current films I had become pretty cynical about Lucas. What was next? Digital set replacement for American Graffiti? Well, it appears I wasn't too far off.
It looks as though Lucas has expanded his desire to tinker beyond the borders of the Star Wars universe. His first feature film, THX1138 has undergone the same “difinitization” as Star Wars. I am so tempted to scream foul and curse Lucas for screwing with history. But the truth is that's just my cynicism talking. It's a hard pill to swallow and I still think the decision to so drastically alter Star Wars is fundamentally wrong. But the truth is that some films may benefit from the tinkering.
I have seen THX1138 and I thought it was boring and not nearly as visionary as some think it is. It’s depressing, too long and to be honest a reflection of a deep cynicism that was pretty rampant during Lucas' youth. I don't think it was new or groundbreaking so much as it was a reflection of popular youth disillusionment of the day.
I could be wrong.
So as I watch the “re-worked” trailer of THX1138 I have to admit that although my first, more cynical, reaction is to call it self-indulgent mucking I have to admit it actually makes the film look more interesting. I have no idea if it actually will be. But it piqued my interest enough that I will probably go see it.
Of course the cynic would say I'm just a sucker for “eye-candy”.
-Neil
P.S. Since when is it ok to show boobies in a trailer? Not that I mind. It just took me by surprise.