It’s now abundantly clear that Star Wars (lightsaber) will never, ever go away. What with rumours of spin-off movies, animated and live action TV series’, the Sith DVD release, George Lucas (DVDs) hotly denying any chance of another trilogy (thus constantly reinforcing the possibility), and now this: Star Wars in 3-D.
A certain baritone magician is gonna have to work extra hard to get noticed later this year when his movie hits the publicity circuit. The Harry Potter (DVDs) camp must realise a midnight reading in a dusty castle is no match for Natalie Portman (DVDs) and a shaven dome.
"I’ve never been a big fan of 3-D but in this process I’ve become quite a convert. It’s just a cool process." urged Lucas while unscrewing the fluid-draining valve in his neck.
It’s a bitter pill to swallow if we just assume he needs the money. Lucas does obviously care a great deal about Star Wars’ hardcore fans. He reduced Jar Jar Binks’ screentime in Attack Of The Clones to a blink of eye for that lot, despite the fact that kids loved him.
This is Lucas’ unfortunate cross to bear. Like closing down a mental hospital and suddenly expecting the patients to cope with self-assessment and bus timetables, he needs to let the fanaticals go gently. Let them find their own way in the world. Their own opportunities for sexual gratification without batteries and the internet.
Lifelines like the aforementioned spin-offs and now this flimsy 3-D inspiration will hopefully keep the crazies from revolting – and a tad more receptive when Mr. Check shirt and jeans announces his next film project. It’s going to be about as commercial as interactive badger baiting and Lucas knows he needs to lay down some good vibes first.
"It’s not like a 3-D movie that pokes you in the eyes, it’s just a different way of looking at the movie…it’s quite amazing and really makes Star Wars look good."
Lots of classic movies have been shown in 3-D. The sublime Jaws 3-D (DVDs) being the most highly respected and critically lauded. Lots of shots of a big shark swimming towards the screen like a stop motion Ozzy Osbourne (CDs). That’s how you cement the three-dimensional format in the public conscious. With Friday 13th 3-D (DVDs) they just went too far and spoilt us.
3-D is essentially an attempt to recreate depth. A projector beams out two images, one for the left eye and one for the right, which the brain then splices together to make three-dimensional. There’s a lot more to it than that, but then we’d be stepping into media studies revision territory.
All the Star Wars movies will be put online eventually (Lucas has confirmed that one), nicely companioning the DVD versions just in case some people daren’t leave the message board for too long.
We don’t honestly know if C. Thomas Howell (DVDs ) is going to star in ‘Dooku: The Early Years on Hoth‘ with a cameo by Steve Guttenberg (DVDs ) as Obi Wan’s dad. But we don’t not know either.
We’ll just see what the magic of the rumour mill can conjure up…
Related stories:
Revenge Of The Sith Gets It’s London Premiere
George Lucas: "Two Types Of Star Wars Fan"
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith – Review Digest
[story by Chris Lavery]