Yeah, honestly I’m a little surprised. In the wider community (or at least, my highly non scientific polling of a soccer team, volleyball group and movie friends) it seems pretty understood that Star Wars is a great kids movie that mostly works for all ages.
Heck, even George Lucas has said they were for kids "I wasn’t supposed to say this then, or now, but it’s a film for 12-year-olds,” he says. “In the real world … critics … certain fans. They’re not very nice.”
But damn are people riled up about that and instead insisting it’s a very serious series and definitely not for kids.
The magic of a good kids movie is that it engages the adults too. So I mean yeah, star wars is at least on some level pretty serious.
Luke did see his adoptive aunt and uncle roasted by the government. I mean that’s pretty serious. So is genocide and torture. Three things we witness in the first hour if the first move.
I mean, on the same level of seriousness as most Disney films. Think 101 Dalmatians which is a bunch of puppies trying not to be skinned alive. Or Shrek which has torture, family separation/imprisonment (one of whom is later skinned and turned into a rug), floating eyeballs, a tyrannical monarchy etc.
And just like Star Wars, it would feel a little odd to put a gritty/serious movie in either of those universes without a dramatic retooling a la Cruella, which even then wasn’t wildly serious. In my opinion at least.
(Also, I don’t think we see any genocide in New Hope. Are you thinking the Jawas? Because that struck me as standard killing, not a “kill all Jawas.”)
Ahhhhh. I’d never figured they were their own race but I getchya. We don’t really have a good word for “murder a whole planet.” At least, not until GRR Martin starts writing sci fi.
This is quite the take you have laid out in this thread.
Yeah, honestly I’m a little surprised. In the wider community (or at least, my highly non scientific polling of a soccer team, volleyball group and movie friends) it seems pretty understood that Star Wars is a great kids movie that mostly works for all ages.
Heck, even George Lucas has said they were for kids "I wasn’t supposed to say this then, or now, but it’s a film for 12-year-olds,” he says. “In the real world … critics … certain fans. They’re not very nice.”
But damn are people riled up about that and instead insisting it’s a very serious series and definitely not for kids.
It’s kinda wild.
The magic of a good kids movie is that it engages the adults too. So I mean yeah, star wars is at least on some level pretty serious.
Luke did see his adoptive aunt and uncle roasted by the government. I mean that’s pretty serious. So is genocide and torture. Three things we witness in the first hour if the first move.
I mean, on the same level of seriousness as most Disney films. Think 101 Dalmatians which is a bunch of puppies trying not to be skinned alive. Or Shrek which has torture, family separation/imprisonment (one of whom is later skinned and turned into a rug), floating eyeballs, a tyrannical monarchy etc.
And just like Star Wars, it would feel a little odd to put a gritty/serious movie in either of those universes without a dramatic retooling a la Cruella, which even then wasn’t wildly serious. In my opinion at least.
(Also, I don’t think we see any genocide in New Hope. Are you thinking the Jawas? Because that struck me as standard killing, not a “kill all Jawas.”)
Alderaan
Ahhhhh. I’d never figured they were their own race but I getchya. We don’t really have a good word for “murder a whole planet.” At least, not until GRR Martin starts writing sci fi.