Tough Sithuation: 'Star Wars' Fanatics Loathe the Prequels
But They Still Watch Them
Over and Over and Over;
'Hope Springs Eternal'
Jeff Yankey , a 32-year-old mutual-fund employee, has 200 Star Wars action figures in his Noblesville, Ind., home. His closet is full of Star Wars costumes, ranging from Royal Guard to Slave Leia. He met his wife through the 501st Legion, a Star Wars fan club, and their wedding featured groomsmen dressed as the movie's white-suited stormtroopers.
But Mr. Yankey carries a dark secret within him: He thinks the recent Star Wars prequels are lame. "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace," released in 1999, contained "a lot of mistakes," he says, including a protagonist, 9-year-old Anakin Skywalker, too young to relate to an older audience. Three years later, he found that "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones," was bogged down by a "shaky" love story and didn't arouse his interest until the battle scenes at the very end. He went in with high expectations, but in the end, he says, "I wasn't really that thrilled about it."
Nevertheless, Mr. Yankey says he has seen both of those movies between 10 and 20 times, three times in a theater and many more on the DVD versions he owns. So he's been dying to see the final chapter of the Star Wars saga premiering today, "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith."
Jeff and Lisa Yankey at their Star Wars-themed wedding reception.
Mr. Yankey embodies a riddle that might give Yoda fits: Why do the Star Wars faithful continue to invest themselves in the franchise, even though many die-hards pretty thoroughly dislike what they have seen on screen since creator George Lucas brought the series out of mothballs in the late 1990s?
"It's not forgive, it's forget," says Mr. Yankey, who says the three original Star Wars movies, made in the '70s and '80s, were an indelible part of his childhood. "So we're willing to just forget Episode I and II because of Episode IV, V and VI."
Indeed, "Phantom Menace" and "Clones" are two of the most panned blockbuster movies in memory, savaged by critics and fans alike. The New Yorker magazine called Phantom "a work of almost unrelieved awfulness." The Los Angeles Times called it "ponderous and plodding," with dialogue that is "deadening."
And yet "Sith" arrives in theaters with the expectation that it will help break Hollywood out of its recent box-office slump. Most movie franchises don't get this much slack. But with its 28-year history and more than $3.4 billion in world-wide box-office receipts, Star Wars is a phenomenon with deep personal significance.
"Star Wars is something that...far transcends entertainment," says culture critic Neal Gabler. Audiences "have come to see this in terms of their own psychological growth," he says, and "part of their intergenerational link between themselves and their children."
Many adult fans have fond memories of seeing the original "Star Wars" in theaters back in 1977, when Mr. Lucas first piqued their interest with awesome special effects and a gripping tale of good vs. evil. Then came another crucial group of Star Wars geeks: the first generation to grow up with videocassette recorders. Starting in the '80s, they were able to watch the movies over and over at home.
As the last of the six chapters now arrives, the old-timers are tied up in a knot of childhood memories, cultural obsession, and loyalty both to Mr. Lucas and fellow fans who have become friends or family along the way. Many would be relieved to see Mr. Lucas pull out a spectacular finish after the misfires in Episodes I and II.
"The psychology is: Hope springs eternal," says Jim Fisher, a consultant for Citigroup Inc. who runs the fan site jedinet.com. He was given the original videotapes at age 4 or 5 by his grandfather and watched them many times as he was growing up in Oxford, Pa. Chris Holoka, a Web master at an electronic-archive company in Ann Arbor, Mich., first saw "Star Wars" as a second-grader and the movies and toys soon became a childhood passion.
These fans have dutifully sat through repeat viewings of the recent Star Wars episodes, only to be left with a troubling realization. "It wasn't really until about the sixth time that it sunk in that there was something wrong with the movie," says Mr. Fisher, 25, speaking of "Phantom Menace." Of course, he got an adrenaline rush from seeing the first new Star Wars film in 16 years. But, he says, "for most of the movie, I was completely bored." Nonetheless, he saw it three more times in a theater.
Mr. Holoka, a 33-year-old father with two teenage daughters who have become fans, felt that the story was "complicated" and that its central premise, about an interplanetary trade dispute, "wasn't very fulfilling." Moreover, he found that the movie's attempt at comic relief -- with elements such as the hapless, Caribbean-accented animated character Jar Jar Binks and moments of scatological humor -- fell flat. "It was juvenile humor, talking down to the audience," he says. Still, Mr. Holoka saw "Phantom Menace" twice in theaters and plans to attend a midnight showing of "Revenge of the Sith" with his kids this week -- even though his involvement with two major fan sites already got him into an early screening. "I'll go in to work bleary-eyed, and tough it out," he says.
Philip Wise scored an early copy of the original video in 1982 by renting it and then not returning it to the video store. He paid a $100 lost-video penalty to keep the tape. "I still have that Beta and the receipt," he says.
Mr. Wise, now 51, works full time in Southlake, Texas, running theforce.net and a Star Wars collector site called rebelscum.com. He, too, was unhappy with Episode I, which he thought suffered from an overly complicated story line and wooden acting. "I saw Episode I really really early, so everyone wanted to know what I thought," he remembers, "and I couldn't tell them the truth -- which was that it wasn't a very good movie."
Yet Mr. Wise says the Star Wars community is so tight that it doesn't even actually need new product to thrive and survive. "I think that people could continue to love Star Wars even if there weren't more movies," he says. "It's just such a common ground among lots of people."
Executives at Lucasfilm Ltd. point out that "The Phantom Menace" took in $431 million at the box office in the U.S., making it one of the highest-grossing films of all time. "Attack of the Clones" grossed $311 million.
"For people that aren't very happy, those are huge numbers," says Jim Ward, who runs marketing, distribution and online business at Lucasfilm. "At the end of the day, the great thing is that they care enough to express their point of view and debate it...and engage continually with the Star Wars brand."
Heading into the release of "Sith" -- the story's pivotal chapter, in which Anakin is transformed into the evil Darth Vader -- hopes are high that Mr. Lucas will satisfy all camps. Some early reviews have been upbeat, with critics praising the movie as Mr. Lucas's best since the first trilogy wrapped in 1983.
Still, Mr. Fisher, who planned to make the hour-long drive from Oxford to the King of Prussia mall late last night, for a 12:01 a.m. Thursday screening, is nervous. "If it doesn't deliver, I'm going to be really disappointed," he says. But, he adds: "It might very well be the best movie experience I've ever had."
星战迷对《星战前传》爱恨交织
32岁的杰夫?杨奇(Jeff Yankey)在一家共同基金公司工作，在他印地安那州Noblesville市的家中，珍藏著200个“星球大战”(Star Wars)中的人物模型；他的衣柜里挂满了“星球大战”电影中的服装，从皇家卫队服到里亚奴隶装，让人眼花缭乱。他通过星战迷俱乐部“501军团”(501st Legion)和妻子认识，甚至在他们的婚礼上，伴郎们也身穿电影中暴风战士的白色盔甲登场。
但杨奇内心深处有这样一个想法：他觉得“星战前传”前两部曲实在令人难以满意：1999年公映的《星战前传：幽灵的威胁》中存在“大量错误”，作为主角的九岁的天行者阿纳金(Anakin Skywalker)也年轻得让星战迷们无法接受。三年后，他发现《星战前传2：克隆人的进攻》讲述了一个经不起推敲的爱情故事，直到片尾的战争场面才让他找回一点星战感觉。进电影院前他抱著很高的期望，最后却根本“没什么激动的感觉”。
不过，杨奇说“星战前传”系列的头两部电影他已经看了十几遍，其中在电影院里看了三遍，又在家里看了很多次DVD版本，所以他迫不及待地想看到2005年5月19日全球公映的三部曲的终结篇《星战前传3：西斯的复仇》。
杨奇内心也有一个迷惑：星战导演乔治?卢卡斯(George Lucas)在90年代末将“星球大战”推陈出新，但众多老牌星战迷们却非常不喜欢“星战前传”系列，但为何新的前传推出后他们仍会前去捧场呢？
“原因不在于人们原谅了前两部作品的拙劣之处，而在于人们愿意忘记它。”杨奇说道。“星球大战”三部曲拍摄于二十世纪七、八十年代，成为杨奇这代人难以磨灭的一段童年记忆。“我们愿意忘记“星战前传”前两部的失败，因为我们心中有原先“星球大战”三部曲的存在。”
事实上，《幽灵的威胁》和《克隆人的进攻》是人们记忆中最失败两部的好莱坞大片，引来影评人士和星战迷的恶评如潮。《纽约人杂志》(New Yorker)称《幽灵的威胁》是一部“由不可救药的无数败笔组成的作品”，《洛杉叽时报》(Los Angeles Times)说它“冗长无味”，对白“闷得死人”。
不过，人们对《西斯的复仇》仍抱有很高的期待，认为其有望打破近期好莱坞电影票房惨淡的低迷局面。大多数系列电影无法达到星战这样的高度。整整27年的电影历程以及超过34亿美元的全球累计票房收入，使“星球大战”系列成为一个搭载著深厚人文情怀的电影奇迹。
“星战的意义远远超越了娱乐范畴，”文化评论人士尼尔?盖伯乐(Neal Gabler)说道，“观众是从自身心理成长历程的角度来欣赏该星战电影，而且这些影片也成为跨越代沟将他们与自己孩子联系起来的纽带。”
许多成年的星战迷都非常怀念1977年在电影院里观看“星球大战”的时光，卢卡斯凭借高超的电影特效和扣人心弦的正邪斗争情节，第一次抓住了他们的心。随后另一组重要的星战迷群体也成长起来，那就是通过录象带观看星战电影的第一代人。从80年代初开始，他们能够通过录象带在家一遍又一遍地反复欣赏“星球大战”。
随著星战终结篇的公映，老牌星战迷们再次激动起来，这里既有对童年的回忆，又有对星战文化的痴迷，还有对卢卡斯的忠诚，以及对已成为朋友或家人的其他星战迷的一份共鸣。许多人希望看到卢卡斯在经历了星战前传头两部的失败后，最终给整个系列划上一个令人满意的句号。
这些星战迷们艰难地反复观看了近期的“星战前传”，但一次又一次地感到困惑。“没看几遍，我就觉得这片子有不对劲的地方。”25岁的费舍对《幽灵的威胁》如此评价道。当然，当年他也是激动万分地跑去看“星战前传”，与阔别了16年的星战系列再次亲密接触，但“看片子的大部分时间里，我都觉得很无聊。”即使如此，他还是去电影院看了三遍。
菲利浦?怀斯(Philip Wise)珍藏著1982年的一盘“星球大战”早期录象带，这是他从租片店里租的，但再也没还回去过，为此他还付了100美金的罚款。“我至今还保留著那张罚款收据。”他说道。
51岁的怀斯在德克萨斯州经营著一个“原力”网站(theforce.net)以及一个叫rebelscum.com的星战纪念品收集网站。他也同样对星战前传第一章不太满意，觉得故事情节太过复杂，演员表演木讷。“我很早就看到了那部电影，大家都问我感觉如何，”他回忆道，“我没办法告诉他们实情──那个片子真不怎么样。”
卢卡斯电影公司(Lucasfilm Ltd.)的负责人指出，《幽灵的威胁》在美国实现了4.31亿美元的票房收入，成为有史以来票房最高的电影之一。《克隆人的进攻》也创收票房3.11亿美元。
“如果有人对影片不满意，那看看票房数字可能会有另外的想法。”卢卡斯电影公司负责营销、渠道和在线业务的吉姆?沃德(Jim Ward)说道，“不管怎么说，大家对影片都很在意，愿意表达他们的观点并展开讨论，继续星球大战这一品牌的一部分。”
《西斯的复仇》是“星战前传”的关键一章，阿纳金将从绝地武士转变成邪恶的黑骑士。人们对影片寄予很高期望，认为卢卡斯这次能打动所有的人。影片内部观摩时获得的一些评价都很积极，影评人士认为这是卢卡斯自1983年“星球大战”三部曲完成后的最佳作品。
费舍先生计划在5月19日公映那天，开一个小时车去看凌晨开始的首场电影。他心情很紧张，“如果还不好看，那我真的会很失望。”他说道，“不过，也有很大可能这次能让我好好过把瘾。”
