At Star Wars Celebration, more or less the Gathering of the Scruffy Nerf Herders, George Lucas made a surprise appearance to talk about the beloved franchise he created and to continue to refuse to apologize for Jar Jar Binks. He also discussed, a bit, how he views the movie, which beyond the whole “it’s a movie for 12-year-olds” headline, is actually genuinely interesting.
Lucas, weighing in on the movies, has a rather fascinating take: In their own way, it’s him trying to explain to kids on the cusp of adulthood how to make their way through life.
“It’s a film for 12-year-olds. This is what we stand for. You’re about to enter the real world. You’re moving away from your parents. You’re probably scared, you don’t know what’s going to happen. Here’s what you should pay attention to: Friendships, loyalty, trust, doing the right thing.”
Lucas notes he’s always viewed the series as for kids, which frankly explains quite a bit of what happened before Disney came along. He also proved he’s still not over the critical drubbing the prequels got, complaining about mean critics and pointing out that kids liked them. Which, really, man, let it go. When even Disney is razzing your ideas by making your most hated character a homeless street performer with PTSD, it’s time to accept you’ll never be seen as a genius in your own time. Either that or make a sensitive drama about a haunted Jar Jar struggling for peace with his failures.
(Via Polygon)
