Why are STAR WARS video games so much cooler than the movies?

Why are STAR WARS video games so much cooler than the movies?

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MSNBC‘s Todd Kenreck turned it a rather insightful video on their site, asking a question many STAR WARS fans may be asking as well.  Lately, with incredibly awesome video games like THE FORCE UNLEASHED II and THE OLD REPUBLIC, which both feature wildly imaginative and crazy cool cinematic cut scenes, one can’t help but wonder how the game designers got so right what many believe George Lucas got so wrong.  Let’s face it, with a few years under our belts to think it over, the STAR WARS prequels just weren’t that satisfying.  Oh sure, they had some nicely done special effects, and a few interesting characters, but the overall presentation was less than stellar.  And after the 16-year gap between the original trilogy and the prequels, you’d think things would be beyond anything we ever could have hoped for.  Instead, we were given sporadically cool moments in otherwise mediocre and misguided films.  Do I hate the prequels?  No.  Do I love them?  No.  As is so eloquently presented in the Alexandre Philipe documentary THE PEOPLE VS. GEORGE LUCAS (my review of that here), as frustrated as we are with the STAR WARS creator for his most recent three cinematic efforts, he is still (after all) the man who gave us the original movies, and therefore has earned some automatic forgiveness.  But if you’ve seen the cinematics from the latest Lucasfilm-based games, there’s no denying how they’re levels above anything we saw in the prequels, and undoubtedly have us all asking “Why couldn’t George do THAT on the big screen?”  Is it too late?  Could Lucas do the most radical and most appropriate move of all and let the people who crafted the games take their shot at a big screen movie?  Is there really no one within earshot of this guy who will say “NO!” anymore?  The video below asks that question, and well I might add.  When I first saw the trailer for THE FORCE UNLEASHED II, with my buddy Sam Witwer kicking all kinds of ass, I felt exactly what Todd is feeling.  Maybe now that he’s shouting it to the world, someone out there in Lucasland will listen… maybe.

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About the Author

Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff.