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March 22, 2005

11:08 am | 0 recommendations | 9 comments

Furious at George

| posted by Kevin Ohannessian

Is George Lucas biting the hand that feeds him, again? Many fans of Star Wars were glad to hear that Episode III was going to be PG-13. Maybe this final installment will make everyone forget about the awful Episode I and the only adequate Episode II. But, at ShoWest, where Hollywood studios woo theater owners to carry their films, he announced he would be re-releasing the original trilogy again to the big screen. The plan is to start in 2007 with the 30th anniversary of the first Star Wars. Only, this time, it will be in 3D!

Give me a break. Many fans feel burned by Lucas and his continual repackaging of the Star Wars films. He released them to video with a cleaned up picture in '94. Then in '97 he released them to theaters and home video as Special Editions. Many fans did not like the changes he made to the films. Last year he released the original trilogy again, this time to DVD. And there were more changes. And more fans were angry. And now he is going to do it all again?

George needs to listen to what I'm about to say. A company can't keep repackaging the same product with only minimal changes; especially when the product is of an artistic nature. There has to be real innovation, not just tweaking. Maybe the rehashes will sell and make a decent profit. But, you will also leave your hardcore users feeling burned and they may not buy your next big product. Early-adopters and fanatical followers want to be wowed. I didn't buy Star Wars on DVD and I probably won't see these proposed 3D monstrosities. Doesn't it matter, Mr. Lucas, how many fans you are alienating?

Tags: Work/Life, culture
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Recent Comments | 9 Total

March 22, 2005 at 12:11pm

Chris Houchens
Classic example of poorly executed brand over-extension. I don't think he's doing it to enhance the Star Wars brand...I think he just enjoys monkeying (or wookie-ing) around with the films. The folks on the business side of distribution should see that he's running it into the ground....but as with most companies and their brands..."Let's just see if we can get ONE more egg out of the goose". Same thing is happening right now with Coke. Their announcement of "Coke Zero" will have zero effect except to negatively impact the brand. You can only expand so much before people start saying "What??" Coke should have been thankful that C2 didn't kill Diet Coke...Zero will hurt Diet Coke especially now that Pepsi has decided to reinvent the marketing for Diet Pepsi. Another classic example while I'm ranting is Pizza Hut. How many variations of cheese and tomato sauce on bread can R&D dream up?? The dollars to promote these fringe products draws away from the core.
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March 22, 2005 at 1:45pm

Clash City
I'd pay to see Star Wars in 3D.
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March 22, 2005 at 3:43pm

KEITH KINKLE
HE WROTE IT, HE CAN DO WHAT HE WANTS TO WITH IT.
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March 22, 2005 at 4:40pm

Hebitsuikaza
Well, if one can make more money by giving a face-lift to an old movie than by making a new movie, this means there is more demand for the repackaged old movie than the new movie. Once it becomes more profitable to make a new movie (which means it has to make enough over the cost of production than the old repackaged movie) then we will see new movies. This is how capitalism works, complaining about it isn't going to make a difference. Not going to see the 3-D versions and spending your money on newer movies will. But enough people have to go along with you before that will cause the studios to shift gears.
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Special Editions?