The Clone Wars

The new Star Wars, umm, film "The Clone Wars" has opened to very negative reviews, part of this because this generation is experiencing their "Battlestar Galactica" moment.

In 1978 in response to the original Star War's success, the makers of the original "Battlestar Galactica" television series decided to cash in.

They released, in Canada and Europe but not in the U.S., a *theatrical* version of the show. Only it wasn't really a movie, but 2 episodes stuck back to back and thrown up on the big screen. It wasn't even in widescreen format...

Needless to say, this was noticeable at the time, as one hour long story wrapped up only to have another begin.

This experience (yes I was one of the suckers) soured me on Battlestar for years.

Seems Lucas & Co. have pulled the same stunt on Star Wars fans with "The Clone Wars".

via aintitcool.com:

It takes the premise of an epic, big-screen movie series and downscales everything (the ideas, the special effects, the music, the dramatic stakes) to children's-television size. But then, for whatever reason, Lucas and Warner Bros. decided to project this downscaled version of "Star Wars" back up on a big screen -- and they want you to pay to see it.

Read more here.

The fans who first saw "Star Wars" as children, and are now disillusioned adults have really missed the mark:

I found "Clone Wars" depressing because of the sense of finality it created among the older "Star Wars" fans at my screening: Whatever emotional investment we had in "Star Wars" as the prequels unfolded is absolutely over. "Star Wars" is no longer even trying to be clunky big-budget cinematic mythmaking: It's an episodic TV show that sells toys.

Lucus, Star Wars, the lot, have *always* been a factory for the selling of merchandise...always. In the late 70's, before the release of "The Empire Strikes Back", "Star Wars" was viewed as mainly a kids' film, well made no doubt, but first and foremost a kids' film. Shelves were flooded with Star Wars crap from day one.

So current 30 something fans are realizing for the first time something older viewers knew all along.

He's only in it for the money.

Sucks growing up, doesn't it?