How to destroy a successful franchise in two steps

..and why not?
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GoogaMooga
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How to destroy a successful franchise in two steps

Postby GoogaMooga » 11 Dec 2018, 16:30

"Star Wars" was the bee's knees for about four years. By the time of Ewoks, it was the beginning of the end. Popularity, universality, and overexposure will paradoxically end up destroying the franchise. Face it, if it hadn't been for the dramatic ending in "Return of the Jedi", fans wouldn't have come back for more...

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Any fans?

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"I can feel your anger."

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J.J. Abrams is such a big fan of Star Wars that initially, he refused offers to direct another entry in the series.

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"When the desert comes, people will be sad; just as Cannery Row was sad when all the pilchards were caught and canned and eaten." - John Steinbeck

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Darkness_Fish
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Re: How to destroy a successful franchise in two steps

Postby Darkness_Fish » 11 Dec 2018, 17:10

Yeah, I'm glad they destroyed that franchise, and we never heard of it again.

Close call.

To be honest, I thought the ewoks were alright. It's having the same ending as the first film that was a bit shit.
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algroth
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Re: How to destroy a successful franchise in two steps

Postby algroth » 11 Dec 2018, 18:18

Darkness_Fish wrote:To be honest, I thought the ewoks were alright. It's having the same ending as the first film that was a bit shit.


Death Star exploding and dogfights aside, it was hardly the same ending though. The ending is absolutely in the confrontation between Luke, Vader and Sidious, and it's all in the closure of Vader's arc via means of his "redemption" and whatnot. There's nothing like that in the first film.

I thought the ewoks were a bit shit, but I don't think the franchise has ever been killed. Even now there's undoubtedly more stories being planned in that setting as either spin-offs or sequels to the Skywalker saga in the film canon alone, let alone the extended universe as presented through novels, videogames, comic books, and even fanfic as well. Far as I'm concerned the best Star Wars story that I've come across is Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, and yes, I include Empire in this statement. That the franchise is uneven, as demonstrated time and time again, hardly means that it has no longer anything to tell or give or that it can't at the very least sporadically give birth to some excellent bit of entertainment.

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GoogaMooga
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Re: How to destroy a successful franchise in two steps

Postby GoogaMooga » 11 Dec 2018, 20:28

I don't have the necessary statistics to back up my claim, but I have noticed that even diehards are fleeing this particular sinking ship. They pissed off a lot of fans with Ewoks and Jar Jar, and then they continue to alienate fans with the latest offerings. The three prequels were really quite dreadful, with or without that goofy Jar Jar, and I only bought the next two DVDs because of the return to the old cast. I have lost track of where we are at now, with spin-offs, prequels, and sequels, and the comic book universe is even more bewildering. At one point there was even an organized neo-religion based on Star Wars. I do think such hysteria is over now, and as a global phenomenon, there is not much left of the cult factor. Star Wars these days is strictly squaresville. Many fans have moved on, and LEGO has taken over.
Last edited by GoogaMooga on 12 Dec 2018, 04:00, edited 1 time in total.
"When the desert comes, people will be sad; just as Cannery Row was sad when all the pilchards were caught and canned and eaten." - John Steinbeck

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Re: How to destroy a successful franchise in two steps

Postby bobzilla77 » 11 Dec 2018, 21:34

If by "diehards" you mean "preteen kids who buy up all those toys", they are not as hard to please as you might imagine.
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GoogaMooga
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Re: How to destroy a successful franchise in two steps

Postby GoogaMooga » 11 Dec 2018, 21:40

bobzilla77 wrote:If by "diehards" you mean "preteen kids who buy up all those toys", they are not as hard to please as you might imagine.


Yeah, they are a given. I meant more serious, older fans.
"When the desert comes, people will be sad; just as Cannery Row was sad when all the pilchards were caught and canned and eaten." - John Steinbeck

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Re: How to destroy a successful franchise in two steps

Postby Quaco » 12 Dec 2018, 01:55

There have been eight movies since the ewoks. It didn't die with them! Some of the films haven't been as good as others, but the thing is going strong. It's easy to lose track because it's now a world unto itself, with no signs of ever ceasing.
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BARON CORNY DOG
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Re: How to destroy a successful franchise in two steps

Postby BARON CORNY DOG » 12 Dec 2018, 02:43

GoogaMooga wrote:
bobzilla77 wrote:If by "diehards" you mean "preteen kids who buy up all those toys", they are not as hard to please as you might imagine.


Yeah, they are a given. I meant more serious, older fans.


There are no serious fans of Star Wars.
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GoogaMooga
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Re: How to destroy a successful franchise in two steps

Postby GoogaMooga » 12 Dec 2018, 04:02

LeBaron wrote:
GoogaMooga wrote:
bobzilla77 wrote:If by "diehards" you mean "preteen kids who buy up all those toys", they are not as hard to please as you might imagine.


Yeah, they are a given. I meant more serious, older fans.


There are no serious fans of Star Wars.


Ha ha, true in a way, certainly serious science fiction fans can see through the franchise as being nothng but space opera.
"When the desert comes, people will be sad; just as Cannery Row was sad when all the pilchards were caught and canned and eaten." - John Steinbeck

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Re: How to destroy a successful franchise in two steps

Postby GoogaMooga » 12 Dec 2018, 04:15

Quaco wrote:There have been eight movies since the ewoks. It didn't die with them! Some of the films haven't been as good as others, but the thing is going strong. It's easy to lose track because it's now a world unto itself, with no signs of ever ceasing.


In pop culture, only Disney is approaching the centenary mark. Star Wars is now in its 41st year, which is remarkable, in as much as Lucas' vision of a cycle of nine films was originally given up on. When I wrote "destroy", I meant more in the way of artistic or cultural integrity, whatever drew people to the first two films back in 77 and 80. I think, judging by fan response, that we are seeing the first death throes of the whole thing. The comics are only selling in the tens of thousands, as are most Marvels, and the movies have lost focus. Something as big as Star Wars, it's not enough to break even. A substantial profit is expected. Part of the magic of the first two was the freshness of it all and a cast that we cared about. Without Alec Guinness, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and (voice) James Earl Jones, the soap opera element is gone, the human element, which is so necessary.
"When the desert comes, people will be sad; just as Cannery Row was sad when all the pilchards were caught and canned and eaten." - John Steinbeck


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