Plinket's argument about the main character is retarded. A number of characters could qualify, but the main protagonist in ep1 is clearly obi-wan. I like how he has a list as long as an ithorian's neck of directors for whom this rule he just pulled out of his ass doesn't apply.
What's Obi-Wan's arc? Yeah, he doesn't have one--he's gone for half the film. Qui-Gon is the closest thing to a protagonist we see. But even that's weak, he is missing a lot of the elements that are typically part of the very basic protagonist.
And yes, certain directors can get away without a main character. Certain directors can also get away without using a 3 act structure, too. But that generally isn't a good idea if your film making mantra is spectacle (Which is what George's IS, it's literally what him and the producer for the original movies argued over, and what eventually lead to them parting ways in Return.)...Long and short though, if the focus of your films is spectacle, hoping to wow the audience with visuals and captivate them with the eye candy, then you want the simplest,
most effectivekind of "structure" for your movie (RMI brought this up with Titanic--Cameron might just be a genius at using effective film making to tell stories that resonate with the broadest audiences..Mcdonalds of film). There is literally a formula for that that is taught in first year film school because it is extremely
effective.That formula is known as the classic three act structure (A long build up of tension, then the failure or lowest point, and finally a big push at the end.) 90% of the movies
you have ever watched, if you think about it,
follow this.
Star Wars was such a good film because it was about spectacle and used the most basic, "best practices" of movie making and story telling. Basic Hero's Journey tale, in a tried and true three act structure...Absolutely no frills, nothing fancy, just what is absolutely known to work. The prequels were fucked because he actually tried something a lot more complex; and he just does not having the story telling chops to pull it off. He wants to be Stanley Kubrik but he's just
not. But yes,
there are people whoCANpull it off(The list they gave was describing that), Lucas is not one of them...And you can almost see in the prequels its his attempt to enter that world. He's older now and fancies himself more an artist than a show man, and he wanted to do what his friends, like Coppola, could do. But that's not his wheelhouse, he sucks at it. (Dumb analogy? Removing a human heart and replacing it with another? Totally possible. But just because I can name X super star surgeon who can do it, Hoss, doesn't mean I'm bullshitting you when I tell you that your family doctor would kill you if he tried.)
I mean, I feel bad for the guy, his strength, the "spectacle" of movie making? Has become easier and easier and easier over the decades thanks to CGI...If you think about it, in the 70's, things were the opposite. "Real" looking special effects like in the originals? Were
far far rarer than even great stories, aside from 2001 and a very small handful of films, the kind of effects Lucas had were
unheardof...Meanwhile, really great
stories and characters, while not common, were common enough that hundreds of movies existed with them. However, now, realistic special effects are in
hundredsof movies, and are so common they've grown boring, spectacle is literally a base line we expect now. But great characters and compelling stories are
stilluncommon, in fact they seem even rare now thanks to the far greater amount of movies being made each year due to technology facilitating more production (The vast majority of them being shitty). So the "story" element of movies have become what defines them, where as before the spectacle might have arguably have been defining (And it is arguable that the spectacle of it is what made Star Wars the iconic movie it was).
It must be like us watching MMO's go casual, its heart breaking. Lucas is literally a movie neck beard who is trolling people because he hates the direction movies have gone, where his strengths are growing easier and more ubiquitous in films, so anyone can do it, meanwhile shit he was never good at is now whats rare and sought after.
