Love it or hate it, Star Wars is an enduring part of American culture. The film series considered by some to be a stroke of greatness by some is dubbed overrated garbage by others. With nine total films, dozens of spin-off shows and series the Star Wars franchise is literally worth billions. Toys, games, books, décor, toiletries, and clothes are just some of the countless Star Wars themed products out there. I will often use the movies for examples on other blog posts. With all this said, it is only fair that I say what I honestly think about the franchise.

Sorry Star Wars fans, but Star Wars sucks. I never would have said this even a couple of years ago, but after doing some real honest thinking on the matter, I have come to the conclusion that the entire Star Wars saga is pretty bad. There are some great moments and powerful themes, but as a whole the series is lacking. First of all the writing is repetitive, even in the original trilogy.  In both the first and third film, the main objective is the same, to blow up the Death Star, in a New Hope, and then blow up the new Death Star in Return of the Jedi.   The lack of creativeness might be forgiven if the plot holes were not so big. 'What plot holes?' you might ask. Well to name a few in The Empire Strikes Back, the old, wise Jedi, Yoda, cautions the impulsive Luke Skywalker to wait to fight the antagonist Darth Vader until he completes his training. Luke however deicides to go confront Vader in order to rescue his friends who Vader has captured and is using as bait to bring in Luke. After loosing his hand in a battle with Darth Vader, the Sith Lord revels to him that he is actually Luke's father and urges him to join the dark side. Luke however overcomes the temptation, and escapes. In the next film when Luke returns to Yoda to finish his training Yoda tells him his training is complete, and that the only thing he must do to become a Jedi is defeat Darth Vader. However only a few sentences latter he laments how Luke did not finish his training and that he had not been prepared to fight Vader. Obviously this makes no sense. Yoda urges Luke to complete his training before he confronts Vader. Then, after Luke is defeated and realizes he was not ready to fight the powerful enemy, he returns to finish his training only for Yoda to tell him his training is finished and that he must now face Vader again. That is not just a small writing flaw, it is a grave inconsistency. Similarly in one episode Obi Wan Kenobi tells Luke to, “Stretch out with your feelings, and trust your feelings” while later on he cautions Luke to "Bury your feelings deep." 

Also the Force itself seems to be confusing. It has a light and dark side, and although the Jedi are always saying to trust the force, they seemingly forget that the Force has a dark side as well that they are constantly fighting against. They are continually calling for a balance in the Force, as well as using the force as their ultimate guide on what is right and wrong. Again, that makes no sense. If there is a dark and light side, but they only use the light side, why should they completely trust the force? That takes the good vs evil out of the equation, and rather, makes one question what is the morality or inherent good about the light side, and what exactly is bad about the dark.

Although the action scenes are less dated, the prequel films have even more bad writing as well as poor, unnecessary characters. The Phantom Menace might have been a good film if not for some disastrous decisions  Childish parts like cutting back and forth between having a ten year old kid pilot a starship and destroying a battle station, and the climax lightsaber battle between the two main protagonist and villain takes the seriousness out of the first film. The next film might even be worse, with less than great acting, and a storyline to match. The romance story is considered one of the worst in film history Also the overuse of CGI made it look more like a video game than a live action film. I can't say enough bad things about this movie, it feels like it was written by a teenager. The final prequel Revenge of the Sith would have actually been a great film apart from a few terrible scenes. Like the original trilogy there are a few glaring contradictions. To name just a few examples we see Obi Wan tell another Jedi Anakin Skywalker that the reason he was elected to the Jedi high counsel was a pay-off because of close friendship with the Supreme Chancellor. Yet in the very next sentence says that the counsel will not make him a master because of his closeness to the shady politician. Later we see someone who has basically ordered Skywalker to spy on the Chancellor tell some other Jedi that it is dangerous to put the two of them, (Anakin and the Chancellor) together and that he doesn't trust Skywalker or think he can handle the assignment. 

All said the Star Wars films had some redeeming qualities and good storytelling. I would never say that the original films, Revenge of the Sith, or even parts of The Phantom Menace  are unwatchable. The same cannot be said of the last three sequel episodes.    

In 2012 George Lucas sold Star Wars to The Walt Disney Company in 2012 for $4 billion.  Fans expressed both excitement and apprehension alike that a new film trilogy would soon be coming to theaters, in addition to at least 3 and as many as 6 stand alone films. In one of the biggest film failures of history, the massive film juggernaut lost an estimated 1.5 billion on the films alone, as well as possibly the same amount on series, shows, and theme parks. Only two stand alone films were made, and the the trilogy was not well received. While the decision  to make add several non traditional, progressive characters and themes was a major source of disgust among fans, the writing of the movies was also very unoriginal and caned. It seemed that the new Star Wars films were why to similar in plot to the original films, with a wanting lack of creativity. The old francize actors were only brought back for nostalgia, killed of, and in some cases acted very different than their original characters. It seemed like instead of growing as heroes, they had backtracked from their long ago greatness. Often being showed up by their youngers as being old fashioned, bitter, and selfish. Luke for example is a old grumpy man, given up on the Jedi living alone and with little hope for the galaxy. Han Solo, another favorite from the first Star Wars films, is a deadbeat dad, who has gone back to his old life as an smuggler, after his son falls to the dark side. In turn leaving the boy's mother to deal with the grief of their son's fall from grace on her own. Almost any and all things that happened in the first 6 films are kind of just like replaced, regurgitated up by Hollywood headcases in the most uninspiring ways possible. Let's just look at the first film The Force Awakens and it's canned plotline An evil superpower order, called The First Order almost identical to the Empire of the first films, is trying to take over the galaxy by using it's new superweapon eerily similar to the Death Star in a New Hope. The main antagonist is a masked dark warrior. his master is a old, weak looked shrilled man, but extremely powerful in the dark side. The bad guy henchmen are stormtroopers, and drive and use almost the exact same gear armor and weapons of the Empire. The light side Resistance almost a carbon copy of the Rebellion plots to destroy the superweapon before it can wipe out their home base planet. I don't think any more has to be said, and I think based on all of the above mentioned reason it is fair to say that Star Was is lacking as a francize. Great films inspire, educate, entertain, and enlighten, Star Wars as best does only two of these.