Opinion: The farce is strong with this one

During the last few months, I’ve found myself swearing at my TV during ad breaks more often than I’d like to admit.

It was only recently I read that George Lucas was intending to retire from the mainstream film business and go back to doing more creative and artistic work, citing angry fanboys and their rejection of the prequels as one of the major contributing factors to this decision.

At the time, I felt a hint of sympathy for the multibillionaire and I could see his reasons for wanting to turn his back on such spite. Put yourself in George Lucas’s shoes for just a minute, pay a visit to any online film forum and try not to feel a little disheartened by statements such as “bastard ruined my childhood with these prequels” and “he should of died when he finished Jedi back in 1983”.  Seriously, I read that once.

Anyway since reading that interview piece, I have been subjected to two god awful adverts. Both of which I’m sure are playing no part in a grander marketing scheme, to remind the average movie goer that Episode 1 is getting a 3D re-release.

The first of which is for a major car brand, in which an out of shape dog tries to get himself fit so he can chase a car down the street. Quite a quirky idea there, but then inexplicably the scene cuts to the Cantina bar from a New Hope and the whole host of Star Wars characters are sat there, debating whether it was a better than the one with that kid dressed as Darth Vader. Random, pointless and well, basically shoe horned in and blatantly put there to remind us that Star Wars is still around.

The second of which features Yoda mulling over the benefits of a mobile phone provider. Honestly, what the hell is Yoda doing here? Firstly, he is a Jedi. Jedi don’t need mobile phones, they can talk to each other through the force and failing that, they’ve got those comlinks that look like ladies razor blades (as used by Qui Gon in the Phantom Menace which is being re-released in 3D soon, if you missed that).

Now, I’m not hating on George Lucas here and I know that this sort of thing is nothing new.  But I cannot help but feel that this treatment of the Star Wars brand is somewhat tarnishing my love of the films.

It’s like hearing a song you love and hold dear to heart, being covered by someone like Jedward and from that moment onward, it forever being associated with something you downright loathe.

Films like Star Wars deserve more than this and I can’t help but feel that if they were not branded around left, right and centre as cheap marketing gimmicks and were treated with a little bit of more respect, their creator would be too.