Random Thoughts

Is Brett Ratner the next George Lucas?

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• Posted on May 31, 2006

Okay, I was thinking about this today, and it kind of makes sense to me. Now, when I say that Brett Ratner may be the next George Lucas, what I mean by that is the way he directs is similar, not that he is revolutionary to moviemaking. If you look at the creative control that Lucas had in the last 3 Star Wars movies and compare them to the newest X-Men movie, it is quite similar. They are very special effects intensive, and fun movies. But they are both fault-heavy. I mean, even though the overall idea is really good, the execution is a little less than perfect. If you have seen X-Men 3, you will notice that the writing and acting is very sub-par. Now, not all of it is that way. You can tell who the seasoned actors are by how well they do making the character that they are playing be who they need to be, even though the director isn’t giving them the direction that they need to flesh out the role.
Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart are very strong in their roles in the latest X-Men movie, and you can tell that they are very strong actors who don’t need the direction that the younger or less experienced actors need. It was the same way in Episodes 1-3 of the Star Wars trilogy because George Lucas, though he may be a visionary, is not a director. He is a big thinker who doesn’t want to be burdened with the worries of acting. So he gives the lines and an overall idea of the scene and lets the actors go. This is never more evident than with Anakin and Padme in the second two Star Wars. They are fairly new to the business, so they need someone to give them the motivation and direction that they need to be effective in the roles that they are given. Then there is someone like Ewan McGregor who does a great job in every movie he is in and is a seasoned veteran who doesn’t need the same amount of care, so he does a solid job in the roles he is given. And the same goes for Samuel L. Jackson. He is a strong actor and it shows in the Star Wars movies because he is a high point in the acting category.
Because, when there is a problem with Halle Berry’s acting style in a movie, then you know that something is terribly wrong because she is an academy award winning actress. And it is a problem in the newest X-Men. You have her delivering terrible lines and not making an effort at all to deliver them with emotion. And the same goes for Hugh Jackman. They have been in the business for a little while, but they haven’t had to carry the burden of putting a movie on their backs and carrying it. This shows in X-Men 3. I loved the movie as a fun film, but the acting and writing are so bad that it makes you wonder just where the line is between what the actor is able to do and what the director allows them to do.
This is my rant. If you have any comments, add them to the comments of this post. I would love to hear what some other people think about it.