Date for STAR WARS EPISODE 1: THE PHANTOM MENACE Set

Abusive relationships. We have all seen them in our times. My own experiences have been those I observed mostly from having a lot of girl friends back in high school that apparently had low self-esteem. Is this a little too real for a movie news blurb? Not really when you consider the relationship that George Lucas has been having with fans of the STAR WARS trilogy.



Today the omnipotent starwars.com reported: Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox announced today that the 3D theatrical launch of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace now has an official release date -- February 10, 2012! Set against the thrilling and exotic backdrop of a "galaxy far, far away," Star Wars is perfectly suited to the immersive 3D theatrical experience, and Episode I delivers some of the Saga's most stunning and spectacular sequences -- from the Naboo invasion to the Tatooine Podraces to the climactic lightsaber battle between Darth Maul and the Jedi.
Supervised by Industrial Light & Magic, the meticulous conversion is being done with utmost respect for the source material, and with a keen eye for both technological considerations and artistic intentions.

As a guy that will have a few STAR WARS tattoos in a while, I feel pretty mixed about this announcement. I love the idea of having the chance to see the STAR WARS in the big screen again. I haven't had a chance to do so since they did the atrocious Special Editions (Han shot first!!!!) back in the day while I was battling the flu. And since I'm not a super cool dude from Austin, and I can't get a 35 mm print of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, I love this.

On the other hand, I am so sick and tired of the blatant corporates thinking in regards to the STAR WARS saga. We get it George; you can't come up with anything else but the Force and tiny green beings with infinite wisdom (stop it guys, Jonesy isn't green), but stop trying to cash in on this beloved franchise. People are up in arms with the potential bastardization of the wonderful BLADE RUNNER franchise in the near future. But yet, thanks to all of the Laserdisc, VHS, DVD, and the upcoming Blu-ray releases of the franchise, STAR WARS feels like an artistically cheap money making machine, and that makes me sad.

Regardless, the 3D up-conversion is coming and there's nothing we can do about it. So let's prepare. I for one, will not be there. I'd rather not support George Lucas' further attempts to milk the cash cow. I'm pretty bummed it got to this point. 

Tweet