Not even the pod race...

[ArcticFox]

... was actually original.

Did George Lucas come up with nothing on his own?

Pod Racing: An almost shot for shot ripoff of the chariot race in Ben Hur

[ArchAngel]

Not really. The entire plot for a new Hope is pretty much the monomyth, which, isn't a bad thing. The Hero's Journey is quite a compelling structure.

[ArcticFox]

That I can deal with. It's just that he seems to have gotten hold of the storyboards for Ben Hur, erased the chariots and replaced them with podracers, and sent it off to ILM.

[ArchAngel]

I'm willing to chalk it up to a "tribute," if he at least formulated the story properly.

[ArcticFox]

Here's a better one.

[ArchAngel]

This is just making we want to watch Ben Hur...

[Chozon1]

All I'm saying

[ccgr]

funny, thanks for sharing

[CountKrazy]

Well, it's worth noting that filmmaking is in many ways the business of theft. There's an art to tip-toeing along the line between pastiche and plagiarism, but most directors really will take explicit cues from contemporaries and forefathers. Look at Quentin Tarantino, for example. Pretty much everything in his films are a mish-mash of his many, many obscure and beloved movies. And, of course, there's the infamous axe scene from The Shining:

http://www.thescreeningroom.ca/2011/09/ ... -film.html

It all comes down to what Arch said: Is it homage or something else entirely? It could be argued that George Lucas was just paying tribute to Ben-Hur. It could be argued that he's gotten supremely lazy. Frankly, I can abide it because it was, for all intents and purposes, a fresh take on the Ben-Hur scene. But conversely, this is like... a practically shot-for-shot similarity. You always risk a lack of originality with something like that. I think it illustrates both George Lucas' skill at revitalizing a classic scene for a science fiction film, but also his generally limited vision when it comes to filmmaking (or, at least, as of the past decade). It could go both ways, I guess.

[Drewsov]

George Lucas was, I will maintain, an excellent director.

But he didn't direct anything for over twenty years, and apparently directing films isn't like riding a bike.

[CountKrazy]

Well, like I said, as of the past decade. Directing is definitely no bike ride. Granted, Terrence Malick came back to filmmaking after thirty years and hit his prime, but it could be argued that he lost all capability of a linear narrative over those thirty years. Or it could be argued that he was visited by aliens and given the poetic gift of the gods. >__>

/biased

[ArcticFox]

The reason I tend to be hard on George Lucas is because I think he receives a lot more credit than he deserves, and I think he's got an ego the size of the Death Star and that sometimes causes conflict with fans. Besides, have you ever noticed how every time someone calls Lucas out on his plagiarism, he (or a fan) defends it by calling it an homage... Well when your movie is nothing but a stream of homages from the opening scroll to the end credits...

[Chozon1]

Like...Eragon?

[ArchAngel]

Like...Eragon?

Boom goes the dynamite.
I had the hardest time getting past Lord of the Rings meets Star Wars meets Forgotten Realms meets EarthSea.

[CountKrazy]

Memories... dark memories of Eragon.