See Star Wars Directed By Wes Anderson Thanks To AI
See an AI recreate Star Wars as if it was directed by Wes Anderson.
With Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City being released in a few months, the symmetrical director is top of mind lately, leading to many Anderson-inspired social media videos and AI creations. For example, this Star Wars as directed by Wes Anderson video, which depicts the balanced style the auteur is known for as well as his typical pastel color palette and sardonic narration.
Since the Star Wars by Wes Anderson video is an AI creation, it is limited in what it can do (a perfect example of how artificial intelligence is still a long way away from being able to take over for artists completely), but it does capture a few key elements that Anderson is known for, including perfectly symmetrical framing, many depictions of actors the director is known for working with, and a bit of off-beat humor.
The trailer for The Galactic Menagerie (what the AI decided to call the Star Wars-Wes Anderson creation), opens with a visual of a very pastel space hanger with a bright yellow cruiser slowly gliding toward the camera before switching to an AI-generated Princess Leia (loosely based on Scarlett Johansson) starring at the camera with nary a movement aside from her blinking eyes. Next, whimsical Star Wars-inspired frames flash across the screen while the narrator describes “a side of the Star Wars Universe you’ve never seen before” with a flat voice that sounds like an audiobook narrator. Pink Storm Troopers, teddy-bear-looking Ewoks, and Owen Wilson as Darth Vader are just a few of the delightful items the AI decided Wes Anderson would include in his depiction of a Galaxy Far, Far Away.
The fake cast for this fake Star Wars by Wes Anderson movie includes some of the director’s favorite actors, including the aforementioned Johansson as Leia, Wilson as Vader, Jeff Goldblum as The Emperor, Bill Murray as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Adrien Brody as Chewbacca, Willem Defoe as Grand Moff Tarkin, Edward Norton as Han Solo, and Timothée Chalamet as Luke Skywalker.
The plot of the AI-generated Star Wars by Wes Anderson film is a little vague, with the narrator describing how the audience will join a “rag-tag crew of unlikely heroes” to take on the emperor and steal his “artifact.” Then, a female voice (presumably Leia) ticks off a checklist of equipment needed for the adventure, including a “lightsaber, blaster, thermal detonator, paper airplane, spare parts, and R2D2.” While a male voice (presumably Luke) declares that in addition to saving the galaxy, maybe the crew will “find ourselves along the way.”
Since being posted on April 29, the Star Wars by Wes Anderson video has gone viral, but not everyone has gotten a kick out of this whimsical version of the sci-fi fantasy, with many claiming that the AI failed to capture the charm of Anderson or the adventure of Star Wars. However, while some were offended that an AI tried to rip off Anderson’s famous style and Star Wars’ famous story, others were relieved that the AI couldn’t quite capture the energy or emotion that Anderson is known for, using this video as evidence on how AI can’t replace what humans can create.
We agree with the latter opinion. While this Star Wars as directed by Wes Anderson video is a fun thought experiment of what the whimsical director could bring to a universe that he isn’t likely to ever dive into, the AI video does lack the humanity and sincerity that an actual human would bring to the cinematic arts.
