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Ok guys, you’ve kept us waiting long enough! What did you think?
I’ve not seen it yet but a couple of geezers at work have and they say that they were pleasantly surprised (both agreed it was better than eps 1 & 2).
What did you think?
Seen ROTS just last evening. To be quite honest, I am somewhat disappointed, although I do not think it is completely the fault of George Lucas.
First of all, most of us entered the cimena knowing how the story will end, and that certainly does not help the cimematic experience! Sadly enough, as most reviews have pointed out, I think the main problem about episode lll is that it is all about special effects, and very little about good story telling, something which was not the case with the original trilogy.
I can think of several memorable scenes in episodes IV to VI, while I suspect episode lll will soon fade away as a blur of special effects.
Incidentally, one of the recurring themes in George Lucas interviews is that he regrets not having had, at the time of the original sequels, the special effects machinary of ILM that he has today. I now realise that that was a blessing in disguise, as the prequels have degenerated into a showcase of special effects without a decent storyline (compare that with the original sequels).
So ILM are the leaders in cinematic special effects. So what! Thank god this was the last Lucas starwars movie. Unless the storywriting improves at least to the level of episode lV, I hope never to see an episode Vll 🙁
Headgehog wrote:I was pleasantly surprised. But since I was expecting the utter crap that was Episode II, it was easy to be happy with what was produced.
Line reading wasn’t nearly as prevalent in this movie, despite a monumental effort by Hayden Christianson to repeat his “performance” from the second movie. The direction was still pretty bad, but not the same level of awful as it’s predecessor.
Ranting aside, the story was a nice end to the prequel trilogy. It really helped to flesh out the flesh out the universe and it explained how they went from a utopian republic to the despotic empire. It makes me want to go back and rewatch the entire series (except episode 2 which will always suck), just to see how the politics unfold. And any parrallels to today’s situations are merely coincidental?
I can’t comment on special effects. Despite arriving an hour early for the movie (Wednesday night at midnight), I STILL ended up front row center. I only saw about 75% of the screen, and any special effects seems were sort of blurred for me. I’ll rewatch it in a few weeks, when I can get a decent seat (and be bale to show up 20 minutes after the film “started”, y’know when the previews are ending). From what my eyes could make out, they looked good, but occasionally overdone. The background shots were often the best, and did the most to convey the universe. Not the blatant foreground stuff that was done to show off, which ultimately didn’t work.
I thought the Palpatine scenes were the best. Following that character was probably the highlight of the film. Anyone else think that he showed Anakin all of his cards a bit too quickly?
Also I swear the whole twin births and Anakin’s vision of (self fulfilling) prophecy of thier birth was ripped from Dune Messiah.
carup008 wrote:Paradoxically, the huge box office success of episode lll is starting to worry me. Star war movies have always been industry trendsetters, and the message coming from this movie is – if it’s Scifi, forget about a good script, just concentrate on the special effects and you will make bucketloads of money!
I do NOT want future Scifi movies to degenerate into glorified video games 😯
carup008 wrote:
the main problem about episode lll is that it is all about special effects, and very little about good story telling, something which was not the case with the original trilogy.
Sorry but I would disagree with this, there’s more dialogue in IV- VI, but definately not better story telling.
Lucas – as I’ve said before, is a hack storyteller – that he managed to do so well, IMHO, with Ep 3 was pleasantly surprising.Aside from the fact that Hayden and Natalie don’t have much screen chemistry and the Miss Saigon “NO” I could ahve done without-
Ewan McGregor – overcomes Lucas to develop Obi Wan magnificently – I think even to the point of practically channeling Alec Guinness in some moments. That was one of my favs of the film- so much Obi Wan!!! And of course watching Yoda fight the new Emperor. Great scene in the senate chamber.Headgehog- I agree with you :
I thought the Palpatine scenes were the best. Following that character was probably the highlight of the film. Anyone else think that he showed Anakin all of his cards a bit too quickly?
The levels of manipulation he applies to tap into Anakin’s insecurity is amazing.
And Lucas also came out and said the politics can be read in relation to the current American climate. Touche!
Lots of good stuff and bad in the film- really psyched to see it again!
OMFG! Were the first 30 or 40 minutes of this a snooze factor or what? This time it was not theSpouse, be me who was in danger of falling asleep. Which is not to say that the visuals were not great. They were. I was sitting near the top of a theater with stadium seating, and it looked wonderful. Especially the busy, busy city scenes. But the problems with the dialog so bad that theSpouse, who normally pays no attention to anything not action related, leaned over to ask me, “Who writes this crap?”
I hated Christian Hayden in the last movie, pouting, whining and a braid thingy can only get you so far in this life. But I have to admit that I only got interested in III when Anakin started his downward slide. Who knew the boy could do tortured angst mixed with grim determination so well? I agree however that the slide to pure evil was way too quick and the setup for it was flimsy. How much you want to bet we see more of the seduction of Anakin in the director’s cut?
My pick for best scenes? When he is happily outlining his plans for making Padme an empress and then sees Obi Wan at the top of the ship’s ramp. He goes from ‘Next Dictator of the Universe’ happy to a very good mindless rage mixed with hurt betrayal.
But the winner is when he goes to the Jedi tower with the clone troops. The lowered brow, sideways glance look of resigned determination right before he takes out the kiddies. You could just see him thinking. Okay…. This is despicable, but by golly if I am going to do this evil sith lord stuff, I am going to do it right.
Any hooo, that’s what I think. I went from, “this is just like II and I will never watch this again. To, “Okay… so I will have to fast forward a bit once I get the dvd.”
Oh, and I agree about channeling Alec Guinness. 😀
Hayden was much better at angsty bad guy than whiney teen, IMO. I wasn’t expecting that at all.
But Natalie Portman seems to be the only one in the movie who doesn’t enunciate, or is it just me? I mean, everyone else has a kind of epic presence. Not just the British accents, Jimmy Smits and Samuel L. one-of-the-gods-in-pet’s-pantheon Jackson have a classic delivery style. But she just sounds like some chick they picked off the street.
In other movies where her delivery matches other people, I think she does well, but matched against those pros she didn’t really fit in. It was like the difference between a celebrity-voiced national commercial and a local “I’m-the-owner” commercial.
***SPOILER IN THE NEXT LINE****
Anyway, I’m glad he choked her.
****SPOILER OVER***
The Honey is comparing the plotline to a greek tragedy and that part to Othello, but not the, erm, writing.
MacGregor was alarmingly Guinness, you’ve got that right. Whoa!
Pet
I mostly enjoyed the movie– thanks saddie for the warning about the lava fight in the stupid science section btw!
Big complaint:
What is G.L’s problem with women anyway?? Better to have no female characters at all instead of this one vapid, characterless creature. He couldn’t think of how to get rid of her either– hence the sudden death caused by “losing the will to live” (?). This flick needed a Lady Macbeth, or else someone who can play a supposedly completely good and innocent character irresistibly drawn to someone with a prominent dark side.lizard wrote:
This flick needed a Lady Macbeth, or else someone who can play a supposedly completely good and innocent character irresistibly drawn to someone with a prominent dark side.
The latter part of this sentence I’m in complete agreement with – Padme was supposed to be a very intelligent woman – she couldn’t pull off the “good drawn to evil” at all. She took the queen who fought for her planet in Ep 1, who fought off a big cat-like creature in Ep 2 and turned her into the sniveling wife…the same thing was done to Arwen in LOTR, the fiesty elf who escaped 9 Ring Wraiths turns into the fragile beloved of Aragorn.
Leia kicked so much more butt.
Padme was a clothes rack. Her function was to gracefully provide a bit of sci-fi color to the scenes. Think about the differences between Leia who had a simple sheath and belt and the four thousand changes of clothing Padme had.
It was distracting. In the last movie, that tight strap nightgown with the tripple rows of pearls off each shoulder? What was up with that. Okay, perhaps it could pass as an action nightie…. but sleeping with those pearls catching on and digging into your arm? I kept thinking, what in heavens name was the wardrobe designer thinking.
thefrey wrote:
but sleeping with those pearls catching on and digging into your arm? I kept thinking, what in heavens name was the wardrobe designer thinking.
Me too!! Who the hell could sleep on they’re side with rows of big pearls diggin into their flesh?!?!? Not to mention all the other stuff she had on- it was crazy- more like throne room wear- not a nightie. I mean how would that work if her man was in the mood to get busy??? “Sorry honey, my clothes could injure you- use your Jedi powers to undress me first please??”
😈 😈 😈
theFrey wrote:……… but sleeping with those pearls catching on and digging into your arm? I kept thinking, what in heavens name was the wardrobe designer thinking.
Har har! I don’t know Frey. A maschocistic nightie seems like something she may have chosen. You all make excellent points about her clothes that I didn’t notice.
Well I still think that GL should, and could have done much a much better ep lll script. All of which matters little of course to the great master as long as he rakes in the dollars 🙂
Btw, did anyone notice that indy 4 is back on track because Lucas now like the revised (wait for it) script.
Oh dear! With George’s less than brilliant abilities in this area, I shudder to think how that will turn out 😈
All of which matters little etc etc…… 🙄
The level of lingerie discomfort is inversely proportional to the amount of time you’re expected to spend in it. Perhaps this was the plan? 😀
Speaking of, there was a “Pajama Padme” comic the other day at ”I Harth Darth”[/url].
http://www.livejournal.com/users/iharthdarth/4552.html#cutid1
For me the film was great i enjoyed it and it took me back to when i was a young sadchild and i was totally lost in the film. Yes it as better than episodes I and II and i personally think better than episode VI . I also think that things were all tidied up nicely ready for episode IV although i did spot some inconsistencies better episode III and the later episodes. All that aside after watching episode III all i wanted to do was go home and watch episode IV.
My biggest gripe was not with the film but the with the media especially radio stations trying there hardest to spoil the film by revealing what was going to happen. Ok i know what was going to happen but i wanted to see how they got there myself the way GL had intended me to see it and not by some idiot radio DJ with only his ego to please! 🙁Hi Fellow Star Wars Fans,
I finally got to see the movie, last Wenesday & was impressed & amazed of how well done it was; in fact, it was 100-200% better than episode II. The movie answered a lot of questions about why things happened the way they did in the next 1 (A New Hope); I also learned of why Anakin turned out the way he did & how his children got to be where they were in the next movie. But I thought that Palpatine was spooky before, he definitely was in this movie; & know I know that Ankakin & Obi Won 1st fought in this movie, then in the other 1. When this comes out on DVD, I’ll definitely get it & show it to my parents; it’s 1 of the top 3 on my Star Wars list. 🙂
Here’s my list of Star Wars stories:
[list]1) episode IV: A New Hope
2) episode VI: Return of the Jedi
3) episode III: Revenge of the Sith
4) episode V: Empire Strikes Back
5) episode I: The Phantom Menace
6) episode II: Attack of the Clones[/list:u]Star Wars Fans Unite,
Jhevz 😉you know i find it funny that if Obi-Wan had taken Anakin with him on his final mission to go look for General Grievious, the jedi extermination would have been avoided…..
Ah, so it is Obi Wan’s fault that Anakin went from ‘angst-y stud-muffin-to-be’ to an imperial fashion don’t?
I can buy that. Blame Obi-Wan!
Oh and back to the first thought. Can someone call ‘What not to wear’ and perhaps book Padme and Darth on a duel episode?
well its not really Obi-Wans fault but more like Mace Windu’s fault sorta for not letting anakin go. Yes anakin was already pretty much screwed but at least if he went, i’m sure the Jedi wouldn’t have been annihilated so quickly. But what is Obi-Wan’s fault is that he did not finish Anakin when he had the chance.
I think the whole saga is a little childish. i know the whole world loves it, it’s very profitable, bla-bla-bla, but I still think the story is a little childish, so are the special effects ( I mean they are made for children )
And I find it difficult to believe that a jedi could believe and turn to the darl side out of good thoughts and become a mindless killer.n5 -kopele wrote:And I find it difficult to believe that a jedi could believe and turn to the darl side out of good thoughts and become a mindless killer.
Who knows? Perhaps he was only on the good side because of the cool fashion accessories and more comfortable stylish robes? Face it, the other side had a lot of form fitting uniforms and nary a swish-y robe in site. Did you notice, he *did* add a cape to the Darth uniform. You can take a boy from the light side, but you can’t make him do without a cloak billiowing out behind him as he strides.
Also, this makes it much easier to sell the extended director’s cut someday. “Revealed at last! ‘Why Anakin went to the Dark Side!’ Available now in this six volume collectors edition. “
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