Slashdot Mirror
Kevin Smith Previews Revenge of the Sith
Eugenia writes "Kevin Smith, the well-known actor/director, was invited by George Lucas to a special advanced screening of the upcoming 'Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith' film and he wrote down his take on the movie. There are some serious spoilers in his article but it's interesting to see his reaction, as a director and Star Wars fan."
Anakin becomes Darth Vader! (GASP)
I can't trust a review from someone who constantly casts Ben Affleck.
"SITH" SPOILERS
You've been warned...
- "Revenge of the Sith" is, quite simply, fucking awesome.
[Spoilers removed]
"Sith" doesn't happen; "Sith" rules.
The poor View Askew web server. I bet it's probably thinking to itself, "I'm not even supposed to be here today."
I get the gist that kevin loved ROTS...
Isn't he slated in a production role for the upcoming TV series?
I would take the review with a few grains...
Warning - this is a spoiler. Don't read the italics if you really don't want to know what happens:
At flick's end, Threepio and Artoo are given to Captain Antilles (with the caveat that the Protocol's memory be wiped).
Count me as one fan that's really glad that this little detail was included - I was wondering how they were going to deal with Threepio and R2D2 not recognizing Obi-Wan and others they had met in the prequels. Kind of makes Obi's reaction to seeing the droids in EP4 seem a little more mysterious too, even though that probably wasn't the intention when EP4 was shot ("I don't recall owning any droids").
I was in the park the other day wondering why frisbees get bigger and bigger the closer they get - and then it hit me.
"SITH" SPOILERS
You've been warned...
- "Revenge of the Sith" is, quite simply, fucking awesome. This is the "Star Wars" prequel the haters have been bitching for since "Menace" came out, and if they don't cop to that when they finally see it, they're lying. As dark as "Empire" was, this movie goes a thousand times darker - from the triggering of Order 66 (which has all the Shock Troopers turning on the Jedi Knights they've been fighting beside throughout the Clone Wars and gunning them down), to the jaw-dropping Anakin/Obi Wan fight on Mustafar (where - after cutting his legs and arm off, Ben leaves Skywalker burning alive on the shores of a lava river, with Anakin spitting venomous sentiments at his departing mentor), this flick is so satisfyingly tragic, you'll think you're watching "Othello" or "Hamlet".
I saw a gorgeous digitally projected version of the flick, and lemme tell ya': this is a beautiful looking film. The opening space battle sequence is the best in any of the six "Star Wars" movies. Grievous and Kenobi's lightsaber duel is bad-ass, with Grievous rocking four sabers. The Clone Wars end rather early in the flick (about the halfway point), leaving the rest of the film to concentrate on Anakin's turn to the Dark Side, and the resulting slaughter of the Jedi.
Perfect example of how dark shit gets: remember the Younglings - the kid Jedis in training from "Clones"? As a result of Order 66, when Anakin invades the Jedi Temple with an army of Clone Troopers, he enters the Council room to find a gaggle of said younglings hiding behind the seats. They see Anakin and emerge, asking "What should we do, Master Anakin?" The query's met with a stone-cold Anakin firing up his lightsaber. The next time you see the kids, Yoda's sifting through their corpses on the floor.
Yes, it's just that dark - and rightfully so. This is the birth of Darth Vader we're talking about. The only comic moments in the flick are given to R2D2, and while good, they're all pretty few and far between; the order of the day is dark, dark, dark.
Ian McDiarmid and Ewan McGregor steal the show, but Hayden Christensen silences any naysayers who wrote him off as too whiney in "Clones". This is the flick that feels closest to Episodes 4, 5, and 6, because - for the first time since "Return of the Jedi" - there is a clear villain. And for all the shadow-play Palpatine has been upto in the last two flicks, his treachery is about as subtle as John Williams' score in "Sith." Whether he's slowly drawing Anakin toward the Dark Side during an opera/performance art piece with his promise of the Sith's power of life over death, or he's engaged in a balls-to-the-wall lightsaber duel in the Senate with Yoda, his "Little, green friend" (his words, not mine - which I kinda dug, because, interestingly, I think it's the first time anyone's acknowledged that Yoda is green in any of the "Star Wars" flicks), this is the Emperor's movie.
The last fifteen minutes dovetail nicely into Episode 4 (or just plain "Star Wars" for you non-geeks), and the movie is full of link-up moments as well.
- At flick's end, Threepio and Artoo are given to Captain Antilles (with the caveat that the Protocol's memory be wiped).
- The twins, natch, are split up. Leia heads to Alderann with Bail Organa, and Obi Wan hands Luke over to Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru (indeed, the closing shot is Owen holding Luke while looking out over the setting suns of Tatooine - mimicking the shot of the adult Luke doing the same in "Star Wars", complete with callback cue from Williams).
- After he succumbs to the Dark Side, Anakin tries to convine Padme that he can overthrow Palpatine, and together, he and Padme can rule the galaxy as husband and wife.
- Vader and the Emperor stand beside a younger Grand Moff Tarkin on the bridge of a Star Destroyer, overlooking the earliest construction stage of the Death Star.
- Yoda telling Obi Wan that, as he heads to Tatooine to hand over Luke an
This is for those of you that want to know what Kevin said, but don't want to read the spoilers. Here is a brief and concise quote from the beginning.
"Revenge of the Sith" is, quite simply, fucking awesome. This is the "Star Wars" prequel the haters have been bitching for since "Menace" came out, and if they don't cop to that when they finally see it, they're lying. As dark as "Empire" was, this movie goes a thousand times darker...
Maybe you should educate the morons of tomorrow so they'll stop believing the leaders of tomorrow. - Dogbert
Kevin Smith liked it. He said he really liked it.
Not only is the production quality really high, but apparently they also go retro in a few scenes so as to provide a tie in to Episode 4.
Evidently the action and dialog run much less awkwardly than in previous movies, and the plot is extremely dark. There is less comedy and more drama. They deal with some pretty heavy subject matter.
But let me reiterate. Kevin Smith is raving and drooling about this movie. My hopes have been suitably elevated. Now, I'm off to preorder a ticket.
Slashdot. It's Not For Common Sense
Somebody should turn up the gamma, then.
after cutting his legs and arm off, Ben leaves Skywalker burning alive on the shores of a lava river, with Anakin spitting venomous sentiments at his departing mentor
Anakin: None shall pass.
Obi Wan: What?
Anakin: None shall pass.
Obi Wan: I have no quarrel with you, young padiwan, but I must cross this bridge.
Anakin: Then you shall die.
Obi Wan: I command you as your teacher to stand aside!
Anakin: I move for no man.
Obi Wan: So be it!
Obi Wan cuts off Anakin's left arm.
Obi Wan: Now stand aside, worthy adversary.
Anakin: 'Tis but a scratch.
Obi Wan: A scratch? Your arm's off!
Anakin: No, it isn't.
Obi Wan: Well, what's that then?
Anakin: I've had worse.
Obi Wan: You liar!
Anakin: Come on you pansy!
Obi Wan cuts off Anakin's right arm.
Obi Wan: Victory is mine! We thank thee Force, that in thy mercy...
Anakin: Come on then.
Obi Wan: What?
Anakin: Have at you!
Obi Wan: You are indeed brave, Sir Knight, but the fight is mine.
Anakin: Oh, had enough, eh?
Obi Wan: Look, you stupid bastard, you've got no arms left.
Anakin: Yes I have.
Obi Wan: Look!
Anakin: Just a flesh wound.
Obi Wan: Look, stop that.
Anakin: Chicken! Chicken!
Obi Wan: Look, I'll have your leg. Right!
Obi Wan cuts off Anakin's leg.
Anakin: Right, I'll do you for that!
Obi Wan: You'll what?
Anakin: Come 'ere!
Obi Wan: What are you going to do, bleed on me?
Anakin: I'm invincible!
Obi Wan: You're a loony.
Anakin: The Dark Side always triumphs! Have at you! Come on then.
Obi Wan cuts off Anakin's other leg.
Anakin: All right; we'll call it a draw.
Obi Wan: Come, Patsy.
Anakin: Oh, oh, I see, running away then. You yellow bastard! Come back here and take what's coming to you. I'll bite your legs off!
True in general, but in this case, it's because those films kind of stank.
I'll list a few specifics
I'm sorry, the Geoge Lucas of the 70's knew about pacing. Episodes IV, V, and VI were very fast and snappy. Episodes I and II just dragged terribly. I'm hoping that III picks up the pace a bit.
Craig Steffen
http://www.craigsteffen.net
Let's see, what do we know from 4-6. Darth Vader is Luke's father, and Leia is his sister. Obi Wan took Luke to Tatooine to live with Uncle Owen after Darth Vader took out the Jedi. The Emperor is bad, and he's the one who turns Anakin into Darth Vader via the Dark Side.
So that means in Episode 3, that there's going to be a pair of twins born, Obi Wan's going to take one of them to Tatooine, lots of Jedi will be killed, and Anakin's going to be put back together to become Darth Vader by the Emperor.
And that pretty much sums up exactly what the review says. Basically, it would appear to completely connect what has happened in 1 and 2 with 4-6. The review does point out a couple of plot elements to show just how dark Ep3 is going to be, and how much he liked it, but I don't think they'd ruin it for anyone.
...was when George turned to Kevin and said "I am your father."
Coder's Stone: The programming language quick ref for iPad
Summary: Kevin Smith admits he is predisposed to like a Star Wars movie, but still calls it great because it is not as cheesy as the first two. He says that if you complained about the first two being kiddie, you now have no excuses. He then goes into rather gory detail about all the little tie-ins and close-ups and endings that you thought could never be put together in one movie. He raves about the space and saber battles.
All in all, I think the review was okay, but don't trust Kevin Smith after Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. I saw that movie and wanted my money back. Haven't seen anything new of his since.
My little site.
Nor were most reviews of Episodes I & II...
I get the feeling the review was more directed at the existing fans that were disappointed by those 2 movies, saying they probably won't be disappointed this time.
Dark Nexus
"Sanity is calming, but madness is more interesting."
Personally, I think most of the hate directed at the previous two, Jar-Jar comments aside, was a media invention.
Absolutely right, it is a media invention, invented by none other than Lucas when he created the two abominations that are Star Wars Episodes I and II.
I own the Ep I DVD (stupid me for buying the thing sight-unseen despite the negative comments here and elsewhere). I was spared spending money on the second one by watching the first half hour or so on a friend's box (that person had downloaded it about a week before SW came out in theaters). It was so bad, that by the time we got to the wooden Natilie Portman talks to Annikan scene we quit watching and deleted the file.
Last night, after watching SW Revelations, I tried watching Episode I again just for the FX eye candy. Again, the writing, acting, and storyline were so bad, I couldn't finish it. I'd forgotten how truly awful it is.
I liked Star Wars--but not anymore. This isn't some "Liberal Media Conspiracy" any more than the exposure of Tom Delay's congressional corruption is. The hatred for the new Star Wars movies (Jar Jar included) is derived solely from the absolute feces George Lucas has chosen to foist upon his fans in place of an actual Star Wars movie. It's a shame so many fans are willing to accept such drivel, for that lowers the bar on any future SW creations (and truth be told, even at its best the bar was never THAT high to begin with)...which means we can only expect the same or worse. Fan Fiction films like Revelations excepted--that was truly remarkable: a low budget film with a better storyline, better acting, and better execution than the last two Lucas movies (FX excepted, and even there they did an excellent job).
The Future of Human Evolution: Autonomy
where - after cutting his legs and arm off, Ben leaves Skywalker burning alive on the shores of a lava river
On a bright sunny day on Mustafar, Obi-Wan Kenobi was taking a pleasant stroll around the lava river. He spots an armless and legless Anakin Skywalker and, moved with pity, he asks young Skywalker if there's anything he can do for him. Skywalker replies, 'well, I've never been hugged before'. In response, Kenobi gives Anakin a big ol' bear hug and satisfied with his good deed, continues on his pleasant stroll around the river. He come back around to the place where Anakin lay and decided to ask him if there was anything else he needed. To this, Anakin replies, 'well, I've never been kissed before'. Kenobi thinks for second, and though a little hesitant, gives Anakin a peck on the forehead. He leaves again, satisfied. He comes back around a third time and again, asks Anakin if there's anything he wants. Anakin says "well, I've never been fucked before!" and so Kenobi picks him up, throws him in the lava river and shouts 'now you're fucked!'
Okay, so a philosopher, a philologist, and a philatelist walk into a bar...
Slightly off topic, but I know people reading this thread would be the only ones to understand. I swear I actually had somebody try a Jedi Mind Trick on me in real life. I had a guy come into my liquor store and when I asked for ID, he said in a perfect dismissive way, "You don't need to see an ID. You can just take this money for the beer." It was so close to Obi-Wan in Mos Eisley that I couldn't help laughing. Unfortunately for him though, it didn't work.
Lucas knew what stories he wanted to tell when he first wrote Star Wars...
Bullshit.
He's been making it up as he goes along from the beginning. For example: Leah being Luke's sister was an idea which came to him when he was 2/3 done writing "Return of the Jedi." He needed something to piss off Luke enough to tempt him with The Dark Side during his duel with Vader, and making Leah his sister (and having Vader threaten to go after her) seemed to him like the perfect way to get there, so the cryptic "there is another" line from "Empire" becomes a line about Luke's sister.
Even Star Wars itself was revised several times during the storyboard phase. He certainly did not think at the time he would ever go back and make the prequels. He just wanted to start with an episode 4 so it would have the feel of the old Flash Gordon serials he grew up on.
Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
This also explains why Threepio was never hit by a laser bolt in the opening battle aboard the blockade runner .. Vader was like, "if you see a gold protocol droid, DON'T SHOOT IT .. it's mine!"
It's not a lie. It's the truth with lossy compression.
Sounds like instead of going into the theater, Kevin Smith accidentally wandered into a broom closet with a burnt-out light bulb and hung out eating a big tub of popcorn for two hours.
Good luck reading it, seems the site was "slashdotted" and is struggling to stay up. If only Kevin Smith used IIS 6... On a side note, does anyone know if Jar Jar bites it in this one? I for one am a big fan of Jar Jar biting it. And by "Biting it" I am not making an improper oral inference, I mean does he get eliminated? And by Eliminated, I do not mean excreted, I mean made to stop functioning, and not like a conjunction junction, for he has no function.
Leah being Luke's sister was an idea which came to him when he was 2/3 done writing "Return of the Jedi."
I especially like when Luke tells her and she says she always knew.
Yeah? Even when you were frenching him!? You sick weirdo!
You can't take the sky from me...
Kevin Smith liked it. He said he really liked it. [...] But let me reiterate. Kevin Smith is raving and drooling about this movie. My hopes have been suitably elevated.
So Kevin Smith, known fanboy, and in line to get the TV series writing job from Lucas, reviewed it and liked it? Well, I'm satisfied.
I'm sure if it sucked he would have objectively told us so, without fear of reprisal from his dark master!
You can't take the sky from me...
I think Lucas really did aim it at said 13-year-olds. The Episodes were childish and mediocre, yes, but now that those 13-year-olds have seen Ep. I (at 10) and Ep. II (at, of course, 13) they are now about 16 and are a bit ready to see what finally happens to the little blond kid just before he went all James Earl Jones on us.
I think Ep. III will profit from a nice convergence of the older fans (of the originals) with the younger guys who haven't seen Eps. IV-VI.
That is why (IMO) Lucas put in Jar Jar and started from Anakin's little-boy days. Not to appease the adults who wanted to know about Vader's past, but to attract new, much younger fans. Now that he's attracted an extra demographic and they have grown, he can tell all of us about the Anakin->Vader metamorphosis. He didn't aim Episode I or even II at you or anyone remotely similar. He wanted an extra fanbase/profit source. This time, I think, us older fans shall be pleased, since we have lower expectations from I and II. He'd better; it's his last decent chance to. That's what I see.
You can hold down the "B" button for continuous firing.
yeah! i totally walked out of the third Lord of the Rings movie, when it opened in the middle of the story, i was like all "who the hell are these people? fuck this movie!"
i mean, god, why did it have to have the same characters and plot and from the other movies, i saw The Two Towers, like, a whole YEAR before it came out, why did i have to remember every single little detail, like, who the short guy was, or why that ring was important, or who the long haired scruffy guy was? that's retarded!!!!
May you be touched by His Noodly Appendage. RAmen.
But it doesn't.
Ben (Annie's old MENTOR) rescues Annie's SON who is accompanied by the droid that Annie BUILT and another droid from Ben's past when he fought and almost KILLED Annie.
And the only reaction Ben shows is
No interest in HOW that particular droid got there.
No concern that a droid built by a planet destroying maniac with a personal grudge against him just showed up on his doorstep.
Seeing the kid isn't something new. Ben knew that Luke was there and why.
Seeing C3PO AND R2D2 show up SHOULD have caused a reaction.
EVERY
JEDI
KILLED (except 2)
Yet no reaction. None at all.
Here, let me give you a movie scenario and you can fill in the emotion.
Back in our hero's past, he had fought against the bad guy and the bad guy had killed all of our hero's family. Our hero knows the car the bad guy drives. Our hero rescued the bad guy's kid and hid him away in another city.
Then, one day, the kid shows up at our hero's apartment in the city. Our hero looks outside and sees
Our hero says
==========
Right. The ENTIRE dialogue sequence is wrong in ep#4 when you've seen ep #1-3.
That's just like the old "parsec" non-explanation.
Maybe you're too young to remember, or just didn't care, but I remember when Empire came out, in 1980, Lucas talked about it in interviews. He had said he had an entire backstory, but he started in the middle because the other story wasn't as exciting, and was more about spying and plotting, so it would not be as good or interesting. (Yes! He really said all that as early as 1980 or so -- I remember reading it while in high school, in something like Time or Starlog.)
He also said, after Return was released, that he had a prequal storyline, but he wasn't going to do it for years because there were a lot of things he wanted to do that the fx of the day couldn't do, and that he wouldn't do the prequal until the start of the art fx work caught up to what he wanted to do.
Yes, I know it's fun to bash and denigrate and trash an icon. If you don't believe me, see how much fun you had doing it in your post. But it doesn't work when there are people who remember his original comments in interviews that are pre-web, so theyr'e not likely to be found in Google, and those comments basically say a lot about the two movies we've already seen.
Yes, Star Wars was revised. How many plot points were changed (other than Han not firing first)? How many of the changes were adding shots and scenes that were too expensive to include when it was originally shot -- or, in the case of the Jabba/Han scene in the first one, a scene that didn't contribute directly to the storyline of the particular film it was in (that scene, in it self, should show you that Lucas had planned more than we originally saw).
Anakin becomes Darth Vader!
Leia and Luke are twin babies of Anakin and are snuck away to separate locations far far from home.
Anakin falls into a volcano - but lives - barely.
And Yoda gets arthritis.
Ok, I made that last one up
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --