Slashdot Mirror
Initial ROTS Reviews Hit the Internet
Trunks writes "The first reviews of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith have started to trickle onto the Net. Reviews are posted at ComingSoon.net, Ain't It Cool News, Variety, and there are three separate reviews at TheForce.net. The current issue of Time magazine has a review as well. The reviews have all been positive so far, and the consensus appears to be that this is the best film of the prequels and it should satisfy fans who were unhappy with the first two."
I'll still be unsatisfied with the first two.
The world is made by those who show up for the job.
I've been waiting for a "real" Star-Wars for years....let's hope this one works.
Bonus poiints if there is a scene where Anakin kills Jar-Jar.
My
Talk about shooting for the stars!
Yeah but I can't even find the bittorrent yet.
wiction.org
I will see RotS:
Even Spielberg chimed in, while making a plug for his travesty of War of the Worlds.
"You'll cry at the end."
baaaawwwwlll! I want my money back!!
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
...it should satisfy fans who were unhappy with the first two.
No... Nothing can take the pain away...
I prefer to let Rotten Tomatoes compile all of the ratings for me...
One man's Funny is another man's Offtopic.
But at this point, most of the slashdot crowd has their opinions engrained in their minds at this point. It may be the best of the prequels, but since it's "cool" to hate Star Wars, we'll see the usual posts shitting on Lucas.
But please, spare us the "Lucas raped my childhood" or "digital actors are the sux0rs" comments. We've seen them a million times and they still aren't clever. Come up with something new, please.
Anything, including having nails pounded into my eyes by a mildly irritated Chewbacca, could have been better than the first two. However, I shouldn't hold my breath - Lucas can fail us yet . . .
This is what I've been waiting for...two solid hours of lightsaber duels!
Because, let's face it, SW is really all about the lightsabers. You know you want one, and so do I.
Useless opinions, worthless observations, and more!
...the consensus appears to be that this is the best film of the prequels...
But still not better than any of the originals right? At least we'll be able to accurately refer to "the crap trilogy" and "the good trilogy" without confusion.
ROTS? LoTR?
STFU! Do you have any idea how stupid you sound or how pathetic you look?
it's jarjar!
But seriously: This should be good. I didn't have many expectations for the first two. I knew there was a vaperous past.
And I had one major disapointment. Boba Fett was a guy named Jaster Meril long before Lucas wrote him in as the "son" of the template for the first clone warriors.
That was an annoying. I mean. Those books were written and stamped down as the universe. Sure Lucas created it, but he also let them be published. It's like he said "I don't care about those authors" or something.
I understand why he popooed Calisto, I mean Luke and Mara were a definate match from the begining. Callsto was just dressing.
Dark...darker... darth.
-=fshalor
Seriously, where is the torrent already?
I, along with most of /. probably can't count the number of times that we've seen the original 3 Episodes of SWs. I also know I'm not alone in having watched the first two prequels. So now, after all that, how can we not see Episode III? Even if the reviews said it was more of a cross between Ishtar and Battlefield Earth than a SW flick, we'd all still go see it just to finish the series off. After that many hours of investment, no matter how bad it was, we would still have to see it- because not seeing it would still be worse than seeing a horrendously awful movie.
If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
"the consensus appears to be that this is the best film of the prequels and it should satisfy fans who were unhappy with the first two."
Every time one of these comes out, they say that it's better than the previous one. And each time, I'm sorely disappointed. This one will be no different, I suspect. The hype machine is in full spin mode.
Jedi Master: "This IS the film you are looking for."
Former Fan: Your Jedi mind tricks won't work on me this time. Sure, you got me to see the Phantom Menace, and I regretted it. You coaxed me into seeing Attack of the Clones and I swore revenge. This time, NO WAY. My mind is too strong!
Vincent J. Murphy
Spandex Justice
Is it true that Annakin Skywalker dies at the end? Someone told me this and it's just ruined the movie for me.
Meine Schwester ist sehr, sehr reizvoll - Nietzsche
despite everyone hating lucas because its fun and cool and despite people hating the first 2 prequals, everyone will go see these movie. you cant stop yourself. just the curiousity factor is enough to drag you in. and it would be even better if people stopped acting like lucas owes this to us. the whole 'lucas can still fail us' thing is BS. i think the people who made barbarshop failed us. even though the other movies havent been the most entertaining of films, on a technological side, they both made huge strides forward. i was never a starwars fan but ill defintely see the 3rd one. tont0r
From TFA:
Yoda in a lot of action, more cool bad guys, and no Jar Jar (well, at least no Jar Jar dialogue)
You see, I searched through the TFA's and what is missing is very dissapointing:
Jar Jar dies in a hideous 5 min torture scene where Annie cuts him slowly into kebabs with his lightsaber.
That scene alone would have made the movie. Hopefully, someone will add it later.
Try to hack my 31337 firewall!
Initial ROTS review.... Rots...... rots..... return of the king?....no, that's ROTK.... Rots.... WTF?..... Oh that's right revenge of the sith. I wonder if the movie will live up to the hidden meaning in its abbreviation?
Record numbers of people will still go and see it. It's almost like you have to.. just like eating the last cookie in the cookie jar.
:)
Can't leave that last piece out of the puzzle. Sure, we know how the rest of the story goes, but that's not enough.
Heck, we might even take a work-sponsored outing to go see it. Like I'll turn *that* down. heh.
miss ya little buddy
I didn't really mind the first two movies. You could tell that they were leading up to some sort of finale with the details surrounding Anakin's turn to the dark side. They were not instant gratification movies and I don't think they were meant to be either.
True, some parts/characters could have been left out of the final production but it/they didn't take so much away from the movies that it rendered the movies horrible.Damn capitalist pigs and their oppressive subscription model! Someone needs to free the ENTIRE article... because... erm, I don't feel like paying for it.
"Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
But does Jar Jar get the Lightsaber Enema he so greatly deserves?
Test your net with Netalyzr
I feel something... a presense I haven't felt since...
Best MST3K moment in the entire run of the Star Wars movies.
Re-watching Star Wars on video with a crowd of friends, it got to that part and a friend of mine chimed in during the pregnant pause just after Vader says:
"a presense I haven't felt sense..."
"... Line?"
Comedy gold.
Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
Believe it or not... It's authentic--I saw the movie yesterday in a screener. And honestly? I think it's not that great. Anakin's turn to the dark side is too quick, and not believable enough.
Isn't that what they said about the Hitchhiker movie? Brillaint? True to Adam's vision? Except critics are pretty much split about it...and many Hitchhiker fans all have the same thing to say, which is that it really wasn't that funny, because it didn't have that mix of absurdity and sophistication his books had- ie, it wasn't true to Adams at all. Example- we don't learn that beer is a muscle relaxant that'll help with teleporting- we're just left to assume they're getting drunk because that's the right thing to do when the end of the world is coming. We all knew that was probably the REAL reason when we read the book...but we were robbed of this by the movie.
Remember, folks- the first people to get previews of products- movies included- are those who are guaranteed to say nice things about it. Either because they always have something nice to say, they're getting compensated to have something nice to say, or they're desperate for the attention that comes with being first in line to "review" a product.
Please help metamoderate.
I like Jar Jar! The "my tubung is nubung" line when he shocks the bejeesus his tongue in Ep1 was possibly the best in the film! I imagine the real-life equivalent of Simpsons "comic-book guy" when I hear ppl bash Jar Jar and talking about the "purity" of Star Wars. It is a silly premised Sci-Fi ppl! (NOTE: the Fi stands for Fiction!). At any rate... the c3p0 humor from the old ones was lame IMO. "dry robotic voice - "oh no, r2 I'm so worried about our survival". THAT passed for humor?!?! Lighten up ppl! Jar Jar was funny and you know it... I wish Lucas wasn't such a pussy and would've given him more screen time in 2 and 3 for the "non-freaky" just standard nerds.
It is the American mindset to desire blood from every corner.
s/American/human/
...and give us a topless Padme scene. I'd definitely walk out satisfied.
Did you ride the short bus? http://sh.ortb.us
Let's get George to make a special 'Readers Digest' version the first two. That was we can sit through one, instead of five hours of crap to understand the major plot points of this one.
I guess it is a better (more descriptive?) moniker than "lotter".
I forget what 8 was for.
the consensus appears to be that this is the best film of the prequels and it should satisfy fans who were unhappy with the first two. ..which isn't exactly difficult given the bar has been set so low by the previous two prequels.
It does look however as if the Star Wars prequels will actually achieve the polar opposite levels of critical acclaim as the Matrix trilogy did (i.e. Matrix/SWEP3:ROTS - great, Matrix Reloaded/SWEP2:AOTC - good-ish, Matrix Revolutions/SWEP1:TPM - dire)
I think it's important to keep a couple of things in mind:
1. The action scenes and special effects will be cool. The storyline will be OK, the fall of the senate and rise of emperor and empire will be interesting. It will be nice to see the "straw that breaks the camel's back" and see Anakin finally snap.
2. The acting and the dialogue will be incredibly stiff. It's Lucas after all. I can imagine that exchanges between Padme and Anakin will be just as meaningless as before. (Padme looked pretty convincing though, crying on one of the trailers.)
If you keep those 2 in mind as you go see the movie, it should be a cool and a welcome conclusion to what started out as a kickass story, turned into a disappointment.
If you don't know what AltaVista is (was), get off my lawn.
There is nothing I live more than reading every thread about the Matrix or Star Wars telling me that certain movies stink. It doesn't grow tired at all.
That horse is dead and the users are know bleaching the bones.
Except for ending slavery, the Nazis, communism, & securing American independence, war has never solved anything.
http://www.staticmultimedia.com/content/film/revie ws/theatre/review_1115352513
Voodoo Girl is the bomb!
Because George Lucas had the gall to replace Sebastian Shaw with Hayden Christensen (ending scenes of RotJ) ... he basically pissed all over one of my fondest childhood memories.
...the best film of the prequels and it should satisfy fans who were unhappy with the first two.
Uh... no. Sorry. One half-decent thrid movie does not make the shit that was the other two shine.
Did anybody else think a new Real Time Operating System was on the market?
You're right- I can't, because each time was less memorable than the first. Ever since I purposely watched it- probably over 10 years ago- the only times I've seen it have been when absolutely nothing else was on TV, and it was being re-run for the fiftieth time on the SciFi channel.
This'll get me marked as a troll by all the rabid SW fanboys (or the Space Fetishists) with mod points, but hell if I care. Believe it or not, not everyone thought Star Wars was more than just "a nice scifi film from the 70's".
Please help metamoderate.
Great link, I couldn't download it though ;)
... actually, I can. This is one torrent I'd definitely steer clear of though, its going to get the MPAA and all their minions chomping at the bit.
I can't believe that people are wanting to download it already
There's still episodes 7,8 and 9 for the complainers :)
I'll take your post, and show the hidden meaning to the world:
"But at this point, most of the slashdot crowd has their opinions engrained in their minds at this point. Many people might like it, but I'm going to bitch at the few that complain about it. I will write a whole post about how it's old, and dumb, and to come up with something original - all the while I'm being dumb, unoriginal, and old. But since it's "cool" to bitch at Slashdot, we'll see the usual posts shitting on Slashdot."
"But please, spare us the "Slashdot hates everything because of a few loud mounths" or "Slashdot are the sux0rs" comments. We've seen them a million times and they still aren't clever. I should come up with something new, please."
Ah hah!
- It's not the Macs I hate. It's Digg users. -
that we're going to go see this movie even if the critics say it blows donkey balls. If you're on this website you made up your mind long ago if you were going to go see it or not so alot of the bickering back and forth is asinine at best. Take a chill pill, hit a bowl, get some head, whatever; and go enjoy it for what it is, a movie, entertainment, and something to be a part of. That's why we liked it in the first place.
Did you know you can be apathetic to apathy? Not that I give a shit...
Considering most of the reviews marked "plusses" say things like "it was an insult to Adams, but it's saved by decent graphics and acting"- yeah. A lot of critics tried really hard to have something nice to say about it.
Is that similar to how 51% is an overwhelming election victory?
That is a "mandate", citizen! Prepare for re-education!
Please help metamoderate.
No, but then, I'm not dyslexic.
She's too much of a prude to do nudie scenes, so this won't happen... YET. Wait until her career falls apart, then wait patiently for the day she does her stint in Hustler.
"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
-Hoban Washburn
The New Superman Movie has a really awful fashion!!
Star Wars is instead very cooool!!
What's the best episode? Perhaps the first, but this is the most mature of all the new trilogy.
...ppl...ppl...ppl...
Yes, Star Wars was always pretty crappy but anyone who spells "people" as "ppl" has no business complaining about anyone else. It's almost as bad as spelling "you" as "u".
From the blurb: the consensus appears to be that this is the best film of the prequels
No way? Man, I seen some stuff on the Weather Channel last night that was better then the first two prequels.
Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
OK, how about the dialogue in the past 2 movies has been horrible.
"Good call, my young Padawan"
WTF is that?
I hope Revenge Of The Sith answers the question of why Obi Wan cannot remember R2 and C3P0 in A New Hope.
The reviews have all been positive so far, and the consensus appears to be that this is the best film of the prequels and it should satisfy fans who were unhappy with the first two."
Hrmph... As I recall, this was the case with AOTC also. I know for sure that AICN praised it. And what I steaming pile of crap that ended up being...
I'll wait for the video, thanks.
What was wrong with the first two prequels? People complain about Star Wars episodes not being highbrow enough, or adult enough, or complex enough, etc. Star Wars is supposed to be popcorn, not trout almondine. If you can follow the symbolism to see the film at another level, so much the better, but it's a mistake to look so hard for the deep meaning that you miss the fun at the surface.
I have seen all of the Star Wars episodes as they have been released, and each time I make it a point not to expect anything. I watch and enjoy. The cliche "it is what it is" fits here.
These movies are aimed at multiple audiences: pre-teens, teenagers, adult sci-fi nerds, moms, dads, etc. That's why there's always a Jar-Jar, a tragic love affair, a love triangle, a classic struggle between good and evil affecting the future of a civilization, or whatever.
If you go in thinking you want the plot to go a certain way or for there to be a final explanation of any particular story line, you'll usually be disappointed.
Just keep your eyes open, sit back, and enjoy the popcorn.
sigs, as if you care.
I allready did as soon as JarJar hit the screen ; What's new here ?
I already have my ticket for the midnight showing, so this isn't really "Stealing." I'm not depriving Lucas of any money whatsoever.
Padme: Is that a Lightsabre in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me
Don't go to a brothel if you want to buy broth
I hear that it's any good at all from people I trust, I will see it. I have not seen 1&2 because the general consensus is they suck. Movie critics are a joke, I have found the times I agree with them in my life (48) can be counted without removing shoes. If I do see it I will not pay since I have a daughter working at the theater who can get me a pass for any movie, a week after it opens. Lucas gets none of my money.
Professional Politicians are not the solution, they ARE the problem.
He'll put in a second annoying clumsy Jamaican-wannabe Gungan.
If you enjoy the Star Wars movies/genre you will like this movie. I saw the movie on Tuesday:
1. It is darker than the other movies...but not much darker than Empire. I think it's only two scenes that, if removed, would have given this the same rating as the other movies.
2. The acting and writing is bad. Some good acting moments, but not many.
3. The action and music and special effects are great.
My biggest beefs were the dialogue between Padme and Anakin.
You WILL need to see this movie more than one time, if for any reason then for the initial space battle scene. There is simply so much going on I wish I could have played that in slo-mo to check everything out.
So go out, grab some popcorn and enjoy the hell out of the movie and try not to analyze it too much. It's an easy trap to fall into (Right Admiral Ackbar?), cuz I know I did.
I think what frustrated me most about the first two movies is that there were parts that were really, really good and I enjoyed them a lot. The problem is the bad parts were so painful to watch that they just overwhelmed the rest of the movie. Here's hoping that Lucas got rid of those bad parts for this movie.
http://viewaskew.com/news/sith/
He more or less said that this is the prequel all you whiners and complainers have been waiting for.
He's a big Star Wars fan himself, and he flat out said that it's a damn good movie... darker than Empire Strikes Back... so you know it's good.
We have secretly replaced these Slashdot mods' sense of humor with a rusty nail. Let's see if they notice!!
You don't want a scene where Anakin kills Jar-Jar. If you get one it won't be worth it and here's why.
It's bound to be followed by a re-edit of the final scene in Return of the Jedi and I for one don't want to see a Jar-Jar ghost standing next to the rest of them smiling at Luke.
I know he's not a Jedi but do you really think that would stop George? Is it worth the risk?
Appended to the end of comments you post. 120 chars.
Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
I remember three years ago the dude from AAC gushing over AOTC calling it the 'best movie of the series'.
And we all know how THAT turned out.
Both are wildly popular with the masses.
.....
Both are mediocre products at best.
Star Wars has some absolutely stunning visual effects. The quality of acting varies between OK and
abysmal. The quality of directing ranges between alright and "junior high drama student". I have seen
10 year olds write more coherent and consistent story lines.
Please, please, please just get it over with. Let Lucas fade into the sunset and never create another movie
Right...unless she's on a public beach surrounded by strangers, many of whom have video cameras.
Xenon, where's my money? -Borno
Return Of The Ten
don't get your hopes up...don't get your hopes up...don't get your hopes up...
and I decided to automate it (appropriate to my programing knowledge upon the release of Episode IV)
10 print "don't get your hopes up..."
20 goto 10
Force has been good, Yes.
Jar-Jar disemboweled by Anakin. Sad, but not very.
Dancing on Jar-Jar's grave like animatronic puppet I am, yes.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
Ever heard of "Closer" where she plays a stripper? They cut out the good scenes for the final cut, but you can get them on the net.
Bill Clinton: Pimp we can believe in. - The Shirt!!!
Just a silly remark: If you read "ROTS" as a word, it sounds like the german "Rotz" = snot.
I already have my ticket for the midnight showing, so this isn't really "Stealing." I'm not depriving Lucas of any money whatsoever.
Except for the money he would have made by selling you the DVD. As well as the money he would have made if all the other losers that receive copies of the film from you had:
1. Bought Theater Tickets. Multiple times!
2. Bought DVDs
If you download this movie, YOU ARE A THIEF!
BitTorrent rocks!
What I want is for all the major loose ends to be tied. That's right! I want to see how E.T. knew Yoda in the E.T. movie, (the scene where E.T. saw a boy dressed as Yoda on halloween and started following him saying "Home, home...").
Having a race of E.T.s in the war with lightsabres led by Yoda would be awesome. The E.T. race is strong with the force and they need to be in at least one of the Star Wars movies.
Food for thought. Has Lucas ever created a good movie that didn't involve Harrison Ford?
The ability to remake a film is insignificant next to the power of getting it right the first time.
Dianne Feinstein?
Pew, I'm staying far away from the theaters!
Is it true that Annakin Skywalker dies at the end? Someone told me this and it's just ruined the movie for me.
:D How's that, huh?
Wanna know what would be a REAL plot twist?
Anakin's evil twin brother rapes his wife, kills him and becomes Darth Vader!
Or even better...
Anakin simply does NOT become Vader, and they live all happily ever after!
Dear /.
/. readers it seems) dislike of the new movies is simply the lack of that nostalgic attachment because of an unatainable yearning to live in that nostaligic "moment" before the mortgage, car insurance, diaper changing, my boss is an evil demon, life set in. My 9 year old nephew loves episode 1, and 2, and is frantically waiting for 3 (He hasn't seen the original 3 yet.) In fact he loves it just like I loved watching the first 3. That is the reality. You've grown up, you tastes have changed, and there will never be another "Star Wars" like the one you remember because you will never be that child (teen) seeing that for the first time. Nostalgia is a lie, there never was the good-old-days, they're lies that you memory tells you. The lie tells you that seen a movie based on something you've seen before will give you that emotion and feel again. It won't, it's a lie.
As I near the big 30 I look back at Star Wars with embarrasment. Somewhere along the line I learned about life and that silly things like "What was the 4th stormtroopers middle inital" were in fact trivial. I also look back at Motley Crue, Poison, and most of the 80s with a sense of distrurbed horror.
I realize that movies I liked as a child suck. I had emotion attached to the older shows but if a new one came out in a similar fashion, without the emotional attachment, I would say that the new one sucks. I loved Looney Toons, I loved Spiderman and Friends, but I sure as hell don't like the new stuff. But when I see an old one that I liked as a kid the nostalgic attachment alters how I see it. I can watch an old re-run and not gasp at how horrible the animtion is because the old emotion and perception of the show softens the blow. Come on, watch a few episodes of Thundercats and you'll know what I mean....
But also dealing with children I realize that they "get" that emotional attachment to the prequals because they're new to them. The fact is that all these Star Wars dorks (75.43% of
Think I'm wrong? Put in that Whinnie the Pooh tape you used to watch as a kid 50 times a day and see if you can watch it twice in a row... didn't think so...
-=[ Who Is John Galt? ]=-
> there are three separate reviews at TheForce.net.
Is anybody really surprised the reviews were positive, judging by where they were gathered?
It's not a lie. It's the truth with lossy compression.
for the first 3 weeks (generally 3...) the studio will get 80% (or so) of the ticket sales...
from there, it drops steadily, until eventually the movie theatre is keeping 90% or so. Just wait to go until then - I can wait a couple months. No hurry.
Remind me not to sit in the row in front of you.
Naah, he just gets the shit kicked out of him and is so embarrassed by it he changes his name and wears a goofy mask.
I sure wouldn't want to be the person sitting in front of you.
Cecil B. DeMille (The Ten Commandments, etc.) had the same problem as Lucas. Huge, powerful, sweeping scenes with gigantic sets, thousands of extras in cool costumes, and Oscar-winning special effects? Fantastic. Two proven and otherwise great actors trying to emote at each other? Puke-inducing. I don't know why, but the ability to create a movie with both seems to be a very rare talent.
Serving your airship needs since 1995.
I..uhm..I've said too much. [slowly backs out Peter Griffin-like]
You know you're going to see it.
The reviews for Episode II said the same sorts of "It marks a return to The Empire Strikes Back" stuff. The tomatometer's at 65%. That movie made my kids laugh at how bad it was, more than once. Give it two more years, and watch the tomato turn green in retrospect. I dunno how, but it happens. I swear, when "Pearl Harbor" came out, on balance the reviews liked it okay and talked about how it'd inspire interest in the real history. Back in 2001 the Tomatometer doesn't seem like it had PH at 25%.
Is it just me, or does every blockbuster now come with a pre-release spin fest of "It's so much better than you expect, given that it's this sort of movie, that you should see it anyway"? It's like the stock market, with "retail earnings better than expected" for this April being the headline -- even though the expectations were exceptionally low.
"Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
Do yourself a favor and go see Closer. Then decide how much of a prude she is.
And I was personally had hoped Lucas and Spielberg knew the significance of that (and maybe artistically and personally had been doing some of the same).
Lucas himself claims in latest Wired "to have a stack of ideas piling up on his desk for "highly abstract, esoteric" films even more daring than his 1971 debut, THX 1138".
Revisiting a classic set of movies a few decades after the original should have been a opportunity to showcase their sophistication and growth, but they turned out more fizzle then a bang. I guess success can be creative failure.
I'll be curious to see if Lucas can climb out from under the machine he's built and make the kinds of films he claims to have intended to. Spielberg I have no hope for.
Quack, quack.
"That was an annoying. I mean. Those books were written and stamped down as the universe. Sure Lucas created it, but he also let them be published. It's like he said "I don't care about those authors" or something."
It's not "like he said I don't care". Lucas has specifically stated time and time again that all the books, comic books, RPGs, games, etc... are non canon. It's like an alternate universe Star Wars. The only official canon is the movies.
It's better to burn out than to fade away
That is exactly what Lucas counts on. My simple answer: wait. Wait and rent it. Why the impatience? You know it will come out on video/DVD eventually. I waited for Episode II, and I don't regret it one bit. I watched that entire movie in about an hour. FFWD is your friend. Remember those excruciating dialogue scenes in EPII? I don't.
I don't get why people have to line up to see a movie, or even why they have to see it opening weekend. I hate crowds 100x and the impatient (or ambivalent) people who are there are opening weekend. I'll wait 3-4 weeks, sometimes longer, to see a movie I want to see. The theatre is less crowded, and as long as I stick to that schedule, there will always be something new to see. You don't miss out on the movie experience at all. If it is something you want to be able to pause/FFWD/etc then just wait for the DVD.
And if it doesn't do well at the box office, it might send a message to Lucas. If you are into that. I know a movie hasn't made me quite as angry as Episode I. Fool me once, shame... shame on you.... can't get fooled again.
My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
I though this was an article about the return of real-time operating systems to something.
who cares about star wars?
... when I heard it was going to be a bloodbath, I thought "at last".
But then somone told me Jar-Jar lives thru it.
~~~~~ BigLig2? You mean there's another one of me?
Again, if history is any guide.
Saw the title, didn't glance at the paragraph, hit "read more" to see what people thought of this review of various "Restriction Of Trade" agreements ... god I've gotta take a break from business stuff - catching a movie might help
Lucas writes these things about on the level of a SciFi fan who doesn't quite "get it."
I'll never forget how lame Episode II was on the whole political machinations thing. How long did it take the Jedi Council to get to the point where Yoda was suggesting, just suggesting, that maybe the Senate couldn't be trusted? Ooh, elaborate plotting. Imagining what a good writer could do with the atmosphere in a political body that enormous, well, it just makes me sigh.
"Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
And in Handcuffs, PeeWee Herman style?
...until I see an ewok and gungan slaughter.
I want to see ewok rugs and gungan leather handbags.
Until then, lucas has much to answer for.
I am one of those cool people who say they won't see Ep 3 and then rip on it because I think it is childish and Lucas has failed with his 2 prior tries...I will argue with you about how you have b.o. and are wasting your money...then I will argue about how my friends will have it downloaded soon and how I won't even look at it then...then I will say that the reviews are all sucking up to Lucas and how terrible the ads are and all the merchandising is over the top....then, even though I have said and done al l this...I won't tell anyone but will go and see & thoroughly enjoy it.
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
I realize that movies I liked as a child suck.
For anyone who saw Krull as a child then later saw it as an adult will without a doubt agree with you.
I only look human.
My mother is a halfling and my dad is an ogre, so that makes me an Ogreling
Then, the movie turned into a multi-billion dollar blockbuster that played on American cinematic screens for over a year! In our cynicism about life, we quickly forget that the movie debuted in 1977 and played for 365 days into 1978. How many movies, today, can claim that fame?
Let's not jump up and day in joy when the critics claim that a movie is good. They could be wrong. They were wrong about Star Wars IV.
Why did Star War IV succeed? The main reason is that it appeared at a time when the nation was going through a great mental depression and malaise. There was stagflation and high unemployment. The cold war was in full swing. The Chinese were butchering Tibetans left and right.
Then came Star Wars and Ronald Reagan. Both gave hope to America. Both said that good shall triumph over evil. (Nonetheless, the Taiwanese government, which was praised by Ronald Reagan, committed the only successful assassination by a foreign government against an American citizen living in the USA. The victim was living in Daly City at the time.)
The answer is not technology. It does not solve America's problems. The answer is good values. The answer is in you. At the moment of truth, Skywalker turned off the guidance systems on his spacecraft and used his feelings to guide the photon torpedoes into the exhaust system of the death star, saving the rebel base.
"May the force [of good] be with you," says Yoda. "At the debut in about a week, see you! To cynicism, do not lose yourself. Rise again, America shall!" exclaims Yoda.
"Because he had a story to tell"
My impression from the very first movie has been George never laid out a coherent story but has been doing it on the fly. The movie details clash and create a "cobbled together" feeling. For example, Boba Fett is killed off in a completely rediculous manner yet he is presented as an ace bounty hunter and now his family has this very important place in the plot. I suspect if George had written the story out fully beforehand he would have given Boba's character more importance in espisode 6 instead of treating him as a joke.
Time and time again you get the sense that some part of the plot is being forced in so it won't confict with another episode. If he had written out a complete story from episodes 1 to 6 it would have a far better plot flow.
... that Lucas HASN'T ruined my childhood?!
After the last film, I resolved to not watch this one in the cinema. However just now when I came across a warning about spoilers in a review I had to stop reading. Why? Because this is the last fucking Star Wars movie of my entire life. It may suck, almost certainly will suck in parts, but damnit, it's all I've got! Lucas has got me again.
I need him (his creations) enough that I wont read spoilers. I don't want to ruin it.
I failed to resist the temptation of buying the AOTC DVD, which perhaps was a sign, and now I am feeling the old thrill come flooding back, FULL STRENGTH.
Somewhere in my head, there is a guy who was muttering "these days I really insist on a good plot, I have to believe in the characters" and all of a sudden now it's "ooh, lightsabers, space battles, mass Jedi Death, this is going to RULE!"
That title, directly from the Variety review cited in the original posting.
:-)
How could the body odor *not* be stratospheric when the geeks who show up for the first week have been in line for at least a week (and, from the tone of the AICN review, possibly for the last 28 years)?
Oh, you mean "box office"? Nevermind!
Yeah, but if it does well in theaters and a torrent doesn't get released, they'll say it's because there wasn't a torrent and still attack BT users anyway. I'm not for pirating, but to argue on your terms, the "best" thing that could happen is for ROTS to get released on BT and still make a killing in theaters.
BTW, am I the only one who thinks it's rather ironic that the so-called best of the prequels has the acronym "ROTS"?
The tagline reminds me of the Chris Rock joke; "Whatdya want? A cookie?" Okay, so the 3rd film is better than the first two. But if you think about it, how could it be WORSE than the first two movies?
Is there any rhyme or reason to the fact that the clone troopers look different again??
On that note - does this also mean that Lucas is going to release an revised CG edition of Episode Two: Attack Of The Clones as another must have addon to your extended SW DVD collection??
personally, seeing Jar-Jar die would be ok, but there is a scene I have been looking forward to for a long time: The scene where wookie women are rounded up, shaved and sent off to become imperial 'pleasure wookies', for lonely stormtroopers.
See, that is why you neger see any girl wookies in episodes 4-6.
HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
[quote]Where is Jar Jar? You see him maybe twice, and except for background noise he doesn't even have a single line. [/quote] this is the most promising information from one of the reviews there is.
"For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong." - H.L. Mencken
If the movie is anything like the PS2 game, it'll be about 2 hours 40 minutes of high light saber action.
(mental picture: darth maul scene from Eps 1)
G
What should have happend was AOTC as Ep 1. Then Ep 2 can cover the Clone Wars, with ROTS still being Ep 3. That would have been a more effective story because it would have built Anakin up as a hero more, making his Fall greater.
Basically you can ignore AOTC if you like. Better yet have a hypnotist wipe that whole movie from you mind, alond with the meadow scene in EP2 while he's tinkering around. (Actually I don't think it's that bad but like you say there's little point to it).
Now watch EP2 (sjipping the meadow scene).
Ready? Now, watch both seasons of the Clone Wars, then EP3.
Don't believe me? Try it and see. Alogether the Clone Wars series is long enough for a movie. It almost fits together like a movie. And the second season actually feels a lot like a movie with a fair amount of dialogue and even some romans.
The Clone Wars series is what really made me excited about Star Wars again, and I think will help me enjoy the movie properly because as you say it goes to much greater lengths setting up Anakin as a hero.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Is anybody really surprised the reviews were positive, judging by where they were gathered?
Have you already forgotten the chilly reception AOTC got from the more devoted fans?
The people that love you are the ones that can hurt you the most when they are crossed.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Eeewwww...
Spelling, grammar, punctuation? We need something that checks logic.
that this is the best film of the prequels
Wize man say: pile of less smelly poo, still pile of poo.
That is not the most ringing endorsement.
it should satisfy fans who were unhappy with the first two
And I was stupid enough to sucumb to the marketing hype that 2 would satisfy those fans who were disapointed in 1. Mmm-hmm. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice and I won't dump +10$ on your third installment. Since the only thing the theatre has over my home system is a slightly bigger screen and snazzy seats, there is no incentive to waste my time on this. I'll use an XMas Blockbuster gift certificate to rent it.
The pre release review from Ain't It Cool for Episode II was filled with just enough concern to make him sound cautious, and therefor non-objective, but then Harry threw caution to the wind and began to gush. Then I lost all respect for him when he dropped these mature and non-objective statements:
When I saw this, I screamed like a little girl.
And my favorite...
I jumped about 12 feet up in the air and squealed.Ah, yes. Ep. II was just sooo exciting. We had the Sound of Music picnic, the little orphan Ani/Amidala "feel my pain. I just slaughtered an entire village. - ooh, you poor dear" scene, and the bouncing, green CG Yoda fighting machine scene. Why do cool stuff with the force like hold spaceships in place since size doesn't matter when you can mix it up with the boys and let the bad guy get away? No, none of the glowing pre-reviews held up once the movie came out. Everyone still felt raped, unless they were fanboys...
I think I'll pass.
The Splintered Mind - Overcoming
Whatever you do, do not trust AICN for any star wars reviews. It is a cool site and a great place to get rumors and such about movies (and also great place for flame wars) but their reviews are questionable to say the least.
It is just painfully obvious that they give good reviews in exchange for early access to the movie. Their review of Phantom Menace was so gushing it was embarrassing. Harry even assured us that we would love Jar-Jar's hijinks.
I would wait until a well established critic that would never give a positive review in exchange for access (such as Roger Ebert) reviews the movie.
Sorry, I'm waiting for Serenity. That's the SF event of the year, as far as I'm concerned.
The one review I've heard from someone who's seen a preview of it is that both existing and new fans will be happy with it. I'll be counting the days down.
Anyone else notice that since the Merger that created AOL-Time Warner, TIME has steadily moved towards showcasing product, and less content? As newsworthy as it is to many, I didn't feel that the amount of space the review and Giant pictures of Yoda etc. took away from other *cough* important new items. If I want to pay money to be exposed to an overabundance of advertising promotion disguised as news, I might as well watch cable TV.
Who the #&@()#! is Rob?!?!
Kinda like movies! I used to be all interested in story line, metaphors, and acting, but I then realized that all I cared about was the kinky homoerotica.
This is what I've been waiting for.. two solid hours of cock-dueling!
Because, let's face it, Porno is really all about the cocks. You know you want one, and so do I, in the bum!
1. I will see it in theaters twice, just as I have with the other 2. I'll see it once in a regular theater for the midnight showing, and the other in digital about a week later. I did the same for EP2 when it came out. I see every good movie in a theater twice, no more. 2. I will buy the DVDs, just as I did witht he other 2. In fact, I have the VHS AND DVD for EP1, because we tricked us all into believing it would be on VHS only. I just want to see it early, that's all. FYI, I have an XBox with a modchip and a 200 gig drive, and rather than renting the game for $3.00 and copying it, I chose to support Lucas and buy the "Revenge of the Sith" game for $50.00. So once again, you're wrong!
Hey! I LIKE Krull precisely because it DOES suck!
Of course I'm somewhat of a connoisseur of bad science fiction. For example, I own Battlefield Earth on DVD. It makes me laugh everytime Travolta says "leverage".
Sometimes my arms bend back.
*Does a keyword search*
Wow it looks like, with all the references made to Jar Jar Binks on Slashdot, he must be like the most popular character with geeks on Star Wars! Next movie we make, we gotta have more of them Gungans. Maybe even insert them into the TV series. As main characters. Like the ewoks. Everyone loves ewoks.
Marketing Dept.
Starbucks, Harbuckle of Breath.
Anakin force-chokes Padme to death before fighting with Obi-Wan.
(spoiler above)
I want to see it in IMAX.
Attack of the Clones did about a third less box office than the Phantom Menace. I think this is in due in part to bootlegs. Most of the repeat business for Episode I was hard core fanboys -- the same type of guys who would soon discover and embrace movie downloading. They only went to see Episode II in theaters once and then went home and watched the Centropy release, and then the screener, etc.
Even with its flaws, I wanted to see Phantom Menace more than once, and back then the only way to do so was by going back to the theater. No so today.
That was why I put the word "like" in front of it. I know he didn't say he didn't care. Well. He pretty much did with the cannonical defination.
Still, it was a pretty big change. And one which disturbed me. Sure it was a shortstory by a single author he was stepping on.
I wonder what he truely thinks of the Timothy Zahn extension...
-=fshalor