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
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.
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!
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.
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.It could easily be better than 'Jedi'. Star Wars will always be #1, because even if you wanted to, you can't shake the nostalgia value. 'Empire' would be #2. 'Attack of the Clones' could have been #3 if it weren't for the painfully awkward scenes between Amidala and Skywalker.
Don't forget, 'Jedi' gave us Boba Fett going down like a bitch and Ewoks.
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.
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.
...and give us a topless Padme scene. I'd definitely walk out satisfied.
Did you ride the short bus? http://sh.ortb.us
Lucas is the sux0rs?
digital actors raped my childhood?
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!
Do you express similar disdain for those who shit on Microsoft or SCO? I don't hate Star Wars, but my opinion of George Lucas as a storyteller and filmmaker has undergone serious revision since about 1984. That has nothing to do with Slashdot groupthink.
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.
Why? It's clear that your views are just as ingrained as everybody else's, you've already decided on the source and cause of everybody else's opinion on this, so why bother debating it with you?
"I have never won a debate with an ignorant person." -Ali ibn Abi Talib
Something new? How about this:
The problem with the first two prequels was not the digital actors. The problem was the real ones.
Jar-jar may have grated on a lot of people, but at least it wasn't a dull, wooden performance by a performer who's obvioulsy capable of far better work.
Portman, Jackson, Neeson, McGregor, Stamp, and yes even Christiansen... all have proven in other films that they are perfectly capable actors, yet Lucas seems to have a unique ability as a director to take these extremely talented people and suck all signs of life and soul out of their performances. It's really quite remarkable.
Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
...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.
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'm confused, did you mean at this point
or at this point?
The more influence he has over the directing, the crappier the blocking and acting it.
Lucas reminds me of an old programmer. He's great at painting the big picture, but keep his hands off the source code, he'll just fuck it up. Lucas is an architect, not a carpenter.
"I have never won a debate with an ignorant person." -Ali ibn Abi Talib
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. -
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.
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
"I don't hate Star Wars?"
Jonathanjk.com
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.
I hope Revenge Of The Sith answers the question of why Obi Wan cannot remember R2 and C3P0 in A New Hope.
Looking at another man appearing for less than one minute in a science fiction movie is one of your fondest childhood memories?
"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
-Hoban Washburn
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.
bwwahaaahahahahaaaaa!!!
ROFL -- Revenge on the Floor Laughing!
Shouldn't that be ROTFL - Revenge of the Force Laughing?
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
So *you're* the guy who goes to Katsucon every year and shouts at the top of his lungs 'Anime is stupid! Don't you all love me!?!' ~_~
"I don't really care if they label me a Jesus Freak / There aint no disguising the truth!" - DC Talk
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.
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!!
Yes, to me it looked like they tried to pick the actors to get the teeny bopper audience; i.e. they look like backstreet boys, especially Anakin.
But there was no essence, or strong character. Just what appeared to be rehearsed lines and a "where's my paycheck now" attitude.
I think that's the biggest disappointment, even over the unnecessary jar jar appearances. And the princess Amidalia, although "cute", did not have the personality for it IMO. She just sat their looking pretty. The star wars movies have typically had very strong willed women, such as princess Leia. And it was a disappointment to see a character fall far short of that.
Ironically, in one of the movies Amidalia (dont know if this is spelled correctly, and don't care) had one of her servants impersonate her. Honestly, I could not tell the difference between her and her servant, and I don't think that was intentional on their part. My wife had to explain to me that she was being impersonated, as I was having a hard time staying interested in the storyline as it was. That is not good.
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.
I don't think you can deny that it is an accomplishment for a director to helm a trilogy in which each film is much better than the previous one. Admitedly however the start George Lucas had with Episode I may have been setting the bar just a bit low.
This Space Intentionally Left Blank
The star wars movies have typically had very strong willed women, such as princess Leia.
Ok, thats one strong woman. Can you name another?
My wife had to explain to me that she was being impersonated...
She seemed to have no trouble following the story.
Right...unless she's on a public beach surrounded by strangers, many of whom have video cameras.
Xenon, where's my money? -Borno
Are you completely bereft of any emotion?
That is one of the few moments in the whole trilogy that Lucas is able to convey a deep sentiment without beating you over the head with it.
If it's the moment that's supposed to be effective, what difference does it make if one actor is CG'd out for another? And besides which, what was the big emotional involvement in that scene? Two generations of dead guys smiling approvingly at the fourth generation that didn't manage to fuck up?
"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
-Hoban Washburn
" 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."
Actually, it's not so much that it's cool to hate Star Wars, it's that it's uncool to like it. The difference? Which looks cooler:
"I think I'm super smart and all knowing, so I predict the movie will smell of ass. My smugness prevents me from enjoying movies. Still, though, I'm going to throw my money at it just to prove how smart I am."
"I refuse to learn from my mistakes. Not only am I obscenely hyped by these trailers even though it's more likely that just I'm hyped by the concept than the actual content, but I also give George Lucas far more credit than he really deserves! I think everybody who hates Star Wars is irrational and stupid and only does it because they're crazy. Sadly, that is the only rebuttal I have left because all my other ones have been shot down. I still cannot even fathom the concept that maybe, just maybe these really are bad movies and I just happen to see something I personally like in them. It's all academic, though, since I'm terrible at expressing my thoughts well enough to have a reasonable debate. Oh well. I'm still going to be loud mouthed and annoying then act like the victim."
"Derp de derp."
Do you have any idea how stupid you sound or how pathetic you look?
Well, in a word, yeah.
Why, does it bother you?
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
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.
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?
"so why bother debating it with you?"
I agree. There is already plenty of mass debating going on around here!
The ability to remake a film is insignificant next to the power of getting it right the first time.
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.
ROROFOFLOL
Revenge of Rolling on the Floor of the Force Laughing Out Loud
May you be touched by His Noodly Appendage. RAmen.
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.
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.
My childhood is the sux0rs? Digital actors raped Lucas?
... 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?
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
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!"
Agreed. I just watched Garden State a few days ago and, with all the Episode III hype going around, I couldn't help but compare Natalie Portman's performance in that to her performance in Attack of the Clones.
Of course, the presences of a fireplace scene in both films probably contributed...
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!
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!
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.
I don't think it was totally done on the fly. He had big plot ideas about the movies, but left the details to work out when he got to that part of the story. I think many excellent writers work that way. I'm a big Patrick O'Brian fan and he apparently sketched out several books in advance. Unfortunately, I don't think Lucas is an excellent writer. Certainly, not a pimple on P'OB's behind.
Also, he intentionally tried in ANH to create a new mythology. The mythology he created, left a lot of people filling in the blanks, which I guess is a part of the appeal of mythology. But by doing this, Lucas was doomed to alot of criticism. By the time these latest prequels came out, hard core fans had years to develop widely divergent expectations.
Still though, I'm not here to apologize for some of the stupid choices he's made. I mean how hard would it have been to stage a better struggle between Luke and Boba Fett on the skiff thing. Show his armor deflecting a glancing saber hit... I don't know but something better than the screaming nose dive.
And if Leia was going to be Luke's sister all along, then that kiss in ESB is pretty creepy.
"Contrarily the lookaside buffer might not be the panacea... "
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.
--Rick "If it isn't broken, take it apart and find out why."
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.
Theater manager-type guy. Can't really remember his name since it was like 3 years ago.
I had a steady B+ in my AI class until I failed the Turing test...
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.
I want to see it in IMAX.
Ok you got me on a sentence contruction technicality, which doesn't take away from my point. There was a strong willed woman, princess Leia, and she was the main female character.
In the "new" series, there is also a main female character, Amidalia, but she is not very impressive in this respect. It seems to me that she could be more convincing on a WB sitcom.
Anakin, I won't even get started on that. I thought I was watching an after school special when I saw him crying about his mom dieing (ok I will get started but I won't finish).
As far as missing that she was impersonated, well I think I honestly fell asleep or zoned out halfway through the movie. Not that that's the movies fault, hm.. well maybe it was.. She's a cute girl, no doubt about that, but to me she wasn't very convincing as a character.
I'm not a very cynical person, I wanted those movies to be good. But they were just "ok."
heheeh, those are better than mine :)
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