[FILM] The Star Wars Prequels

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

 

This is a film I have not watched since 2002. In my memory it was a bad film, but the best of the Prequels. It felt more like Star Wars.

 

The good.

 

The special effects for it's time are astonishing. Some of the creature designs may have dated, but the space stuff looks fabulous. Not just for a 1999 film, even today. ILM really worked on this and it shows!

 

The production design and costumes etc are also very good. I enjoyed the renaissance look of Naboo, which is completely unlike anything we have seen in the OT (something the new film doest do) And Coruscant is impressive.

Also the costume design is noteworthy. Both Queen Amidala and Darth Maul have a strong Japanese influence. Straight out of Kabuki theatre. Distinctive and interesting.

 

The highly choreographed light saber battles! Man those are cool! Months of training really pays off. The OT duels did not come close too looking as acrobatic, and vicseral.

 

The music. It's excellent! John Williams must have known the bar was set very high. And he delivered!

 

 

 

Other then that..

 

 

Oh my fucking God!

 

Seriously. The past week 1,5 week Ive been super optimistic about Star Wars. I enjoyed my rewatch of the OT. and I really liked The Force Awakens, which I have seen twice, and the new score is fantastic. In my memory The Phantom Menace was the best of the Prequels.

 

Oh my fucking God!

 

The technical stuff is outstanding. and some of the cast do decent work.

Liam Neeson is an actor of great charisma and is solid to watch even though the script, story and direction give him nothing. Same for Ewan. Same for McDiarmid...

 

But Nathalie Portman is an excellent actress who makes no impression at all. Jake Loyd...he was young, utterly blameless, but terrible. Samuel L. Jackson. A fantastically charismatic actor who's been in many films where he coasts on his persona is completely and utterly dull here. Solid character actors in supporting roles who make no impression whatsoever.

 

The problem is twofold. The conception and execution. And for both George Lucas is responsible

The dialogue is on the whole terrible. Convoluted. Lacking in humor, lacking in drama. The story has a whiff of interest in it. But its a story thats very badly told. It's hugely ambitious. but utterly bogged down in senseless details.

 

The direction is even worse. Many times things we see on screen are repeated in dialogue. So if the droidika's are visually seen to have a force field, there is a line of dialogue from Obi-Wan telling us they have a force field. This happens throughout the movie. We are shown things and told about them in senseless dialogue. Even worse. Things that could simply be shown to us are explained.

 

The result is that the film has really poor pacing. The story tells about an invasion, oppression, people dying. But there is no sense of urgency at all. No sense of drama, no sense that anything is at stake.

The Tatooine scenes seem to last forever. If Lucas knows he's going to tell a story about the fall of the Jedi, the seduction of Anakin to the Dark Side, the destruction of the Republic, why the hell does he spend so much time on a podrace which is completely inconsequential to the overall story.

It possibly gets even worse once they get to Coruscant. scenes of impressive effects, but endless exposition. About politics, about a prophecy, tedious scenes of underdeveloped characters reciting hard to recite dialogue in an uninteresting way. Only Neeson and McDiarmid survive in any way through this drudgery.

 

The final act. The three pronged action scene on Naboo. Again for the saga it is very inconsequential what happens here. The impressively rendered space battle is ruined because it focused on a kid. The Amidala part is confusing, which leaves only the Jedi/Sith battle.

 

Darth Maul has almost no lines. But is a very cool villain. The music, the choreography, the scenic background really is epic, and for a few moments The Phantom  menace actually works.

 

After that, more exposition, nothing left to the imagination of the viewer. Limping to the finale.

 

George Lucas has great ideas. And there is a sort of epic sweep to the story of the Prequels that would be fascinating is it was well told.

 

But sadly both as a screenwriter as a director George Lucas is simply awfull

The Phantom Menace lacks pace and urgency on the one hand, yet dialogue is spoken quickly, without any concept of dramatic intonation or pacing. So it's a film that is both too long yet moves to quick.

It's fascination with politics and diplomacy is tedious and stale. Yet it has the sense of humour that could only satisfy a 5 year old. How can you have a film with complex political situations about trade negotiations and a blockade...and a Gungang numbing his tongue, plus added fart jokes? Who exactly is this film aiming for?

 

So in my mind this was the best of the three. It might still actually be. I dont know. I'm not sure I want to find out. Today I figured if TPM want too bad I would check out the other. But I really don't know.

Part of it was the look. Yes the effects are accomplished. But everything is so sterile. Utterly so. Surgically clean and sterile without any kind of sense that these are real locations where people live, wear real clothes, breathe, eat.

The Original Trilogy brilliantly used the worn out, well used look. I can understand that in The Galactic Republic things look cleaner. But even Tatooine looked completely artificial. Any idea that this was a remote community with people struggling to meek out a living in harsh circumstances was gone. The razor-sharp definition of the cinematography, coupled by the pristine, ultra clear effects and the pristine costumes and production design just kill the magic.

 

John Williams should get a statue for his core. Because in this uninspiring, dreary, immature mess he manages to find some heart and soul. Yet even he struggles.I cannot blame him though. The Force Awakens is a flawed film from in many way. But it gave him play to work with emotionally.

The Phantom Menace gives him almost nothing. Williams was left to work based on a bunch of ideas, concepts that might have made for a good movie if it was handled with some competence.

His score is excellent. And his hard work was rewarded by his efforts being cut up and pasted in such a random fashion!

 

There are many big budget films that are bad. But most of them at least have the veneer of competence on some level. With the exception of the music, production design, effects, and 3 or 4 of the performances, this has none. It is truly an appalling waste of time and resources.

 

* out of ****

 

 

 

 

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack Of The Clones

 

Only the third time I have seen this film. The last time was in 2002.

 

When I reviewed TPM last week I started with the things I did like. It seems harder this time because AOTC actually leaves so little of an impression, even though it ended minutes ago.

 

Ewan genuinely seemed to be trying in parts of it. He's a charismatic actor an occasionally it shows. Christopher Lee, a veteran of seemingly hundreds of mediocre films does what he was paid to do with some grace. And now I'm actually struggling to come up with anything more.

 

I can't even praise the special effects, because they are largely awful.

I don't know if it's the combination of 2005 CGI, one of the first films that was shot 100% digital and the fact that 1080p home video generally is very sharp. But with the exception of only a handful of shots there is never the impression that any of it is real.

The sterile feel of the sets and the special effects is unbelievable. And there is hardly any respite from them. There are a few scenes that seem like were shot without any CGI in them and they actually distract.

Anything from Padme and Ani frolicking around in an unbelievably fake looking Naboo scenery, to Jedi masters walking around in vast halls.

 

The Coruscant chase is set in a background that is obviously inspired by Blade Runner. But that film used smoke, camera angles, diffusion, lightning to create a world thick with atmosphere. There is nothing like that on Coruscant. Everything is blindingly sharp and in focus. No sense of layers or dimension at all.

 

The Clone Troopers. Wjich are all of them CGI in this film. Yes, they actually look fairly good. But why are they all CGI? In shots when there are hundreds in a frame, or action stuff sure. But in dialogue scenes? Why is the Clone Trooper that comes to Padme's aid after she fell from the speeder CGI? Why NOT have a guy in a suit? Wouldnt it be cheaper? Easier for the actor to actually have a person to interact with in the scene?

 

Because we come now to the acting. It is almost universally awful. In a film that actually needed good actors who could make bad lines work.

Ewan, who does his best bless him is largely wooden and ineffective. McDiarmid is OK, but has almost no presence in this film. Jackson is simply dull and bad. Weird for an actor who's coasted through plenty of roles on his charisma.

Nathalie Portman, who is actually an accomplished actress has zero charisma in this. There's no sense thats she's playing a character with ideas, feelings or intentions. She's good looking, beautiful actually. But in a story that is about a young man becoming blindingly devoted to her character and looses himself in that devotion, she utterly fails.

 

Hayden is...even worse. I have never seen him in anything but Star Wars, so I dont have a clue if he can actually act.

Most of his lines are awful, and so are his readings of them. He shows a cute crooked smile on occasion, but thats about as far as it goes when it comes to charisma.

We know going in that Anakin will eventually become Darth Vader. And that Lucas intends this as a tragedy. The fall from grace of a good character.

This is very ambitious stuff, which can make for riveting viewing. If it's done right (Breaking Bad proves this).

Does anyone watching actually like Anakin in this film? Does anyone care about him? Consider rooting for him in his pursuit for love, the search for his mom?

For this fall from grace to even remotely work, we should care about him even though we know what will happen. And that never happens.

It's a curious mixture of badly written, badly delivered lines. A plot that makes little sense and switches gear without any consideration fro drama or logic.

The film starts out with Anakin being all about trying to protect Padme, then it moves into the courtship stuff with some stunningly cringe-worthy dialogue, then suddenly and without any reason then pure plot necessity it's all about Ani finding his mom, and becoming a mass murderer. But there's little time to dwell on the consequences of that because Obi-Wan needs rescuing on Geonosis, so the film completely drops that and moves forward.

 

There isnt a singly level on which the character of Anakin Skywalker works. Not as a hero who will eventually fall from grace. Not as a tragic figure who sees his mum die a minute after he finds her again (that scene is so awful, the way Pernille Augusts head falls back as her character died is actually hilarious).

With a creepy stalker way of leering at Padme, and dialogue that makes him sound like a rapists who needs to deflect blame. ("I am haunted by the kiss, that you should never have given me" is the equivalent of "If she didnt want to be fucked she should not have worn that short skirt")

 

Like with The Phantom Menace, throughout most of it I swiften from either being annoyed or bored by it. Till the last part. The big battle stuff.

Oh yes it's awful. The staging is amateurish. Every shot seems so filled with stuff that there's never any sense of whats going on. And it looks completely fake.

Maybe it's because my mind knew the worst part was over (the love and tragedy stuff) and it would just be hollow action from here. But I ended up kinda enjoying it. In a piss-take way. It's all so silly that it becomes genuinely amusing.

 

Yoda versus Dooku was the highlight. A green CGI midget against a 80+ year old man, duking it out in fights so fast you can['t even register them really. Brilliantly shit!

Like Sharknado on a 100 million dollar budget.

 

This is probably just a defense mechanism though. Because in reality it isnt funny.

George Lucas isnt just a bad director. He is an awful film maker. On every level. He's surrounded by a good cast and the finest technical people money can buy, and like a Death-eater, he sucks everything out of them. Film is a collaborative process. But in a movie like this, driven by the single mind of one person, the blame cannot lie anywhere else.

 

Like with TPM John Williams survives this mess better then anyone else.

But even he cannot help but be hampered with a burden. Across The Stars is a really wonderful epic piece. But it's a lovetheme for Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun.

Like Episode One Williams spends much of the film scoring ideas rather then characters. Action and movement rather then content. (there's no reason for the angelic choir in the Youngling scene apart to company the visual of the star map)

It's a very solid and effective score, especially if you consider it was a very busy year. I actually love the album.

In the movie it's often mixed very low and once the big action stuff sets in it's mostly repurposed music from The Phantom Menace. (talk about amateur film making)

Like The Phantom Menace the score it falls short if compared to the Original Trilogy. But there's no way in hell he could have done anything better.

 

1/2 out of ****

 

 

 

 

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith

 

If one is to watch this film, which i would not recommend, its probably best to do it straight after AOTC, because it's better, if only a bit.

 

The assignment of story ideas for this trilogy has always been lopsided. To get to the OT, a bunch of things have to happen, and most of then happen in the last one.

 

-We need to see Anakin being seduced to the Dark Side by Palpatine

 

-We need to see the final duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan

 

-We need to the birth and distribution of the Skywalker kids

 

-We need to see Anakin become Darth Vader

 

-We need to see the end of all of the Jedi, save two.

 

-We need to see Palpatine revealed as The Emperor

 

All of these things can be seen in ROTS. All of these were highly awaited by fans. And all of these fail in one way or another.

 

The seduction actually starts out reasonably well. The dialogue may be too obvious and hamfisted but McDiarmid is very effective here. But the actual scene where Anakin turns to the Dark Side, as he kills Mace Windu and swears loyalty to Palpatine is seriously botched. Shockingly filmed, with awful acting from Jackson, McDiarming and Hayden. The moment which should have been the "Ozymandeas" is completely ineffective.

 

Anakin becomes Vader...twice in this film. When Palpatine names him such, and when he actually puts on the suit.

It's actually ackward to have Anakin adressed as Vader throughout the film, because the two characters seem completely opposite. The Prequels never once convinced me that this arrogrant, dumb, petulant hot headed boy is the same character as Darth Vader from the Original trilogy.

 

The slaughter of the Jedi consists of endless scenes of Clone Troopers killing Jedi with John Williams' mournful laments playing. We never got to know any of them. So there's no emotional resonance (other then the discomfort at the scene where Anakin is about to kill children....)

 

The final duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan. I'll be charitable and say that is starts of with some promise. But it soon descends into an orgy of super fast light saber actions in a background that is in no way believable. Lucas obviously wanted this to de the epic, defining moment. But you do not create something epic by having it take place amongst a world of colliding lava.

The duel is more silly then exciting, and ends abruptly. When Obi-Wan obtains the higher ground, hacks of Anakin's legs and leaves him to burn (but not after picking up the lightsaber he needs to give to Luke in 20 years time...)

 

And then the moment that was going to rule regardless of how terrible everything else was. The reveal of Darth Vader. And it's awful, simply awful.

The dialogue doesnt work, the camera angles are ill-chosen, even James Earl Jones sounds off. This was a scene which would have been really easy to do and it awful!

 

If there is any enjoyment to be had it's in between these points.

Since this is the film where everything important happens it isnt as dull as the previous two.

Ewan McGregor is better in this one then the other two. Sometimes his ackwards dialogue with Hayden, in an attempt to suggest a bond between the two characters is bad.

McDiarmid is fun too watch up until the moment he transforms. Then he hams it up too much and it becomes ineffective. I genuinely believe he figured out there wasnt anyone there to modulate the performances so he just started taking the piss.

 

Hayden is slightly less awful then AOTC, but that actually doesnt mean much. There's no character there of interest. So there's no reason to take any real interest in his "tragedy". He falls to the Dark Side because it's inevitable. But there is no sense of occasion or drama to it. Just another box to tick off.

Portman is dull...period

 

Oh another big moment that is done without any effect. The scene where Obi-Wan finds out what Anakin has done! No emotion devoted to the scene at all. Just perfunctory viewing of a video. And Yoda is a real dick in this scene.

 

In terms of scale this is the biggest Star Wars film ever. In terms of story, in terms of scope. Parts of it look visually impressive. the CGI looks slightly better then in AOTC. And slightly less sterile.

But oh lord is it messy, visually. TPM had rather good art design. This is just chaotic. Loads of ship dsesigns, buildings etc, none of them stand out.

There's actually a jarring moment when there are scenes that take place in the blockade runner from Star Wars (1977). The minimalist stark white interior is a complete visual opposite of almost anything in the film.

 

The score!

 

This one actually works better in the film for me then it does on CD. John Wiliams really throws in everything but the kitchen sink. And when it's mixed loudly enough in the film it really works. Full of marches, fanfares, elegies, laments loads of patina, bells and whistles and flourishes. Nothing much in the way of actual depth. But that's actually OK.

Once again he's scoring a selection of concepts rather then any actual tragedy or event, but does so with enormous gusto and energy. His work for the Prequels is above and beyond the call of duty. Considering what and who he had to work with...

 

So it is done.

I had not seen any of these for over 10 years. There is no need for me to see them for the next 10. There are currently 4 other star Wars movies. all of them far better, 3 of them really excellent.

 

George Lucas almost killed Star Wars with this crap....almost.

 

* out of ****

 

 

 

[Jilal 569]

4 hours ago, Stefancos said:

Like Episode One Williams spends much of the film scoring ideas rather then characters. Action and movement rather then content. (there's no reason for the angelic choir in the Youngling scene apart to company the visual of the star map)

 

I seriously think that's one of the most goosebumps inducing (if you will) musical moments in the whole Star Wars saga.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Really? I mean its a nice cue but...

[Jilal 569]

The women's choir softly doubled by a synthesizer and the lovely harp accompaniment is just gorgeously ethereal. Wonderful little moment.

 

Anyway, I completely agree with your TPM review. The design, cinematography, concepts and plot could have made for an excellent cinematic adventure, were they not in the hands of Lucas. The execution is at times so ridiculously pathetic the film really feels like the kid's matinee many had predicted Star Wars to be.

[mrbellamy 6,272]

I really like that choir with the Younglings, yeah. I don't think there was any other reason needed for it besides musically illustrating the map. It's a nice moment.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Yes it is!

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

I don't hate these movies.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Well you do have a history of mental problems....

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

All this SW madness has made me want to revisit these movies just for the hell of it. Maybe I'll like them in a weird way.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

That's why I watched them. To see if anything could be salvaged from them.

 

No!

[Sir Hilary Bray 235]

After seeing Episode VII on Boxing Day I was itching to rewatch the other movies but made do with Empire on New Year's Eve. As for the prequels, last night I settled for Episode III. The joy of it being on DVD is that I can skip to where it gets interesting -the attempt to arrest Sidious/Palpatine on down to the Battle of the Heroes and skip a bit to the end. I maintain that if Family Guy had ever done their version of the prequels, all three could've been done as one episode.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

So Qui-Gon learns to become a Force Ghost and passes that trick over to Yoda, to instructs Obi-Wan on how to use it. In one of ROTS many forced attempts to connect the two trilogies. 

 

This explains why we never see the Force Ghosts of the Jedi that have fallen, but it also doesn't explain why we see Anakin's ghost at the end of ROTJ.

 

 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

They needed a happy ending where he smiles at his kids?

[Wojo 2,453]

It's just another classic example of George Lucas outthinking himself when he wrote the prequels. 

 

Anakin's Force ghost. Obi-Wan and Artoo not recognizing each other, possibly choosing not to. Obi-Wan saying Anakin wanted Luke to have his saber when he was old enough and remembering Anakin as a good friend. And of course Leia having memory of her real mother as being very sad. All OT moments reduced to bullshit by the prequels. 

[Andy 4,089]

I love the Prequels.  I think they're a whole lot of fun.  I can understand how they're not for everyone.  I consider my tastes to be rather young at heart, and I prefer my entertainment to be colorful and engaging.  Sure, I'd have done some things different; we all would. 

 

But I think back to the anticipation and excitement with each release, and the fun I had watching them, and I can't say I wasn't entertained or didn't get my money's worth.

 

For films so hated, people sure spend an awful lot of effort shredding them rather than just forgetting and dismissing them.

 

Here's an interesting perspective:

 

http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-george-awakens

 

Anyways, I freakin' adore the Prequels.  They're fun.

[Wojo 2,453]

People freakin adore their first loves and sweethearts and wives, too, but if you grow up or get divorced, you don't have to look back so fondly. 

[Andy 4,089]

I never got divorced or grew up.  I enjoyed them then, I enjoy them now.

 

I wonder how many words have been collectively typed by humanity in discussion of these films.

[Wojo 2,453]

Far more than they fucking deserve. 

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

I like the idea of returning through the Force being an ability, so that not everyone can do it. It'd be like City of Angels with Jedi.

[Andy 4,089]

2 minutes ago, Woj said:

Far more than they fucking deserve. 

 

Then... why?  Why beat the horse?  When it's all over, does the person who makes the most compelling arguments for or against the prequels get a special note on their tombstone that says they won the Internet?

[Wojo 2,453]

We'll remember to write prequel lover on yours. 

[Andy 4,089]

Charlie Rose asked George what he'd like in his obituary, and he replied "He was a good Dad".  I'm going with that too.

Maybe they can bury me with this item from my collection.

 

[Wojo 2,453]

You mistyped cremate. That should be burned. 

[Andy 4,089]

I'm proud to be of a differing opinion.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

It's hard to dismiss the Prequels because they aren't just your "average" bad films. They are big budget film that have the all-round ineptitude of Z grade cinema. And they are a part of what is certainly the most famous movie franchise this side of James Bond.

 

And...its like when you have a blister in the wall of your mouth. You keep touching it with your tongue, even though it hurts...

[Andy 4,089]

I give Steef credit for revisiting the films to perhaps assess them differently.  A noble move, I suppose.  But, really did you expect to have your opinion changed?

 

The nice thing about large franchises like you mentioned, is you can pick and choose what parts of them to consume and enjoy.  I consider myself a huge Star Trek fan, but I dislike DS9, Voyager, and Enterprise.  (apologies to E.T. and Elliot).  They're not for me, so I shift them to the side and let them fade in my mind.  But I don't go into threads and rip 'em to shreds, because I know I won't change the opinions of those who enjoy them, and...well, it's not very nice.  You don't have to like everything at the salad bar, but moaning endlessly about how the croutons always let you down is a waste of your time, and an insult to those who like the croutons.

 

I stay out of the Daniel Craig Bond threads.  His Bond lacks the whimsy and fantasy element that makes that franchise appealing to me.  So I acknowledge it, choose to enjoy the Bond movies I like, and move on with my life.

 

I listened to the FSM audio interview with Maestro Williams from 1978, and I think we could learn from the graceful way he deals with things that don't suit his tastes.  When the interviewer asked if MECO's disco version of Star Wars made him cringe (how many times have we heard that word in Prequel threads), Williams' response was,

 

Quote

"Part of me does cringe....to be perfectly honest, i hear in my mind the original version, and when I heard the disco version by Meco, I listened to it once, and then put it out of my mind.  I appreciate and respect what it is, and am flattered by it, but it's not my own kind of mental image of what the music should be."

 

I think the Prequels did not live up to the "mental image of what many thought they should be."  Maybe the Prequel films are to some like Meco is to Williams.  Take a page from the book of the Maestro - compartmentalize them, and put it out of your mind.  You can do that, and you should.  We all have a finite number of days on this planet.  Why wallow and bathe in something you find repulsive?   Put it in a box and bury it and move on.  Enjoy what you like.  Life is short.  Spread good will, and be happy we live in an age of the wonder of all kinds of cinematic entertainment at our fingertips.  But at the same time, realize that there are quite a few of us who do enjoy these films, just because.  Maybe we like the slow burn of Palpatine's story.  Maybe we like the art design.  Maybe it's the pretty colors.  Or maybe it reminds us of good times in our lives when we were building a family and the context of when we saw them.  It really doesn't matter in the end.

 

I realize with some low hanging fruit, it can be fun to start a thread and have at it like a pinata, but no one's opinions about Episodes I-III are going to change at this point.

 

Anyways, thanks for reading my opinions on this.  I know I'm barely a semi-regular here, but yeah, I'm a pretty passionate Star Wars fan.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

This thread inspired me to take the plunge and revisit them. I'm still on TPM, but the pod race has just ended and I feel like Jabba when it finishes - sleepy. I'm gonna watch the rest later.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Knowing you you will love these films and what they represent.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

They represent my hankerin' for Pizza Hut and Pepsi every time I watch TPM.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Resume playing.

 

This blu-ray looks fucking awful. It's so slathered in DNR, everyone looks as waxy as Predator. Were they trying to make it look like the other two?

 

Jake Lloyd isn't as horrible as I remember people complaining. I'd argue he was more believable as 9-year-old Anakin than Hayden Christie was as 19-year-old horny bugger.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

There's barely any sense of a character, of a personality though.

 

Smni says there's nothing but good in him. Yoda senses much fear in him.

 

I can't see either.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

He's hardly the worst thing about this movie. I think Natalie Portman is worse. I'd figure a 14-year-old would have to be pretty damn charismatic to get elected leader of a whole planet. But the "no personality" accusation would be better directed at her. I sure as fuck wouldn't have voted for her.

 

In Harry Plinket's review, he reckons Qui-Gon may be a drunk, but Obi-Wan's "why do I sense we've picked up another pathetic lifeform?" line leads me to think something else. Qui-Gon picks up Jar Jar almost pitying him. Same with Anakin. I think Qui-Gon might be the Jedi equivalent of a crazy cat lady. But instead of collecting hundreds of cats, he collects troublemakers. Jar Jar ruined a whole movie, Anakin ruined the Jedi Order and the Republic.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Oh I agree. Portman is bad too. And she's even worse in the other two.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

This movie's special effects need more fixing than the OT ever did. Whenever it's people in front of a CGI background, I can see blue outlines around all the actors. Some exceptions are when Amidala tells Palpatine she's returning to Naboo - this scene was lit and photographed well, and the CGI backgrounds looked fine.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

It gets worse in the other 2.

 

 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Otherwise, space scenes all look fine.

 

The only character I'm liking in this is R2-D2. At least he's still a bit of a smart arse.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

The space stuff looks excellent 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Daisy Ridley must be immortal. She did a good job playing the Queen's decoy handmaiden.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

?

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

First yellow Naboo fighter gets shot down when launching from hangar; cheerful John Williams fanfare.

 

Who are the good guys here?

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Finished it! I deserve a medal.

 

The popular concensus these days is that the movie is bad, and it really is, but in a weirdly watchable way. I think the Plinkett reviews have helped reinforce that concensus. Remember a time when many of us were really trying to at least like TPM but eventually said "fuck it, the movie's a disaster"? Since its release, it's become a textbook case study on how to fuck up a franchise that's been in hibernation for a while, rather like Lucas' mate Coppola and his Godfather Part III dud. Films like The Hobbit were immediately compared to TPM for obvious reasons like CGI abuse, bad scripting, etc. Those sorts of comparisons are TPM's legacy.

 

If it has one positive thing going for it, at least it tells a fairly complete story without teasing sequels too much, as muddled and barely comprehensible as it is. Baddies invade Queen's planet, Queen escapes, looks for help but becomes disillusioned by the ineffectiveness of adult authority, works up the courage to return to Naboo and reclaim what was hers, beats the baddies, the end. If the movie more sharply focused on Padme and Natalie was given better direction (she's great in other flicks), this might have been a more decent film. Yet again, it should have been more about Obi-Wan and his character's new relationship with Anakin. So I have no idea how to tidy this up.

 

Lucas introduced new and risky ideas to SW in TPM, such as prophecies and midichlorians. I didn't react with scorn at midichlorians the way traditional fans have because I figured it'd be logical that there would be some biological element that would enable gifted individuals to commune with the Force, and the more they have, the bigger conduit to the Force they are. It didn't need this explanation necessarily, but I see where Lucas was coming from with this.

 

Anyone else catch cameos at the end from Ben Burtt and Rick McCallum? And does anyone else get the odd feeling that this feels like it was made for TV? As if it has that same look and feel as a Young Indiana Jones Chronicles episode? Did Lucas cheap out and use the same crews from that show?

 

Back to what I was saying how I remember many of us were trying to like it. I think subconsciously that was all John Williams. He wrote such a terrific score for TPM, we couldn't bear to hate what he worked on. John Williams was probably the best salesman the prequels ever had!

 

And to think that this was probably the best prequel!

[Jay 37,317]

1 hour ago, Drax said:

First yellow Naboo fighter gets shot down when launching from hangar; cheerful John Williams fanfare.

 

Who are the good guys here?

 

I believe Lucas changed the music around and that was not how Williams wrote it.

 

 

 

50 minutes ago, Drax said:

Back to what I was saying how I remember many of us were trying to like it. I think subconsciously that was all John Williams. He wrote such a terrific score for TPM, we couldn't bear to hate what he worked on. John Williams was probably the best salesman the prequels ever had!

 

Wow.  That is insightful and well stated!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

1 hour ago, Drax said:

If it has one positive thing going for it, at least it tells a fairly complete story without teasing sequels too much, as muddled and barely comprehensible as it is. Baddies invade Queen's planet, Queen escapes, looks for help but becomes disillusioned by the ineffectiveness of adult authority, works up the courage to return to Naboo and reclaim what was hers, beats the baddies, the end.

 

TPM, like Star Wars does tell a fairly complete story, with just some odds and ends left for the future.

 

I do wonder how much Lucas had to change from any original intentions he might have had after there was a big public outcry against jar Jar and the Gungans in general.

TPM spends a lot of time on Naboo, creating the complex political situations and the symbiotic relations between the Naboo people and the Gungans. In a way you think it will be an important aspect of the trilogy. But none of that is reverenced in any way in the later 2 films.

[Jay 37,317]

I'm pretty sure he just made it up as he went along and wasn't afraid to change things based on audience reactions

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Lucas seems publicly defiant toward negative fan/audience response.

 

Onto AOTC now. This one's holding up a teensy bit better than I remember. But I haven't gotten to the really bad shit yet.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Quite likely.

 

I don't understand why he didnt distribute all of the key things that needed to happen better throughout his trilogy though.

 

The only things that happen in TPM that are relevant to the Original Trilogy is that Palpatine is appointed Chancellor of the senate, and that Anakin meets Obi-Wan and Padme and is accepted as a Padawan learner.

The rest of it, Podracing, the blockade, the political situation on Naboo, Darth Maul, Qui-Gonn. They are basically irrelevant.

[Jay 37,317]

A big problems with the prequels was that it shows a bunch of side quests and meandering stories, relegating huge story beats to spinoff comics or tv shows.

 

Like we don't see Obi-Wan and Anakin actually being friends, we don't see Anakin's training or coronation as a Jedi Knight.  His turn from good to evil is instant instead of developed organically throughout 3 movies.  And most importantly, we don't REALLY see the Clone Wars at all; The begin at the end of Episode 2 and end at the start of Episode 3.  They had the meat of the entire war happen in a tv show.

[Wojo 2,453]

Right. Star Wars is a very bad name for the film franchise. Wars are long drawn out conflicts that last years. Each episode covers at most a few weeks. Should've called it Star Battles. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

2 minutes ago, Jay said:

 

 

Like we don't see Obi-Wan and Anakin actually being friends,

 

The opening battle of ROTS tries too, with some very awkward banter between Anakin and Obi-Wan, which mostly falls completely flat.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

2 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

 

The opening battle of ROTS tries too, with some very awkward banter between Anakin and Obi-Wan, which mostly falls completely flat.

 

Much of their so-called banter feels as fake as the sets they're standing in.

 

George Lucas: Master of the Artificial?