*The Official Episode III Film Review Thread*

[diskobolus 3]

FINALLY the FORCE is with us!!! Lucas gets it right this time. I can only use my emotional response after the first viewing, and here it is - the "Lament" scene (aka "Anakin's Betrayal") had me shaking and sobbing uncontrollably for minutes. There was nothing I could do but feel the pure anguish of these scenes, finally worthy of the name "Star Wars," with the horror of younglings slaughtered, Jedi helplessly betrayed one by one, the pure evil of Palpatine more staggering than it ever was in ROTJ. Finally, this is the prequel we've been waiting for.

*Full review posted below.*

By the way:

1. Duel of the Fates is in the film

2. Anakin's Theme is in the film

[deimos 0]

Why tomorrow ¡¡¡¡¡WHY!!!!!!!

By the way diskobolus, can you write or at least compose a spolier free version of your review? I'm tired of reading just the first two lines of the reviews :roll:

And just for curiosity's sake, how do you get the chance to see it and where? I wish we had previews here. European's opinion should count

[Maurizio 5,888]

Here in Italy there will be the official press screening on Monday 9th in the morning. I've been invited (I'm one fo the staff writers/editors of Colonne Sonore, the Italian film music magazine) to the Milan press preview, but I can't go because I have to work (d'oh!). I'll go on May 19th to the digital projection in THX sound at the beautiful Arcadia Theater (which have the largest screen in Europe! )

Anyway, diskobolus: can you give us some confirmation about the music as heard in the movie? Are there tracked cues from TPM and AOTC? How's the unreleased music? Please, don't be too spoiler-heavy in your answers, if you can...

[deleted account 110]

elvisjones here, back from hiatus to throw in some info on ROTS after seeing it earlier today

there is tracked music in the film - the "escape from naboo" music is tracked into segments of the opening battle - the same part that was tracked into the podrace in tpm. by the way, the opening was changed from the way it appears on the cd - the main title progresses to it's more natural point of segue, then goes into a thundering bass drum pulse before presenting the force theme as it first appears on the soundtrack.

there are quite a few unscored moments in the opening sequences on grievous's ship.

as expected, the score on the cd is definitely an edited and resequenced presentation of the music - i think the first half of grievous speaks to palpatine is from the beginning of the film and the second half is from near the end if i recall correctly

more tracked music - duel of the fates - i'm pretty sure it's the concert version tracked into the senate fight between yoda and sidious. and i think it was always JW's plan to put that version there - i don't think he bothered to rerecord it. and i don't think it replaces anything he did record because "anakin vs obiwan" ends in the correct key to segue cleanly into "dotf"

the unused music from "the arena battle" (aotc) is used several times in the film - i seem to recall that THAT was the music played as the wookies began battle with the droids, not the battle droid music, but i could be wrong.

another piece from clones was used but now i can't remember what it was. i would say the tracking in this film was somewhat less distracting than the tracking in aotc.

it sounds like the "both" concert version is at least partially made up of music that actually underscores a later part of the duel between ani and obi. the "lament" cue is indeed "anakin's betrayal" and plays as the jedi around the universe are betrayed and killed. the throat singing music heard at the beginning of the palpatine track is actually sort of "source music" heard during the galactic ballet scene.

the funeral music actually repeats 3 times in the film - the cd seems to contain only the first 2 uses of it and none of them actually underscore the funeral itself. the version in the film during the funeral is more subdued and less orchestrated.

there are some transitional pieces and brassy flourishes in the film that didn't make the soundtrack album but nothing too signifigant was left off, i don't think. mostly repeated new iterations of the emperor's theme. oh and the orchestral tubular bells were left in as described in one of the pablo diaries from starwars.com.

that's all i can think of at the moment. i'll update as i remember and check back to try and answer any questions anyone has.

UPDATE - the end credits were shortened considerably - besides a few bars here and there from the opening and the princess leia part, they now cut from the resolution of the BOTH right to near the end of the piece, removing the lengthy THRONE ROOM segment entirely. I liked this change, as I was not a big fan of the end credits as they appear on the cd.

UPDATE - The end credits cuts directly from the BOTH music to the "rallying" segment of the Star Wars End Titles music (in C Major) before Lukes Theme comes in (in G Major) (maybe about 1 or 2 minutes from the end of the entire piece). There are smaller cuts earlier in the credits to get through the rebel fanfare and the princess leia part faster too.

Answers to KM's questions:

1)Hmm,that's the part that interests me.So you can't recall any great cues that were left off the c.d.?There must be a lot of unreleased music since we have the cue sheet and theres a lot more than what's on the c.d....

Again, it seems to be similiar to AOTC in that most of it was transitional stuff - like "another happy landing" and "goodbye old friend" which were not very memorable. nothing like shmi's funeral music which i really wish was on the clones cd.

2)What does the second part of Anakin's Dark Deeds score(that rising motif that ends with brass hits)?

Anakin's Dark deeds scores the sequence of Anakin killing all the separatist leaders on mustafar - the choir comes in as he starts slashing neimodians with his saber. it plays through as anakin kills them all. a few moments have been trimmed from the cd version. the powerful rising brass at the end plays as anakin stands at a balcony overlooking the lava floes after killing nute and the others. it's pretty powerful as a tear runs down his cheek.

3)Do we get all the music from the finale scenes on the c.d.?(no "Sirius Black Escapes" types of omissions)

As I said, more music comes between the last 2 tracks on the cd - the end of the funeral music on track 14 segues into Vader's theme as the helmet is locked into place on Anakin's head, there is music as he trashes the room, then a third repeat of the funeral music plays over Padme's funeral on Naboo. The scene in the Tantive IV as Obi, Yoda and Bail discuss the plans for the twins and the lessons from Qui-Gon Jinn - I can't remember but I think it may have been unscored - then the last track comes in as the TIV comes to Alderaan with Leia (her theme is extended in the film, not sure if it's an edit in the film or on the cd) then resumes a la the cd as ObiWan brings luke to the farm.

RE:the post that feels insulted by the tracking, it is my feeling that the tracking does not REPLACE music JW wrote for the film but rather is used because either JW or GL didn't feel new music needed to be composed for the sequences. The end battle of AOTC was never scored - it was always intended to track it so JW never even spotted it. I believe it is pretty much the case with this film too. I will go back and read Pablo's notes on the scoring, and check the cue sheet, but it seems to make sense that they would have done what they did to avoid dumping music JW wrote specifically for the film.

UPDATE - 10:15pm PST 5/5/05

The cd track GENERAL GRIEVOUS is actually split up in the movie - the first part is when Obi rides Boga the lizard to the tenth level and finds grievous there. the second half scores the actual chase scene with Obi and GG's wheel speeder. There seemed to be some new music for the scene as Obi actually shoots GG. Other music is heard between these two cues. I intend to reconcile the cd with the cue sheet at some point, based on my rapidly degrading memory.

I didn't hear the Trade Federation theme (but that doesn't mean it wasn't there) but I did hear the Rebel Fanfare as r2-d2 zapped a buzzdroid in the opening battle scene.

I do know there was another use of Leia's theme in the film - it was played by the french horn, hence Pablo's reporting that the LSO horn player had waited 25 years to play this part. What I can't remember is if it is during the scene where the twins are born or if it's during the scene where Bail says he would take Leia to Alderaan. I know I said that scene may have been unscored, but honestly, it's already started blurring together a little bit (boy am I getting old!).

The 2nd half of the GRIEVIOUS TALKS TO SIDIOUS track underscores a scene from the last act where Padme boards her ship to go Mustafar, if I recall correctly. The first half, as I said, score GG's arrival on Utapau and his holographic chat with Sidious early in the film.

By the way, KM, "Anakin Destroys The Federation Battleship" is tracked into the film as he guides the crashing ship through Coruscant's atmosphere. Ironically, it could be argued that the track title is completely accurate again.

There is music that is not heard on the cd when Ani and Padme are first reunited in the halls of the Senate and she tells him she's pregnant. I think this is the cue Pablo talks about when he says the scene seemed pretty laid back when they shot it, then the temp score made it totally creepy and then JW's score made it just seem like something was not quite right.

The moment in the one track that sounds a bit like Shmi's theme in the trumpet occurs as Palpatine reveals to Ani that he is Sidious and that he knows Ani and Padme are married and that he can save Padme from the death Ani has visions of her suffering. I think that means it's an edit on the cd because isn't that part of the throat-singing track?

Some cues on the cd are minorly edited from their film versions, things like long-held notes are shortened or "time-killing" segues have been removed to make the cd versions more musical and less filmic. "Anakin's Dream" is one such cue, "Anakin vs Obi Wan" is another.

Oh and the music heard as we first see Coruscant in TPM is nowhere in the film despite what Pablo said. My guess is that he incorrectly thought the music from "Wesa Going Home!" was the Coruscant fanfare, and that did survive into the final film, heard late in the film as Obi docks on the Tantive IV after leaving Utapau.

"Lament" and "The Immolation Scene" seemed to survive in the film uncut. Both were quite moving, imho.

More as it comes back to me....

10:30pm

Emperor's theme does appear quite a bit, but not to spine-tingling use, imho. It seemed kind of thrown in there, for lack of a better way to describe it.

3. Is there a cue accompanying the scene where Anakin strangles Amidala which involves a counterpointing of Across the Stars and the Imperial March?

there is music in this scene, but i honestly don't remember what it is. i thought the film was very engaging here, so i was wrapped up in the acting and the drama (ooops!) i don't think it was a counterpoint of ATS and IM but I could be wrong. sorry i can't remember more!

4. How many times and where is Anakin's theme heard in the film?

I don't remember hearing it at all, but that doesn't mean it wasn't there.

UPDATE 5/6/05 12:40pm

"Enter Lord Vader" plays in the film right before Anakin kills all the Sep leaders. The Imperial March quote is heard as Anakin uses the Force to close all the doors in the control room. I remember thinking it was a little weird hearing the variation on GG's theme over shots of Mustafar when GG has been dead for a while.

UPDATE 1:45pm

re:this post: "Falling in love with a Star Wars temp track is the most foolish thing someone can do, because only TIME makes the new music classic. Do they think that anyone cared about that cue when it was conducted? TRUST in Williams' new compositions. I can imagine it now Sound Mixer re. new music- "This isn't working here" Cut snip paste "That works now." No, sorry, it doesn't work for people who associate music with scenes. Isn't that the point? Damn it."

I really don't think that's the case with ROTS - I think the tracked moments were planned out by JW and GL during spotting. The tracking was done either because both JW and GL felt the music was fine as is or because the scenes were added after Oct '04 and it was decided that the tracking would work in lieu of JW composing new music in a hurry. Or because moments they decided would be unscored during spotting they decided they wanted scored during the mix.

[THEfranz_conrad 0]

elvisjones here, back from hiatus to throw in some info on ROTS after seeing it earlier today

the throat singing music heard at the beginning of the palpatine track is actually sort of "source music" heard during the galactic ballet scene.

Haha! I knew it! Power! Absolute power!

Now back into the great wide open workplace...

[Saxman717 22]

Dr. Jones, I presume........

Ah, the man responsible for my first inhabitation of jwfan.net nearly 4 or 5 years ago.....ahhhh, the memories of scrapping for unreleased cues from TPM before getting smacked over the head with a blue darth-maul covered 2-CD "ultimate edition". Those were the good old days.

While I never really chatted with you, seeing your posts again makes me feel 4 years younger!

[TheTennisBallKid 17]

UPDATE - the end credits were shortened considerably - besides a few bars here and there from the opening and the princess leia part, they now cut from the resolution of the BOTH right to near the end of the piece, removing the lengthy THRONE ROOM segment entirely. I liked this change, as I was not a big fan of the end credits as they appear on the cd.

Just making sure I understand, it cuts from BOTH to the playout with Luke's theme?

Hi, BTW!

ttbk

[King Mark 3,834]

 

there are some transitional pieces and brassy flourishes in the film that didn't make the soundtrack album but nothing too signifigant was left off, i don't think.  mostly repeated new iterations of the emperor's theme.  oh and .

1)Hmm,that's the part that interests me.So you can't recall any great cues that were left off the c.d.?There must be a lot of unreleased music since we have the cue sheet and theres a lot more than what's on the c.d....

2)What does the second part of Anakin's Dark Deeds score(that rising motif that ends with brass hits)?

3)Do we get all the music from the finale scenes on the c.d.?(no "Sirius Black Escapes" types of omissions)

K.M.

[Jeshopk 8]

elvisjones here, back from hiatus to throw in some info on ROTS after seeing it earlier today  

there is tracked music in the film - the "escape from naboo" music is tracked into segments of the opening battle - the same part that was tracked into the podrace in tpm. by the way, the opening was changed from the way it appears on the cd - the main title progresses to it's more natural point of segue, then goes into a thundering bass drum pulse before presenting the force theme as it first appears on the soundtrack.  

there are quite a few unscored moments in the opening sequences on grievous's ship.  

as expected, the score on the cd is definitely an edited and resequenced presentation of the music - i think the first half of grievous speaks to palpatine is from the beginning of the film and the second half is from near the end if i recall correctly  

more tracked music - duel of the fates - i'm pretty sure it's the concert version tracked into the senate fight between yoda and sidious. and i think it was always JW's plan to put that version there - i don't think he bothered to rerecord it. and i don't think it replaces anything he did record because "anakin vs obiwan" ends in the correct key to segue cleanly into "dotf"  

the unused music from "the arena battle" (aotc) is used several times in the film - i seem to recall that THAT was the music played as the wookies began battle with the droids, not the battle droid music, but i could be wrong.  

another piece from clones was used but now i can't remember what it was. i would say the tracking in this film was somewhat less distracting than the tracking in aotc.  

it sounds like the "both" concert version is at least partially made up of music that actually underscores a later part of the duel between ani and obi. the "lament" cue is indeed "anakin's betrayal" and plays as the jedi around the universe are betrayed and killed. the throat singing music heard at the beginning of the palpatine track is actually sort of "source music" heard during the galactic ballet scene.  

the funeral music actually repeats 3 times in the film - the cd seems to contain only the first 2 uses of it and none of them actually underscore the funeral itself. the version in the film during the funeral is more subdued and less orchestrated.  

there are some transitional pieces and brassy flourishes in the film that didn't make the soundtrack album but nothing too signifigant was left off, i don't think. mostly repeated new iterations of the emperor's theme. oh and the orchestral tubular bells were left in as described in one of the pablo diaries from starwars.com.  

that's all i can think of at the moment. i'll update as i remember and check back to try and answer any questions anyone has.  

UPDATE - the end credits were shortened considerably - besides a few bars here and there from the opening and the princess leia part, they now cut from the resolution of the BOTH right to near the end of the piece, removing the lengthy THRONE ROOM segment entirely. I liked this change, as I was not a big fan of the end credits as they appear on the cd.

I want to be the first to gripe about this. Why replace new action music with old action music just because the filmmakers are more familiar with it? Assenine. It will be one of many flaws with the film, which will still be good, but marred, hopefully not as marred as AOTC. Still, its a disappointment and an insult to my intelligence. I did not need that manipulation, neither did audiences.

[THEfranz_conrad 0]

From the looks of the cue sheet, Williams never planned to record a new DOTF arrangement for this film. Maybe his way of answering Lucas' remark from all those years ago that he's unintentionally scored the climax of the third prequel?

[Henry B 51]

Can you tell us, elvis, about the Emperor's Theme? Because I always figured this film was its moment to shine, yet there seems to be nothing...

[King Mark 3,834]

Thanks you for answering ElvisJones.

I am relieved that the c.d. comprises the better parts of the score like the Clones c.d. with no obvious standout "must have" unreleased cues(well Clones had 2 "pretty good" unreleased cues)But at least were not dealing with another Anakin Destroys the Federation Battleship and countless other fantastic stuff left off the TPM OST and that we luckily got when the UE was released.

Another question:When the twins are born(The Birth of the Twins),is the music on the c.d. the entire cue,or is it extended in the film with Luke or Leia's theme?

K.M.

[Saxman717 22]

I'm surprised to hear people on here say that they're happy that most of the music in ROTS is contained on the OST. Wouldn't we all want to leave the theatre in 2 weeks dying for an extended CD release, filled with 50-60 more minutes of brilliant Star Wars music? With every tracked moment of a Star Wars movie, we're cheated out of a great new Williams piece. From the way it's sounding, we could probably condense AOTC and ROTS scores into a single 2-CD extended soundtrack release. Why? Even Lucas agrees the new music is what he truly looks forward to. Confusing.......

[King Mark 3,834]

I'm surprised to hear people on here say that they're happy that most of the music in ROTS is contained on the OST.  Wouldn't we all want to leave the theatre in 2 weeks dying for an extended CD release, filled with 50-60 more minutes of brilliant Star Wars music?  

I agree also with this.I am relieved in a way we don't have to pray for a 2 c.d. set that may never come,but on the other hand I'm a bit dissapointed that what's on the c.d. is pretty much it for this score.The c.d. leaves me wanting more,but apparently there isnt...confirming my relative disappointement with this score overall.

I predict my final order of preferance for SW scores will be:

1)ESB

2)TPM

3)RotJ

4)SW

5)RotS

6)AotC

TPM rates the highest of the prequel scores.To me it's a near masterpiece.I like the "boring dialogue parts" much better than the underscore in AotC and RotS.

BTW welcome back Elvisjones.Holy crap I just realise this is your FIRST post here.

K.M.Who may have mistaken Elvisjones with John Takis or Jim Ware.

[THEfranz_conrad 0]

Some questions for Elvis Jones...

1. Do the Trade Federation and Rebel Alliance marches appear in the opening space battle as indicated in the scoring session reports?

2. Is 'Birth of the Twins' a longer cue in the film, and does that cue involve a quotation of Luke or Leia's theme?

3. Is there a cue accompanying the scene where Anakin strangles Amidala which involves a counterpointing of Across the Stars and the Imperial March?

4. How many times and where is Anakin's theme heard in the film?

[Hlao-roo 390]

Excerpts from the Variety and Hollywood Reporter reviews:

Variety (Todd McCarthy)

Whatever one thought of the previous two installments, this dynamic picture irons out most of the problems, and emerges as the best in the overall series since "The Empire Strikes Back."

Entertaining from start to finish and even enthralling at times, "Sith" has some acting worth writing home about, specifically McDiarmid's dominant turn as the mastermind of the evil empire. McGregor remains a steady presence, and both Portman and Christensen have loosened up since "Clones" to acceptable, if hardly inspired, levels.

Composer John Williams also seems to have put extra effort into his virtually continuous score, which increasingly invests familiar themes with darker and richer tones.

The Hollywood Reporter (Kirk Honeycutt)

It did take a lot of weighty exposition, stiffly played scenes and less-than-magical creatures to get to "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith." But what a ride Lucas and Co. have in store!

Many dialogue scenes, brief as they are, feel awkward and unnatural. Such scenes start cold -- we can almost sense the clapboard moving out of camera frame -- and end with long, lingering shots of actors' blank faces.

John Williams, Lucas' music collaborator through all six films, is content to rumble melodically in the background with only brief emotional swells at key moments.

[Hlao-roo 390]

Google searches turn up some more reviews:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/weblogs...ves/001414.html

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/reviewsnews.php?id=9479

Both are positive but with some significant reservations.

[DigitalfreakNYC 91]

First off, let me preface my review by saying I'm in a real emotional place at the moment after having viewed this movie. As I stated in one of my other threads, Star Wars has influenced me in a multitude of ways including (most importantly) what career path to choose. It's probably the first movie I ever saw and I remember coming home to watch it every single day after school. I memorized it backwards and forwards...and I wasn't even born when the first one came out. I was entranced by it. By the ability to be transported to a completely different world by artists and craftsman. And that is when I decided that is what I wanted to do with my life.

Now onto the good stuff. Here are my reviews of the other films to see where I'm coming from.

Star Wars- 8

Empire 9.5

Jedi: 7

Phantom: 4

Clones: 6

And now...Revenge of the Sith. Mostly everything that I felt about this movie has been said already so I won't rehash it but will expand a bit. The entire opening sequence is mesmerizing. From one moment to the next, it's just pure unadulterated FUN. The characters are having fun. They're relating to each other. The R2 bits are not NEARLY as stupid as people made them out to be and our audience was applauding at each one of them. Everyone seemed to be there to genuinely enjoy it...and boy, did they.

The pacing of this movie is furious. I was NEVER bored. Not once. You're always waiting to see what happens next. Now, that's not saying that there aren't some moments where you go "ugh" because that's a lie. But the editing is such that it's MUCH tighter and even those "ugh" moments pass very quickly.

The weak points? HANDS DOWN: Samual and Natalie. They're both terrible and should never have been cast in these movies. I genuinely believe that they brought them down in some ways more than Jar Jar. The movie had it's first "bad acting" moment when Samuel shows up. He's just not good at all.

And that's all I have to complain about. I even liked Grevious. Nohthing to complain about there. Didn't look fake at all and didn't even mind his over the top line delivery nor the coughing.

LOVED the beast that Obi-wan rides to chase the general.

I'll talk about my "crying." Aside for shedding a tear at the beginning of the film, I have to say that the scene where the Emporer announces the "order" shook me up hard. I just started crying pretty hardcore. Seeing the troopers all stop and start slaughtering the Jedi is heart-wrenching. It's done with a lot of skill and emotion. It's one of the many moment in this movie that we've been waiting to see. It happens very fast and just rips your heart out. Dare I say it was THE most emotional moment for me in the entire movie.

Other highlights...and another moment when I cried was when Yoda says goodbye to Chewbacca. Dunno why this hit me but there was just a very sweet and touching moment where you realize that not only is this the last time these two characters are going to see each other but it's the last time YOU (as an audience member) will see these two characters. He says goodbye and you almost feel like it's George saying goodbye to you.

The last 40 minutes of the film are sheer perfection. From the slaughter of the Jedi to the end is just absolutely amazing. Spellbinding. Some of the best scenes (if possibly not THE best scenes) in the entire Star Wars saga. I won't go on and on about it...but everyone was captivated. The final scene with Anakin and Obi Wan is so utterly moving and gruesome. I know I heard a LOT of people gasping when they were watching that scene. It's so much of what we don't come to expect from Star Wars but at the same time, knew it would be coming. You want to look away. It's really too much. And at the same time, you feel horrible...ESPECIALLY when you see the terror on Anakin's face as the mask is lowered. This isn't what he wants.

As a HUGE HUGE HUGE John Williams fan, i would be remiss if I didn't comment on George's great way of fucking up the score. Again...for the most part...mixed too low. And again...RE USE OF CUES FROM THE OTHER TWO MOVIES. The crash landing repeats anakin's "force theme" from the end of Phantom Menace. There were other moments as well where music was re-used but that stuck out because I love that piece of music. The Duel of the Fates is DEFINITELY tracked in from Phantom Menace. No re-recording. It's definitely the same. I know there are going to be a lot of Williams fans pissed about this as well they should. The end credits do not have the Throne Room Music.

And then...2 hours later (and several tissues), it was all over.

I turned to a movie reviewer friend (who actually got me the ticket and HATED Phantom and Clones) and she actually REALLY liked it. She said it was MUCH closer to the other 3 than PM or AOTC. On the other side of me, I had two friends who really like star wars a lot and she was crying. Oddly enough, she made fun of me before the screening and couldn't believe what she just saw. She said it was so NOT star wars and just was all at the same time. Absolutely loved it.

While we were joking around about it, the guy in front of me turned around and said that HE was crying as well. And we all bonded about our history with Star Wars as the final credits rolled. And just as the whole thing was ending...i shed my last tear. The last frames of the last star wars film...ever.

I remember seeing PM at the same theater opening night and how angry some people were. They felt cheated. Some people were ok with it. Others were questioning it. Some just didn't understand it.

AOTC had a better reaction...but there was still same sort of reactions.

Sith, although it has a horribly downbeat ending, was sheer bliss. I didn't see a single person walking out of that theater without a smile on their face. People in the bathroom were just amazed. Someone said that they just don't even know where to begin processing what they had just seen.

It's just that damn good.

No...it's just that damn great.

I give it a 9 out of 10.

Go and enjoy it, boys and girls. And may the force be with you...

[ChrisAfonso 222]

the throat singing music heard at the beginning of the palpatine track is actually sort of "source music" heard during the galactic ballet scene.  

What did I say

Seems my "Anakin's Dark Deeds" suspicion was wrong, though... pity

[nightscape94 967]

Caught this over at the IMDB website...

'Star Wars' Preview Audience Warns: Leave the Kids Home

A select group invited to attend a screening of Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith have come away praising the film but expressing doubts that it will attract the huge family audiences that its predecessors did. USA Today cited numerous examples of graphic violence, including one scene in which a character "catches fire, screaming in agony while the flesh peels off his body."

Mwuahahaha!!!

Tim

[Todd 30]

QUESTION:

"Enter Lord Vader" appears where in the film?

[Jeshopk 8]

The crash landing repeats anakin's "force theme" from the end of Phantom Menace.

THANKS for all the in depth reporting but....

OH MY GOD!!!

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

Falling in love with a Star Wars temp track is the most foolish thing someone can do, because only TIME makes the new music classic. Do they think that anyone cared about that cue when it was conducted? TRUST in Williams' new compositions.

I can imagine it now

Sound Mixer re. new music- "This isn't working here" Cut snip paste "That works now."

No, sorry, it doesn't work for people who associate music with scenes. Isn't that the point? Damn it.

[Jacck 23]

*sigh* ... It's just so damn insulting to John Williams' intelligence and genuis, to question the usability of any of his new music.. George Lucas should have just left it alone... honestly... I was really hoping that there would be few music edits like this.. but it seems not, and it's a real shame, and I think John Williams probably hates it too,,... when he hears music being used in a place it shouldn't be...

[King Mark 3,834]

Full review by tomorrow.

I'm still waiting.

K.M.

[Luke Skywalker 2,201]

How is the ballet scene music?!

WHy in the hell they dont use the Escape from Naboo with drums?! George, at least use an alternate!

[orrakul 0]

OK, so despite Phantom Menace and AOTC, I'm getting exited about Sith - I'm beginning to think that it's going to be a great movie...

[diskobolus 3]

My formal review of Revenge of the Sith. Notes regarding OST use coming soon.

War! The Republic is crumbling under attacks by the ruthless Sith Lord, Count Dooku. There are heroes on both sides. Evil is everywhere.

In a stunning move, the fiendish droid leader, General Grievous, has swept into the Republic capital and kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine, leader of the Galactic Senate.

As the Separatist Droid Army attempts to flee the besieged capital with their valuable hostage, two Jedi Knights lead a desperate mission to rescue the captive Chancellor...

And so the opening crawl and the last notes of the Star Wars main theme fade away to two starfighters surrounded by pitch black. Instantly the ships spiral past a Republic cruiser in unison, revealing a space battle of massive proportions; thousands of laser blasts from Trade Federation control ships fill the wide expanse of space above Coruscant; S-Foils lock into attack position and a Jedi voice says, “Here’s where the fun begins.”

Indeed. But there can be hardly anyone left who doesn’t have doubts or downright cynicism regarding Episode III. Our hopes were raised in 1999 and then sent crashing down like an Imperial probe droid by ridiculous storytelling, cringe-inducing lines like “I’m going to be a Jedi! Yipee!” and the Gungan that Star Wars fans everywhere fantasized about killing. Then came “Attack of the Clones” three years ago, where Yoda’s lightsaber fight was just about the only thing that saved the movie, but then we realized it was less than a minute long and wasn’t that good to begin with.

I agree we should have no delusions of grandeur regarding “Revenge of the Sith.” But George Lucas got it right this time, and we are convinced of that by the opening scene. This part of the story is that which Lucas most wanted to tell from the beginning. The mistakes of many cause Anakin turn’s to the Dark Side – mistakes of greed, guilt, torment, selfishness, and love. As a consequence, billions of lives were lost; war swept throughout the galaxy; all but two of the Jedi order were exterminated in a ghastly wave of genocide that left this reviewer weak with relentless tears.

Count Dooku and a number of Separatist leaders, including the lightsaber-wielding droid General Grievous, command vast armies in an attempt to seize power from the Republic. Outnumbered Jedi, a bureaucratic Senate, and a clone army with unknown origins are towered over by Palpatine, whose Dark Side is soon revealed. While Anakin and Padme struggle to keep their marriage secret, Anakin is consumed by visions of her impending death, driving him to seek unnatural powers in order to save her.

Obi-Wan, never better portrayed by Ewan McGregor, is helpless to prevent Anakin’s corruption as his pleas and wisdom are unheeded, and is finally forced to battle his former apprentice. We can at last recognize the shadow of a former Jedi Knight who sacrificed himself to Vader’s blade for Luke’s safety. Hayden Christensen’s Anakin is no longer a whining brat, but a power-hungry, corrupted warrior manipulated by evil and driven to mistrust all those who had the power to save him. Natalie Portman is only mediocre as Padme, unconvincingly naive and blinded by love.

This film is not a flawless “Empire Strikes Back.” Lucas insists on using checkerboard wipes and striped dissolves that make each scene transition look ridiculous. Most of the first half seems like a choppy sequence of one quick scene after another without any cohesion or flow. Luckily, Jar-Jar and C-3PO are barely on screen and so have no chance of ruining much. But much of the intended humor attempts to harken back to classic lines from the original trilogy, which sometimes succeeds and sometimes fails.

The more serious subject matter is what saves this film. Even Lucas couldn’t figure out a way to write horrible lines like, “You’re soft and smooth” during scenes in which youngling Jedi are slaughtered in the Jedi temple. Five lightsaber duels leave dismemberment, beheading, scarred tissue. Palpatine’s use of Force lightning is incredibly disturbing, as is the graphic display of his disfigurement. And finally, as his command to exterminate the Jedi is carried out, we want to cry out to save them, but we are as helpless as they are to prevent the massacre, only to be enveloped by sorrow.

As the final duel commences on Mustafar, a fiendish volcanic world resembling hell, we already know the victor, but the sight of Anakin’s dismembered body consumed by fire amidst his screams is no less powerful. The final moments, a juxtaposition of Anakin’s physical rebirth and Padme’s delivery of the twins, ties together the entire saga quite nicely. Two ships go their separate ways to Alderaan and Tatooine, concluding with a shot of Owen Lars framed by a binary sunset.

We’re left wondering how so many things went wrong that led to Anakin’s demise, and also how the first two prequels could have been so bad. “Revenge of the Sith” doesn’t redeem them by any means, but it is worthy of the name “Star Wars.” We all expected less. Now we can go back to watching the original trilogy having seen Anakin’s turn to the Dark Side, and include this prequel in the saga while pretending the first two never existed.

[SturgisPodmore 0]

Cool! The last shot sounds very neat.

~Sturgis

[JoeinAR 1,954]

nice review, thanks.

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

Well done. I'm taken aback by your strong reaction to the extermination of the Jedi. I didn't think anything in a SW film could be so powerful - I'm definitely more intrigued now.

Ray Barnsbury

[Henry B 51]

Well, I expected this. Even Lucas couldn't completely screw up such events as the destruction of the Jedi, Anakin's turn to the dark side, and the formation of the Empire. They're just going to be dramatic no matter what he does, with Ian McDiarmid, ILM, Williams' score, and all that. Still, it sounds like the dialogue scenes are bad (that's obvious just from the trailers, e.g. "Learn to know the dark side of the Force and you will achieve a power greater than any Jedi" and "Destroy the Sith WE MUST!").

[deleted account 110]

"Learn to know the dark side of the Force and you will achieve a power greater than any Jedi"

For what it's worth, that line, which appears in the trailer, is actually not in the movie - it' been spliced together from 2 different lines in the film to create the one line in the trailer.

[Henry B 51]

Ah, right...

"Learn to know the dark side of the Force, Anakin."

"Only through me can you achieve a power greater than any Jedi."

[John Crichton 4]

Alexandra DuPont has written her review of Episode III for AICN, and has some comments about the score. First the non-spoilery part:

Now, all that said, as in "Episode II" there's quite a bit of re-tracked action music borrowed from previous prequels. This isn't as obnoxious as it was in "Clones," however, and I had no sense of Williams' work being mangled by Ben Burtt this time around.

And the rest is chock full of spoilers. Highlight away:

Q. Is there any great John Williams music that didn't find its way onto the soundtrack album?

A. Yes. Entirely too much music from the opening space battle and the final, wordless montage - which finds Darth Vader on a Star Destroyer and a dead Padme covered in flowers - was left off the album. (Williams geeks will know what I'm talking about here: Unless my memory is failing me, the music from "Qui-Gon's Funeral" actually accompanies the suiting-up of Vader, not Padme's death processional. I was a little surprised at this - pleasantly so, I might add.)

http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=20185

[Jacck 23]

Nobody read the DAily Mail Review? (UK Newspaper) .. He gave it 2 out of 5 stars..

But that's just him being his typical anti-sci-fi self...

[Docteur Qui 1,580]

ROTS is doing very surprisingly well on Rotten Tomatoes - it's over 90%. But let's wait until wider release, shall we...

[King Mark 3,834]

The reviews are very very good so far.I'm almost afraid to believe them.

K.M.

[Mr. Breathmask 594]

I remember reading a lot of positive reviews of AotC when it came out. I think that was mostly because everyone was so disappointed by TPM that in contrast AotC seemed like a great film.

[JoeinAR 1,954]

and now in contrast TPM looks like a great film in comparrison to AOTC.

[A24 4,813]

The reviews are very very good so far.I'm almost afraid to believe them.

K.M.

That's because this time it's a real slaughterhouse movie. Some applaud Lucas for being brave enough to be so dark.

[nightscape94 967]

Honestly, if they took out, like 2 scenes completely, and got rid of 3-4 lines of atrocious dialogue then AotC would be a great film. But because of these flaws, its a good film only.

Tim

[Lurker 5]

AOTC needs a complete overhaul. That story (whatever's there of it) needs to be completely re-thought..

CHUD.com has four reviews up, that seem a bit more realistic and not gushing.

Neil

[Bowie 46]

Just like with Lord of the Rings (from my perspective), the whole middle chapter could have been condensed to like 20 minutes and tacked onto the end of Phantom Menace, or have that whole starting or bridging plot (Dooku etc) removed entirely. In the case of Star Wars particularly, Revenge of the Sith could have been a convincing second film in the saga, and the third film could have had ANYTHING in it, as the gap covers 16 years or something. That way we would also not know how everything in the film turns out (besides the Galactic Empire still reigning), as that 16 year gap is essentially a mystery. That is where George Lucas could finally use his imagination again. And when he puts it to use, it's brilliant. But the three films, in the puzzle-piece logical order as he's filmed them, have tarnished the entire 6-film saga.

[THEfranz_conrad 0]

I think the order of the pieces are fine. I had my own problems with both TPM and AOTC, but I wouldn't say story content and their relationship to the overall SW arc were among those problems. The main problem was usually being unable to believe these weren't actors who were faced with a blue screen.

[JoeinAR 1,954]

Here is a really nice comment about John Williams music from Tony Medley, here is an excerpt of his review.

Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith (7/10)

by Tony Medley

Well, we finally get to learn how Darth Vader got to be Darth Vader in this, the final theatrical Star Wars movie. Even though the movie includes a delicious turn as a bad guy by Ian McDiarmid, who plays Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, ... and incredible special effects, it’s best part is the music score by Academy Award winner John Williams. The music is constant and keeps the tension mounting throughout the slightly over two hour running time.

[deleted account 110]

If anyone out there is still interested, here is my best guess at a cue sheet/breakdown for the SITH soundtrack CD:

A more detailed breakdown

Track 1: Part 1 - 1m2 Main Title (from TPM)

Part 2 - 1m3 Boys Into Battle

Part 3 - 1m4 They're Coming Around (buzz droids)

Part 4 - 1m3R? (Grievous material)

Part 5 - Unknown

Track 2: 2m6 - Scenes and Dreams

Track 3: 6m9 - Revenge of the Sith (concert version based on actual cue 6m9, force theme over force push "contest")

Track 4: 5m3 - Lament

Track 5: Part 1 - 3m7 Riding the Lizard

Part 2 - 4m4 Rolling with Grievous

Part 3 - Unknown (might be 4m4a Fighting with Grievous)

Part 4 - (reused 4m4 Rolling with Grievous)

Track 6: Part 1 - 3m3 Palpatine's Big Pitch (aka "Squid Lake", source music for the Galactic Ballet)

Part 2 - 4m3 Palpatine's Seduction (Shmi's Theme over "save your wife" in office)

Part 3 - 5m5 News of the Attack ("Wesa Going Home" as Obi docks on Tantive IV)

Track 7: Unknown (might be 1m8, 2m1, 2m2, 4m1x, 4m1a)

Track 8: Part 1 - 4m5a Padme's Ruminations

Part 2 - Unknown (think it might be 3m2a Palpatine's TV Set and 3m2 Hold Me)

Track 9: 6m4 Heroes Collide (shortened - first Imp March quote as Sidious zaps Yoda first time)

Track 10: Part 1 - 5m7 Anakin's Dark Deeds (choir as Anakin kills first Neimodian)

Part 2 - 6m1 It Can't Be (big finish over Anakin's tears after killing all the Separatists)

Track 11: 5m6 Moving Things Along (Vader's theme as he closes the doors)

Track 12: 7m1 The Immolation Scene

Track 13: Part 1 - 2m5 Grievous Travels to Palpatine

Part 2 - 6m2 A Moody Trip (Padme boards her shuttle for Mustafar, ponder's future while at the helm)

Track 14: Part 1 - 7m3 The Birth of the Twins

Part 2 - 7m4 The Death of Padme (ends with "birth of Darth Vader")

Track 15: Part 1 - 7m7 A Home for the Twins (film has a phrase from Princess Leia's theme in the end credits medley cut in)

Part 2 - 7m8 End Credits (all Throne Room material has been cut out in the film)

[Jim Ware 586]

Great job!

I'll take this opportunity to repost my list so we can have all this stuff in one place...

1 - Star Wars Main Title and The Revenge of the Sith

0:00-1:16 1M2 Star Wars (Main Title) (recorded 2/5/99 during the 'Phantom Menace' sessions)

1:16-2:34 1M3 Boys Into Battle (edited)

2:34-3:15 1M3R Boys Into Battle (revision)

3:15-5:21 ?

5:21-7:31 ?

2 - Anakin's Dream

0:00-4:46 2M6 Scenes and Dreams (edit)

3 - Battle of the Heroes

0:00-3:42 Revenge of the Sith DVD Version (concert arrangement of 6M9 Revenge of the Sith)

4 - Anakin's Betrayal

0:00-4:03 5M3 Lament

5 - General Grievous

0:00-1:21 3M7 Riding The Lizard

1:21-2:19 4M4 Rolling with Grievous

2:19-3:34 4M4A Fighting with Grievous

3:34-4:07 4M4 Rolling with Grievous (again, with clean ending)

6 - Palpatine's Teachings

0:00-3:14 4M3 Palpatine's Seduction?

3:14-5:25 3M3 Palpatine's Big Pitch?

7 - Grievous and the Droids

0:00-3:27 4M1A Good Guys Arrive?

8 - Padme's Ruminations

0:00-1:36 4M5A Padme's Ruminations

1:36-3:16 ?

9 - Anakin Vs. Obi-Wan

0:00-3:57 6M4 Heroes Collide (edited)

10 - Anakin's Dark Deeds

0:00-2:14 5M7 Anakin's Dark Deeds

2:14-4:05 6M1 It Can't Be

11 - Enter, Lord Vader

0:00-4:14 5M6 Moving Things Along (edited)?

12 - The Immolation Scene

0:00-2:41 7M1 The Immolation Scene (unedited)

13 - Grievous Speaks to Palpatine

0:00-1:50 2M5 Grievous Travels to Palpatine

1:50-2:39 6M2 A Moody Trip

14 - The Birth of the Twins and Padme's Destiny

0:00-1:25 7M3 The Birth of the Twins (edited)

1:25-3:37 7M4 The Death of Padme

15 - A New Hope and End Credits

0:00-1:22 7M7 A Home for the Twins

1:22-13:06 7M8 End Credits

Part 3 - 5m5 News of the Attack ("Wesa Going Home" as Obi docks on Tantive IV)

I suspect that this is tracked in the film. Lucas has a habit of fiddling with scene transitions. The session reports suggest that it's part of one of the Palpatine/Anakin cues.

Part 2 - Unknown (think it might be 3m2a Palpatine's TV Set and 3m2 Hold Me)

3M2A is a choral cue. It may be the opera source music.

[deleted account 110]

>>Part 3 - 5m5 News of the Attack ("Wesa Going Home" as Obi docks on Tantive IV)

I suspect that this is tracked in the film. Lucas has a habit of fiddling with scene transitions. The session reports suggest that it's part of one of the Palpatine/Anakin cues. <<<

I agree - rereading the session report, it looks like is has been tracked in the final film - however, I'm not sure the music goes over a scene with Anakin and Palpatine. If the running order of the screenplay is accurate (and I honestly can't remember if it is) it would possibly underscore a scene with Obi-Wan and Anakin. But in fact, the moment Pablo refers to as being underscored by the TPM melody isn't even in the film anymore, so who can tell?

I wonder if 1m3r is an alternate version of 1m3. The cue is different in the film - the main title goes all the way to it's natural conclusion (a la the version on the SITH Soundtrack DVD) then a big bass drum pounds out a steady beat before the Force Theme comes crashing in as it does in 1m3 on the CD. The bass drum could have been stolen or isolated from a mix, or perhaps 1m3r IS the rewrite and is used in the film.

So 3m2a being a choral cue makes me think it might be the Galactic Ballet cue - there is no OPERA source music. In the final film, the scene does not have any singers in the obvious sense. It plays like a zero-g water ballet. That would indicate that maybe Part 2 of track 8 is 3m3 Palpatine's Big Pitch.

Anyhow, this will all be easier to figure out in a week.

[King Mark 3,834]

AOTC needs a complete overhaul.  That story (whatever's there of it) needs to be completely re-thought..

CHUD.com has four reviews up, that seem a bit more realistic and not gushing.

Neil

Yes,because they seem to match your personal expectations of the film.All along you've been saying it will be just barely better than TPM and AotC,if were lucky.It doesn't make the more gushing reviews less valid.

K.M.

[diskobolus 3]

It's ok to be skeptical. But I hope that people who do find the film to be positive are open about it. Ironically, the tables are now turned.