*The Official Episode III Film Review Thread*

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

You really don't need to devote a whole post to one word...

[Luke Skywalker 1,793]

No,and I'm not sure where Sassee Tinn died.

k.M.

Come on! He's one of the Fantastic 4 that got killed by Palpatine himself.

It is the jedi with long horns, right?

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Manuel is right. Along with Mace Windu, Palpatine killed Agen Kolar, Kit Fisto and Saesee Tiin.

[Luke Skywalker 1,793]

Phew, i got it right.

Since AOTC i lost control of the jedi council, so many changes and many were just different actors with same make up....

[deimos 0]

I finally got to see it yesterday. I went to the only theater in town with a DP. In fact I forced my friends to go there. I was right to do that. When the awful ads began I turned around to see they were coming from the normal projector; and there it was. A huge monster was wating beside to start working in a few minutes. They turned on the lights, turned them off again, and a mini-documentary about digital cinema began. They used a landscape of a snowed mountain as a reference, and I could only think: if this is the way the movie is gonna be, OMG. I thought there would be some trailers but suddenly there it was: the fox fanfare.

In the next 140 minutes I'd enjoy an incredible quality a image but, would I enjoy an incredibly good picture? I should say first that the movie was dubbed, so I think I lost some of the good works from the actors, specially McDiarmid, but also the supposedly bad ones.

The movie began, as of course you all know by now, with a huge space battle; probably the biggest in the PT. Was it as good as Yavin or Endor? No of course, because there was no drama here. Just fun. Is it bad? I don't think so, this is the beggining of the movie, of a sad movie. A little fun is not bad. Some people say there were too much jokes, but they were fine IMO. The parody about how R2 is always around to save the day is a good homage to a character that, minutes later, would gain a whole new hint. The SW saga is a fantasy journey, with adventure, drama, love, and also, comedy.

In these first minutes of film we also see the two most underused characters in the movie: Dooku and Grievous. In fact, I think that using Dooku instead of Grievous would have been the same in terms of story. What do they have with Christopher Lee and third parts? RotK and now this. Man, you have a legend before you, you can do better. Before we get in the important parts of the movie, I'd like to point out that killing Grievous with a gun was very significant. Given that there were lots of duels in the movie and that Grievous is only a pawn in Palpatine's chessboard, it was not that bad that he gets killed in a less espectacular way than in other duels. I like the way this is lost to give way to the idea of a new era, the era of the blaster.

Then we have the second quarter of the movie. This part was ment to be able to make you understand Anakin's decission. Does it make it? Not quite. At leastin my first viewing. We get to see how Anakin is not trusted by the the Council, how he fears Padme would die as his mother did, and how Palpatine tempts him. We also have a key scene, which comes way too early, and loses all of its strength in our mind and so in our (at least mine) understanding of Anakin's betrayal. I'm talkin about Anakin asking for advice to Yoda. Anakin finds in the light side of the force just the opposite as in the dark side. While he finds support and hope in Palpatine, he only finds a cold "forget that person" from Yoda. If we are to believe Anakin's betrayal is based on love, we must understand clearrly the two alternatives, which are represented by Palpatine in the dark side, and a too difuse chain of characters in the light side (Yoda, Obiwan and the Council). By the time Palpatine reveals himself, it should be crystal-clear that Anakin feels betrayed in first place: betrayed by the Jedi order, who doesn't trust him nor Palpatine, who should be clear by now is nearly as important in his life as Obiwan and Padme. Unfortunately it's not clear, blame AotC. But also betrayed by the light side. Anakin wanted to become the most powerful Jedi ever, Anakin wanted power. But for this, he had to forget about Padme, and he was not ready for this. The Jedi had promised him power, but not at this price. He had been betrayed.

Do we have this in mind in Palpatine's revelation? I don't think so. By that time I thought Anakin felt untrusted by the Jedi, was really scared about losing Padme and had been tempted by Palpatine. Tempted, and not seduced. If he had been seduced, his betrayal could have been read as a thought option. With lines like "only through me you can save Padme", we can understand that he betrays Windu, but not his abrupt turn to the dark side. With this sudden change of side, in some minutes he is about to kill Palpatine as the dark lord unmasked and then shortly after he is his faithful servant, I just can't believe he doesn't regret on his way to the Jedi temple, before killing the younglings or in Mustafar. I just can't. It was something difficult to achive in a "pop-corn" movie like Star Wars, where you can't have a lot of dialogue cause people will start to get bored. Lucas had 3 films to do this. He didn't take the chance.

Some of you might be thinkin that you did feel what I didn't, so the betrayal was OK. That's good, but it didn't work for any of my friends. Others might be thinking that after watching the movie and thinkin about it you felt the betrayal was OK. That's what I think now. But that's not the way movies work. You can have think-provoking movies, which make you think about certain topic in our society after it was treated in the movie. That's great. But in a journey like this, where a character becomes evil, you must understand what's going on during the movie, not afterwards. And that's a major flaw in my opinion.

After Palpatine's revelation everything gets much better. We see how everything was perfectly planned so that "the republic will be reorganised into the first galactic empire" and so on. I even liked very much that it was Obiwan who aims to kill Anakin and not the opposite. The order 66 secuence was great, and it had been even better if it wasn't for Lucas' obsession with exotic environments (what's with that huge plants planet? Hey George this is drama man, you can use dark scenarios, it happens a lot in that what we call movies, even in some called, oh yes, the original trilogy!). I also loved the murder of the federation people edited along the galactic empire scene, though the anti-Bush statements - "this is how democracy dies, with a thunderosu applause" and "if you're not with me you're my enemy" were a bit too obvious. Anakin vs Obiwan and Yoda vs Palpatine was OK, but I felt that Yoda surrender too early, and I hoped more dialogue in Vader vs Obiwan. This should also have been drama after all. But this is fixed in the next secuence, the inmolation scene. It was appaling to see Anakin suffer, and see Obiwan leaving him as if he ment nothing for him. After all, "the boy he trained, gone he is, consumed by Darth Vader". I know, the word consumed is perfect in this case. And of course we come to the use of both births altogether, and I don't mean Luke and Leia but the twins and Vader. That's the way it had to be, and was brilliantly executed. About Frankestein and all, I think it as OK, he is a monster after all. And I felt terribly sorry when Anakin asks about Padme and he learns she is dead. No, she learns he killed her. Now we know he would live all the years to come with that responsibility.

I hated that they removed the Qui-Gon scene, cause it makes the plans for the twins scene very weird. Qui-Gon? After two movies? (at least for the general audience, which in their most part didn't notice Qui-Gon's NO!! in AotC). I loved the fact that only 3PO has his memory erased. And this is the new hint about R2D2 we learned. He knows all from the beggining, who is Leia, Obiwan, Luke and also Vader. The end is very moving, though very predictable. But I guess that's the way we all hoped it to be.

To understand the cast work I need to see it in English to have a real opinion. They were better than I thought though, but the precedent movies didn't give me much hope. About the visual effects, well, they were much better than those in AotC, though the clones heads were just horrible. At least the backgrounds were in general believable, though the binary sunset scene seemed very obvious to be a matte.

If anyone is wondering about John Williams, well I need a few more lines to describe how tempted I felt to stand up and applause in several cues. But after more than an hour of writing, I think that will be some other time.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

glad you had a good time

[deimos 0]

Well in fact I had mixed feelings after the movie. The fact that the most anticipated scene didn't work for me was dissapointing, but there were also very good scenes, and a great job from Williams. But above all that, the feeling that it was all over.

[Morlock 11]

Saw the film for the second time. While my overall opinion didn't change all that much, I honed in more on what I liked and didn't like. An incomplete, very long list, in the order which I'm reading the notes I scribbled on a battery pack (a big one):

WTF does the sentence in the opening crawl "There are heroes on both sides" mean? Which heroes are there on Sedious's side?

Aside from that, I loved the opening crawl. Such a dynamic begining, it promises one heck of an exciting movie.

In general, I thought the opening sequence was very well done. It was exciting, entertaining, great looking, not too unbelievable, and it was Star Wars-y. Specificaly, I loved the visuals, especialy the first ones, as Anakin and Obi-Wan approach the ship. It's quite beautiful. I loved Grievous' entrance, with his theme, which I love more and more each time I hear it. And unlike AoTC, I bought Lee as Dooku. In AoTC, I was like 'what is Saruman doing here?', but here, LoTR being history, I bought his as the Sith Apprentice. I would have loved to see more scenes between him and Palpatine.

But the best thing about he opening sequence is that I felt all the actors captured their characters perfectly. Even R2 was more OT R2 than ever before.

One of my favorite things about the movie was how the Jedi look like bad guys for a big part of the movie. The movie presents us the Jedi the same way Anakin sees them, and you can understand his motivation to listen to Palpatine. The part that IMO best captured this was when Windu, Yoda, and Obi-Wan are in the ship, and Obi-Wan says (Paraphrasing):"He is the chosen one", to which Windu replies "So the prophecy says" and Yoda adds that it could've been misread. They sound like a couple of old codgers who brought in this young face to do their bidding, but then he starts having a mind of his own. I hated Yoda then, and hated Windu throughout the whole movie.

And Obi Wan is like a guidance councellor, wanting to see the best in his subject, failing to see all the signs. And I like how Anakin says to Obi-Wan 'May the Force be with you', not like he believes it, but because he's feeling a bit better after Obi-Wan's words, and wants to make him happy by letting him know that he still believes in the force. There are many comparisons that can be drawn in the situation.

Every single thing in the movie about Padme was terrible. Terribly written, and I guess badly performed (though with that script, who knows if Portman's really to blame. I'd like to believe she's not). This is not the same Padme who was Queen, and not the same Padme who is senator. She's turned into a house wife. If this is what GL thinks married women should be, no wonder he got divorced. She went from spunky to just plain annoying. Like Leia, going from strong heroine to love interest. And whenever her and Anakin speak abotu politics, they sound like a couple of political science students, in a particular sickening way.

I loved when Obi-Wan lands on Utupau, and we hear a most beautiful, lucious, stirring version of the force theme on the strings.

The lizard IMO was a bad idea.

I love the Emperor's theme on the deep strings when he reveals his true identity to Anakin.

I've said this before, but one of the things most inexplicable to me is how Anakin went from, in the scene where he helps kill Windu, "What have I done?" to his acceptance of the dark side. Especialy because I thought Hayden gave the best line reading in the movie on the "What have I done?". Really nailed it.

The McDiarmid, again, has the worst makeup ever in his transformation scene. The Gollum voice was a terrible touch.

One of the things I realized while watching the movie, which I was delighted by, was about the Clone Army's transformation into the Storm troopers. I always assumed that Palpatine had installed some sort of chip that basicaly activates their evil side, and makes them switch sides. But then I realized- they never do switch sides. They are always doing the bidding of the head of the Republic, be he chancellor or emperor. They never switch sides, only the leadership changes. Just like the rest of the republic.

On the same note, one thing I hate Lucas for is having 'Order 66'. Is he so totaly and utterly lackign imagination as to use that number? just imagine how much better it would have sounded if it was some obscure number, like order 311.

Jimmy Smitts is great in the movie. Small part, but he's got a great presence in every single scene he's in. And you can't help but smile at Organa's ship.

I loved that JW used the Coruscant Arrival music when Obi-Wan meets Bail and Yoda. Even though they're not on the city, they represent all that's left from what was once the most important city in the Republic.

In general, I thought Hayden was very, very good in the movie. He really felt like Anakin to me, and tried to smooth out some rough spots. Not nearly as whiny as he was in AoTC. I really felt for him, and understood why he would be drawn to the dark side. That being said, he's got some terrible line readings, however, that is not his fault. IMO, that is the fault of the director or editor. He might have tried for something and missed, like "Is is possible to learn these powers?", when the possible sounds terrible, and they should've used a different take.

Battle of The Heroes is one great composition. It is perfect in every way for this epic battle, the most emotional one in the films. The words I wrote were amazing, powerful, emotional, and most fitting. And I could add many more words. It also fits structuraly perfectly for the editing, as it can start and stop, and have a continuity, even though the film cut to the other duel. It picks up again as Anakin and Obi-Wan continue, and with an added intensity that keeps on building.

I loved when Palpatine says "My little green friend". It's what we've come to expect from Palpatine, that little joke. It just sweetened the whole deal, even though you think he's talking to Kermit for a second.

WTF is Anakin doing saying 'From my point of view'? He's a Sith! There are no point of views, only absolutes! (As Obi-Wan points out in the movie)

I love how Anakin is defeated because he tries to use the Sith powers.

And probably the best bit of writing and delivery in the movie is when Obi-Wan says "YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE!". Very powerful. One of the most powerful moments in all the films for me. I came pretty close to getting teary eyed.

The best argument against the CGI Yoda is when he's crawling through the ducts after being defeated by Palpatine. He looks like a cat. What should be a sad and symbolic moment of the fall fo the Jedi is totaly lost.

I liked the juxtaposition of Anakin's transformation into Vader with the twins' birth. Very obvious symbolism, but I loved how you've got the ultimate doom juxtaposed against the New Hope.

A lot of the more obvious stuff I've already said, but just to make sure it is known: I loved every bit of McDiarmid, best supporting actor nod in my book. And the score is well deserving of all the great press it's been getting.

Overall: I'd say 7.5/10. On it's own, a 3.5/4 star film, but concidering what it could've been, 3/4 stars.

[Henry B 50]

one thing I hate Lucas for is having 'Order 66'. Is he so totaly and utterly lackign imagination as to use that number? just imagine how much better it would have sounded if it was some obscure number, like order 311.

At least it wasn't Order 1138 (that would not have surprised me at all).

[Morlock 11]

That at least would have drawn a chuckle.

[Lurker 5]

WTF does the sentence in the opening crawl "There are heroes on both sides" mean? Which heroes are there on Sedious's side?

Obviously you are as confused as the writer/director. Don't feel bad. I don't think anyone can understand what is meant by that.

I thought the opening sequence was very well done. It was exciting, entertaining, great looking, not too unbelievable, and it was Star Wars-y. Specificaly, I loved the visuals, especialy the first ones, as Anakin and Obi-Wan approach the ship. It's quite beautiful.

I don't see it as "Star Wars-y" at all. It looks like a cross between every other space battle done nowadays and a video game. There was a time when the Star Wars films set the standards. Now they blindly follow them.

Even R2 was more OT R2 than ever before.

Have you even seen Star Wars? R2 never behaved in such a way before.

Every single thing in the movie about Padme was terrible. Terribly written, and I guess badly performed (though with that script, who knows if Portman's really to blame. I'd like to believe she's not). This is not the same Padme who was Queen, and not the same Padme who is senator. She's turned into a house wife.

Agreed.

The lizard IMO was a bad idea.

Funny, it was the one creature/character I cared about in the entire movie. When it and Obi-Wan were falling into the water, I didn't care about Obi-Wan at all since he has to survive, but the creature I cared about. Maybe that's a fundamental problem with the prequels. We have no sympathy for any of these characters since we all know how it's going to turn out. Why bother getting attached to Anakin, when you know he is going to become the biggest mass murderer in the galaxy?

one of the things most inexplicable to me is how Anakin went from, in the scene where he helps kill Windu, "What have I done?" to his acceptance of the dark side.

Poor script.

The McDiarmid, again, has the worst makeup ever in his transformation scene. The Gollum voice was a terrible touch.

And yet you think he should be nominated for best supporting actor? I realize he isn't responsible for the make-up, but his cackling old man routine is so over the top I expected to see teeth marks in the digital sets. He is good in some of the scenes before the transformation, but once that happens, forget about it. He goes back to being the same unthreatening goof ball he is in ROTJ. Part of that is the material, but part of that is his performance. He was much more threatening and menacing when he was shrouded in secrecy in TPM.

And yes the make-up in this movie is terrible.

One of the things I realized while watching the movie, which I was delighted by, was about the Clone Army's transformation into the Storm troopers. I always assumed that Palpatine had installed some sort of chip that basicaly activates their evil side, and makes them switch sides. But then I realized- they never do switch sides. They are always doing the bidding of the head of the Republic, be he chancellor or emperor. They never switch sides, only the leadership changes. Just like the rest of the republic.

But that still doesn't explain why the Jedi knowingly fight alongside clones of Jango Fett, a criminal with Sith connections. Aren't the Jedi smarter than to do that? I guess not. They got what they deserved.

I loved that JW used the Coruscant Arrival music when Obi-Wan meets Bail and Yoda. Even though they're not on the city, they represent all that's left from what was once the most important city in the Republic.

The pitch shift bothered me.

In general, I thought Hayden was very, very good in the movie. He really felt like Anakin to me, and tried to smooth out some rough spots. Not nearly as whiny as he was in AoTC. I really felt for him, and understood why he would be drawn to the dark side.

Then why did you earlier ask, "one of the things most inexplicable to me is how Anakin went from, in the scene where he helps kill Windu, "What have I done?" to his acceptance of the dark side."?

That being said, he's got some terrible line readings, however, that is not his fault. IMO, that is the fault of the director or editor. He might have tried for something and missed, like "Is is possible to learn these powers?", when the possible sounds terrible, and they should've used a different take.

I said the exact same thing when the trailer first came out with this line in it. I was accused of just wanting to bash the film. It's refreshing to see someone who enjoyed the movie but still has issues with his delivery here.

Battle of The Heroes is one great composition. It is perfect in every way for this epic battle, the most emotional one in the films. The words I wrote were amazing, powerful, emotional, and most fitting. And I could add many more words. It also fits structuraly perfectly for the editing, as it can start and stop, and have a continuity, even though the film cut to the other duel. It picks up again as Anakin and Obi-Wan continue, and with an added intensity that keeps on building.

I would have liked it more in the movie if Williams had hinted at it earlier in the film, only to have it really explode at the start of the duel. As it is, it just comes out of nowhere and has no connection with anything else in the series.

The best argument against the CGI Yoda is when he's crawling through the ducts after being defeated by Palpatine. He looks like a cat. What should be a sad and symbolic moment of the fall fo the Jedi is totaly lost.

And why was he in the Jeffries Tube? Wrong series, George!

A lot of the more obvious stuff I've already said, but just to make sure it is known: I loved every bit of McDiarmid, best supporting actor nod in my book.

Even with the "Gollum voice" you mentioned earlier?

And the score is well deserving of all the great press it's been getting.

It works better on the album. It didn't do much for me in the movie, except serve as wallpaper.

Neil

[bondo 33]

You're just not content to let other people enjoy these films are you?

[Lurker 5]

Funny, I thought I agreed with him on many things, yet we still have different opinions of the movie. Don't you find that fascinating, that it shows how objective being a movie buff can be?

Neil

[bondo 33]

I don't know about 'fascinating', but definitely 'positive'...

- SW ROTS

[Morlock 11]

Have you even seen Star Wars?  R2 never behaved in such a way before.

Not exactly, but there was the same kind of spunk he had when looking for Ben in the first movie. I don't know, the same kind of resolve that leads to kind of comic situations.

Funny, it was the one creature/character I cared about in the entire movie.  When it and Obi-Wan were falling into the water, I didn't care about Obi-Wan at all since he has to survive, but the creature I cared about.  Maybe that's a fundamental problem with the prequels.  We have no sympathy for any of these characters since we all know how it's going to turn out.  Why bother getting attached to Anakin, when you know he is going to become the biggest mass murderer in the galaxy?

Well, I agree with you, but for different reasons. I didn't care about what happened to the characters, since I knew that, one way or another, they were going to end up as they were in Star Wars. But I had a very different outlook on Anakin. I always looked at him at the old man in a suit at the end of RoTJ (the whole idea of which I understand you have inherent problems with). For me, the whole idea is that Vader is something that happens to Anakin, a 20+ year blip, caused by his weak resolve to see any pain come to his loved ones, at the expense of everything and everyone else, including, of course, his loved ones. I guess that's one inherent difference in experiencing Star Wars. I never saw Star Wars or Empire without the knowledge that Vader would become Anakin again. The whole trilogy was leading up to that point for me. I couldn't imagine what one would think about Vader before RoTJ existed.

And yet you think he should be nominated for best supporting actor?  I realize he isn't responsible for the make-up, but his cackling old man routine is so over the top I expected to see teeth marks in the digital sets.  He is good in some of the scenes before the transformation, but once that happens, forget about it.  He goes back to being the same unthreatening goof ball he is in ROTJ.  Part of that is the material, but part of that is his performance.  He was much more threatening and menacing when he was shrouded in secrecy in TPM.

Again, the emperor to me was always the one seen in RoTJ. I liked him a lot in TPM, but that wouldn't work here, I think. It's hard to understand why Anakin would be listening to his twists and lies without that appeal, that dry humor, that sense of irony. It's part of what Palpatine is- that vanity. And it's fitting, because at the end of this trilogy, he has basically been totally and utterly successful at every step of the way. I love the idea that his victories become more and more overt over the three films, from TPM, where you might think the good guys won, until you realize the entire movie was just a plot to make him Chancellor, and in AoTC, where it takes what might of been seen as the republic's clone army's victory and quite overtly shows it's the victory of Palpatine, and finally in RoTS, where he's victorious in every way. He's more mysterious in TPM because he's hiding his cards from everyone. He's less in AoTC, as his plotting takes a step further, and finally, in RoTS, not mysterious at all, and very overt about everything, so he is his full, vain, colorful self.

But that still doesn't explain why the Jedi knowingly fight alongside clones of Jango Fett, a criminal with Sith connections.  Aren't the Jedi smarter than to do that?  I guess not.  They got what they deserved.

Indeed they did. But I'm not sure if that's a fault or maybe it's part of the intention. It's the system's failure, personified directly with the loss of Anakin to the dark side, but also that maybe the Jedi were getting a bit too greedy and full of themselves. IMO, part of what the prequel trilogy is trying to say about both politics and religious (both of which I will of course refrain from elaborating on, though I am interested in other people's opinion's on this. Anyone, PM me if interested).

Then why did you earlier ask, "one of the things most inexplicable to me is how Anakin went from, in the scene where he helps kill Windu, "What have I done?" to his acceptance of the dark side."?

I understood why. I know basically what was in the missing section (or at least the essence of it). I'm just puzzled as to why the film didn't show it.

I would have liked it more in the movie if Williams had hinted at it earlier in the film, only to have it really explode at the start of the duel.  As it is, it just comes out of nowhere and has no connection with anything else in the series.

First of all, I'm not sure how much thematic maneuvering room JW had. I have a feeling he had some different ideas regarding themes, only to have GL interject with his ideas. I have this gut instinct JW was ready with that kick ass Imperial March for Vader's big entrance, only to have GL want to play it emotional to max.

Second of all, I think one of the achievements of the piece is how right on it is without being thematically connected to the rest of it. He created the perfect emotional counterpoint to the scene, and without using any of the pre-existing material. A lot of that I'm sure is because I knew the piece and had a chance to contemplate it, but still, I think it does a brilliant job. Like Duel of the Fates, all we really have before Darth Maul's entrance is Darth Maul's theme, which doesn't create a base for DoTF. It just comes in there and fits.

But, of course I agree with you.

Even with the "Gollum voice" you mentioned earlier?

I doubt that was his choice. The voice was a good idea I thought, for him to bring up the emperor's voice, but how it was done was just waaaaaaaaaaay over the top.

It works better on the album.  It didn't do much for me in the movie, except serve as wallpaper.

I don't know about that. Lament kind of left me cold on the album. In the film it really got me. In general, I must say I really like the idea of Qui Gon's funeral music being in fact the Jedi funeral music.

Which reminds me, totally unrelated about two quick thoughts regarding themes in the film:

A. I liked the use of the Droid motif when they charge the Wookies

B. I would've liked JW use Qui Gon's theme when he's mentioned. In general, IMO, the more TPM themes used correctly, the better. As I've said before, I think that score is terribly underrated, and that it's themes are relatively just as strong as any Star Wars theme. Williams really shelled out a lot on that score. Too bad he had so little room to develop it.

You're just not content to let other people enjoy these films are you?

I think this is a very healthy discussion going on here. Much better than one side spewing "best film ever", the other side spewing "worst film ever" and endless "is not" "is too" "is not" "is too". I'm much more content knowing why Neil disliked the movie, and letting him know why I liked it.

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

In general, IMO, the more TPM themes used correctly, the better. As I've said before, I think that score is terribly overrated

Do you mean underrated? Just going by your history of opinions on the subject.

Ray Barnsbury

[ChrisAfonso 186]

Funny, I thought I agreed with him on many things, yet we still have different opinions of the movie.  Don't you find that fascinating, that it shows how objective being a movie buff can be?

Neil

Hm, to me it just reads as if you're agreeing with all negative remarks, and lieing () with all positive remarks...

[HPFAN_2 0]

Great movie, but VERY inconsistent.

[Lurker 5]

Funny, I thought I agreed with him on many things, yet we still have different opinions of the movie.  Don't you find that fascinating, that it shows how objective being a movie buff can be?

Neil

Hm, to me it just reads as if you're agreeing with all negative remarks, and lieing () with all positive remarks...

I find that remark...insulting.

Neil

[King Mark 3,626]

First of all, I'm not sure how much thematic maneuvering room JW had. I have a feeling he had some different ideas regarding themes, only to have GL interject with his ideas. I have this gut instinct JW was ready with that kick ass Imperial March for Vader's big entrance, only to have GL want to play it emotional to max.

 

Yes when the helmet locked into place,Williams should have done the most kick ass version of the Imperial March ever.The hell with this subtle,low key stuff.

Any one notice when Vader walks across the bridge of the Star Destroyer,there is a warm version of the force theme playing,like it was supposd to play in the scene before that but they cut something out in the film.

K.M.Not sure if that has been mentionned

[Morlock 11]

In general, IMO, the more TPM themes used correctly, the better. As I've said before, I think that score is terribly overrated

Do you mean underrated? Just going by your history of opinions on the subject.

Ray Barnsbury

Indeed I do. I'll edit that.

[A24 4,327]

But that still doesn't explain why the Jedi knowingly fight alongside clones of Jango Fett, a criminal with Sith connections. Aren't the Jedi smarter than to do that? I guess not. They got what they deserved.

Well, the clones did come to their rescue during The Arena Battle. So, I guess they were indeed useful for the Jedi, since the Jedi alone couldn't keep the peace any longer.

Morlock wrote:

In general, I thought Hayden was very, very good in the movie. He really felt like Anakin to me, and tried to smooth out some rough spots. Not nearly as whiny as he was in AoTC. I really felt for him, and understood why he would be drawn to the dark side.

Neil replied:

Then why did you earlier ask, "one of the things most inexplicable to me is how Anakin went from, in the scene where he helps kill Windu, "What have I done?" to his acceptance of the dark side."?

Is this a serious question? Surely you understand where Morlock is getting at.

I said the exact same thing when the trailer first came out with this line in it. I was accused of just wanting to bash the film. It's refreshing to see someone who enjoyed the movie but still has issues with his delivery here.

Lots of prequel haters enjoyed this movie despite its flaws, Neil. And just like me, lots of prequel haters think it's better than ROTJ (how could it not be? There were way less annoying things in it). I think you are still way too attached to the original blueprint of Star Wars (1977). Soon, I'll bet you'll start complaining about how the sound is different from the original Star Wars.

----------------

Alex Cremers

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

How long has it been since Lucas bought you? What was the promised price Alex? When all the Members are dead you would take your share of the treasure?

[A24 4,327]

How long has it been since Lucas bought you? What was the promised price Alex? When all the Members are dead you would take your share of the treasure?

What are you talking about? If Lucas bought me, then why don't I rave about TPM, AOTC, or ROTJ?!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Because that's what we would expect from you.

[Lurker 5]

I think you are still way too attached to the original blueprint of Star Wars (1977).

What have you done with the real Alexcremers!!??

Neil - about to run through the streets shouting, "They're here already! You're next! You're next, You're next..."

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

So alex how was your stay at the Skywalker Ranch?

Did George (you can call him by his first name, right?) let Rick McCallum of the leash so he could give you the guided tour?

[A24 4,327]

What can I say, the real Alexcremers isn't close-minded and doesn't think in absolutes.

[harrychen 0]

There are Easter eggs in Episode III, according to the SW official site. Unfortunately, you can't freeze-frame them just yet. For those ready to see it a second time or third or whatever, check out this:

http://www.starwars.com/episode-iii/bts/pr...0526/index.html

Lucasfilm has made a list of things to look out for in the movie. I especially like the kitchen sink.

Harry Chen

Hong Kong

[Lurker 5]

What can I say, the real Alexcremers isn't close-minded and doesn't think in absolutes.

Just contradictions. There is so much activity in ROTS that Star Wars.com had to post a page on where to catch all this activity that is going on. However, this is the exact same problem that you had with the Harry Potter films. And on top of that, the Potter films don't have the acting and story problems that this movie has, yet you trashed them all anyway.

So what is it about ROTS that you like?

Neil

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Alexcremers isn't close-minded and doesn't think in absolutes.

Since when?

[Justin 2]

What can I say, the real Alexcremers isn't close-minded and doesn't think in absolutes.

Are you absolutly sure?

Justin - Who loves it. LOL

[A24 4,327]

What can I say, the real Alexcremers isn't close-minded and doesn't think in absolutes.

Just contradictions. There is so much activity in ROTS that Star Wars.com had to post a page on where to catch all this activity that is going on. However, this is the exact same problem that you had with the Harry Potter films. And on top of that, the Potter films don't have the acting and story problems that this movie has, yet you trashed them all anyway.

In the Potter films, the narrative is clearly addressed at young children. Every scene is simplistic leading to the same kind of event. While its intention is to hold younger audiences attention, it makes me fall asleep.

I don't know whether you remember it but I already critiqued the screen-filling effects of ROTS. My opinion was that instead of proving us with rich layers, they only seem to fill space.

What I like? It's the first prequel that, as the film progressed, made me want more. I wanted to see what was going to happen next. So much so that 120 min. felt like 90. For the first time I started to care for several characters, even Yoda, because he made me laugh. Obi and Anakin were finally behaving like humans instead of acting like static cardboards. This prequel, and this is a first in the new series, has a real villain. That's why it's probably the most focused Star Wars film in ages. Just like the original from 1977, it's a good old-fashioned battle between good and evil. And once again it feels like a fairy tale. From time to time, I even felt George's love for his own universe and the characters that inhabit it. Now that it's over, the rusty parts are beginning to move again. He was getting back into shape. In short, the first two prequels were flatliners. This one had a pulse (albeit not the most healthy one).

Alexcremers isn't close-minded and doesn't think in absolutes.

Since when?

Just because I don't always agree with your poor taste doesn't mean I'm close-minded, Stefancos.

----------------

Alex Cremers

[ChrisAfonso 186]

Funny, I thought I agreed with him on many things, yet we still have different opinions of the movie.  Don't you find that fascinating, that it shows how objective being a movie buff can be?

Neil

Hm, to me it just reads as if you're agreeing with all negative remarks, and lieing () with all positive remarks...

I find that remark...insulting.

Neil

Well, what? You strongly disagree with him on the positive remarks

[bondo 33]

oh this is getting good

[King Mark 3,626]

WTF does the sentence in the opening crawl "There are heroes on both sides" mean? Which heroes are there on Sedious's side?

Obviously you are as confused as the writer/director. Don't feel bad. I don't think anyone can understand what is meant by that.

Pfiew!

K.M.Glad he's not stupid after all.

[ridan 0]

By the "Heroes on both sides" thing, they meant that there are figures seen as heroes on either side. Grievous and Dooku on the Seperatist side, Anakin and Obi-Wan on the Republic's side.

[Justin 2]

Personally, I found the opening crawl to be unimpressive.

Justin

[Jeshopk 8]

The Separatist side had heroes, but they aren't shown.

[Luke Skywalker 1,793]

The Separatist side had heroes, but they aren't shown.

Yeah and have in mind that the evil ones are the separatits leaders, the people they represent may well believe in their idelas of try to change the republic. They are deceived, but still good people could be there...

[Lurker 5]

Yeah and have in mind that the evil ones are the separatits leaders, the people they represent may well believe in their idelas of try to change the republic. They are deceived, but still good people could be there...

I'm sure the Nazi's could have made the same argument. I still believe that the sentence is inane.

Neil

[JoeinAR 1,949]

What can I say, the real Alexcremers isn't close-minded and doesn't think in absolutes.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

In the Potter films, the narrative is clearly addressed at young children. Every scene is simplistic leading to the same kind of event. While its intention is to hold younger audiences attention, it makes me fall asleep.  

no, thats just your closed-mindedness, that you claim you don't have.

like I said earlier, you bitched and moaned about the ghosts and other apparitions in the HP film just cluttering the screen for no reason, yet you have the same problem in ROTS, every sq. inch, or sq. mm is taken up with something, far moreso than the Potter films, and it doesn't advance the story one bit.

For many of us the story is ROTS is designed to hold a younger audiences attention, and for the first hour I nearly fell asleep.

[A24 4,327]

Not only are you close-minded, as your narrow taste constantly demonstrates, now you've shown that you're also simple-minded, Joe. Calling someone close-minded for not digging a kids film like Potter is ridiculous.

[A24 4,327]

For many of us the story is ROTS is designed to hold a younger audiences attention, and for the first hour I nearly fell asleep.

Are you trying to get to me with a movie I merely would give a **1/2 stars? You have to do better than that.

[A24 4,327]

And I think most grownups would sooner fall asleep with Potter than ROTS.

[Luke Skywalker 1,793]

Yeah and have in mind that the evil ones are the separatits leaders, the people they represent may well believe in their idelas of try to change the republic. They are deceived, but still good people could be there...

I'm sure the Nazi's could have made the same argument. I still believe that the sentence is inane.

Neil

Well, if you put it that way...

EDIT: One moment. They did. They are still the badguys for the rest of the world, but not from their point of view.

Example: Isnt Darth Vader a hero of the Empire?... (from the empire's point of view, of course.)

But anyway hero should have been used just for the goodguys.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

And I think most grownups would sooner fall asleep with Potter than ROTS.

true, people do like to fall asleep with a good book, over a mediocre film,

funny that you and I both give ROTS 2-1/2 stars, yet you praise it far more than I.

[ChrisAfonso 186]

Could we finish the "all the time things are shown that clutter the screen don't advance the story one bit" debate soon? If this is what you want, go see a Lars von Trier film...

[JoeinAR 1,949]

WHO? Is that one of them artsy fartsy foreign films?