HoagieWithPastrami
Dennis Stamp
Enroll now in the Ben Roethlisberger motorcycle safety course!!!
Posts: 3,665
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Post by HoagieWithPastrami on May 21, 2005 1:15:31 GMT -5
To start off, I'm not a huge Star Wars nerd so my opinions might suck. I mean, I loved the first 3 as a little kid, thought the 1st new one sucked, and thought the 2nd new one was pretty good but not that great.
In fact, I don't even like sci-fi that much, the Stars Wars movies are the only sci-fi movies I've ever been even remotely interested in.... probably because they were so huge when I was a small child. But my girlfriend, her friends, and her dad all went on Thursday evening so I went along. It helped that they already had a ticket for me.
That said, I thought this was a pretty damn good Star Wars. It was better than the first two new ones, and the one with the Ewoks. But it wasn't as good as the original or Empire Strikes Back.
One thing I don't get... the whole reason that Vader pulled the heel turn on the Jedi was to save Natalie Portman (who looked pretty hot IMO) from dieing. But at the end, she dies anyways... and it was his fault because he choked her out.
At that point, wouldn't he get pissed at the Emperor and turn on him, because the Emperor lied to him and told him that if he became evil he could save her? No, instead he forgets about it and goes on to live a happy, successfull life of blowing up planets and stuff.
Also, how does Chewbacca go from hanging out and discussing important things with Yoda, to being with Hans Solo? (my girlfriend insisted it wasn't Chewbacca, just someone that looked like him. But Yoda calls him Chewbacca) That's something I NEED TO KNOW DAMNIT!!!
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Post by andre28bc on May 21, 2005 2:19:55 GMT -5
I saw it tonight, I thought it was good but not exceptional. There were a TON of little kids in the theatre and they laughed during many different parts of the film
(As Anakin is turning, they laughed at Palpintine's face) (When Obi-Wan said "I loved you" they screamed F**)
The thing that bothered me was how unrealistic the battle on the little floating platform over the lava looked. Really really bad effects there. And the name thing, she just comes up with Luke and Leia off the top of her head, I guess, whatever. I thought Episode 2 was just as good.
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Post by phentari on May 21, 2005 8:02:49 GMT -5
I really think that, in a lot of ways, this film was George's homage to all of the factors that led up to it.
First off, there are a LOT of nods to the original films, which as a child of the seventies I very much appreciated. The battle scene with Dooku in a chamber that looked a whole LOT like the throne room from "Jedi," the Emp...excuse me, Chancellor's chuckling "Goooood!"--good stuff. The final scene on Tattooine, with the double sunset--great. The brief shot of a young Grand Moff Tarkin (and, DAMN, did they do a good job with the likeness there--you could tell exactly who it was supposed to be at a glance)--definite mark-out moment.
There are a lot of bits in this film that go back way before 1977, though. People have commented on the Frankenstein moment with Vader, and I don't think for a moment that it was accidental. "Commander Cody" is pretty clearly a nod to the old serials which inspired Lucas to make the first movie (anyone else remember "Commando Cody?")
Yes, some of the performances could have been better--though I think they finally got the look right for Christiansen. I could definitely believe that this was Luke's father. I also thought that McGregor was a LOT more comfortable with his character, and managed to get a bit more of Sir Alec Guinness' drollery this time around.
A final thought, while we're on yhe subject of the Death Star: maybe it took them twenty years to build because they were too busy pressign every seamstress in the galaxy into service to sew those horrid grey Imperial navy outfits which we've never seen up until the last five minutes of this film, and which seem to turn everyone who wears them British.
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Post by Blade Braxton on May 21, 2005 9:49:02 GMT -5
^^^LOL!!!!!!!!^^^ Two things that disappointed me about the prequels. No Bossk. No constipated British Imperial commanders. And call me a geek, but I took in a second viewing yesterday. I enjoyed it more this time around. My biggest pet peeve is too much cgi - I wish the guys in charge would erase about 2-3 ships & clones from every action scene to make it look less clustered. But a second viewing made it the cgi a little less overwheming and anyways, I could be kicked in the nuts for two hours straight if it meant the payoff was the classic scene between ObiWan and a wounded Anakin. Emotional stuff. I liked the last scene very much, too. I was always moved - in some motivational way I don't understand - by the scene in Episode IV w/ Luke staring at the sun with the John Williams blaring. I wouldn't have chosen a different final frame for Episode III, even if I was the director.
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jobber2thestars
Hank Scorpio
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Posts: 7,097
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Post by jobber2thestars on May 21, 2005 10:17:49 GMT -5
Star Wars is nothing comapred to Lord of the Rings. Sorry guys thats just how it is, now I feel all geeky.
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jobber2thestars
Hank Scorpio
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Post by jobber2thestars on May 21, 2005 10:24:11 GMT -5
How did Leia become a princess, whent Luke stayed a farm boy?
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Post by hobojoe on May 21, 2005 10:54:34 GMT -5
The Emperor led him to believe he killed Padme with the force choke, so even if the Emperor wasn't lying and he could have saved her it would be too late now anyway. The knowledge that the only person he ever cared for was now dead because of him would leave Vader to consumed by hatred to just turn back.
It was Chewbacca. Kashyyk was lost and the Wookies were enslaved by the Empire. Years later Han Solo frees Chewie and Chewie becomes Han's faithful companion because he owes Han a life debt.
Original Trilogy> Lord of the Rings> Prequel Trilogy
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Post by sayscalled on May 21, 2005 13:01:00 GMT -5
Saw it last night (Friday) at 7pm. Theatre wasn't too crowded. Last weekend I saw the original trilogy (on VHS) back-to-back-to-back, to familiarize myself with the storyline. The first two films were still fresh in my mind.
Anyway, this 'end to the beginning' was well done. I have no real complaints. I too, found myself as a Darth Vader mark, when he was going through the transistion. The loose ends were tied together well, and the story fell seamlessly into place. The only thing I would've liked to see was Yoda landing on Dagobah. But at least it was explained why he went there.
Speaking of Yoda, it would've been nice if any of the six films included a backstory to his character. Like maybe seeing where he came from, or any others of his race. Oh well.
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ACG2x
Unicron
Posts: 3,139
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Post by ACG2x on May 21, 2005 13:18:58 GMT -5
Chancellor's speech to Anakin at the opera (or whatever it was) was awesome.
Anakin- "I can learn these powers...?" Palpatine- "Not from a Jedi" (his look is unreal here, perfectly captures the scene)
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Post by coolguy on May 21, 2005 13:28:48 GMT -5
Great, great movie. I agree with you RD that it's too early to determine if Episode III is better than Empire Strikes Back. And I agree with everyone who made reference to Natalie Portman's less-than-fulfilling performance/role. In fact, if she had given birth and died in the first 15 minutes, all would have been the same. At first I would've also expected Han Solo to make a cameo appearance, but on second thought, it would've have been just as forced and contrived as Chewbacca's appearance. It made sense not to put him in there. A couple other things I want to point out. Was I the only one who thought it was cool at the beginning where it appeared Obi Wan and Anakin were flying peacefully around a larger spaceship, only to turn a corner and reveal they were in the middle of a gigantic space battle? Another thing I thought was awkward was Anakin being renamed Darth Vader BEFORE he donned the costume. It just seemed weird seeing someone running around, all the while being called Darth Vader, who looked nothing like the villain we've all come to know and love.
Again, all things considered, they couldn't have done anything more to make this into a great movie. Unless, of course, they were to have Anakin slice and dice Jar Jar Binks.
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FrankRizzo
Team Rocket
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Posts: 803
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Post by FrankRizzo on May 21, 2005 13:31:06 GMT -5
The movie was pretty damn good. kinda slow after the space battle but when it picked up it really picked up. When I go to see it again on sunday I can go really drunk and not worry about missing anything.
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Post by rockymelvin on May 21, 2005 13:52:37 GMT -5
I've seen it twice and think it's the best prequel but still nowhere near the originals.
Bits I liked best were,
Palpatine (Was the highlight of the film.)
Anakin Vs Obi-Wan (A few dodgy effects didn't take anything away from an awesome duel.)
The end sequence (Strange that Yoda's arrival on Dagobah was cut though)
Bits I hated were,
Any time Padme spoke (Natalie Portman was bloody awful AGAIN and I cheered her demise as I was sick of her stinking up the screen. If they ever make Special Editions of the prequels I hope they digitally replace her with someone who actually knows how to act.)
Vader's "NOOOOOOO!!!!" ( Just sounded lame. IMO he also looked much smaller than OT Vader in that scene)
General Grievous (Another overhyped character that wasn't really needed in the story but got put in there due to George's fetish for CGI and the fact that they could sell lots of action figures of him. I would sooner have seen more of Count Dooku)
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jobber2thestars
Hank Scorpio
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Posts: 7,097
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Post by jobber2thestars on May 21, 2005 13:53:58 GMT -5
Some questions.
1. Why is Leah royalty, and Luke isnt? Shouldnt he be a prince?
2. What is a sith?
3. Is this movie worth seeing? Real answer, not a biased Star Wars geek (not ment negativly) one.
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Post by rockymelvin on May 21, 2005 13:57:18 GMT -5
Saw it last night (Friday) at 7pm. Theatre wasn't too crowded. Last weekend I saw the original trilogy (on VHS) back-to-back-to-back, to familiarize myself with the storyline. The first two films were still fresh in my mind. Anyway, this 'end to the beginning' was well done. I have no real complaints. I too, found myself as a Darth Vader mark, when he was going through the transistion. The loose ends were tied together well, and the story fell seamlessly into place. The only thing I would've liked to see was Yoda landing on Dagobah. But at least it was explained why he went there. Speaking of Yoda, it would've been nice if any of the six films included a backstory to his character. Like maybe seeing where he came from, or any others of his race. Oh well. There was another member of Yoda's race on the Jedi Council in the first 2 prequels. A female called Yaddle. She was killed in one of the comics set prior to Episode 3. The race of Yoda/Yaddle has never been officially named though.
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Post by Redneck Woman on May 21, 2005 14:20:21 GMT -5
I really liked it. I was kind of dragged to see it by my boyfriend screaming and kicking. I know the first two were lacking and I assumed, like RD that the third would be the same. But also like RD I was wrong. This movie was great. I won't put any spoilers in, because I'm sure not everyone has seen it. but GO SEE IT! NOW! They really did tie up all of the loose ends nicely.
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Post by dorf on May 21, 2005 15:01:39 GMT -5
Some questions. 1. Why is Leah royalty, and Luke isnt? Shouldnt he be a prince? 2. What is a sith? 3. Is this movie worth seeing? Real answer, not a biased Star Wars geek (not ment negativly) one. 1. I dunno...never read the book to give a "true" answer 2. Sith is short of Sidius...the top heel in Star Wars who conned Annikan to be Vader 3. Depends if ya wanna spend the money...yer gonna spend money anyway to see the movie in the first place...so yeah. btw, great movie...something different from all the crap hollywood shills nowanddays. The last "good" movie I saw was Spiderman 2...so it's about time for somethin' good.
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rdreynolds
Unicron
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Posts: 2,811
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Post by rdreynolds on May 21, 2005 15:38:48 GMT -5
Star Wars is nothing comapred to Lord of the Rings. Sorry guys thats just how it is, now I feel all geeky. If I may ask...how old are you? I have a theory that those of us who grew up with Star Wars are much more emotionally attached to it... FWIW, I thought LOTR was ok, nothing more. RD
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Post by THE Dinobot on May 21, 2005 15:47:04 GMT -5
Lord of the Rings, while technically been around longer then Star Wars doesn't quite have the true fan base as Star Wars. Why? Because most people saw Star Wars as a movie first, and while they were younger, so it means much more about then LOTR's movies. Not to insult Tolkin (sp?) or his creation, but Lucas and Wars are the very definition of grabbing most as their kids and kepping their attention well into there adult life. LOTR may be the same way to others, but for Star Wars fan, there is nothing better (expect for maybe chicken noodle soup).
Oh, and I felt after seeing all the LOTR films, that, in my opinion, they are some of the worst acted movies ever. Sure, it may be hard to get away with most of those wording and make it believeable...and they didn't.
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jobber2thestars
Hank Scorpio
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Posts: 7,097
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Post by jobber2thestars on May 21, 2005 16:21:08 GMT -5
The academy didnt share that opinion, lets wait and see how they feel about this Star Wars picture.
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Post by andre28bc on May 21, 2005 16:27:37 GMT -5
Quick Question. is the word "Sith" used even once in the first 3 films? And assuming I understand this properly, a Sith is exactly the same thing as a Jedi, just one is from the Dark Side and the other is from the Good Side?
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