Star Wars review
I've been waiting nearly 23 years for this moment to arrive! 23 years spent sitting in front of a TV screen enthralled by the ominous character of Darth Vader and wondering how anybody could possibly get that damn cool. Needless to say that when George Lucas finally got around to doing his prequel trilogy I for one was impressed. The Phantom Menace for me (and often I can feel alone in this) was a thoroughly satisfying fantasy adventure film that kept me just as entertained as the originals, whilst still setting up the pieces for a much darker game. Sadly Attack Of The Clones came as a disappointment. It's not that I didn't enjoy it (far from it) but when you've been waiting 20 years to see a character's origin story you do want something a little better than an awkward chat up line involving a girls face and a planet full of sand!!!
Needless to say it left me with decidedly lower expectations for Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith, but they were low expectations that the films opening shot completely obliterated. A long time ago in a galaxy far far away...War! What a way to start the epilogue. The text then rolls down the screen explaining how Chancellor Palpatine has been captured by Count Dooku and 2 Jedi knights have been dispatched to rescue him. Suddenly we find ourselves face to face with that droid ship in a pan out shot that sets up the awe inspiring threat just as well as the famous opening to Episode IV: A New Hope. From this point on it's action all the way as Anakin and Obi-Wan crash a couple of fighters into the hanger of this ship, literally flying out of their cockpits and completely obliterating all of the droid guards in a blink of the eye. The 2 of them then make their way to the bridge where they get to do battle with the evil Count Dooku; a fight that gives the captive senator a chance to begin his mind games on Anakin, and, well you know where it goes from there. I think that what pleased me the most about this film was that from this point on Anakin's internal struggle wasn't portrayed as the shallow good to evil twist you may be expecting. Quite the contrary, the reasons given for the choice are many, some made more obvious than others, but nevertheless those reasons were believable enough for me to be able to continue relating with Anakin even down to his darkest hour. One of the largest reasons for this really came down to the work of one man, Ian McDiarmid as Chancellor palpatine. The way that this actor so deliciously brings out the characters cunning throughout the film makes his manipulation of Anakin completely believable, giving an all new light to old villains and making exchanges between the 2 into some of the most chilling scenes in Star Wars History. Still I also feel that credit should go to Hayden Christensen who really shines here. Forgetting the sheer horror that was his last performance he goes on to give Anakin's confusion and fear the credit they deserve to elicit the audiences sympathy, and he absolutely revels in the characters hatred in the films later stages. This does mean that the film is one of, if not the, most emotional Star Wars film to date. It's just that bearing witness to these things, seeing what Anakin sees, finding out why he does what he does, and then seeing the reactions of his closest friends who lack this knowledge will really tug at the heart strings. Even the awkward moments between Anakin and Padme become emotional in the new context, and, well a friend recently asked me how I could shrug off Titanic and cry at Star Wars but I challenge you to see the final exchange between Obi-Wan and Anakin and not feel the need for some tissues. Of course if all this melo drama doesn't sound like your thing then I must also mention the fact that Episode III is jam packed full of action. A number of these scenes are, in the spirit of the film, darker and more emotional than the usual highly choreographed action of a Star Wars film. In fact when the final duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan came along it got really close in for a much more aggressive light sabre duel that elicited just as much emotion as the concluding battle to Return Of The Jedi. That's not to say that the film is completely void of a sense of fun though. In fact some of the films bigger action scenes do exist purely for the audience to have fun, including a fight between Obi-Wan and General Grievous (a sort of prototype Darth Vader from the clone wars cartoon, and yes his coughing is explained there), and both R2-D2 and Yoda getting to kick some serious booty. In fact both characters managed to light up the screen whenever they appeared thanks to a series of action scenes that were clever enough to be funny for adults and children alike. It's exactly what you need to lighten the tone of an otherwise terminally bleak tale, purely because Star Wars has always been about having fun. However it must be noted that the restraint placed on C3-P0 and the complete muting of Jar-Jar ensures that this fun can be achieved without annoying the hell out of adults. There's no doubt still going to be justified complaints about the film from other critics. I'll be honest and admit that the acting is mostly wooden, with most of the important actors lacking chemistry and relying on the script to provide most of the emotion. Also a lot of the dialogue, particularly romantic dialogue, can get very stilted throughout. However this is nothing new to the Star Wars universe as every film in the saga has these same faults, and as science fiction serials they never bothered me before either. With it's amazing special effects throughout, a return for John Williams greatest musical score, a darker story tempered with a little harmless fun, and good choreography, Episode III remains a fantastic entry into the genre. It easily surpasses the other prequels, and if people accept it for what it is will be remembered alongside The Empire Strikes Back as one of the most emotional and exciting fantasy serials ever made. 4.5/5 |
I just love how everyone is on the "wooden" acting bandwagon with these prequel movies. Did any of you see the original trilogy? I ask because the acting/directing hasn't really changed that much. It's all very much stylisticaly the same (some subtle differences I'll admit, but not many). I think it's just that we remember the OT different. I just got home from Episode III and I can honestly say that there is nothing "wooden" (if anyone REALLY knows what that means; that just seems to be the popular catch word for anyone who doesn't like the acting/directing style) about the acting. Especially Hayden Christiansen. If people chose to overlook his handling of becoming Darth Vader, they're just plain missing something special. This is the movie we have ALL been waiting for. It just plain ROCKS! I can give a better judgement after I see it again tomorrow. It moves at such a break-neck pace that it's hard to take it all in. It truly rivals Empire!!!
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Here is my definition of wooden. In Episode I, nobody moves a muscle if they don't absolutely have to. Nobody is twitching, nobody is shifting their weight. Nobody is looking around. Nobody is scratching their nose. You can't even tell they are breathing. They stand or sit rock solid (or, I guess in order to stick with the analogy, tree solid) unless they are doing something or talking (sometimes even when they are talking). Often in "crowd" shots, the only thing moving except the person talking (and sometimes it was just their lips moving) was Jar-Jar, who was constantly twitching. I think the animators did that so you didn't think he was a cardboard cutout or something, but in retrospect, it makes everyone else look like cardboard cutouts. I guess that is why I didn't mind Jar-Jar as much as everyone else seemed to. He actually provided a bit of life to the movie, which is ironic since he was computer generated. |
I can't agree on the Anakin fall from grace thing. I didn't really buy it. Yes we have seen his dark side all the way from ep2, but I still felt he fell way to fast in the Sidious/mace sceen, and more importantly after that. He goes from a guy who stuggles between his 2 sides (and knowing about the stuggle), to a cold bloodied killer just like that.
Good movie though. I liked how they messed Anakin up in the end :) I'll give it a 4/5 i think. |
I'm still trying to catch my breath. Bravo to Lucas! He brought it all together as promised ... and made me want the DVD NOW .. so I can sit and watch all 6 episodes ... one after another. Anyone want to come join me? OD on SW. What a way to go!
I too felt that Anakin's fall was too fast, all at once, in the Sidious/Mace scene, Gaumont. But I was able to move on and accept it ... but I think that might have been handled a little better. But heck ... we all knew he was going to fall ... and he did a great job of turning evil right before our eyes. I loved it. |
Lucas was never really good at picking great actors. Just not his forte.
Episode III is the best of the prequels and possibly, all things considered, the best Star Wars movie of all. Let me come down off the high of just having seen it today and I may change my mind on the latter statement. btw, if you want to hear a funny Episode III song check out ANAKIN by UFO Phil |
www.Metacritic.com gave Ep III a composite score of 68 out of 100 (generally favorable). They took 40 review ranging from Roger Ebert to USA Today to The New Yorker, and assigned a score based on their review.
What's best about this site is to red the red-reviews. That's red as in really bad (note: yellow for ok, green for great - 68 falls into green territory). The red-reviews are generally very, very funny. The New Yorker gave it a red-review. Metacritic assigned a score of 10 out of 100. For a few laughs here's the review (note: there's a few spoilers in this one)... Quote:
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they shud use this star wars movie to promote condom campaigns... "if only anakin used protection, non of this mess wuda happened!" lolz!!
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Yea i get that, but I felt it happened way to fast, I just didn't buy it. Which is bad cuz in the end its what the movie is all about.
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What I don't get is how the Storm troopers turned against the jedis so fast...
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Apparently, they had that command "programmed" into them during their education and/or genetic structure. Just goes to prove that Palpatine was behind both sides of the war.
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but hey i was only messin around.. so lets not get too techincal :D lolz :embarasse |
Well, if nothing else, Episode III leaves no doubt that Lucas hates George Bush.
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I just came back from it. Quite a good movie. Very enjoyable. Answers alot of questions. I give it a strong 7.5/10
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They brought this up on CNN and they interviewed George Lucas who said he wrote the screenplay before George Bush ever said that. |
Vinnie's Review Of Star Wars
I can't believe there are people that didn't like Star Wars Revenge Of The Sith! This movie was pure art from the first five minutes. You absolutely must seen this movie in the theatre, no doubt about it. In my opinion this is the best Star Wars movie yet so far. Every movie so far for me has had at least three never ending dialogue scenes that was painful to sit through. This movie answers all the questions that you have wanted answered for the past twenty-odd years. The romance was there but not over-bearing and boring. The action was incredible. One could watch this 50 times and still not grasp the detail of the background fight sequences. Anyone bashing this movie needs to be banned from ever seeing a movie again. I watched Ebert and Ropert and they loved it, except the dialogue....that is the only criticism I could give. 4 STARS ALL AROUND!
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you know what.. i dont think ive come across ne1 in person thats absolutely hated this movie... to b honest theres not much to really hate about this movie other den 1 or 2 minor things (which we can all get over).... |
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And also...it may have been taken from the Bible before it was taken from Bush. I don't mean to bring the Bible into this because I know how contraversial religious topics can be. Couple that with politics and the topic could become even more touchy. So please see this input of mine as purely for interest sake as far as that quote in the movie is concerned. Anyways it says in the Bible (Matthew 12:30 to exact) ; "He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad." (That's the king James version) more modern Bibles quote like this..."If you are not with Me, you are against Me, if you are not gathering you are scattering." So it could be that Lucas took that phrase from the Bible and not from Bush. Because that phrase has been around for a long time. |
Popcorn sillyness
I'm a big fan of the original trilogy and was greatly disappointed by phantom menace... I seriously thought that Lucas could do better with attack of the clones but all my hopes were shatter so I went into watching Revenge of the Sith with very low expectations and even then I was disappointed. (I Must now add the ‘Clone Wars’ is an amazing cartoon and even 1 of those 5 minute cartoons is far better than this entire 140min travesty)
The movie is wall to wall score from John Williams and the only real break came when Vader pop’s up and we hear the famous robotic breathing... that’s about 10 seconds without some kind of score telling the audience how to react and feel. A movie should work first and foremost WITHOUT any score and the score should only be there to heighten the dramatic impact of a particular scene, the score to me was so annoying but I’m sure there will be defenders saying that it is in keeping with the style of the originals... I’m just giving a review in my own opinion and people can take it or leave it. The opening battle was boring and void of any real thrilling action. The lightsaber fights were poorly choreographed and there was far too much comedy from McGregor... he’s Obi-Wan not Han Solo he didn’t need all the wise-*** remarks. The dialogue is wooden and lifeless (wooden as in it’s delivered without any real meaning behind it not that it was monotone in anyway). The actors did almost all the film on a green screen so I guess this can account for much of that but all in all the script is just plain poor. It’s almost like Lucas knew that he would be cross marketing the film with videogames so he had as many scenes added into the film that could become great levels in the game. Chasing Gen. Grievous, Lightsaber battles etc etc. More dialogue of a higher standard would have turned this film from laughable to slightly bearable. The whole “I love you Ani” “Only because I love you” “No I love you more because love is blind” was hilarious. The whole way in which Anakin decides to turn to the dark side in order to protect Padmae is quite silly and happened all too quickly, in fact so many events in the script happen in a blink of an eye. Padmae goes from a flat stomach to being in full pregnant mode (with twins and still able to run like a marathon runner down her star ship to meet Anakin), The 1st Death star is well into being completed but somehow takes 18 years before it Blow’s up Leia’s Home Planet in ‘New Hope’. There are so many inconsistencies in the plot... but alas it IS just a popcorn movie and nothing to delve into like the original 3. See for me the Original trilogy let the audience make up the back story, it gave the audience a voice and let our imaginations create a vast universe for ourselves, these prequels basically just tell us: “This is how it happened and there is no deferring from it!” Sad really. Nothing was overly exciting. I heard comments from people leaving the cinema like “Wow. That fight between the emperor and yoda was so cool.” No it wasn’t it very pointless and yet another ploy at having a great level in a video game. “When Vader finally gets the mask on it was so amazing. It was like seeing the originals all over again” – Not really. It’s James Earl Jones saying some horrible lines from the tiny frame of Christensen, it was nowhere near as terrifying or as empowering as any of the originals. At the end of the day I can say it was defiantly the BEST of the prequels, but even at its best it can’t even match the worst of the originals. Lucas failed again at creating a meaningful film with the finesse and love he put into the original 3, but he DID succeed in creating a mindless blockbuster that many will see for many reasons, even just for a good laugh at how awful they know it will be. For those who loved it, I’m sure you have your reasons and I’m very sure they are valid to you... but this one was a definite flop for me. 1/10 (The 1 star being for the fact that they actually had a good cloth rendering software this time, but there were just far too many digital doubles. ILM can and HAS done better) |
Quit drug buddy!! or go see it in you own language 'cause i think you diden't understand it. You do realise that your the only one in the world with this kind of review!
Pfff.. The lightsaber fights were poorly choreographed come on!! ..oh i see you like the fight in EP4 between Vader and Kenobi better...now that was a choreographie :rolleyes: go and watch bambi again 'cause i think Star Wars is to much you buddy :whistle: |
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I also realise that I would in fact be the only person in the world with this type of review because I wrote it in my own words from my own honest opinion. It seems that when anyone's view differs from that of the general conscences that somehow they are either on drugs, didn't understand the movie or are just plain stupid. Look put simply Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith was Banal, boring and laughable... not nearly as bad as ep 1 & 2 but not nearly as good as the originals. The choreography in the originals was nothing special but in terms of fight choreography as a whole i was not remotly impressed by any of the fights in ep3. But look, people will have different opinions, they always do and if anyone out there feels this is an amazing film then all the best to you. You enjoyed it on a different level to me but those the fact that you liked it somehow mean that your opinion is valid and mine is not? No. I saw the movie for what it was, popcorn entertainment... and as with most film of this type it's all action and no heart making it a hilarious film to view. IMHO. -SuM |
First, let please me commend you Sum Whan. I am a firm believer in freedom of speech, and you do have your right to opinion. I also do not think "your opinion is wrong and everyone else is right.". It is an opinion. It can't be wrong.
That being said, I do have one question for you. Where you said, "there was far too much comedy from McGregor... he’s Obi-Wan not Han Solo he didn’t need all the wise-*** remarks.". Now I could be reading this wrong, and I do NOT mean this in a sarcastic way, but how do you know this is not Lucas' vision of how Obi-Wan was when he was younger? He has had these wise-cracks in the last two prequels also. In a New Hope Obi-Wan has a job to do and knows what it is, hence his lack of sense of humor. He is the "wise old man". Just something to think about. I will take into consideration your opinion when I go see Episode 3 again, because the first time i saw it I was so overwhelmed that I was finally getting to see the final Episode that it was kind of hard to focus. |
I for one agree with every point that Sum Whan made.... but I still enjoyed the movie.
Yes, the dialogue was bad. Yes, Anakin turned too fast. Yes, some of the effects could have been better. Yes, it lacked emotion. But, as he also said, this is a mindless popcorn movie. So was the original trilogy. People have made it into some kind of groundbreaking, holy-grail or movies... but Star Wars is just that... a popcorn movie. A silly sci-fi film, full of action and comedy. I took it for what it was... and I had fun. |
JP... actually its more of a BIG independent saturday morning Buck Rogers movies :-)
Sum Whan is a star Wars Fanatic, just like Jedi Master..... because they are at the opossite extreme points of the spectrum... One loves it so much no matter what.. the other loves it so much to the point he hates it when its not according to his liking.... Whats the big deal... is would I say... a normal movie viewer would not give a damn if it sucks or rocks... as long as its an enjoyble entertainment... why should I waste my time going gaga over a movie or exert so much effort in super analysing it to find mistakes... hehehe ... and I think JP and I belong to this group.. :-) |
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The truth is (and Lucas is on record saying this stuff. Watch some of the documentaries) Lucas had a basic story. BUT NO SCREENPLAYS. He had outlines and stories years ago BUT NO DIALOGUE and none of it was detailed and a lot of the story has changed since his original outlines. Think about it. It also explains the inconsistencies between Star Wars (kids call it A New Hope) and the newer trilogy. Like when Ben Kenobi says in Ep IV "I haven't been called Obi Wan since before you were born." Uhhhh.... not true Obi baby. ____________ Listen to the song called "DEAR GEORGE LUCAS" for SW Ep 3.5 Spoilers. |
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Get ready for this...here's my review
Star Wars: Episode III - Score 2.5 out of 5 stars ------------------------------------ The movie was an enjoyable popcorn experience, but through most of it I felts this emptyness. There was no heart to it. It was as though (as my wife put it), that Ep III was to tell what happened and nothing more (sorta documentary). The best sequence in the entire movie was the fall of the jedi. Beautifully edited, with a great musical backing (thank you Mr. Williams), and directed well, it also had a lot of emotional depth. I firmly believed that if the best of the fall of the jedi sequence was taken and applied to the rest of the movie, the movie would have truly been great. The best points of the sequence can be illustrated by Padme looking to the distance at the fires overtaking the Jedi Academy. You know something terrible is going on (particularly from her reactions), but it is not explicitly shown. A great movie can make itself as much as by what is not shown as what is. However, I must make a caveat and say that I really liked the battle between palpatine and Yoda. The movie fails when it tries too hard to be tragic and gets overdone. Palpatine started speaking with the emperor's speech impediment way too early and consequently was corny. Yoda's backward talk was a few times very very ridculous. And the best bad line in the movie - "Hold me like you did at by the lake on Naboo" Now let's turn to Mr. Vader, Hayden Christensen, also know as Angry Boy. All in all, I think Hayden is a terrible actor, but plays angry really well (see TV show "Higher Ground"). I just think the role of could have been played by someone better. To touch on an earlier comment, the fight scenes were well coreographed. The best fight sequence is when Ankin and Obi-Wan are fighting down the hallway on Mustaraff and enter a small room. They then proceed with a fight sequence consisting of 20+ moves (my guess) in less than two minutes. The movie's saving graces come from R2-D2, Yoda (not when talking backward he was), and Obi-Wan. R2 provided some teriffic comic relief. Yoda provided a great moral compass to the movie (like the sequence when Anikan consults him). Ewen McGregor deserves great credit for his acting in Ep III. I think the role was some of his best acting to date. The end of Star Wars marks the end of an era. All three great scifi sagas are gone - Babylon 5, Star Trek, and now Star Wars (Yes, I know about the TV show, but somehow having no more movies has an impact). What's next? |
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I'm sorry if someone covered this earlier, but what was up with Palpatine turning ugly all of a sudden?
Was he always an alien pretending to be a human, or was he human, and just deformed, as he told the senate? I'm going with alien, but there really wasn't much information given. That's kind of what he looked like whenever he had the hood up anyway. I also wonder what happened to Anakin's eyes when he was killing the separatists. They looked like Darth Maul's eyes. All in all, I enjoyed the movie. I grew up with Episodes IV - VI, and always liked them. But I never thought they were all that awesome. The acting and dialogue in those movies wasn't so great. There's no need to be so critical of the 3 prequels. :devil: |
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And with Anakin's eyes. The only reason I could think of why his eyes glowed like the way it did was because he was turning evil so fast. He is filled up with all kinds of hate and anger. It can do that to your eyes. Maybe not in reality... :P |
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From what I understand, it seemed to be a combination of his hate within himself to conjure the power, and the power reflecting off Mace Windu's lightsaber. I agree about Anakins eyes radstar. |
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Yah I guess when he kills people, the hate and anger feelings get to him. When he was alone, yah he was crying. He was calm and confused. When Padme showed up, that calmed him.
Anakin didn't hate Obi-Wan. He was confused and lost. This is the guy who taught him everything. The person he have fought with and been with almost his entire life. He didn't even believe Palpatine when he said that Obi is as well his enemy at first. He was angry that Obi has turned against him and led Padme to do the same. I guess you have to have both anger and hate to have evil eyes. But then once Obi cut off his legs and was leaving him to die, that made him hate him and his eyes turned back to evil... him yelling "I hate you!" EDIT: I'm surprised no one have mentioned this. But I was disappointed when I didn't see Jar Jar Binks suffer a long painful death. :devil: :P |
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