Star Wars III

[Rumpled Fedora]

I just saw it today. Easily better than the prequels. It seemed really "dark" to me in some places, but that's the nature I guess.
Best movie I've seen so far this year.
As of now, I've seen 5 of 'em on the silver screen!

 

[ITG]

Just got back from seeing ROTS. Totally Awesome! It more than exceeded my expectations (I did go in with low expections due to my disappointment with the last 2 episodes). Lucas definitely made up for the last in my book. I was almost even brought to tears toward the end. Anyone notice how at the end when Vader and the Emperor are together, one of the actors was done up to look like a young Grand Moff Tarkin?

 

[Mycroft]

I just saw it too, loved it, and cleared my entire memory of Jar Jar Binks etc.

 

[Matt Deckard]

I see more love between Padme and Kenobi than I see between Padme and Anakin.

The movie was good, so good that they could have left out episodes I and II and just jumped straight to III. This had a good story and definately was focused.
The fall of the Jedi, the fall of the republic, the creation of Vader, alot of subjects to cover where in the past two films he was reaching for a story where there was little.

The characters were still too Vulcan for my taste with little to nothing to care about. Yoda and the emperor stole the show for me. Anakin and Padme were just acted badly and the love seemed too fake.

Am I the only one who noticed that the clone troopers that had their helmets off had heads that were floating? CG bodies and post production addition of real heads.

It was a good movie and is number three in my Star Wars rating.

1 A New Hope
2 The Empire Strikes Back
3 Revenge of the Sith

 

[Michaelson]

Rumors have it that I'll be seeing SW3 at our local drive-in theater this weekend...in my youngest daughters tricked out Dodge Ram pickup that has a sound system that rivals any stereo FM radio station, and then some! Guess we'll see.
Wish I could see it in my 50 Plymouth, but with no radio (the one that's there, but not working, is AM anyhow ), it's bit hard to hear the dialog with nothing to play it through.
Regards! Michaelson

 

[Kaleponi Craig]

I see more love between Padme and Kenobi than I see between Padme and Anakin.

The movie was good, so good that they could have left out episodes I and II and just jumped straight to III. This had a good story and definately was focused.
The fall of the Jedi, the fall of the republic, the creation of Vader, alot of subjects to cover where in the past two films he was reaching for a story where there was little.

The characters were still too Vulcan for my taste with little to nothing to care about. Yoda and the emperor stole the show for me. Anakin and Padme were just acted badly and the love seemed too fake.

Am I the only one who noticed that the clone troopers that had their helmets off had heads that were floating? CG bodies and post production addition of real heads.

It was a good movie and is number three in my Star Wars rating.

1 A New Hope
2 The Empire Strikes Back
3 Revenge of the Sith

I totally agree with Matt. This was a good movie, better than Return of the Jedi, certainly better than the last two, but not nearly as good as Star Wars or Empire Strikes Back. I always thought the guy who plays Anakin was a terrible actor, but at least they got Obi Wan right and the new Yoda is great. The Emperor was fantastic, isn't he the same actor as in Return of the Jedi?

Regards, Kaleponi Craig

 

[zeus36]

... Anyone notice how at the end when Vader and the Emperor are together, one of the actors was done up to look like a young Grand Moff Tarkin?...

Take a guess at who did the makeup for the Peter Cushing look-alike.

 

[zeus36]

Rumors have it that I'll be seeing SW3 at our local drive-in theater this weekend...in my youngest daughters tricked out Dodge Ram pickup that has a sound system that rivals any stereo FM radio station, and then some! Guess we'll see.
Wish I could see it in my 50 Plymouth, but with no radio (the one that's there, but not working, is AM anyhow ), it's bit hard to hear the dialog with nothing to play it through.
Regards! Michaelson

Park your Plymouth NEXT to your daughter's Ram at the drive-in !

 

[Michaelson]

I mentioned that, but she said she has her large speakers mounted under her back seats (she has a monster Dodge, needless to say ), she wants me to be actually 'sitting' on an X-wing fighter when they go across the screen. (grins) Regards! Michaelson

 

[swinggal]

HC has to be the worst actor of all time! I mean, giving him a starring role next to amazing actors like Ewan McGregor just made him look even stupider! I think he was the worst choice ever!! I know Mark Hamill wasn't that much chop either but at least he had some soul. I loved ROTS but everything Anikan said was so wooden!! Made me cringe.

I think they could have made three movies out of ROTS alone.

 

[BellyTank]

HC

...shake his hand and you'll get splinters for sure-

Sometimes of course good actors look bad because of bad scripts and bad direction-
I thought even the 'good' actors seemed a little wooden in all the SW films.
HC, as has been noted, is not one of the good ones...

B
T

 

[HaraldTheSwede]

Hayden has a certain way of acting that I at first found extremely strange, but somehow it suits Anakin. His acting makes me think of a quiet and sad child who is constantly being scolded by his parents. Someone who thinks the world is rotten and unfair.

That said he sure is wooden. The only one who gives a good performance in my opinion is the emperor.

 

[Brad Bowers]

I still think people are misreading the acting. George was trying to portray the Old Republic as a more formalized era, with a very definite formal way of speaking. Unfortunately, it comes across as wooden acting. Yes, blame it on the director, but try to see it his way! That's where people have been unhappy with the prequels. He's got his story to tell his way, and other people think it should have started with Episode III being what Episode I should have been and have it progress from there.

I've been a Star Wars fan since '77, and have enjoyed all of the prequels, especially III. Sure, CGI aside, they're different in flavor and scope than IV-VI, but I can see that they needed to be. All have had their weak points. I accept it as George's story and enjoy it for what it is.

(Stepping down off my soap box)

Brad

 

[IndianaGuybrush]

ROTS was good, but in my mind it just doesn't touch any of the first 3 Star Wars films. Granted, I'm one in what seems to be a minority of people who actually liked ROTJ (true, the Ewoks were crap, but that was quite an epic battle between luke, vader, and the emperor at the end) but even if you didn't particularly like ROTJ, there was a wholeness in the first 3 movies that just hasn't been replicated here. Was it the inclusion of real sets? Was it a better rapport amongst the actors? Was it a more focused story line that didn't over-reach itself? Was it better directing/writing/acting/lighting/gaffing/best boying? I think it was a combination of all of these things. The original Star Wars movies just had a synergy that I found noticeably lacking in episodes I,II and III. Lucas has gone on record in saying that computers have given him the ability to do now what he couldn't do back in the 70s/80s, and I agree... They've given him more than enough rope to hang himself.

Anyway, in a positive light, ROTS was easily the best of the new 3, and I was happy to see it in theaters. Even better, I left the theater with an immediate hunger to see episods IV, V, and VI, because it ties in incredibly well. I'm just happy the whole broo-haha is over and now I can go back to praying every morning noon and night that Lucas doesn't make an Indy IV.

 

[BellyTank]

Well, I saw the first two of the second three, if you get my drift, on TV last week- and watching them on TV- they seem like extra long episodes of a TV Sci-fi serial- not much more than. The earlier ones seemed to have a certain charm- that's the way we remember them anyway....far, far away...

B
T

 

[The_Edge]

Four pages of rhetoric and so far only Mr. Bowers is the only one to even come close to examining these films on their own merit and asking why they are different. Eps I through III have always been centered around the upper echelon of the Republic. Jedi, senators, royalty, etc. All of whom are responsible in some way for the downfall of the Republic. Jump forward several years and the average blue collar folks are the ones who have to fight to clean up the mess that the upper class made. ROTJ shows the remnants of this society (Luke, Vader and the Emperor) stuck away in their own personal and private battle while the Joe Schmoes fight for galactic freedom.

Instead of strolling along with popular opinion and dismissing Hayden Christenson's performance as "wooden." Why not analyze what he is trying to portray. For all the supposed fans of the original films I've never once heard anyone say that Darth Vader's deep voice and the way he delivers certain words with strange emphasis as "wooden." Yet if you listen to how Hayden delivers his lines and imagine his voice as being dropped a few octaves you get Vader's voice perfectly. Christenson even walks and gestures and stands like Vader throughout II and III.

The lack of camaraderie through out the prequels is also staged and designed purposely. Would Anakin really of had any reason to turn to the Dark Side if any of the Jedi had actually come down from their literal 'Ivory Tower' and shown compassion for him. The Jedi are so caught up in their sense of enlightenment that their arrogance blinds them to their own humanity. Hence the need to bring Balance to the Force. Yet the Jedi don't seem to understand what that even means. Even Obi-Wan keeps his emotions at arms length until it is too late. The Jedi refuse to accept that fear, anger, hate and love are human elements that must be embraced and dealt with instead of buried. The only two people Anakin found that empathized with him, embraced him and loved him were Padme' and Palpatine. So when Anakin is confronted with the choice of the either the distant and mistrustful Jedi or his wife and only real friend his decision is made. There is still conflict though. However, when Anakin's only friend with in the Jedi order turns his back on him as he burns alive the decision is final. Once again only the Lord of the Sith would show him any sort of mercy.

Juxtapose Anakin's ordeal and saga with that of Luke's experience and eventual choice. Luke's journey had found true friends. Friends that would risk their own lives to help him. Time and again through out Episodes IV, V and VI Luke and his friends show true compassion for each other and are their to help each other when the chips are down. So by the time Luke does give into his emotions and hate to strike down Vader he discovers that hate isn't really the path to the dark side as the Jedi taught. One can be a Jedi and still have human foibles and loved ones. His choice between the Emperor and his friends is now an easy one.

 

[Matt Deckard]

I still think people are misreading the acting. George was trying to portray the Old Republic as a more formalized era, with a very definite formal way of speaking. Unfortunately, it comes across as wooden acting. Yes, blame it on the director, but try to see it his way! That's where people have been unhappy with the prequels. He's got his story to tell his way, and other people think it should have started with Episode III being what Episode I should have been and have it progress from there.

I've been a Star Wars fan since '77, and have enjoyed all of the prequels, especially III. Sure, CGI aside, they're different in flavor and scope than IV-VI, but I can see that they needed to be. All have had their weak points. I accept it as George's story and enjoy it for what it is.

(Stepping down off my soap box)

Brad

For the first two I think George was getting carried away with what he could do with the computers. Less of him really telling his story and more of him showing that he was a visual sorcerer. You can truly toss out the first movie, the second shows the introduction of the clones. The third has all the real plot points. Unlike the original movies, I, II and III did not build off of each other, they looked loosely related with Anakin's anger and Padme's love being a loose and very weak thread.

The_Edge, you are right in some respects... Anakin was in many ways a victim it started with him being chosen to be trained as a Jedi. He was too unstable to be placed in such a position. He was a psychotic given too much power, the Jedi were blind to that.

 

[swinggal]

Yet if you listen to how Hayden delivers his lines and imagine his voice as being dropped a few octaves you get Vader's voice perfectly.

I actually picked this up myself early on BUT I never found James Earl Jones' portrayal of Darth Vader to be 'souless' in the early movies. There was passion and depth behind his booming voice.

Sorry, but that's just me.

 

[MK]

.

One of the best things about these fictional movies, is that they help people have a sense that there really is good and evil. Our society has been working real hard to brow-beat the "no absolutes" nonsense.

Actually we see that the "ends-justifies-the-means" school of thought.....a close cousin to the "no absolutes" doctrine....exhibited in Anakin. If he had any principles, he wouldn't have been able to rationalize in his own mind to do wicked, twisted, evil acts to get what he wants.

Although I agree that ignoring emotions is a doomed idea. I cannot subscribe to the "Anakin is a victim" theory. If it were not for the Jedi, he would still be a slave working for that slug. The way I see it he owes the Jedi everything.

 

[The_Edge]

Although I agree that ignoring emotions is a doomed idea. I cannot subscribe to the "Anakin is a victim" theory. If it were not for the Jedi, he would still be a slave working for that slug. The way I see it he owes the Jedi everything.

If I came across as portraying Anakin as a victim that was not my intention. My whole emphasis was on his "choice." I whole heartedly believe that no matter what the circumstances the decision to do good or evil ultimately comes down to personal choice. That's not to say that experience and/or trauma can not influence that decision though. What I find fascinating about Episode I The Phantom Menace is that even though Anakin is shown as a compassionate and good kid there are still many instances of arrogance and selfishness about him that is unleashed in the later films. So from the very beginning Anakin's "point-of-view" is tainted by his own unrestrained ego. A trait fueled at a young age by a laissez-faire single parent and no father figure. But it is evident from both Episodes II and III that he knows what he is doing is wrong yet he chooses to do it anyway. He may lack the emotional tools to help him deal with the situation but he exhibits understanding of his actions as well. So while the symbolism of Anakin's fall is tragic and sad I can not sympathize with him.