OK....Harry Knowles of Ain't it Cool News said that this movie would make
Episode 1 a better movie. He was right...simply because this movie was not as
good.
Yup thats right...I didn't think it was a good movie. I was VERRRRY
disappointed. As a movie it was not very well made. The pacing was off, the
cuts between scenes were hurried and disjointed the flow of the movie. Many
scenes IMHO were too short as a result. The story was simplistic...even more
then episode 1. While I don't expect Shakespeare, I did expect something
better.
ok Spoilers: Don't read on if you have not seen the movie.
Something just seemed off with the movie. I thought the lightsabre effects
looked....fake. When swung the light dominated the screen.,..unlike in previous
episodes it did not seem like an actual pulsing blade, just a beam of painted
light.
The opening scene did not seem that dramatic. It was cool when Obi Wan went
through the window, but the chase held little more thrills then me driving
around the Beltway.
The romance between Amidala and Anakin seemed forced. I could not see how
Aanakin generated any warmth or love...or why Padme would fall for him. Titanic
and Spiderman made me feel the love between the lovers in those movies..here it
seemed contrite and flat.
The end battles....well see my criticsim of the lightsabre effects....I thought
the end fights were too short. Obi Wan taken out in 2 seconds. Anakin has the 2
lightsabres and at first that was cool but he only swings for 2 seconds before
losing them, and then getting his arm chopped off. And while Yoda steals the
movie....I thought his duel with Dookue was also too short. It wasgood to see
the bad guy get away. But there was very little drama or excitement generated
by these fights.
Jokes....too many jokes that relate to our popular culture. The whole C3po
thing was ridiculous. and the scenes in the droid factory..too hurried and too
fast. I could not see what was going on at all.
Count Dooku....ok this was a movie where there was NO character development of
the bad guys. You learn nothing to really make you hate the villain. Lets face
it....in most movies the bad guy is often more or as interesting as the good
guys. Look at Kurgan in Highlander, or the Joke, or even Darth Vader..all great
and evil villains that make you cheer for the good guy. Hannibal lecter even.
Here....well all you know is that Dooku wants to lead a Separtist revolution.
He even claims to be fighting Darth Sidious. Of course thats a lie, but...if we
didn't know that then we would think he wasnot truly evil.
All in all I was very disappointed. I saw Phantom Menace 3 times in the
theatre...I prolly won't see this one again till DvD.
<snip>
Right then. No Attack of the Clones in theatres for me. Thanks; you
just saved me $17.50.
--
Stephenls
Geek
Arguing with Stephenls about White Wolf canon is a lot like arguing
with God over the landscaping of heaven. -Richard Clayton
> Right then. No Attack of the Clones in theatres for me. Thanks; you
> just saved me $17.50.
Well, if I were you I'd wait for a few dozen fan reviews (which
should be along in about three seconds here on Usenet) before deciding
that. It was absolutely the most exhilarating big-screen spectacle I've
seen in recent years (not the best, just the most exhilarating), and I
wouldn't've wanted to miss it on the big screen. More than that, I
think Lucas pulled off a pretty neat trick, hiding something disquieting
and difficult to watch beneath that adrenaline rush; I'm still
processing, but I think it worked very well. There was indeed some deep
badness in there (Anakin's nightmare...yeesh), but all in all it was
well worth seeing. YMMV.
----j7y
--
*************************************************************************
jere7my tho?rpe / 734-769-0913 "Homo sum: humani nihil a me
http://homepage.mac.com/jere7my alienum puto." ---Terentius
Go see the film. Keifer's off his rocker. Things get a little sloppy in the
third act (and the Anakin-Amidala relationship is a little too stiff), but the
film is a massive improvement over Episode I.
In fact, I'll go so far as to say that if you're one of those people who
dislikes Ewoks, you'll probably rank AOTC about ROTJ.
JB
Keifer0999 wrote:
> <snip>
>
> All in all I was very disappointed. I saw Phantom Menace 3 times in the
> theatre...I prolly won't see this one again till DvD.
Wow.. if this is from someone who saw TPM 3 times in the theatre... thanks. :)
I'll wait to rent it.
Cari
I didn't think much of Ep. 2 either but I thought, overall, that it was at
least a little better than Ep. 1. Count Dooku isn't half, nay, not even a
quarter the villian that Darth Maul was (a real shame) and the acting of
Hayden Christensen just made me cringe. Natalie Portman's acting wasn't
anything to brag about either but I think the script overall was the greater
impediment (as is was for Ep.1). Her "truly, madly, deeply" profession of
her love for Anakin was nearly enough to gag on it was so contrived.
Thankfully Jar Jar was little more than window dressing in this one. Jango
was the hightlight of the movie for me and I think the asteroid belt battle
was more impressive than any of the others in this movie. Although seeing
Yoda hobble painfully along, then spring into action against Dooku, while
disjoining, was hilariously funny. The other lightsaber battles were short
and very lacking unfortunately. The jedi in the arena should have taken a
few more sword lessons before filming - very stilted.
Overall, I'd give it 2.5, maybe 3 out of 5 stars. Lots of battles and CGI
window dressing that are hit and miss. Sometimes, ships don't seem to move
right or elements lack... something... in believability.
A'koss
--
The Rings of Concordance
http://members.shaw.ca/infinity/Main_Page.htm
>>
>> All in all I was very disappointed. I saw Phantom Menace 3 times in the
>> theatre...I prolly won't see this one again till DvD.
>
> Wow.. if this is from someone who saw TPM 3 times in the theatre...
> thanks. :) I'll wait to rent it.
If it is worse than The PHantom Mistake, then it really has to be bad.
TPM wasn't worth renting, so I can't see how this one could be ?
--
---
/* Christopher Burke - Spam Mail to cra...@hotmail.com
|* www.craznar.com -
\* Real mail to cburke(at)craznar(dot)com
Somehow I doubt that. For myself the trouble is that even
though I know it's probably going to suck, I'm going to have to see it
anyway, because I really don't fancy being the only person in the
known universe who hasn't seen it. There will be wormlike creatures
native to the third planet of Rigel who communicate only through scent
who will have seen this film, and who will look askance at any
sentient being that hasn't. This is much the same reason why I went to
see Episode I (and I don't care what Justin Bacon says, that was a
deeply flawed film).
--
Katherine F. Diary: http://puritybrown.diaryland.com/
"Snape is clearly not "evil" -- a complete bastard, perhaps, but not
evil."
-- Jonathon Ellis, alt.fan.harry-potter
"A'koss" <infinitySP...@shaw.ca> wrote in message
news:KrNE8.82917$xS2.6...@news1.calgary.shaw.ca...
Couldnt disagree more. Yes, Hayden is not the greatest actor in the world.
Neither was Mark Hamill. Portman does OK. Everything else- *Everything
else*- rocked. The entire theatre I saw it in (midnight showing last night)
_cheered_ when Yoda showed up to do battle against Dooku.
This movie is superior in every way to both AOTC and ROTJ, is equal to ANH
(as a film, though not as a cultural influence), and *almost* hits ESB
levels in certain scenes.
And In Christensens defense... I must say, he was able to pull off the whole
"Now Im a nice guy, now Im a psychopath" facial expressions. There is a
scene (I wont spoil it) where he looks at Padme with this expression of
utter love... and two seconds later, when it is denied, the look on his face
was that of a wife beater, or a rapist. It was that Intense, and I wasnt the
only one who noticed- a buddy of mine beside me whispered an "oh s**t" when
he did it.
--
Trav
hik...@rfci.diespamdie.net
RGMW Semi-Lurker at large
Christopher Burke wrote:
> kuranes <kur...@starpower.net> wrote in
> news:3CE39364...@starpower.net:
>
> >>
> >> All in all I was very disappointed. I saw Phantom Menace 3 times in the
> >> theatre...I prolly won't see this one again till DvD.
> >
> > Wow.. if this is from someone who saw TPM 3 times in the theatre...
> > thanks. :) I'll wait to rent it.
>
> If it is worse than The PHantom Mistake, then it really has to be bad.
>
> TPM wasn't worth renting, so I can't see how this one could be ?
Pure curiosity :)
Cari
<snip>
> (and I don't care what Justin Bacon says
<snip>
Not many people do.
I consider myself somewhat above wormlike, and I will not have seen
the film until it comes out on DVD, unless I get forced into it
(pardon the pun) by having NO ONE else who will take my son to it, if
he insists on going.
So you won't be alone.
--
Sea Wasp
/^\
;;;
http://www.wizvax.net/seawasp/index.htm
Okay.... I went into this thing expecting to be sorely disappointed (the
tickets were bought for me, without my knowledge... a surprise, though we did
pay them back for them)... There were a few things that I have to say, though...
1) Coruscant... the chase scene was pure eyecandy. It was meant as eyecandy, and
I took it as eyecandy.... But it was eyecandy that I liked.
2) C-3POs puns... RIGHT OUT. Sorry... do NOT pass go, do NOT collect your 200
friggin' dollars.
3) Romance... I'm not a big sentimental type (except one scene in Spider-Man,
but that's for another review), so take this with a grain of salt... The romance
scenes seemed almost forced into the movie... with a claw hammer... In my
opinion, the romance underscore was the weakest point about the movie. It would
have been far better had they shown them in bed together, and a couple of little
looks, and sly remarks through the film... the end scene would have even fit,
then.
4) The lightsaber fights... I have to disagree with the opinion that the light
seemed to take up the screen... There were really only two points at which there
was anything wrong with the light saber effects, that I could see... and they
were a matter of just a second or two in length... Seeing all the Jedi in action
was worth the price of admission, in and of itself. Samuel L. Jackson turned his
quiet and calmly dangerous (or is that dangerously calm?) portrayal of Mace
Windu into what *I* view as a true Jedi Master when the time for action has
come.
5) Yoda... Uhhhmmmm..... Gnome + Speed + Crack + PCP... You do the math, and the
visual will not equal what was on the screen... Again, Yoda's big scene would
have been worth the price of admission, by itself.
6) Okay... Padme + "Headlights are ON", nearly the equal of Kirsten Dunst in her
wet shirt scene in Spider-Man. 'nuff said.
7) The Fetts. Well... what more REALLY needs to be said?
8) The clones were WAY better than I thought they'd be...
9) I think George Lucas may have been to a rodeo right before he wrote the
screenplay for this... That's okay for some movies... but not Star Wars...
Okay... That's all I really want to say about it, at this point... more may come
to me later, but I'm trying to not insert too many spoilers.
I will sum it up by saying that even not being a big fan of "You HAVE to see it
in the theater" type reviews, I will say: "You really should see it in the
theater." It is well worth the admission price... Beyond any doubt. There are
entire contrivances I could have done without, but I'm glad I saw it in the
theater. See it... Or don't... :) I left the theater with the feeling of getting
my money's worth... Which was MUCH better than I felt with Episode 1. Take this
for what it's worth. :)
C. Baize
BTW, Episode 1 was IMHO one of the worst scifi films I've ever seen,
rivalled only by Supernova.
>On Thu, 16 May 2002 00:09:14 -0700, Stephenls <step...@shaw.ca>
>typed into his/her/its computer the following:
>>Keifer0999 wrote:
>>
>><snip>
>>
>>Right then. No Attack of the Clones in theatres for me. Thanks; you
>>just saved me $17.50.
>
> Somehow I doubt that. For myself the trouble is that even
>though I know it's probably going to suck, I'm going to have to see it
>anyway, because I really don't fancy being the only person in the
>known universe who hasn't seen it. There will be wormlike creatures
>native to the third planet of Rigel who communicate only through scent
>who will have seen this film, and who will look askance at any
>sentient being that hasn't. This is much the same reason why I went to
>see Episode I (and I don't care what Justin Bacon says, that was a
>deeply flawed film).
Well, if you could sit through the first one, this one should be no
trouble. Just make sure to time your bathroom break for any time
Anakin and Amadala are onscreen together. "You know, you're a whiny
little bitch, homocidal maniac, but I still love ya'"
>kuranes <kur...@starpower.net> wrote in
>news:3CE39364...@starpower.net:
>
>>>
>>> All in all I was very disappointed. I saw Phantom Menace 3 times in the
>>> theatre...I prolly won't see this one again till DvD.
>>
>> Wow.. if this is from someone who saw TPM 3 times in the theatre...
>> thanks. :) I'll wait to rent it.
>
>If it is worse than The PHantom Mistake, then it really has to be bad.
>
>TPM wasn't worth renting, so I can't see how this one could be ?
Well, since everyone is giving their opinions, here's my take ...
s
p
o
i
l
e
r
s
p
a
c
e
the good...
Yoda. By himself he is reason to see the last 1/3 of the movie.
Thank you Frank Oz for getting more acting done through a puppet than
most of the live actors could pull off with their actual bodies.
A couple of good action scenes. Jango Fett kicks some major boot.
Portman's nipples. Hey, I'm a pig, but by the time they squeezed her
into that white spandex, I was ready for anything to add a little
enjoyment to the movie.
The bad...
Ewan McGregor. I remember when he could act. Maybe it was just the
direction or something, but it seems like someone had told him he
should ignore what was appropriate for different scenes and just act
"jaunty" all the time.
Anakin and Amadala. There is absolutely no explicable reason for her
to even agree to be left in the same room with him, let alone love
him. I actually left the movie hoping Luke and Leia would be the
result of rape, because I cannot see having any respect for Amadala if
she actually agrees to procreate with that sociopathing crybaby. No
chemistry, and she falls for crap that a horny 16 year old would be
suspicious - or maybe that was just bad acting/writing and he was
supposed to sound charming and sincere.
Robot factory scene. I could get a doctorate in film theory based on
a 700 page discertation of everything that was wrong with that scene.
One of the worse things I have ever seen in a movie.
No characterization of the main villian.
While Jango's fight scenes were cool, but showing his face, and
talking constantly kind of ruins the whole Fett mystique. And don't
even get me started on that little Oompa Loompa they called Bobba.
This is one of those situations where the movie was so bad that it
lessened the original movies. I now like the character of Bobba Fett
significantly less than I did before viewing the movie - I will never
be anle to watch ESB again in the same light.
C3P0 - changed from comic relief to bufoon. (and unless you do some
major fan wanking, several continuity errors, both with TPM and ANH)
In general, it would have made a fine Jerry Bruckhiemer movie. But it
does not fit as part of StarWars, and actively detracts from things
that were good about the earlier films.
The same impulse that causes rubbernecking.
>Cari
>The pacing was off, the
>cuts between scenes were hurried and disjointed the flow of the movie. Many
>scenes IMHO were too short as a result.
I think the quick cuts helped the flow of the film. For example, I think the
romantic scenes were a liability, but because they flew by in juxtaposition
with Obi-Wan's subplot they were relatively easy to take. I thought it flowed
more smoothly than both PHANTOM MENACE and RETURN OF THE JEDI.
>The story was simplistic...even more
>then episode 1.
Disagree hugely here. There are quite a few turns, not the least of which is,
well...
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
... the implication that the whole Clone War is just basically a show to get
Palpatine more power. At first I thought Jango Fett was being a mercenary,
playing both sides, but at the end I realised that him creating the Clone Army
for the Republic *and* being Count Dooku's right-hand-man was because they were
part of the same plan.
>Something just seemed off with the movie. I thought the lightsabre effects
>looked....fake. When swung the light dominated the screen.,..
Hmm? Didn't notice this at all.
>The opening scene did not seem that dramatic. It was cool when Obi Wan went
>through the window, but the chase held little more thrills then me driving
>around the Beltway.
What can I say, disagree here too. I thought the scene was both fast and
amusing, in a good way- finally, they popped some good STAR WARS-y banter back
into the mix.
>okes....too many jokes that relate to our popular culture. The whole C3po
>thing was ridiculous.
Not much more than him getting blasted apart and Chewie's attempt at putting
him back together.
>Count Dooku....ok this was a movie where there was NO character development
>of
>the bad guys. You learn nothing to really make you hate the villain.
Well, he's not dead yet, and he's not the main villain strictly speaking...
This is actually my big fear about the movie. I'm afraid that Lucas sees it as
a done deal because it's already happned. >We all know they like each other so
why bother convincing us?
then again, I have never heard any proof that they were ever a good match.
There's no reason a young jedi can't stupidly fall for a queen and a queen
can't fall for a brash and powerful jedi. I mean, cheerleaders fall for bikers
all thet ime, right? Well, not anymore, but you get the idea. In fact, I'd be
happier with the situation if they later discovered that they didn't even like
each other very much. Far more realism.
--
later,
~Anivair
Ani...@aol.com
Dude, where do you live that you have ot pay 17.50 to see a movie? I am all
about not living there.
it's only seven bucks for me (five with my student ID) so I'll see it just for
the experience.
--
later,
~Anivair
Ani...@aol.com
You do know Yoda was completely CGI in this one, right? ;)
>Anakin and Amadala. There is absolutely no explicable reason for her
>to even agree to be left in the same room with him, let alone love
>him.
Here's a (far-fetched) possibility: Anakin *is* using his force powers to screw
with Amidala's mind.
But, yes, the complete lack of chemistry here is probably the film's biggest
flaw (unless, of course, my far-out hypothesis/excuse is actually true).
The other big flaw, IMO, is the complete idiocy of the Jedi. Three key
examples:
1. Mace Windu asks Obi Wan if he thinks the cloners are behind the
assassination attempt on Amidala. Obi Wan says "no, there's no motive". There's
no motive?! Amidala is the leader of the opposition in the Senate attempting to
prevent the formation of an Army of the Republic. The cloners are making clones
for an *Army of the Republic*. Sure, there's no motive... except THE MOTIVE OF
THE FILM.
2. Jango Fett, who is tied up in a clone army which has connections to
Palpatine's government, goes directly from the cloners to Count Dooku. That's
the equivalent of Heinrich Himmler popping over to handle FDR's security in the
middle of World War II. AND NOBODY SEEMS TO NOTICE.
3. Yoda and Windu have just received a communication from Obi Wan updating them
on the developing crisis. Yoda actually says something to the effect of "I have
a feeling that something bad is happening where Obi Wan is". No kidding? You
feel that? Major Force insight you must have, Master Yoda, to get that out of
Obi Wan's panicked message. Have you been taking lessons from Counselor Troi?
>C3P0 - changed from comic relief to bufoon. (and unless you do some
>major fan wanking, several continuity errors, both with TPM and ANH)
C3PO is obviously destined for a mind-wipe, so the continuity errors just
aren't there.
Personally, I feel the movie was mostly on track (except for the complete lack
of chemistry) right up to the point where Anakin and Amidala went to rescue Obi
Wan. At that point things get sloppy: The C3-PO humor slips into the "TPM
stupid" mode; a couple of rather gaping plot holes emerge; you get the
ridiculous droid construction sequence; etc. Things just get sloppy.
Justin Bacon
tria...@aol.com
You don't care if I say it's a deeply flawed film, it's a deeply flawed film?
Okay....
JB
LOL.
No, seriously. You made my day. I love seeing morons at work.
JB
>I left the theater with the feeling of getting
>my money's worth... Which was MUCH better than I felt with Episode 1. Take
>this
>for what it's worth. :)
>
>C. Baize
>
I felt the same way about LOTR....what did you think of that movie?
Is that a theory or just wishfull thinking. I've been trying similar tricks
myself with assorted levels of dissapointment. I know I'll be rooting for
Anakin just to sustain the fantasy that it can be done.
--
Your blouse is uncomfortable, you should unbotton it.
It's a blatant excuse for what I consider the largest flaw in the picture. I
won't completely rule out the possibility (because there were points in the
film where I *did* feel a serious threat that Anakin *might* do this), but I
don't think that it's what's going on.
JB
Sorry, bubba... I'm NOT going to be drawn in.
That's an outright troll. And not even a good one. There's no reason for this
kind of thing here. Nobody was insulted, we simply posted two different views of
the same movie.
C. Baize
> Dude, where do you live that you have ot pay 17.50 to see a movie? I
> am all about not living there.
Vancouver, BC (Canada).
$1.50 for buss pass to get to the skytrain [1] station.
$6.00 for all day unlimited zone skytrain pass.
$9.00 for the movie.
Wait, my bad. That's "only" $16.50.
Did I mention that it's something like a four hour round trip, not
including the time spent waiting in line, waiting for the movie to
start, or watching the movie?
> it's only seven bucks for me (five with my student ID) so I'll see it
> just for the experience.
As you can see, my situation is somewhat different. I /wish/ that I
could see it, really. And had I a car (and the requisite driver's
license), I would.
[1] Like a subway, but on stilts instead. Apparently they cost a lot
less to make, because building stilts is easier than digging tunnels.
--
Stephenls
"Probably see it with family anyway in a couple weeks. But not today."
Geek
Arguing with Stephenls about White Wolf canon is a lot like arguing
with God over the landscaping of heaven. -Richard Clayton
> > Dude, where do you live that you have ot pay 17.50 to see a movie? I
> > am all about not living there.
Some of us take a girl along to the movie.
Some or us even pay for her.
Yes... but if you PAY for the girl, then it's more like a client situation...
Oh... wait... you meant pay for her ticket to the movie... :)
C. Baize
"C. Baize" wrote:
>
> I will sum it up by saying that even not being a big fan of "You HAVE to see it
> in the theater" type reviews, I will say: "You really should see it in the
> theater." It is well worth the admission price... Beyond any doubt. There are
> entire contrivances I could have done without, but I'm glad I saw it in the
> theater. See it... Or don't... :) I left the theater with the feeling of getting
> my money's worth... Which was MUCH better than I felt with Episode 1. Take this
> for what it's worth. :)
>
> C. Baize
Grr. Now I'm back at square one since I actually agree with most of your comments
most of the time. Now if I could get someone else to pay for tickets I'd be all set
:)
Cari
If you pay 17.50 for (2) tickets to a movie and (1) girl, it's more like a
horror situation.
C. Baize
You'll be safe---I won't have seen it.
KF> There will be wormlike creatures
KF> native to the third planet of Rigel who communicate only through scent
KF> who will have seen this film, and who will look askance at any
KF> sentient being that hasn't.
Don't let the opinions of worms influence you.
--
Brad Murray * Always carry a short length of fibre-optic cable. If
Perl Geek * you get lost, then you can drop it on the ground, wait
VSCA Founder * ten minutes, and ask the backhoe operator how to get
Magnet Oper * back to civilization. (Alan Frame)
>RSC wrote:
>>Yoda. By himself he is reason to see the last 1/3 of the movie.
>>Thank you Frank Oz for getting more acting done through a puppet than
>>most of the live actors could pull off with their actual bodies.
>
>You do know Yoda was completely CGI in this one, right? ;)
Really?
I watched a downloaded copy, so I had to judge the movie on plot and
acting, not FX.
>
>>Anakin and Amadala. There is absolutely no explicable reason for her
>>to even agree to be left in the same room with him, let alone love
>>him.
>
>Here's a (far-fetched) possibility: Anakin *is* using his force powers to screw
>with Amidala's mind.
It would drastically save the movie for me if this were the case.
>>C3P0 - changed from comic relief to bufoon. (and unless you do some
>>major fan wanking, several continuity errors, both with TPM and ANH)
>
>C3PO is obviously destined for a mind-wipe, so the continuity errors just
>aren't there.
Yea, that would solve it, but that looks a little too much like an
easy reset solution to sloppy writing instead of a planned thing.
>
>Personally, I feel the movie was mostly on track (except for the complete lack
>of chemistry) right up to the point where Anakin and Amidala went to rescue Obi
>Wan. At that point things get sloppy: The C3-PO humor slips into the "TPM
>stupid" mode;
Really, this is one of the things that make me not want to see the
movie again. "...beside myself..." indeed
>a couple of rather gaping plot holes emerge; you get the
>ridiculous droid construction sequence; etc.
See if you can fan wank this one.
C3P0 get's heads switched with a battle droid. The C3P0 head/droid
body guy marches in time with the other droids and runs around
shooting things, while the head complains it is not in charge of the
body. The droid head/C3P0 body marches in time with the other droids
and runs around shooting things while the head complains it's not
controling the body. So from this, what can we conclude? The battle
droids have 3 brains? One in the body that can act independantly of
the head, one in the head that controls speech, and a third - in the
neck I guess - that can control a body independantly of the head?!?
Or are the heads just unneeded and C3P0's body has some violent
tendencies we havent seen before?
You never know. I learned long ago never to associate quality with
price. There are some darn good crack whores out there.
>Sorry, bubba... I'm NOT going to be drawn in.
>That's an outright troll. And not even a good one. There's no reason for this
>
>kind of thing here. Nobody was insulted, we simply posted two different views
>of
>the same movie.
>
>C. Baize
It was a joke..you're supposed to say very funny lol
What the hell. Teeth just get in the way.
> Couldnt disagree more. Yes, Hayden is not the greatest actor in the world.
> Neither was Mark Hamill. Portman does OK. Everything else- *Everything
> else*- rocked. The entire theatre I saw it in (midnight showing last
night)
> _cheered_ when Yoda showed up to do battle against Dooku.
> This movie is superior in every way to both AOTC and ROTJ, is equal to
ANH
> (as a film, though not as a cultural influence), and *almost* hits ESB
> levels in certain scenes.
ESB had far more "weight" as I like to call it. Still the best in the series
IMO. AotC was, for me, worth seeing once, but it left me with absolutely no
desire to run out and see it again. Dooku was a big let-down as the chief
villian of this movie and the rest... Well, maybe I grew up and Star Wars
didn't, I'm not easily swayed by flashy CGI anymore.
> And In Christensens defense... I must say, he was able to pull off the
whole
> "Now Im a nice guy, now Im a psychopath" facial expressions. There is a
> scene (I wont spoil it) where he looks at Padme with this expression of
> utter love... and two seconds later, when it is denied, the look on his
face
> was that of a wife beater, or a rapist. It was that Intense, and I wasnt
the
> only one who noticed- a buddy of mine beside me whispered an "oh s**t"
when
> he did it.
I know where the scene was (he just looked like "angry boy" to me), but so
much of it - and not just Hayden- was just people _reading_ their lines,
even Samuel S. Jackson didn't have any *presence* and felt stilted here.
A'koss
--
The Rings of Concordance
http://members.shaw.ca/infinity/Main_Page.htm
Oh... Very funny. :)
C. Baize
But why did they even bother trying to kill Amidala? What do they care if
Amidala gets the senate to vote against the creation of the army. What
does it matter? The bad guys are controlling both sides when the separatist
army shows up there will be a battle. Whoever wins Darth Sidious would be
in charge.
>
> >Something just seemed off with the movie. I thought the lightsabre
effects
> >looked....fake. When swung the light dominated the screen.,..
>
> Hmm? Didn't notice this at all.
In the final battles between Dooku and everyone else most of the scenes are
face shots and flashing lights.
>
> What can I say, disagree here too. I thought the scene was both fast and
> amusing, in a good way- finally, they popped some good STAR WARS-y banter
back
> into the mix.
>
The banter might have worked if we had any sense that the characters cared
for each other. Anakin constantly whining about Obi-Wan threw that out the
window.
>
It would work if they managed to convey any passion for each other in their
scenes together but they seem to just discuss their feelings rather than act
on them or show them. It came across very weak.
TMP/AOTC/EPIII trilogy. Campy, B-grade sci-fi series created in the 90's/00's. Bad acting,
simplistic cliched plot, awesome SFX (for it's time). Still great stuff.
Whats the difference? The 70's vs the 90's.
Whats the problem? Not the films. Us. We've grown up and become cynical. If we were the same age
as we were when ANH first came out, then we'd love TMP/AOTC.
For what it's worth, I liked the origional trilogy and BOTH of the recent films. I don't want an epic
masterpiece. The oigional films weren't. Why should these ones be?
JMHO. YMMV.
:-)
>
>For what it's worth, I liked the origional trilogy and BOTH of the recent
>films. I don't want an epic
>masterpiece. The oigional films weren't. Why should these ones be?
>
>JMHO. YMMV.
I somewhat agree with you...these aren't meant to be the modern works of
shakespeare.
I just did not enjoy Aotc...I did not think it was a well made movie. Then
again, I didn't liek Armageddon till I saw it 3 times.
>
>Oh... Very funny. :)
>
>C. Baize
>
And roll your eyes lol.
Sorry..I tend to go for the self effacing humor IRL...sometimes it does not
translate well on here to people.
Yeah, but Samuel L. Jackson kicked bootay!
Ed Chauvin IV
--
It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion.
It is by the Beans of Java that thoughts acquire speed,
the hands acquire shaking, the shaking becomes a warning.
It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion.
"I always feel left out when someone *else* gets killfiled."
--Terry Austin
Like I said, AOTC is the second best SW ever made.
(I think you just placed it at third for some.)
--
"Trust, but verify."
- St. Thomas (?)
Hmm... and I thought the first act was the sloppy one. After about midway
through the movie, everyone seemed to mesh pretty well. And this I took as
understandable, because when they started, they didn't want to have a
relationship because it would destroy their lives.
Regardless, I'd say Keifer is off hsi rocker. I'd pay to see Attack of the
Clones more often than I would Lord the Rings. I'm giving serious thought to
paying for it twice tomorrow.
I'd say it's more like Werner Von Braun working for the Nazi and then
for us.
(Except for the middle of the war part.)
Hm, maybe it's like the US selling weapons to both Isreal
and Islamic states that hate Isreal.
Or maybe like my plumber working for my boss who I despise.
Whatever, Jango got paid by both "sides".
(Of course it is suppiscion that the Jedi and the Republic "didn't
know" about the clones, and when Jango realizes (thinks?) that Obi
is on to that, he runs right to the real buyer.)
>
> 3. Yoda and Windu have just received a communication from Obi Wan updating them
> on the developing crisis. Yoda actually says something to the effect of "I have
> a feeling that something bad is happening where Obi Wan is". No kidding? You
> feel that? Major Force insight you must have, Master Yoda, to get that out of
> Obi Wan's panicked message. Have you been taking lessons from Counselor Troi?
Longer variant of "I have a bad feeling about this"?
Misused twice this time out.
Hey, Ani, duh!
> >C3P0 - changed from comic relief to bufoon. (and unless you do some
> >major fan wanking, several continuity errors, both with TPM and ANH)
>
> C3PO is obviously destined for a mind-wipe, so the continuity errors just
> aren't there.
Well, Owen doesn't remember him two decades later.
But I'm not sure Owen ever had time to get 3PO's name in ep IV.
In your case, Stephen, I would definitely wait until it came to video. NO
MOVIE is worth that much hassle. In my case, I'm fully within walking
distance from the theatre.
My reaction there too.
But these were the only two emotions I believed from him.
Horny teen and borderline psycho.
Grief and fear didn't come across believably when he was called
on to do them.
I think I've figured out the rationale for all the stilted deliveries
in I and II.
Try watching British TV drama.
These characters were part of a regimented society where everyone
"knows their place" and keeps a "stiff upper lip".
Positively Victorian in their attitudes and delivery.
Of course that doesn't make it any less tedious to watch.
Always fun to see people debating a major war coming as though
they were comparing tea flavors.
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
S
F
O
L
L
O
W
SO DON'T READ UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE
SPOILED!
> 1. Mace Windu asks Obi Wan if he thinks the cloners are behind the
> assassination attempt on Amidala. Obi Wan says "no, there's no motive".
There's
> no motive?! Amidala is the leader of the opposition in the Senate
attempting to
> prevent the formation of an Army of the Republic. The cloners are making
clones
> for an *Army of the Republic*. Sure, there's no motive... except THE
MOTIVE OF
> THE FILM.
The cloners (Kamino) were not behind the assassination attempt. Fett was
behind the assassination attempt. The cloners were simply scientists who
were not aware of Fett's activities. That is why they lacked a motive.
> 2. Jango Fett, who is tied up in a clone army which has connections to
> Palpatine's government, goes directly from the cloners to Count Dooku.
That's
> the equivalent of Heinrich Himmler popping over to handle FDR's security
in the
> middle of World War II. AND NOBODY SEEMS TO NOTICE.
Fett is a bounty hunter. I'm sure it's typical for him to play both sides of
the fence.
> 3. Yoda and Windu have just received a communication from Obi Wan updating
them
> on the developing crisis. Yoda actually says something to the effect of "I
have
> a feeling that something bad is happening where Obi Wan is". No kidding?
You
> feel that? Major Force insight you must have, Master Yoda, to get that out
of
> Obi Wan's panicked message. Have you been taking lessons from Counselor
Troi?
I took this to be a humourous statement on Yoda's part.
The lack of chemistry is easily explained by their mutual unease about their
relationship. The chemistry starts to appear in the latter half of the
movie.
No we don't. We're gamers.
Unless you mean we pay for her in the other way, but I think that'll cost you
more than seventeen bucks.
--
later,
~Anivair
Ani...@aol.com
Wow. Much suck. I live in Columbus. I have three theatres that I pass just
getting to the one I like to go to. Guess I'm spoiled.
--
later,
~Anivair
Ani...@aol.com
Heh... I was the same way with Armageddon.
This pretty much ended when Annakin faked that accident while riding some of
the wildlife. After that, and their roll around the field, they acted on
them quite a bit.
Agreed. 100%.
> 1) Coruscant... the chase scene was pure eyecandy. It was meant as eyecandy,
> and I took it as eyecandy.... But it was eyecandy that I liked.
Coruscant was huge.
> 2) C-3POs puns... RIGHT OUT. Sorry... do NOT pass go, do NOT collect your 200
> friggin' dollars.
Yeah, but everyone knows that 3PO is little more than comic relief
anyway. The only time he had anything even remotely resembling
substance was in ANH. So even with the head switching scene, he
doesn't seem as jarring as Jar-Jar (no pun intended).
> 3) Romance... I'm not a big sentimental type (except one scene in Spider-Man,
> but that's for another review), so take this with a grain of salt... The
> romance scenes seemed almost forced into the movie... with a claw hammer... > In my opinion, the romance underscore was the weakest point about the movie.
> It would have been far better had they shown them in bed together, and a
> couple of little looks, and sly remarks through the film... the end scene
> would have even fit, then.
Showing them in bed is obviouly out here, because Lucas wants to keep
things PG. But otherwise, the love story just doesn't go anywhere.
Here she's trying to resist his advances, but then changes her mind at
the end of the movie for no apparent reason. I guess Lucas just
doesn't know how to craft a love story, and he's better off with
action sequences.
> 4) The lightsaber fights... I have to disagree with the opinion that the
> light seemed to take up the screen... There were really only two points at
> which there was anything wrong with the light saber effects, that I could
> see... and they were a matter of just a second or two in length... Seeing all > the Jedi in action was worth the price of admission, in and of itself. Samuel
> L. Jackson turned his quiet and calmly dangerous (or is that dangerously
> calm?) portrayal of Mace Windu into what *I* view as a true Jedi Master when
> the time for action has come.
Windu definitely did more than sit on his butt in this movie. As for
the Jedi fighting in the arena, they're probably all a bunch of extras
that were choreographed in from of a blue screen or something.
> 5) Yoda... Uhhhmmmm..... Gnome + Speed + Crack + PCP... You do the math, and > the visual will not equal what was on the screen... Again, Yoda's big scene
> would have been worth the price of admission, by itself.
It was pretty good when he was fighting Dooku with the Force, but the
lightsaber battle went a little over the top with him bouncing off the
walls.
> 7) The Fetts. Well... what more REALLY needs to be said?
Yes, we get to see why Boba Fett is a total bastard...he was
apparently BORN that way. Jango Fett's a fiarly decent fighter, but
in a duel with a Jedi master, he didn't have much of a chance anyway.
And the scene where Boba picks up the helmet was a nice touch.
> Which was MUCH better than I felt with Episode 1. Take this for what it's
> worth. :)
I say people should see the movie for themselves and form their own
opinions, instead of relying on hearsay.
>>> > Dude, where do you live that you have ot pay 17.50 to see a movie? I
>>> > am all about not living there.
>>
>>Some of us take a girl along to the movie.
>>Some or us even pay for her.
>
>No we don't. We're gamers.
I know for a fact that if I tried paying for my gamer girlfriend,
she'd kick my ass.
--
Talen
http://shatteredreality.net/talen/
"Hopefully I'll come up with something witty on my own to
replace it with."
- Gaijin Dan Mastriani, guilty
The Gurus love you
> In your case, Stephen, I would definitely wait until it came to
> video. NO MOVIE is worth that much hassle. In my case, I'm fully
> within walking distance from the theatre.
Eh. I have to take the exact same trip whenever I want to pick up new
RPG books. Living in the boonies is something I'm used to.
In any case, I'll just see the movies tomorrow on my computer screen.
--
Stephenls
Geek
Arguing with Stephenls about White Wolf canon is a lot like arguing
with God over the landscaping of heaven. -Richard Clayton
Of course it has nothing on Little Nicky which os on my Worst Film of All
Time in the Top Five.
it r0xx0r3d my b0xx0rz
>Justin Bacon wrote:
>>
>> 2. Jango Fett, who is tied up in a clone army which has connections to
>> Palpatine's government, goes directly from the cloners to Count Dooku.
>That's
>> the equivalent of Heinrich Himmler popping over to handle FDR's security
>in the
>> middle of World War II. AND NOBODY SEEMS TO NOTICE.
>
>I'd say it's more like Werner Von Braun working for the Nazi and then
>for us.
>(Except for the middle of the war part.)
>Hm, maybe it's like the US selling weapons to both Isreal
>and Islamic states that hate Isreal.
>Or maybe like my plumber working for my boss who I despise.
>Whatever, Jango got paid by both "sides".
More importantly, both "sides" are, well, the same- the Clone War is obviously
being manufactured by Palpatine so that he can get more power.
Tuomo Nygard wrote:
> I only saw Episode 1 this spring when it was shown on Finnish TV, and
> was glad to not have wasted the money. I'll do the same with Episode 2
> and won't regret it.
>
> BTW, Episode 1 was IMHO one of the worst scifi films I've ever seen,
> rivalled only by Supernova.
Even Supernova was better than The Cube :(
Cari
"Jeff Heikkinen" <o...@s.if> wrote in message
news:MPG.174e28015...@news.easynews.com...
OOps, sowwy, Like I said , I had just gotten back from watching themidnight
showing in a town an hours drive away. I meant TPM (The Phantom Menace)
instead of AOTC.
--
Trav
hik...@rfci.diespamdie.net
RGMW Semi-Lurker at large
11/Sept/01: Never forget. Never forgive.
>
I thought the reasons for the face shots in the Dooku lightsabe scenes
were to make Christopher Lee's scenes look better. The guy is old,
right? Compare this battle scene with the Obi-Wan/Vader scene in
Ep IV. Makes Dooku look a little more athletic, don't you think?
-jeremy
--
+================================================================+
Jeremy Hallum, System Manager , Astronomy, University of Michigan
jha...@astro.lsa.umich.edu::jha...@dreamt.org
"Audentis Fortuna Iuvat"
> Even Supernova was better than The Cube :(
Which Cube movie are you talking about? Surely not the one where all
the people are trapped in the cube rooms with deathtraps?
I hope you appreciate what a catch you have there. Hard enough to find a
decent girl friend, but one that games and pays for her own shit, and kicks
ass!
Don't blow this one!
And lots of eyecandy... Beautifully done....
> > 2) C-3POs puns... RIGHT OUT. Sorry... do NOT pass go, do NOT collect your
200
> > friggin' dollars.
>
> Yeah, but everyone knows that 3PO is little more than comic relief
> anyway. The only time he had anything even remotely resembling
> substance was in ANH. So even with the head switching scene, he
> doesn't seem as jarring as Jar-Jar (no pun intended).
I've said before that I am not averse to lowbrow humor, even potty jokes have
their place, and I love slapstick... But not in Star Wars.
> > 3) Romance... I'm not a big sentimental type (except one scene in Spider-
Man,
> > but that's for another review), so take this with a grain of salt... The
> > romance scenes seemed almost forced into the movie... with a claw hammer...
> In my opinion, the romance underscore was the weakest point about the movie.
> > It would have been far better had they shown them in bed together, and a
> > couple of little looks, and sly remarks through the film... the end scene
> > would have even fit, then.
>
> Showing them in bed is obviouly out here, because Lucas wants to keep
> things PG. But otherwise, the love story just doesn't go anywhere.
> Here she's trying to resist his advances, but then changes her mind at
> the end of the movie for no apparent reason. I guess Lucas just
> doesn't know how to craft a love story, and he's better off with
> action sequences.
I'm not talking about full frontals or anything, as that would be completely out
of place in Star Wars, as well... Compare the budding romance between Han Solo
and Leia Skywalker... THAT one was very well done... I actually got the sense
that Han and Leia truly and deeply cared for each other... But Anakin and
Amidala?
*Retch*
Their 'romance' was idiotic and cliche, and I'm sorry, but I just don't see a
future Dark Lord of the Sith rolling around in the grass like a simpering
fool.... It just doesn't sit right... I mean, okay... Star Wars is (in effect)
the story of the Skywalker family... It's rise, it's fall, and it's redemption.
And I know that Anakin had to woo Amidala in order for their marriage to occur,
and for Luke and Leia to be conceived (not necessarily... it could have been
rape, but then I doubt that Amidala would have left Luke with the name
Skywalker)...
I think what gets me the most about the romance scenes was that Star Wars was
anything BUT cliche... while it may have been space opera in some respects, I
never really saw it as cliche... And then we get to Ep I and II, and while Ep II
went quite a way towards getting back to the FEEL of Star Wars, the cliche
romance scenes were awkward, and stilted... Rambling... sorry. :)
> > 4) The lightsaber fights... I have to disagree with the opinion that the
> > light seemed to take up the screen... There were really only two points at
> > which there was anything wrong with the light saber effects, that I could
> > see... and they were a matter of just a second or two in length... Seeing
all > the Jedi in action was worth the price of admission, in and of itself.
Samuel
> > L. Jackson turned his quiet and calmly dangerous (or is that dangerously
> > calm?) portrayal of Mace Windu into what *I* view as a true Jedi Master when
> > the time for action has come.
>
> Windu definitely did more than sit on his butt in this movie. As for
> the Jedi fighting in the arena, they're probably all a bunch of extras
> that were choreographed in from of a blue screen or something.
Most likely, yes. It was still a good scene. :) I've wanted to see a good mid
scale lightsaber battle for a long time, and I'm pretty well mollified by this
one... I have to say, too, that Jackson did a really stylish job as a Jedi, I
was very impressed.
> > 5) Yoda... Uhhhmmmm..... Gnome + Speed + Crack + PCP... You do the math, and
> the visual will not equal what was on the screen... Again, Yoda's big scene
> > would have been worth the price of admission, by itself.
>
> It was pretty good when he was fighting Dooku with the Force, but the
> lightsaber battle went a little over the top with him bouncing off the
> walls.
I think it was supposed to be over the top, when I look back at it. We know that
physically, Yoda is old and nearly feeble, but when he uses the Force to augment
his physical abilities, he becomes a serious physical threat. I also really
enjoyed when Darth Tyrannus (Dooku) was attacking him with the Force lightning,
and Yoda was absorbing it and sending it back at him. That showed a serious
degree of control, and also illustrated that Yoda was definitely not one to
simply be dismissed...
> > 7) The Fetts. Well... what more REALLY needs to be said?
>
> Yes, we get to see why Boba Fett is a total bastard...he was
> apparently BORN that way. Jango Fett's a fiarly decent fighter, but
> in a duel with a Jedi master, he didn't have much of a chance anyway.
> And the scene where Boba picks up the helmet was a nice touch.
Yeah... I agree.. When he went to take on a Jedi Master, he (I think) took his
earlier battle with Obi Wan as a (misguided) clue that he could hold his own
against the Jedi.
> > Which was MUCH better than I felt with Episode 1. Take this for what it's
> > worth. :)
>
> I say people should see the movie for themselves and form their own
> opinions, instead of relying on hearsay.
I could certainly understand if some people were so irritated by Ep I that they
would rather not see Ep II... Or even if people were not willing to see it on
principle. :)
C. Baize
Star Trek 5.
--
Sea Wasp
/^\
;;;
http://www.wizvax.net/seawasp/index.htm
No. The difference is that the new movies are CONNECTED to the old
ones.
It's like the New Treks VS the Old Trek. The Old Trek did something
new and cool. The New Treks, for the most part, rehashed stuff Old
Trek did, with better effects, and played it a LOT safer. Even the
stuff they did which might have been controversial was weakened by the
fact that shows like Old Trek, All in the Family, and so on had
established that it was okay for a TV show to try to attack serious
issues once in a while.
In this case, the prequels have to try to live up to the standard set
by their predecessors on screen. They also have a hell of a problem in
that We Already Know What's Coming (demonstrating Lucas' foolishness,
I think; he should have done sequels), so they can't surprise us with
certain plot twists. Instead of doing this, the sequels have tried to
change things or add material that contradicts the originals. If you
like things to be consistent, this really can piss you off. (Lucas'
revisionism on his older films doesn't help the attitude, either)
> Stephenls wrote:
>> Right then. No Attack of the Clones in theatres for me. Thanks; you
>> just saved me $17.50.
>
> Go see the film. Keifer's off his rocker. Things get a little sloppy in the
> third act (and the Anakin-Amidala relationship is a little too stiff), but the
> film is a massive improvement over Episode I.
Absolutely correct. It misses in spots, but they're near misses, not the
"dear God we meant to nuke Russia but we hit Nebraska instead" kind of
misses that characterized so much of "Menace." The Anakin-Amadala
relationship had me accepting it until its dramatic culmination, when
Amidala was too wordy and oversold the thing. The matte paintings of the
Tattoine desert were a bit over the top. Most of the SFX were improvements
over EpI, although a few -- replacing human actors with digital models when
they ride various beasts -- were terrible.
I'd say Lucas inverted his usual trick of cutting into a scene when it's
already interesting and letting us see how it plays out by cutting into
scenes too early and cutting out just when the fun was starting.
Also, how is it that there aren't enough votes in the Senate to pass a bill,
but there are enough votes to give the Chancellor the authority to do on his
own what the bill would have done? The Republic has a wacky constitution.
Maybe they invented the Electoral College.
Those and a few other nitpicks aside, "Clones" was great fun. The
lightsabers glowing too much? They were fighting in a room with no other
light source. And it was an innovative fight -- the lighting took our
attention away from the meaningless choreography of the fight and focused
out attention on the illuminated faces of the actors as they squared off.
Highlight of an otherwise lackluster lightsaber fight with nonsensical
choreography. Yes, it was fun to see a certain "Great Warrior" at work, but
on the whole this was my least favorite saber battle so far in any Star Wars
movie. With choreography better suited to the narrative purpose -- and fewer
attempts at stock-villain dialogue -- it could have been as good as
Luke/Vader in "Jedi," still the champion in my book.
If I can ever figure out which is the second-best SW movie, after "A New
Hope," I think "Clones" could easily come in third. It's not as
conventionally good as Empire, but in many places it's more compelling in
terms of the kind of spirit that "New Hope" had and "Empire" often lacked on
account of being more conventionally (and competently) directed. It's less
disconnected than "Jedi," but lacks the narrative ooomph of that film.
(Which is appropriate, since "Jedi" was the conclusion of a conclusion,
while "Clones" is a forward-the-plot exercise.)
Anyway, "Menace" kept making me think of ways the movie could be shorter
and, by shortening it, better. "Clones" left me thinking about almost every
scene -- except the ones with Anakin and Amidala alone together -- that it
would be better if we saw more. The flying bits were excellent, and showed
that Lucas' complete inability to tell a story with aircraft in "Menace" was
a one-off. Ewan McGregor usually owns the screen, and he did in "Clones."
Most of the CG aliens and environments were breathtaking and completely
believable. Ian MacDermid (sp?) continues one of the most astoundingly
brilliant extended bad-guy performances in the history of film. I actually
wanted more Palpatine. Dookoo was OK, but his Sarumon was a better villain.
The parallelism with later films, especially the theme of trying to tempt
people to adopt Dark Side means to achieve worthy ends, is very well done.
Lucas really showed in "Clones" how the cycles turn and where much of the
classic trilogy comes from.
So yes, I think "Clones" could have been better. "Empire" and "Jedi" could
have been better, too. And I'm actually less pleased with the title --
"Attack of the Clones" -- than I was before seeing it. Should have been
something like "Army of the Republic" or somesuch, which would have carried
some nice irony. All in all, if Episode III is as good as Episode II, then
the prequel trilogy will have been completely worthy successors to the
original trilogy.
Definitely going to see it again once or twice before the DVD comes out this
fall. It has me so looking forward to Episode III that I'm considering going
spoiler-free for the final film.
Cheers,
Scott
--
R. Scott Rogers
srogers at mindspring.com
Visit the General Taylor Inn:
http://srogers.home.mindspring.com/dnd/main.html
> RSC wrote:
>> C3P0 - changed from comic relief to bufoon. (and unless you do some
>> major fan wanking, several continuity errors, both with TPM and ANH)
>
> C3PO is obviously destined for a mind-wipe, so the continuity errors just
> aren't there.
Complaint: If you're going to insert, at the last minute, completely random
scenes of C3PO in physical distress, why not use this as your opportunity to
show him getting his memory wiped? Sorry, Threepio, but your neuro servers
were damaged during the major slapstick routine back there. Your operating
system seems to be in fine order, and your still know 6 million languages,
but the RAM was wiped.
If so, even that movie was better than Millennium
Ed Chauvin IV
--
It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion.
It is by the Beans of Java that thoughts acquire speed,
the hands acquire shaking, the shaking becomes a warning.
It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion.
"I always feel left out when someone *else* gets killfiled."
--Terry Austin
Well, he is a hell of a lot shinier in epIV. Though, I did like the bit where
3PO referred to Anakin as "The Maker."
>But I'm not sure Owen ever had time to get 3PO's name in ep IV.
Are you kidding? It's like the first thing 3PO says to anything he thinks might
be sentient.
<a snip merely to save space>
THank you, R. Scott, for nailing the reasons why AotC was a fine, fine
addition to the series. It rocked, plain and simple.
--
http://home.cfl.rr.com/delversdungeon/index.htm
Remove the X's in my email address to respond.
> I don't think anything short of no-boot would put Macists off Mac.
> The last stable OS was System 6.0.8. So long as system messages
> are phrased as if a patronising aunt were addressing a retarded
> 4-year-old, they will continue to love it. - Patrick Ford
Yeah, some of the editing seemed odd. I understand a lot was cut from
the scene immediately after Shmi's death - the one that was so key to
Anakin's becoming Vader. I thought that left it without the impact it
should have had. The scene shortly after that where Anakin explains
what happened to Padme makes up for it somewhat, though - and is one of
their few decent scenes together - and I must say that was the only
point where I found the editing really jarring.
> Also, how is it that there aren't enough votes in the Senate to pass a bill,
> but there are enough votes to give the Chancellor the authority to do on his
> own what the bill would have done? The Republic has a wacky constitution.
> Maybe they invented the Electoral College.
I have no trouble believing a system of government could have loopholes
like that, frankly.
Gee, thanks, Wasp. And here I thought I had flushed all knowledge of The
Trek That Is Not To Be Named from my head. Now I just have to get out
the high pressure hose again...
Gary
That one kicked ass. It was really interesting, and the symbolism they
sneaked into it was good as well.
--
^v^v^Malachias Invictus^v^v^
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishment the scroll,
I am the Master of my fate:
I am the Captain of my soul.
from _Invictus_, by William Ernest Henley
> > Star Trek 5.
> Gee, thanks, Wasp. And here I thought I had flushed all knowledge of The
> Trek That Is Not To Be Named from my head. Now I just have to get out
> the high pressure hose again...
Hey, isn't that the movie that proves that God cannot take disrupter fire?
Or do, if she's that kind of girl.
>
>"Gary Miles" <gmi...@avalon.net> wrote in message
>news:3CE52F17...@avalon.net...
>> Sea Wasp wrote:
>
>> > Star Trek 5.
>
>> Gee, thanks, Wasp. And here I thought I had flushed all knowledge of The
>> Trek That Is Not To Be Named from my head. Now I just have to get out
>> the high pressure hose again...
>
>Hey, isn't that the movie that proves that God cannot take disrupter fire?
And that he needs a starship.
> That one kicked ass. It was really interesting, and the symbolism
> they sneaked into it was good as well.
Oh hell yes. 'Cube' is one of my favorite movies ever.
I suppose 'The Cube' must be a different movie altogether.
--
Stephenls
"Note to self: see 'Pi'."
> And that he needs a starship.
I don't think that was actually god. Just some random Big Alien with
very very very very very very very long range telepathic powers.
--
Stephenls
You actually made me laugh with that one, you sick bastard.
>Tuomo Nygard wrote:
>>
>> I only saw Episode 1 this spring when it was shown on Finnish TV, and
>> was glad to not have wasted the money. I'll do the same with Episode 2
>> and won't regret it.
>>
>> BTW, Episode 1 was IMHO one of the worst scifi films I've ever seen,
>> rivalled only by Supernova.
>
> Star Trek 5.
Sorry, but Trek 5 has to give way to Universal Soldier 2, Universal Soldier 3,
and RoboCop 3 in my list of Bad Sequels.
--
Matthias
matthi...@hostmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Frontier/5946
The address above is a spam sink, so preface all
legitimate newsgroup-related e-mail with [RGFD].
>Well, if you could sit through the first one, this one should be no
>trouble. Just make sure to time your bathroom break for any time
>Anakin and Amadala are onscreen together. "You know, you're a whiny
>little bitch, homocidal maniac, but I still love ya'"
IMO, the dialogue of those scenes seemed more natural. There were one or two
times Anakin registered on my corn-o-meter, but you got to remember that there
is some of the brat still in him that turns annoying children into deeply
disturbed villains.
>Katherine F. <purit...@ihateclowns.com> wrote:
>KF> Somehow I doubt that. For myself the trouble is that even
>KF> though I know it's probably going to suck, I'm going to have to see it
>KF> anyway, because I really don't fancy being the only person in the
>KF> known universe who hasn't seen it.
>
>You'll be safe---I won't have seen it.
>
>KF> There will be wormlike creatures
>KF> native to the third planet of Rigel who communicate only through scent
>KF> who will have seen this film, and who will look askance at any
>KF> sentient being that hasn't.
>
>Don't let the opinions of worms influence you.
On the other hand, if they're *wyrms*, one may want to pay more attention. :)
>
>
>Keifer0999 wrote:
>
>> <snip>
>>
>> All in all I was very disappointed. I saw Phantom Menace 3 times in the
>> theatre...I prolly won't see this one again till DvD.
>
>Wow.. if this is from someone who saw TPM 3 times in the theatre... thanks. :)
>I'll wait to rent it.
On the other hand ... to coin a saying, "the best movie review is the one you
make yourself."
>> >C3P0 - changed from comic relief to bufoon. (and unless you do some
>> >major fan wanking, several continuity errors, both with TPM and ANH)
>>
>> C3PO is obviously destined for a mind-wipe, so the continuity errors just
>> aren't there.
>
>Well, Owen doesn't remember him two decades later.
>But I'm not sure Owen ever had time to get 3PO's name in ep IV.
C3PO was a different color then and there's probably a hundred million other
protocol droids out there that walk and talk just like him (a scary thought, I
know).
You'd think that a droid whose function is talking to people would be more
charismatic.
>From the letters of Justin Bacon (5/16/02 3:46 PM):
>
>> RSC wrote:
>>> C3P0 - changed from comic relief to bufoon. (and unless you do some
>>> major fan wanking, several continuity errors, both with TPM and ANH)
>>
>> C3PO is obviously destined for a mind-wipe, so the continuity errors just
>> aren't there.
>
>Complaint: If you're going to insert, at the last minute, completely random
>scenes of C3PO in physical distress, why not use this as your opportunity to
>show him getting his memory wiped? Sorry, Threepio, but your neuro servers
>were damaged during the major slapstick routine back there. Your operating
>system seems to be in fine order, and your still know 6 million languages,
>but the RAM was wiped.
For all we know this is what happens in SW3. C3PO is never known to recognize
Darth Vader as Anakin or say anything about him in the second trilogy. Granted,
Anakin is walking around in powered armor by ANH ...
>I'm not talking about full frontals or anything, as that would be completely out
>of place in Star Wars, as well...
Well, I think the scene in which they roll around in some tall grass briefly and
she ends up on top of him more than says it all.
>Compare the budding romance between Han Solo
>and Leia Skywalker... THAT one was very well done... I actually got the sense
>that Han and Leia truly and deeply cared for each other...
Han and Leia were both arguably mature adults with a lot of experience,
comparatively speaking.
>But Anakin and Amidala?
>*Retch*
>Their 'romance' was idiotic and cliche, and I'm sorry, but I just don't see a
>future Dark Lord of the Sith rolling around in the grass like a simpering
>fool.... It just doesn't sit right...
Consider that Anakin has never so much as even kissed a girl before, let alone
try to romance her, and public service has been Amidala's whole life up to this
point. It should be expected that they'll blunder through the first real
relationship either have had their whole lives (assuming that Amidala's mention
of a prior relationship amounted the sort of ephemeral relationship that
teenagers have in high school).
>I mean, okay... Star Wars is (in effect)
>the story of the Skywalker family... It's rise, it's fall, and it's redemption.
>And I know that Anakin had to woo Amidala in order for their marriage to occur,
>and for Luke and Leia to be conceived (not necessarily... it could have been
>rape, but then I doubt that Amidala would have left Luke with the name
>Skywalker)...
Amidala only surrendered to her latent feelings when she thought they were
surely doomed. This changed the their relationship irrevocably, and from then on
it was only a matter of time before they acted on their emotions.
>I think what gets me the most about the romance scenes was that Star Wars was
>anything BUT cliche... while it may have been space opera in some respects, I
>never really saw it as cliche... And then we get to Ep I and II, and while Ep II
>went quite a way towards getting back to the FEEL of Star Wars, the cliche
>romance scenes were awkward, and stilted... Rambling... sorry. :)
Anakin is still a brat. Just an older, more arrogant, more dangerous one. He's
going to muddle through this like anything else ...
It certainly impressed me.
> > > 2) C-3POs puns... RIGHT OUT. Sorry... do NOT pass go, do NOT collect your
> > > 200 friggin' dollars.
> >
> > Yeah, but everyone knows that 3PO is little more than comic relief
> > anyway. The only time he had anything even remotely resembling
> > substance was in ANH. So even with the head switching scene, he
> > doesn't seem as jarring as Jar-Jar (no pun intended).
>
> I've said before that I am not averse to lowbrow humor, even potty jokes have
> their place, and I love slapstick... But not in Star Wars.
It's a matter of taste I guess. I thought the head switching was
funny.
> >
> > Showing them in bed is obviouly out here, because Lucas wants to keep
> > things PG. But otherwise, the love story just doesn't go anywhere.
> > Here she's trying to resist his advances, but then changes her mind at
> > the end of the movie for no apparent reason. I guess Lucas just
> > doesn't know how to craft a love story, and he's better off with
> > action sequences.
>
>
> I'm not talking about full frontals or anything, as that would be completely
> out of place in Star Wars, as well... Compare the budding romance between Han
> Solo and Leia Skywalker... THAT one was very well done... I actually got the
> sense that Han and Leia truly and deeply cared for each other...
And remember, there was some actual sexual tension between the two of
them in Empire.
> But Anakin and Amidala?
> *Retch*
> Their 'romance' was idiotic and cliche, and I'm sorry, but I just don't see a
> future Dark Lord of the Sith rolling around in the grass like a simpering
> fool....
It just comes out of nowhere. Han and Leia in Empire have been
fighting together against the Empire for three years. They know each
other fairly well by that point, and well, it just makes more sense.
But there's no development in the love story here. And most
importantly, there doesn't seem to be any reason why Padme would
change her mind about falling for Anakin.
> > Windu definitely did more than sit on his butt in this movie. As for
> > the Jedi fighting in the arena, they're probably all a bunch of extras
> > that were choreographed in from of a blue screen or something.
>
> Most likely, yes. It was still a good scene. :) I've wanted to see a good mid
> scale lightsaber battle for a long time, and I'm pretty well mollified by
> this one... I have to say, too, that Jackson did a really stylish job as a
> Jedi, I was very impressed.
Yes, if he's any indication, the Jedi of old were not a force (heh
heh) to be trifled with.
> I think it was supposed to be over the top, when I look back at it. We know
> that physically, Yoda is old and nearly feeble, but when he uses the Force to > augment his physical abilities, he becomes a serious physical threat. I also
> really enjoyed when Darth Tyrannus (Dooku) was attacking him with the Force
> lightning, and Yoda was absorbing it and sending it back at him. That showed
> a serious degree of control, and also illustrated that Yoda was definitely
> not one to simply be dismissed...
Yeah, I was certainly impressed by the lighting absorption. During
that scene where he's countering Dooku's Force attacks, I was reminded
of Empire: "Judge me by my size do you? And where you should not.
For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is."
> > > 7) The Fetts. Well... what more REALLY needs to be said?
> >
> > Yes, we get to see why Boba Fett is a total bastard...he was
> > apparently BORN that way. Jango Fett's a fiarly decent fighter, but
> > in a duel with a Jedi master, he didn't have much of a chance anyway.
> > And the scene where Boba picks up the helmet was a nice touch.
>
> Yeah... I agree.. When he went to take on a Jedi Master, he (I think) took
> his earlier battle with Obi Wan as a (misguided) clue that he could hold his
> own against the Jedi.
Even though Windu kicked kicked his ass, I'd say that Jango put up a
good fight. Sure, there was no way he could win against a Jedi, he at
least made a good accounting of himself. There's probably many lesser
warriors who would not have lasted as long against a Jed master.
> I'm not talking about full frontals or anything, as that would be
> completely out of place in Star Wars, as well... Compare the budding
> romance between Han Solo and Leia Skywalker... THAT one was very well
> done... I actually got the sense that Han and Leia truly and deeply
> cared for each other... But Anakin and Amidala? *Retch*
I'll be the first to admit that the romance scenes, well, sucked
ass. But I think comparing them to Han and Leia's is unfair. It's an
entirely different situation -- for one thing, it's a twisted, unhealthy
relationship that's doomed from the get-go. When we see Leia insult
Han, we can take it as banter, because we know things will work out for
them -- they're the romantic leads. When Amidala belittles "Ani", we
have to wonder: is this going to contribute to his fall? How many
people will die because of that offhand comment? When Anakin "jokes"
about fascism, our stomachs churn, and churn again when Amidala thinks
he's teasing. This is a relationship which at least one of the
participants knows is _wrong_; they can't let go the way Han and Leia
could. Anakin is manipulative, and potentially abusive; this isn't
supposed to be as fun to watch as Han and Leia. (I wonder, actually, if
it'll come out that Anakin used his mind tricks to make her love him; I
doubt it, but it's the only way to make Amidala's turnaround
believeable.)
----j7y
--
*************************************************************************
jere7my tho?rpe / 734-769-0913 "Homo sum: humani nihil a me
http://homepage.mac.com/jere7my alienum puto." ---Terentius