Aotc...

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Originally posted by Eric R.
I have yet to see it but want to inject on some points here. I watched ANH for the first time since BEFORE Phantom Menance (I tried to make it all six years but just couldn't do it). It is amazing how even with TPM certain actions and motions connect for instance, when Ben finds Luke knocked out and speaks to R2 D2 THERE is recognition in his voice and him calling him friend takes on a whole new meaning. C3Po Never says a word when Ben is around he shits up and acts like he keeping something to himself. In the Cantinia Ben has this, "I am getting to Old for this crap" look on his face. This has all made me appreciate Sir Alex's performance all the more. However the light duel has to be remixed with music from the new triology to fit well, perhaps this is why there is a lack of music in the Special Edition during the duel considering both ESB and ROJ went with a music score. If lucas does do the special DVD edition look for this area to be worked on as well as the destruction of Alderan, I can see a scene with J.Smits already calling out to Ben upon his death.

Also too Lars not recognizing C-3PO perhaps it also has to do with the fact that the design is fairly typical for a droid as is R2's, what would make Owen think these are the same droids from so long ago?

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Very nice statement. It mirrors my thoughts. Though I haven't made all the connections you did, but i do see them now. And the droids...Exactly the point I tried to make. Thank you. :) I hope you are planning on seeing the movie soon.

Oh and BTW, someone mentioned they could almost hear Qui-Gon say "Anikin no!" when Anikin slaughtered the Tuskens Village, you did. It was very subtle, but there none-the-less. A very nice touch I thought.

I HAD plan on seeing it this weekend but ALL the local movie theaters had sold out for the weekend by mid week! Of course I was able to see Spider man on Saturday of the first weekend and sit comfortably with no one around me in a 3/4 full theater. Of course they didn't annouce they were selling tickets early for Spider man which didn't create the whole feeding feast or famine frenzy atmosphere going on now and which will go on for a week or two. I hate crowds, so it may be a week of two until I get to see it now :(

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Hmm. I doubt they overmarket the hype. Most of the hypes are generated by fans with their fan sites, trying to report every scoops from pre-production to post-production of the films. In fact they expected Episode II to come along way before Episode I pre-production, to be followed by Episode III two years from now.

Damn. I am trying so hard not to watch the movie on its opening week (i.e., this weekend). Then again, if I do go, I can use the local theater ticket stub as a 15% coupon on any purchase from one particular game store.

Reg: take my advice and GO! You're missing out on a great film! :)

Try to make a matinee, if you can. Less crowds, meaning a better chance to get a good seat.

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Originally posted by darkwing duck1
Reg: take my advice and GO! You're missing out on a great film! :)

Try to make a matinee, if you can. Less crowds, meaning a better chance to get a good seat.

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Of course, I'll go to the matinee. You think I'm going to pay 8.50 for watching a movie? The Cheap SOB says "Hell No!" :p

I will watch it ... later. I just don't like a crowded theater. I want to lay claim to three seats so I can lounge on my back and side as I stuff my mouth with grapes. Gotta love those stadium seats with movable armrest. :D

Plus, there is that added incentive (15% discount if I bring the movie ticket stub to my FLGS that offer such promotion).

BIG HONKING SPOILERS WARNING
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GOOD BITS
- Mace Windu has his lightsabre to Dooku's throat and Dooku says something to the effect of "You are outnumbered" while in the background in the stands suddenly a sh*t load of lightsabres
ignite.
- The big ugly alien guy who Obi-Wan uses for a contact.
- The big battle at the end.
- Yoda fighting Dooku.
- Yoda (after making like a Matrix reject in his duel with Dooku) walking very slowly over to his stick and picking it up.
- Yoda being too cool to actually pull his lightsabre out of it's scabbard.
- Yoda.
- Amidala's midriff.
- The Fetts (in general) and especially Boba's really evil laugh at the end of the asteroid belt bit.
- Christopher Lee.
- Humongous amounts of Jedi ass-whupping.
- No Ewoks.
BAD BITS
- Jar Jar Binks.
- Jar Jar Binks (he's so bad I felt he had to be included twice).
- Watto.
- The continuity errors (Amidala gets slashed across the back and suddenly she doesn't have anything around her midriff.
- The bloke who played Anakin being sh*t.
- Not enough Christopher Lee.
- The fact that in the scene where Boba picks up Jango's helmet his head doesn't fall out.
- The whole C3PO/Battle droid head swap thing.
- The entire idea that Leia is going to be raised by Jimmy Smits.

All in all, good, but not as good as ANH or ESB.

The Yoda duel was awesome. After getting used to the puppet awkwardness, then seeing him fly thru the air with a lightsaber....WOW!

1) Jar Jar wasn't so bad in this movie, a little annoying yes, but at least he had a part that drove the story along...Not just comic relief.

2) I've always thought Smits would make a good Bail Antilles.

3) And I found the whole C-3PO head swap very amusing.

4) Did you really want to see Jango's head fall out of the helmet and roll around? :) A bit bloodthirsty aren't we? :D

I've been reading message threads about Aotc on other sites for just over an hour now. Most posts consist of people tearing each other to shreds if they did not like Clones. Here though, trek fans talk about it like civilized human beings. You all pass the Gom Jabbar.

Bene Gesserit? Here? I'll kill 'em! I'll kill 'em!

SPOILERS APLENTY!!! be warned!

AOTC was better than I thought it was going to be. With all the anti-hype and every reviewer saying "eh" and with the news focusing on how many more theatres are showing Spiderman vs AOTC vs earnings in the first day (why does anyone other than an investor care about how much a money earns in x number of days? makes one realize how corporate interests dominate the news these days...).

I loved the jedi battle scene in the gladiatorial arena. wow. Made me want to be a jedi and kick a**, just like when I was eight and saw episode IV, gods I'm getting old...

Those cloned troopers simply rocked. Though that whole extended battle scene felt like a ride at a disney theatre, or a preview of one of LucasArts' video games. hmmm, isn't there a new expansion pack for SW: Battlegrounds (or whatever). still, the troopers were very cool.

The "love" scenes were dull, dull, dull, and though I really wanted to like the actor who plays Atakin, his lines are so bad (do I blame lucas for this -- oh yeah), that I just didn't feel for him. But what totally floored me was Atakin slaughtering an entire village of sandpeople, called them "animals" and then having no one punish him, heck, Padema marries him?! , I find the other character's acceptance of Atakins increasingly violent methods to be well, disturbing. yes, i know that he's fated to become Darth Vader, but what really struck me, was the audience, and the post dark tuesday feelings towards people who live in deserts and kill civilians, well, people actually cheered when he started killing those sandpeople, sent a real chill down my spine....

just some impressions...

As you said he is fated to be Darth Vader, that calls for some really bad actions. And members of the Jedi Council are beginning to be concerned with his "violent tendencies."

But I really have to disagree with any 9/11 references, the story was put down well before that happened. When you look at it raiding bands of Tuskens are the only real danger on Tattoine.

I believe this is going to be the same dicsussion as with Enterprise. There are millions of people who do know better how to do this than those who have years of experience ( and made billions of dollars with it ). For my part I am already as far to say that I believe AOTC is the best SW movie up to now.


Here are my counterarguments to the frequently made critics:

Simply to visual, FX overweighs: Hello? When have you seen the original trilogy? When ANH was on the screen the first time, it was so famous for its special effects, that was it what the people liked that much ( of course not solely ). SW was always a milestone in case of fx stuff, why do you think Lucas created a whole company for it ( ILM ) which actually made also some Star Trek movies.


Poor Story: I believe the prequel trilogy shows a much more complicated story than the original trilogy as there is this whole intrigue stuff how Palpatine becomes Emperor ( sorry for those who did not knew this ). Addtionally I would love to hear where there is a good story in the original trilogy. Its trivial. Its the fight of good against evil in its purest form. Its naive, its plain and its taken from around a hundred differents myths of the world put together. Hey in the original trilogy they used the same superweapon twice, what a rich story is that to be?


Poor Acting: O come on! You do not believe they would have taken Carrie Fisher as Leia, if her face was covered boy warts? Most of the characters where simply clichees ( hopefully spelled right ). It worked with shakespear, why not for SW? Han is the mercenary, who is actually not that bad. The droids are the dumb guys who are not that dumb there is a princess...

Edited/removed my previous comments. Nothing constructive to say.

These aren't the droids you're looking for.

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Originally posted by Atlirith
SPOILERS APLENTY!!! be warned!

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I shall avoid the whole spoiler warning - I think it goes without saying ;)

I find myself wondering if I saw the same movie as some of those here :)

I loved it from the word go - my standard review runs "ass with his lightsabre Yoda kicks, yes" I found the love story stuff both dragged and was too fast (Lucas doesn't really have a handle on this character stuff does he?), but I really enjoyed all the chases, battles and so on. Ewan McGregor was just superb, and I've fallen in love with Natalie Portman all over again (much to Nicola's disgust!)... Anakin was totally obnoxious - either Hayden Christiansen is a really nasty guy or a very good actor :)

The story was clever - I liked the way that He Who Shall Remain Nameless was responsible for the downfall of the Republic with one sentence (and didn't get many more), and that the Jedi sanctioned the creation of the Stormtroopers to come. That last made me stop and think - why ever did we assume the Clone Wars were won by the Anti-Clone faction or even that the clones were the enemy? The last scene with the Jedi overseeing the loading of ships that looked like star destroyers with troops that looked like stormtroopers and walking transports not unlike the At-Ats was actually quite disturbing!

I do think Jango Fett's head should have fallen out of his helmet when Boba picked it up though (evil) :)

Completely missed the Bail Organa stuff (part of the Chancellor's office scenes?) - maybe I'll pick that up next time around :)

10/10 from me...

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Originally posted by Atlirith
I loved the jedi battle scene in the gladiatorial arena. wow. Made me want to be a jedi and kick a**, just like when I was eight and saw episode IV, gods I'm getting old...

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I saw it on Saturday evening in the Bristol Odeon, the place where I first saw A New Hope back in 1978, at the age of 9...

One year before my girlfriend, who accompanied me, was born :eek: