Star Wars Episode III Title Revealed

[Durandal7]

There you go.
http://starwars.com/episode-iii/bts/production/news20040724.html

[Abstract]

Wow.....good one.

[/sarcasm]

[jsw]

The title's not horrible, I guess, but the logo - to my eyes - sucks. "SITH" stands out too much.

[Doctor Q]

After three long years of relentless fighting, the Clone Wars are nearly at an end. The Jedi Council dispatches Obi-Wan Kenobi to bring General Grievous, the deadly leader of the Separatist droid army, to justice. Meanwhile, back on Coruscant, Chancellor Palpatine has grown in power. His sweeping political changes transform the war-weary Republic into the mighty Galactic Empire. To his closest ally, Anakin Skywalker, he reveals the true nature of power and the promised secrets of the Force in an attempt to lure him to the dark side.

[mymemory]

Why I have the impression this movie is going to be very dissapointing :confused:

[sethypoo]

Why I have the impression this movie is going to be very dissapointing :confused:

That's a funny "impressioin", but I think it's going to be pretty cool.

[Dr. Dastardly]

Why I have the impression this movie is going to be very dissapointing :confused:
Umm, because the last two were.

[BornAgainMac]

Umm, because the last two were.

The last 3 movies including Jedi. Ewoks killed that movie and I can still hear that terrible song at the end.

[comictimes]

Why I have the impression this movie is going to be very dissapointing :confused:
It's only dissapointing if you have high hopes for it. After the last two I'm not sure if high hopes are possible..

[wdlove]

Why I have the impression this movie is going to be very disappointing :confused:

I don't see how it could be disappointing. Episode III will finally tie the whole story together. Doctor Q had a very interesting synopsis.

[Awimoway]

Aside from bad acting and too much CGI ruining the first two episodes, I think the main reason they are perceived as sucking is because they are dark stories with unhappy endings being sold to an audience that cannot comprehend non-heroic, unhappy endings where justice doesn't always triumph and the good guy really doesn't always win.

Sometimes I think Lucas is making these first three more out of a grim sense of duty to explain the back-story than out of any real passion to tell the stories. (And of course he's also making them to rake in gobs of cash, but aside from that.)



That being said, I don't know what anyone is doing complaining about the title or the logo. It's nearly a carbon-frozen copy of the Return of the Jedi title and logo. It worked then; why shouldn't it work now?

[Apple //e]

Aside from bad acting and too much CGI ruining the first two episodes, I think the main reason they are perceived as sucking is because they are dark stories with unhappy endings being sold to an audience that cannot comprehend non-heroic, unhappy endings where justice doesn't always triumph and the good guy really doesn't always win.


no, they really did suck

the best description of these movies would be an anagram of "sith"

[themadchemist]

Did they actually use "Revenge of the..." in the title? Are you kidding me?!

Man, this is really sad. I wanted to think of something clever to say, but the very presence of Episode III in this thread has robbed me of all creativity.

It's like creative diffusion, and the creativity is definitely flowing from areas of high concentration (the rest of the world, bar nothing) to areas of low concentration (Skywalker Ranch).

Apple //e: I don't think that 'hits' describes these movies well. :D

[Dale Sorel]

I think the main reason they are perceived as sucking is because they are dark stories with unhappy endings being sold to an audience that cannot comprehend non-heroic, unhappy endings where justice doesn't always triumph and the good guy really doesn't always win.

Uh, ESB is considered by many to be the best episode of the SW series. Did that have a happy ending :confused:

[Dr. Dastardly]

Aside from bad acting and too much CGI ruining the first two episodes
Those two reasons are pretty much why the movies blew so much for me. The script wasn't great either but I think it could have been salvagable with at least moderatly good acting. :rolleyes:

[themadchemist]

Those two reasons are pretty much why the movies blew so much for me. The script wasn't great either but I think it could have been salvagable with at least moderatly good acting. :rolleyes:

The greatest quote ever: "Uhhh, I love you very much." Actually, that might not have been the quote, but it would have been very much in keeping with the sharp intellect crafted for Mr. Anakin Skywalker in Episode II.

Casting was unbearable. Writing was worse. The CGI tried desperately to make up for both, and, as in all movies in which CGI tries to replace good cinema, it miserably failed.

[Doctor Q]

Apple //e: I don't think that 'hits' describes these movies well. :Dthemadchemist: best post of the week. I like getting a big chuckle now and then, especially when I don't expect it.

[Macmaniac]

Well I have been disappointed with the past two movies, but I hope that this movie can be better, I do look forward to watching all 6 in a row;)

[cubist]

And compare that quote to:
"Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've created."
"Apology accepted."
"Your friends will see the power of this fully operational battle station."

Agree with Dale Sorel, ESB is the high point of the series. Opening action of Episode IV (first movie) is pretty good too, though.

[obeygiant]

i love SW, but the more i see Clone Wars on Cinemax, the worse it gets.
The acting is just deplorable, with their odd silences, thin dialog, and the actors give the impression that they're reading. I have an impression that Lucas is 'somewhat' uncomfortable with actors. I've seen his early stuff from his college days and it is just shapes and music. Cinema in its purest form, just images. Although episodes 3-6 seem to have decent acting, its logical that he has more 'control' over the latest ones so they're thin in the acting department.

[Waluigi]

I'm going to love Revenge of the sith! A lot of people complain about the 'poor' acting, and 'unreal' CGI. While this movie isn't nearly as well acted as The Godfather, or will have as good CGI as Return of the King, it's the story that I love! When I watch star wars movies, I'm literally taken to a galaxy far far away. The story is incredible, and Lucas really does encapsulate me like few directors can. While not perfect, this movie will be excellent in my eyes. Less then 300 days!

--Waluigi

[ColoJohnBoy]

After the last two, my attitude can best be summed up as "Meh."

The acting was as good as it could be with the dialogue the actors were given (What was Anakin's line? "Your love is like a virus, a cancer in my soul."?) With the last one, it seemed GL was trying to create some sort of homage to the campy, cheesy Sci-Fi flicks from the 50's instead of making it with a great respect for the story; quite frankly, it's an amazing story, that with the last two installments has been squandered and desecrated. I'll see it nonetheless.

*sigh* I wish Lucas had taken Spielberg up on his offer to direct Episode III. That would bring me at least a small amount of comfort.

[Morrison23j]

Who cares about the title because we all know that if your a Star Wars fan or even like Star Wars, your going to see the movie, even though it probably will blow.
Why?
1.Because we want to see the end of the beginning.

2.And we already wasted our time watching the first two.

3.Star Wars is awesome.

So who cares about a non-creative title to a probably crappy movie that we'll all see because its a Star Wars movie.

[EminenceGrise]

The last two movies have just stunk. I mean, really, something is rotten in Skywalker Ranch - and I think it's the putrifying corpse of the Star Wars series. While I think the casting was acutally OK, the scripts were totally worthless. I recall reading a review after the first movie that summed things up fairly well - it went along the lines of "There's only so much an actor can do with 'Dick and Jane go to Naboo'". I think it's quite telling that the screenplay for what is widely regarded as the best movie in the series (ESB) was not written by Lucas. Lucas is a good idea man and visionary, but quite frankly the last two movies have proven he's not the best screenplay writer, or director. It'a a shame too, because while I love the original three movies, these last two have kind of turned me off of the whole thing.

And the CGI - total crap. It doesn't blend into the background seamlessly like in LoTR as it should, no, it jumps out and screams "WHAM! Here I am!" - no wait, make that "Meesa here!" - and then proceeds to bludgeon you to death with it. Over and over. And over again. And again. (Side note: what brain trust came up with JarJar? Nice convenient marketing tie in guys. My only hope is that one day you are cornered in a dark alley and brutally beaten by a mob of Star Wars fanatics wielding JarJar action figures and shouting "Weesa gonna kick your sorry little a**es!". Wankers.) The stuff from the old movies is so much better, and all they used were models - but they looked real enough and weren't intrusive. The "Ooooh, shiny CGI!" thing is extemely tiresome, and not what I expected from the likes of George Lucas. Not at all. The only CGI I liked in either movies were the chrome spaceships - and that was what, 5min of footage at the most?

I liked the original movies, and it's not like they were particularly well written or acted either ("But... but you'll die." comes to mind...) - but at least the special effects added to the story rather than were the story. Yes, I can even forgive the Ewoks (actually I kind of like them). What happened with Episodes I and II was a crime. As far as I'm concerned, Star Wars is dead to me outside of Episodes IV,V, and VI - though I will still probably watch Episode III at some point. I've been through it this long, might as well stick around to see the final nail in the coffin.

[Doctor Q]

It's funny that this news came out today, because I just happened to have watched the movie "Down With Love" today, starring Ewan McGregor. I think he's a better song and dance man than he is a Jedi, but it really doesn't matter. Unless... hmmm... might Revenge of the Sith be a musical?

[Awimoway]

Uh, ESB is considered by many to be the best episode of the SW series. Did that have a happy ending :confused:

Good point, good point. I stand dejected. :o

[Awimoway]

The last two movies have just stunk. I mean, really, something is rotten in Skywalker Ranch - and I think it's the putrifying corpse of the Star Wars series. While I think the casting was acutally OK, the scripts were totally worthless. I recall reading a review after the first movie that summed things up fairly well - it went along the lines of "There's only so much an actor can do with 'Dick and Jane go to Naboo'". I think it's quite telling that the screenplay for what is widely regarded as the best movie in the series (ESB) was not written by Lucas. Lucas is a good idea man and visionary, but quite frankly the last two movies have proven he's not the best screenplay writer, or director. It'a a shame too, because while I love the original three movies, these last two have kind of turned me off of the whole thing.

And the CGI - total crap. It doesn't blend into the background seamlessly like in LoTR as it should, no, it jumps out and screams "WHAM! Here I am!" - no wait, make that "Meesa here!" - and then proceeds to bludgeon you to death with it. Over and over. And over again. And again. (Side note: what brain trust came up with JarJar? Nice convenient marketing tie in guys. My only hope is that one day you are cornered in a dark alley and brutally beaten by a mob of Star Wars fanatics wielding JarJar action figures and shouting "Weesa gonna kick your sorry little a**es!". Wankers.) The stuff from the old movies is so much better, and all they used were models - but they looked real enough and weren't intrusive. The "Ooooh, shiny CGI!" thing is extemely tiresome, and not what I expected from the likes of George Lucas. Not at all. The only CGI I liked in either movies were the chrome spaceships - and that was what, 5min of footage at the most?

I liked the original movies, and it's not like they were particularly well written or acted either ("But... but you'll die." comes to mind...) - but at least the special effects added to the story rather than were the story. Yes, I can even forgive the Ewoks (actually I kind of like them). What happened with Episodes I and II was a crime. As far as I'm concerned, Star Wars is dead to me outside of Episodes IV,V, and VI - though I will still probably watch Episode III at some point. I been through it this long, might as well stick around to see the final nail in the coffin.

And it's not like Lucas is a total moron. There were lots of little things, nice touches, that made the difference for the first three. The notion of a rusted, dented sci fi universe. The spiritual dimension of the storyline. A classical movie score (though the way Williams outdid himself was pure serendipity — Lucas was so excited when he heard an early version that he phoned Spielberg from London and played it for him over the phone; Spielberg practically wept because Williams was simultaneously working on the score for Close Encounters and Spielberg knew that he hadn't gotten Williams' best work), assembling a good ensemble cast that interacted well, crafting a saga, not just a single compact story. There were so many things that he got right back then, how could it have all gone so wrong this time around? He must be beside himself with shame.

[Krizoitz]

Personally I don't think the prequels stood a chance. A generation of Star Wars fans have all but deified the original three films. Seriously if you go back and look at them objectively you will see how bad the acting can be at parts, especially in the first one. But who cares, it was a fun good movie.

Yet, they had achieved such an insane status in the minds of many as "THE GREATEST MOVIES OF ALL TIME" that there was nothing, and I mean NOTHING Lucas could have done that would have pleased the legions of fans. For one thing lots of them wanted different things to happen I'm sure.

This is not to say that Ep1 and Ep2 didn't have issues, the story was rather weak in the first one. I mean yes they had to set things up, but they did so in a rather hokey way (midichlorians? pod racing? JarJar?). In the second one things improved of course, but I still didn't much care for the acting of the new Anakin.

Personally I think Lucas tried to bring things together too early.

[virividox]

lets hope george lucas just lets someone else do the directing

[MacFan26]

Woah! I had heard that it was going to be called Birth of the Empire, which personally I think is much better than Revenge of the Sith. I'm a huge huge Star Wars fan, and originally I liked the prequels, even though I thought they could be better, but it's difficult to like them when all of my friends hate them! I agree that casting was quite horrible, Hayden Christiansen and Natalie Portman just didn't work together I don't think. I know part of it was due to the script, but still. I'm still really excited for Episode III, even if it turns out to suck, hopefully it will be better than the other two.

[ThomasJefferson]

Two thoughts
1. Maybe, after seeing the three LOTR movies, Lucas has picked up on the idea that he is no longer making great movies and will learn to delegate to his creative betters. The script in I and II was poor. Casting, directing all were weak.

2. Look at it this way. Someday, Lucas will be gone. The SW universe will, I hope, be picked up by a new director. Think economics here $$$. The Tarzan movies spoke to a previous generation, much in the same way SW has affected our own generation. The Tarzan theme was expanded, even against the will of the ERB estate. (Though now I am sure we have much better lawyers) Perhaps the same thing will happen here.

Maybe we will see and Ewok Jedi this time? Think of the toy franchise...

[mactastic]

If only Kirosawa had thought to write prequels to his stories...

[Jovian9]

I think all 6 of these may end up being pretty good to watch together......after I put them on my Mac, and use FCP to edit out all of the nonsense that makes them so unbearable to watch......I think it will be about 3 hours long after that.

[OnceUGoMac]

Revenge of the Sith is a great title. Parallels. The original title of Return of the Jedi was Revenge of the Jedi, so I see why he chose Revenge of the Sith as the title for Episode III. Also, people that complain about the naming of the titles fail to notice that all of the titles are a throwback to serials of the 1930s -1950s. Also, all the movies have poor dialogue and/or acting. I think it's just that the baby-boomers want someting new to complain about and use the "In my day, it was better" scenario. If you go into the films looking for Oscar material, you're sadly mistaken. It's a Sci-Fi film based in a serial format, nothing more, nothing else. Get over yourselves and your film pretentiousness or you'll fail to like most films.

[Doctor Q]

If you go into the films looking for Oscar material, you're sadly mistaken.As far as acting, that may be true. But Episode IV won 6 Oscars and had 10 nominations (winning for Art Direction, Costume Design, Film Editing, Score, Sound, and Visual Effects), while Episode I and II added another 4 nominations. When I see Episode III, I will again expect good sound and great visual effects.

[LethalWolfe]

Revenge of the Sith is a great title. Parallels. The original title of Return of the Jedi was Revenge of the Jedi, so I see why he chose Revenge of the Sith as the title for Episode III. Also, people that complain about the naming of the titles fail to notice that all of the titles are a throwback to serials of the 1930s -1950s. Also, all the movies have poor dialogue and/or acting. I think it's just that the baby-boomers want someting new to complain about and use the "In my day, it was better" scenario. If you go into the films looking for Oscar material, you're sadly mistaken. It's a Sci-Fi film based in a serial format, nothing more, nothing else. Get over yourselves and your film pretentiousness or you'll fail to like most films.


"Revenge of the Sith" just seems forced, IMO (no pun intended). "Revenge of the Jedi" woulda fit (save that "revenge" is not part of the Jedi way which is why the title was changed) because Luke is finally strong enough to kick the ass of the people that ruined his life. I dunno, maybe the title will "fit" better after I've seen the movie.

Yes, all the movies do have so-so acting and some cheesey dialogue but, in comparision, the acting in the prequals makes the acting in the original 3 look above average. And there is just no chemistry in the prequals. It's like some Franken-movie that by the sheer force of money Lucas has stitched together even though nothing fits and the thing just wants to fall apart. There was great chemistry between Ford, Hamill, and Fisher. The original three are great exmaples of movies where the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts.

Lucas has a grand vision for the prequals, but he is completely incapible<sp?> of executing that vision and refuses to hand over the reigns to people that could actually make these movies good (maybe even better than the original three). The Prequals had their moments (did anyone not get chills at the end of AotC when we saw the would-be Imperial Army and the Imperial March started), but overall they just sucked. Lucas has lost sight of what makes a good movie. All of the Star Wars movies have pushed the limits of FX, but when Lucas made Star Wars he said, paraphasing here, what good are FX if you don't have a good story. But when Episode one was going on I think I heard more about digital this and digital that and green/blue screen this and most FX heavy movie that than I did about the actually story all these FX were supposed to be serving. Lucas has became enamoured w/the technology and lost site of the human element. Kinda ironic considering one of the themes of the original Star Wars was man-over-machine.

I hope that Sith is good. I love the universe that Lucas has created and sense this will probably be the last movie that takes place there I hope it ends on a high note.


Lethal

[themadchemist]

Who cares about the title because we all know that if your a Star Wars fan or even like Star Wars, your going to see the movie, even though it probably will blow.
Why?
1.Because we want to see the end of the beginning.

2.And we already wasted our time watching the first two.

3.Star Wars is awesome.

So who cares about a non-creative title to a probably crappy movie that we'll all see because its a Star Wars movie.

You make an outstanding point. People will see this movie, Lucas will make his money, and isn't that what it's all about?

[Gatorman]

The title of this movie is a climactic example of how unoriginal George Lucas has become...and how focused on money he is (or so I think). I say this because of the fact that the original title for Jedi was "Revenge of the Jedi"......real original "new" title! :cool:

[JesseJames]

Yawwwwwwwn. Star what? :rolleyes:

[Tremaine]

Personally I don't think the prequels stood a chance. A generation of Star Wars fans have all but deified the original three films. Seriously if you go back and look at them objectively you will see how bad the acting can be at parts, especially in the first one. But who cares, it was a fun good movie.

Yet, they had achieved such an insane status in the minds of many as "THE GREATEST MOVIES OF ALL TIME" that there was nothing, and I mean NOTHING Lucas could have done that would have pleased the legions of fans. For one thing lots of them wanted different things to happen I'm sure.

This is not to say that Ep1 and Ep2 didn't have issues, the story was rather weak in the first one. I mean yes they had to set things up, but they did so in a rather hokey way (midichlorians? pod racing? JarJar?). In the second one things improved of course, but I still didn't much care for the acting of the new Anakin.

Personally I think Lucas tried to bring things together too early.

I fully agree! Most of Lucas' teenage audience has no understanding of the 1950s serials that he (along with Speilberg with Raiders) try to emulate. As well, the older, more nostalgic demographic continues to praise "the originals" and say that the new ones don't have the same affect. Well, duh, you're not 12 anymore. They are all campy comic book-like films with bad acting and over the top effects. If you expect that for Episode III, you'll have a great time. I really think he has a tough task balancing the expolsive Matrix-like action that today's youth want and staying true to the sci-fi serials that the older generation wants.

At least we will get about 15 minutes of Vader in Episode III.

PS - Lucas is not doing it for the money anymore, he and his companies have more than God now.

[Awimoway]

You make an outstanding point. People will see this movie, Lucas will make his money, and isn't that what it's all about?

No, that's not the point, and even if it were, these movies aren't making nearly as much money. They're not setting records even for their release year, there won't be as many return sales, rental sales, etc.

The point is to tell a damn fine story, and these fail.

[themadchemist]

No, that's not the point, and even if it were, these movies aren't making nearly as much money. They're not setting records even for their release year, there won't be as many return sales, rental sales, etc.

The point is to tell a damn fine story, and these fail.

I think, judging by LucasFilms' recent shortage of ability and creativity, this is the best the company can do to make a nice bundle of money without any real talent.

It would be nice if the point were to tell a damn fine story, but I'm assuming that Lucas & co. are not so delusional as to think that that's what they're doing.

[wdlove]

As far as acting, that may be true. But Episode IV won 6 Oscars and had 10 nominations (winning for Art Direction, Costume Design, Film Editing, Score, Sound, and Visual Effects), while Episode I and II added another 4 nominations. When I see Episode III, I will again expect good sound and great visual effects.

I also expect that Episode III will do well when it comes to Oscar time. Imagine that it will be like "The Lord Of The Rings." They will look at the body totality of the work. A chance to honor all 6.

[Doctor Q]

Lucas's original idea was for 9 movies. Will we ever see VII, VIII, and IX?

[Foxer]

I also expect that Episode III will do well when it comes to Oscar time. Imagine that it will be like "The Lord Of The Rings." They will look at the body totality of the work. A chance to honor all 6.

I wish. However, the acadamy seems to hate Lucas. He never even wins the techie catagories. Like the films or not, they deserve to win in those catagories.

I, personally, love all five films. I've been hooked since I saw Star Wars in 1st grade back in '77 and all the complaining about the prequels (and I see far more of it on Star Wars sites. It's sort of depressing to find it here on MR) I find to be a bit unjustified. Lucas can't seem to write dialogue, that is true. Also, Anakin from EP 1 couldn't act, and Natalie Portman has seemed hopeless throughout. The story, however, has progressed very well and has impressed me throughout. Think about it this way: We ALL know what must happen at the end of the next movie. We've known since before the prequels were ever made. Given that, how can you qrite stories that are compelling and still contain a bit of suspense and surprise. I think, from that point of view, the preqels fare quite well.

And the next movie is going to kick butt. Vader. That's all you need to know.

[MacFan26]

Lucas's original idea was for 9 movies. Will we ever see VII, VIII, and IX?

I doubt it, at least, it won't be Lucas doing it. Even though it was his original idea, he has said that Episode III will be the last one he is involved with. If it were me, I wouldn't want to have another three episodes after Return of the Jedi. It has such a great ending, I can't imagine how they would make three sequels.

[LethalWolfe]

We ALL know what must happen at the end of the next movie. We've known since before the prequels were ever made. Given that, how can you qrite stories that are compelling and still contain a bit of suspense and surprise. I think, from that point of view, the preqels fare quite well.

There are tons of movies in which the audience knows what the end will be (sometimes in vague terms and sometimes in specifics) and yet they are still great movies. Pick anything based on real life or based on a book.

I think AotC clones was better than Ep.I. And if Sith continues the trend it will be a good movie (the only one of the three).

Spider-man 2 is a current example of a cheesey, over the top comic-book film that has a truck load of FX. It also has actors that have chemistry, a compelling love story (the exact opposite of Anakin and the Queen), good acting (in general), and a well told story. Also, the movie doesn't take itself too seriously (unlike the prequals, IMO).

Lucas has put effects first story second in the prequals. And even the effects aren't as good as they could be because he seems hell bent on CG/digital even if that's not the best kind of effect to use in a given situation.
There are still plenty of instances where models, miniatures, and, heck, even actual sets are better choices than CG.


Lethal

[homerjward]

Sometimes I think Lucas is making these first three more out of a grim sense of duty to explain the back-story than out of any real passion to tell the stories. (And of course he's also making them to rake in gobs of cash, but aside from that.)




well, in the 70's lucas wrote this biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiggggggggggggggggggaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssssssssssss script that those producer people divided into 9 episodes and they chose the 3 they did because of special effects limitations (hence why they were called 4 5 and 6 back then) if any of 5 already out are afterthoughts it's 4 5 and 6. btw im more of a star trek *ducks to avoid rotten veggies* than a star wars fan but star wars still rocks!

[agreenster]

If only Kirosawa had thought to write prequels to his stories...

Hilarious. Only the true film geeks are picking up on the humor in that post.

But let's face it, there's only one reason why the prequels suck: Lack of chemistry in the cast.

The chemistry between harrison ford, mark hamill, and carrie fischer, coupled with the warmth and charm of chewie and (gasp) C3PO and R2. Throw in cute and powerful yoda and the evil Vader and Palpatine, and you have a movie.

Now it seems like I can barely keep up with all the newish characters with no personalities, who act timid in fear that they'll screw up their lines.

[Savage Henry]

If only Kirosawa had thought to write prequels to his stories...

Hilarious. Only the true film geeks are picking up on the humor in that post.


Man, I thought that was "Post of the Week" ... but I don't want to look too much of a geek so I'll leave it there.

Anyway, I think Lucas should just have released them as Episode I, Episode II and Episode III, instead of these ghastly efforts.

[sonyrules]

I think all 6 of these may end up being pretty good to watch together......after I put them on my Mac, and use FCP to edit out all of the nonsense that makes them so unbearable to watch......I think it will be about 3 hours long after that.

3 hours out of aprox 12 hours of footage... your cutting aout alot.. I like it...

[rueyeet]

Seriously if you go back and look at them objectively you will see how bad the acting can be at parts, especially in the first one. But who cares, it was a fun good movie.And that's exactly what's missing from the prequels: any sense of fun. Everything's so solemn, and no one seems to have a sense of humor. The sole attempt to balance the dramatic and serious fate-of-the-world stuff is a contrived comedic sidekick and a few lame one-liners.

One of my favorite scenes in the original Star Wars is the trash-compactor bit: here they all are, about to die, and they're all bitching at each other at the top of their lungs about whose fault it was at the same time that they're trying to save their skins, and all generally panicking. It's absolutely PERFECT, because that's exactly how real human beings would behave in that situation, not all stoic and hero-like.

Yes, the acting was never top-notch, and Alec Guinness was sorry to the end of his days for having been in Star Wars at all, but at least you felt like you were watching *people*, not artificial constructs.

[Jovian9]

3 hours out of aprox 12 hours of footage... your cutting aout alot.. I like it...

A good 1/3 of the 9 hours to be cut out will merely be eliminating the whining & complaining of Luke, Anakin, & Han Solo.

[obeygiant]

One part in 'Attack of the Clones' was during the final battle. C3PO had his head knocked off and the fighting was intercut by 3PO telling one-liner jokes about his situation. One was "I've fallen and I can't get up" or something similiar, but obviously referring to the old life-button commercial. I remember saying to myself, "that's just ****ing stupid."

So either Lucas is becoming an old man and just reusing his old ideas. Or his accountants/marketing people over at Lucasfilm LTD. have convinced him to dumb-down his movie to appeal to the under 13 crowd. Either way its in bad shape. I wish the series would take a darker turn and include more back story of the Emperor and the sith realm. Which Episode three might do. Everybodies favorite is ESB and thats the darkest one of them all.

[MacFan26]

Everybodies favorite is ESB and thats the darkest one of them all.

Return of the Jedi is my favorite :D :cool:

[broken_keyboard]

I agree with the people who say the newer movies just aren't real. The human characters are like cardboard and they are surrounded by CGI. It's crap. I only good thing about the new films is having such as babe as Natalie Portman, however Carrie Fisher was spunkier with her "laser brain" comments.

[stevehaslip]

Return of the Jedi is my favorite :D :cool:
No! Empire's better!!! plus there aren't any ewoks in it! :D

[obeygiant]

Return of the Jedi is my favorite :D :cool:


i will concede, however, that the rebel attack sequence is really cool. It leads up to one of the most infamous lines of them all..."IT'S A TRAP!"

[MacFan26]

It leads up to one of the most infamous lines of them all..."IT'S A TRAP!"

indeed :D I'd have to say one of my favorite lines from that one is when the Ewoks discover C-3PO and Han says: "Well why don't you use your divine influence, and get us out of this?!" :rolleyes:

edit:
No! Empire's better!!! plus there aren't any ewoks in it! :D

You must admit they're better than the gunguns ;)

[wdlove]

I have liked all the Star Wars movies equally. Just wish that the wait wasn't so long.

[MongoTheGeek]

indeed :D I'd have to say one of my favorite lines from that one is when the Ewoks discover C-3PO and Han says: "Well why don't you use your divine influence, and get us out of this?!" :rolleyes:

edit:


You must admit they're better than the gunguns ;)

They also beat being poked in the eye with a sharp stick...

[~Shard~]

Aside from bad acting and too much CGI ruining the first two episodes, I think the main reason they are perceived as sucking is because they are dark stories with unhappy endings being sold to an audience that cannot comprehend non-heroic, unhappy endings where justice doesn't always triumph and the good guy really doesn't always win.

I disagree with you - ESB was very dark and had an unhappy ending, and it was the best Star Wars movie of them all IMO.

I think the main reason they are perceived as sucking is because, well, the sucked. For all the reasons listed in this thread ad nauseum (bad acting, CGI overload, etc.), they sucked. Plain and simple.

The only thing I'm looking forward to in Episode III is Anakin's and Obi-Wan's lightsaber battle...

[obeygiant]

[QUOTE=~Shard~The only thing I'm looking forward to in Episode III is Anakin's and Obi-Wan's lightsaber battle...[/QUOTE]

what about that part where anakin gets busy wit da princess amidalia



edit: sorry....drunk

[stevehaslip]

indeed :D I'd have to say one of my favorite lines from that one is when the Ewoks discover C-3PO and Han says: "Well why don't you use your divine influence, and get us out of this?!" :rolleyes:

edit:


You must admit they're better than the gunguns ;)

the gungans would have been alright if thye had given them normal voices! jar jar sounds ridiculous, you have to watch each scene 3 times before you understand what he's saying! they look much better than the ewoks do from an artistic standpoint, the ewoks look like large guinea pigs that stand on their back legs! what was GL thinking?! :eek:

[mkaake]

I disagree with you - ESB was very dark and had an unhappy ending, and it was the best Star Wars movie of them all IMO.

I think the main reason they are perceived as sucking is because, well, the sucked. For all the reasons listed in this thread ad nauseum (bad acting, CGI overload, etc.), they sucked. Plain and simple.

The only thing I'm looking forward to in Episode III is Anakin's and Obi-Wan's lightsaber battle...

the first two times i watched episode 1, i fell asleep. the third time, i made myself stay awake just so i would actually know what happened.

and other than a nice light saber duel, i pretty much wish i had kept sleeping.

ESB ranks as my favorite too...

[~Shard~]

the first two times i watched episode 1, i fell asleep. the third time, i made myself stay awake just so i would actually know what happened.

and other than a nice light saber duel, i pretty much wish i had kept sleeping.

ESB ranks as my favorite too...

I saw Episode I opening night in the theater and couldn't have been more disappointed. JarJar turned it into a Disney movie (Lucas no doubt has his kids in mind and merchandising), the story was weak, and the only cool part was Darth Maul and his lightsaber battle - and then they go and kill him! :rolleyes:

I was hoping for more in Episode II, and although I liked it better than Episode I, it was too CGI-laden. And of course the whole love story SUCKED - I could write better dialogue with my butt. The original trilogy didn't need to rely on special effects to make them great movies - they were a component, but not THE component. What was the budget of the original Star Wars anyway, something like $11 million?

I guess we'll see how Episode III turns out, but I definitely don't have my hopes up. My guess is that to appease the fans Lucas will make it 80% action with lots of llghtsabers just to cover up the lack of story and an actual bad movie....

[jdoyle]

I have read all your mostly negative comments about EP I and II and i can agree with most of them but can still say I enjoyed them, in particular EP II. Star Wars has always had bad dialogue, it has never and never will be shakespeare. Alot of people my generation ( 25-35) who grew up watching the original trilogy somehow expected these movies to be aimed at them and be more adult. THEY ARE KIDS MOVIES, and they appeal to the kid in me. And for the adult in you, what most people don't seem to appreciate, is the complex SIDIOUS/PALPATINE story of subtle political manipulation. I think this has been done quite cleverly. Particularly in EP II, in how he creates an enemy of form of DOOKU in order to provide an excuse for an arms build up and war. Anybody see the parallel with the USA arming Iraq in the 80's and creating this enemy which gives Bush an excuse to build an army and go to war? Maybe over simplifed but I think Lucas was trying to say something.

Watching EP II, dodgy love story aside, recaptured for me how I felt watching the Original Trilogy. And was complex enough to appeal to the adult in me. I for one can't wait for Episode III.

[sketchy]

"Did you see Star Wars: A New Hope in the theater when it came out?"

if you answered yes he was fine and the conversation continued. I saw many people answer no. here was the response.

"Your opinion does not matter, I'm not speaking to you anymore."

I think those of us that grew up with StarWars and played with the original toys had much higher hopes from these movies. The first (jarjar)came out and I stood in line (just to get in, not to buy tickets). All-in-all the movie was average. To me that was a let down. then with the hype and the freakin toys they started to overdo it. It seemed the movie was there to market the franchise (games, toys, food, computer games, etC)

The second movie was less then average. and I lowered my approval level for that movie. the writing was terrible. the love scenes were clumsy and poorly written. the CGI was neat, but impractical. why would robots build such impractical machines. Most of it seems like the art directors were like -- ohh that 's pretty lets use that.

egads -- the cameos -- LAME

I was hoping the movies would end on bad notes. but that is so unamerican. The second movie should have been depressing when you left. We ALL know what is going to happen.

The third movie should be dark and depressing and evil, I bey we will feel happy when we leave.

I think I would have liked to see a future of the genera, not the past. to many congruency issues. I wonder how long until they remake the original three movies again to fill in even more holes created by the prequell
\
Dave

[sketchy]

Alot of people my generation ( 25-35) who grew up watching the original trilogy somehow expected these movies to be aimed at them and be more adult.

I think that was justified

I think a good script after how many years was justified to. to much time on effects not enough time on writing.

the prime viewer base of the movies was in the mid 20's to early 40's. They studios wanted money -- that is why it was geared towards kids - product marketing.

I think the movie people realised that most of this age has kids and will take them to see the movies. If the adults love the genra they wikll buy their kids the toys related to it. so lucas -n- company released a flood of toys on the market. then revised the toys and released collecters editions of the same toys, etc.

[Gatorman]

Lucas's original idea was for 9 movies. Will we ever see VII, VIII, and IX?

I found this site a little while back and should help you with this question. Plus, it has a lot of other cool stuff for Star Wars fans!

http://www.supershadow.com

[obeygiant]

If the adults love the genra they wikll buy their kids the toys related to it. so lucas -n- company released a flood of toys on the market. then revised the toys and released collecters editions of the same toys, etc.

Okay, so the only people i know who own the toys are adults. Lucas could have made the movie for adults and probably made the same amount on merchandising.

I remember back in the day my buddies and I used to shoot han, chewie and luke with a bb gun, never considering those figures would be worth money in the future. I also remember taking a lighter to Luke's "automatic" light saber that came out of his hand. Ahh, memories.

[MongoTheGeek]

"Did you see Star Wars: A New Hope in the theater when it came out?"

if you answered yes he was fine and the conversation continued. I saw many people answer no. here was the response.

"Your opinion does not matter, I'm not speaking to you anymore."

:) I did. I remember begging to go see it. I remember being told that I was too young. Boy am I glad it was playing for so long. :)

The second movie was less then average. and I lowered my approval level for that movie. the writing was terrible. the love scenes were clumsy and poorly written. the CGI was neat, but impractical. why would robots build such impractical machines. Most of it seems like the art directors were like -- ohh that 's pretty lets use that.[QUOTE]

I found the second to be better than the first but not by much. Someone earlier compared it to a Disney movie. Walt himself could have done a much better job. He was a ruthless director and had a great talent for polishing films.

[QUOTE=sketchy]The third movie should be dark and depressing and evil, I bey we will feel happy when we leave.

Won't happen. I refuse to leave happy, unless there is a gratuitous killing of JarJar. If there is a happy ending I will leave angry.

I think I would have liked to see a future of the genera, not the past. to many congruency issues. I wonder how long until they remake the original three movies again to fill in even more holes created by the prequell


Or perhaps special editions of 1,2,3 to bring them in line with the quality of 4,5,6 and to clear up plot holes.

I would love to see how different directors would handle #3. Imagine a Tarentino Revenge of the Sith.(I almost typed nerds...) Or Ang Lee?

[Dr. Dastardly]

I lost interest in them when the first movie came out and told me Darth Vadors real name is Annie.

The Deathstar will come out, tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow.... :rolleyes:

[macsforall]

I had a hinting suspicion it would be something along those lines. I am slightly more optimistic of the upcoming movie than most of you seem to be. You simply can't enjoy the new ones until you've accepted the fact that they never will be as good as the old ones. ;)

[MacFan26]

I had a hinting suspicion it would be something along those lines. I am slightly more optimistic of the upcoming movie than most of you seem to be. You simply can't enjoy the new ones until you've accepted the fact that they never will be as good as the old ones. ;)

I'm pretty optimistic about the next movie. I know that it's never going to be as good as the old ones, so I'm willing to live with some of the things that aren't cool about it. And besides, this is the last movie, so it's the last one to get excited about :)

[vollspacken]

when I saw AoTC I couldn't stop laughing, everything 'bout that movie was just too ridiculous... what a giant pile of chimpanzee poo..!
http://www.cripplefight.com/smileys/lame.gif

and, guess what..? that greedy and untalented fool Lucas will make the third installation even worse, trust me. he has seen LoTR and will blow it all in a final overzealous attempt!

hahaha, go to hell you freak, you already destroyed my youth, now destroy your reputation once and for all

vSpacken

[FoxyKaye]

The last 3 movies including Jedi. Ewoks killed that movie and I can still hear that terrible song at the end.

Nyub, nyub! :D

Seriously, as a die-hard SW fan, I've not been too impressed with Episodes 1 and 2. I was glad though they changed the end song in the Special Edition version of Jedi. Although rumor has it that in the DVD release of the Special Edition version of Jedi, Naboo is added to the montage of cities shown in the celebration scenes at the end of the movie and we'll be able to distinctly hear a Gungan shouting, "weesa free!" This scares me.

Here's hoping that Episode 3 is better... Lucas really needs to stop writing the scripts and just direct the movies.

[~Shard~]

Here's hoping that Episode 3 is better... Lucas really needs to stop writing the scripts and just direct the movies.

I agree - stick with what you're good at. Or were good at... ;)

[stoid]

I'm a HUGE Star Wars fan (as you recall, I had until recently a Yoda 'tar that was part of one of my design projects for college). I was however rather disappointed by Episodes I and II. Episode II was all eye candy over a crappy acting base (sounds a lot like Windows actually :D). Episode I though was nearly as revolutionary as the original Star Wars though. Don't believe me? Watch the Gungan vs. Federation Battle Droid and realize that it was all computer generated. I'm not saying that Episode I held a candle to the originals, but to discredit all that work over a few terrible production decisions is a bit ignorant.

I'm looking forward to the Anakin/Vader transformation, I think that it'll be pretty awesome.

[NusuniAdmin]

Star Wars: Reloaded



oh wait thats the matrix...nvm

[edit: Oh woohoo this is my 450'th post.....cool!!!!!!!]

[~Shard~]

Star Wars: Reloaded

oh wait thats the matrix...nvm


In a way that's a fitting comparison though to the last batch of Star Wars movies. After the first 3, Lucas had nowhere to go but down. Likewise, after The Matrix, Neo and Trinity had nowhere to go but down. And they did. :cool:

[Balin64]

I never got into SW while I was a young boy... I had other intersts: like reading and learning...

Fast forward many years and most of my peers in HS and College were still clinging to childhood via SW...

Now, most of these people are in their twenties and still argue about the best SW movies and their merits and deficincies...

Sad. Grow up.

I wish Lucas would go away and make shorts for his now teenage kids (whom I am sure now know their dad is lacking in any directorial skills) and leave all these soon-to-be-thirty-year-olds alone.

Good riddance Star Wars, it was GI Joe from the beginning...

[MongoTheGeek]

In a way that's a fitting comparison though to the last batch of Star Wars movies. After the first 3, Lucas had nowhere to go but down. Likewise, after The Matrix, Neo and Trinity had nowhere to go but down. And they did. :cool:

I can't help myself....

I would love to see Trinity ...

Not gonna say it...

[~Shard~]

I can't help myself....

I would love to see Trinity ...

Not gonna say it...

Heh heh - never even thought of that when I typed it - leave it to you, Mongo... :) :cool:

[mcarvin]

Although rumor has it that in the DVD release of the Special Edition version of Jedi, Naboo is added to the montage of cities shown in the celebration scenes at the end of the movie and we'll be able to distinctly hear a Gungan shouting, "weesa free!" This scares me.

Here's hoping that Episode 3 is better... Lucas really needs to stop writing the scripts and just direct the movies.

Not to promote any illicit behavior of any kind, I'll just say that I've seen the RotJ SE as it will be on the DVD next month. I know it's that version because Hayden Christensen has replaced Sebastian Shaw in the final scene w/Ben and Yoda's spirits. Yes, I did go back and listen carefully and did distinctly hear "Weesa freeeee!" Yes, it brought back bad memories.

The celebration song is much nicer now. Still want to get my hands on the original OT somehow, maybe via Ebay.

[~Shard~]

Not to promote any illicit behavior of any kind, I'll just say that I've seen the RotJ SE as it will be on the DVD next month. I know it's that version because Hayden Christensen has replaced Sebastian Shaw in the final scene w/Ben and Yoda's spirits. Yes, I did go back and listen carefully and did distinctly hear "Weesa freeeee!" Yes, it brought back bad memories.

Oh, good Lord... So it's not enough that Lucas has to go and ruin the franchise by making these first 3 movies so crappy, but now he's getting his hands on the original 3 and "improving" them? I wonder if Lucas realizes he's bringing down the entire Star Wars universe in a huge flaming ball of crap... There was NOTHING wrong with the original trilogy, and the initial special editions Lucas released weren't even necessary... I'm not a huge SW fan by any means, but I do enjoy the movies, and it seems like I am shaking my head constantly everytime there's an announcement reagarding Lucas and what he's doing to this franchise...

[Mord]

That's a funny "impressioin", but I think it's going to be pretty cool.

episode 1 was crap episode 2 was crap some how i think lucas has not learnt his lesson.

the originals were the coolest films ever and nothing will toutch them for a long long time, maby in a galexy far far away

[iMook]

Sorry for having a dissenting opinion, but I rather liked the CG scenes in AotC. Realize that when you say "They don't look realistic," you're talking about CG versions of FANTASY scenes. Scenes which HAVE no comparison in everyday life. True, the locomotion of the CG creatures and the droids are based on real life bipedal and multipedal motion, but if you actually look at their motion, it's EXTREMELY smooth. It's actually quite impressive. Also, Lucas actually had to make CG Yoda less realistic-looking (in terms of virtual bones, muscles, speech movements, etc) because diehard fans insisted on the crude rubber-Muppets awkwardness used for the original trilogy. If a much more fluid Yoda was present in the original trilogy, would fans go "HEY! WE WANT A RUBBER SOCK PUPPET IN THE NEXT TRILOGY!"? I think not.

I know that this may draw flames, but I really have to say this:
I like Star Wars, I've seen all 5 movies several times each. But, when I watched the original trilogy, and compared them with the most recent two films - if you discount the crappy acting (yes, that was horrendous) - there really is little difference in production values. Why pride yourself on being a Star Wars connoisseur if you yourself know that if it were ANY other franchise, you'd MUCH prefer the CG over rubber puppets? Why the fanaticism? It's almost as if, because you grew up thinking that the original trilogy was absolutely divine, you need to reaffirm and reinforce your childhood opinions by extending the craptacularity of the acting to every facet of the new trilogy. I, for one, see this as entirely counterintuitive.


P.S. - I actually think Jar-Jar was created to lower the bar for the other actors, so they might look like they were doing passable jobs.


edit: P.P.S. - Hector, dyslexics have trouble discerning letter and word order, but holistic spelling errors are rare.

[MacFan26]

Also, Lucas actually had to make CG Yoda less realistic-looking (in terms of virtual bones, muscles, speech movements, etc) because diehard fans insisted on the crude rubber-Muppets awkwardness used for the original trilogy.

P.S. - I actually think Jar-Jar was created to lower the bar for the other actors, so they might look like they were doing passable jobs.

True. I think Yoda was one of the most positive things about the CG in the prequels. They did spend a lot of time making it look authentic and believable that it was still Frank Oz manipulating a puppet. Pretty cool I'd say. And I agree about your P.S. :)

[~Shard~]

Sorry for having a dissenting opinion, but I rather liked the CG scenes in AotC. Realize that when you say "They don't look realistic," you're talking about CG versions of FANTASY scenes. Scenes which HAVE no comparison in everyday life. True, the locomotion of the CG creatures and the droids are based on real life bipedal and multipedal motion, but if you actually look at their motion, it's EXTREMELY smooth. It's actually quite impressive.

Although others may have commented on the CG not being realistic, I for one, did not – I simply stated that the CG was over the top. I completely agree, it was extremely well done. You’re almost implying though that the scenes shouldn’t look realistic because they’re fantasy scenes. Would you argue the same point about LOTR then? Those scenes are even more fantasy than Star Wars in many respects, and are even more CG-laden, yet I would argue they looked very realistic. Just because something is fantasy is not an excuse to allow the CG to look unrealistic – that’s why the CG is there in the first place! It’s a moot point though, as I’m not questioning the realism of the CG in AotC...

It's almost as if, because you grew up thinking that the original trilogy was absolutely divine, you need to reaffirm and reinforce your childhood opinions by extending the craptacularity of the acting to every facet of the new trilogy. I, for one, see this as entirely counterintuitive.

I like how you use “counterintuitive” and “craptacularity” in the same passage. :p As I stated in a previous post, I by no means found the original trilogy “divine” (although many MANY people do), but for me it’s simply the fact that the latest movies seem to rely too heavily on the CG – it’s just a big eye candy show. The original Star Wars and it’s budget of $11M (or whatever it was) has excellent effects, yet didn’t need a $100M+ budget to accomplish it’s goals. And although that’s the way many movies are nowadays, that doesn’t mean they should be that way, or that they should sacrifice story for effects. It reminds me of the tagline of the Godzilla movie: “Size Matters”, and then the clever tagline of the X-Files movie when it was released at the same time: “Plot Matters”. CG alone does not a good movie make, and it just seems like Episode I and II relied way too much on the CG. It was damn good CG in my opinion, but that’s beside the point.

Look at what happened to The Matrix after all. A truly excellent film, an intriguing premise with amazing potential, and not a lot of action when you think about it. Yet look at the sequels – fight scenes and action scenes strung together with a weak plot. They turned the franchise into an action series and ruined it. But I’ll save my Matrix comments for a different thread... :cool:

[Bruce Lee, PhD]

lord almighty, the new star wars movies sucked.

after having seen interviews with george lucas on TV and having seen only phantom menace, i honestly think he got lucky when he made episodes 4 and 5. ewoks should have been a warning to us all that future lucas efforts would suck. little did we know how badly... i loved SW and ESB, but god did PM suck. the *virgin birth* of darth ****ing vader? gimme a break. it's like the guy took a mythology 101 class when he was making the originals and then ran out of religions to raid for inspiration when he made the new ones. oh well.

[obeygiant]

Lucas' new project is "Howard the Duck, 2"

[obeygiant]

if anyone gives a crap, sign this....

http://originaltrilogy.com/

[Mord]

P.P.S. - Hector, dyslexics have trouble discerning letter and word order, but holistic spelling errors are rare.

tell that to the learning difficultys department in my school.

(yes part of my bad spelling is me typeing to fast to bother checking but i have apsolutly no idea how to spell absolutly it's not my fault god damn it.

(and besides i'm 15)

[MacFan26]

yes part of my bad spelling is me typeing to fast to bother checking but i have apsolutly no idea how to spell absolutly it's not my fault god damn it.

Whose fault is it if you don't know how to spell absolutely?

[Mr Poop E Pantz]

Lucas' new project is "Howard the Duck, 2"

If only that were true, I liked Howard the Duck.