You guys were talking about the podracer sounds, I seem to remember reading that they used a recording of a P-51 Mustang for the Millenium Falcon.
Really enjoyed this cast except for one, horribly nitpicky and extremely obscure thing: Anakin’s Rodian buddy is Wald, not Greedo. Greedo was in a scene after the podrace where he accused Anakin of cheating and got his ass kicked for it, but it was cut.
Fun fact, Wald was played by Warwick Davis, the guy who played Willow and was also hanging out in the booth with Watto during the podrace scene. Every character he plays in a Lucas production has a name that starts with a “W”.
Other than gritting my teeth over that, I had a good time giggling along with it at work today, even though I actually like TPM.
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The problem with Episode I is not Jar Jar…
…it’s the story. Episode I is best viewed as a non-talkie film. The visuals and production are amazing. As always, John Williams’ soundtrack is masterful. I have edited Episode I and removed Jar Jar. It was a bit better since there was less clumsy and crude humor but it still lacked substance.
I can sum up my emotions concerning the Prequels with one word: Baffled. I spent the years during the production of the Prequels filled with hope. I listened to all the fanboi rants. I defended Lucas trying to point out the intricate complexity and genius of the story. The duality of Palpatine and Padme as a representation of foreshadowing Anakin’s eventual fall and destiny. I would rally behind, “Midi-chlorians must play an important role to the story. Perhaps they are instrumental to Palpatine’s plan, Anakin’s fall, or the destruction of the Jedi. It must be so catastrophic that no one mentions it in the future.” I thought Palpatine had created Anakin or perhaps a bunch of midi-chlorian babies to help usher in his Empire. They would be shielded from the Jedi influence until they were “too old” and they would be subservient to Palpatine. That’s why Vader must “obey his master”.
See, I tried to be logical. I tried to make sense out of the Prequels. It is impossible to do so. The story makes no sense and the execution is uncomfortable. No doubt, the visuals are stunning. The action sequences and battles are engaging. However, the characters’ decisions and the driving story are abhorrent. They pretty much removed Jar Jar from the second film and it didn’t improve. The “love” story was a mess. Anakin whines and Obi-wan chastises throughout the film. The Jedi wear constant puzzled expressions on their faces. As with Darth Maul in Episode I, in Episode II they kill off the most interesting character, Jango Fett. Watching the Prequels is similar to watching a boxer past his prime. You are rooting for him. You want him to win and succeed. You want to relive all the glory. In the end, it’s ugly. You wince in pain at every punch and you wonder why you ever decided to be entertained by this lapse in judgment.
Now, all that being said, I’m not a hater. I do not feel George Lucas raped or ruined my childhood. I own the Prequels on DVD and watch them every year. However, I was disappointed. So, I did something about it. I wrote my own Prequels. Presently, they are represented in a very rough draft here. They will never grace the silver screen but they will help quench my yearning for a coherent Prequel.
For everyone who has issues with the prequels, you need to watch the Clone Wars on Cartoon Network.
It helps fill in some of those major plot holes of the movies. Without spoilers, you see more of how Vader turned so easily turned.
After watching this show, maybe you will be ok with the prequels.
I totally get that. I love the Clone Wars series. I watch it with my daughters.
BUT. A film/story/book/whutever should not have to rely on the EU to make sense. The elements contained in the film should work together to create a cohesive experience. As you said, the EU should enhance my experience. The single entity of the film should not rely on it to do so.
Agree totally with this…Lucas did have a habit of making it feel that you had to “do your homework” to fully see what was going on in his movies…that is annoying…though I will say, there was a series of graphic novels titled the “Clone Wars” (I think…and I think there was 9 of them)…God they were AWESOME and showed you how NASTY the Clone Wars really were…almost a must-read!
And just to add to my “assumption watching” thought…in the Clone Wars…we’re supposed to be “SHOCKED” when we find out Dooku is the Sith leading the Separatists…but in reality we NEVER meet or interact with the guy until he’s revealed as this guy and it’s more like… “big woopdie doo” instead…Dooku is another excellent character who needed WAY more on-screen development (General Grievous too…you have to find the fraking graphic novel to realize how cool/important he is, and how he really was the Darth Vader Beta-Test so to speak)
A long time ago in a thread far, far away I made the argument that Lucas should have hired a writer. You’ve got all this cash. Pay a person who knows what they’re doing to get the job done. Why is Empire Strikes Back so good? Because the bulk of it was written by Leigh Brackett, a writer. Sadly, she died before the film was released. Lawrence Kasdan took over from there and Irvin Kershner held the reigns.
The Prequels were handled totally by Lucas. He had no one saying to him, “George, you can write this shit but you can’t say it!” --that’s an actual quote from Harrison Ford.
I do agree with both of you. I like the prequels because they force you to want more, just like the trilogy. You watch and want to know “why that thing happened”, which causes fans to get creative and answer those questions and share them with the rest of us. That is the greatest aspect of what GL did for our world. He brought out the creative side of some many people. So I can not fault the guy for trying to ignite the flame of wonder that we all love.
I agree. I usually fall into the “if I can’t say anything nice …” camp, however in this case I would recommend the Red Letter Media review of The Phantom Menace (7 parts on youtube).
Red Letter Media Review of Phantom Menace.
It is a bit disjoint, and falls into “theater of the mind” at times, but he hits many of the problems with TPM.
Of course, if others folks enjoyed TPM I’m happy to hear it.
For me though, I found it wanting.
YMMV.
OB
+1000 on all of that, it just gets aggravating because you KNOW there’s a good story in there somewhere (though like I said before, I enjoy watching Palpy scheme and re-scheme to get what he wants…funny…you know why it works…it’s really a sub-plot and the story is SUPPOSED to be Ani, so Lucas doesn’t overdo it …heh…
He could have written the most detailed and precise story ever leaving no holes and no extra plot to be wanted and people would still be screaming for more and dash like mad to the EU for more more more!! (just my opinion)
He could have written the most detailed and precise story ever leaving no holes and no extra plot to be wanted and people would still be screaming for more and dash like mad to the EU for more more more!! (just my opinion)
I agree that GL could have written the best story possible and some fans would still feel that he destroyed their childhood. Can’t please everyone.
While this is true, it wasn’t what I was aiming for…even if he had made three awesome prequels (though I do think Revenge of the Sith was hella good, the man can write a bad ending)…even if all three were “Empire Strikes Back” level…people would still have wanted and dashed for more more more ya know?
Yeah. Plinkett is hilarious and poignant, if not disturbing.
In general I agree with Plinkett’s videos and they are extremely entertaining. I do think a lot of the things pointed out are not really “movie breakers” if you know what I mean. You can have flaws, problems, and still have a great movie.
There is no way to justify all the hate for the Prequels. They are kinda-decent Sci-Fi Adventure films. They do kind of re-interpret some of what happens in the original trilogy, but I don’t think to any degree that makes them horrible. Haters gonna hate.
A long time ago in a thread far, far away I made the argument that Lucas should have hired a writer. You’ve got all this cash. Pay a person who knows what they’re doing to get the job done.
A writer, AND a director. Lucas managed to get flat performances out of Mother Fraking Samuel L. Jackson. George Lucas is at his core an idea man (and maybe a great business man).
The midi-chlorians thing is probably the worst offender, because it adds a science fiction explanation for something that does not need explaining in scientific terms. It was also handled really poorly in the Phantom Menace and does not pay off except in a very minor way in Episode III. Star Wars is still, in my mind a fantasy story as much as a Sci-Fi story, and not everything needs technobabble explanations. Would it have been that hard to just say “This boy is unusually strong in the Force”?
I’m actually OK with MidiChlorians. I don’t think they said MidiChlorians are what gives a person Force sensitivity. I prefer to look at them as microorganisms that are drawn to Force-sensitive individuals, and the stronger the person is, the more that are drawn to them.
Poor directing, bad script, bad dialog, stiff acting from Oscar caliber actors…and there’s no reason for the hate? Are you serious?
That is one of the best explanations I’ve ever heard. They’re a marker, or a litmus test.
Still seems Obi Wan or Yoda would have mentioned them, though I suppose it’s possible that neither were thinking that maybe some day Luke would want to restart the Jedi order.
Man, I’m so torn. I love Star Wars. Have since I was a wee youngling. After the prequels, I didn’t watch anything SW for a long time. I felt cheated. Mind you, Revenge of the Sith was decent, but I just felt like it could have been so much more. Especially after waiting all those years, after Jedi, to see new material. I have yet to see TPM in 3-D, and am in no hurry to make the time to see it.
I don’t outright hate TPM, but at the same time, only have love for segments of it. As a whole, it’s a mess. Kids movie or not, there could have been a little more depth to it. That being said, I absolutely love the Clone Wars animated series.