Because droids are stupid, I thot you got that. :rolleyes:
I love the proto-Imperial Guardsmen.
OSSIM reason #18: Obi-wan and Maul 30 second fight. All that’s really required viewing from this whole film.
“What’s that? It’s blowing up from the inside.”
That’s. What. She. Said. Literally.
I can never get why people in movies and TV shows stand so close to funeral pyres. Burning meat stinks.
Am I that far ahead of you?
Frakkin’ Boss Nass gets a glowing beachball for one stupid battle.
Chewie gets nothing.
Grr.
Do you have the DVD? Or are you watching another version?
It’s a DVD… ish.
Like I said earlier, the production is amazing.
I think what pisses me off the most about the prequels is that Lucas is an ok writer. He has a wonderful imagination and an incredible eye for detail. He also hires wonderful and creative people. Why didn’t he just hire a writer to help? These movies look amazing. The worlds are so real. You want to step into the screen.
It’s the old 23fps or 25fps vs 29.97fps.
OSSIM reason #19: Vader’s breathe at the end of the credits. I was disappointed it wasn’t at the end of the Episode II credits.
Wow. Only 19 OSSIM reasons. Oh well, at least I did bash on the film. Mostly.
This, more than any other film in the series, deserved bashing.
Just joined the forum. Posted my treatment (well a link to the treatment anyway) for a rewritten version of episode I in the writer’s forum for those interested.
Woohoo!! I’ll be reading that once I finish watching Episode II. I’ll post comments in the Writer’s thread.
Well, I guess I’m late to the party. Anyway, I’ve been reading The Secret History of Star Wars and decided, now that I’m pretty much finished with it (except for the appendices. This thing is like The Lord of the Rings with all of the appendices!) it’s time to rewatch all six Star Wars films. Last night was Episode I’s turn. It’s been years since I’ve seen it and I fully expected to have to slog through it but you know what, I LIKED the damned thing. Two things, I think, contributed to this: 1. I approached it as though this was the first time I’d watched ANY Star Wars film (which, granted, leaves some confusing holes in the plot, like who the hell is the hologram and what happens to him at the end) and 2. Annakin reminded me of my own kids. That, more than anything, made me see the movie differently. It was weird.
Tonight: Attack of the Clones. We’ll see how I feel about this one, which I’ve always felt had a great story (the Dooku/Obi Wan detective story) buried in a poorly executed (they let the sound designer edit the thing!) film.
Dammit, there I go with the preconceptions!
I loved the Gary Kurtz stuff. I don’t know if it was the intent of the authors of ‘Secret History of Star Wars’ or not but it seem to me that once Kurtz was “fired” Star Wars lost something. IMO, Kurtz is the only person to challenge GL or at least encourage those around to challenge GL. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, George Lucas is a visionary and pioneer. He has an amazing imagination and the will to make it a reality. What George lacked as the Star Wars universe evolved was a producer who wasn’t afraid to say, “This isn’t working.”
If you look back at the several drafts written for the original trilogy, you’ll find tons of stuff that did not make it into the final film. Granted some of that was because of the pure expense to pull it off. Some were because George wasn’t the only writer. George wrote ‘Star Wars’, Leigh Brackett and later on (after Leigh’s death) Lawrence Kasdan wrote the screenplay for ESB from the story by GL. Kasdan also worked on the screenplay for RotJ. Check this out to get the down-low on the original drafts for Empire. There is no Papa Vader, no Leia Luke incest, but there is some wild stuff. For example, Luke and Vader fight in outer space via a Force dream or something. Whoa man! Pass the bong.
Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that the Prequels were a huge undertaking. You’ve got to please every fanboi’s ideal of how Anakin became Darth Vader. Were the Prequels doomed to disappoint? I don’t think so. The films are beautiful to look upon, the soundtrack is spectacular, the sound effects are ear-gasmic. It’s just that some…I said some…of the story elements and characterization are lacking. And that is putting it politely.
Oh well. If you’re looking for a pretty good Star Wars prequel check out J.J. Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek film. That was a great Star Wars prequel. That’s right. That is not a typo. I said Star Wars prequel. ahem frakkintalos needs to go take his pills now.
Pass the bong is right, Talos. Wow!
I’m totally with you, though. I was really surprised to read that Lucas thought the Empire production was a total fiasco and would perversely love to see what his initial, faster cut of the film looked like. That’s one of the trappings of success, not needing to listen to others (there’s a line of Laura Roslyn’s about being president that comes to mind…). A similar thing happened to Paul McCartney as well. It’s always good to have people challenge your instincts and offer tips for revisions, etc.
That said, I kinda enjoyed the hell out of Phantom Menace this week. I don’t know, but I just cannot hate that movie. It brings out my inner ten year old. Attack of the Clones is another matter. That film just feels rushed (reading the Secret History I kept thinking, “why doesn’t George just push the production back a few months so he can finish the screenplay, rather than rushing the thing and revising it as he shoots the film?”) with TONS of missed opportunities and holes, especially in the third act. And while a lot of the f/x work is breathtaking, it has a “shot on a soundstage with digital video” that gives it a weird, almost amateurish tinge that I have a hard time getting past.
And I think I know what you mean about Abrams’ Trek. That movie felt a lot more Star Wars than Trek. Maybe that’s why I liked it more than other versions of the Trek universe, which I’ve never been able to get as into.