Are you glad the Star Wars prequels were even made?

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I like the old-school blue screens and models and stop motion.

Me too. Models look real to me. CGI can't even get close to the solid "feel" of models on screen.

 

[Pants]

My opinion, tPM was complete and utter crap. Terrible, terrible movie. If I ever hear another 'Yipee' I'll kill myself.

AotC on the other hand was fun. While the acting and script wasn't that great, it was still a fun movie. Good fight scenes, good special effects, good story. It was a fun, entertaining movie.

Yet, until Lucas proves that tPM was necessary for the overall story, I will say that it is the one movie that should not have been made. The only real important parts in the movie are character introductions, Anakin is introduced, Obi Wan, Padme, Palpatine, Yoda are all introduced. That's it. Is the Trade Federation's attack on Naboo so important that it has to have it's own movie? It could easily be relegated to to the text at the beginning of AotC or a 15 minute blurb. Besides the characters, I don't really see much in tPM that really ties in with the overall plot. One really cool lightsaber fight just can't save a movie with a bad story, bad acting, and bad writing. Sorry.

 

[John Crichton]

Risk it Bass Puppet. Just don't watch Clones expecting a whole lot. I personally think that CGI is so so so so so overdone and sloppy looking that they shouldn't bother. On the other hand, it's wonderful experience for artists and technicians doing a craft i CAN'T do, and a lot of the CGI effects in movies are impressive, but never foolproof. I would be hard pressed to see a movie and say, "I couldn't even tell that was done by a computer."
If ILM can reach that point one day, that's cool i guess. But this has been said before, for Lucas, he wanted to push the effects as far as he could. I can only assume he was pleased with the end result. I for one was not. The animation still looks like a cartoon to me. I like the old-school blue screens and models and stop motion.

For the sake of another opinion, I thought the FX in both prequels were excellent. There were a few places where I had a few very small issues but the same was true for the original trilogy. There was no sloppiness at all. Both films were a wonderful ride through the imaginary - which is a point I think many people miss.

 

[Welverin]

Just can't let go can you KL?

Anyway, I voted for Yes, because to me they're comparable to the first trilogy, but wish you had included Yes, I like them as much as the originals even thought they aren't as good.

but it actually is Futuristic Sci-fi.

They're futuristic, but they aren't sci-fi.

The only part of Clones I DID like was...anakin. I absolutely loved the way Hayden delivered his "they're animals, and i slaughtered them like animals" and all his stupid sappy dialogue to amidala. Of course, unless he's using the little-mentioned jedi-mind-rape technique, theres no way she would ever fall for him but that problem is with Amidala's script and Portman's cardboard acting, not anakin. Anakin was the only saving grace of the movie for me. And the part most other people say they hated most.

Well I agree with all of that except the last two lines, he wasn't the only part of the movie I liked. I suspect the reason so many people hate Hayden's performance is because he does come across as an annoying punk and that's either not what they want or expect Anakin to be like. That then gets translated to bad acting (apparently it's not possible for a character to be unlikable or annoying).

To me Anakin comes across exactly as he should, an arrogant, yet somewhat insecure punk who does have the first clue about women.

Ole Stone-face Portman gets me with her ‘Oh, you slaughter a whole tribe of people, how nice’ (think of the king in the Princess Bride when Buttercup says she’s going to kill herself).

Both films were a wonderful ride through the imaginary - which is a point I think many people miss.

Isn’t that the whole point of the entire series?

I believe it’s in the Ep2 commentary that George said that he was trying to make them in such a way that I people (could) turn of the dialogue they would still the gist of what the story is about.

 

[John Crichton]

They're futuristic, but they aren't sci-fi.

Well I agree with all of that except the last two lines, he wasn't the only part of the movie I liked. I suspect the reason so many people hate Hayden's performance is because he does come across as an annoying punk and that's either not what they want or expect Anakin to be like. That then gets translated to bad acting (apparently it's not possible for a character to be unlikable or annoying).

To me Anakin comes across exactly as he should, an arrogant, yet somewhat insecure punk who does have the first clue about women.

Ole Stone-face Portman gets me with her ‘Oh, you slaughter a whole tribe of people, how nice’ (think of the king in the Princess Bride when Buttercup says she’s going to kill herself).

Isn’t that the whole point of the entire series?

I believe it’s in the Ep2 commentary that George said that he was trying to make them in such a way that I people (could) turn of the dialogue they would still the gist of what the story is about.

We agree almost completely about these things, Welverin. Portman's performance was the weakest of the principal actors. Anakin being a punk made sense, he seethed through almost the entire film which should be a good lead-in to part 3.

 

[Tom Cashel]

I liked them not as much as the OT, but I'm glads they were made and that another is on it's way...with Chewie!!

I want the original cuts of the original trilogy on DVD and I'm not going to get them...

SIGN THE PETITION.

...but my life is no better for having seen them...

Hey, no offense, but your life must be pretty dismal if you're waiting around for George Lucas to improve it.

 

[barsoomcore]

Hey, no offense, but your life must be pretty dismal if you're waiting around for George Lucas to improve it.

Well, the cocaine ran out in 1996, so what am I supposed to do?



Seriously, though, when I see a good movie, my life gets better. I get entertained, my life gets better. Neither of the two prequels made my life better, so I'm out the ticket price and a few hours.

Like I said, not the end of the world, but hey, $20 is $20.

I could have bought Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! with the money, you know? Or, like, a bottle of Tanqueray's. George wants to improve my life, he could mail me some booze. Or Russ Meyer movies.

 

[jdavis]

I didn't have all that much problem with the acting as I did the script, it's not the actors fault they had such stupid lines. Ewan McGregor absolutly nailed Sir Alec Guiness, I had no problem believing he was a younger Obi Wan. Same with Ian McDiarmid with the Emperor, Hayden Christinsen was fine in the movie but I just didn't see a young Darth Vader there. Portman didn't really cut it but a lot of the problems there can go back to this is Lucas first love story ever and it really shows. Man you know Spielberg would of bailed him out if he had just asked. Lucas is a technical director he just doesn't get a lot out of his actors. You can't fix poor acting in post preduction with special effects. Lucas is a very good producer but as a writer and director he is lacking.

 

[Gizzard]

Hayden Christinsen was fine in the movie but I just didn't see a young Darth Vader there. Portman didn't really cut it but a lot of the problems there can go back to this is Lucas first love story ever and it really shows.

Thats the problem; the script is so bad that the actors just are forced to stand there and read non-scensical lines. It's not really their fault.

There's zero chemistry between Christiansen and Portman, which doesn't help matters, but am I supposed to believe that wise ex-Queen Amidala falls for an immature jerk who's most attractive feature is that he can levitate a pear? When I first saw the movie I thought this was Haydens fault; that he wasn't making Aniken believable; that he didn't have a likable, decent aspect to his character. When I saw it again, I thought that Hayden is giving a reasonable performance within the narrow confines of the character (as a jerk) and that it was Portman who wasn't carrying her fair share.

After thinking about it some more, I've got to blame the script. I mean, really, what actor could have made those lines work?

Tangent 1: I would like to see Christopher Walken give a try as Aniken. Sure, he's a bit old for the part, but wouldn't it be great to see him save lines like "I don't like sand, because its rough and coarse. Not soft and smooth like yoooou." It'd be properly freaky, thats for sure, instead of just lame. ;-)

Tangent 2: Can anyone name something good about these movies except the special effects sequences? I see a lot of people in this thread defending the movies because light sabers are cool, but I don't see anyone talking about anything else. It's almost like light-saber porn, "who cares about the plot as long as we get to see people swinging their sabers around." :-/

 

[John Crichton]

Tangent 2: Can anyone name something good about these movies except the special effects sequences? I see a lot of people in this thread defending the movies because light sabers are cool, but I don't see anyone talking about anything else. It's almost like light-saber porn, "who cares about the plot as long as we get to see people swinging their sabers around." :-/

I'll take this one.

I loved every scene with Obi-wan. His investigation, from Coruscant to Kamino to Geonosis was quite cool. The Kamino sequence (no, not just the awesome fight) was very well done. This was one of the few parts of the film where Lucas' directing actually impressed me. It was beat-for-beat very cool. The introduction of the clone troopers, with the Imperial March variant playing in the background was creepy and foreboding.

Any scenes with Dooku, Palpatine or Yoda were great as well. My favorite was Palpatine's manipulation of Anakin both politically and from under the nose of the council. The Yoda fight blew me away but the scene with the children where we seen him being playful was really fun.

Jango Fett was well done as well. His verbal jabbing with Obi-wan hinted as his badassness. Boba Fett, in kid form, was disturbing. He got off on all the killing and the bounty hunter lifestyle that his father led.

Anakin's scenes with his mother and his rage were equally creepy and let us glimpse the Vader to come. It has been said that this was not Anakin's movie, it was Obi-wan's. I believe it. The focus for the 3rd will shift more to Anakin and a little less on Obi-wan.

I also agree with an earlier poster who said that AotC made tPM a better film. It made Jar-Jar out to be the truly tragic character that he is. He just wants to help. He lived through the war even though he is a clutz and a fool (every war has a fool). Palpatine took advantage of him like the master manipulator that he is. It made Jar Jar have a more of a point.

Those were my high-points aside from the last 40 minutes of non-stop action. That 40 minutes being some of the best put to film in recent memory as far as action goes.