Very cool images from Star Wars Ep. III

Faraer · Jul 21, 2004

I wish we could have some Star Wars threads without people with negative thoughts about Episodes I-II feeling compelled to spew them again.

Enchantress · Jul 21, 2004

Faraer said:
I wish we could have some Star Wars threads without people with negative thoughts about Episodes I-II feeling compelled to spew them again.

Can't we all just get along?

Enchantress · Jul 21, 2004

Faraer said:
I wish we could have some Star Wars threads without people with negative thoughts about Episodes I-II feeling compelled to spew them again.

Actually, it would be a very boring thread indeed if we didn't have these differing oppinions IMHO. Variety is the spice of life after all.

Mouseferatu · Jul 21, 2004

Faraer said:
I wish we could have some Star Wars threads without people with negative thoughts about Episodes I-II feeling compelled to spew them again.

That's easy enough. Start a Star Wars thread that only talks about the original trilogy. So long as the new trilogy's under discussion, though, I don't think you're ever going to escape the fact that there are a lot of us who felt they had some major flaws and were, in many ways, disappointing. Especially when such opinions are relevant to a thread (or at least where a thread has gone, if not where it started).

(Of course, if you do start a thread about the original trilogy, you're going to get the same debate about original version vs. special edition, so you probably won't escape it even there.

)

Faraer · Jul 22, 2004

Enchantress said:
Actually, it would be a very boring thread indeed if we didn't have these differing oppinions IMHO. Variety is the spice of life after all.

I can't agree with that because it's the exact same points (undetailed and unsubstantiated claims that Episodes I-III differ from Episodes IV-VI, 'I hate Jar Jar Binks') each time. It just acts as an encumbrance on any interesting news or opinion.

And the robotic regularity with which those posts come is, if not unique (Star Trek threads tend to get routine anti Berman/Braga posts), unusual and notable.

ShinHakkaider · Jul 22, 2004

Faraer said:
I can't agree with that because it's the exact same points (undetailed and unsubstantiated claims that Episodes I-III differ from Episodes IV-VI, 'I hate Jar Jar Binks') each time. It just acts as an encumbrance on any interesting news or opinion.

Fine. Here are my problems with Episode I.

Pacing, slow as hell WITH NO PAYOFF.

A decent working plot (Palpatine's mechanizations to take over the senate, hence the title of the movie THE PHANTOM MENACE) that was TOO much in the background. Now in the movie world it's supposed to be in the background, but for your audience it's not. All the movie really amounted to for the average viewer was that these characters were running around with a small child in tow. A small child who would eventually grow up to be Darth Vader. Great we knew this going in, but Lucas gave us NOTHING new, nothing to think about.

I didnt have a problem with the midichlorians. I just saw them as a way to measure exactly HOW powerful any given force user is. Qui-Gon knew that Anikin posseses force abilities and then used that device that measured midi cholrian count to see how powerful he was. In a time where there were a number of jedi running around there'd need to be a way to measure power levels.

AND my biggest problem, THE STAKES.

In a movie like this there neede to be higher stakes at least for the Audience and I'm sorry retaking the palace and knocking out he droid control ship was a very weak finish for this movie. In terms of story there was no set up and no pay off, we didnt care about any of the characters nor, more importantly, were we given any reason too in the writing. We were supposed to care because it's 'Anakin Skywalker", we were supposed to care becasue it was "Obi-Wan Kenobi" but beyond that, nothing. And in the end, the filmmaker has failed at that job. His crew did a fantastic job in gettng the filmakers vision across, because as much as I dislike Episode I, it is a great looking movie. Ultimately, though the blame lies at George Lucas feet. If it were some other director or writer who had made that film everyone would be calling for his head, but because it's Lucas, all of a sudden if we voice that the movie is bad we're "haters".

Listen, a bad movie is a bad movie. Episode I, looked great and had a great opening, but overall, was a bad movie. Upon multiple viewings it doesnt hold up, in terms of storytelling, characterization or pacing. I wish that I could blame it all on Jar Jar or Jake Llloyd (sp?), but it's not just them. It's generally the whole package.

I'm not a hater, I'm just a fan who got tired of defending a bad movie. It doenst make me any less of a fan, it just makes me really skeptical of Lucas' storytelling ability.

Faraer · Jul 22, 2004

Obviously criticisms can be laid at Episode I, though I disagree with those (you're projecting your own response onto the 'average viewer' and 'we'). I was just drawing attention to the ubiquity of people taking every opportunity to make their 'view' known, like some kind of nervous tic.

ShinHakkaider · Jul 22, 2004

Faraer said:
I was just drawing attention to the ubiquity of people taking every opportunity to make their 'view' known, like some kind of nervous tic.

Don't take this the wrong way, but if you have a problem with people expressing thier views on a message board, I'm guessing that youre probably in the wrong place.

I'm just sayin'...