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Post by Bartwald on Mar 23, 2004 10:09:02 GMT -5
OK: my choice is Empire. The darkest, the most complex and surprising of all Star Wars movies.
However, I'd be glad to see ANY other choices here. Yeah: even if you like The Phantom Menace and Jar Jar's your hero - do NOT be afraid to tell us the truth!
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Post by spacer on Mar 25, 2004 15:16:06 GMT -5
I'm the fan of the first trilogy as well. The Empire & Return of the Jedi are my favourite parts.
I had hoped that the following episodes would be at least half as good.
Unfortunately, I got disappointed. Each new part was worse than the previous. I'm really afraid to see what else can Lucas show us.
The farse maybe?
I guess, when good old George could't realize all his ideas instantaneously in the movie limited by still inefficient early special effects he had to use his brain and was much more inventive. Now he's got everything in excess: the f/x that can show anything he fancy and loads of money to support it financially. But where's his inventivness, why the actors are lost under fanciful costumes and virtually replaced by those effects?
Easy come easy go.
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Post by Bartwald on Mar 25, 2004 15:51:36 GMT -5
Yeah: I have to agree with the fact that the f/x excess doesn't help our Boy George and the last two movies look like giant playstation games.
However, I can't really say I didn't enjoy them, because, well... I did. The Phantom Menace seemed a nice 'comeback to a childhood playground' when I first saw it, but unfortunately it lost much of its charm when I saw it again on a good old VHS tape. Attack Of The Clones, on the other hand, seemed rather poor on the first viewing (I thought Lucas went way too far with the lack of logic in it) but on the second viewing it appeared to be 'not all bad' (except for the 'romance' parts which suck always and all the way; thank God it had this nicely cheesy scene with Jedi-gladiators near the end to balance things a bit).
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Post by spacer on Mar 25, 2004 17:25:16 GMT -5
Yep, f/x were nice especially in Attack Of The Clones. Really, even more than that.
Thanks to them I stayed in the theater, some were more than exceptional.
But the farcical scene with the flying&fighting Joda was a complete disaster.
It should be included into a Mel Brooks' film.
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Post by Bartwald on Mar 27, 2004 2:21:36 GMT -5
Exactly! It did look like something out of Spaceballs! I always wondered why so many fans of Star Wars actually LIKED Yoda fighting in such a funny and over-the-top manner.
By the way, Spacer: did you hear that Lucas was thinking of changing his original trilogy even further than he did so far by replacing Vader's strange-looking head (when he takes his helmet off) with Hayden Christensen's head, so that it fits the new episodes better? I'm not sure what's the latest news on it and whether he's going to eventually do it or not, but the idea itself kind of sucks, doesn't it? I mean, the strange image behind the helmet is already a part of my deeply rooted memories of Star Wars first coming to town and now it's going to disappear forever?! Come on!
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Father Red
New Member
Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati
Posts: 18
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Post by Father Red on Mar 27, 2004 6:54:32 GMT -5
Ok, I gotta weigh in here. More than anything else, I'm a Star Wars geek.
The scene with Yoda fighting in AotC was great, not because it looked overly cool or really broke any barriers, but because it was Yoda! That tiny, frail, ancient alien being so intune with the Force that his entire body could be pushed enough to do that. It's just such an awesome display of power and Force prowess that you have to love it.
Dooku sure seemed invincible until he met a true master. Plus, like Gandalf, you have to appreciate his humor and gentle nature until it's time to throw down. One minute he's joking and teaching the Jedi children, seeming a benevolent old man who's fighting days are long behind him, next he's leading an army to take down the seperatist forces. That some good stuff.
I also didn't think Episode 1 was bad, the Qui-Gon character was good, and Maul is one of the best villains ever - despite his short run in the overall story. It certainly was the weakest of the five though.
Anyway, I'm going to vote for A New Hope - because Obi-Wan is at his best in it, and it has a number of my favourite scenes.
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Post by Bartwald on Mar 27, 2004 10:08:25 GMT -5
OK, to be perfectly clear: I also enjoyed Yoda fighting but I did think it's a scene from some different - funnier - movie and I thought that all the Star Wars geeks would hate it immediately, if only for it being so different. Also, I think the scene could be more powerful if Yoda's fighting wasn't interrupted by the pillars falling down; I say, he should probably cut Dooku's balls off and I'd be perfectly happy with it.
Oh, and I'm glad that you liked Qui-Gon, Father Red! I did, too, as for me he was the guy who filled the Han Solo void in Phantom: ironic, macho, rebellious... such a damn pity (and what a shock when experienced for the first time!) that he had to die so soon!
What about the renewed versions of the three original movies, guys? Do you prefer them to the old ones, the other way round or you don't care? I have to say I enjoyed the new Empire a bit better than the old version but about A New Hope I got mixed feelings - the Jabba scene looks kind of awkward and Han shooting first suits me fine; on the other hand, watching it with better quality sound and picture was rather pleasant.
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Mar 27, 2004 14:21:18 GMT -5
Greetings everybody! Like Father Red, I'm a STAR WARS geek, in case you couldn't tell by my User Name.  I think people's expectations were so high for the prequels that they couldn't have been met, no matter what Darth Lucas put up on the screen. Having said that, the prequels have been a mixed bag. The story has been far more complicated than it needed to be, ie: Trade Federation, taxes, etc. The classic trilogy had elements of these weightier subjects without being bogged down in them or letting them slow down the action. And let's face it, these movies are supossed to be "escapist" fun. I think if Lucas can lighten up on the politics in Episode III and just get back to the bare essentials of Jedi kicking asses and taking names, and to the good old fashioned "fun" of Episodes 4 - 6, then it stands a chance of being one of the best in the entire series. On the plus side, the effects have been fantastic and several new characters and situations have been a welcome addition to the "mythology" of the series. Is STAR WARS the "road to hell"? Only in how much money I've spent on collectibles. |
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Post by Bartwald on Mar 27, 2004 17:12:54 GMT -5
Greetings, greetings Heineken!
You're definitely right about people's expectations - the gap between the original trilogy and Phantom was just too big and the first audience of Star Wars grew up a bit too much probably... I know, 'cause I'm one of them: a difficult task for even the hugest movie in the world to bring you back to your childhood. That's one of the reasons for so much criticism towards the new trilogy.
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Post by spacer on Mar 27, 2004 18:26:08 GMT -5
Big Hello to all Star Wars geeks! Yep, taxes weren't the best idea. Too much politics in fantasy must be boring unless Joda told me how not to pay taxes and still be a law-abiding citizen. |
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Post by Sybillness on Mar 31, 2004 12:24:28 GMT -5
I chose Return simply because I'm a girl who grew up in the seventies and what girl growing up in the seventies didn't want a Princess Leia Slave Girl costume and look like Carrie Fisher wearing it??!!!
Star Wars - Road to Hell? I live with a fan boy and his collection. I wouldn't go so far as to say road to hell, especially since I'm quite the enabler, but let's just say we're on our way to purgatory.
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Post by Bartwald on Mar 31, 2004 12:45:25 GMT -5
Purgatory seems reasonable, yeah! ;D
Return Of The Jedi was my first encounter with Star Wars - and that's probably not the best way to watch the saga... I mean - Vader being Luke's father was no mystery at all to me when I was watching Empire (and then, finally, A New Hope). Anyway, a good movie, Return, and the beginning of it (at the Jabba palace) was always one of the Star Wars highlights for me.
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Post by Sybillness on Apr 2, 2004 13:14:31 GMT -5
No, definitely not the best way to watch them! I saw A New Hope at the drive-in when I was six and immediately started begging for the action figures. I had a Princess Leia (of course!), an R2-D2 and a Luke Skywalker that I took to school for show and tell. It only seems fitting that I am now married to a Fan Boy.  I hadn't watched the movies again until the special editions were released and I rented them for my son, who immediately begged for the action figures. It was kind of nice to see his interest in movies that I had loved when I was his age and now we can enjoy the new installments together. I agree with most of what has been said about the new movies. After such a long wait, they just didn't thrill me as much as the original trilogy, but the costumes are always fantastic!! And I love movies with fabulous costumes like Bram Stoker's Dracula and Dangerous Liasions. |
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Apr 7, 2004 8:00:01 GMT -5
A little news from IMDB.Com regarding the upcoming DVD release of the original trilogy:
Star Wars: The Extras
LucasFilm has released a list of "extras" that it plans to include in the upcoming four-disc box set of the original Star Wars trilogy. They include a 2 1/2-hour documentary about George Lucas's "vision" for the films, another half-hour documentary about how the characters were developed, another 20-minute documentary about the special effects used in the films, a preview of Episode III, hundreds of still photos, posters, and other artwork, and "Star Wars Battlefront" -- a computer game demo. Meanwhile, LucasFilm on Monday confirmed reports that Episode III will be released domestically on Thursday, May 19, 2005, with a "near-simultaneous release around the world."
Can't wait to get my hands on this set! ;D
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Post by Bartwald on Apr 7, 2004 12:17:19 GMT -5
Sounds good, sure. Last I heard of the DVD set, Jim Ward of Lucasfilm was boasting that '...you're going to finally get the versions of the films that are actually the best quality you've ever had. It's going to be better than the theatrical experience. You're going to be able to see things you never saw before'.
I guess the only bad news is that George still hasn't changed his mind about releasing only the '97 versions on the DVD's.
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I hadn't watched the movies again until the special editions were released and I rented them for my son, who immediately begged for the action figures. It was kind of nice to see his interest in movies that I had loved when I was his age and now we can enjoy the new installments together.