Star Wars Episode III has a name

[Nilfennasion]

We're probably not going to agree on the finer details of continuity, and I wouldn't mind it so much if we were talking about some offshoot like Splinter Of The Mind's Eye or the endless stream of Mara Jade stories. In this case, we're talking about something that was written directly from Lucas' screenplay. The scene in question, where Obi-Wan tells the story of his duel with Anakin, was even shot, so it's not like the novelist was embellishing on what he'd been given.

What I found disturbing about AOTC was that it was basically following in the same footprints as garbage like The Sixth Day. Instead of examining the deep moral issues from either side (I'd love to see a film about a child dying of cancer because a cloned-cell medicine that could cure him was held up by moralists, personally), we just have this ridiculous assumption that a clone will look exactly like its source material. Not to mention speak, think, and feel like such. More should have been done to explain how these clones would basically live in an emotional vacuum and a perpetual boot camp. It would have done a nice job of reflecting the truth that it takes outside effort to produce two people who are even 75% the same, even when their genes are almost identical.

Granted, it is just a sci-fi film, but the fact that I have time to stop and think about things like this while I am watching it does not say much for its quality, methinks. It also doesn't bode well for Indy 4 as far as I am concerned.

I am sure I meant follower, but there is also a difference between following and adhering to a reasonable request. The vacuum that Lucas lives in basically makes sure he will never hear what his audience truly thinks of his work. Which is a real pity. You can work with little resources and have no audience, but you cannot work with unlimited resources and have no audience. The result is always a misbalance.

The one Star Wars mini-feature I'd love to see on DVD is the Holiday Special. Okay, I'm a sucker for bad cinema.

[pchan]

The central theme of Star Wars....
1. Good over evil
2. There is thin line between good and evil. Good guys sometimes become bad and vise-versa.
3. Power corrupts. If stay too long in power. Palpatine become the Emperor.....

Why create General Grevious ? He kills all the good guys (Jedi).

[Nilfennasion]

Palpatine was corrupt before he came into power. He was just very good at hiding it. One of the few bits of canon by Lucas that Lucas respected in the new films is that nobody quite knows where and how Palpatine received his Force training.

It seems every third Star Wars film has to have a character that makes you wonder why they're leading an army. ROTS has General Grevious (what a stupid name), while ROTJ had Captain Fishhead.

[pchan]

In Chapter 20 in the Clone Wars micro series that shown in Cartoon Networks recently, all the Jedi knights that holded up in the crashed space craft were slaugther one by one by evil General Grevious. What a pathetic sight !

[alewisa]

Interesting to read some of the comments here.

I remember Star Wars at the cinema very, very clearly. It was Star Wars, not Star Wars: Episode IV - that came later. Lucas always maintained that the trilogy was not just a trilogy, but part of a larger series. Maybe true, maybe not, no one knows for sure I guess except Lucas. Although this might raise the question, why start with the "xth" installament rather than the first.

In terms of the timeline from EP1 to EP4, I'm very disappointed. The Official Star Wars Universe Encyclopedia type book I had a good few years ago - which was authorised if not even worked on by Lucas, set out quite clearly the Empire had been in existence for many, many years, although it did not provide details. Not surpising, as it would have contradicted other details in the book/film.

For example, the Corrilian [can never remember the name!] class Star Destroyer, according to the history book, took 70 years to design and build. Now thats a little absurd considering the resources avalable to an empire. It also dones't quite fit a sceneario in which the the existence of the Republic and Jedi is remembered first hand; there is no generation gap. And of course, if it took years/decades to design the Star Destroyer (and the corrilian was not the first generation...) than how come the Death Star is already in plan stage by EP2... I guess George would say that both were designed "in secret", and so only the limited resources of the underground Sith were available. Hmmm... dont quite work, does it. And yet by the end of EP2 one can see Star Destroyers in the background...

Yep... where are the [T-65?] X Fighters???? The earlier Y fighters? A continuity error which if Lucas really had done a fair bit of the work on EP1-3, an with 20 years to tune, would have been addressed.

Some of the imagery can be ascribed to advances in film making, notably CGI replacing model making and stop motion photography. On an unrelated note, I have a magazine where they interview the SFX people for the original, who describe how they painted the X-wings and it's /really/ interesting. To get that "used and beat up look", they really did kick the models around!

Oddly enough, in the late 70's early 80's, there was debate over how come Star Wars had lasers that could miss (! think about it), hyperspace travel, and yet not have guided missiles, or even targetting computers worth a damm. The explanation offered was because SW wasnt set in the distant future, but in the distant past... I'll dig it out if any one interested.

At the end of the day, as an enthralled 11 year old who belived in The Force, yep, EP1 left me cold and EP2 upset me (George, you got to fit in several decades in one movie now...). Instead of a film that could have appealed to the orginal SW fans and introduced a new generation, GL aimed squarely at kids. As someone else said "George Lucase made Star Wars. We made it a legend" But heck, look what Hollywood has done with Thunderbirds <spit>

Anyroad. What really alarms me, is the claim that it aint out on DVD until GL has "retouched" EP 4, 5, 6 so they fit in with EP1 -3... If thats true.... well, someone will have rewritten history.

[yoda313]

Hello,
Can't wait!! I also can't wait to have all 6 Star Wars movies OFFICIALLY released on DVD. I'm a scifi junkie and Star Wars was my first to fall in love with (Star Trek being a very close second). When we can watch all 6 in the chronologically correct order I'm sure it will flow without any problems. I'm sure the 3rd will pull in respectable numbers in the box office. I wouldn't be suprised at $300 million US (I hope for $400 million but that's probably pushing it, unless they raise the ticket prices AGAIN ). Here's to STAR WARS in all its variety. LONG LIVE THE FORCE and GEORGE LUCAS

Kevin

[dphirschler]

I dont think the modern Storm Troopers are still clones once the empire was formed I'm sure many people joined the armed forces.

I've read about the stormtroopers being clones of Jango. They even gave the clones in EpII the same clumsy head-bumping nature demonstrated in EpIV


Darryl

[mujahid7ia]

I think the best of the series is the last three episodes 7 8 and 9 which are only in book form but are excellent. Timothy Zahn is a great author.

[indolikaa]

I would much rather have seen the books for Episodes VII-IX made into movies.

[Fluffbutt]

and has anyone wondered why technology seemed to have gone backwards.-like in EP I and II, everythings more advanced,guns,vehicles,the replacement arm,the council area(hovering in little capsules),etc.

Well, to be fair, the story line IS about a high civilisation that falls to ruins and slowly rebuilds. That's why things were bright and wonderful in ep1, but rundown in ep4.

Ep 1,2 high Civ, Ep3 fall, ep4 after the fall (everything is dingy, lower quality, less techno), ep5,6 a slow rebuild (well, at least, a 'new hope' LOL!)

[yoda313]

Hello,

-indolikaa-I would much rather have seen the books for Episodes VII-IX made into movies

Are you SURE? I can just see it now: NO NEW STORIES FROM LUCAS! All retread, seen it before.

People complain about the new movies but if they kept the originals going they would have gotten bored with it. I love the Zahn books but I don't think they would have done well.

Weren't you the LEAST bit curious to see the backstory?? I admit they weren't perfect but they ARE Star Wars. Besides, we may have made Star Wars what it is today but without Lucas there would have been no Star Wars.

I'm happy to let him tell his stories the way he wants to. Now that he's got the tools to do it we're seeing them the way he ORIGINALLY intended. That was the whole idea behind the Special Editions. More flying, more fighting, more creatures. I love anything Star Wars (Okay, maybe not the Ewok movies) and I support the new ones.
Kevin

[DVD_Ripper]

The guy had 15 years to make a good script, and he pulled EP1 out of his ass. The quality of EP1 is only rivaled by that of Matrix Revolution. I cannot decide on which one was the biggest let-down.

Revolution was the bigger let down for me

[yoda313]

Hello,

DVD_Ripper-Revolution was the bigger let down for me

I'm glad at least you said that. Episode 1 could NEVER have lived up to the hype. The only thing I can blame Lucas for is letting the hype get so out of hand.

I mean, Titanic 2 couldn't have had more hype than Episode 1 did. It WAS a GOOD movie. It just wasn't the best. We only have each other to blame for that. Nothing could have delivered the expectations.
Kevin

[gitreel]

[MeDiCo_BrUjO]

I'm not 100% sure about the exact line Obi-Wan used when he spoke about being the student of Yoda, I don't remember if he said if he was his student or his apprentice.
If student was the word, it makes all sense, because Yoda was a teacher for all the Jedis (Remember in EP2 when obi-wan entered the class imparted by Yoda?)
In other hand, apprentice would mean that Yoda was his only teacher, like Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan.
Also, regarding to Obi-Wan interacting with 3po and R2, he said in EP4 I don't remember owning a droid, and in fact, he didn't. It was Leia the one who programmed R2 to say that. Besides, ALL droids look the same (or at least very alike), so there was NO way for him to remember R2 after all those years in solitary there.

Other thoughts about EP1 & 2

Jar-Jar(ep1&2) and anakin(ep2) sucked big time and should burn in hell

I don't know if it's true, but I read like six months before EP2 was in theathers that N*Sync were supposed to be in the movie like jedis (THANK GOD that didn't happen)

And for the end, I share my thoughts will all of you out there that also think that Revolutions sucked!

[NightWing]

I though Duku was basically an Jeti that went bad so to speak. Reason for Obe wan in electronic restraints talking to him by Duku to turn and the meeting with senator Palapteen/The head of the Sith with Duku stating we have the plans.

You guys think this is bad try:

1) Followed the series from the first clue in Starlog's through this mess they are cooking up now. If he had left it end with the first three produced movie or have a movie that showed the start of the empire that pluged well into the first would have been ok. Its revisionist history that has made it like an over cooked stew.

2) The new Thunderbirds movie. I know its not SW but has the same feel of a train wreck. When critics are stating the orginal puppets do better acting than the cast of the movie! And a move called Thunderbirds in basicaly name only. More close to a poor Spykids clone.


The orginal movie and the Empire were both greate. SW being better than anything else at the time with a decent story. The previous year movie was Logan Run and was poor in quality of effects but won an Oscar for them. And the bigger Fox movie of Damination Alley { it croked! } . It was trully light years beyond anything else. Empire broke the mold of sequel being poor.

The stuff about Anaken and Obewan fight I think were first stated in either a Rolling stones or The Reporter issue around late 77 or 78. No details but just a fight was stated at the break point between the two.

Remember Lucas get most of his money from these by marketing agreements. He did that on the first to close the deal on SW.

[GKar]

I think the best of the series is the last three episodes 7 8 and 9 which are only in book form but are excellent. Timothy Zahn is a great author.

Agreed, The Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising and the Last Command are 3 excellent books by Timothy Zahn, and they would have made fine "Star Wars" movies.

[Nilfennasion]

If it had just been not living up to unrealistic expectations, then I think I would have loved TPM more than I did around the time it was released. But the problem isn't just expectations. It's also about stilted, witless dialogue, a rambling storyline, and poor development.

Think about it. In the first three films, the players go slowly from one location to another, with good and logical reasons to go in the first place. In the first film, for example, Luke goes from Tattooine to where Alderaan should be, winds up on the Death Star, and then escapes to Yavin IV. Each location is given a logical story purpose.

In TPM in particular, we whiz from location to location with barely a pause. The Jedi go from Naboo to Tattooine to Coruscant to Naboo again, and the really annoying thing is that they seem to interact with every environment in exactly the same way. Aside from the rain machine on Kamino, one would have no idea at all that AOTC takes place on no less than four different planets. And the location changes seem about as natural as pushing walnuts into the bottom, quite frankly.

Probably showing some ignorance here, but who the hell are all those people in that poster supposed to be? Especially that... thing... on the bottom left...

[ViRaL1]

That's Chewbacca (the original Chewbacca) and it looks like Natalie Portman has been replaced by Katie Holmes. I forget the actor's name at the top, so I can't look up who he plays. One looks like Jabba's 'pet.' No clue who the dark sith lord in the background is.

[mh2360]

Top centre looks like Jeremy Irons.

And the Wookie looks like a Yorkshire Terrier...

[NightWing]

It kind of looks like the guy that had the dual laser in TPM that Obi-Wan killed at the end. Or is that really Lukes father eyes? Red and angry from trying to figure out this mess!

[ViRaL1]

Yes, does look like Jeremy Irons, but he's not in the cast list. Although that doesn't mean it's not him.

[Nilfennasion]

The Wookiee looks like someone painted a bad clown face on a mop.

The whole thing already looks like a cause for alarm.

[MOVIEGEEK]

[dvdguy4]

Im almost certain that 9 out of 10 of you will go and see this movie when its released. I will . Love SW and will always be a STAR WARS fan even if the the Prequels havent quite lived up to the hype. Just remeber how you felt when you saw them as kids
Thats how I do it , especially when i take my son to to see the movies

[gitreel]

Im almost certain that 9 out of 10 of you will go and see this movie when its released. I will . Love SW and will always be a STAR WARS fan even if the the Prequels havent quite lived up to the hype. Just remeber how you felt when you saw them as kids
Thats how I do it , especially when i take my son to to see the movies

Yes, I will go see it, but I won't be like those freaks that camp out and wait in line for months before it is released.

[ViRaL1]

Who needs to camp out? That's what online ticket sales are for.

[gitreel]

I agree, but there are still people that will camp out to be able to say they were the first people to see it.

[indolikaa]

I agree, but there are still people that will camp out to be able to say they were the first people to see it.

OK. So I've done some camping in my time. A little overzealous, perhaps, but sitting at the theater with a "Will Work for Phantom Menace Tickets" sign was a blast.

[ViRaL1]

Anybody got a link to the 1st day camp out with Triumph the Comic Dog? That was pretty funny.