Silver Adept (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
silveradept) wrote2005-06-17 04:16 pm
silveradept) wrote2005-06-17 04:16 pm
Last person on the planet to see Star Wars Ever...
...but I finally did go see it. For what I paid (matinee price), an enjoyable movie. I think I could have felt worse had I paid full / student prices on it.
Before I get into the nuts and bolts, I must cuss out my fellow theatergoers for not sticking around to hear the end of the credit sequence. If you've seen the previous movies, you should know that there's usually a great musical sequence during the credits. However, within the first thirty seconds, I find myself as the only person still there. Shame.
It's over, Star Wars. I have the high ground now.
First, some of the good things about the movie: It probably could not have been made thirty years ago. The amount of action required for Yoda would have either been very expensive or not possible at all while he still needed a puppeteer. I don't know if there are any shots in this movie that did not require a CG of some sort. Nice touches like battleship fire being exchanged in the background of the Dooku-Jedi duel (although that was a bit of a distraction rather than an enhancement) says that the digital wizards at ILM are on top of things.
Second: Palpatine and Yoda get good character development that they've been missing throughout the other movies. Plus, watching the two of them hash it out with lightsabers is something that's been a long time coming.
Finally: John Williams does amazing things with themes. Turning Anakin and Padme's love theme into a dark piece is very impressive. The appearances of themes from the other movies, like the Rebel theme and Leia's theme (a surprising overt lack of the Imperial March, I note) help draw this series and the other together. A soundtrack most definitely worth purchasing. Plus, I'm hoping that they come out with the "all the music, not just the stuff in the movie" versions of all these Episodes. I came into the theater planning no playing up my strong point, the music, as something worth it, regardless of whether the movie sucked or not, and Williams does not disappoint. The soundtrack’s on my birthday list.
However, with the good things, there are things that grate against my sensibilities. First: The dialogue of Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padme needs three rewrites just to be acceptable. The other cast members get excellent dialogue, and things improve when any of those three are talking with one of the other cast. But when any of those three are talking to another of those three, it's not good.
Second, the romance has shifted considerably. For as much as they both proclaim their love, they can't convince me of it. Even when they do things to assist each other, like taking of Windu's hand or flying the craft to Anakin at the end, it's not there. The problem is, their romance is supposed to be a major driving point towards Anakin's decline.
Speaking of, and here is my largest gripe with the movie: A descent into madness does not mean "ZOMG ANGST." In fact, a convincing descent into madness and the Dark Side should have very little angst, and all at the beginning. That is where it was tolerable - and the dialogue had a small amount of sophistication to it, showing us the teenager side of the boy we know. However, beyond the point of no return, after Anakin commits to it, bringing back some insecure angst like "You're turning her against me!" and "I hate you!" convinces me that Anakin should have been left there to die. My apologies as well, to Mr. James Earl Jones, who had to sacrifice his wonderful talent in the service of this teenager problem. The calculating Darth Vader of Episode IV cannot be born out of the whiny Darth Vader in Episode III.
Palpatine turns back towards his old form, and while this means more cackling horribly rather than being the calculating Emperor, I suppose it was necessary. Grievous is a throwaway character - it would have been better to have let Dooku continue as the villain for this episode, but the whole "one master, one apprentice" thing.
Some of the sword battles could have been a bit more expansive, as well as the ground and air battles.
All told, it was a good movie to watch, it had good points for listening, and the score was superb. The noticeable flaws in it, however, make it much less than what it could have been, especially Anakin's descent to the Dark Side. Out of this trilogy, as much as we harp on the title, Episode II hung its story together most coherently is probably the best of the three, because the Gungans shot Episode I down and Anakin doomed Episode III. But, for a matinee price, Episode III was an enjoyable movie, and I'll probably grab it and II on DVD when I get a little cash together or something.
Before I get into the nuts and bolts, I must cuss out my fellow theatergoers for not sticking around to hear the end of the credit sequence. If you've seen the previous movies, you should know that there's usually a great musical sequence during the credits. However, within the first thirty seconds, I find myself as the only person still there. Shame.
It's over, Star Wars. I have the high ground now.
First, some of the good things about the movie: It probably could not have been made thirty years ago. The amount of action required for Yoda would have either been very expensive or not possible at all while he still needed a puppeteer. I don't know if there are any shots in this movie that did not require a CG of some sort. Nice touches like battleship fire being exchanged in the background of the Dooku-Jedi duel (although that was a bit of a distraction rather than an enhancement) says that the digital wizards at ILM are on top of things.
Second: Palpatine and Yoda get good character development that they've been missing throughout the other movies. Plus, watching the two of them hash it out with lightsabers is something that's been a long time coming.
Finally: John Williams does amazing things with themes. Turning Anakin and Padme's love theme into a dark piece is very impressive. The appearances of themes from the other movies, like the Rebel theme and Leia's theme (a surprising overt lack of the Imperial March, I note) help draw this series and the other together. A soundtrack most definitely worth purchasing. Plus, I'm hoping that they come out with the "all the music, not just the stuff in the movie" versions of all these Episodes. I came into the theater planning no playing up my strong point, the music, as something worth it, regardless of whether the movie sucked or not, and Williams does not disappoint. The soundtrack’s on my birthday list.
However, with the good things, there are things that grate against my sensibilities. First: The dialogue of Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padme needs three rewrites just to be acceptable. The other cast members get excellent dialogue, and things improve when any of those three are talking with one of the other cast. But when any of those three are talking to another of those three, it's not good.
Second, the romance has shifted considerably. For as much as they both proclaim their love, they can't convince me of it. Even when they do things to assist each other, like taking of Windu's hand or flying the craft to Anakin at the end, it's not there. The problem is, their romance is supposed to be a major driving point towards Anakin's decline.
Speaking of, and here is my largest gripe with the movie: A descent into madness does not mean "ZOMG ANGST." In fact, a convincing descent into madness and the Dark Side should have very little angst, and all at the beginning. That is where it was tolerable - and the dialogue had a small amount of sophistication to it, showing us the teenager side of the boy we know. However, beyond the point of no return, after Anakin commits to it, bringing back some insecure angst like "You're turning her against me!" and "I hate you!" convinces me that Anakin should have been left there to die. My apologies as well, to Mr. James Earl Jones, who had to sacrifice his wonderful talent in the service of this teenager problem. The calculating Darth Vader of Episode IV cannot be born out of the whiny Darth Vader in Episode III.
Palpatine turns back towards his old form, and while this means more cackling horribly rather than being the calculating Emperor, I suppose it was necessary. Grievous is a throwaway character - it would have been better to have let Dooku continue as the villain for this episode, but the whole "one master, one apprentice" thing.
Some of the sword battles could have been a bit more expansive, as well as the ground and air battles.
All told, it was a good movie to watch, it had good points for listening, and the score was superb. The noticeable flaws in it, however, make it much less than what it could have been, especially Anakin's descent to the Dark Side. Out of this trilogy, as much as we harp on the title, Episode II hung its story together most coherently is probably the best of the three, because the Gungans shot Episode I down and Anakin doomed Episode III. But, for a matinee price, Episode III was an enjoyable movie, and I'll probably grab it and II on DVD when I get a little cash together or something.
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
But I can't take credit - it was made by
no subject
Plus I couldn't really start to critizes the movie, because I had to defend it right after seeing it. I'd like to see it again with a fan, not having to listen to irritated grumblings from the left and being able to discuss it friendly.