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[BFIB]

All these spoilers.

I feel for the OP.

 

[Ray Wonder]

I feel for the OP.

You wouldn't believe how lucky I just got. Started mobile gaf, went to check for some more posts in this thread, pop on to a new page to see your exchange.



I didn't see the spoilers, but I'm asking if everyone can go back and edit them out. This isn't any fun as a LTTP Saga if I don't have any surprises left!

 

[BFIB]

You wouldn't believe how lucky I just got. Started mobile gaf, went to check for some more posts in this thread, pop on to a new page to see your exchange.



I didn't see the spoilers, but I'm asking if everyone can go back and edit them out. This isn't any fun as a LTTP Saga if I don't have any surprises left!

I'd PM a mod and ask that your thread title be updated to include no spoilers.

Can't wait for your impressions of the prequels.

 

[dragonyeuw]

You wouldn't believe how lucky I just got. Started mobile gaf, went to check for some more posts in this thread, pop on to a new page to see your exchange.



I didn't see the spoilers, but I'm asking if everyone can go back and edit them out. This isn't any fun as a LTTP Saga if I don't have any surprises left!

Hurry up and binge-watch the PT, so we can resume our spoilerish arguments guilt-free!!!

 

[Ray Wonder]

Hurry up and binge-watch the PT, so we can resume our spoilerish arguments guilt-free!!!

Can't.. Steelers game tonight. lol. Tomorrow night I'll watch all three. I don't have shit else to do.

 

[Oersted]

If there was no acting on Carrie's part, we wouldnt have been sold on the Han-Leia relationship. Unless you can think of well-known onscreen duos that were carried completely by one person? Because for the famous onscreen couples that come to my mind, each side was carrying their own weight.

More personality traits? How about strong-willed. Fiery. Fearless. If you can think up 2-3 distinct character traits for Padme, color me impressed. Leia was a better character in better films. The acting isnt anything to write home about in either case to make it a point of debate.

You shifted the discussion from acting to the character. Both characters are incredibly underwritten and almost therefore badly acted. The movies are not very interested in them, or humans in general, but Portman atleast displays some kind of struggle. Bad, cringeworthy struggle, but atleast something. Fisher/Leia is utterly emotionless which can be mistaken as a strong character. You can argue of course, and I would agree with you there, that it works for the character.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

I wouldn't say Fisher is emotionless.

She gets mad pretty well.

Portman has a wider range of emotions to work through, but she doesn't necessarily work through them very well - granted, NOBODY really gets to work through any of their emotions very well in the Prequels, and not just because the characters are written to be flat, but it's pretty obvious Lucas directed them to be that way. So you've got flat characters pantomiming emotion at each other, translated by actors who are being handcuffed.

On the other hand, Leia doesn't really have much to do in both Star Wars or Empire that isn't varying degrees of "Get Mad" or "Be worried," but she's also much more effective at essaying those emotions and making them part of her character. She has less to do, but she's not really handcuffed, either (especially in Empire) so her performance, and her character, plays better.

Fisher has some unfair advantages in that she had better words to speak, and better characterization to work with, and less range to cover. But she turned in better performances in Star Wars and Empire (She might have the worst performance of not just Jedi, but the whole OT in that film) than Portman did in any of her prequels.

The fact that normally, Portman is a much better actress than Fisher is gives a good idea as to how constrained she was by the role and the direction. But that doesn't change the fact she didn't do good work on her films.

 

[Tookay]

I wouldn't say Fisher is emotionless.

She gets mad pretty well.

Portman has a wider range of emotions to work through, but she doesn't necessarily work through them very well - granted, NOBODY really gets to work through any of their emotions very well in the Prequels, and not just because the characters are written to be flat, but it's pretty obvious Lucas directed them to be that way. So you've got flat characters pantomiming emotion at each other, translated by actors who are being handcuffed.

On the other hand, Leia doesn't really have much to do in both Star Wars or Empire that isn't varying degrees of "Get Mad" or "Be worried," but she's also much more effective at essaying those emotions and making them part of her character. She has less to do, but she's not really handcuffed, either (especially in Empire) so her performance, and her character, plays better.

Fisher has some unfair advantages in that she had better words to speak, and better characterization to work with, and less range to cover. But she turned in better performances in Star Wars and Empire (She might have the worst performance of not just Jedi, but the whole OT in that film) than Portman did in any of her prequels.

The fact that normally, Portman is a much better actress than Fisher is gives a good idea as to how constrained she was by the role and the direction. But that doesn't change the fact she didn't do good work on her films.

I don't know, I think her scene with Luke is pretty good in Jedi.

Meanwhile, Han/Ford is just... there for most of that movie.

 

[dragonyeuw]

You shifted the discussion from acting to the character. Both characters are incredibly underwritten and almost therefore badly acted. The movies are not very interested in them, or humans in general, but Portman atleast displays some kind of struggle. Bad, cringeworthy struggle, but atleast something. Fisher/Leia is utterly emotionless which can be mistaken as a strong character. You can argue of course, and I would agree with you there, that it works for the character.

No I didn't. My entire premise has been that Leia was a more interesting character. You are the one fixated on the acting angle, which I feel is too mediocre on both sides for it be a point of debate. Your initial point was centered on the characters and their (lack of) reaction to what was happening around them. That particular point has less to do with acting or even the respective characters in and of themselves, and more to do overall with how the overall story and characters are presented. People die, planets explode, giant snails take on sex slaves, and then scene swipe.

That said, I don't think Carrie reached some of the lows that Portman hit at certain instances over the PT, and neither one hit any real highs. Characters can be underwritten but not necessarily badly acted and again, I don't think Carrie acted badly. You say she didn't act at all, which is a bit of a stretch. What her character was, she portrayed well enough. At no point did I not buy her performance, or the relationship dynamics that she was a part of. On the flipside yeah, the PT had some truly cringe-worthy dialogue,and Natalie didn't do the greatest job with it but she's not alone. Blame can be layered quite thick at the feet of both director, writer( the same person in this case) and those performing the scenes.

All that said, at the risk of going in circles, I like Leia's character more than Padme's. I think the topic of why has been sufficiently covered. If you don't agree or want to say she didn't act, it's all good in my book.

 

[Retro]

Hahaha damn. I can't wait to watch the prequels.

You are in for... (no spoilers)

• Insufferable dialogue.
• Inexplicable plot points.
• Plot holes large enough to drive a Super Star Destroyer through them.
• Important plot points, some with characters who are named but are never shown, that never pay off or are even explained.
• Ham-fisted writing.
• Hammy acting.
• Bad child acting.
• Bad teenage acting.
• Bad young twenties acting.
• Relationships between actors with absolutely zero chemistry.
• Relationships that occur entirely off-screen.
• In fact, a LOT of shit happens off-screen... lots of telling in place of showing, if they even tell at all.
• Blatant references and character appearances that make zero sense, just to remind you of the original movies.
• Drastic character U-Turns with the flimsiest of reasons for doing so.
• Bad CGI.
• Really bad CGI.
• CGI for CGI's sake Long special effect shots solely for the sake of having effects, with no impact on the story, for a solid 10 minutes in one particularly notorious case.
• Actors pointing off screen followed by a smash cut to CGI followed by a smash cut to actors reacting to off-screen events.
• Actors very obviously lost in a sea of green screen, interacting with a tennis ball on a stick.
• Seriously, like 90% of the movie is green screen, even stuff that has no reason to be.
• Sand.
• Deus Ex Machina everywhere.
• A wild villain appeared!
• Comic Relief characters that give Disney Animal Sidekicks a run for their money (occasionally just as racist!)
• People sitting and talking.
• People standing and talking.
• People walking and talking.
• People standing or sitting and talking, then one character stands up or sits down.
• Shot reverse shot, ad nauseum.
• John Williams mostly phoning it in except for one piece (you'll know it when you hear it).
• Long stretches where nothing of consequence happens, followed by rapid plot dumps to connect / wrap up everything.
• George Lucas, inflated by decades of ego stroking, with no one to keep him on a leash.

In other words, most of the folks in this thread are no longer happily living vicariously through your wide-eyed sense of wonderment, but are instead eager to see your optimism and enthusiasm smashed into a billion smoldering pieces because misery loves company.

 

[CloudyTuba]

Thanks for maintaining the original post so well so that I don't have to dig through your history to find what you thought of the movies.

 

[Ray Wonder]

You are in for... (no spoilers)

• Insufferable dialogue.
• Inexplicable plot points.
• Plot holes large enough to drive a Super Star Destroyer through them.
• Important plot points, some with characters who are named but are never shown, that never pay off or are even explained.
• Ham-fisted writing.
• Hammy acting.
• Bad child acting.
• Bad teenage acting.
• Bad young twenties acting.
• Relationships between actors with absolutely zero chemistry.
• Relationships that occurs entirely off-screen.
• Blatant references and character appearances to remind you of the original movies.
• Drastic character U-Turns with the flimsiest of reasons for doing so.
• Bad CGI.
• Really bad CGI.
• CGI for CGI's sake, for a solid 10 minutes in one particularly notorious case.
• Actors pointing off screen followed by a smash cut to CGI followed by a smash cut to actors reacting to off-screen events.
• Actors very obviously lost in a sea of green screen, interacting with a tennis ball on a stick.
• Seriously, like 90% of the movie is green screen, even stuff that has no reason to be.
• Sand.
• Deus Ex Machina everywhere.
• Comic Relief characters that gives Disney Animal Sidekicks a run for their money (occasionally just as racist!)
• People sitting and talking.
• People standing and talking.
• People walking and talking.
• People standing or sitting and talking, then one character stands up or sits down.
• Shot reverse shot, ad nauseum.
• John Williams mostly phoning it in except for one piece (you'll know it when you hear it).
• George Lucas, inflated by decades of ego stroking, with no one to keep him on a leash.

In other words, most of the folks in this thread are no longer happily living vicariously through your wide-eyed sense of wonderment, but are instead eager to see your optimism and enthusiasm smashed into a billion smoldering pieces.

You're not swaying me.

I will be honest with my review of them, and if that's positive or negative so be it.

Thanks for maintaining the original post so well so that I don't have to dig through your history to find what you thought of the movies.

No problemo sir.

 

[Retro]

You're not swaying me.

I will be honest with my review of them, and if that's positive or negative so be it.

Oh, that's fine, and I would expect nothing less since you've done a good job so far. I'm just saying, there's going to be a noticeable shift from "What did you think, wasn't that cool?" to "What did you think, didn't we tell you how bad it was?" in the thread, that's all.

 

[Ray Wonder]

Oh, that's fine, and I would expect nothing less since you've done a good job so far. I'm just saying, there's going to be a noticeable shift from "What did you think, wasn't that cool?" to "What did you think, didn't we tell you how bad it was?" in the thread, that's all.

I'll be ready for the ridicule if I think they're good.

One advantage I have that I mentioned somewhere in this thread is that I'm not a super critical film critic. I enjoy decent films as well. I'll probably make the review a little more in depth with more positives and negatives --- but I don't know how I could be surprised at how bad they are just because my expectations are so low already... We'll see though! You could be right.

 

[Warm Machine]

Oh, that's fine, and I would expect nothing less since you've done a good job so far. I'm just saying, there's going to be a noticeable shift from "What did you think, wasn't that cool?" to "What did you think, didn't we tell you how bad it was?" in the thread, that's all.

Why are you trying to color expectations? So it devolves into more prequel internet echo chamber BS?

I wish could watch them in order with a fresh set of eyes.

 

[WadiumArcadium]

Why are you trying to color expectations? So it devolves into more prequel internet echo chamber BS?

I wish could watch them in order with a fresh set of eyes.

Because we all have to hate them of course. There are no redeeming factors. Repeat after me...

 

[TAJ]

The New Canon seems to be making this a bit more likely, though. Both Aftermath and Shattered Empire seem to suggest both sides threw most of their numbers (and almost all of their high-level talent) at the Battle of Endor, for example.

That was always what I thought before Timothy Zahn came along. The Emperor refers to the Imperial forces there as "the fleet"

 

[Retro]

I'll be ready for the ridicule if I think they're good.

Oh, I don't think there will be much ridicule; even if you think they're good, I'm pretty confident you'll find them sub-standard to the originals. I also think most people here have, after so many years,lost the fiery dislike and now just seethe about it... so even if you do end up with a positive opinion of it, I don't think anyone is going to be outwardly angry.

Why are you trying to color expectations? So it devolves into more prequel internet echo chamber BS?

For the same reason they put warning labels on cigarettes. It'd be criminal not to tell somebody what they're getting into.

 

[Bert409]

[*]CGI for CGI's sake, for a solid 10 minutes in one particularly notorious case.

I honestly can't tell which scene this refers to.

 

[Cheebo]

Oh, that's fine, and I would expect nothing less since you've done a good job so far. I'm just saying, there's going to be a noticeable shift from "What did you think, wasn't that cool?" to "What did you think, didn't we tell you how bad it was?" in the thread, that's all.

I would say there are just as many prequel fans in this thread as ones trashing it. Look at the attack of the clones defenders a page or so back for example.

 

[Retro]

I honestly can't tell which scene this refers to.

Spoiler

Episode I's podrace is almost a full 10 minutes of watching bits of CGI shit fly by / smash into other bits of CGI shit. It gets boring after about 3 minutes, even if you ignore that the basic nature of a prequel removes all dramatic stakes. I always fast forward through it.

I would say there are just as many prequel fans in this thread as ones trashing it. Look at the attack of the clones defenders a page or so back for example.

And that's fine, people are totally entitled to their opinion and I'm not saying they're right or wrong. I'm saying for the folks who have been super enthusiastic and encouraging about the OP's journey into Star Wars, their tone is likely to change.

 

[TAJ]

I honestly can't tell which scene this refers to.

It's a tough call, but if I had guess then I'd say he's talking about

Spoiler

the droid factory

EDIT: Oh, he's talking about a scene with surprisingly little CGI.

 

[Retro]

It's a tough call, but if I had guess then I'd say he's talking about

Spoiler

the droid factory

EDIT: Oh, he's talking about a scene with surprisingly little CGI.

Spoiler

It's been a while since I've seen the "Making Of" video, but apart from some of the pods being life-size models for long shots (and close-shots of Anakin, of course), I believe most of them were miniatures shot against a green screen. Most of the drivers were CGI as well, as were all of the crashes, obviously. I do remember that they did a really cool practical effect using painted Q-tips for the stands, but they composited a lot of CGI into those too later. I'm not sure that counts as 'surprisingly little' though.

And thank you for reminding me of the Droid Factory, that was awful too.

Edit: Anyway, I don't like spoiler-ing up this thread so I'll edit my list for clarity; "Long special effect shots solely for the sake of having effects, with no impact on the story."

 

[Oersted]

No I didn't. My entire premise has been that Leia was a more interesting character. You are the one fixated on the acting angle

Erm, it was you who asked me on expanding on the acting.

Redeeming factor would be the acting. Massive improvement over OT. Portman is leaps and bonds better than Fisher, Gregors "not giving a fuck" is more entertaining than Guiness "let me go home" and Diarmid delivers the by far greatest performance in all of the franchise. Mind you, its still not very good.

Oh do expand on this one!

Now attacking me for that is a tad silly. I think we both agree that Portman is the far more capable actress and that the acting of both sucks in the movie. We just discussed who sucked more and then you shifted it towards the character. And I already agreed that Leia works better. I just added that her character is incredible underdeveloped.

A very entertaining "Who sucks more/less" discussion. They all do in Star Wars besides Harrison Ford, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor and Frank Oz.

 

[Salmonax]

I would say there are just as many prequel fans in this thread as ones trashing it. Look at the attack of the clones defenders a page or so back for example.

I think a lot of would-be detractors don't really care about the prequels anymore, so we don't weigh in on them. Or maybe that's just me.

 

[Shaanyboi]

Boba Fett's popularity really is bizarre. He's a cool design, but man does he fucking suck in the movies. He literally does nothing of value of interest.

 

[mugoldeneagle03]

I'm doing the same with my girlfriend who's never seen it. She actually really liked A New Hope & Empire which we finally got through last night.

Our only argument came down to the Han & Leia "I love you"/"I know" scene which she laughed out loud at. I love that scene, lots of Star Wars fans love that scene, but shit, I have to forgive her for even giving Star Wars a chance.

Our exact deal to get us started was she has to watch all 6 movies by the time TFA releases and has to watch the movie with movie opening night, and in return I'll do an all day Disney movie marathon so she can finally shove some of her favorites down my throat, with Frozen at the top of the list.

Easy deal for me!

 

[Charles Foster Kane]

I've been thinking. One of my favorite moments from Star Wars was when they all hugged and cheered. Can't find a gif, but it's this moments:

It was very natural (specially like Luke there), and unlike anything in the prequels unfortunately. I think my main problem with the prequels, is that they bought into the lore far too much. Jedi was already showing signs of this.

Also, I fucking love the ending to Star Wars. Probably the best ending in the series. It feels so genuine.

 

[MoonsaultSlayer]

I hope I never watch a movie where people sit, stand or walk and talk.

Lucas waited for special effects to be on par with his imagination. Your preference for ships on a stick in front of a painting over CGI is meaningless when the object was to "go all out".

Did anyone post this yet? (Episode IV content, so you're safe OP) https://youtu.be/G5z2ECXo33s

 

[dragonyeuw]

Erm, it was you who asked me on expanding on the acting.





Now attacking me for that is a tad silly. I think we both agree that Portman is the far more capable actress and that the acting of both sucks in the movie. We just discussed who sucked more and then you shifted it towards the character. And I already agreed that Leia works better. I just added that her character is incredible underdeveloped.

A very entertaining "Who sucks more/less" discussion. They all do in Star Wars besides Harrison Ford, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor and Frank Oz.

Your use of the word 'attack' is a bit over the top. That wasnt an attack dude. You came in and made a bold declaration, and I asked you to explain what that meant. Now I will say its my fault because I became so fixated on that statement that I took it out of context of your overall point about the acting.

That said, yeah, Portman is a better actress in general but not because of her performances in the PT. And in the context of the movies, if we agree that Leia works better and/or is a better character, then theres not much point arguing acting skills.

Also, I note you didnt mention Hamill amongt those who didnt suck. I'll say this, the entire second act of Empire Strikes back rides on Hamill's ability to play off a little green puppet. And IMO he nails it. I hear various rumblings about his bad acting, but I think he was underrated.

 

[dragonyeuw]

I hope I never watch a movie where people sit, stand or walk and talk.

I see this as a common complaint. What exactly does that mean( honest question)? Lots of movies have people walking and talking, sitting and talking etc. In our own lives we're likely the same, I'm either walking along the street and talking, sitting on my couch/ at my desk talking, or I may be standing in the corridor at work, in an elevator or something like that and talking. I never understood why this is complained about in the prequels. Is it because nothing else is going on in the scene, so its just scenes of exposition with people walking/sitting/standing while delivering dialogue?

 

[Toxi]

Boba Fett's popularity really is bizarre. He's a cool design, but man does he fucking suck in the movies. He literally does nothing of value of interest.

He tracks down the Millennium Falcon. That's about it.

I don't know, I think her scene with Luke is pretty good in Jedi.

Meanwhile, Han/Ford is just... there for most of that movie.

Hamill/Luke really saved Return of the Jedi. It's funny, when I was young I thought Luke was "boring", but he's the most interesting character of the main cast past the first movie.

 

[Toxi]

I see this as a common complaint. What exactly does that mean( honest question)? Lots of movies have people walking and talking, sitting and talking etc. In our own lives we're likely the same, I'm either walking along the street and talking, sitting on my couch/ at my desk talking, or I may be standing in the corridor at work, in an elevator or something like that and talking. I never understood why this is complained about in the sequels. Is it because nothing else is going on in the scene, so its just scenes of exposition with people walking/sitting/standing while delivering dialogue?

Yes. Bill Watterson, the creator of Calvin and Hobbes, wrote that one of the reasons why he would often draw the characters rolling down a hill in their wagon when they were talking was that it added visual variety so the characters didn't just feel like talking heads all the time. It turns out that approach isn't just important for comics; having dialogue completely separated from action loses the advantages of a visual medium.

 

[Peru]

I don't think John Williams phoned it in. Opposite. It's almost sad to hear how much effort he put into making the movies work emotionally. Some great stuff there. Ben Burtt obviously also tried his best to give the world character and succeeded in brief moments.

 

[dragonyeuw]

Boba Fett's popularity really is bizarre. He's a cool design, but man does he fucking suck in the movies. He literally does nothing of value of interest.

Yep, and that popularity no doubt led to

Spoiler

the fan-servicing plot device that his father Jango was the blueprint for the Clone Army. Had Boba remained just a bit character who ultimately wound up a Sarlaac snack, most likely the entire Clone background story would have been different.

 

[dragonyeuw]

Yes. Bill Watterson, the creator of Calvin and Hobbes, wrote that one of the reasons why he would often draw the characters rolling down a hill in their wagon when they were talking was that it added visual variety so the characters didn't just feel like talking heads all the time. It turns out that approach isn't just important for comics; having dialogue completely separated from action loses the advantages of a visual medium.

Ah I see, thanks for the explanation. I honestly had never really given it thought before redlettermedia first brought it up. That said, and maybe an OT binge is in order, I feel like that complaint shouldnt just be relegated to the prequels. Like I'm sure there's quite a few scenes like that in the OT as well...?

 

[MoonsaultSlayer]

I see this as a common complaint. What exactly does that mean( honest question)? Lots of movies have people walking and talking, sitting and talking etc. In our own lives we're likely the same, I'm either walking along the street and talking, sitting on my couch/ at my desk talking, or I may be standing in the corridor at work, in an elevator or something like that and talking. I never understood why this is complained about in the prequels. Is it because nothing else is going on in the scene, so its just scenes of exposition with people walking/sitting/standing while delivering dialogue?

I just hope my initial comment was seen as sarcasm based on that list of "things" posted earlier on this page.

Ah I see, thanks for the explanation. I honestly had never really given it thought before redlettermedia first brought it up. That said, and maybe an OT binge is in order, I feel like that complaint shouldnt just be relegated to the prequels. Like I'm sure there's quite a few scenes like that in the OT as well...?

Every movie does this though.

 

[dragonyeuw]

Every movie does this though.

Yes, that's why it's a curious thing to raise about the prequels. Redlettermedia did an entire section about it.

 

[Salmonax]

Yes, that's why it's a curious thing to raise about the prequels. Redlettermedia did an entire section about it.

It's more interesting to give characters some action during expository dialogue scenes, like Luke cleaning the droids or Obi Wan searching to find his light saber as a couple of early Ep 4 examples.

If Luke and Obi Wan were seated across from each other in shot/reverse shot or walking down a hallway, the same information would more or less be conveyed, just in a boring way. It's a waste of a visual medium.

 

[Erevador]

LONG LIST OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE PREQUELS

I agree with all of these, EXCEPT the one about Willaims phoning it in. He wrote some incredible music for the prequels. If you just put on the soundtracks, read the track titles, and imagine the story in your head... it is a much better experience than the moves themselves.

A great example, this absolutely exquisite romantic theme...

Across the Stars - Attack of the Clones

So beautiful. Really soars about a minute in. Listen to 1:40... that's as good anything Williams has ever done. Breathtaking.

Say what you want about everyone else's work on the prequels, but Williams delivered.

 

[dragonyeuw]

It's more interesting to give characters some action during expository dialogue scenes, like Luke cleaning the droids or Obi Wan searching to find his light saber as a couple of early Ep 4 examples.

If Luke and Obi Wan were seated across from each other in shot/reverse shot or walking down a hallway, the same information would more or less be conveyed, just in a boring way. It's a waste of a visual medium.

Yeah I'm getting it now that it's being explained in detail. I just never thought about it before, and again it's not a criticism unique to the PT.

 

[Duane Cunningham]

Gabe from Penny Arcade takes this concept to hilarious effect. So many strips are just a three panel conversation between two people and he got tired of them just sitting on the couch, so he started putting them in different scenarios in the background and it got so outlandish they'd be joking abut the latest video game while running from the police or getting abducted by aliens or whatever. And never any explanation.

 

[dragonyeuw]

Can't.. Steelers game tonight. lol. Tomorrow night I'll watch all three. I don't have shit else to do.

Well TC..... do we have a verdict on the PT?

 

[zma1013]

Well TC..... do we have a verdict on the PT?

He didn't make it.

Pour one out for Ray Wonder.

 

[Peru]

I recommend the Phantom Podcast and the follow up Attack of the Podcast for funny, looong takes (11 eps each) on those movies.

 

[Always-honest]

I rewatched them too a few weeks ago. IV and V are great. But i was surprised to see that tRotJ is a pretty aweful movie these days.

 

[Kettch]

It's more interesting to give characters some action during expository dialogue scenes, like Luke cleaning the droids or Obi Wan searching to find his light saber as a couple of early Ep 4 examples.

If Luke and Obi Wan were seated across from each other in shot/reverse shot or walking down a hallway, the same information would more or less be conveyed, just in a boring way. It's a waste of a visual medium.

Another example would be the conference of Imperial commanders in episode IV. Lots of important political information conveyed...in a badass scene of Darth Vader force choking his underling. In the prequels it would have just been them talking, and people would have fallen asleep.

 

[Ray Wonder]

Well TC..... do we have a verdict on the PT?

I couldn't end up doing that. I failed you all. Family member came to visit and I got kinda drunk and fell asleep.

 

[dragonyeuw]

I couldn't end up doing that. I failed you all. Family member came to visit and I got kinda drunk and fell asleep.

You may have enjoyed it more if you watched it drunk

Spoiler

I kid.....kinda

No more skipping out on your obligations, sir!

 

[Ray Wonder]

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Well. Here we go.

Dislikes

The CG was hit or miss. Most times I had no problem with it, until they showed something organic, like Jar Jar. Then it wasn't good at all. I eventually adjusted to it. And begin to be able to ignore it completely. I didn't even think about it for the second half of the movie.

The Viceroy guy and his buddy were horrible. Their voices, their costumes, everything. I really couldn't bring myself to take them seriously as the villains of the movie. They seemed like they were just.. there.

The way they told R2-D2 that he did a good job. I can live with them getting on that ship, and him saving the day. That seems logical, and would seem to lead to why he was trusted by Leia. If it was any other R2, maybe that one would be the one that has R2-D2's story. I liked that I saw how he got included into the story. Just not that they took the time out to present him with some stupid award or whatever. Just seemed REALLY forced.

The only person on that damn planet that had the part they needed somehow could resist the mind trick. bullshit.

A couple things about the podracing.

The guy who pulled the thing off Anakin's racer was a little dickhead, and I didn't like how he was written. It was frustrating. There's what? 25,000 people sitting in the stands, focusing on the podracers? This dude is supposedly the favorite to win? Not enough people saw that he yanked that off of Anakin's racer? Didn't like it. Seemed extra lazy and dumb.

The fucking announcers. The most useless application of CG in the movie. They looked absolutely terrible. Put someone in an alien costume, or put a human announcer. Problem solved.

Anakin is annoying in parts. What're ya gonna do, kid acting.

The story was underwhelming. Taxes, oh boy.

Likes

Actually got to see the lightsaber cut something instead of hiding the cutting.

Podracing was pretty dope. It finally provided some much needed action in the movie. And besides the announcer, was really good looking. Oh, and the sound design was awesome.

Darth Maul fight. *Doors slide open* *Music plays* *Darth maul looks up* I was like oh shit. Let's fucking go. (I knew about the double lightsaber so that didn't really get me.) It was the best saber fight so far in Star Wars for sure. Once my homie Qui-Gon got stabbed (Caught me off guard, I didn't know stabbing was a thing with lightsabers considering they cut through just about anything like butter) I was literally smacking my chest like "Get him Obi-Wan!!" I wanted him to fucking destroy Darth Maul. The flip over, and chop in half was the worst part, and then seeing his, clear as day, super bad CG body bounce around was dampening, but didn't make me dislike the fight.

Seeing Palpatine before he was the OT Palpatine was cool. He seemed like a cool dude. I'm hoping to see more of how he changes.

Jar Jar Binks was pretty funny. The worst part about him is that he's CG. Other than that, If you're not taking things too seriously, I found him to be so ridiculous that he was likable. Fucking "Exsqueeze me"? Misa didn't think Jar Jar was bad.

That Anakin made C-3PO, and seeing C-3PO and R2-D2 meet for the first time. Pretty cool.

Overall. It's not as good as the OT. For damn sure. It's not bad though.