- Time
- Post link
- Time
- Post link
Music: As the movie progressed, the music became infinitely better. It was downright beautiful towards the end. But…I can pick out tracked cues very very easily, and there were quite a few in this movie. Tracked from TPM, tracked from AOTC- and I could even tell what scenes they were from as I listened.
Another huge problem I had was the use of that upbeat march to begin practically every scene in the film. Right after the dark scenes, there should have been dark, murky music for transitions to really drive it home. Instead, we get the same old tired-sounding march. It stylistically ruined it, in my opinion, and it would have been so much more powerful with more appropriate music.
As for the opening battle, I was simply not impressed. Not impressed with the music (which didn’t feel like SW battle music), not impressed with the overly colorful CG (particularly the buzz droids), not impressed with the phony speed with which the CG characters and ships moved at the beginning. I think some of those shots should have been slowed down by 2 to look slightly more realistic. I just felt it had no tension, it was forced, and it didn’t feel like Star Wars. Especially the “thunk thunk” music at the beginning. I was disappointed with that.
I was impressed with the Dooku/Anakin duel, however. That was good. I absolutely loved when Anakin has Dooku’s head between his sabers, and Anakin is holding back, and Palpatine says, “Go ahead. Kill him.” Dooku finally realizes (too late) how much Palpatine really cares about him. And THAT makes Vader’s turning in ROTJ so much more believable. Not only is his son rolling around on the floor being murdered, calling for his help, but Vader previously got a disturbing feeling of deja-vou when Palpatine said his line about taking his father’s place at my side. Luke hacked his arm off, and Palpatine said, “Good.” He was probably beginning to feel as though his role was like Dooku’s; to die when a younger, stronger man came along.
Obi-Wan: How did this happen? We’re smarter than this.
No comment.
Anakin/Padme: WAY better than Ep. II. So much more natural, likable…and Portman actually acted in this one. Hayden was very good, as well. He was so much more likable in this one, ironically; you really felt sorry for him in the end. McDiarmid was great, in my opinion. I liked him especially at the beginning (“I need your help, son.”) and when he told the story of Darth What’s-his-name; he was just very good. Later on, he went a bit overboard, but he was still good.
Another problem with this movie is that some serious moments were overdone and became comical (detrimental to movie). I can’t remember specifically, but they were kind of corny.
General Grievous: stupid name, stupid character. I really couldn’t believe it when I first saw him. From his hunched back to his stupid sounding voice to his constant coughing, I just really couldn’t stand him. To emphasize the point, I would be open to a version of this movie where Jar-Jar replaced Grievous; it might have actually worked better! (just kidding)
Yoda/Sidious: Boy, I was worried about this. If you’ve read the “Shroud of the Dark Side” thread, I was completely against Yoda with a lightsaber after AOTC and was hoping there would be a way to cut it out of this movie as well. But it doesn’t need to be cut; it was handled very, very well in this movie. I loved it. This probably had something to do with McDiarmid vs. Lee. I loved when Yoda fell in a heap on the floor due to the force lightning (although I felt bad for him), and I loved when Palpatine got knocked backwards and fell over his chair. I LOVED that because it made the whole thing seem like a real event in a real place, when one of the actors actually fell over a real prop during the fight. It’s amazing how little things like that affect the realism overall.
Anakin killing the kids: heartbreaking scene. Really works. The audience in my theatre was gasping as the little boy asked Anakin a question, and in response he ignites his lightsaber. How Vader gets his name is rather lame. So is Padme dying because she doesn’t have the will to live anymore, and the naming of Luke and Leia. But the whole scene on the lava planet was spectacular. I loved how Anakin is hugging Padme one moment, then Obi-Wan shows up and he starts choking her. Talk about bad timing, Obi-Wan!
However, birth of Darth Vader=very poorly done as soon as Vader starts talking. Huge disappointment; not anywhere close to up-to-par with the rest of the film.
Vader: Noooo…..
Completely stupid; they botched this scene badly. Audience was laughing.
But overall, this film was very well done; the only things I think detracted from it where: the space battle, Grievous, and stupid editing and tracked music. I could also have done without Obi-Wan riding around on that animal in the middle of the movie. But George Lucas has done something this time that’s really wonderful, and that he’s never done before. This is the most emotional, heartbreaking movie that he’s ever directed. Notice I didn’t say the best, however. I really couldn’t give a rip about the characters in Ep. I or II; they were all so contrived and forced, with crummy dialogue throughout. This one was different; I had a genuine emotional connection with all of the main characters. And I say congratulations to Lucas for that.
This movie is so much better done than the other two prequels, and a lot of it is little, stylistic stuff: Padme waiting behind the pillar for Anakin (felt classic: I loved how Williams used the B- section of the love theme for this; beautiful). Obi-Wan’s line about a special day with the politicians cracked me up. The whole Padme/Anakin romance was WAY above AOTC.
But the line: You were the chosen one! with just strings in the background; that really hit home for me. The whole thing was so sad. I also loved when Obi-Wan asks where Anakin is, and then Padme suspects he plans to kill him, and then they cut to Obi-Wan’s face and he says nothing.
It was unlike any other Star Wars movie yet, but it goes very far beyond the other two prequels, in my opinion.
Episode II: Shroud of the Dark Side
“Back when we made Star Wars, we just couldn’t make Palpatine as evil as we intended. Now, thanks to the miracles of technology, it is finally possible. Finally, I’ve created the movies that I originally imagined.” -George Lucas on the 2007 Extra Extra Special HD-DVD Edition
