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General Star Wars Random Thoughts Thread — Page 46

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Watch that video, you might learn a lot and if you don't you'll at least get some good laughs. And don't get scared away by the harshness of his words, he does that for comical effect but a lot of what he says there makes a lot of sense!

Also, I have no problem with people liking the prequels as long as they have no problem with me not liking them - the fact that the things you mention don't ruin the film for you doesn't mean they don't ruin it for others. 

My main problem with the current state of things isn't the prequels, it's the fact that the original historical versions of the films aren't available in acceptable quality and aren't preserved for future generations.

And me thinking the original versions are superior isn't the most important thing; it's not really a question of which version is better, that is very subjective, it's a question of preserving a part of art history.

In a few years some film or art students may be taught about the groundbreaking visual effects of the original Star Wars and watch what would be presented to them as STAR WARS Ep IV A New Hope, a film from 1977, and actually be shown the latest Special Edition, because if Lucas' agenda plays out it will be the only remaining  version, and they may think that those effects were actually achieved in 1977. Hell, it's already happening; I remember reading that there was a Q&A with some of the ILM guys who worked on the original effects with cutting edge motion control cameras shooting physical models, and Lucasfilm only allowed the SE (where 80% of those once groundbreaking effects were replaced by CGI) to be shown as part of the event.

If you'd like to know more, read here: www.savestarwars.com

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Harmy wrote: In a few years some film or art students may be taught about the groundbreaking visual effects of the original Star Wars and watch what would be presented to them as STAR WARS Ep IV A New Hope, a film from 1977, and actually be shown the latest Special Edition,

What's worse a small class in a film school or Lucasfilm itself, or the mainstream press or the tv you watch?

doubleofive's got some example pics from Lucasfilm publications: https://plus.google.com/photos/102542760950977079734/albums/5565815099257817617?banner=pwa

Online press has gotten it wrong: http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/35-years-of-impossible-ILM-visual-effects-article-on-CNET/post/441302/

TV programs dedicated to those early sfx got it wrong: The Science Channel's 'The Science of the Movies'.

and there's a thread for that: http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/Modern-SE-Revisionism/topic/12369/page/1/

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I have no problem with people not liking the prequels. Everyone has their own taste. I'm just curious to hear some valid reasons instead of hate bashing, which is what I get when I ask. And I agree with you, Harmy, that those of you that want the original versions preserved and made available on blu-ray or whatever format you wish have a legitimate grip. It does seem that Lucas has a strange dislike for his original films. I like the original versions but I also like the SE. I would prefer a version of the SE where Han still shot first and Sebastian Shaw was still at the end of Jedi. I thought cutting him out of Jedi like that it was a very shitty thing for Lucas to do.

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You can forgive almost anything in a movie if you like the people. Anakin and Amidala were just not sympathetic, appealing or interesting for some of us, even if we struggle to come up with more and better reasons than that. But I think that's the main thing it boils down to. If the temporary freezing of Han Solo elicits more emotion than the permanent death of Padme, something's not right. Obviously this doesn't apply to everybody everywhere. 

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rabscuttle1 said:

I'm just curious to hear some valid reasons instead of hate bashing, which is what I get when I ask.

A couple of posts ago, Tobar posted the link to RedLetterMedia's lengthy and famous discourse on exactly why TPM was a bad movie.  If his over-the-top style bothers you, just ignore his satire and listen to the content of what he explains, because he lays out all of the reasons pretty clearly.

Now, it is still possible to enjoy a bad movie.  I actually enjoy TPM because of some of the scenes (it's the only prequel that I can stand to watch).  There are also some other crappy movies that I enjoy.  There are some great movies that I don't enjoy.  But even though I enjoy TPM, I agree wholeheartedly with RLM's reasoning, that as cinematic art it is really, really awful.

"Close the blast doors!"
Puggo’s website | Rescuing Star Wars

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rabscuttle1 said:

I'm just curious to hear some valid reasons instead of hate bashing, which is what I get when I ask.

Liking and disliking art is subjective.  There is no objective assessment of any art.

The best way I've found to describe why I didn't like the prequels was that I found them tedious.  And also forgettable, so I don't have a whole lot of specifics about why I found them to be tedious.  When people don't like movies, they tend not to see them multiple times and remember details, I'm afraid that's just how it is.

I remember I didn't find any of the characters to be engaging or relatable, but whether that was a fault of the writing, the acting, the plot, or some combination thereof I just don't know or care.  I also felt that the environments felt very sterile and uninteresting, but whether that was the fault of the CGI, the designers, the score, or some combination, again, I don't know.  The main problem in my mind is that they didn't become "so bad they're good".  Very little was so over-the-top bad it seemed intentional--I think the podrace in TPM and the giant lizard thing in AOTC were the only scenes that were so annoying they were memorable--everything else, including the entire ROTS film, faded almost entirely from my memory within days of seeing them.  I actually got up to PRETEND TO GO to the bathroom during one of these movies (I think AOTC) just to have something to keep myself entertained.

Now I know it's bad to hear someone didn't like a movie you liked, but there it is.  I didn't like them.  They were not the worst movies I've seen, they were just run-of-the-mill bad movies.  But they were the most disappointing movies I've ever seen (well, TPM was, my expectations were lowered by the time the others rolled around).

I do, however, like Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and, to a lesser extent, Return of the Jedi.  I enjoy one of the special edition changes (credit for James Earl Jones), and either dislike the rest or don't see the changes as improvements.

EDIT: Full disclosure, I was one of those who camped out in front of the theatre to see TPM opening night.  To me, that experience was much like Woodstock for Star Wars fans.  But by the same token, if you ask someone who was at Woodstock if the music was any good, you're missing the point.

Project Threepio (Star Wars OOT subtitles)

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It actually hurts me a little to see the quality of ROTS being compared with TESB. Last time I watched the prequels (kind of for the heck of it - me and my friend watched the RLM reviews and then all three prequels to see if we can survive) I actually thought that it was just as bad if not worse than AOTC - the story arch of Anakin turning to the dark side was handled horribly and the acting was horrible too. And yeah, I so didn't care when Padme died that I didn't even realize I didn't care. Being 23, I have a little bit of nostalgia for TPM, so like Puggo, I can kinda enjoy it in small infrequent doses.

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Well, my only response to your guy's posts is thank you for the insult free criticism. Some of which I even agree with.

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I'm impressed how much most of us are holding back. If SkyJedi was still around, you'd have a massive fight on your hands.

Star Wars Revisited Wordpress

Star Wars Visual Comparisons WordPress

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Here's my take on the prequels.

(TLDR: Each one gets better, but they're ultimately a disappointment, and don't "line up" well with the OT.)

Episode I - When this came out, I saw it about 6 times. I was too caught up in the hype and anticipation to let myself notice the flaws. At the time, the coolness of the final lightsaber battle was enough to carry the film. But after a few months, I started to get this "What just happened?" feeling. Over the next few years, the flaws (mostly badly placed humor and a sterile story) slowly became too obvious. Now, I'll be perfectly happy if I never see this movie again. I'm not even sure Adywan can save it.

Episode II - I saw this 2 or 3 times. This was a much more mature film, and it seemed to be leading somewhere very interesting. In the hands of a different director (like Kersh), this movie would have been pretty damn good. The aspects of where the clones came from, as well as who ordered them, were very strong. But the romance was botched horribly, and Yoda's fighting skills were laughable. Still, I was a little more hopeful for Episode III after this. I was looking forward to learning who Sifo Dyas was.

Episode III - I saw this twice. At last, Lucas started to realize that these movies had to connect to the OT, so he tried to squeeze all of his buildup into this film. ROTS moves along fairly well, and it has some real emotion to it, unlike the first two. But the reasons for Anakin's turn are murky and undefined, and it seems to suddenly come out of nowhere. The major question set up by Episode II - Who is Sifo Dyas? - is never addressed. (Don't talk to me about a book.) It was with this episode that I realized the prequels had ultimately been a failure - the characters never grew in interesting ways, the humor was juvenile, and Anakin's turn (the reason we stuck with the prequels in the first place) was mishandled.

 

 

You know of the rebellion against the Empire?

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I just look at the prequels the way I look at the pilot to most good television shows. The best ones usually have the crappiest pilots.

"The other versions will disappear. Even the 35 million tapes of Star Wars out there won’t last more than 30 or 40 years. A hundred years from now, the only version of the movie that anyone will remember will be the DVD version [of the Special Edition], and you’ll be able to project it on a 20’ by 40’ screen with perfect quality. I think it’s the director’s prerogative, not the studio’s to go back and reinvent a movie." - George Lucas

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i like the prequels, all of them.

 

the third one the most. then the 2nd,

and lastly phantom menace.

 

i saw each one in the theater near opening day

or on opening day.

 

i've watched the prequels a LOT more

than the original trilogy on DVD. in fact,

at some point, i'll have these on 35mm

film at some point in time.

 

i prefer watching them over jedi, and

empire (which i also saw in the theaters

once each). of course, star wars is my favorite

out of all them. and i don't mind the revisions

on dvd, special editions or blurays either.

 

i watched the clone wars movie in the theater,

and have been following the tv series from the

beginning.

 

i'm hopeful about the live action series too.

bring on more star wars, is all i have to say!

 

later

-1

[no GOUT in CED?-> GOUT CED]

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Anakin fell to the dark side because he, like all villains, was weak. If a villain wasn't weak he'd be a hero like Luke. His reasons were lame because they were bull, lies he was telling himself to justify his betrayal of the Jedi. At least that is my take on his fall. This is the order I like the Star Wars films in from best to worst:

1. TESB

2. ROTS

3. ANH

4. ROTJ

5. AOTC

6. TPM

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My liking of the films changed over time, it used to be ESB first but now it comes in exactly the order they were released, with episodes II and III being on about the same level for me :-)

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negative1 said:

i like the prequels, all of them.

 

the third one the most. then the 2nd,

and lastly phantom menace.

You should try watching Q2's or Seciors' fanedits of The Phantom Menace.  TPM was my least favorite prequel too until I saw these fanedits.  Now it's my favorite and I'm never going back to the original and the insane amount of Horrible Jar Jar.

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rabscuttle1 said:

that looks kind of like cupid.

Nah... she doesn't even have a beard.

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haha

lets try that again.

darth vader popsicle:

----------------------------

let the inneundo about vader being licked, etc, begin.

haha

 

later

-1

[no GOUT in CED?-> GOUT CED]

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      I was flipping through channels after the evening news and landed on CN: ADVENTURE TIME. It features a thirteen year old boy named Finn and his ole' dog pal named Jake.

      Finn fancies himself a knight and rescues the many princesses while battling monsters and evil rulers with his bold, indomitable spirit and his clever but a bit oblivious wits.

      Jake is a magic dog who encourages and enables Finn in his quests.

      There is also an androgynous little robot helper with a bit of attitude.

      LOL

     

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We watch "Adventure Time" a lot in our house, wouldnt really associate with Star Wars.

Adventure Time is set on the Earth and by all accounts takes place after a nuclear war (The Mushroom War). It all appears to be in Finns imagination, as he and Jake frequently reminisce about "Mom" and how she took care of them before the mushroom war.

Just thought I'd say and would recommend if you like weird cartoons or post apocalyptic stories.

But honestly dosnt have much in common with Star Wars.