22 reasons why Episode III is fantastic

[Glom]

• R2 has learned slapstick.
• The zero gravity swimming.
• The shots of Courasant are great.
• Palpatine using Anakin's desire to save Padme to open his mind to the dark side. It was beautifully placed after Yoda fobbed him off by saying that death is a natural part of life. It also validated the trait of him versus other Jedi: he established connections with people.
• The disfigurement of Palpatine to give him the original trilogy look.
• The scene when Anakin had to chose between Windu and Palpatine was first rate. It was brilliant the way the faults of Windu caused Anakin to react in a way that flash burnt his bridges. Anakin thought Windu was acting in a way contrary to a Jedi, so reacted, and then he had nothing left but the chance to save Padme.
• Loads of crazy cool worlds with cool canyons, weird colourful flowers and Lothlorien style trees.
• The shots of the hooded Vader storming the Jedi council were coo.
• Padme's digs are lush.
• The sequence where Sideus orders the Jedi killed.
• We know Anakin will fulfil his destiny and kill the Sith.
• It took a better take on Anakin's turn to the dark side than Episode II, which painted him as a spoiled public school brat. He had grown up a bit in this movie. It wasn't about the fact that Kenobi wouldn't let him play so he decided to join the Sith so he could do what he wants, it was about the desire to save Padme. The usefulness of the public school brat idea was to strain his relations with the Jedi council.
• It showed Anakin's desire to do good and bring about peace to the galaxy. It explored similar themes explored in episodes like 'Space Seed' [TOS], where Kirk and McCoy mused over how Khan's rule had brought about much order, 'Patterns of Force' [TOS], which acknowledged how even the Nazi state was remarkably efficient at repairing a fractured society if you ignore that pesky issue of the worst genocide in human history, and the Dominion of DS9, which the Founders see as a way of bringing order to a chaotic society.
• Only the evil of the Sith see things as absolutes. "You're either with us or against us." (There's that contemporary connection)
• The storm troopers look a little more Imperial than before.
• We see the early variants of Star Destroyers, Tie Fighters and Imperial shuttles. We also see what look like X wing fighters. The rebellion must have knocked them off somewhere.
• The connection between the senator who adopted Leia and Kenobi, was good continuity to EpIV. "Years ago you fought with my father in the clone wars."
• Ian McDiarmid.
• The scene on the landing pad on the lava world between Vader, Kenobi and Padme was cool.
• Creating Darth Vader, particularly opposed against the birth of the one who would bring him down.
• John Williams.
• The lighting on Vader on the lava world sometimes made his eyes look orange like Sideus, although it was just the reflection of the lava. That's good stuff.

[dcolanduno_old]

The lighting on Vader on the lava world sometimes made his eyes look orange like Sideus, although it was just the reflection of the lava. That's good stuff.

You should listen to the interview we just did with Mr. Bad Astronomer himself... he went on a rant about Star Wars III, specifically the lava!

Although, I would agree that many of these things on the list, are what make this movie 'better' than the previous two.

[SeanF]

• Only the evil of the Sith see things as absolutes.

"Only the Sith" is an absolute. Someone should tell Obi-Wan that.

[dcolanduno_old]

Only the Sith" is an absolute. Someone should tell Obi-Wan that.

Now, that... is going on my list!

[Kristophe]

I thought the Force only worked in absolutes. There's the Dark Side, and the Light Side, but not really a twilight side...

[Disinfo Agent]

Which was part of the fun of the movies...

[mopc]

What I hated the most in the prequels (aside obviously from Jar Jar Binks argh!) is that talk of "midichlorians" whatevertheycallit. Wasn't the Force supposed to be something ethereal, the Tao, instead of being attached to chemicals in the blood????

[Kristophe]

Yeah, but I think Lucas wanted something to let the Jedi be able to quantitatively say that Ani was the chosen one. "The Force is strong in this one" doesn't really convey the same absolutism as "The kid has a Force rating of 369,792, which is just shy of Yoda's record Forceosity of 370,194".

[Makgraf]

[*]We know Anakin will fulfil his destiny and kill the Sith.

Right off the bat I don't take the books as canon (neither, I believe, does Mr. Lucas). So I took the prophecy that Anakin would bring balance to the force as also including his massacres of the Jedi. I like ironic prophecy type things like that.

[*]It took a better take on Anakin's turn to the dark side than Episode II, which painted him as a spoiled public school brat. He had grown up a bit in this movie. It wasn't about the fact that Kenobi wouldn't let him play so he decided to join the Sith so he could do what he wants, it was about the desire to save Padme. The usefulness of the public school brat idea was to strain his relations with the Jedi council.

That paragraph confused me before I remembered that you Brits call private schools "public schools".

[*]Only the evil of the Sith see things as absolutes. "You're either with us or against us." (There's that contemporary connection)

I didn't buy this one. I mean right after he says this he's yelling to Anakin, "Palpatine is evil!", which is very clearly an absolute. Then Anakin replies that it's just a point of view, which is clearly not seeing things in absolutes.

[Kristophe]

[*]We know Anakin will fulfil his destiny and kill the Sith.

Right off the bat I don't take the books as canon (neither, I believe, does Mr. Lucas). So I took the prophecy that Anakin would bring balance to the force as also including his massacres of the Jedi. I like ironic prophecy type things like that.

I initially took the prophecy to work out to be that he fathers Luke and Leia, but come A New Hope we're left with two Sith, and two Jedi. A very interesting balance indeed.

[Gillianren]

[*]We know Anakin will fulfil his destiny and kill the Sith.

Right off the bat I don't take the books as canon (neither, I believe, does Mr. Lucas). So I took the prophecy that Anakin would bring balance to the force as also including his massacres of the Jedi. I like ironic prophecy type things like that.

I've been saying for six years that the Jedi didn't really want balance in the Force. after all, didn't they slaughter the Sith? ergo, logically, "balance in the Force" requires that the Sith take control. but hey, no one ever listens to me, or else the casting of a lot of movies would be very different.

I was impressed; there was actually a good line! what was it, "that's the sound of the death of liberty--thunderous applause." good line.

I dug the little Yoda super ball fighting style. I was also madly amused at the contrast between Yoda and the Wookiees.

it was really nice to see Alderaan.

I liked the visual parallels between the OT and this movie--like when Anakin is fighting Dooku (okay, that's officially the stupidest name in the history of Star Wars, and that includes the-Jedi-who-is-a-martial-arts-style) is so obviously choreographed to look like the fight between Vader and Luke in Jedi. soooooo cool.

and, yes, in places the dialogue was just awful. there were places where the entire theatre groaned or sighed or at least shuffled awkwardly. clearly, George Lucas needs, at bare minimum, an editor to say, "hey, George, that's a really dumb line." but oh, well.

James Earl Jones should never be forced to say, "noooooooo!"

[Disinfo Agent]

and, yes, in places the dialogue was just awful. there were places where the entire theatre groaned or sighed or at least shuffled awkwardly. clearly, George Lucas needs, at bare minimum, an editor to say, "hey, George, that's a really dumb line." but oh, well.

Or an actor. :wink:

[mopc]

Yeah, but I think Lucas wanted something to let the Jedi be able to quantitatively say that Ani was the chosen one. "The Force is strong in this one" doesn't really convey the same absolutism as "The kid has a Force rating of 369,792, which is just shy of Yoda's record Forceosity of 370,194".

Which is why it's ridiculous. It's like if they performed a blood test on kids to figure out who's the next dalai-lama. It's supposed to be immaterial, not biochemical!!!

[Jpax2003]

Spoiler warning, but y'all already know that...



I agree about the dialogue about absolutes. The Jedi were out of line in their actions and even worse than being gullible, they didn't think things through. I mean, hello! They finally learn Palpatine is the Sith Lord who somehow lived through his kidnapping and detention by a dark Jedi (whether or not they thought Dooku was a Sith Lord) when he was "rescued" by this somewhat unstable Jedi apprentice who is the first to learn and tell them about the Chancellor's dark side and they just tell Anakin to stay put while they handle it? You'd think Yoda would have the wisdom to say, "My eye on him will I keep. Bring him." I mean, afterall, Anakin is the accuser/informant and should be there to legitimize any coup and if he is part of the conspiracy it's better to know where he is. You don't let those you distrust roam around behind your back! The Jedi don't know that Palpatine was behind the Civil War, they only know that Anakin thinks he is a Sith Lord." It's funny how the Empire was born from an overzealous self-righteous overly-dogmatic vigilante-like religious persecution of Palpatine by the Jedi. Makes me sympathetic to the Sith. Why could the Jedi not accept Palpatine as a Sith and as Chancellor? Because they were also dealing in absolutes.

[mopc]

One great scene I believe no one mentioned yet: the view of the Death Start under construction with Annakin watching it. FABULOUS.

[Kristophe]

One great scene I believe no one mentioned yet: the view of the Death Start under construction with Annakin watching it. FABULOUS.

That actually really confused me. How long did that bloody Death Star take to build? 20 years?

I agree about the dialogue about absolutes.

And that was the mistake that killed them all. Whether intentional, or a total flubb on Lucas's part, Obi Wan's comment on only Sith dealing in absolutes is pure irony. The Sith clearly see in shades of grey, as everyone as pointed out. The Jedi have put blinders on, and decided that they have the moral high ground. They may have done this for a legitimate reason -- one does not so much command the Dark Side of the Force as they do become swamped by it -- but the end result is a bunch of dogmatic doublespeak. They don't want to admit to their limitations, nor do they even necessarily see them anymore.

The Jedi Council did not trust Anakin, and they never have. He's given them pleanty of reasons to be wary of him. They know he can't control his feelings, and so had no place being called Master. He had not mastered the ways of the Jedi. Windu's fault was not in leaving Anakin behind, but rather not leaving someone with him. Bringing Anakin into the chambers, to be with Palpatine, knowing that they had a close personal relationship AND that he was a Sith Lord, and that Anakin was constantly conflicted and emotional, would have been a huge risk. Of course, Master Windu really didn't make for a very good role model himself. He clearly feared Palpatine's power, and didn't trust the Senate to do what needed to be done. That was both the downfall of himself, and the entire Jedi order. Anakin tried to stop him from killing out of fear, and Palpatine took advantage of that.

[dcolanduno_old]

In all this, I think the one commentary that could be interesting is that the 'good' Jedi, Kenobi, was torn apart at the fact that Anakin was supposed to bring 'balance' to the force.

By having Luke, I guess he does this indirectly.

But, I noticed something. The 'good' side thought balance meant killing off the Sith. At the end of the day, it's killing off BOTH the Jedi and the Sith, (Return of the Jedi). Because, Luke, was by far, a pretty 'in-the-middle' guy compared to what we saw in the Epi I-III.

I think it's interesting that at the end of the day, balance was to wipe out both extremists. We could learn something from that.

[Moose]

In all this, I think the one commentary that could be interesting is that the 'good' Jedi, Kenobi, was torn apart at the fact that Anakin was supposed to bring 'balance' to the force.

Anakin fulfilled the prophesy quite precisely. He brought balance to the force and destroyed the Sith. He did precisely that by wiping out both sides.

Remember, Luke didn't kill Vader, and he didn't kill Palpatine. He had precisely zero chance of surviving a direct encounter with two Sith Lords with home field advantage. He was there to try and reach Vader, and hopefully distract the Emperor so that the attack could succeed. The only reason Luke escaped is because Vader turned on the Emperor.

One Jedi, with no more formal training than a Padawan, will not on his own unbalance the force.

[dcolanduno_old]

Anakin fulfilled the prophesy quite precisely. He brought balance to the force and destroyed the Sith. He did precisely that by wiping out both sides.

EXACTLY my point. Extremists, which are usually opinionated absolutists, are never good news in the long run. Hence, the need to wipe them both out to balance the universe!

[frogesque]

OK, so is there any good reason left now to actually go and watch the film? 8)

[Moose]

OK, so is there any good reason left now to actually go and watch the film? 8)

Of course there is. (Here there be spoilers, BTW.)

Actually, like watching Cameron's Titanic, there really aren't any major surprises. You know the boat sinks, and Anakin turns.

You didn't hear the details, and it's the details that makes the movie worthwhile.

[Kristophe]

Yeah, the movie was actually pretty good. It did everything the first two didn't -- told the story of the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker. They removed most of the major annoyances fromt he first two, and finally got it right. My only issue with the movie is that, really, a good deal of it should have been Episode II, with Attack of the Clones having been condensed into Phantom Menace, and the third movie having Darth Vader and the Empire sweep through the galaxy, and the formation of the rebellion. We're really not left with any reason for Vader to have the awesome reputation that he does come A New Hope. I guess we just have to assume he's spent his time being a tyrant.

[um3k]

Yeah, the movie was actually pretty good. It did everything the first two didn't -- told the story of the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker. They removed most of the major annoyances fromt he first two, and finally got it right. My only issue with the movie is that, really, a good deal of it should have been Episode II, with Attack of the Clones having been condensed into Phantom Menace, and the third movie having Darth Vader and the Empire sweep through the galaxy, and the formation of the rebellion. We're really not left with any reason for Vader to have the awesome reputation that he does come A New Hope. I guess we just have to assume he's spent his time being a tyrant.

Maybe they'll make Star Wars Episode 3 and a half.

[mopc]

One great scene I believe no one mentioned yet: the view of the Death Start under construction with Annakin watching it. FABULOUS.

That actually really confused me. How long did that bloody Death Star take to build? 20 years?

The thing was as big as a moon, so even for a civilization of huge power, 20 years isn't that much.

[mopc]

interesting globalized data: here in Brazil the subtitles have count Dooku renamed count Dookan, because Dooku sounds like 'of the ... well.. rectal orifice'.... And the name Amidala was given an acute accent 'Amidála' because 'amídala' means 'tonsils'....

[semi-sentient]

What I hated the most in the prequels (aside obviously from Jar Jar Binks argh!) is that talk of "midichlorians" whatevertheycallit. Wasn't the Force supposed to be something ethereal, the Tao, instead of being attached to chemicals in the blood????

Midi-clorians are microscopic life-forms that link all living things and the Force together. The Force is an energy field that surrounds all living things. The more midi-clorians a being has, the better his/her ability to communicate with and manipulate the Force. They are separate entities--or that's how I understand it at least.

I initially took the prophecy to work out to be that he fathers Luke and Leia, but come A New Hope we're left with two Sith, and two Jedi. A very interesting balance indeed.

The Force is only balanced if there are no Sith. George Lucas said this in an interview which I read a while ago. He claimed that the Force was out of balance because the Sith used it in unnatural ways, thus creating the imbalance. If I'm not mistaken, he also said that the only one who could destroy Darth Sidious was Anakin/Vader, which is why he is created by the Force--to fulfill the prophecy by destroying the Sith from the inside. He not only kills the Sith Lord (Sidious), but also the apprentice (himself). It has nothing to do with how many Jedi's there are.

[mopc]

What I hated the most in the prequels (aside obviously from Jar Jar Binks argh!) is that talk of "midichlorians" whatevertheycallit. Wasn't the Force supposed to be something ethereal, the Tao, instead of being attached to chemicals in the blood????

Midi-clorians are microscopic life-forms that link all living things and the Force together. The Force is an energy field that surrounds all living things. The more midi-clorians a being has, the better his/her ability to communicate with and manipulate the Force. They are separate entities--or that's how I understand it at least.

That makes it even worse. Now I wanna kill the midichlorophyle thingies!

[mopc]

First and best reason why the Star Wars prequels are great!



Now I'd give every midi-bad word-chlorians in the galaxy for that princess!!!!!!!!!

[dcolanduno_old]

Man,

That girl is just amazing to look at, even bald...

[mopc]

She's insanely beautiful. No words.