Star Wars Revenge of the Sith **SPOILER** THREAD

[Audioholics]

I wanted to start a thread for people who saw the movie to talk about it (mainly because I saw the movie and now want to talk about it)

This thread will contain unrestrained ***SPOILERS***

****THIS IS YOUR LAST REVENGE OF THE SITH SPOILER ALERT!!!****

Don't

say

we

didn't

warn

you

!!!!

OK, that should be enough room to make you scroll down to read the next post - so don't give me any complaints about ruining it for you. If you haven't seent the film, you need to be in this thread instead.

 

[Audioholics]

Impressions of the Film - Highlites, Likes, Dislikes

OK. First impressions are that it was VERY good. I did not analyze the movei, I watched it. The score didn't stand out to me - it did a good job of keeping me in the action, therefore I deem it to have done its part completely well.

I didn't even have a problem with most of the dialogue, though I did have several issues that just seemed weird:

• I did not buy the scene where Anakin turns to the Dark side and turns on Mace Windu. It made little sense and seemed to push Anakin much farther than he really was. In addition, for him to bow down like that just kept taking a bad scene and pushing it further and further where it didn't make sense. It's possible that they just didn't sell me on the fact that he'd kill about 100 Jedi basically just to save Padme (who he apparently had no problem almost killing on the lava planet)
• Didn't Leia say she actually knew her mother the tiniest bit?
• "The dark side clouding your judgement" doesn't seem like enough evidence to follow a deranged lunatic-looking person with evil eyes who just used electricity to kill a Jedi

Here's the stuff that I really did enjoy and which stood out as being cool:

• The scene with Vader, Obi-wan and Padme on the lava planet was very convincing (at that point)
• Yoda kicks butt
• Obi-wan fighting a four armed robot and winning was pretty cool
• The lightsaver scenes avoided the "flashing blue and red lights" stupidity of the Dukoo/Anakin fight in the last movie - so kudos to Lucas for recognizing silliness and correcting it. I actually wouldn't mind if he added more to that scene digitally and rereleased the DVD just because it's so bad
• R2D2 kicks butt - it's so cool that he now has a history of being a little genius droid
• Palpatine is VERY powerful and amazing. Notice at the end he tells Vader that he (Vader) killed Padme - how did he know this unless he could sense that from across the galaxy.

OK, your turn!

 

[ducker]

• I did not buy the scene where Anakin turns to the Dark side and turns on Mace Windu. It made little sense and seemed to push Anakin much farther than he really was. In addition, for him to bow down like that just kept taking a bad scene and pushing it further and further where it didn't make sense. It's possible that they just didn't sell me on the fact that he'd kill about 100 Jedi basically just to save Padme (who he apparently had no problem almost killing on the lava planet)
• Didn't Leia say she actually knew her mother the tiniest bit?
• "The dark side clouding your judgement" doesn't seem like enough evidence to follow a deranged lunatic-looking person with evil eyes who just used electricity to kill a Jedi

1 - it seemed as if they needed to cut to the chase. I too would of really loved to of seen this relationship between Anakin and Sidious develop. Some of the dialogue seemed to allude to their relationship strengthening during the end of Episode 2, and the begining of Episode 3.

2 - Discussed this with a few friends. It came down to she was refering to her "adpoted" mother. The only one she ever knew. imho, I still question it.

3 - The Chancelor/Darth Sidious didn't look that horrible before he fought Windu. After the fight with Windu when he was addressing the Senant members he mentioned how he was attacked by a Jedi which left him horribly disfigured. He didn't have the freaky look or the yellow/red eyes in Episodes 1 and 2.
---

I read a lot of other personal reviews during the day today... one of the biggest; and I'd have to agree with Vader's "NOOOOOOOOOOO" at the end of the movie. it just screamed cheesiness...

I found the sound effects to be quite lacking. I didn't have an optimal seat, as I was on one side, but I rarely if ever heard any ships/effects utilizing the rears surrounds. In addition my SVS makes more noise then what I heard in the theater. I've read a few accounts of other people stating the bass in their theaters (across the US) was quite lack-luster.

Here's the stuff that I really did enjoy and which stood out as being cool:

• The scene with Vader, Obi-wan and Padme on the lava planet was very convincing (at that point)
• Yoda kicks butt
• Obi-wan fighting a four armed robot and winning was pretty cool
• The lightsaver scenes avoided the "flashing blue and red lights" stupidity of the Dukoo/Anakin fight in the last movie - so kudos to Lucas for recognizing silliness and correcting it. I actually wouldn't mind if he added more to that scene digitally and rereleased the DVD just because it's so bad
• R2D2 kicks butt - it's so cool that he now has a history of being a little genius droid
• Palpatine is VERY powerful and amazing. Notice at the end he tells Vader that he (Vader) killed Padme - how did he know this unless he could sense that from across the galaxy.

OK, your turn!

oh my god I hated those flashing red and yellow lights at the end of Episode 2. I wouldn't be suprised if they put a little disclaimer at the begining of that scene about the possiblity of causing seizures.
All of the duels were GREAT in this movie. I did think the Dukoo fight at the begning of the movie was too short. Not to mention how little coaxing Anakin needed in lopping off his head.

I'm very much looking forward to going to see it again tomorrow night with my better half

-Mike

 

[gene]

Clint;

I was about to slap you upside the head for giving away this movie until I read your prior warning post Ok lets have at it.

1) You have to realize that Anakin was a derranged love struck teen. He was of the mindset of "If I can't have her, nobody can".
2) Yes the scene where he screemed "Noooo" was very misplaced and not genuine like Kirks "khan" scream. I almost reminded me of Zurg from Toy Story. Plus, couldn't they use a body builder in the Vadar suit? Vadar looked like he was anemic.
3) Do you really think Windu legitimately defeated Siddius? or was Siddius letting him win to ensure Anakin over? BTW, I was really pissed when they killed off Windu. IMO, he was underused in the movie.
4) Yes, Lucas screwed up. Leia clearly stated she remembered her mother as being "beautiful, but sad" implying she lived past child birth
5) Why would Obi Wan return luke to the planet where Anakin was born? Seems odd and predictable by Siddius if he would ever expect that Anakins child has survived. I guess its not really an issue though so..
6) I really missed the martial arts trained fighting scenes of Darth Maul. I wish they would have continued on with that type of choreography in the fighting scenes.

I walked away from the movie somewhat depressed. Seeing all the death and carnage (especially the children and Windu), seeing the betrayal Obi-Wan and Yodi endured, knowing both of them get old and eventually die, etc. However, the movie (barring some cheesy acting on Padme's part) was awesome!

BTW, the sound sucked, no thanks to the AMC25 superplex I saw it at. There are few theaters in florida that can do movies like this justice. I will eventually try to see this at the Disney theater which I hear is stellar.

 

[Electone]

I saw the film last night in a megaplex with lackluster sound as well. Here are my impressions:

1. All the CGI (although well done) left me with the impression that I was watching a cartoon at times. There are too many special effects to the point that my brain could not keep up with what was going on.

2. Anakin does seem to "flip the switch" to the Dark Side rather quickly.

3. I really didn't mind Vader's "Nooooooooo!" He just had every limb lopped off in one swift stroke, was charred like a briquette, forced into a full body suit that he can't live without, and learned that he murdered the only thing in the world that he cared for. I'd be pretty depressed as well!

4. I find it amazing that Jedi Knights are trained from a very young age as we see in the Jedi temple, but Luke Skywalker manages to take on Darth Vader after 2 or 3 days of Yoda's training on Dagobah??? Quite the crash course in Jedi arts!

5. As far as the acting goes, McGregor nails Kenobi, Christiensen does a 2000% better job this time, McDiarmid is fantastic as Palpatine, but Portman's role is reduced to being a quivering idiot in my opinion.

Overall I'd rank this one 3rd overall behind Empire and the original Star Wars.


5.

 

[zipper]

Just saw it this afternoon with my kids. Overall I loved it. Can't add much except to say I agree with most of the comments others have made. We were fortunate to see it in one of the THX(?) theatres at the cinemaplex we went to. The sound was actually pretty good, but I thought they could have had the volume up a bit more. Funny, they blast you out for a movie with marginal SE's but not for one that begs it.

There were a few minor discrepencies........Pagmas trip to the lava planet sure didn't take long........and yes, Leah told Luke "just images really" when he asked her if she remembered their mother.

But judging by my "2.5 hours went by fast" guage, I'd have to say I enjoyed it enough to go see it again.

 

[claudermilk]

Now that I've seen the movie, I can join the thread. Overall I don't feal cheated out of my time or money. I was wondering about all the comments I'd been reading & now understand. I agree that Anakin switched sides rather quickly, actually the phrase that comes to mind is he switches allegiance like we change shoes; I just couldn't buy into the turning to the dark side scene either. It was way too rushed; Lucas really could have made a whole other movie if he were to dig into the relationship between Palpatine and Anakin more thoroughly. The more I analyze it, the more I think Lucas had a fantastic framework that didn't quite get fleshed out as well as it could.

The SFX were indeed spectacular as were the fight scenes, but--am I really saying this?--they probably should have been cut back a bunch to allow for more time to develop the actual story of Anakin turning. I just keep coming back to that & how rushed the process there was. And, of course, the last minute or so could have been happily cut from the movie.

It seemd like the last half hour or so was dedicated to tying up loose ends to route you back into the first movie. We all know where everyone ends up & Lucas has no wiggle room there (i.e., we know Luke and Kenobi went to Tatooine and Leia was adopted by the Organas).

Why the reference the Chewbacca? Now I ask myself how did he end up falling in with Han? Also now I ask myself why did it take 18+ years to build the first Death Star & the second one only took a few?

 

[sts9fan]

Here's my long review

Crrrrrrraaaaaaaap

 

[gene]

Why the reference the Chewbacca? Now I ask myself how did he end up falling in with Han? Also now I ask myself why did it take 18+ years to build the first Death Star & the second one only took a few?

Haha I wondered that myself. Perhaps they built an extra as a backup. I just wonder how they can hurl a planet sized ball thru space at lightspeed, but then again the Borg do it in star trek

 

[hopjohn]

Dissappointments.

Echoing some of Clint's remarks. I wasn't convinced that Anakin would be so easily willing to do the Chancellor's bidding. At one point he was like
What have I done? ( in helping him defeat Windu ) and the next he was bowing at his feet. Furthermore, how was it that the Chancellor able to disguise that he was the Sith Lord for so long having spent years around the Jedi's. Was no one using the force, not even Yoda? I thought Jedi masters could sense the prescense of the dark side a little more accutely than this. Even after being told of the truth, Windu wasn't convinced. Couldn't he just have, searched his feelings, to know it to be true?

Someone already mentioned the Deathstar and the problems with the time frame, but also what of Boba Fett? I mean in the last episode he was like what 9 or 10? and now he is as old as his father was when was killed (played by the same actor as the father I believe)

Another time frame problem. Early on Padme was slated at 3 months prego, and yet she gives birth to what appears to be perfectly normal sized twin kiddos by the end of the flick. Were Luke and Leia premies or did 5-6 months go by and I missed it? And how is it that you just die in your mid twenties when nothing is wrong with you other than a lack of "will to live"? If so I'd have died a couple of times over here at my computer chair while reading these forums.


Enjoyments

I was glad to see the final episode come to a close, irregardless of the quality of the film. If gave me a sense of closure in a weird sense having watched the first episode of this epic over 25 year ago!!! That's something in itself.

Anytime you can add chewbacca to a film, it's going to pretty well improve it. I loved when yoda climbed on him. Nice touch.

Really like the battle between Yoda and the Chancellor. Having it in the senate stadium was a really cool idea.


Improvements

I enjoyed the Chancellor's story of how he came to learn of the Dark Side and of the sith way of saving people's lives. Though now I wonder if it wasn't just some huge lie. It would have been nice to see flashbacks of what had occured with this other longtime Sith Lord, and how exactly he was murdered.

 

[Mega2000]

here is a cool link that tells the story of all the sith lords...

http://thunder.prohosting.com/~spiff/Lords.html

I loved the movie and have already seen it 3 times. First time I saw it, it seemed rushed and flew by. After the first time it doesn't seem so rushed when you see it again. I wish there was a longer fight w/ Dooku (why didn't they call him Darth Tyranus?) and I wish there was more Grievous light saber action. I would have like to see him take some Jedi out like he does in the clone wars cartoon.

Darth Vader's "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" seemed cheesy because Vader isn't supposed to show emotion, he is Vader damit! it just didn't fit. it was a square peg in a round hole.

All in all I loved the movie and thought it was awesome and was on par with the original trilogy, it even made me like EP1 and 2 more and thanks to the wonders of the internet I actually have the copy of EP III that is floating around on the internet and plan to watch it a few hundred times while waiting for it to come out on DVD (I head as early as November)

 

[mtrycrafts]

Didn't Leia say she actually knew her mother the tiniest bit?

Not sure but she has some of the Jedi powers and possibly she may have gotten these insights while still being a fetus?

 

[Audioholics]

Anytime you can add chewbacca to a film, it's going to pretty well improve it. I loved when Yoda climbed on him. Nice touch.

Also cool when you realize that's the first and last time Yoda ever sees Chewbacca.

The wookies, though, were gratuitous. It was reminiscent of the Naboo battle, but about 20 minutes too short and almost pointless due to its brevity. Lucas had to have a planetary battle for his plotline routine so he did it on the wookie planet.

The Vader "Noooo" at the end didn't bother me. Almost a last expression of emotion barring anger) that Vader gives before resolving himself to being who he is.

That turning scene continues to bother me though - as being completely implausible. Just like in ROTJ when Vader mentions Leia to get Luke mad, thre needed to be some kind of catalyst to make Anakin turn - and it was completely missing. Instead it was the sum of lots of things and it just didn't come through to me.

 

[Takeereasy]

I just want to address this one:

4) Yes, Lucas screwed up. Leia clearly stated she remembered her mother as being "beautiful, but sad" implying she lived past child birth

God this is going to be nerdy but here goes. They alluded in the movie that the unborn Luke and Leia were aware in the womb. Both newborns saw their mother, even if only for a second, so..... isn't it possible Leia remembers the moment she saw her mother as a newborn and remembers feelings she had before birth?

I really did like this movie despite its flaws. I give it a 7.5 out of ten, and for me that's saying something.

I was afraid that they wouldn't make it dark or graphic enough, instead I warned away friends with very little kids due to the content. I have to admit a dark enjoyment in seeing Anakin trying to jump over Obi Wan. How'd that work out for ya chief? The theater I saw it in had just recently upgraded to THX in order to be allowed to show the movie and the sound was phenominal. The part I hated was people cheering and clapping everytime Yoda threw down.

The NOOOOOOOO at the end was most def. cheesey, and Vader must have hit the gym after this installment to bulk up for the future. Problems were minor compared to the overall quality of this film though. This is the only one of the new 3 that I will buy.

 

[Audioholics]

I have to say though, that when Yoda threw the two Emporer's Guards into the wall it was a classic moment. In my theater everyone laughed. To me that was one of the coolest moments.

It's funny you go from intensely cool, young Jedi fights into the next 3 movies where it's "old men and boys" fighting - no fancy footwork, etc. The best fight scene in the first trilogy is in Jedi - and that's pathetic compared to these three movies. It will be interesting to go through all 6 now.

 

[bumblebee]

In another forum, someone opined that Leia was referring to Bail Organa's wife as her mother. Not Padme.

 

[Takeereasy]

I agree with Clint that the fight scenes in the original 3 are pretty weak compared to the new generation of movies. To be honest though none of the fight scenes in ROTS were as good as when Darth Maul scrapped it out in installment one. And yes it was cool when Yoda "waved" the two Imperial Guards unconscience, everyone, including me laughed. There is no way around Yoda being the man. I do think that the Original Star Wars movies were epics, and that the new ones (barring ROTS) are more akin to Saturday morning cartoons. Star Wars (now a New Hope) was released in 1977! The best special effects of the time were claymation, so the guys watching that movie probably were standing around the water cooler the next morning talking about how awesome those fight scenes were. That's my opinion anyway.

 

[ducker]

I just finished watching 4-6 again this past weekend. I just had to after seeing Episode 3 twice.

I seriously think it was a bond that Leia had with mother, Padme, and she felt/knew that her mother was "beautiful and sad". If both Leia and Luke had a strong concentration of the force within them.. why not? Luke has a connection/bond with his father, Anakin. So I can understand why Leia might.

Also... in Jedi, they went and replaced actor for the ghost of Anakin with Christian Hayden; yet didn't change the credits... wow... if I was Hayden, I'd be pissed... At least some mention would be nice.

As far as the lightsaber fights in all the other movies, they are rather tame vs. Episode 1-3; even when the older jedi fight (Quigon, Yoda, Sidious) the battles are quite dramatic and fast paced. Where as in 4-6 all the battles look rather simplistic. I just have to tell myself that it's a different "style"...

 

[Rob Babcock]

Yes, the lightsaber duels in the prequels reflect the times and show the influence of the Hong Kong martial arts genre. The fights in the old movies were fairly uneventful and mundane, whereas the new films have some pretty spectacular fight choreography. I guess I prefer the newer style, but the final Luke vs Vader fight in Jedi was epic!

 

[Mega2000]

i agree that the vader/luke fight in ROTJ was epic and still my favorite. it might not have the choreography but it felt like it had more feeling and emotion. or maybe it is just the feeling that i got when i first saw it has stuck with me over the years.

the obi-won/anikin fight is right up there though.

i really love this movie and it is a great way to end the saga