Episode III

[rm]

The short version is that I concur with most people. It's satisfying as a conclusion to the trilogy and it's a much, much better film than the first two.

The long version also involves much concurring with people. The thing still has some amazing clunkers in the dialogue ("Love won't save you, only my new powers will" has to be my favourite dumbass thing ever uttered. How lame.) and the acting runs the gamut from people who aren't good actors lost at sea, to good actors fighting the good fight, to good actors who just don't give a shit, because dude, they're in Star Wars (thank you, Samuel Jackson)!

When it works, it works spectacularly, but I always found that as much as my emotional response was in those moments, "stop showing us this" the film always cut away from it just a little too early, I really wanted to be pushed beyond what was tolerable in terms of details of the tragedy, but it never quite happened.

As several friends have noted, Obi-wan's characterization is really different here, and there are lots of ways I can get at it in shorthand that don't quite hit the point. He's a strange character, who in this film seems to choose to be lonely (which is quite a different thing than a Jedi merely being beyond attachments) before it is required of him. And I want to know why.

Dude, you cast Whale Rider girl to do nothing? Shame, shame. I love Whale Rider girl.

The Qui-gon moment... errrr. That needed to have been handled better on several points, the listing of which would take longer than the actual moment, which is absurd.

I don't think Hayden Christiansen or however you spell it is hot. I really, really don't get it. And everything about the Padme/Anakin relationship sucks the way Romeo and jueliet usually sucks -- these kids are _crazy_ and _children_ why are we pretending anything about their love is reasonable?

Footnote: I randomly wore to the theatre this new linen shirt I bought because I like it and it's comfortable and all, but somewhere about 45 minutes into the movie I uncrossed and recrossed my legs and almost killed myself trying not to laugh outloud -- white linen tunicy thing, and my jeans tucked into my knee-high boots because it had been raining earlier. It seems that when I am not being the intentional geek, I am being the accidental geek.

Also I want fic, and I want it now. Not even sure what about. Just good brainy, engrossing writing mainly. Also a theory on that random bit of banter surrounding the time Anakin didn't actually save Obi-wan's life? That has major potential for some really stupendously screwy crack!fic, yeah?

Comments

[anathemadevice.livejournal.com]

Actually, the time Anakin didn't save Obi-Wan's life was detailed in the the book Labyrinth of Evil, which led right into the beginning of ROTS. Sorry. ;)

[laurel]

I liked it, but there were moments that weren't quite right that should've been better.

And was it just me or was the score not as good as it could've been? One of the few things I loved about Episode I was the score and how just plain Big it was for Qui-Gon's fight and end. Somehow it should've been even More here, if that makes sense.

Ever since a friend brought up the timeline, I've been bugged by it. How old are Luke and Leia when we meet them in Episode IV? I always figured 17 or 18 or so.

So, like, Obi-Wan seriously aged in that time period. Or maybe Ewan MacGregor just didn't seem as old as he was supposed to in this movie. I figure Darth/Anakin would've aged faster 'cuz of all he went through.

Man, I'm a geek. Will be seeing it again with my fiance as he hasn't seen it yet. Will see how it holds up on second viewing.

[alterjess.livejournal.com]

Obi-wan chooses to be lonely because he can't bring himself to tell Anakin his true feelings. Sadly, nobody told this to Alec Guiness, and so the slash ends with Ep 3.

(I've been muttering "Fear leads to anger, anger leads to het, het leads to the Dark Side" under my breath for two weeks now.)

[hightekvagabond.livejournal.com]

Actually, my biggest issue with Ep III is that he made a very deliberate point of creating many young Star Wars fans in a new generation in the way he created Ep I and Ep II, and then he went and made this one just too gorey for small children. It could of been edited differently and given the exact same effect without the need to show gore.

I know this doesn't affect you personally but it was a horrible trick to play on children and parents alike. I mean, come on, I went to the first Star Wars in the theatre with my dad at 5 years old, I raised my daughter to be a fan, and now I've gotta tell her she can't see this movie.... Damn you to hell Lucas!

[justpat.livejournal.com]

I've heard that III takes place 19 years before the Battle of Yavin, in which the Death Star was destroyed. If Obi-Wan was around 40 in this movie (hinted at by the little licks of grey at his temples), he'd be a weathered 60 in IV.

If we assume that the establishment of an empire leads to stagnation (or even degredation) in the sciences, then that explains why IV seems much more low-tech than III.

[ladypeculiar.livejournal.com]

I guess also the Emperor ordered the dismantling of all droids, which explains the lack of droids in the later films. Kinda, almost.

I dunno. It doesn't explain why awsome puppets, manipulated by some of the best puppeteers alive USED to be CGI non-puppets. I'm a fan of the puppets, I missed them a lot.