Star Wars Discussion Thread v. Rogue One

[gmillerdrake]

Spoiler alert: You have not judged them too harshly. They're just bad.

  

[hefdaddy42]

Um, yeah.

[gmillerdrake]

Well, I hope the boys like them. 

[Polarbear]

Watched that R1 about 10 times already!

Judging by the trailer, the movie is going to look visually stunning. Im hoping characters and story hold up as well. Im probably most excited, to see what Ben Mendelsohn is going to do with his character.

Also interested to see how Vader and Saw Gerrera from the Clone Wars show, are going to fit into this!

[kaos2900]

Episode I is easily the worst film. Episode II is okay. LOVE Episode III. Also, I have 2 episodes left of Clone Wars, just make sure to watch in chronological order. Fantastic show that makes the questionable things in Episode I and II more tolerable. If you haven't yet, you should start watching Rebels. Lots of tie ins to Clone Wars.

[Big Hath]

Well, I hope the boys like them. 

I think they probably will.  My 7 year old thought they were great.


I watched them with him fairly recently after not having seen them since they were released.  We had to break up each movie into about 4 viewing sections due to bed time, etc and I think that really helped to break up the stuff that sucked so it wasn't so overwhelming all at once.

[gmillerdrake]

just make sure to watch in chronological order.

We are. Been watching a couple episodes at a time when we get the chance. We're nearly done with the first season.

We will probably move on to Rebels after we finish Clone Wars.

[ariich]

Episode I is easily the worst film. Episode II is okay. LOVE Episode III.

Bingo.

[Kotowboy]

Episode III is the best just by dint of being the least shit.


Episode I has the Podrace which is fun but that's about it.

[pogoowner]

Episode III is the best just by dint of being the least shit.

Yeah, I honestly think Episode III is REALLY BAD. It's just maybe a little bit less bad than I and II.

[Adami]

Episode III is the best just by dint of being the least shit.


Episode I has the Podrace which is fun but that's about it.

Yup.

Episode 1 actually good elements. I loved Qui gon Jin. I liked large parts of the three way light saber fight.

Not much more sadly.

[bosk1]

There was a lot more to it that I found good.  The entire opening sequences aboard the Trade Federation ship.  The political intrigue.  Seeing more of Tatooine, and how it truly was corrupt and in the grip of the Huts.  Corruscant, the Senate, and the Jedi Temple.  The Gungans as a race, apart from Jar Jar.  It's just that at any given moment, you'd get something ridiculous to undermine the coolness.  For as interesting as the Gungans could have been, we got Jar Jar.  For as interesting as Tatooine was, we got a pod race with a silly tone and Anakin just getting lucky rather than really showing that he could subconsciously tap into the force.  As with all the prequel trilogy movies, I felt like Lucas gave us plenty of reasons to like each and every one of them, but then completely distracted us with reasons to hate them.  There is plenty of good there.  But if I am too busy trying to explain away the bad, it ceases to be worth it.

[Adami]

There was a lot more to it that I found good.  The entire opening sequences aboard the Trade Federation ship.  The political intrigue.  Seeing more of Tatooine, and how it truly was corrupt and in the grip of the Huts.  Corruscant, the Senate, and the Jedi Temple.  The Gungans as a race, apart from Jar Jar.  It's just that at any given moment, you'd get something ridiculous to undermine the coolness.  For as interesting as the Gungans could have been, we got Jar Jar.  For as interesting as Tatooine was, we got a pod race with a silly tone and Anakin just getting lucky rather than really showing that he could subconsciously tap into the force.  As with all the prequel trilogy movies, I felt like Lucas gave us plenty of reasons to like each and every one of them, but then completely distracted us with reasons to hate them.  There is plenty of good there.  But if I am too busy trying to explain away the bad, it ceases to be worth it.

I think those things are great ideas. If executed well, they would have been good, but I feel for much of those, Lucas missed the mark.

[BlobVanDam]

Episode III is the best just by dint of being the least shit.

That's how I feel. It's because the standard of the first two was so low that I'd consider Ep 3 the "best" of them, plus there's a bit more nostalgia with seeing Vader. But I actually found it entirely boring, and predictable, since we basically know how it ends going in. The last half hour was tedious just seeing it do the obligatory connect slot A to tab B. There wasn't anything about the movie I'd actually call "good".
But nonetheless I think most of us agree it is relatively better than Ep 1 & 2.

[gmillerdrake]

Spoiler alert: You have not judged them too harshly. They're just bad.

Um, yeah.

OK...you guys tried to warn me. Yeah....that was actually worse than I remembered. I actually can't get over just how incredibly dry and stagnate the characters are. Other than the little kid who played Anakin...who sucked IMO....it's not like those were horrible actors. It proves to me that Lucas really can't direct, and....he should consider himself incredibly fortunate to get the praise he does. STAR WARS is an awesome idea and universe and he did 'create' it....but man....that was a brutal movie to watch.

My kids said they liked it but even they questioned the ending and the droid war on Naboo. My middle son laughed out loud at the animation and said 'it's like they put a cartoon in the middle of the movie'. I know that technology has advanced 10 fold since that movie was made but man...it was glaringly obvious just how animated the large portion of that movie was and when compare to TFA and the practical effects it's no wonder TFA was such a breath of fresh air.

Episode II tonight.....

[BlobVanDam]

Don't expect Ep II to be any better. Many people even consider it worse (although I personally think Ep I is untouchably bad). Ep III is the only one I think anyone has a chance of truly liking.

[Kotowboy]

Don't expect Ep II to be any better. Many people even consider it worse (although I personally think Ep I is untouchably bad). Ep III is the only one I think anyone has a chance of truly liking.

I can sit through The Phantom Menace. I can't say that about Attack Of The Clones. Horribly boring. Plot is impossible to follow ( plus I probably wasn't paying attention )....and horrible

lurve story.

[BlobVanDam]

I can't sit through TPM at all. Kid Anakin fumbling his way to being the hero is beyond insufferable throughout.

[Scorpion]

I recently rewatched all of them, and it wouldn't be DTF without rankings, so here you go:

The Empire Strikes Back
A New Hope
The Force Awakens

Return of the Jedi




Revenge of the Sith








Attack of the Clones
The Phantom Menace

[BlobVanDam]

Looks like a pretty damn agreeable ranking to me.

[gmillerdrake]

Looks like a pretty damn agreeable ranking to me.

Yep. That's exactly how I'd rank them.

[Super Dude]

I recently rewatched all of them, and it wouldn't be DTF without rankings, so here you go:

The Empire Strikes Back
A New Hope
The Force Awakens

Return of the Jedi




Revenge of the Sith








Attack of the Clones
The Phantom Menace

Switch TPM for AoTC and you got mine.

[Polarbear]

I recently rewatched all of them, and it wouldn't be DTF without rankings, so here you go:

The Empire Strikes Back
A New Hope
The Force Awakens

Return of the Jedi




Revenge of the Sith








Attack of the Clones
The Phantom Menace

Switch TPM for AoTC and you got mine.

Same here! AoTC is so bad that i was laughing the whole way through, when i saw it recently. TPM has a couple of redeeming moments, and ROTS manages not to completely suck.

[ariich]

Don't expect Ep II to be any better. Many people even consider it worse (although I personally think Ep I is untouchably bad). Ep III is the only one I think anyone has a chance of truly liking.

Anyone? Seriously?

[Kotowboy]

Out of the 3.

[BlobVanDam]

Don't expect Ep II to be any better. Many people even consider it worse (although I personally think Ep I is untouchably bad). Ep III is the only one I think anyone has a chance of truly liking.

Anyone? Seriously?

Well I'm sure someone out there loves Ep 1/2, but they don't count.

[bosk1]

Cool TFA "easter eggs & references" video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DglBQf3U5Xs

I know there are tons of these kinds of things out there, and I usually ignore most of them, but I found this one to be pretty good.

[BlobVanDam]

RIP Kenny Baker, aka R2D2.

[King Postwhore]

I just read that Blob.

Episode 1 was that bad.
Episode 2 was a B-
Episode 3 is worth watching.

If I remember correctly,  Lucas had 60% of his whole storyline he wrote in Episode 3. 

[Kotowboy]

RIP Kenny Baker, aka R2D2.

  WHY

WHYYY


WHYYYYY




Wasn't it Anthony Daniels???

[gmillerdrake]

Line of the night thus far during Episode II.....my middle son after watching Anakin whine to Padima on Tatooine after slaughtering the Sand People....


"They're just Sand People trying to live their lives.....and then some psycho comes along and chop them all up."


And.....this movie is just as brutal. I can't get over how bad the acting is.

[ariich]

And.....this movie is just as brutal. I can't get over how bad the acting is.

The guy that played Anakin was so appallingly bad (though he was much improved, to the point of being just-about-adequate, in episode III). And some of the dialogue is really poor. But there is some fantastic stuff in the film as well, and overall I find it pretty good.

[King Postwhore]

It's the writing and directing that's poor on episode 2.  For mec the films are rated,

V
IV
VII
III
VI
II
I

[Super Dude]

And.....this movie is just as brutal. I can't get over how bad the acting is.

The guy that played Anakin was so appallingly bad (though he was much improved, to the point of being just-about-adequate, in episode III). And some of the dialogue is really poor. But there is some fantastic stuff in the film as well, and overall I find it pretty good.

I have to push back on that, actually. He is a decent actor if you look at some of the other (well-directed) stuff he's done, and over the years it's come out that he was actually very frustrated by the process and how shitty of an actor George Lucas was. That's why his performance comes out so stilted, apparently.

[orcus116]

I can't sit through TPM at all. Kid Anakin fumbling his way to being the hero is beyond insufferable throughout.

I'd watch a million hours of Jake Lloyd before watching Hayden Christensen attempt to deliver horribly written romantic dialogue and whatever the hell Lucas' mind thinks teenage angst is.