[HCSF] *Official* 3NS Members ROTS Review Thread

Members of the 3NS Community,

As you probably know, GARTH_MAUL and I will be starting a few threads prior to the release of Revenge of the Sith in which members who have seen
the film can discuss it after seeing their respective premiers.

This particular thread has been designed as a place for us, the 3NS Community, to provide Spoiler-Free reviews for those among us who are not going to be fortunate enough to see the film on opening night.


REMINDER: As in all [HCSF] threads, no official information of any kind is allowed. Please only provide your general impression of the film as a whole. The penalty for delving into movie specifics in this thread will be severe. Don't do it!


Some members of our community have been fortunate enough to have seen the film already. If they'd like to start us off by telling us their initial impressions, they are more than welcome.



Mace Windy,
revenge of the wind!

 

First.


Edit:

 

Yeah, but you didn't provide a review, so what good are you, ya goober!



Mace Windy,
revenge of the wind!

 

I rate this movie an A-

It is dark and depressing and left me feeling sad and empty. As it was meant to. The action is great, the acting much improved over I and II, the dialogue memorable, the story makes sense. I have a couple of very minor complaints, but only because I am very picky.

It has more cool moments than I can even count. More funny moments than I and II. More excellent action than all the other movies combined, perhaps. The digital effects have matured to the point where they are in the background, and now the story is front and center.

It has made TPM and AOTC better movies in my mind. It has flipped the PT to be my favorite now. It has changed my perceptions of every character and every institution in the Star Wars universe.

It completes the saga. It darkens and deepens the saga. It is truly tragic.

 

For those who missed my review last week, here it is:

Here is my spoiler-free review of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, at the Ziegfeld Theater in NYC.

I don't know if going into the theater mostly spoiler-free affected my reaction, I still enjoyed TPM and AOTC although I was severely spoiled. Here we go...

This movie is the tragic chapter of the saga. I tried many times to hold back tears but the thought of the last SW movie and the darkness of this film left me completely drained....but totally satified as to how GL tied everything together. It's overwhelming. It's beautiful. It's depressing. It set out to shock us all and it does it many, many times.

Ian, Hayden and Ewan were all fantastic. Everyone else did a great job with what was given to them. SFX and the digital presentation just blew me away, even better than the digital version of AOTC. If you can drive 500+ miles to a digital theater then DO IT. It is so much better than film there's no comparison. I can't really say much else without giving away a spoiler, but rest assured, you will all be very, very happy you stayed spoiler free. The film has eliminated the whole PT-OT separation for me. I will refer to the films as EP1-6 or their titles from now on....

I also view the saga differently after this film. Certain characters are much more important than I realized, and I have a different view of the Jedi, Sith and the prophecy of the Force. I never expected that to happen.

Obviously due to the HCSF nature of this review I cannot get into the details, but I know you will want to discuss this film with fellow SW fans after seeing it. It's that good.

No wait. It is better than good. Great? No...it's PERFECT. I cannot wait to see it again.

 

SOB! My wretched cousin (who swore the prequels sucked) appears to have caught an early preview of it.

He loved it!

G-d I hate him.

 

bump

 

Come on! Where is everyone? Don't we have anyone from Europe that's home yet from the midnight shows???

 

****ing 'ell!

This movie was worth ALL the hype for me. I went in somewhat spoiled (25% perhaps) but it was still perfect, absolutely perfect.

There were moments I could've sobbed and sobbed but with 3 friends along I managed to hold on to avoid embarassment.

It doesn't really change much of the PT for me (at least in my thoughts - I'll need to review them properly) but the OT is so, so, so much heavier now.

Anakin is TRULY the tragic hero of this saga.

 

Come on! Where is everyone? Don't we have anyone from Europe that's home yet from the midnight shows???

Well, considering the roughly six hour time difference between Europe and the Eastern U.S., I'm guessing no. But there should be people in Australia who have seen it by now.

 

I can not wait to read some of your reviews in the morning.

7:30pm tomorrow can not get here fast enough

 

Actually, there should be plenty from Europe now. Here in Germany there were plenty of evening showings, not actually midnight. Many, like me, should be coming home now.

 

Well don't we have some users in Eastern Europe! Come on! I want to know what they think! The spoiler forum reviews are sounding quite good. Most think it is brilliant a few thought only good. I think I only saw one that didn't like it.

Plus I understand France got it yesterday?

 

This film is absolutely BRILLIANT. THere is no other way to put it. If it does not get a nomination for best picture I will be quite depressed, even if it doesn't win ("the academy doesn't give best picture to sci-fi flicks blah blah blah"), this is by far the most well-made and character driven chapter in the saga.

 

There is no way in hell I can review this film right now.

It has made every other SW film better. It is brilliant. I am overwhelmed.

I can't believe I have to go to work tomorrow. I'll just be replaying all these scenes in my mind...

I knew EVERYTHING that was going to happen, and as soon as the Lucasfilm logo came up, it didn't matter.

 

Tragic, depressing, dark.
You're left feeling hollow and empty. I cried at a few spots. Girls especially walked out wiping their eyes away. I'm tearing up just thinking of scenes!
Man. Tragic...

 

OH MY GOD!!

The wait is killing me. Just 12 more hours. This is going to be the longest day ever

EDIT:
This is the only thread I now feel safe in. Hopefully some people will post some reactions after they have a chance to wake up.

It is wierd I am like nervous/anxious to get today over with so I can get to the mmovies tonight.

 

Was it so good some of you can't even post about it yet? I was hoping to read several dozen first response posts this morning. Where are they all? I have 5 hours to go and want to hear what everyone thought before I head out.

 

Completely, totally overwhelmed. No way could I do a coherant review right now, let alone one that's spoiler-free. (Which is why I've been sticking to the [ROTS] threads.) Just suffice to say that I loved it.

 

This is an excerpt from an email I wrote to two friends of mine who haven't seen it yet--I think it's a fairly decent spolier-free version of my reaction:

--

As soon as ROTS ended, I turned to my friend who was sitting next to me and said, "I have been waiting for this movie essentially my entire life. I have never gone into a film with such high expectations, and never again will go into any film with such high expectations. And this movie absolutely obliterated my expectations".

So yeah, it's awesome. Literally breathtaking at points, frequently shocking (lots of stuff you figured couldn't happen in a Star Wars movie). upsetting to the point that I'm still kind of bummed out. We know the story--we've known since A New Hope when Obi-Wan tells Anakin about Vader helping to hunt down the Jedi, since Vader told Luke about his true heritage, since Obi told Luke the whole story for the first time, on Dagobah in ROTJ. I think one of the film's many accomplishments is that even though we know what's going to happen, it's still unsettling, still tragic, still heartbreaking.

I have to be honest--I know that all this sounds like hyperbole, but I don't think I could overhype this movie or raise your expectations too high. This might be the perfect Star Wars movie, and I definitely think that this is the one Lucas wanted to make all along, but couldn't: during 4-5-6, he was restricted by the technology, and during 1 and 2, he was rectricted by the lack of a compelling story, because they were essentially two movies' worth of exposition.

--

In a way, I'm jealous of those who haven't seen it yet. I will see ROTS many more times, but no subsequent viewing will match the unspoiled experience I had last night. Have a blast, guys!

 

I really can't put into words how much i enjoyed and appreciated RotS, you have to see it for yourself.

It's incredible.

- O_F

 

This was the greatest movie!!! I loved every minute, and it was just truly heartbreaking!! I cried a lot. Sure some of the love scenes were cheese but I loved them, and they only lasted for a second (sadly I thought) Grievous was awesome and everyone was at the top of their game acting-wist IMO. I can't wait to see it again

 

This movie is a great and unique film accomplishment.
It is as gripping and stirring as any movie ever made within the realm of action/advenutre or sci-fi/fantasy.

It's a Shakespearean/Greek tragedy in a Sci-Fi World. Oedipus, Othello, Hamlet, Milton's Satan... they're all here in brief glimpses. The classical themes SW uses have never been stronger.
Tone- You will be shocked at the darkness. The sadness is palpable.
Pace- Breakneck. The start of the movie is classic SW swashbuckling but on steroids.
Acting- solid all around and great at many points. Ian and Ewan are sublime. Oz is fantastic as Yoda. Portman is believable in her despair while Hayden takes on a very tough job and gets it done.
Music- Brilliant and haunting
Special Effects- The best ever seen. The space battle makes the geonosis one look like a cartoon.
Emotion- Real and heart breaking for those who let themsleves get absorbed by this tale.
Editing- truly masterful, especially in the last hour.

Overall, it makes every single other SW movie better, heavier, and more complex.

 

I'll probably be posting many reviews after I see the movie many times.

3NS members generally know that I was completely spoiled. I knew everything that was going to happen. And yet, once the Lucasfilm logo came up, it didn't matter.

I was immediately involved in the story. The last hour, I don't think anybody made a sound in the entire theatre.

My reaction now, having had some time to sort my thoughts out, is that this is probably the best film of the entire Saga. The best plot, the best acting, the best effects, some of the best action.

That being said, I'm not sure how often I will be able to watch it. We all know, to a certain extent, what is going to happen - we've known ever since watching ANH.

Yet Lucas has to be given much credit for making the inevitable unpredictable and gripping.

The film obviously has to bridge the PT and the OT, and it was kind of a weird movie, because there were some parts that felt so very, very like the OT, yet some that were pure PT.

I would say it combined many of the best traits of both trilogies, positively affects every other film in the Saga, and truly makes Star Wars into a SAGA in the fullest sense.

The acting is by far the best of the PT and probably the best of the Saga. I was ready to cringe, seeing Hayden and Natalie, but they were great. Each had maybe one moment where I was like "meh", but honestly, I used to think Lucas made a mistake in casting Natalie Portman, but she is GREAT in this film. Hayden is a relevation, light years ahead of his performance in AOTC.

Ewan McGregor is allowed to be a little more upbeat and mischievous, and Obi-Wan is definitely the coolest character in ROTS.

Ian McDiarmid, Yoda/Frank Oz, and Good Old R2-D2 are also amazing. Sam Jackson is great as Mace, definitely his best performance.

The effects and environments were stunning, and I didn't get to see it on a digital screen. I can expect that the DVD will be the best-looking film of all time.

Don't be surprised to feel some kind of malaise, disappointment or ennui as you leave the theatre. My first reaction was sadness and disappointment, which I thought maybe was directed to the movie.

But no - it's because it is a HEAVY movie, and the Journey is now complete. Now that I've had 12 hours to think about it, I realize how truly amazing Revenge of the Sith is. I can't wait to see it again.

It makes you feel and it makes you think, whilst being incredibly entertaining.

Many would say this "redeems" the vision of George Lucas.

I'm not one that believed any kind of redemption was necessary, but I will say that this film clearly elevates the entire Saga above some kind of pop-culture entertainment into the "symphony" of adventure and love, mythology and betrayal, that Lucas always talked about.

A masterpiece. The Saga, if not ROTS alone.

 

Garth,I totally agree with you on the saga part. And I am liking ROTS more and more as time goes by. I think it is just taking me a little longer than 12 hours to beat the initial depressed, kicked in the gut (as somebody called it) feeling.