AOTC Chapter 41: "This Party is Over" DISCUSSION

Until the release of ROTS on 5/19/05, I would like to discuss AOTC chapter by chapter on the DVD. There are 47 chapters to discuss over the next eight months, excluding Chapter 1: Opening Logos, Chapter 2: Attack of the Clones and Chapter 50: End Credits.

Each discussion will last 5 days. At the end of 5 days, the following chapter will be posted.

Chapter 41: "This Party is Over"
DISCUSSION: March 7, 2005 - March 11, 2005
DVD TIME INDEX: 109:48 - 116:15

Synopsis:
Mace Windu arrives on Geonosis, creeping up behind Dooku, Fett and Lesser, who stand in a luxury box. Windu approaches even closer and ignites his purple lightsaber against Jango's neck. Dooku turns around to greet this adversary. Windu says that the party's over. Suddenly hundreds of Jedi appear all around the Geonosian Arena. Our heroes on the reek are surprised. Dooku tells Windu that his attack is commendable, but foolish in the long run. Super Battle Droids come down the corridor firing at WIndu. Jango then shoots flames at the Jedi, knocking him out of the box and onto the floor. Battle droids rush into the arena fighting Jedi. The battle begins. Two Jedi throw Anakin and Obi-Wan lightsabers and they get loose. Geonosians flee the arena. The Jedi and Padme fall off the reek and continue to fight their enemies. Anakin and Padme climb back on the reek and take out some droids. Battle Droid-Threepio and Threepio-Battle Droid enter the arena. Mace and Obi-Wan begin to fight side by side. In the luxury box, Jango protects Dooku from an invading Jedi. A reek tries to run over Mace Windu as the bounty hunter Fett rockets onto the arena floor. Windu loses his blade. Jango tries to grab it, but it ends up back in Mace's hand. The reek then tramples over Fett, whose jetpack has been destroyed. Jango gets back up and shoots the reek. Fett fires at Mace, who deflects every shot and decapitates the bounty hunter. Count Dooku and Boba Fett are shocked by the recent events. The battle between Jedi and droids rages on. Amidst the battle Kit Fisto Force-pushes Battle Droid-Threepio. Destroyer droids knocks Anakin and Padme's reek to the ground. They take shelter in the turned over cart. Obi-Wan fights an acklay, cuttting off all of its legs. Artoo come over to Battle Droid-Threepio and pops the protocol droid's head off, dragging it acros the arena. The Super Battle Droids and Battle Droids continue to overpower the Jedi. Artoo brings Threepio's head over to his body and begins to attach his counterpart. The enemy has surrounded the Jedi. Suddenly the droids stop. Dooku says his adversary has fought gallantly today, worthy of recognition in the archives. Windu doesn't buy the compliment and refuses to be bartered along with the rest of the Jedi. Dooku orders the Jedi to surrender. END OF CHAPTER

Opinion:
The Jedi arrive in the nick of time to further the action sequence closer to the actual Clone War battle. Some good action, but lacks a few key elements to make this much better than it is.

I like how one thing builds upon another. The execution brings you Mace and the other Jedi. Mace brings you Yoda in the next chapter, etc. It take the arena battle and multiplies it by one hundred. There are individual battles like Mace vs. Jango, which I am not a big fan of. Jango should have lived or not gone out like some punk. Obi-Wan, Anakin and Padme have their battles separating them at times.

Extending some of the ridiculous plots hurt this chapter. The Battle Droid-Threepio subplot is ridiculous, especially with the droid's annoying wit. The idea of aggressive negotations was a plot, I think that needed to be brought full-circle. Windu's entrance is well done, but I'm surprised Dooku didn't sense Mace behind him. Surprising since Sith can sense things.

The surrender line is a nice finish to this action sequence. Now we can go one step further with the battle outside of the arena. Pretty good chapter with some things I would definitely fix.

 

The Threepio battle droid plot ridiculous? Is your "head on straight?" Man,"what a drag!" You've got me so upset "I'm quite beside myself!!!" ;-)

 

This party is over...

Dooku sounds like a bad parent here.

 

OK chapter, but its edited really badly. The jedi appear to be winning through the hole battle, except from a few deaths her and there, but suddenly there are only a few jedi remaining in the center surrounded by battledroids.

My point is that we don't really see a transition from winning the battle to losing it. Yes, we do see some of the jedi being pushed into the center, but its too sudden and we still see a lot of jedi fighting droids around R2 and C3PO and apparently having no problems destroying the droids around them, but in the next scene they are suddenly all dead or at the center of the arena.

We should have seen more scenes of droids entering the arena and not just the one time at the beginning.


Loved Obi Wans fight with the creature though.

 

I thought it was a great chapter, except for the c-3po joke, but I guess that was for the kids. I did see several young kids giggling in the theatre when that happened. At least Lucas is looking out for the young'ns

Also, whoever said something about the Jedi winning, then suddenly losing, I noticed that too.

In the scene before that, the Jedi are all scattered, but succesfully fending off droids individually, but in the next scene they are all bunched up and retreating.

 

"Windu's entrance is well done, but I'm surprised Dooku didn't sense Mace behind him. Surprising since Sith can sense things."

Maybe that's because the audience wasn't supposed to know he was a Sith until later in the film. But I know they could have hinted at it a bit more.

Anyway, this is probably my favorite chapter in the movie. I love Mace's entrance... it just rocks. But why wasn't Jango wearing his helmet at the start of the scene?

 

I actuly like the chapter after this better, it sets up for yodas arrival nicly.

 

Love this chapter escpecially for Mace's classic line: This party's over!

He just ROCKS!

 

I loved Mace's entrance. All the Jedi igniting their sabres throught the Execution Arena was hot! The dialogue between Dooku and Windu was ominous and had hidden underlying connotations. All the Jedi running with their sabres in a current of blue a green light was incredible!

C3PO's antics were cute but too frequent. I felt that in this scene, as well as in the scene with the younglings, the lightsabres were swung to rigidily and artifically. When Anakin is in the cart with Padme steering on the animal, his lightsabre blade moves up and down and side to side in fast, sudden, jerky moves that don't seem humanly possible. Even if they are, they are not elegant. The music, though acceptable, was so cut up and choppy it added a feeling of anxiety (too many clashing cymbols for one thing!).

When I watch the DVD, I usually watch Mace's entrance, then skip to the awesome scene where he deflects Jango's shots and kills him (cuz I think Vapaad is really cool!) then cut to the next chapter.

 

The Threepio/R2 subplot was all so horribly forced.

Highlight of the whole chapter is Mace's facial expression as he reclaims his lightsaber before Jango grabs it. He's stone serious right then, and then takes care of Jango like it ain't no thang. This shows just how good Mace is since Jango already iced a Jedi on the balcony relatively easy a minute or two earlier.

I mean, really, who wouldn't land on that balcony with their lightsaber already ready to go? That sucka paid for his slackitude.

 

i hate how this lady turns on her saber at the beginining..

i also hate when this female and guy are fighting on top..and the lightsabers like.. mix ..so its confusing to tell whats happening

 

I would have liked to have seen Windu and Dooku get down and dirty with their sabers

 

I really, REALLY like Mace Windus entrance here.

I thought the 3PO switching heads was a very funny idea, but it does cross the line here a bit. Still, nothing that takes away from the battle for me.

 

I like Windu's entrance but I don't like the line. Is a bit too cheesy cliche and not really what a Jedi Master would say.

The Jedi striking poses is a bit daft too.

I agree about the poor editing.

All in all a bit of a mixed bag. Just when it gets your adrenalin going something childish happens and pulls you right back out. They should have played this one straight.

 

Awesome, awesome action in this scene! I even like the threepio bit. It was absolutely necessary! You can't just have all action without a comic relief! Plus, R2 is the greatest so he needs as much screen time as possible.

Christopher Lee has such a great speaking voice and I get chills just by listening to him. He's awesome. Also, I like the part when that jedi jumps up to take out Dooku, but Jango just shoots the crap out of him. Watch where Dooku's hand is, he's about to be grabbing that lightsaber!

 

I love the shot of the Jedi activating their lightsabers.

 

I like Maces "This partys over" Line, one of the greatests delivered lines in the saga as well In my opinion as Samuel L Jackson sounds so serious as he says it.

I like Dooku not even flinching when he is about to be attacked, and Jango Fett saving him. I think Dooku was genuinley upset when Jango died.

Also, nice to see Nute Gunray in the battle cowering from all the explosions, quite brave of him to stick around, Poggle the Lesser seemed to have run off. And those dam Geonosian warriors are useless, they never bother to help, I'm sure if they had the support of the Geonosians flying troops in the final battle the Sepereatists would have had a better chance of winning.

 

It was cool to see all the Jedi ignite there lightsabers and the Geonosians take off

 

Is it too much to ask for an arial shot of the Jedi in a circle being closed in by the droids? I need it to complete my SW tarot deck and I can't find it anywhere.

Back on topic, go mace I;m looking forward to see him fight in ROTS

 

Hmm. I like the concept of the chapter. Liked where Lucas was going.

The dialogue was awful. C-3PO was terrible. Didn't care for Jacksons acting.

The computer animation mixed with models mixed with live action worked well in a couple of spots. But not everywhere.

The bald female Jedi makes me cringe. Sarissa Jeng.

I did like the shot of all the droids enclosing around the jedi. Very dramatic and to the point.

I liked the Jedi entering the arena. First time we had seen such a large group of Jedi entering a fight. We basically saw though that they were outnumbered and while skilled, were dying off just the same.

Obi-Wan getting revenge of the Acklay was perfect.



I was sad at two things. One was the cut concept of Nute Gunray getting hit with a fireball. I thought that was going to be hilarious. But Lucas added in the scene in the war room so he couldn't have just been set on fire. Maybe Lott Dod could have gone though.

The second was the cut scene of the droid control ship. I liked the old plot of the super battle droids not shutting off when the switch was flipped. But in the end I can see where that would make the droids look too powerful if they could operate without control.

So while sad to see them go, these were justified cuts.

 

I mentioned this when posting in the previous chapter discussion in this forum, but although the action scenes here are mostly impressive, I did find this sequence to go on for too long. It's an interesting and ambitious conceit to cross-cut between the multilayered action scenes, but at some point here I think Lucas drives the material into overkill.

The C-3P0 puns are lame, I suppose, but don't bother me to the extent that they appear to gnaw at others. I think that it has to do with Anthony Daniels' delivery; he elevates the clunkiness of the dialogue. The Jango/Mace Windu final confrontation is rather underwhelming, but I suppose that Lucas needed to dispense with the character in an economical fashion - that he did, but at the expense of any sort of satisfactory resolution. The wide-angle reaction shot of Dooku and co. is exceptional, though, as is little Boba's shock at seeing his "parent" killed.

Good material overall, but still a little much.

 

I thought it was fantastic, although Threepio was a little much.

Too bad we couldn't see "name" Jedi like Ki-Adi, Plo Koon and Aayla Secura fight. Instead we get a bunch of redshirts.

Loved the Mace/Dooku/Jango scene.

I personally loved the way Jango goes out - I know the storyboards made it look unbelievable, but the audience was shocked when Mace decapitated him.

I think it's a great start to the Clone Wars, but could have been cleaned up and cut down a bit.

The scale is impressive.

 

I liked this chapter, we get to see many jedi in a big battle with Battle droids, Super battle droids and Droidekas. Everything in the battle seems chaotic with all those droids swarming around and shooting at the jedis and the two giant beasts walking and running around and attack both droids and jedis. i dont mind the C-3PO and Battle droid mix-up, it hadn't hurt to have the nexu chased away by the reek when Anakin rode it instead of killing it, and to see what the nexu would have done in the battle and how it was going to be killed, do someone agree on that?

 

Fantastic scene, 3PO is a bit much, but I can handle it. Dooku not sensing Mace is indeed strange, unless he felt arrogant enough that no harm would come, so he lets Mace sneak up on him.

 

I feel the scene was over-all, good. Although, I don't particularly like Windu's "This party's over" and "I don't think so." I half expected him to put the blaster to Jango's throat and say

"WHAT PLANET ARE YOU FROM?"
"What?"
"What ain't no system I ever heard of, do they speak Basic on 'What?'"
"What?"
"Basic, Mutha' &@#%er! Do you speak it?! Describe what Master Yoda looks like!"

A few of those Jedi fought uber-lamely...stupid Form VI technique. And Bultar Swan...her means of activating her lightsaber is SO awkward! The way she brings it over her head, then down, and puts her hand out, as if to say "Fear me, for I am Bultar Swan!"...wtf is that?