*OFFICIAL* AotC DVD Discussion and Reaction Thread [v2.0]

My reaction to this DVD is that AOTC is the most listless movie experience I've had in years. It's funny, but it seems the more expensive the movie is, the more flat and sterile it becomes.

 

I applaud you FOTR.

I like the movie but I have friends who claim they don't like the movie and yet waited in line with me to buy the DVD while complaining about how mediocre they think it is.

I'm glad you're not one of THOSE people.I bought the movie,but at least I LIKE IT and don't mind saying so.

I respect your opinion FOTR....but I don't respect the opinion of someone who claims they don't like the movie and then BUY IT!

 

Im sorry, but did you not SEE the last 1/2 hour of the movie???

 

"funny how only people who like the movie are credible and those who find faults with it are "wrong"."

Who says only people who like the movie are credible? All I said was the guy lost all credibility when he said, "that it is clearly one of the worst movies ever made." I think even you, zeva, know how absurd a statement that is.

 

yeah no kidding, can you say ISHTAR??? Now saying that AOTC was worse than that? Right...

People would be more accurate if they said,
"i'm not 5 anymore, so the new movies don't have the same punch now as they did then..." and then being honest about what they see, rather than saying rediculous things like "it was the worst movie ever, whaaaaa"

 

My post doesn't deserve such reactions.

Oh but it does. After all, aren't we just commenting on how much we hate your opinion? Why is it different from you saying that you hate GL's movie? You bash AOTC and we bash you. I think that is fair. You don't know GL and we don't know you... a wonderful experience the Internet is...

In fact, I think there should be more flame wars here. The admins seem to think that bashing a movie is somehow different from bashing an anonymous Internet personality.

RB

 

If nothing else at least back up the statement with some intelligent examples (the acting was horrible is not an intelligent example; whos acting was horrible, why was it horrible). I'll agree with the statements about the editing in some places leaving me scratching my head (especially in the deleted scenes). The editing can truly make or break a film. You can have the greatest actors in the world doing a magnificent scene, and if it isn't edited properly, it is going to suck regardless...

I second that RB

 

I watched the AOTC DVD again today.

It is SUCH a great movie, I just don't understand hiow any fan of the OT can not like this film.

It's pure joy.

-Otis

 

Sorry, double post.

-Otis

 

"But to say AOTC is the worst movie of all time is a little... I don't know, harsh!"

Actually, that comment is stupid. If the troll, truly feels that way, then he's seen maybe a total of 5 films in his life. Either that or he doesn't know what a truly bad movie is.

 

Can anyone tell me how to get the Coruscant Menu? So far, I've only seen the one for Kamino and Geonosis.

Eva is my name. I am the Admin's Bane

 

RAZORBACK,

I didn't say I "hate" AOTC, nor Lucas, ...

You hate my opinion if you want.

But I'm not the one who spoke of hatred here.

Actually, I respect Lucas as a man, and I think he is sincere. But he is surrounded by a very bad team in my opinion. I listened to large parts of the commentary, and I'm still surprised by what I heard :

-Mc Callum's favorite scene is when the solar sailor ship lands in the hangar because you can see a cgi Christopher LEE moving inside the cockpit !!

How old is Rick ? I mean, it is a detail, an insignificant CG animation ! Is it what counts for Mc Callum ?

The other moment he keeps raving about is the corridor scene in the senate : It is a good scene because the corridor is pure CG !!

What the ... ????!!???

And it is clear that the animators have their way : the commentary reveals that they are clearly co-directors, maybe even more so than in TPM !

However, there are some interesting things coming from Lucas : his comments on the confession scene as to why Anakin will ultimately turn to the darkside are most interesting. I find the plot and character development he has thought of rather subtle for a series like this.
Too bad it doesn't transpire on the screen. If Lucas wants the audience to share the wonderful ideas (I'm not ironic) he has in mind, he should rethink his way of writing, directing and filming : Because right now very little of it is appearent in the films !!!

That's just my opinion.

 

Oh but it does. After all, aren't we just commenting on how much we hate your opinion? Why is it different from you saying that you hate GL's movie? You bash AOTC and we bash you. I think that is fair. You don't know GL and we don't know you... a wonderful experience the Internet is...


Exactly. People, don't complain if your posts are criticized, specially when you criticize others.

 

The other moment he keeps raving about is the corridor scene in the senate : It is a good scene because the corridor is pure CG !!

What the ... ????!!???


Isn't McCallum a movie producer? One of his main jobs is to get it done cheaply, so why are you so dismayed he ranted and raved about that scene. Using CG in there saved them lots of $$$, and this was a good example of why they use so much CG, to save money.

 

-Mc Callum's favorite scene is when the solar sailor ship lands in the hangar because you can see a cgi Christopher LEE moving inside the cockpit !!

How old is Rick ? I mean, it is a detail, an insignificant CG animation ! Is it what counts for Mc Callum ?

Actually, this attention to a high level of detail is something that separates people like Lucas and Walt Disney from other film makers. One of the things that many people love about SW is how detailed everything is. I think the amount of backround CGI in this movie shows that attention to detail.


The other moment he keeps raving about is the corridor scene in the senate : It is a good scene because the corridor is pure CG !!

What the ... ????!!???

Being the producer, Rick's job seems to be more about getting George's vision onto screen rather than helping form that vision. Makes sense that he is impressed when the crew does a good job of this.

And it is clear that the animators have their way : the commentary reveals that they are clearly co-directors, maybe even more so than in TPM !

Yes and no.

Animators are ofen called "actors with pencils", or in this case with keyboards. A good animator helps bring the director's vision to the screen while "plussing it out" to bring nuances to the character the director may not have considered.

On the other hand, did you see the part about the "widowmaker" shot. The animators didn't have free reign to do as they pleases. If George didn't like something, they did it again, and again and again...

 

Good posts all, I really enjoy your ranthings.

I just wanted to say that I found the commentary and the docummentaries to be rather insithful.

I was under the impression that GL was being too arrogant. Saying that he didn't care about fanboys who needed to get a life. Actualy he does care a lot about all of us. All what he tried to do with the CG Yoda, shows that he really pushed to keep the fanboys happy. Inclusion of Jango and Bobba as the source for clone/storm troopers, he did all of this to try to please us, inconsiderate fanboys.

Another interesting thing is that he mentions how he changes his mind about the story even late in the editing. This DVD has confirmed (in my mind), that GL has a very rough idea of what story he wants and then develops it as he goes along.

 

I find the plot and character development he has thought of rather subtle for a series like this. Too bad it doesn't transpire on the screen. If Lucas wants the audience to share the wonderful ideas (I'm not ironic) he has in mind, he should rethink his way of writing, directing and filming : Because right now very little of it is appearent in the films !!!

This seems a little off to me. If you've been a loyal reader of this forum, then you're probably aware of the MANY insightful comments that people have made about just the kind of subtleties which you claim do not "transpire on the screen." Granted, SW can be appreciated on a totally visceral level -- they look great, so sit back and enjoy. But for those who really HAVE engaged with the movie, interpretative endeavors have been richly rewarded. To say that the subtleties are not there suggests an unwillingness to engage with the movie on a meaningful level: to watch instead of to look at. The subtleties ARE there on the screen, and many viewers here have noticed them, long before the issue of the DVD and Lucas' commentary.

 

Ho ho !!

How stupid I am !!

I too had rationalized and over analysed the movie in order to find something in it long before the commentary.
Like any starwars enthusiast.

But, mind you, an audience is not supposed to spend weeks analysing each little detail of a movie and debating it on internet forums.

As I criticized the DVD a lot and got flamed (insulted would be a more appropriate word) for this, I also mentionned what I liked : parts of Lucas' commentary was one exemple.

Now, my opinion is that Lucas is a clumsy writer/director, and that there could be much more subtle, artistic, creative ways to tell the story he's trying to tell.
Mind you, character development gets lost in TPM and AOTC. And many things that seem obvious to fans, enthusiasts, and sw forum addicts are obscure or do not even exist in the average movie goer's eyes.

Any fan of any film can debate hours on a single frame, analyse and rationalise things in order to justify his fandom.

Eversince TPM was released, some sw fans have kept repeating that those who criticized Starwars did so because they didn't get it, or didn't see its depth.
It is ridiculous and arrogant. People who voice opinions like that reveal their own ignorance more than anything else.

It worries me to see not so young people consider starwars as the ultimate myth and human drama.

Anyone can understand what starwars is about, as long as the movies actually tell something rather than just fill the screen with useless characters, sfx, slapstick, exposition, etc.

I think it is a director's job to make the audience feel something. Make the audience care. Make the audience believe. And make the characters exist.
Not quite the case in the prequels.

They tell us many things, but in the end, in the eyes of many, it's like if they told us nothing. Like if it had no weight.

That, of course, is just an opinion.

 

I'm a borderline TPM basher, but hard line AOTC gusher.

 

I think the Prequel films would be better if he would have written them all at the same time, like he did with IV, V, and VI. It certainly would have helped with the character development. I think it takes more than one film to actually get to know and feel for a character.

If Count Dooku becomes a key player in III he should have been in TPM. That would have given Lucas more opportunity to tell his backstory, instead of deleating it in Episode II.

I hear him say that he wrote the entire story back in his twenties or whatever. It just "doesn't feel right". It seems like he's making them up as he goes along.

 

I agree that AOTC is much, much better than TPM.

I even think that it contains some of the best scenes in the whole saga : some on Tatooine, some on Kamino.

But unfortunately, much of the rest ruins the movie for me.

 

It worries me to see not so young people consider starwars as the ultimate myth and human drama.

This worries me too ... but then again I don't know anyone who *does* think SW is the "ultimate myth and human drama." Yikes.

Anyhow, I disagree with a lot of what you have said, FOTC...

Especially your claim that to articulate the not-so-obvious merits of a movie is "ridiculous and arrogant." By this thinking, the quality of any movie (or book, or painting) is based on its ability to affect a mass audience without subtlety or allusion. This is deadly for culture.

I am open to and invite contrary opinions. But I am saddened by inflamatory rhetoric.

 

I think the Prequel films would be better if he would have written them all at the same time, like he did with IV, V, and VI. It certainly would have helped with the character development. I think it takes more than one film to actually get to know and feel for a character.

Twelve_MOtion: I too think that it would have been better if Dooku had been in Ep 1. It would have helped his character development and the duel with Yoda would have had much more impact. But I disagree that it "takes more than one film to actually get to know and feel for a character." Most films manage to depict convincing characters within the space of 90 minutes. And I think that Christopher Lee's performance was convincing enough, and his part was well written. And besides, we never actually got to see the Emperor until ESB ... he wasn't even in Ep.IV, apart from a brief mention. Nevertheless, I just wish that there had been some carry-over of the Dooku character from Ep. 1. Someone else had suggested that Dooku should have been on the Jedi council in Ep. 1. That would have made his turn to the dark side all the more dramatic.

 

I expected that the AOTC DVD would have discussed how Hayden got the role of Anakin Skywalker. Unfortunately the DVD lacks any coverage about the critical selection of the actor for Anakin Skywalker.

I was surprised and disapointed that this extra was not included in the DVD even though liked the other extras on the DVD. In contrast the TPM DVD had extensive coverage of the the casting of Anakin which makes its absense all the more glaring in the AOTC DVD.

 

Classixboy : I'm really starting to be angry at your misinterpretations of my posts

I think you overestimate starwars if you think it is the kind of "not so obvious movie", based on subtlety and allusion !!
The fact that you can find interpetations for every scene doesn't mean anything. You can do the same with any movie (more or less). It's clearly a fanboy's dellusion.

*I* say that GL's movies are bad storytelling, in which all subtleties get lost under bad directing, acting, awful dialogs, stupid pointless characters, heavy exposition, and *you* tell that I judge the quality of movie on its ability to affect a mass audience without subtlty or allusion ????!!!!!????

Step your misinterpretations of what I say.

Oh, and starwars is a nice summer movie, and GL Lucas himself doesn't pretend it is the highest form of art.
So please, wake up