Reactions to AOTC: spoilers within

Great post Dwayne.

 

I agree, good thoughts!

 

Well, I was just about ready to post this when I accidentally clicked to a new window and lost this post. Argh!

Okay, in a nutshell, here is my review [again]:

Wow.

Wow wow wow wow wow.

Star Wars is BACK, baby!

First of all, it was a lot of fun in line for those 5.5 hours or so. Nice talking with you Figrin_D_an and the other people. I'm honestly thinking of doing the whole day thing next time, because, well, it's the last one....

Second, I'm surprised the lines were as subdued as they were. I remembered the party atmosphere of 3 years ago. And I'm sure in three years, it'll be absolutely insane.

There were some things that I didn't like, mostly having to do with the romance. Some of it just didn't ring true. The dialogue was stilted, and I didn't quite feel the chemistry between Anakin and Padme.

I also felt the first part was a bit slow -- at least the first time I Saw the movie. Saw it again at 10:30 (twice within 12 hours, hee hee!) and suddenly it hit me -- the first half is both a mystery and love story. Once I saw it in that context, it was perfectly fine.

Where the movie excelled? Showing the dark side of Anakin. The impatience, the frustration, the anger -- and then, when he went nuts and killed all those Tusken Raiders -- wow. That was perfectly done.

I loved the "Imperial March" being played as he broke down, and again with the troopers at the end. Foreshadowing... so cool. And "Binary Sunset" when Anakin was outside the Lars homestead, just as it played when Luke did the same (or is that will do the same?).

Speaking of that -- how cool was it to see the Lars home? The moisture farm, the room, the table -- the repair bay, even the blue milk -- nostalgia at its best. And the other touches that link this to the rest of the movies.... well done.

I do miss Yoda as a Muppet. I understand the reason for the CG version -- and I'll admit, he has a lot more expression and movement as a digital character -- but I still miss knowing that he's really there, in a sense. Physically interacting with the other actors. I miss that.

But... what a fight. Yoda is da man, er.... Jedi. It was nice to see him as the all-powerful Jedi Master, and who wasn't cheering when he kicked serious a** with Dooku?

Oh, man, I know I'm missing stuff; that's what happens when you're tired and you can't remember what you wrote 10 minutes ago....

CGI effects -- some were clunky, but others were so great. I loved the chase through Coruscant. Much better than TPM.

I'm so glad I did not watch the trailers or commercials. I wasn't completely spoiler free (by accident I found out what happened to Anakin in the Dooku fight), but I was close. And stuff I thought would happen didn't, and it was great to be surprised!

What else, what else....

I'm gonna have to finish this review some other time. I'm just too tired and can't think straight anymore.

What a rush. In three years, the excitement is gonna be like we've never seen. And unlike the past three years, the wait's gonna be really hard.

Nice talking/seeing you guys again!

-SJ

 

I totally agree with Dwayne - I saw it twice today - once by myself, and once with a whole slew of kids.

You have to have perspective. I loved it the first time on an adult level - WOW! But at the same time it was so wonderful to see it with a bunch of kids, their views are so refreshing and they don't care about the obvious contradictions - they just love it.

I'm seeing it again tomorrow with my kids and I can't wait - we will see more and discuss more.

We can all tear apart this movie (as has been done with all the other movies in the past) but I really believe that we need to see it through the eyes of children - what a great experience!!

btw - all the kids I talked to have questioned various aspects of the storyline, so I'm not saying only adults are questioning , I think it's a great sounding board.

 

just saw it for the 3rd time and it still gets better and better!

I LOVED IT!!!!! True some pitfalls, but they all do. I'm just a happy fan tonight!

 

Just finished my 3rd viewing as well and it still holds up - I have yet to walk out thinking of any major flaws.

Can't wait to see it with you all on Saturday.

Jeff

 

Finally saw the movie for the first time last night. I have to admit that I had my doubts about the movie, especially after hearing that Roger Ebert didn't like it. However, after leaving the theatre all I could say was WOW!

It made it well worth it that I stayed away from all the spoilers the last three years. Well, except that I did make the mistake of watching Hayden Christenen on Jay Leno and they were talking about how cool it was that his hand falls off his action figure.

 

In not overly surprised, but I find it interesting that most of the reactions to the film have read: [paraphrased] "It made me feel like a kid again" or "I saw it like a 12 year old".

Why do we express our enjoyment of Star Wars in such child-like comparisons?

Is it because:

1) The film was as enjoyable as the originals, which came out when we were younger?

2) Because only children would think it was a good movie?

3) Because saying that we saw it as children allows us not to be critical of its content?

4) Because children have a sense of innocence and wonderment about things they have never seen before?

I'm just wondering about this phenomenon. Anyone have any opinions?


As an adult, "Attack of the Clones" captured my imagination and made me enjoy life just a bit more than I had before.

 

Dude, you're harshing my buzz.

 

BYOB,

Sorry dude. Not trying to get anyone down. Just trying to get some great conversation going.

I have been most happy with the replys to my more controversial "AOTC faults" post yesterday. This is just an attempt to kick start conversation on why we express our enjoyment of the film in such odd (?) terms.

I'll lay off the posts for a while, but must admit, I'm curious as to why we're all writing like that...

 

I "feel like a kid again" because my fondest memories as a kid was watching the movies and pretending I was Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, etc. Many of us who grew up with Star Wars have jobs now and have to deal with corporate BS all day. So what's wrong with taking a couple hours and going back to that wonderful world that George Lucas created. Sure I could be critical, but what's the point. I'm there to have fun and suspend my beliefs, even if it is for just a short time.

 

I have a couple of serious issues with AOTC, so I won't rain on everyone's parade, but there were three things I did like about the movie:

1. Young Anakin surprised me by Hayden Christianen's acting. It was a lot better than I thought and I was moved.

2. Ewan McGregor did his usual superb job in the movie.

3. Yoda kicks a**

 

Now, see, I don't want to explain my enjoyment of this film using analogies to my childhood. I am an adult, 26 years of age, and this person that I am right now was amazed. Amazed at the beauty of some of the scenes; amazed at the choreography of lightsaber fights; amazed at the huge scale of the final battle. I was leaning forward in my seat, trying to see everything, knowing that I was missing some things. That has nothing to do with being a kid; it has everything to do with being in love with these films and admiring what goes into making them!

 

I've seen the movie twice now, and I'm starting to now read my (autographed) copy of the book. Yes, I noticed the "Vader" shaddow that Anakin cast on the Lars homestead. Yes, I noticed Qui-Gons voice calling out to Anakin. And yes (boo, hiss), I saw the couple of N*Sync members in the Jedi battle. The book is great about giving a bit more insight into the movie, and I am a true believer of not reading the book until I have seen the movie at least twice.

For the record, I was disappointed with the turnout at the Meno Falls theater last night (the 10:10pm showing). The theater wasn't even half full...I'm hoping that it is because all of the die hard fans were at the UltraScreen and the fact that it was still a night before the Mon-Fri workers still had to be at work. I know the grosses won't beat Spidey due to fewer screens, but I'm not sure how this bodes for AOTC.

I'm taking my husband (he's not a big fan) to the UltraScreen in 2 weeks.

Oh, and yes, I couldn't find the 1138 reference either, but if it's on the back of one of the clones, then Lucas isn't being too creative in hiding it as it was on the back of one of the battle droids in the last film.

PS. Mace_Master and I discussed at our midnight showing that we should put together a support group for spouses/friends/family members of Star Wars fans who don't understand the fanaticism.

 

Zepo,

I apprecitate the attempt at getting an interesting, if not different, thread going. Whether you are playing the Devil's advocate, or truly believe all you've stated, I applaud you. You like to go against the grain. An admirable trait.

Now, onto your questions:

1 -- I have to say there is a great deal of nostalgia when dealing with Star Wars. Especially with those of my generation (very young when ANH was released in 1977). It does make us feel like kids again. Just as watching old television shows or listening to old music does. It brings us back to a time when things were much simpler. We didn't have the worries we have as adults. Will I still have a job after the merger? What if my landlord ups the rent? What if my health insurance won't cover that procedure? What if my car breaks down? What a drag! Things like that just weigh you down after a while. I believe it was George Orwell who wrote "Only childlife is real life." While I may not completely agree with that statement, there is a very valid point in it. When we "grow up" and assume all these responsibilities, it can occasionally be overwhelming. A little regression now and again goes a long way in helping the psyche.

2 -- I don't see only children finding this a good movie. I can see many children getting completely lost in the plot of this movie. Maybe they would like it on a superficial level (there was lots of fighting, the lightsabers were cool, the spaceships were neat). But when it comes down to the story itself, I don't see many kids following it that closely (unless they're Star Wars geeks. Then all bets are off).

3 -- Obviously you didn't know me as a child. I was (and still am) very critical of content. Well, not just content. Everything. Dialogue, photography, settings, music, you name it. I wasn't one of those "I loved this movie" with every film I saw. If a movie sucked, it sucked. I tried to find some redeeming quailties, but occasionally there were none. All the flash and glimmer could not change that. If there was campyness, I recognized it as such and appreciated it for what it was. But to say kids like everything that's put in front of their faces is a bold, if not erroneous blanket statemtent. Quite frankly I don't think it's giving the youth of our nation enough credit.

4 -- This may be the other solid point you make. We had never seen a lightsaber battle like that before. We had never seen landscapes that monumental before. We had never seen chase scenes like that before. Well, at least I hadn't. It was awe-inspiring. It was all so captivating and enveloping. So hard to dislike just for those reasons. It immediately grabbed my attention and would not let go. For two and a half hours I forgot about everything in my life and was completely submersed in this other world. Any movie that can do that has to receive some sort of accolade. I was bewildered by the film. To let go so completely of reality is a child-like trait. When we are able to do that, it's almost always a rewarding experience.


I think the reason you were lambasted for your critique of the film was as BYOB_Kenobi put it, you were harshing our buzz. Bishop76 also mentioned something to that effect. It was as if we weren't allowed to enjoy the euphoria of the film because you had to bring us all back to reality so soon. Of course there were flaws in the film. Some critical flaws. There were a bunch of flaws in Empire too. But it took me a while to allow them to sink in. And by that time it was okay. There are unforgiveable sins in every movie when viewed out of context. Looking at the end product as a whole is what really counts. At the end of the movie, did you feel excitement, or disappointment? I think everyone on this board felt excitement (understatement). Let us prolong that excitement as long as we can before we have to be dragged back to earth about this flick. For some, it's all the happiness we have.

 

Sy,

Thanks for appreciating my efforts to start some interesting conversation. Going against the grain does take some effort occasionally.

Thanks for the great comments as well (from you and everyone else).

For my "child-like" post, I meant to give four examples of why we might express ourselves in such a way (I didn't mean to make each a point). I agree with most of what you posted. Cheers.

As I promised before, I shall lay off any more critical posts for a while. I don't want to ruin anyone's buzz...

 

Well well well.....

What a night it was. If you ask me, half the fun was going to the theater after school and hanging out with fans for 4 hours until the movie.

As for the movie itself...i was in paradise, starting at the matrix trailer and not ending until the very end of the credits. I felt left out because i wasn't alive for the hype of the original trilogy, but the feeling last night made up for all of it. Well now, begining of the movie: I didn't like it very much...bad dialogue, bad acting, and worst of all, jar jar (i yelled DIE!!! when he came on screen, got a few laughs) anyway, from there on it got awesome. Some other random remarks
Jango Fett: I still can't decide what to think. Awesome character, not very developed though. I did like the idea that you he wasn't totally on either side, he was just working for dokku because of the money. I was angry that they killed him off so quickly though.
Boba fett: I still can't tell what to think. I'm very glad he wasn't ruined like young anakin, but he could have been a bit better. Again, some bad dialogue. I really liked the scene with him holding jango's head. A bit of cool foreshadowing.
Battle scenes: Very good. After reading reviews, i was scared it would be another gungan vs battle droid battle, but they managed to make it much more realistic. Despite what others say, i enjoyed it a lot.
CG overall: good. battles were great, overall great cg. My only gripe was yoda (just not the same as the puppet) and background characters were sometimes unbelievable.
Overall feelings: I loved it. Really brought back star wars to me. Renewed my faith in the original trilogy. Can't wait till episode III

 

I heard Qui-Gon! I said to TwistyMae, That's Qui-Gon!! (I know, old post)

 

Whoa! Where was Qui-Gonn's voice?! I've seen it three times and I TOTALLY missed that! I haven't been able to find the 1138 reference either. Maybe on Sat. when I go with my parents...

 

You hear Qui-Gon when Anakin is slaughtering the Tuskens. The shot cuts to a meditating Yoda, and you hear Qui-Gon yell "No, Anakin, no!". It's actually quite loud and you can easily tell it is Qui-Gon Jinn.

 

Well, I haven't had a spare moment to sit down and read what you all thought of the movie until tonight...and since I've got another hour or so till I really really need to be anywhere (what was that about a 4pm call? Um, whoops!) right now, I'll throw in my two cents.

First off, the line was great. It was so awesome hanging out with you guys, even with the hillbilly jokes (Eric, you're still in trouble for the Bantha **** comment. ) Jeff, I will again say that you ROCK for getting us tickets, and I'm glad you guys were the ones I got to wait with. Though the fact that Tom, Dwayne and Jeff seemed to know the most obscure numerical facts about the movies still frightens me.

Movie was great...words cannot describe how much I loved it. I can't wait until Saturday. Yoda was awesome, Hayden was better than I expected (loved the begining, with him being a smart-ass) and Ewan was fantastic as usual. The rest of the cast was awesome as well. I think Boba Fett is gonna need some serious psychotherapy now, though.

Only thing that bothered me was the CG Yoda, but the fight scene made up for that. Though, tell me, what the heck was up with Anakin's hand? It looked like some weird tenticle thingy...

Tracy, I remember that. So exciting. Yay for the Qui reference (Who still remains one of my favorite characters)

Found out that my closest friends (all huge SW geeks) didn't like the movie, though. My best friend said, and I quote: "The special effects cleary made that movie what it was--yet within the opening of the movie and it's first few scenes the dialogue was completly weak." Grr. And i won't even tell you all what my other friends said...needless to say, they have all been banished from my presence forever for blasphemy.

I can't wait to see it again. Only...um...eh...less than 24 hours to go!

 

Oh yeah...DUH! I thought that was where it was, but I didn't know if I was imaging it. I can be pretty slow some times.

 

Did anyone else notice that during Kamino fight between Kenobi and Fett, after Fett falls and hits his head, his helmet has the same dent that Boba's has in ESB and RotJ? Just noticed that the second time I saw AotC and it tickled me silly.

 

I also heard Qui-Gon's voice, the first time around. I wondered... "What the heck is THAT doing here?"

I thought it was just him yelling "Anakin!", not "No, Anakin!" In fact, it sounded like it was taken from TPM, when he yelled "Anakin, drop!"

I wonder if we are to assume that Qui-Gon's spirit is around in some fashion, or is Yoda just sensing disturbances in the Force, without any temporal cohesion.

Or something like that....

Zepo:

As for why AOTC "made me feel like a kid again", that's a very interesting question. I think, for me, it reminded me of how I felt seeing it in the theatres, or rather, how I imagine I felt seeing it in the theatres. To be honest, loving the movies is something that's been such a big part of my life, I don't remember a time when I didn't. So I don't really remember the effect it had on me. (Being 3 when the first one came out also may have had something to do with that, even though I remember seeing it.) So I guess it's how I imagine reacting to the original trilogy.

Also, it is the sense of wonder, in a way. It makes you believe (for a few hours) in a world where fantastic things happen all the time. Flying cars, laser beams, aliens -- we are so caught up in this universe, we are like children again.

-SJ

 

In the script, the line is "No, Anakin, don't!" and it's attributed to a Qui-Gon voice over.