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The *Official* AOTC Media Review Discussion Thread (NO SPOILERS ALLOWED)

Discussion in 'Archive: Revenge of the Sith (Non-Spoilers)' started by brendawg83, May 8, 2002.

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  1. DeltaJedi

    DeltaJedi Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2002
    Darth Homer: "Why are they persisting with this falsehood when AOTC still has a 60% approval rating according to Rotten Tomatoes' tally? TPM never reached that mark"

    Because it isn't really a falsehood. The reviews that matter (and, despite anything anyone tells you, the only "reviews" that matter are the ones that are featured in sources that are in mass distributiuon, like daily newspapers, magazines with decent circulations, television, and radio. It's not a useful review if only a dozen people read it) are saying that AotC is not a good movie. Based on what I've seen just browsing and looking at what TFN puts up, I'd say that it's somewhere in the area of 75%-80% negative from the major media outlets in the United States.

    If you're not convinced, then think what is a more newsworthy event on this topic: a good review of E2 or a bad review of E2? The critics are roasting this movie alive, no matter what some site like "Rotten Tomatoes" would have you believe.

    Just trying to inject a little reality into this conversation. The only thing that matters now is whether or not the average movie patron likes the film...which will inevitably drown out the criticisms over time if it proves to be the case.

     
  2. DarthHomer

    DarthHomer Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 29, 2000
    So you don't consider Variety or Rolling Stone, which both gave AOTC positive reviews, major media sources? That article on showbizdata claimed that Time was the only major magazine to give AOTC a positive review, which is a blatant lie.
    But what should we expect from the same site that reported DVD sales of the original trilogy were soaring? :)
     
  3. yodaman

    yodaman Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 26, 1999
    For what it's worth fan reaction to the films have been mostly overwhelmingly positive. I guess fans and critics will once again have to agree to disagree.
     
  4. DeltaJedi

    DeltaJedi Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2002
    Variety and Rolling Stone (which gave the movie a pretty lukewarm write-up, but did avoid trashing it outright) are both major media sources...true. But, what I originally said was that 75%-80% of the reviews have pasted the movie.

    So, on the side of the Good:
    *Time
    *Variety
    *Rolling Stone
    *NY Post

    On the side of the Bad:
    *Entertainment Weekly
    *NY Times
    *LA Times
    *Newsweek
    *Fox News
    *MSNBC
    *Roger Ebert
    *About 3-4 others I'm forgetting at the moment.

    Regardless, the major media is definately coming down on the side of the negative on AotC.

    Furthermore, if you want use that "Rotten Tomatoes" site as any indication of things, you've got to look at the "Cream of the Crop" reviews (everything else is just crap. I could trow a website up, give AotC a glowing review having never even seen it). Those currently show AotC as "Rotten" with a 45% approval rating.

     
  5. xaviore

    xaviore Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 7, 2002
    see my post eariler today on the real reason why critics are dogin this film.
     
  6. Filmfreak3000

    Filmfreak3000 Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 13, 2002
    Here's my theory on Ebert's review. Based on other articles I've read by him on digital film, as well as a review of another film, a low budget indie film, using the digital cameras Lucas used that he's just not a fan of the look it produces. The contrast is in lights/darks is way up, and you can tell this just from the previews. It doesn't look like film in that respect. I can tell the difference, but I don't feel the picture quality is any less then film, just brighter or darker depending on the scene, aspects that given the darker nature of this film and the total darkness that will be reached in episode 3, this higher contrast will be very effective in setting the mood. One would think so anyway.


    Having not seen it yet, I can't say. But as a hopeful filmmaker, I have a lot of faith in digital, as it is soooo much cheaper!
     
  7. JediTidus

    JediTidus Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    May 5, 2002
    I am pretty dissapointed with the AOTC reviews so far. We have to wait until the day AOTC comes out to see all the real reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Most critics are knocking the bad dialogue/script, but I don't care about that. I'll have to reserve judgement for myself.
     
  8. Sapno Krei

    Sapno Krei Jedi Grand Master star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 23, 1999
    I am amazed and excited by the polarization of opinions of the critics. So far, Rotten Tomatoes shows an almost 50/50 ratio of those who liked the film versus those who didn't.

    All of the positive reviews of the film seem to come from the heart. These critics stop just short of saying "This movie kicked a**!" The negative reviews seem to come from a nitpicky viewpoint, where the critics take as a given that the FX are awesome, and then proceed to tear apart the dialogue and acting (which were never STAR WARS' strongpoint anyway).

    My gut tells me that the general public will love the film, and that the naysayers will be in the minority.
     
  9. Tom C

    Tom C Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 10, 1999
    what is amazing is how much some of you seem to care what reviewers think of the movie.

    to me, it looks pretty evenly split between great reviews and bad reviews. but who really cares? it only matters if you think the movie sucks! if you think it sucks, you'll agree with the New York Times. if you think it is great, you will agree with the Chicago Tribune.

    for what it is worth, the best quote from a review that i've read is this one from Michael Wilmington of the Chicago Tribune:

    "This is a landmark film, for technological bravura (and its trailblazing digital filmmaking and projection process) if nothing else. If it can be easily faulted for cardboard characters and clunky dialogue, then it should be recalled that these are defects of the entire series ? which takes most of its cues from the old "Flash Gordon" serials, as clunky and cardboard as they come. The dialogue in "Clones" isn't any worse (or better) than the dialogue in the first "Star Wars" and, in treating the Flash vs. Emperor Ming plots as if they were worthy of a David Lean-John Ford epic visual style, Lucas supplies a straight-faced humor that his detractors mistake for straight-lowbrow lunacy."

    wilmington "gets" star wars. now on thursday, we'll find out if this movie is truly a "star wars" film---for ourselves.
     
  10. OneTruth

    OneTruth Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Nov 29, 2001
    Yup, many of the critics don't seem to get it. I have no idea why...
     
  11. QuiGonJinn

    QuiGonJinn Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Aug 1, 1998
    Right now all the critic crap seems important, but in a few months (days?) what the critics think of this movie won't matter one little bit.

    Look at TPM. Try telling someone who hates it that Ebert likes it. Or tell someone who likes it that it many critics do not. All you'll get is a blank stare and a "What's your point?"
     
  12. DeltaJedi

    DeltaJedi Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2002
    Critics really don't matter. Heck, I think "Fight Club" was universally panned, I think it's one of the best movies made in the last decade.

    But, like I think has been said before (by myself, for sure), I just want the whole "Star Wars sucks, LOTR / SPIDER-MAN RULZ!" crap to go and die a horrible death somewhere. I'm sick of having to take the stand in defense of Star Wars every time I give my bloody e-mail address out.
     
  13. The Flying Dutchman

    The Flying Dutchman Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 2000
    funny thing which strikes me is that outside the USA Reviewer are largely postive. Seems like only major US Critics are negative... talking about strange...
     
  14. ImperialFC

    ImperialFC Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Nov 29, 2001
    I'm a little concerned after reading about Ebert watching AOTC in the regular film format and then on digital. It seems to suggest one has to see the movie in the digital format in order to fully experience the movie and that the film version is going to be a little fuzzy.
    From the article on TFN:
    <<Watching it on film, I wrote, "I felt like I had to lean with my eyes toward the screen in order to see what I was being shown." On digital, the images were bright and clear [...] I slipped upstairs, watched a scene on film and then hurried downstairs to compare the same scene on video. The difference was dramatic: more detail, more depth, more clarity>>

     
  15. augusto

    augusto Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 6, 2001
    Well, that's why I'm watching AotC on Saturday, so I can first experience it digitally. :)

    Second time I see it, I'll probably go down to orlando and see it digitally again, and then after that in crappy film format.
     
  16. Miles Lodson

    Miles Lodson Chosen One star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 10, 1998
    I am quickly jumping on the "Rotten Tomatoes Conspiracy" bandwagon....

    They just added four reviews to their index (three positive and one negative) and the only one they placed in the "official" tomatometer index?

    You guessed it...the negative one.
     
  17. KNIMBLEKNIGHT

    KNIMBLEKNIGHT Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Mar 8, 2002
    ImperialFC:

    I wouldn't be too worried about it. Ebert's main complaint with the film version stemmed from the fact that he saw it on a giant screen. I remember when I watched TPM on a giant screen, I pretty much had the same complaint as Ebert - it did look dull and fuzzy, while it looked perfectly fine on a normal screen. Those old school super large screens were optimized for 70mm film, while normal theatres are fine for the standard 35mm film. And the high-def. camera that was used filming AOTC is supposed to be indistinguishable from 35mm film when projected on film at a normal theatre. So as long as you're seeing it at a normal sized screen, it will look fine. Just try to forget Ebert's complaints or else you'll spend too much time analyzing the quality rather than enjoying the film.
     
  18. lono

    lono Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 2, 2002
    Many of the people, who have seen the movie, seem to think that the movie is enjoyable when you don't spend much time analyzing the quality of the projection, the quality of the dialogue, the plot, or the stiff and awkward acting.. in short they ask people to check their brains at the door to fully appreciate this movie.

    I don't see this as a bad thing. No one should be going into a movie called "Attack of the Clones" and expect Jane Austen. I'm hoping it's a return to cheesy sci-fi.. I can't remember a single line of dilaogue from "Them" or "The Blob." All I remember is that I digged them.

    The dialogue of the SW world has to be consistent. It's not supposed to improve over "toshi station" and "overweight glob of grease" and "nerf herder" it's supposed to sit next to it, comfortably. The dialogue for every SW should sound like 1977 cheese, because it's all one movie.

    Lono
     
  19. Jedi_Master_dude

    Jedi_Master_dude Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 25, 2001
    I just saw a 2 reviews in the paper for AOTC and let me tell you, that roger ebert sucks!!!!!!! He's the reviewer, he gave it 2 out of 4 stars!!!!!! Thats messed!!! O well everyone is intitled to there opinion, but still, some great movies he gave a half of a star to and they were like a 3 and a half out of 4 star movie! It Ticks me off! Anyway, the other one was i think 3 and a half out of 4, Well just thought you guys would like to know. And i'm sure the movie will be the best one of all! Untell the third that is, lol!
     
  20. alent1234

    alent1234 Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 29, 2002
    I think Roger Ebert slams most of the movies made. Even the good ones. I guess after years of being a film critic you have to over analyze everything.
     
  21. SUPREME_DICTATOR

    SUPREME_DICTATOR Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 13, 2002
    Personally, I have heard very few bad reviews. Actually I have heard none. But I think that no matter how many negative reviews there are, that AOTC will still rock the charts. I personally think that all the critics that give SW negative reviews are on the edge of insanity. That is my two cents
     
  22. DarthHomer

    DarthHomer Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 29, 2000
    Hey, I thought the NY Times gave AOTC a positive review?
    Not that it matters. In 26 hours I'll find out for myself whether the negative critics are full of crap. My guess is . . . they are :)
     
  23. LaughmanNV

    LaughmanNV Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 14, 2002
    To each is own, but how could anyone "love" Phantom Menace? Jar Jar was HORRIBLE and that final battle scene was LAME.

    While the clips look really good for Clones, I hope the acting isn't as bad as I've read. A love story doesn't bug me if done right.
     
  24. LaughmanNV

    LaughmanNV Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 14, 2002
    Ebert did not like Clones from what I read so will that change your mind?

    I used to date a girl that looks a lot like Natalie so it makes this even more enjoyable.
     
  25. LaughmanNV

    LaughmanNV Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 14, 2002
    Ebert liked Speed 2 when virtually everybody said it sucked.
     
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