TPM is finally becoming a SW movie

"As time goes by TPM is finally becoming a SW wars movie."

I already knew this after seeing it at the Cinema.

 

Ree Yees said, "What connections are we 'finally seeing'? I don't get it."

As Donald "Lard Biscuit" Trull once said, "If you have to ask why people like 'Star Wars,' you'll never know."

 

TPM to me, was different from the OT, due to all the computer stuff. But, after a few years after it came out, TPM is, to me, part of the OT, it's part of the family. The acting was good and it had the Star Wars feeling to it.

Now AOTC to me, probably, will really never be part of the OT. It was all computer stuff and lacked what TPM and the OT had, the Star Wars feeling. A major part of Star Wars is acting and in TPM and in the OT, you acted, in AOTC, you didn't act, you played around on a blue mat saying words that meant nothing, that had no background, that had no location.

I got AOTC on DVD this Chrismas and I have not watched it once. AOTC just lacks the Star Wars feeling. If I was GL, I would make ESP. III like the OT movies and like TPM was partly made, with acting, not computers, maybe just some computer stuff to add in some of the cool shots that we had in AOTC. But, I would rather having acting then a computer generated movie.

 

Well here goes...my first post in the TPM forum in several months.

Here's my take, which I will describe by using a simile.

TPM = Honda Passport

An excerpt from the article I linked above:


If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then conventional wisdom states that it's a duck.

The Honda Passport may have a badge that states that it's a Honda, but it ain't a Honda. Rather, it's an Isuzu Rodeo that has a few H-shaped badges haphazardly slapped on the front and rear. As of last year, Honda at least put on a plastic cover to hide the egregious Isuzu nameplate emblazoned on the engine. Honda may have been pressured to enter the SUV race in 1994 when the Passport was first introduced, but we have a feeling that rebadging a Rodeo simply to have a contestant in the mid-sized SUV field will ultimately sully Honda's stellar reputation. Aside from the fact that it fell short of any of our requirements for determining the "goodness" of a truck which firmly ensconced the Passport in last place, it may have further garnered disfavor with our editors because of the duplicitous nature of the "I'm-not-a-real-Honda-but-I-play-one-on-TV" ruse.

And of course, my favorite one-liner from the review:

Oh, the in-dash CD changer is cool.

If TPM has, over time, felt more and more like Star Wars to you, that's cool. I just wish it had the same effect on me.

I may be right, or horribly wrong, (who knows) but I must state from the heart --after nearly 4 years, it still hasn't measured up to the OT in my mind. It was an enjoyable movie, but it just doesn't have that extra 'Star Wars' feel. IMHO.

Still, kudos to those of you (us?) who have grown to appreciate and accept TPM as a SW film. Believe me, I've tried.

I'm not looking for deep discussion of right or wrong, but thanks for letting me vent.

 

When was TPM not a SW movie? And I thought I read reviews of AOTC that said Lucas brought back that SW feeling with AOTC. now people are saying it is not? I guess like TPM, it will start to feel like it is part of SW over time. I always thought TPM and AOTC felt like it was SW. Lightsabers, Jedi, Yoda, Obi-Wan, Palpatine, Slave 1. All these were connections to the OT. TPM and AOTC are definitely SW. No questions about it.

 

I always thought TPM and AOTC felt like it was SW. Lightsabers, Jedi, Yoda, Obi-Wan, Palpatine, Slave 1. All these were connections to the OT. TPM and AOTC are definitely SW. No questions about it.

Acting is the difference. Was there really any actors in AOTC that lived up to the acting Mark, Harrison, Carrie (sp?) etc. did? Really, only R2-D2 and C-3PO lived up their acting roles, mostly because it has the same actors and, come on, its R2 and C-3PO!

 

Like 2 years ago when i thought of Star Wars all the images that came up right away were all OT but not anymore. I mean ive loved tpm since the day i saw it but it didnt feel the same afterwards. Its new and unfamiliar. Its like if you got a new hand attached to you. Itd be cool but not the same as your old ones, but in time they would all feel the same.

 

Never underestimate the powers of time and familiarity.

I completely agree with this. Give things time to sink in like the older films have.


A major part of Star Wars is acting and in TPM and in the OT, you acted, in AOTC, you didn't act, you played around on a blue mat saying words that meant nothing, that had no background, that had no location.

A major part of Star Wars is acting????????? WHAT Star Wars film were YOU watching? They ALL have crappy acting. TESB is the only SW film with good acting overall, yet it still has terrible acting from Billy Dee and others. As for acting against bluescreen, do you act? Are you familiar with the craft? Do you know what it takes to act? I get a kick out of a lot of these armchair quarterbacks, telling us all about how the acting in TPM or AOTC didn't work because of X and Y when they know nothing about acting and have never done it themselves.

Many actors have said that acting on minimal sets or against bluescreen is no different than theatre acting on stage. Everything is in your head. The kid who played Elliot in E.T. pulled an incredible emotional response in his screen test SITTING IN AN OFFICE. That is acting.

 

"Many actors have said that acting on minimal sets or against bluescreen is no different than theatre acting on stage. Everything is in your head"

Lets pit Terence Stamp's encounter with Star wars versus Christopher Lee's! Terence Stamp states that he had major problems performing by himself against card board cutouts and bluescreens. Chris Lee stated in an interview that he has absolutely no problem with it and that it doesn't impair his ability to perform at all! It just depends on what you are used to I suppose!

 

I've always liked TPM and of course considered it a "Star Wars" movie, but I know what you mean.

It wasn't until this year that after I saw AotC (and loved it) I bought TPM DVD. Sitting down and watching it brought back nostalgic feelings and it seemed more "old school" than when I would watch the VHS and think of it as the new SW.

It is nice to see that many of the bashers and haters of TPM are seeing its true merit and feel good presence. We need more movies like it nowadays.

 

People who don't see TPM as a SW movie yet...


What about Matrix? Did you see/enjoy the new Matrix? Can you see Reloaded as there with the original?

What about X-Men? Did you see/enjoy X2? Can you see X2 as there with the original?


Most of us on this board saw all three OTs together because they were out on video. We could watch them in sequence and it felt like one movie. We got them all together in a package and they all geled together.

Having TPM spring up on you as something brand new to sit alongside these movies you've known and loved for years is not an easy thing to get used to.


I bet if ANH and ESB came out sixteen years apart--even ESB was the exact same movie--ESB wouldn't really feel like a Star Wars movie to you. You wouldn't be able to immediately resolve it with the ANH you'd grown with.


Rick McCallum loves you!

 

You seem to have had a same experience as I did, Darth_Zoo. I loved TPM at the time but it was really watching it again before AOTC came out that really settled it into the same feeling as the old films.

Good points, Adam. A certain amount of disconnection with the OT, films made almost two decades before TPM, was inevitable. But easily overcome in time

 

For me the main problem in TPM is the poor characterization and the lack of chemistry between the characters.

I loved Han, Luke, Leia, R2, Chewie etc right from the start. But in TPM the main characters - OWK, Amidala, Anakin - are dull and have no chemistry. QGJ is a good character , but even he seems to be disconneted.

It's just so lacking in drama and warmth.

There are things I like about it ( I really like Shmi) but the things I mentioned will always hold it back I feel.

g

 

Funny seeing you here, Generic. I expected all strangers. Liked what you said about the Honda. Funny stuff. As for myself, I'm going to plug my ears, shut my eyes, sing at the top of my lungs and hope TPM never becomes a Star Wars in my mind. It would taint ANH and ESB if that were the case...

 

C'mon...what was the edit?

 

As for myself, I'm going to plug my ears, shut my eyes, sing at the top of my lungs and hope TPM never becomes a Star Wars in my mind.

So how's that working out for you?

 

I have yet to get an answer from anyone on this hypothetical scenario.

1977: ANH comes out. You like it. When the video comes out, you watch it endlessly, just as you did with all your Star Wars videos growing up.

1997, TWENTY YEARS LATER: ESB comes out. It's the exact same ESB we know and love, right down to the last frame. Hell, if you like, it's even the non-special-edition.


Would you be able to assimilate it into your consciousness as a Star Wars movie? Or would it feel different to you, something you weren't quite expecting, something that -- even if you enjoyed it -- you couldn't quite fit together with your preconceptions of Star Wars just yet?

Wouldn't you have trouble "accepting" this brand-new film as a Star Wars movie right off the bat?

Come on now! Be honest!



Rick McCallum loves you!

 

AdamBertocci -

I would think - God, that was the most incredible film I ever saw.

I get the feeling thats not the answer you want. ESB is such an intense film, dramatically it's the best, and it's gorgeous, the colors and designs are fantastic, always will be. The action scenes are a thrill and a joy etc. etc.

g

 

Correct, that's not the answer I want.

So you come out of that theater after having witnessed this wonderful film...

... But DOES IT FEEL like a Star Wars movie to you?

You can't say "it said Star Wars at the front and I liked it, therefore it felt like SW to me". Otherwise we could take any movie you liked, add an opening crawl and there we go.



I am aware that you dislike the prequels. I wanna take enjoyment out of the equation. Myself, I liked TPM all right, and LOVED AOTC, but it took me a while to really think of them as part of the same series as the OT. (Took longer with TPM.)



I'll give another example. When I was a kid I loved the Ghostbusters cartoon show. In fact, I didn't even know there WERE movies for a couple of years. Then I saw the Ghostbusters movies, and I thought they were kind of fun, but it was difficult for me to accept them as Ghostbusters because I was used to cartoons, not Dan Aykroyd.

I eventually came to appreciate the movies...


EDIT: So to restate -- You see ESB twenty years after ANH. You love it. But does it feel like Star Wars?



Rick McCallum loves you!

 

C'mon...what was the edit?

In my original post, I tried doing the [face-laugh] thingie but it often doesn't work for me. So I swapped it for the big toothy smiley instead.

And then THAT didn't work either, but I couldn't be bothered to edit again

 

Adam -

Actually I like AOTC quite a bit. But you're right I think TPM has major flaws and will affect the whole PT.

I'm trying to get my head round your hypothetical question, you're asking if I will imagine a 20 year gap and then ask myself if ESB feels like a SW movie - yeah?

Well the answer is still - yes, it's different, but it fits in and it's great.
With TPM, it's not that it doesn't feel like a SW movie so much as it just isn't a very good MOVIE.

If you're asking was I expecting something like Han , Luke and Leia again, well the answer is , honestly, no. I thought it was a good idea to have a young Anakin, but the execution was bad.

g

 

Thanks, DamonD. You had my curiosity perked.

So much trouble over so small a thing...

 

I would say yes to the hypothetical question as well, even if there were a twenty year gap, there is a level of consistency that links them so very close that it transcends time. It is still a sequel and the story still continues in a way that feels uninterrupted, so yes, it would have the "Star Wars Feel" to it that's been absent so far.

 

TPM is finally becoming a SW movie

I never thought of it that way. It always seemed like a Star Wars movie to me. It had all the elements. The Jedi, the Force, lightsabers, spaceships, Artoo and Threepio, Wookiees (in the Senate), etc.