PT The Jedi Temple March/Order 66 scene is one of the best in the whole saga

I ******* adore this scene. So epic, and I think it's one of John Williams' best works. He's the main reason why I love this scene so much. Other than that though, it's just so dark and epic. The part with Vader walking up the steps of the Temple with the 501st and Coruscant in the background is honestly one of the best pieces of cinematography I've ever seen. For all the flack the prequels get, this movie is one of the best in the saga, no doubt.

If you've seen The Clone Wars (only on season 4, just finished the Umbara arc luckily), Order 66 is so much more tragic. If I just saw AOTC and ROTS, I'd really have no attachment to the clones. Yeah, it'd be sad to see the Jedi die, but imo, the betrayal of the Jedi by the clones is so much more powerful, and it was against their will too. They were designed to do it, and many regretted it later on. To see the deep relationship between Obi-Wan and Cody go from best of buddies in TCW and ROTS to enemies in less than a minute is incredibly shocking. Pair that with the tragic music, and then the murder of younglings at the end, and you've gotten a very hectic scene. I loved it though.

What do you think of it?

 

Its all great. I know there is a lot of flack thrown towards Lucas's filling of the screen with lots of different stuff, "its so dense", etc. But Lucas has an unparalleled ability to juggle all of those disparate elements to create fantastic visual candy. I haven't watched a blockbuster after Star Wars that feels so epic, mostly because of the backlash that these films received. Lucas is still the only person who can go against the Less is More rule of film making and get away with it. The visuals in these Order 66 scene are breathtaking in their portrayal of the coming empire. The excitement and revilement the audience feels when watching Anakin and the Clones storm the temple...its an incredible feeling. One you can't achieve without that incredible Potemkin inspired shot of the Empire marching up the stairs.

 

This was one of the scenes I remembered long after I saw ROTS at the cinema.
The killing of younglings to me was striking and needed. I personally thought it showed Anakin couldn't be turned and would do whatever he can to get his way.
I never saw a problem with that event, it had to happen the way it did.

The music is also wonderful in the order66 segment.

 

You're joking, right?

There is nothing epic about it

instead of seeing Anakin fighting all the jedi in the Jedi Temple, and the troops all over the galaxy killing all the hundreds of jedi generals,
we just see the killing of like 4 jedi and Anakin killing younglings

 

It's to bad Lucas never got the chance to make a special edition of ROTS where one of the changes was making one of the clone troopers into Rex.

 

it's one of the most emotional scenes in the Saga. We finally see what we were anticipating throughout the prequels: the betrayal of the Jedi by the Emporer and the troopers. The music and scene's are great. The shot that sticks out to me is Ki-Adi-Mundi turning around to find his clonetroopers aiming at him.

i also remember as the clones were about to take out Yoda and he turned and beheaded them the crowd cheering.

 

It could be better, but Order66 is still emotional.
I still remember thinking in '05 that Ki Adi Mundi's expression as he sensed the clone's imminent betrayal was perfectly acted.
I don't have a problem with a condensed montage to represent a greater betrayal across the galaxy. The music is of course perfect, and I like the diversity of worlds shown. The inclusion of Kenobi's and Yoda's survival book-ending the sequence is a nice nod to the OT.
Anakin as a newly crowned Vader marching on the Temple is sudden I admit, but the sequence truly shows he has sold his soul, and demonstrates how far he is willing to go in severing his ties to the Jedi if it means even a chance that it will make the galaxy safer for Padme (and by extension, everyone).
Finally, the implied murder of the younglings, for me, is one of the most powerful moments in the current saga. He has come into the Temple invited, his "Anakin Skywalker" face kind of a mockery of what he is actually there to do. The younglings, recognising him as someone they have looked up to, and can help get them out of the nightmare, are just answered with Vader coldly igniting his saber. It's powerful stuff.

Edit - Jedi-Rising beat me to it

 

we are affirming each other's great opinions

 

Order 66 is the sadest scene in star wars saga, the music when commander cody told his troops to fire at obi wan kenobi was really emotional, ki adi mundi turning around while its to late and the clones killed him, aayla secrua was the sadest out of the death's, commander bly and the other clones for some reason couldn't stop shooting her for some reason and anakin who is a psychopath killing incident children was really sad this scene made me cry.

 

Well what did you epixt there was only enough time to tell that part SW is not about the battles but the story.

 

I think most of us wanted to see Darth Vader fight more Jedi in the temple and have that sequence sprawl out instead of a few cut scenes of clone troopers across the galaxy killing their commanders.

 

Despite being as emotional/sentimental as I am, and that I have cried at points in SW before, I was caught totally off guard during my last viewing when I found myself almost sobbing during that scene. Plenty of others, especially during ROTS too

Is it strange that, despite having grown up with these movies, it's only now I'm grasping how horrifying they can be at times?

(Weirder still is that it seems I'm actually becoming more sensitive as I age than becoming desensitized. But I'm weird in general, so)

 

Yeah, it definitely is an iconic scene. Darkness has descended, the Jedi are being wiped out, and the Empire is just below the horizon. The deaths of Ki-Adi-Mundi and Plo Koon are really hard for me to watch. The look of utter shock on the former's face and the way the latter is targeted and shot down really drive home the feeling of loss. I think it would have been better if the Imperial March played as Vader and the clones stormed the Temple, but the music we got was pretty good. The Order 66 theme is possibly the most heartwrenching piece of music in the entire saga, and the part where Yoda drops the cane and clutches his chest is amazing. The feeling of sadness is overwhelming. Really makes me appreciate ROTJ all the more.

 

Agreed. But should've seen Vader inside and slaying Jedi Knights.