Who plans to see Starwars Episode 3 on opening day?

[heyang]

Ooops - thought opening day was Friday. Anyway, I had my day off and it was a horribly rainy afternoon - the perfect kind for a movie. I got there in time for the 1:30 show after making sure that there were plenty of seats left - I would've waited for the 2PM show if the only seat was in the 1st row.


Anyway, I agree with Vash - wonderful movie. Really brought everything together amongst all the episodes. I didn't cry, but I did get teary at certain moments - the utter betrayal felt devastating.

For those of you worried about the PG-13 rating.... there were a lot of battle scenes and it was definitely more serious and darker than all of the other movies. Some of the violence wasn't on camera, but might be disturbing for a very young child. Parents know what their kids can and cannot handle - I told my brother that my 5 yr old nephew wouldn't have a problem with the battle scenes, but that they storyline and length of the movie might be beyond him.

[brad640]

I agree Vash and heyang - the movie was awesome!! Honestly I wish it had been released on IMAX screens only, because regular theaters are too small to accommodate the huge scope of the film. George Lucas redeemed himself after the first 2 disappointments. Very exciting!

[Vash01]

I must be among the very few that liked all 3 episodes of the recent trilogy. Episode 3 was the best of them, and may even be the best of all 6. I watched episode 4 after seeing episode 3. Next episodes 5 & 6 again- may be for the 15th or 20th time (I lost count long ago).

SPOILERS AHEAD.......

What I really liked about Revenge of the Sith is it's not just about the special effects (Phantom menace overdid them, IMO). The story is carefully woven around Anakin's character- his idealistic nature, wanting to live the Jedi way, his attachments and fear, his desire for power that would make everything the way he wanted it, and finally his desire for power over the whole galaxy. Initially when he accepts the emperor as his master, he does it out of fear of his power, and the desire to save his wife's life (taking his dream too seriously and selling his soul to the devil based on that). Is he vulnerable, and the cunning Palpatine takes full advantage of his young age and mental weaknesses. It was shown very well. After several killings he cannot tell the difference between right and wrong anymore. The conflict in his mind becomes clear in Return of the Jedi. There are many tie-ins with the old trilogy, and with the first two episodes. They make more sense now, and I see the meaning in several situations that I did not see earlier. I have already seen this movie for the second time and it was definitely clearer.

Vash

[Skate@Delaware]

We saw the movie Friday night! It was really great! Unfortunately, I had read the book beforehand and was 'spoiled' for the movie. So some of the things that I was expecting to see from the book weren't in the movie (why do I do this to myself?)

If you want to re-live the movie, read the book as it fills in a lot of detail. But-we will buy the DVD when it comes out. I already have the soundtrack. I loved the special effects and how everything was connected.

I really liked how Senator Organa was really included a lot in this movie. I liked the Wookie planet (I like Wookies better than Ewoks). I couldn't understand how Yoda didn't see any of this coming if he was such a powerful Jedi.

The lightsaber fights were awesome! It was sad how the Jedi were slaughtered though. My son got upset (he is 9). That was the only part that bothered him.
Yeah, it was cool. But, could there be ANOTHER movie? Maybe showing Luke and Leia growing up? Maybe explaining how Luke has some use of 'the force' and Leia doesn't? How Vader knows about Luke but not Leia? Why Leia says she remembers some about her mother (although she died when Leia was very young?).....

[brad640]

I couldn't understand how Yoda didn't see any of this coming if he was such a powerful Jedi.

I wondered that too, but at least Yoda caught on before they were able to kill him. What was wrong with all the other Jedi? Shouldn't the Force have helped them realize they were about to be killed?

The lightsaber fights were awesome!

Fantastic sequences! Lucas shot them more in close-up this time so there was a strobe effect that was disorienting and more exciting than in previous films.

Yeah, it was cool. But, could there be ANOTHER movie? Maybe showing Luke and Leia growing up? Maybe explaining how Luke has some use of 'the force' and Leia doesn't? How Vader knows about Luke but not Leia? Why Leia says she remembers some about her mother (although she died when Leia was very young?).....

I would love it if they would make a movie about young Luke and Leia! Leia's story of how she became involved with the resistance would be very interesting.

What were you hoping to see from the book that wasn't in the movie?

[heyang]

I think Yoda and the other Jedi could not see the betrayal because of the power of the Dark Side. They sensed something was going to happen, but never expected to be betrayed by the Republic they served. I think only the council knew about the bigger disturbance. Also, they were all distracted by their belief that Anakin was the Chosen One who was supposed to restore balance; they never imagined that he would be the one to tip the balance via his fear and to restore it by fathering Luke & Leia.

I think I might go read some of the books now. The overall message of this episode is to not let fear rule.

The murder of the Jedi was probably the most disturbing part because it was a betrayal of their trust and they were the good guys. Initiallly, I thought it would be the death of the younglings that got the PG13, but they didn't show that treachery.

I might go see it again just to pick up on detail.

[Vash01]

I saw it for the second time yesterday. I too had read the book before I saw the movie, so it was a spoiler for me. I knew I should not read the book first, but my dark side took over. LOL.

Major spoilers ahead...............

To address some of the questions- the Jedi's had certain powers but they were not 'God's. They could sense something negative happening, but it does not mean they would sense it every time. Also they could not tell the exact origin of it. They could only suspect that something was wrong somewhere. They were busy doing their duties and were caught unaware.

Although Anakin was supposed to be the chosen one, the Jedis never fully trusted him, with the exception of Obi Wan. In spite of saving the republic many times in wars, Anakin never got the full support or appreciation from the Jedi. Palpatine used it to turn him to the dark side. The senior Jedis needed to help Anakin overcome his weaknesses rather than keep a distance from him.

Yoda sensed the anger and fear in Anakin but he went along with the decision to train Anakin probably because he had no idea how far in the wrong direction those qualities would take Anakin. However, Yoda was the only one that had the bad feeling about something as early as in the Phantom Menace.

Further, Yoda and others were unaware of the fact that Senator/chancellor Palpatine was Darth Sidious- the Sith they were looking for. In fact it was Anakin who guessed it right because he was close to Palpatine. Unfortunately Anakin was young, vulnerable, and dreadfully afraid of losing his loved ones. He was genuinely supportive of the Jedi but the fear got the best of him. Palpatine used the trust the Jedis had in Anakin to destroy them. Had he sent Count Dooku, they would have faught him.

Why did Vader not recognize Leia as his daughter? Nobody knew, until the twins were about to be born, that Padme was carrying two babies. Vader did not know that Padme had given birth. At the funeral they made sure that Padme looked pregnant. That protected the babies for sometime because very few knew they had been born. If Vader felt later that she did give birth before dying, he assumed that he had a son as his only child (Luke Skywalker- the name made it easy to track him down, didn't it?). He did not suspect the twin sister until Luke's thoughts betrayed him in Return of the Jedi. Darth Vader did not know that Leia was his daughter. However, in episode 4 (Original Starwars movie) he always saved her life whenever Tarkin tried to kill her, by saying that she may be useful to them. So I think deep down somewhere he had soft, parental feelings for her.

The force was strong in both Luke and Leia but they had very different upbringings. Leia was inclined toward politics, while Luke was a warrior, which made it easy for him to develop the Jedi abilities. Without the training Obi-Wan gave him, he could not have developed, however. In one of the Starwars books (they start after ROTJ) Leia had those abilities and Luke was training her to become a Jedi. However, her natural inclination was always political. Remember who her mother was? (Senator Padme Amidala)

It will be wonderful to have episode 3.5 in which we see the children Luke and Leia grow up.

In ROTJ when Luke asked Leia if she remembered her real mother, she said "I little; images really". So I had expected to see Padme alive for a few years after giving birth to the twins. However, since I read the book first, that suspense was gone too. The only explanation I have for Leia's answer is- she misunderstood Luke's question. She may not have known that she was adopted.

In the post-ROTJ novels that came out, we read about Leia & Han Solo marrying, Luke creating/training Jedis in different parts of the galaxy, etc. Unfortunately the actors of the original trilogy are too old now. It would make more sense to create a movie between Episodes 3 & 4.

About killing of the younglings- this was the ultimate atrocity, and it showed how evil Palpatine really was. He did not try to convert the young ones to the dark side- something he could have done easily, but he would not take that risk. It was easier to kill them using Anakin because they trusted master Anakin. Very very evil! I could not help feeling sorry for Anakin because he was a young man who honestly wanted to do the right thing but somehow he got to the point from where there was no return. His downfall really began when he killed the women & children of the sand people (or Tusken raiders?) in Attack of the Clones. That action sowed the seeds of his destiny.

Vash

[brad640]

Thanks Vash! I enjoyed reading your post.

To address some of the questions- the Jedi's had certain powers but they were not 'God's. They could sense something negative happening, but it does not mean they would sense it every time. Also they could not tell the exact origin of it. They could only suspect that something was wrong somewhere. They were busy doing their duties and were caught unaware.

The the fall of the Jedi gave resonance to scenes in the first trilogy where Luke is laughed at when he says he is a Jedi because it is viewed as an obsolete religion.

(Luke Skywalker- the name made it easy to track him down, didn't it?)

Were there no references to Han Solo in the prequels?

[Buzzz]

I have seen it twice already, and think the series certainly ended on a very high note. As much as I loved ROTS, but still think the first three movies were the best.

[Antilles]

I though the movie was great, and I can't wait to see it again. Anakin's transformation was believable, the action was good, and it was quite sad. The dialogue was better in this film than the last two. I liked the addition of the wookiies.

Brad, there were no references to Han Solo. He was probably around 10 years old during the time of Revenge of the Sith, making him about 30 when "A new Hope" began. Wookiies apparently live much longer, so Chewbacca made a little more sense.

I am sure they will start writing books to fill in the gap years between the two trilogies. Lucas didn't want any books from that time period before his second trilogy was done, but I think he'd be fine with it now. For anyone who wants more of Star Wars, some of the books are very good. They have different authors, so not all are equal. I would suggest starting with the Thrawn Trilogy, a series of books by Timothy Zahn. They were the first post-Jedi books written, and take place five yeards after Jedi. The books now extend to about 25-30 years after the original trilogy, and have also begun filling in gaps during the Old Republic-Jedi days.

[Vash01]

There is also a book that covers the events between episodes 5 & 6.

Out of the later (post ROTJ) I liked the Crystal star and a few others (I will have to search through my book collection). Timothy Zhan's trilogy is pretty good too.

[Buzzz]

Lucas is thinking about making a live action tv series based on events that happened between episodes 3 & 4. And it will have only minor characters from the movies, no major characters will be involved.

[Antilles]

Vash, there was also a book between a New Hope and Empire. It's called "Splinter of the Mind's Eye", IIRC. It seems to have been universally panned, so it's rarely mentioned. Shadows of the Empire got better reviews. Lucas could do a lot with cartoons and TV movies. There are a lot of other characters that could be portrayed besides Luke, Leia and Han.

[K-Mo]

I loved it! I thought it was exciting and I loved the music, like I always do. I got goosebumps when I heard the beginning fanfare, and I don't think they went away until the end. It was a perfect way to start the summer movie season.

[show 42]

Just got back from Star Wars, and it was magnificent. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. It did a wonderful job tying up loose ends and ended the speculation once and for all whyAnakin went to the "dark side" of the force. Brilliant. Bravo Mr. Lucas and all. We went straight from the theater to Costco and purchased the first trilogy in DVD, an upgrade from our video set. We're primed and ready to watch the three till the end................42