Morte on 19/10/2009 at 08:04
Quote Posted by massimilianogoi
I enjoyed more the newest chapter, instead. What distress you so much of the new works?
I'll let George Lucas answer for me. Compare:
Quote Posted by Star Wars opening crawl
It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire. During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire’s ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR, an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet. Pursued by the Empire’s sinister agents, Princess Leia races home aboard her starship, custodian of the stolen plans that can save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy….
and
Quote Posted by The Phantom Menace opening crawl
Turmoil has engulfed the Galactic Republic. The taxation of trade routes to outlaying star systems is in dispute. Hoping to resolve the matter with a blockade of deadly battleships, the greedy Trade Federation has stopped all shipping to the small planet of Naboo. While the congress of the Republic endlessly debates this alarming chain of events, the Supreme Chancellor has secretly dispatched two Jedi Knights, the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy, to settle the conflict.....
Oh be still my beating heart.
The problem with the prequels is that it's a bunch of backstory, and -- Sith aside, where very little happens in a very unconvincing way -- nothing actually happens. Good storytelling means entering the stage as late as possible, and leaving as early as possible. Lucas decided to chuck that out the window and treat us to three movies' worth of stage building.
Quote:
Sorry guys, Phantom Menace is probably the best of the three.
True story.
Phantom Menace does have the best executed duel, but it's a tiny pearl in an ocean of shit, and Darth Maul is wasted as a villain. At least Iain McDermid and Christopher Lee have have some lines that let them chew the scenery. And Sith does actually have Anakin fall. Even if it happens in the blink of an eye, and is utterly unconvincing, it's still better than TPM's meaningless, convoluted political wranglings that are impossible to understand. And Lucas actually improved as a director as the prequels progressed. TPM is so badly put together I had to start skipping scenes somewhere around the underwater city, and boy does cgi age
fast, at least when wielded by an idiot that has no restraint and can't compose shots worth a damn.
Also: Jar-Jar.
Aerothorn on 19/10/2009 at 08:07
I can't believe we're arguing about the prequels this late in the game.
Scots Taffer on 19/10/2009 at 09:45
Quote Posted by Aerothorn
I can't believe we're arguing about the prequels this late in the game.
Inline Image:
http://img213.echo.cx/img213/7398/nonono2oy.jpgQuote Posted by Morte
Also: Jar-Jar.
Yes, Jar Jar, forever more and a million times yes, fuck Jar Jar in the ear.
However...
Quote Posted by Morte
Phantom Menace does have the best executed duel, but it's a tiny pearl in an ocean of shit
Not entirely true. The duel works because it builds up a mythos around the character and a somewhat palpable tension when he enters the throne room (goooo Williams theme music), however to be fair there's also a fair amount at stake when he shows up - the planet's last gasp attack at rebelling the "Empire", if you will. A noble enough cause to stage the first story around, we also have a potentially powerful young Jedi to be trained (with promise of a tragic story to come), an unruly Jedi Master shunning his peers and a wimpy Kenobi ready to break into his own Jedi at last. I think in terms of stacking shit up that mattered, it's probably wayyyy better in terms of gathering a head of steam towards a satisfying conclusion than any of the others - plus what exactly are the rest of them about anyway.
I mean, there's SO much about the prequels that's fundamentally fucked that it's hard to know where to start critically analysing them as movies, but as "fun for kids, fun for adults" sci-fi entertainment with a bit of a ridiculous yarn and a bit of a tense stand-off, I think it functions better than the rest.
Morte on 19/10/2009 at 12:04
Quote Posted by Scots Taffer
Not entirely true. The duel works because it builds up a mythos around the character and a somewhat palpable tension when he enters the throne room (goooo Williams theme music), however to be fair there's also a fair amount at stake when he shows up - the planet's last gasp attack at rebelling the "Empire", if you will.
There's actually not very much at stake in the grand scheme: if Maul wins, Palpatine wins. If the Jedi win, Palpatine wins. And do the trade federation have any real interest in subjugating Naboo? It appears to be some sort of conglomerate, interested in raising their profit margin attempting to show that the republic can't just tax them as the pleas...I'm sorry, my eyes just glazed over. I can't see how they'd have any real interest in running a small backwater planet.
But I don't know, and noone in the audience can know because the whole plot makes little sense if you think about it. When the duel rolls around the whole mess just makes me want to cheer for Maul to end it.
Kolya on 19/10/2009 at 12:28
[alt. opening crawl]
In a time when the tactic of throwing extremely vulnerable death stars at every problem had not yet been developed...
D'Juhn Keep on 19/10/2009 at 12:54
Quote Posted by Morte
And do the trade federation have any real interest in subjugating Naboo?
I think you're being bogged down in the details without seeing the big picture. In The Phantom Menace, Palpatine rises to power. He does this by manipulating both sides in a disopute over Naboo. The whole Trade Federation stuff is a cover. I can see why you'd dislike the politics or whatever but it does make sense.
scarykitties on 19/10/2009 at 13:15
Jar-Jar never bothered me.
Also, while Palpatine seems the brilliant underhanded tactician in the end, so much of the prequels seems to be him stumbling through the misfortunes of the "heroes," then grinning nervously in a "I meant to do that" sort of way. Case in point, when they are all aboard General Grievous' ship, plunging into Coruscant, and Palpatine looks absolutely freaked out and helpless. Wasn't General Grievous supposed to be his lackey?
Morte on 19/10/2009 at 13:48
Quote Posted by D'Juhn Keep
I think you're being bogged down in the details without seeing the big picture. In The Phantom Menace, Palpatine rises to power. He does this by manipulating both sides in a disopute over Naboo. The whole Trade Federation stuff is a cover. I can see why you'd dislike the politics or whatever but it does make sense.
Palpatine pulling a Xanatos gambit would isn't the problem, it's that it isn't the focus, since there's nothing else happening in the fucking movie.
What we get is a bunch of cardboard shuffling things into place so Anakin can meet whatsherface and get into the Jedi order and bullshit that would be ignored or dealt with in a handful of lines of dialogue or suggested by the acting in a real movie. And then Palpatine rises to power but it's not really clear how that related to what took up most of the screen time, which is a bit of a problem if something's supposed to be the crux of the movie.
massimilianogoi on 19/10/2009 at 14:04
You are confusing the terroni(south and mafia,pizza, and mandolino) with us (north, works and honesty)
Here's the difference between the terroni and us:
(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xLmTXufIXw) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xLmTXufIXw
