Revenge of the Sith Gets an Excellent Review in Variety

[SkipNewarkDE]

Variety magazine has hailed Revenge of the Sith as being a completely entertaining, even enthralling at times addition to the Star Wars saga, calling it "the Best of the series since Empire Strikes Back."

Check out the review at Variety

A membership is required to get a full review, but there is a free 14 day option available.

[villager]

1. saw it today, too.

Variety has it right...

[SkipNewarkDE]

3. This thing is going to do unbelievable box office

... the buzz is really good on this one, and even the biggest prequel haters seem to be ieager to see this. I actually found the prequels to be better than the godawful Return of the Jedi.

I get irritated when people bitch about Lucas' storytelling, and dialog-writing skills, and ability to direct people. It is such tripe, esp. if you look at the Star Wars movies through the filter of the source material, which was cheezy, had stilted bizarre dialog, etc. His American Graffitti is one of the most heartwarming realistic films of one evening of coming of age, and THX-1138 was just brimming with interesting ideas that resonate especially today.

[villager]

4. kinda want to see "THX" again, actually...

...after all this...

[SkipNewarkDE]

7. Amazing experimental film

You really got an idea of where Lucas was coming from when he started experimenting with layered imagery and soundscapes to evoke a mood. This movie had sex, violence, masturbation, drug use.

The population was lulled into compliance for the society organism through administration of drugs. The theme of religion as an opiate to control the populace was also present (check out the confessionals). Donald Pleasance's character was strangely homosexual. Sex was oulawed, but the main character goes off his meds and has it. Looking at cable porn and masturbating with the help of a special machine was JUST fine.

People would sit and watch holograms of violence, wrestling, and police arrests... compare that to watching wrestling, action shows, and the show COPS today, ie. reality shows... and this thing was over 30 years old!

This was such a truly forward thinking film that has been an unfortunate predictor of much of what is going on today.

[nankerphelge]

5. There is no way to redeem...

(1) screwing up the originals by adding all sorts of stupid computer crap.
(2) casting what has to be the worst child actor ever in Episode I.
(3) Jar jar binks.

[SkipNewarkDE]

6. We forget these were kiddie movies

It is funny how as we age, our nostalgia kind of makes us forget the original movies were kinda kiddie films anyway. Jar Jar was truly annoying, but no less so than C3PO or the Ewoks. The kid was terrible, but he WAS just a little kid, rather than the smarmy little adults in kid bodies that passes as "good child actor" these days. I would have liked to see Haley Joel Osmet, don't get me wrong.

As for the computer enhancements of the original trilogy, I LIKED them. These movies do NOT hold up well when you look at them these days, they are somewhat quaint in their original versions. The Empire Strikes Back was revolutionary in the compositing of light objects on light backgrounds, but there were transparency problems in the mattes which totally killed the effect, which the digital enhancements fixed. Cloud City never felt like much of a city; opening it up was a great idea, that gave it more scope. I always looked at those scenes and was like, sheesh, this is a city, where IS everyone?

The original musical number in Return of the Jedi was terrible and unconvincing, with an awful puppet performing Sy Snootles. The rollicking big band number that replaced it was EXCELLENT. Likewise the alteration of the end, getting rid of that wretched Ewok yub-nub bullshit was such a welcome cut. That made Return of the Jedi bearable to watch.

[nankerphelge]

8. Maybe that's all true...

but, at the risk of revealing my uber-nerdiness, I'll never forgive him for adding that extra laser shot in the Greedo/Han Solo scene. It was so much better when Han Solo just blew him away.

[SkipNewarkDE]

9. That was just dumb

I have to agree with you there. The Han Solo character was far more interesting as the redeemed rogue knowing that he shot first. Oh well.

[alittlelark]

2. Drooool!!!

:party: :headbang: :headbang: