Revenge of the Sith has been seen!

[bsu legato]

*note to the mods: I'm starting this new thread because the "spoiler" thread has basically run its course. The novel is out, and the movie will be within a few short weeks.

Revenge of the Sith review, by Kevin Smith

http://viewaskew.com/theboard/viewtopic.php?t=32494

You've been warned...

- "Revenge of the Sith" is, quite simply, farting awesome. This is the "Star Wars" prequel the haters have been bitching for since "Menace" came out, and if they don't cop to that when they finally see it, they're lying. As dark as "Empire" was, this movie goes a thousand times darker - from the triggering of Order 66 (which has all the Shock Troopers turning on the Jedi Knights they've been fighting beside throughout the Clone Wars and gunning them down), to the jaw-dropping Anakin/Obi Wan fight on Mustafar (where - after cutting his legs and arm off, Ben leaves Skywalker burning alive on the shores of a lava river, with Anakin spitting venomous sentiments at his departing mentor), this flick is so satisfyingly tragic, you'll think you're watching "Othello" or "Hamlet".

I saw a gorgeous digitally projected version of the flick, and lemme tell ya': this is a beautiful looking film. The opening space battle sequence is the best in any of the six "Star Wars" movies. Grievous and Kenobi's lightsaber duel is bad-ass, with Grievous rocking four sabers. The Clone Wars end rather early in the flick (about the halfway point), leaving the rest of the film to concentrate on Anakin's turn to the Dark Side, and the resulting slaughter of the Jedi.

Perfect example of how dark poo gets: remember the Younglings - the kid Jedis in training from "Clones"? As a result of Order 66, when Anakin invades the Jedi Temple with an army of Clone Troopers, he enters the Council room to find a gaggle of said younglings hiding behind the seats. They see Anakin and emerge, asking "What should we do, Master Anakin?" The query's met with a stone-cold Anakin firing up his lightsaber. The next time you see the kids, Yoda's sifting through their corpses on the floor.

Yes, it's just that dark - and rightfully so. This is the birth of Darth Vader we're talking about. The only comic moments in the flick are given to R2D2, and while good, they're all pretty few and far between; the order of the day is dark, dark, dark.

Ian McDiarmid and Ewan McGregor steal the show, but Hayden Christensen silences any naysayers who wrote him off as too whiney in "Clones". This is the flick that feels closest to Episodes 4, 5, and 6, because - for the first time since "Return of the Jedi" - there is a clear villain. And for all the shadow-play Palpatine has been upto in the last two flicks, his treachery is about as subtle as John Williams' score in "Sith." Whether he's slowly drawing Anakin toward the Dark Side during an opera/performance art piece with his promise of the Sith's power of life over death, or he's engaged in a balls-to-the-wall lightsaber duel in the Senate with Yoda, his "Little, green friend" (his words, not mine - which I kinda dug, because, interestingly, I think it's the first time anyone's acknowledged that Yoda is green in any of the "Star Wars" flicks), this is the Emperor's movie.

The last fifteen minutes dovetail nicely into Episode 4 (or just plain "Star Wars" for you non-geeks), and the movie is full of link-up moments as well.

- At flick's end, Threepio and Artoo are given to Captain Antilles (with the caveat that the Protocol's memory be wiped).

- The twins, natch, are split up. Leia heads to Alderann with Bail Organa, and Obi Wan hands Luke over to Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru (indeed, the closing shot is Owen holding Luke while looking out over the setting suns of Tatooine - mimicking the shot of the adult Luke doing the same in "Star Wars", complete with callback cue from Williams).

- After he succumbs to the Dark Side, Anakin tries to convine Padme that he can overthrow Palpatine, and together, he and Padme can rule the galaxy as husband and wife.

- Vader and the Emperor stand beside a younger Grand Moff Tarkin on the bridge of a Star Destroyer, overlooking the earliest construction stage of the Death Star.

- Yoda telling Obi Wan that, as he heads to Tatooine to hand over Luke and go into exile, that he should spend his time learning to commune with those who've crossed over to the next stage of life, as Yoda maintains he's been doing with Qui Gon (and Ben will later do with both Luke and Yoda, in "Empire" and "Jedi").

- And, hands-down, the best link-up to "Star Wars" moment that I enjoyed the most: Bail Organa and Yoda stepping into the hallway of the Rebel Blockade Runner that opened "Star Wars". Unlike all the high-tech CGI wizardry of the rest of the prequel Trilogy, this is a low-tech looking set, right out of circa '77, and for some reason, it really captured my imagination. I mean, this is the same exact hallway in which we got our first look at Vader, oh so many years ago, and I appreciated the hell out of Mr. Lucas including it - because it really felt like a nod to the hardcores.

Look, this is a movie I was genetically predisposed to love. I remember being eight years old, and reading in "Starlog" that Darth Vader became the half-man/half-machine he was following a duel with Ben Kenobi that climaxed with Vader falling into molten lava. Now, twenty six years later, I finally got to see that long-promised battled - and it lived up to any expectation I still held. I was sad to see the flick end, but happy to know it's not the end of the "Star Wars" universe entirely (I've read stuff about a TV show...).

"Sith" doesn't happen; "Sith" rules.

[Prime]

I will now proceed to change my pants.

[Dangard Ace]

Oh god, I'm so enjoying cutting up this article. Make no mistake I'll probably watch it a few weeks after opening weekend but this article.....snicker snicker snicker....

Warning: Star Wars fanboys may be offended by what I do below.

farting awesome

It's not simply awesome but farting awesome. So unless someone is farting it's not awesome but sucks or is it so awesome that it causes you to continuosly fart? Which is it Kevin??

- After he succumbs to the Dark Side, Anakin tries to convine Padme that he can overthrow Palpatine, and together, he and Padme can rule the galaxy as husband and wife.

*choke* LOL! Just imagaining Anakin doing the Cloud City thing in ESB.

Anakin: Padme! Join me and we can rule(shakes fist) the GALAXY as. HUSBAND. and. WIFE. Hohaaaa! Hohaaaa!!!

- The twins, natch, are split up. Leia heads to Alderann with Bail Organa, and Obi Wan hands Luke over to Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru (indeed, the closing shot is Owen holding Luke while looking out over the setting suns of Tatooine - mimicking the shot of the adult Luke doing the same in "Star Wars", complete with callback cue from Williams).

Obi Wan: Leia, you're going to live a life of priviledge and splendour on Alderaan. Luke you're so cute you're coming with me to Tatooine to be a moisture farmer. Isn't that fun?

Luke: ESB- Nooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

to the jaw-dropping Anakin/Obi Wan fight on Mustafar (where - after cutting his legs and arm off, Ben leaves Skywalker burning alive on the shores of a lava river, with Anakin spitting venomous sentiments at his departing mentor), this flick is so satisfyingly tragic, you'll think you're watching "Othello" or "Hamlet".

.....or you think Monty Python.

Anakin: All right; we'll call it a draw.

Obi-Wan: Patsy.

[bsu legato]

Oh god, I'm so enjoying cutting up this article. Make no mistake I'll probably watch it a few weeks after opening weekend but this article.....snicker snicker snicker....

Somewhere out there, Kevin Smith just shed a single tear.

[Commander McBride]

Umm... I'd assume that it was Fxcking awesome, and "farting" was MW's filters acting up. C'mon, a Mod, of all people, should see that!

But the movie sounds awesome. Maybe Lucas hasn't really lost it at all, just that he's only good at making one kind of movie, and this is it.

[Dangard Ace]

Umm... I'd assume that it was Fxcking awesome, and "farting" was MW's filters acting up. C'mon, a Mod, of all people, should see that!

But the movie sounds awesome. Maybe Lucas hasn't really lost it at all, just that he's only good at making one kind of movie, and this is it.

SW Fanboy! SW Fanboy!

[Hoptimus]

Why did I read that.

I am giddy as hell now.

Dammit. 22 more days

[Hikuro]

Patience and meditation you shall. Strong the force is with this film....alas.

[Majestic]

This sounds great, I'm growing more optimistic for this film as it fast approaches. Here's to ROTS making up for the previous two atrocities!

EDIT: Of course, Kevin has ranked The Phantom Menace as the second-best Star Wars film (next to Empire) so....

Edited April 27, 2005 by Majestic

[Knight26]

I was going to check it out anyway, mostly in the hopes of seeing Jar Jar die, but after reading hte Kevin Smith review, and it having recieved his thumbs up, I will so be there. Probably not openning weekend, I'll let all the freaky freaks crowd the theatre first, but maybe on my following off day from work. SPeaking of which I will be seeing HHGtG this monday on my off day, woohoo.

[Jemstone]

And people are just NOW realizing it's going to be awesome?

[JKeats]

Head explodes.

"Clean up in cubicle 3"

[1st Border Red Devil]

And people are just NOW realizing it's going to be awesome?

*snicker*

Come on Jem....you're supposed to be the cynic around here.

[Ladic]

I could of told you the exact same review from reading the graphic novel.

[Jemstone]

And people are just NOW realizing it's going to be awesome? 

*snicker*

Come on Jem....you're supposed to be the cynic around here.

LOL I was.... Untill last summer when I got a behind the scenes tour.... I suppose Lucas would have to be completely out of his mind to screw it up tho.

Edited April 27, 2005 by Jemstone

[HWR MKII]

What Ladic said.

[mikeszekely]

I still say people were too hard on the first two prequels. Yeah, Phantom Menace was a little slow, but hey, it's setting up the plot for the next five movies! And I enjoyed Attack of the Clones. I still say a lot of the prejudice agains the prequels is that, in the time between Episode VI and Episode I, a lot of EU stuff was created, and the prequels don't fit their fanboy-ish/girl-ish vision of Star Wars (including the EU stuff). If you look at the movies by themselves, though, none of them are exactly masterpieces of fiction. But they're all simple good fun. I'm not going into Revenge of the Sith with the expectation that it'll be the best movie ever, or that it'll suck, or that it will somehow make the universe complete. I'm just going in expecting to have more of the same simple good fun that I enjoyed in the last five movies.

[zeo-mare]

i cannot wait it sounds like it is going to be awesome.

chris

[Blaine23]

Sweet. Hopefully it's as good as Smith says it is... however, this is the guy that made Jersey Girl.

Actually, he's been a pretty honest critic of the prequels thus far and his favorite SW film is Empire... so I guess I believe him.

But I'm still going into the theater with lowered expectations... as much as I want to believe this film kicks all kind of monkeyanus... I've been... <sniff> hurt before..

[Coota0]

After reading the novel I was hoping it would be great and if it's as good as the novel was it will be.

For those who read the novel: Did it seem almost as if it was written by two different writers?

It seemed there was the crappy part written by the writer to me (I wasn't impressed with all of the "this is so and so" stuff) and then another part was taken from the screen play.

[Majestic]

Hey Blaine23,

If only Episode III had Al Swearington in it!

"These hoople-headed c*cksuckers had best consider otherwise before they aim to swing their f*cking swords in my joint. Where's that f*cking whore?"

Actually, all films should have Al Swearington in them....

[bsu legato]

It seems that the entire internet has slammed the View Askew forum, and they've now changed it so that it can only be read by registered members.

[Knight26]

Sweet. Hopefully it's as good as Smith says it is... however, this is the guy that made Jersey Girl.

Actually, he's been a pretty honest critic of the prequels thus far and his favorite SW film is Empire... so I guess I believe him.

But I'm still going into the theater with lowered expectations... as much as I want to believe this film kicks all kind of monkeyanus... I've been... <sniff> hurt before..

Hey I liked Jersey Girl, J-Ho only lasts a few minutes then dies.

[Knight26]

After reading the novel I was hoping it would be great and if it's as good as the novel was it will be.

For those who read the novel: Did it seem almost as if it was written by two different writers?

It seemed there was the crappy part written by the writer to me (I wasn't impressed with all of the "this is so and so" stuff) and then another part was taken from the screen play.

I'm listenning to the book right now while at the gym. That is author's personnal style and is not uncommon to see when authors who are not used to doing film novelizations are commissioned to do them. They try to add alot of the introspection and depth of character that can't be seen on screen. You can only do so much back story on screen, and voice overs or dreams get old fast. In books however when you find a natural point to put some tid bit of the characters past in that builds on their personnality you sieze on it. I admit that the "this is so and so" gets a bit old and he should have changed that up a bit, but it does add depth to the characters in a big way.

Also, novelization authors usually work off of the untrimmed screenplay, do you end up getting a lot of the stuff that doesn't make it to film in the books. THis also explains why the style of writing feels like it switchs between two authors. Writers who do a lot of novelizations have styles that get around that pretty well, some also just write the straight screenplay in narative form. Going from film to book is always a hard thing to do, I tried it once for a writing assignment, using a TV show script and that was a pain in and of itself, trying to keep my own style, add to the character development and still stay true to the screenplay.

Edited April 27, 2005 by Knight26

[do not disturb]

i'll be watching this on a wednesday, 2 weeks after it comes out, during the middle of the work week, so i get the good seats right smack dab in the middle of the threatre with no crying babies around me and no one trying to steal my arm rest.

[Druna Skass]

At first I was just going to see this for the Ben and Anakin fight, but now it looks like the whole thing is going to be kick-ass.

[HWR MKII]

The novel is taken from lucases screenplay and then interpreted by the author who wrote. He was told to leave all the wookie action out. I guess they wanted at least one suprise in there. So in all yes it was written by 2 different people. I didnt like the "this is so and so " crap either.

[Shake n Bake]

there's a seven min video of ROTS floating around..

[zeo-mare]

7 min video jesus somebody find that link quick

[bsu legato]

The 7 minute video was shown at Celebration III. Its just lousy camcorder footage, complete with lots of heads in the way. I got my copy from a yousendit link on MF.com. They are probably still uploading it to new links. I'd check there first.

[do not disturb]

you mean this one?

click me bee-otch!

i think the link is dead?

only thing was, only 25 people got to view and they needed someone else to host it...its only like 95 megs.

Edited April 27, 2005 by haterist

[zeo-mare]

yea the link is not working for me

[Shake n Bake]

try this one

[HWR MKII]

Sweet my wife will love this. We are both looking forward to seeing this.

[Max Jenius]

Kevin Smith said it so it must be true.

I knew from the beginning of Episode I's production that this movie would rule.