Ebert and Roeper go nutso for SWIII. by bikisdad

OTHER SCIENCE FICTION SERIES

Ebert and Roeper go nutso for SWIII.

POSTED BY: BIKISDAD
UPDATED: Monday, May 23, 2005 03:03
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Sunday, May 22, 2005 3:52 PM

Just saw the Ebert and Roeper show earlier today. They fell all over each other saying great things about the movie. Normally I (sort of) trust these guys, but in this case, they were saying things about the movie and simultaneously playing clips that seemed to contradict what they were saying... For instance, they said it was a very emotional movie while playing a clip of Padme talking to Anakin with some very badly written dialogue. It didn't seem emotional to me. I just felt embarassed for the poor actress who had to deliver those lines.

I haven't seen the movie myself, so I'm not saying they're wrong. But it sure made me question the veracity of the review.

I'm still wondering whether to go to this or not. I never went to see I or II and my life didn't end, so I probably wouldn't miss this one either - plus, more money to spend on "Serenity" when it comes out...

So, should I bother going to SWIII, or not?

Apathy on the Rise. No One Cares.

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Sunday, May 22, 2005 4:57 PM

ECGORDON

There's no place I can be since I found Serenity.

No one can answer that question for you. If you didn't bother with the two other prequels, and I assume you know how this one ends, what reason do you have for seeing it? I saw it yesterday, and even though I only paid matinee prices I felt I was screwed. It does not surprise me that Ebert/Roeper would give it a good review, they are such panderers to the Powers That Be. And I have lost a lot of respect for Kevin Smith for all the good stuff he's being saying about it too.

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Sunday, May 22, 2005 5:27 PM

OPUS

I saw the film thursday afternoon.
Acting was predictably stiff, the majority of the dialogue was just as wooden. On top of that we also know how it ends.
However, the film is absolutely beautiful, forget the space scenes, the city and skyscapes blew me away. My only criticism on that score is sometimes there was too much going on, visually, at one time.
Vader's creation was handled well, chopped up and burned alive, yet not gross.
I didn't completely buy the way Anankin was seduced to the dark side, but the idea behind it was very good. Lucas would have been better to have just outlined the script and let someone else write it.
It's a movie that you should go to and enjoy for what it is.
If you're old enough to have seen the original Star Wars when it came out, this film probably will hold more significance.
For many seeing the original Star Wars back in the late 70's was a sort of epiphany, a seminal event in their life. Even with the disappointing sequels and prequels the film brings closure or an end to a fire that was lit in them so many years ago. I've seen that attitude in most of the reviews. Either they're fans who are finally getting closure, or people who hated it all from the begining and glad it's finally over.
I say go.

Opus

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Sunday, May 22, 2005 5:39 PM

BLACKOUTNIGHTS

Great analysis, Opus. There are a lot of film critics who get paid for their opinion that liked the film to warrant its validation.

"You're either in or you're out, and I'm playing to the in."—Greg Dulli.

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Sunday, May 22, 2005 7:14 PM

TIGER

Ep III was good - but only in context of the other movies in the series. If you saw Star Wars as a kid and enjoyed it you'd probably enjoy the prequals, as long as you don't expect them to be sophisticated adult dramas. Like the original three, they have dialogue and plotting suitable for children (although the political sub-plots are surprisingly well thought out, but woefully under-emphasized).

As far as Ebert and Roeper's review, I thought they were very fair. I would have given the movie thumbs up too, simply for the nostalgia factor, even though there's more genuine emotion in any episode of Firefly than in all the prequals combined.

Both reviewers lamented quite heavily about the terrible dialogue. As far as the acting goes, I think it shows the great talent of Natalie Portman and Ewan McGregor (and to a lesser extent, Hayden Christensen) that they could actually make those lines sound as good as they did without laughing.

Simply put, Ep III isn't as good as some people are saying, but it isn't as bad as others are saying. I consider myself a fairly sophisticated movie-goer and I thought it was worth the matinee price.

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Sunday, May 22, 2005 7:22 PM

SERGEANTX

I can't say much until I've seen it, which probably won't be for awhile, but a lot of what I'm hearing sounds like the rationalizing that went on after EpI. Heck, I even did some of it myself. Said, "It was 'fun'. The special effects were awesome! Darth Maul was cool!"... all of it true enough, but I knew deep down the movie left me cold.

These days I can't even remember what happened, 'cause it just didn't really mean a thing. I skipped the second one on the advise of my sons, who did see it and said it was middling as well. I have heard better things about this one, but I've also seen enough media hype to make me wanna puke. And I'm usually pretty good at avoiding media hype. I'm trying to keep an open mind though. I was under the mistaken impression Lucas had had the sense to get someone else to write this one. Damned shame that he didn't.

SergeantX

"Dream a little dream or you can live a little dream. I'd rather live it, cause dreamers always chase but never get it." Aesop Rock

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Sunday, May 22, 2005 7:33 PM

MANOSBDH

Episode 3 is the most dramatic, cinematically artistic, and exciting movie of the Entire series, not just the prequils. It bridges the gap from the prequils and for the first time we return to the world that we fell in love with in the original trilogy, not the froofy cheesy world of the prequils. Experiencing the birth of the Star Wars universe in its true sense is breathtaking. Is it better than any of the prequels? Well no... hell no. The dialogue and wooden acting make scenes that should be absolutely beautiful and tear jerking into long drawn out sequences where you just want to rip your brain out of your nose. You don't have to give a 10 minute speech on why you're scared of what Anikin has become! Natalie Portman's face says it all, but instead we have to sit there listening to horrid babble that I could have written better. I hope someone does a re-edit of the movie someday that basically edits out almost all of the dialogue and relies on the impact of the visuals, which do it all. The best sequence in the movie is Order 66 which barely has any dialogue. See the movie, and appriciate it for what it is. It's a star wars movie that will make you appriciate the original trilogy all the more... and Serenity a LOT more. Long live movie makers who can actually write good dialogue!!!

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Monday, May 23, 2005 3:03 AM

BIKISDAD

Well, thanks for the input, everybody. There are certainly a wide range of overall opinions about the movie - at least in terms of its quality and viewability. I think there seems to be a general agreement that the dialogue sucks big time. I got a sample of that just from the clips played during the E&R review. It was horrible. However, from the above, and comments I've seen on other threads, it sounds like the music is great (John Williams, of course it is) and the visual experience is great.

I guess, to sum it up, "Sith" really could be thought of in two ways - as a lousy movie, or as a great music video.

So if I ignore the dialogue/story and just pay attention to the audio/visual stimulus, seeing SWIII should be a very enjoyable experience.

Again, thanks for the input, Browncoats. I value your opinions more than any movie critic's.

Apathy on the Rise. No One Cares.

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