Lucas bows out - Star Wars III

[cinemabon]

Many people in science fiction can die happy knowing they've seen the last chapter in the Star Wars saga. I'll be happy when they make "Stranger in a strange land" into a decent film. In the meantime, science fiction is stuck with Lucas long running, twelve plus hours, six-chaptered story of life in a galaxy far, far, away. The DVD is clean, very clear pix and sound. The supplemental disc has everything you ever wanted to know about George Lucas multi-billion dollar empire on it and more than enough about the film.

I won't bother going into the casting and acting of the film, not one of George's strong points. Hayden never quite leaves the ground, flapping around for two hours until we finally lay him to rest inside the monkey suit and James Earl Jones emerges (thank God!). Despite the pretty CGI scenery and the incredible battle sequence as the opener, I couldn't have tired with a story more than this one. While I value the great contribution made by artist John Williams with his thematic score, the story is so simplistic and pedantic a school child can figure it out from scene two. The few surprise moments only slow our fall as we crash and burn with an "Aha!" ending that signals we can run, not walk, to escape the additional hour long reel at the end of film to run credits on everyone from the janitor to the official stamp licker.

I'm so happy for George. I'm so sad for all the years of great science fiction written by so many gifted writers that has and never will see the light of day on the silver screen.

[Johann]

I understand your sentiments CB


As I said before, the only Star Wars DVD I'll ever buy (and bought on Tues) is Revenge of the Sith.


Let's take all the high-falootin' film-speak out of this discussion:
This Film Kicks Ass.

But it doesn't kick ass for the reasons you think.

Episodes I & II suck donkey ass, and we can quite justifiably throw those films into the "condemned waste of celluloid and money" bin.

Lucas was stroking his ^&$@^% for those two films.
And in the process he robbed us all of considerable time and money and sheer THOUGHTS!, because he knew we'd pay to see WHATEVER he christened a "STAR WARS FILM". We'd sit in front of any piece of shit he made because, let's be honest here:
deep down we all have an affinity for that fucking galaxy.

I want to thank cinemabon for routinely sharing his true feelings.

If we really think about it, we're insanely jealous of Lucas.
Because he has created his own destiny as it were, he's made himself into a mythmaker, a legend of the movie business, even if you have the most concentrated contempt and anger for his fucking with his own creations. He has a freedom and security and a place in this world that we would all like to enjoy.


But to get back to what prompted this post, the "last" Star Wars film is the best.

There are some shots and sequences in this puppy that are unmatched in cinema history. I said "pulse-pounding" in my original review and I meant it.

Lucas has an immediacy in this film, a tense, higher-calling-type of message and pace. It's tremendously exciting from the drop pan from the screenscroll to Vader's last utterances of Anakin:
Is she safe?


Can I say that Lucas has finally gone "balls to the wall?"

Tear into a bottle of Hennessy and fire up some potent gone-ja and Holy Wookiee, this film is quite the ride.

If you ask me, you only need to watch episodes III and IV.
(The Empire Strikes Back can be the capper to your "trilogy" if you want- I know some people worship it. Have your cake then, FANBOY)

The film purist only requires those two films. An old one and a new one: but both perfectly and IM-perfectly linked.

Throw in THX-1138 and you have all the LucasFilms you need to see/or study.


The DVD release indeed has everything you need.
Thanks for this thread cinemabon.

[Johann]

I sat through all of the DVD special features of ROTS and it's loaded for bear.


The best thing about the features is "A Hero Falls", a "music video" that shows us Anakin's "turn" to the dark side, using footage from all six films.

That feature might be better than all the movies put together!
Check it out- Brent and I were in awe.


The 15-part "expose" into Lucas' M.O. in filmmaking is great for film buffs, but it will probably only be watched once (if that) by everybody else.

What impressed me about it was finally seeing how Lucas directs.

His editing suite, his "personality"- he is distinctly another person when on set as opposed to "in interview".

It's very grand of him to let the world know how he manipulates the people working on his films to get what he wants.

His true genius (and Kubrick's as well) is the ability to get exactly what he wants without being a psycho. We never see him lose his temper- he's very considerate and "mindful" of the army in his employ- and you gain a massive respect for him in regards to "holding it all together".

He's in charge of a gargantuan empire.
How would you do it?

He's in another galaxy in terms of movie-mogul-dom, and when you study each part of the "making of" you increasingly are aware of the scale of this production.
It's scary.

The rest of the DVD features are great, with the deleted scene of Yoda landing on Dagobah being the best.

The film is the best Star Wars film he's made.

Good thing he upped the ante with this final installment because he was just about to be written off as a man who destroyed his own creation. He kinda did anyway, but there's enough to love in Episode III to be forgiven.

[cinemabon]

Now that your collection is complete, I'm curious when you are going to hold a personal marathon and watch all six films in one setting.

I tried with LOTR and didn't make it to the end of the first Special Edition DVD. When I started the Star Wars saga, I immediately employed the scan button to FF through the "boring" stuff, but after four hours I gave up, exhausted. I felt stuffed full of crappy junk food, while my bloodshot eyes needed to look at something other than a screen! Blinking against reality I walked outside to find a real world existed with sunlight and fresh air to breath. Frightened, I ran back inside to my insular world, promising not to emerge again until March 2nd!


Let me know how you come out!