usually movie workers at theaters get to watch it a day earlier to see if it will work on their systems. One of my coworkers mentioned this to me when he used to work at AMC First Colony.
I hear there's good money in bootlegging. Just as long as no one accidentally records some lady dancing in the middle of the movie. That would be a disturbing image.
WOW!!! Check out the reviews so far. http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hv&cf=critic&id=1808406061 "...it's better than (the original) Star Wars." "It's a rousing and tragic sendoff to a beloved franchise, and the best installment in the Star Wars series since 1980's The Empire Strikes Back." "In sum, Revenge of the Sith is darn good, easily the best of the prequels, and perhaps even a rival to The Empire Strikes Back..." "It's the darkest of the six-film opus, but it just may be the best of the lot." I'm pumped!!!
Here's my review. I've now seen the film twice. Once at a critics' screening, and once on midnight, opening day. (Just got back.) It's light on Spoilers. Link: review Rating: 3.5 Stars (out of 4) George Lucas is Darth Vader. Consider. Vader starts out a good-guy—the “chosen one.” Then he’s seduced by the dark side, betrays his friends, creates an empire, brings death to the galaxy, and then, in “Return of the Jedi,” is ultimately redeemed. Same with Lucas. In 1977 he was an icon. The man that changed Hollywood. Years later, with the prequel trilogy, he became so seduced with special effects, so blinded by his own corporate empire, that he forgot what it was all about, he forgot how to make movies. With “Revenge of the Sith,” at long last, Darth Lucas finds redemption. “Sith” is a flawed masterpiece, an epic that comes close, so tantalizingly close, to fulfilling its dark, cathartic promise. It has emotion. It has energy. And it brilliantly connects to the original trilogy—evoking, for the first time in twenty years, that old Star Wars feeling. “Sith” begins at a sprint. In the final battle of the Clone Wars, the slippery Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) has been kidnapped, and our heroes, Anakin (Hayden Christensen) and Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) race to save him, spinning and dog-fighting their way through a chaotic, high-octane space battle. It’s old school Star Wars. The scene’s frenetic exuberance, and charisma, is what’s been missing from the first two prequels. As Anakin and Obi-Wan fight side by side, blasting spaceships and swapping wisecracks, we get a real sense of camaraderie. Even R2 is in top form. And the action itself? Stunning. Take just one throwaway stunt: as the Jedi find the entrance to the ship where Palpatine is being held hostage, Obi-Wan crash-lands his plane into the docking station. Seconds before his jet erupts into flames, and while it’s still moving, Obi-Wan leaps out of the cockpit, ignites his lightsaber in midair, lands with a nimble roll, and then, in one fluid motion, destroys a pack of enemy droids. It’s the saga’s most thrilling stunt since Luke jumped off Jabba’s plank, way back in “Jedi.” You can almost hear Lucas saying, “I’m baaaaacck.” We’re then treated to the first of five—yes, five—lightsaber duels, as Anakin once again confronts Count Dooku (Christopher Lee), concluding the battle in a ruthless, un-Jedi-like assassination. Palpatine watches and smirks. It’s a great moment, one of many gradual, itty-bitty steps that Anakin takes to the dark side. Back on Coruscant, the planet known for stunning sunsets and boring exposition, Lucas pumps just enough information, and no more, that’s needed to advance the story. Unlike Episodes I and II, here the setup is brisk, taut. Anakin reunites with Padme (Natalie Portman)—uh oh, “your skin is so smooth, not like sand” alert!—threatening to sink the film with cheesiness. Mercifully, these love-scenes are short and infrequent, and this time around, the swooning dialogue isn’t nearly as laugh-out-loud bad. (Rumors persist of a Tom Stoppard ghost-edit.) Padme tells Anakin that she’s pregnant. Apparently the Force can raise an X-Wing from the swamp, can fling droids across the room, and can even control minds, but it’s a lousy contraceptive. Anakin has nightmares of Padme dying in childbirth, he panics, freaks out, and convinces himself that she will die. As if that isn’t enough for Anakin to worry about, the stuffy, stodgy old Jedi Council still won’t acknowledge him as a badass Jedi master. He’s torn between his duty and his pride, his obligations and his heart. The only one to sense his true power, in fact, is Palpatine. The Chancellor whispers sweet flattery into Anakin’s ear, and promises that only he, not the Jedi, can find a way to save Padme. Give Lucas credit. Anakin’s seduction to the dark side is far more complicated, more nuanced, and more gradual than we might have predicted. Remember back in “Empire,” how Vader tempts Luke? He pretty much just says, “Join me, and we shall rule this galaxy together, father and son.” Black or white. Good or bad. Join me or jump down the Cloud City weather-pole-thingy. Even in the throne room in “Jedi,” it’s not much more complicated. The Emperor hopes that Luke will give into his hate, Luke doesn’t, Vader steps up, the Emperor falls—simple as that. Thanks to meticulous plotting, Anakin’s motivations are decidedly more interesting. He’s worried about the woman that he loves. The other Jedi don’t give a damn about his passions, his career, or even the Republic. Palpatine cares. Palpatine has always cared. When Anakin makes his deal with the devil, we get it. He still thinks he’s doing the right thing, still thinks he’s serving the Republic. From that point forward, the action is relentless, unflinching, and mesmerizing. It’s as good as any stretch of any Star Wars movie. The unartful scaffolding of the first two prequels finally pays off, big time, as the Republic morphs into the Empire, as Yoda confronts Palpatine, and as Obi-Wan and Anakin, showing real emotion at last, clash sabers in their epic, lava-tinged duel. Where Lucas needs to deliver, he delivers. Everything in “Sith” is better. Everything. The story is tighter. The CGI feels organic, no longer smacking of a Sci-Fi channel cartoon. Shockingly, even the acting is up to snuff. (For Star Wars.) McDiarmid deserves real consideration for Best Supporting Actor, cycling through the range of concerned friend, benevolent politician, betrayed martyr, and gleefully evil Emperor. So far the prequels have lacked a legitimate, capital-V-Villain. McDiarmid fills the void. Even much-maligned Hayden Christensen shows his chops, proving more effective as an older, cockier Jedi knight. And McGregor finally lets loose; his tearful disappointment with Anakin, highlighted by a fiery “You were the Chosen One!”, is emphatic and moving. Only Natalie Portman remains curiously wooden, looking nothing like the actress we saw in Closer. Sadly, in the movie’s final stanza, some embarrassingly bad dialogue—what else?—tarnishes what should have been (and almost is) a cathartic, triumphant finish. I’ll avoid spoilers. Let’s just say that Vader’s last line is an unforgivable clunker, and a minor character’s line about an “adoption” disrupts an otherwise touching moment. It’s a pity. Just a bit of editing, a few incisive cuts, would have saved the film from any snickering. Even so, the closing moments will give you goosebumps. The score by John Williams, which quotes more and more from the original trilogy, punctuates a rousing, thematic connection. And the final shot is a thing of beauty, a reminder of why, a long time ago, we all fell in love with Star Wars.
Revenge of the Sith was badass. It will not dissapoint. A lot of the time with big movies I've been awaiting a long time, I leave the theatre with negative feelings. I didn't feel bad at all after this one ended. There was some cheesiness with dumb dialogue, but this movie is way better than the first two prequels overall. The last 30 minutes of it are really good; not to say anything before that isn't, none of it's bad, really. Ha, Jar-jar only utters one word. This movie is a lot like the first three.... which I can't wait to go see again soon. It was, indeed, a great transition from I-III to IV-VI. I'll be seeing it again soon. Stating the obvious, but it was a lot darker than the first two prequels. This one really belongs in the class of IV-VI. When it's all said and done, episode III will definitely go down as being in the top 3 of the Star Wars films, maybe even top 2.
Removing my expectations, I give it 4 out of 5 stars. It dipped only a touch under what I was hoping for. A handful of scenes made me want to slap Lucas upside the head, and certain characters/scenes weren't brought out as much as I had hoped. Still, the action:slow scene ratio in this movie was stellar, and maybe the best of any in the series. R2 shined, there were plenty of genuinely funny moments, and virtually none of the kiddy-targeting crap that ate away at the first two. The effects were astounding, especially the space battle. I have a theory regarding Portman's uncharacteristically bad acting. I don't think Lucas made her suck (totally), I think a lot of it is her admitted near-disdain for the movies. As soon as the first one was released, I remember seeing her (in print?) regret that she had signed on. As for Christensen, I think he's just a young guy over his head and feeling a lot of pressure. He's far better in this one than the last. Far better. Ryan Phillippe may have made for a better choice, though. Ewan McGregor really was the MVP of the prequels. Ian right behind him. We got robbed, straight robbed, in the "explanations" department. Robbed. Oh well, time for a nap before work! Evan |when's the next one come out?
What more needed to be explained? The movie explained why Skywalker turned to the darkside, why the clone/storm troopers act as they do, where the two remaining Jedi went, what happened to Luke & Leia's mother, where the twins went, etc. etc. What else was there? I'm sure one can connect the dots if he/she goes and watched the older ones again.
Just got back. This movie doesnt mess around. THIS is what we have all wanted to see in the previous 2 tries. It ranks up there with the original trilogy easily. Lucas tied up EVERYTHING. & he did it beautifully. I am one happy man. Gonna see it again @ 1pm tomorrow. Simply awesome!
other than some stiff dialogue between anakin and padme (again, but not as bad as in attack of the clones) this movie is a straight up knockout. i hope lucas goes back and revamps the first two prequels in this manner.
just got back. much better than either of the first two. much better. of course the dialogue sucked (and it did in the originals) but everything else was much better. i agree with that review, anakin's turn to the dark side was a lot more subtle than i would've thought. of course the action was badass, and there was plenty of it. dueling light saber duels towards the end was nice. everything after they started to turn on the jedi was really good. darth vader has one horrendous, God-awful, unforgivable, how in the world did you not edit that out moment at the end (you'll know it when you see it, trust me) but other than that the dialogue doesn't hurt you too badly. and yes, the kiddiness was very much gone and the jokes better. and obi-wan is just straight up cold at the end (and anakin isn't). a very satisfying end to the series.
correct me if i'm wrong but in ROTJ obi wan says hope is lost if luke falls to the dark side but then yoda says NO and that there is another. but in ROTS obiwon and yoda both know about leia. weak.
I saw the Midnight showing as well. [SEMI-SPOILERS BELOW] One of my favorite lines from the movie was Yoda.... "Failed have I. To exile I go" I think overall it was a good movie, but I thought the last 20 minutes weren't really as in-depth as they should have been. Almost like Lucas was sweeping it under the rug hoping to never see it again. I wish that Lucas and John Williams would choose someone to continue their respective legacies, and that in 5-10 years Episodes 7, 8, & 9 would be made. I thought the soundtrack in Episode 3 was incredible. There's one part (don't want to spoil the specific part for anyone), a fight scene, where "Duel of the Fates" is used. An incredible match between the music and the action on-screen. BTW, if you have never bought the soundtracks to the Star Wars movies, I would highly recommend it. They are an incredible listen. Overall, I would give it a 7.5 out of 10 Also, is it just me or were there way too many "fade to black" scene changes in the movie.
I don't think it's ever stated in the originals that Obi didn't know about leia? I could be wrong about that. Even the line you stated doesn't mean that Obi isn't supposed to know about her.
i guess this isn't a spoiler but since it was for me SPOILER luke and leia are twins? did we always know this? i mean obviously once you find out he goes dark before she can have another kid with him they have to be twins (or one has to be obi-wan's or something) but i don't remember that from the other movies. in fact, i thought leia was supposed to be older and one of my friends who saw it with me said the same thing. even though i really like star wars, i'll admit i don't exactly know the story front and back but i swear we didn't know they were twins. another friend acted like we already knew.
I think that is a really weak way of covering it up. It's pretty clear in ROTJ that yoda was informing obi wan. i think you kinda have to weist things aorund to make the events in ROTS believable. and to the other guy: you find out in ROTJ that they are twins.
I'll have to go back and watch it (it's been awhile), but if I remember correctly, the whole scene is just a close up of Yoda in shadows saying 'no, there is another'. And keep in mind that was a couple decades ago. There's nothing to 'cover up'. I'd imagine if there's something that was needed to make a connection, the last few years of writing episode 3 would have been an easy enough place to do it.
ok, i admit it....i am a star wars fiend. here is my review....SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What I didn't like... As has been said before.....Padme has some terrible lines. Whether its her saying "You're breaking my heart" or "Hold me Anakin, hold me like you did on Naboo" its just run of the mill cheese puff. I did think she had some stronger performances towards the latter stages of the movie. After being told of his wifes death by his own hands....Vader lets out a mournful and pronounced "NOOOOOOOOOO" His whole demeanor there was just terribly cheesy looking. You know...that pose where it looks like their elbows have been glued to their sides but still they are still reaching out with their fists clenched. you know? I thought there wasn't a clear transition from him wanting to save his wife to him wanting to rule the galaxy. I know he wants order, I know they talked about his politics in Ep2, but I still don't think its all that clear. I love how he said to Padme to join him so that they could rule the galaxy as husband and wife....just like he asked Luke to join him in Empire Strikes Back to join him and rule the galaxy as father and son. Loved that. Thats really all that got me irked....and Padme wasn't in it all that much. You could feel the hate. The suffering that was Darth Vader. His raw passion and rage. Even when he is at a disadvatage to Obi Won in the molten sea. He still attacks despite having the lower ground...a sure fire victory of Obi Won...and it was. But even so, he attacked. He has one arm and both legs chopped off....but he doesn't stop trying. He is disabled with only one mechanical hand, but he still tries to claw his way through the ash. The hate just consuming him. The lava catches him and sets him on fire, but he is still glaring at Obi Won, trying to claw his way back. He still claws as his skin melts off of him until he can no longer move. I cried. It is the best Star Wars movie I have ever seen. Its better than the original because its the best part of the original. Its the tragic story of the deadliest Jedi of all. "The chosen one" We know that in the end he does fulfill the prophecy, that he is the one who destroys the Sith Lord after his son finds the good in him, but at what cost.
Most Star Wars fans would want to see more, but it's just not gonna happen without Lucas. The whole concept came right outa his head. If there's gonna be a 7, 8, 9, it's gonna be because he does it. He's already said he won't, and it's not like he'll need the money anyways. I hope this movie makes huge bank. I hope people don't avoid this movie because I and II weren't that good. Hopefully people keep in mind that this is the last Star Wars, and they go and see it. Titanic needs to finally be dethroned. This is one movie that just might have a chance. I can't wait to see it again.
