Escape to the Movies: The Phantom Menace 13 Years Later
- Thread starter MovieBob
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Thank you, Bob!
I remember watching this movie while I was on a business trip in Austin, TX. I had no friends with me, so I saw it by myself (yeah, I braved the crowds) and my recollection of it was that I quite liked it! I hated "Annie" but the rest of it was fine.
I think that I learned to hate it because of the fanboy bile being thrown at it: Jar-Jar, the queen's shiny ship, the disparate technology levels established in the previous movies, midichlorians and all that crap. It made me realise first that MY movies had been tinkered with. But later it also made me realise that these were external influences on my opinion that had nothing to do with the movie itself. So I have been looking at it with fresh eyes again, ever since I introduced my two little sons to SW I have begun to love the SW universe again and to turn a blind eye and deaf ears to all the stupidity that lives on the internet
I remember watching this movie while I was on a business trip in Austin, TX. I had no friends with me, so I saw it by myself (yeah, I braved the crowds) and my recollection of it was that I quite liked it! I hated "Annie" but the rest of it was fine.
I think that I learned to hate it because of the fanboy bile being thrown at it: Jar-Jar, the queen's shiny ship, the disparate technology levels established in the previous movies, midichlorians and all that crap. It made me realise first that MY movies had been tinkered with. But later it also made me realise that these were external influences on my opinion that had nothing to do with the movie itself. So I have been looking at it with fresh eyes again, ever since I introduced my two little sons to SW I have begun to love the SW universe again and to turn a blind eye and deaf ears to all the stupidity that lives on the internet
I don't like Star Wars at all and it's fanboys make me hate it. Grow up, get a job, and stop waving that hunk of plastic around thinking you look cool because you don't, in fact you look stupid. That being said, I am left to wonder why do we care that George Lucas re-released another movie in eye-blistering 3D? Why is it some big deal that Lucas 'retired' from film making when it seems like to me that he gave up on that years ago. Sci-fi is supposed to instill wonder in it's audience but star wars instills nothing but anoyance WITH it's audience.
Just so you know the 3d was about as good as you can expect as a 2D turned 3D film to be mediocre over all and some what visually appealing at best.anian said:
I've been saying that since TPM came out. Granted I was well read in the expanded universe at the time, (if you think the prequels were the worst thing to happen to star wars, read The Crystal Star, or sizable chunks of the Marvel comics sometime) so I had a high crap tollerance. I'm also the guy that points out we'd be making gay jokes about Artoo and Threepio, and questioning why they took the ship they knew was being tracked back to their secret base if A New Hope was made today, so I don't quite hold up the originals quite as high.
To me, this one at least suffered from one of the three main problems with prequels: it's an opener and can't be bigger and better than the finale. (the other two are preconceptions leading to prejudgement and forknowledge hurting suspense) I pretty much went in expecting it to be somewhat less epic than a run against a death star, and more about putting pieces in place, and it's pretty much what I got. The other two, those are topics for another day.
To me, this one at least suffered from one of the three main problems with prequels: it's an opener and can't be bigger and better than the finale. (the other two are preconceptions leading to prejudgement and forknowledge hurting suspense) I pretty much went in expecting it to be somewhat less epic than a run against a death star, and more about putting pieces in place, and it's pretty much what I got. The other two, those are topics for another day.
I'm not as big a SW fan as some, but it's true that as a standalone it's a pretty exciting movie. It's got those action sequences on land, air[space] and water, and cool choreography in the sword fights.
-This doesn't mean I'll be dishing out for a second ticket however.
-This doesn't mean I'll be dishing out for a second ticket however.
I've never actually met a Star Wars fan that got as worked up over the prequels as MovieBob gets over Star Wars fans. He's probably come across more vocal and adamant fans than I have, but there's still some irony there...
I completely agree with what you said in this review.
Phantom Menace is not a bad film at all.
Podracing is awesome.
Darth Maul is awesome.
Liam Neeson and Ewan Mcgregor are awesome
Yes, the gungans are frustrating and kid Anakin isn't particularly amazing, but people go way OTT when complaining about it. I don't really need to say any more as it was summed up in the video - but I am definitely looking forward to the 3D version.
Phantom Menace is not a bad film at all.
Podracing is awesome.
Darth Maul is awesome.
Liam Neeson and Ewan Mcgregor are awesome
Yes, the gungans are frustrating and kid Anakin isn't particularly amazing, but people go way OTT when complaining about it. I don't really need to say any more as it was summed up in the video - but I am definitely looking forward to the 3D version.
Anyone else notice he made no mention of the 3d, the entire point to this film... yea...
Either way, Darth Maul still uses my all time favorite weapon, so he gets a pass, the rest of the movie just annoyed me, never knew it was more hated than Episode 2 though, I always thought that one was the Holy Grail of bad to others
Either way, Darth Maul still uses my all time favorite weapon, so he gets a pass, the rest of the movie just annoyed me, never knew it was more hated than Episode 2 though, I always thought that one was the Holy Grail of bad to others
I hate prequels in general because... I already know how it's going to end. I can't get past that.
I'm just not a big Star Wars fan. I like the first three (by which I mean episodes 4, 5 and 6), and Episode 3 was okay for what it was, but I'm just not a fan of the series. Maybe it's because I'm more into fantasy than sci-fi, maybe it's because what sci-fi I enjoy tends to be more reminiscent of the Trek side of the stars, but I just can't see myself getting excited for Star Wars.
I will say this, though, I wish they had made the fandub that changed the gungans language and Jar Jar's personality. I thought that was a good change.
I will say this, though, I wish they had made the fandub that changed the gungans language and Jar Jar's personality. I thought that was a good change.
Ohhh, this was good to hear, aside from enjoying the Mr Plinkett videos I decided a long ass time ago to more or less ignore the prequel movies and its nice to hear someone else suggest the same. Plus between the Genndy Tartakovsky shorts, games like Battlefront, KOTOR, The Force Unleashed (the first one not the second), and some other stuff I've probably missed, the good Star Wars stuff made in the last decade or so has VASTLY outnumbered the bad.
I wouldn't mind the prequals so much (Meaning I could pretend that they didn't exist.) if George didn't then use them as an excuse to make illogical and silly changes to the original trilogy.
Why do we have to wait until George dies to get the original cuts of the original movies in HD (or even in regular non VHS SD)?
That's the worst thing. Until prequal Anakin is removed from the end of Return of the Jedi and Han shoots first again I'm gonna keep bitching.
And the Lucas self justification reality distortion field keeps getting more powerful. "Red Tails was blocked by racists" yes George it's not that they didn't want to spend distribution and advertising of your shitty movie.
And now there's this:
http://gizmodo.com/5884061/george-lucas-now-says-that-han-never-shot-first-as-he-shoves-star-wars-3d-down-your-throat
Does Lucas has some sort of brain fungus or something? It sure would explain a lot.
Why do we have to wait until George dies to get the original cuts of the original movies in HD (or even in regular non VHS SD)?
That's the worst thing. Until prequal Anakin is removed from the end of Return of the Jedi and Han shoots first again I'm gonna keep bitching.
And the Lucas self justification reality distortion field keeps getting more powerful. "Red Tails was blocked by racists" yes George it's not that they didn't want to spend distribution and advertising of your shitty movie.
And now there's this:
http://gizmodo.com/5884061/george-lucas-now-says-that-han-never-shot-first-as-he-shoves-star-wars-3d-down-your-throat
Does Lucas has some sort of brain fungus or something? It sure would explain a lot.
With mental blocks in place for Jar-Jar and the words "Midi Chlorians," I can easily offer the opinion that Phantom Menace is probably the best of the prequels. I watch the second two movies entirely for the battle sequences, which got technically more proficient but continually more shallow as the movies went on (not including the duel between Kenobi and Skywalker, that was pretty much as awesome as we are going to get.)
My problem with the prequels is, essentially, the blockbuster representation of everything wrong with Star Wars in general: Lucas changing/adding scenes, the poor editorial oversight of the Expanded Universe to the point where entire series have had to be retconned, all of that.
And that's a big problem with me because I'm obsessed with canon. When I get into something, I want to get into all of it. This is why I can't get into most comics: no consistent canon. They keep bloody changing things. This is why, after reading over 100 Dragonlance books, I had to stop reading them; inconsistent canon. This is why I'm reading the Discworld books in publication order; full understanding of preexisting canon.
Sure, I can enjoy a one-off story, but it's so much better if I know everything that's going on and have a firm grasp of the setting. Destroy the setting by mangling the canon and I'm having a lot less fun. This is part of what makes Song of Ice and Fire so much fun to read: a minor mystery in the first book that is speculatively solved immediately isn't fully resolved until the third book, bringing current events into sharper focus.
That being said, while I despise the prequels for their failed realization of a childhood dream, they were merely a representation of the cancer that had been eating away at Star Wars canon for years, and I had already moved on to far, far greener pastures. I am not a bile-spewing Star Wars fanboy because it's just not worth it; there are far better series out there, and my time is better spent enjoying them.
So, to every bile-spewing Star Wars fanboy out there, go read:
The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss
The Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
Honor Harrington by David Weber
The Death Gate Cycle by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Discworld by Terry Pratchett
And everything written by:
Brandon Sanderson
Neil Gaiman
Michael Crichton
Isaac Asimov
And that's a big problem with me because I'm obsessed with canon. When I get into something, I want to get into all of it. This is why I can't get into most comics: no consistent canon. They keep bloody changing things. This is why, after reading over 100 Dragonlance books, I had to stop reading them; inconsistent canon. This is why I'm reading the Discworld books in publication order; full understanding of preexisting canon.
Sure, I can enjoy a one-off story, but it's so much better if I know everything that's going on and have a firm grasp of the setting. Destroy the setting by mangling the canon and I'm having a lot less fun. This is part of what makes Song of Ice and Fire so much fun to read: a minor mystery in the first book that is speculatively solved immediately isn't fully resolved until the third book, bringing current events into sharper focus.
That being said, while I despise the prequels for their failed realization of a childhood dream, they were merely a representation of the cancer that had been eating away at Star Wars canon for years, and I had already moved on to far, far greener pastures. I am not a bile-spewing Star Wars fanboy because it's just not worth it; there are far better series out there, and my time is better spent enjoying them.
So, to every bile-spewing Star Wars fanboy out there, go read:
The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss
The Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
Honor Harrington by David Weber
The Death Gate Cycle by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Discworld by Terry Pratchett
And everything written by:
Brandon Sanderson
Neil Gaiman
Michael Crichton
Isaac Asimov
The drawback of Starwars revisions and all that the fanbase is gonna go nuts over it either way good or bad.
That will make a profit only because they know people ***** about it. It will sell because everybody has a piece for it to say.
I'm kind of done sure i'll play and or still watch Starwars Thingy again but not in the near future.
That will make a profit only because they know people ***** about it. It will sell because everybody has a piece for it to say.
I'm kind of done sure i'll play and or still watch Starwars Thingy again but not in the near future.
My problem was it looks all shiny and cartoony for the kids but the subjects matters are more serious like trade issues etc for the adults. I think they should have left the prequels and done another original trilogy with all new characters separate to the originals. Using the books and games as a template.
I just stopped going to the prequels. Admittedly, it took me two movies to decide to do it, so I really only skipped the third one in theaters (and when I did later see it on TV - or how much of it I could stomach - I was certainly glad I did). So, I stick to watching the originals. On VHS.
Perhaps, after Lucas dies and the people who take over after him release the complete and original version (because there's a market for it and that's what businesses do after the "artist" dies) and they no longer have to worry about pleasing him, I'll get it on DVD, or whatever format it's on at the time, but I've got a working VCR and the complete original trilogy in its unaltered format. So I'm just covering my ears and going "LA LA LA LA!" to everything George Lucas does, because it's a lot less time consuming and painful to labor under the delusion that anything I do is going to fix it.
Perhaps, after Lucas dies and the people who take over after him release the complete and original version (because there's a market for it and that's what businesses do after the "artist" dies) and they no longer have to worry about pleasing him, I'll get it on DVD, or whatever format it's on at the time, but I've got a working VCR and the complete original trilogy in its unaltered format. So I'm just covering my ears and going "LA LA LA LA!" to everything George Lucas does, because it's a lot less time consuming and painful to labor under the delusion that anything I do is going to fix it.