The Phantom Menace 3D Discussion - Page 2

 

I thought everyone walked out of the first viewing desperately trying to convince themselves it wasn't bad?  I sure as hell did.

 

My friends and I went to Denny's after the midnight showing.  I didn't even realize I hated the movie until I discovered the indigestion I woke up with after scarfing a Moons Over My Hammy at 3AM was more tolerable than Jake Lloyd's performance.

 

In short, TPM 1999 was already a 3D experience for me. I was filled with denial, despair, and diarrhea.

OK, let me illustrate something: I was 9 when this came out. Did I enjoy it then? Of course I did, because I was an absolute Star Wars whore back then. Yet even by Attack of the Clones, I was acknowledging certain flaws in the prequels; I remember discussing with my dad that the romance scenes in that sucked, even if I couldn't put my finger on exactly why.

 

Even now, I don't hate Phantom Menace, or the other prequels. I like them for a number of reasons: I feel like Anakin's fall is a compelling story for the most part, many of the actors are good even with this material, and the Star Wars universe remains a fascinatingly imaginative and creative place.

 

Why does everyone get such a bug up their ass if anyone admits to even half-enjoying the prequels?

No more half-measures, Chris.

Pardon? I don't get your meaning. Are you saying I'm not allowed to like something even if I recognize it's flawed?

 

That's like saying I can't enjoy Commando, and we all love that piece of dumbassery.

I'm not saying anything at all, really.  Just a Breaking Bad reference!  And a reference to the Internet not allowing nuance in opinions!

 

I enjoy the prequels and I make fun of them all the time!

It's ok Chris, only a Sith deals in absolutes.

Sorry, don't watch Breaking Bad (yeah, yeah, add it to the pile of "Shit I Haven't Seen").

 

Oh, I can ABSOLUTELY make fun of the prequels as well, don't get me wrong. There's tons of silly shit in them.

 

If it makes you feel any better Chris, I'm in the 'Enjoy the Prequels but recognize their flaws' camp too. Putting aside my love for the universe - which I freely admit is huge and lifelong - I think they have great ideas, a lot of which Lucas fumbles in the delivery. Lucas's Debbie Downer attitude towards the Jedi and Anakin's a great example of this. There's a lot of character and worldbuilding stuff that feels sort off off-key in the delivery, and it'd make a fascinating discussion if it didn't always degenerate to 'They suck/Don't suck/They suck/Don't entirely suck/You suck/You suck too/We all suck'

 

My problem with the 3D versions is, it just feels like a re-release too far. Fine if it floats your boat, but it don't mine.

One of the reasons I don't like the RedLetterMedia reviews as much as everyone else is that kind of superior attitude. He makes some good points, but that snobby voice gets in the way.

That tone feels deliberately overplayed in the RLM stuff though; it always felt to me like he was making fun of self-important fanboyism just as much as the movies themselves. And there is some great, on-point analysis in there.

This.  I found a lot of the attitude to be mocking fanboys who take things too seriously.

 

Eh, I don't know, considering he does EVERY OTHER VIDEO of his like that. I just find it self-defeating: "Yeah, I agree with some of your points, do you have to be a self-important ass about it? Even if you're supposed to mocking self-important jackassery?"

 

And his outside-the-review stuff is painfully unfunny.

 

 

It's just his style. He picks these 'geek flashpoint' movies and uses the same two-pronged approach. I've always gotten the impression that behind the schtick (Which I agree gets old very quick when he tries to make it stand on its own) is a desire to bring genuine critical analysis to this stuff rather than the standard 'Everyone say 'IT SUCKS!' and yell at each other' thing you usually see on the internet. 

That IS the character.

 

EDIT: Dammit Worky.

 

I find the humor pretty funny.

We should probably just move on, as I've said my piece about him before.

 

Actually, y'know what? I might do this just to see the podracing and Darth Maul fight on the big screen again.

Hello my name is Andy, and The Phantom Menace is my favourite of the prequels. I think I enjoy it more than Jedi.

Phew, I've finally said it. I genuinely feel like I've come out or something.

The things I dislike (Binks, Jake Lloyd, retconning in midi-chlorians) are overshadowed by the stuff I do like. I do like the political backdrop that led to Palpatine becoming chancellor, I do like the call back to Tattooine, qui gon's chilled, but very manipulative approach, the arrogance of the Jedi. I love the final fight. Mcdiarmids performance ("I will be chancellor.."). It's an 'origin' movie if you will, it sets the stage, it preps everything and I think it actually does it well.

Then the backlash and we seemed to get AotC done by Internet committee. Hmm what was liked in the OT. Boba Fett, check, asteroid chase sequence, check, fighting monsters in a pit, check. I intensely disliked Sith when I first saw it too. The Palpatine/Windu fight should have been epic but amounted to them waving sticks at each other, and the "platform game" final duel didn't do it for me. I wanted it to be long shots, effectively a very long version of ObiWan vs Maul. But it was edited out of all reason.

I have warmed to Sith since, focussing on a lot of the side things, but TPM is still my favourite of the prequels.

I think Lucas' biggest mistake was keeping hold of the reins himself. If he'd collaborated on the writing and handed over direction to someone else for the last two, they might have been something spectacular.

But given Crystal Skull, maybe not. I guess we'll never know.

Now, "flame on" motherfuckers! ;p

See, I Lucas' direction on Sith is actually pretty good.  The performances are still bland, but there are sequences in that flick that are great (and not just because they're linking up to the OT).  An engaged George Lucas could make a friggin' wonderful silent film.

I thought McGregor and McDiarmid (Frank Oz too) stepped up their game performance-wise for Sith. Yeah, the latter's hamming it up (UN-LIM-I-TED POWAH!), but at least he's engaged, and McGregor is trying like a motherfucker to make this work.

It's weird when an "artist" gets SO big that people don't seem to be able to say "hold on fella, have you considered this" because they are afraid of killing the Golden Goose.  Although in Lucas' case more "afraid of getting their ass fired".

 

It's like George RR Martin. The first three books of SoIaF are great, then it's like his editor thought "hmm, we've made bank with this guy, let's not edit him too much" and we get the sprawling mess that is a Feast of Crows.  Plot lines and characters that go nowhere and do nothing.  I haven't read Dance with Dragons yet, so I can't full commentate, but it feels like someone gets so big that they have no external influences that may actually make something better.

Rowling would be another one.  The Potter books just bloated and bloated and bloated.

oh absolutely (McDiarmid's "Nooo, nooo" cracks me up every time) but at the time I wanted EPIC and got either watered down or edited to oblivion.  Shallow, but I'm all about the duels.  

 

One thing I did love on first viewing was Palpatine playing Anakin like a fish on a hook.  But for me, everything was building up to The Duel.  And it just didn't do it for me.

Jesus people. I'll defend anyone's right to enjoy any piece of crap they want, but some of you are going to pay premium rates to have Jar Jar all up in your faces??? Jesus.

I said I *might* do it. Even then, it's supposed to be showing in some 2D theaters, which is the option I will go for every time.

 

Because fuck 3-D.

You should see Hugo, Chris.  In 3D!!!!

I just really can't see why anyone would subject themselves to this. Not judging, I swear. The OT in 3D...sure. SITH? OK. Hell, I'll even give you CLONES. But this? This I just don't understand. 

Saw it in 2-D, was perfectly satisfied.

 

I also have a medical reason: my left eye wanders, and my eye doctor offhandedly mentioned a few months back that it makes me unable to see 3-D film images.

 

EDITED for seeing Chris' post posted as I posted this.

 

"I like what I like", "there are FAR worse movies out there", "enjoyment is subjective" ;p

 

nope - I have nothing. All I know is, I enjoy it.

 

 

 

Jesus, you Star Wars guys. Someone should re-edit Shame to show Michael Fassbender repeatedly engaging in Prequel Trilogy marathons. 

Ah-one, ah-two, ah-one-two-three-four:  'They suck/Don't suck/They suck/Don't entirely suck/You suck/You suck too/We all suck'

I actually dont mind wasting an afternoon seeing this, I just know I wont be able to tolerate it and might start punching the screen.

I've said this a few times over the years, but I'm not a Star Wars guy at all so, from a distance, it's fascinating, mystifying, and occasionally distressing to witness the ongoing relationship that fans have w/ these movies. I did watch all of those Mr. Plinkett review though, even though they were for a film I couldn't really remember and two I'd barely seen on television. Entertaining, informative stuff.

 

I envy you.

Young children are about the only people whose opinions I'd be interested in when it comes to the prequels at this point. At least they'd be going in there with some degree of openness and sincerity, instead of whatever bizarre sadomasochistic impulse drives the older fans into watching them again and again, spitting bile every step of the way.

For me, it's the love of the story and characters that keeps me a fan, as well as the story of the OT. I'm not the mega-fan I once was, but a fan I still am. Naturally, nostalgia plays a part, but mostly I still love the world, even if The Chin's storytelling chops are not what they once were. Even the changes to the OT don't offend me as much as they used to; now I just find them kind of silly (Hayden Christiansen Force Ghost aside; that one still rubs me up the wrong way for story reasons) It's just divorcing the silly shit from the core of why you love something in the first place, something that isn't exactly exclusive to watching Star Wars.

Honestly, I don't watch these films-ANY of them-that often. I think that might help my enjoyment, to be quite honest.

 

Well, yeah. A lot of older fans do do this, and if they want to keep picking at that scab, well, it's their own time to waste, I guess.

 

 

Well you did say you enjoyed them despite their flaws, I'm not knocking you for that. The people who bother me are the ones that loathe them but can't or won't move on.

 

I haven't seen this one in a decade, I must admit I'm tempted to see what it would be like through relatively fresh eyes. I've seen worst blockbusters get given a pass in recent years (Transformers 1, Iron Man 2 etc)

 

 

 

I just wish they'd keep it to themselves and stop moaning about it. A 10 year moratorium on all Star Wars discussion would do the internet a world of good.

Who do I fellate to get new Star Wars shot in 3D instead of this post production blasphemy?

Seriously, let me know. There is a Heaven for penises. I will take you there.

WHY STOP AT TEN?

 

Leia was never a bundle of excitement to begin with, but Han does nothing but whinge on about whether Leia likes him or not.  I'd rather him have stayed dead than returned as a pussy-whipped bitch.

Tell that storm trooper he shot in the head how  much of a pussy whipped  bitch he is.

I give you your penis king:

 

 

 

Steve-O's warming him up for ya ;)

If I were offered a free ticket to see this movie in 3D, then yeah I probably would take the opportunity. Speaking of half-enjoying prequels, this is the only film of the three I kinda do. It's the only prequel that looks and feels like a film with a clear narrative. Certainly helps to have John Williams in his prime. So yeah, I have a soft spot for it. Can't lie I enjoyed this fucker when I was 12 in the theater. So yes, I wouldn't mind seeing the pod race sequence in 3D. I could take it.

As for the other two prequels, if I were offered free tickets for those I'd tell that offer to go fuck itself.

Oh, come on.  Episode III doesn't have a clear narrative?  Really?

 

 

This aside; yes, Im one of the people who enjoy the prequels, warts and all; I do not have the same love for them as i have for the originals, but they are hardly awful or boring films; I think Moriarty's articles on watching the whole saga with his kids is a perfect example of why and how the prequels are what they are (I also speak from experience here; my nephews got into Star Wars from the prequels, then moved on to the originals, and...well, it works)

Besides, no matter how much tinkering or (chuckle) "defiling" of his original work Lucas does in your eyes, he'll never, ever manage to take away your memories and experiences with it.

 

 

 

Oh god? Can we like start a support group for people who aren't Stars Wars types at all? Because I basically fell completely out of love with the films as soon as it was decided that we all needed to see the longest super-villian origin film ever.

 

Any bets on how long that support group would last until it devolved into something out of LORD OF THE FLIES? I give it less than a month.

less than 24 hours I think.

Admittedly anybody who opposed me would get fed their own thumbs.

I find it amazing that people can be so fanatically devoted to something that has been so disappointing for so long, going all the way back to JEDI. I think it's the universe. The fans want to be immersed in that universe, even if the story they're being told is awful. It's more about what Star Wars could be as apposed to what it is.

Well, and there have been times where it's legitimately rocked. Genndy Tartakovsky's animated Clone Wars series almost justifies the existence of the prequels completely on its own.

 

I've liked some of the books as well, though many of them also suck. I think you do have a point, though again I'm in the minority. And I wouldn't consider  myself to be a fanatic, per se. I just really like Star Wars.

 

For me, that's enough.