If you asked me what my favorite Star Wars movie is, it would be this one. Why, you ask? I'm not sure why, maybe because I think all of the films in the original trilogy have been overly praised, especially Empire Strikes Back. Maybe if I watch all of them a few more times, my opinion may change. I believe its because this was really the one where Anakin got evil, or in Star Wars terms, 'the darrrrrrrkkkk sidddeee'.
And evil he became. Assuming that you, the reader, have seen the other five Star Wars films to date, you maybe already know what happens. We know something happens to Padme, formerly Queen Amidala. We know Luke and Leia are also born. We know Yoda and Obi-Wan go to exile. When the movie starts, Obi-Wan and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, are still buddies. But the marriage, which happened at the end of the last episode movie, between Anakin and Padme, is kept secret from all the Jedis. This is because of the rules in the Jedi Council, which is ill-fated.
I don't want to get too 'carried away' in explaining the plot as several things happen, and I'd just be telling the whole movie right there. After I saw it at the theater in 2005, I thought I saw the whole story. That is until 2012, when it was announced (the same day about Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm) that there will be another trilogy released. So, needless to say, I'm one of tens of millions of Star Wars fans who are more than thrilled. However, we're not sure how great it will be with George Lucas taking a minor role and having the golden boy J.J. Abrams having a huge part of it. I'll put it to you this way: it will either be really good or really bad. To disappoint or not to disappoint.
Rest assured, all the pieces of the puzzle are explained in this movie. This will be the last Star Wars review I do for a long time, so definitely stay tuned! And yes, I highly recommend watching all the movies. I'm still not sure what I'd recommend as far as what order to see them.
My rating: 8 out of 10
Tomatometer: 80%
Showing posts with label star wars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label star wars. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Monday, May 5, 2014
05/05 (b): Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
I'll never forget when it was first announced about the title back in, I believe, '01. In fact, I didn't take it seriously. That is, until I read all the complaints on message boards and such. But I'm sure Mr. Lucas had a good reason to call his 5th Star Wars film 'Attack of the Clones'. For me it was mostly about the journey of Anakin Skywalker and the continuation of his Jedi training.
That's the whole bulk of the movie right there, as we do see some great epic battles from start to finish. Even Yoda kicked ass! This is, up to that point, the best I've ever seen Yoda in a duel, against the film's antagonist, Count Dooku. To me, the clones were a bit boring, even though they were a big part of the story. And then there's the budding relationship between Anakin and Queen Amidala. Probably the climax comes with Anakin's personal loss.
I hope I didn't give away too much of the plot for those who still haven't seen this. But then again, some of it we see in the sequels, or confusingly, in the previous movies. Surprisingly, most of them consider this the 'worst' (with Episode I at a close second), but this one I didn't think was that bad. I believe it adds plenty of what we're supposed to know about the series and somehow Lucas put it all into one. We still don't have much of an idea of how Anakin becomes Darth Vader, which is supposed to be revealed in the next one. From what I know from hardcore fans that actually read the novels and such, it is revealed on what happens to the Queen and how Anakin turns to the Dark Side.
I'd say give this one the go, as well. If you're having a Star Wars marathon (I still have yet to do that, perhaps on 12/13/2015, two days before Episode 7 opens), this may seem to drag. Still a great movie though, and we are spared from Jar Jar Binks.
My rating: 7 out of 10
Tomatometer: 67%
That's the whole bulk of the movie right there, as we do see some great epic battles from start to finish. Even Yoda kicked ass! This is, up to that point, the best I've ever seen Yoda in a duel, against the film's antagonist, Count Dooku. To me, the clones were a bit boring, even though they were a big part of the story. And then there's the budding relationship between Anakin and Queen Amidala. Probably the climax comes with Anakin's personal loss.
I hope I didn't give away too much of the plot for those who still haven't seen this. But then again, some of it we see in the sequels, or confusingly, in the previous movies. Surprisingly, most of them consider this the 'worst' (with Episode I at a close second), but this one I didn't think was that bad. I believe it adds plenty of what we're supposed to know about the series and somehow Lucas put it all into one. We still don't have much of an idea of how Anakin becomes Darth Vader, which is supposed to be revealed in the next one. From what I know from hardcore fans that actually read the novels and such, it is revealed on what happens to the Queen and how Anakin turns to the Dark Side.
I'd say give this one the go, as well. If you're having a Star Wars marathon (I still have yet to do that, perhaps on 12/13/2015, two days before Episode 7 opens), this may seem to drag. Still a great movie though, and we are spared from Jar Jar Binks.
My rating: 7 out of 10
Tomatometer: 67%
05/05 (a): Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Yesterday was May the 4th, aka Star Wars Day, and I wasn't going to put a Star Wars movie on here just yet. I was actually going to wait until the next Star Wars movie came out, but just recently I found out it's not going to open until December 2015 (that's 19 months from now!). So I figure, why wait? Why not do just a couple of them or maybe one of the trilogies?
I'm gonna start with the first in the trilogy, according to the timeline. To most people and Star Wars fans, the first film is 1977's A New Hope. Sure, it's true, but chronologically in the story, Episode I: The Phantom Menace is the first. This was the movie that was the most anticipated of all time; after all, it was 16 years since the previous Star Wars film. I'll never forget the people camping out and waiting in line hours before tickets were sold for this movie back in 1999.
Coming into this film (back in '99), I had only seen A New Hope, but I did know what mostly happened in the other two movies (Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi). I also knew this was the beginning of the rise of Darth Vader, but he went by his given name, Anakin Skywalker. He would be not only the main villain, but the father of Luke and Princess Leia as well as the husband of Queen Amidala. This was our first look at how he became the madman he was.
Of course, in the first one, he's a nice boy. He is a slave who lives with his mother, Shmi, on the planet Tatooine, the only planet on the galaxy where slavery still exists. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his mentor (Liam Neeson), both Jedi Knights, make a stop on the planet while en route to planet Coruscant from Naboo, to save the Queen. The queen's assistant (or, later the actual one, played by Natalie Portman) joins them. The trio befriend Anakin and try to get him out of his situation. Darth Maul is the main antagonist in the film.
I could go really deep in writing the plot; but as always, I like to keep it short and sweet. This is also not to 'give it away' to those who haven't seen it. So what do I think of it? I thought it was a fresh new beginning of a trilogy story at a time, but it also raised several questions for me. Like, why Jar Jar Binks, being one of them! I did give it a median score since I don't consider this friendly enough for 'the average movie watcher', which is something I fit into. But I do enjoy all the Star Wars movies, so it does get some from me in return. For those who haven't seen the original trilogy, you may feel a bit lost with the names, places and the characters. Still, an enjoyable film. And of course, the only time you'll ever see Darth Vader as innocent as he can be.
My rating: 6 out of 10
Tomatometer: 57%
I'm gonna start with the first in the trilogy, according to the timeline. To most people and Star Wars fans, the first film is 1977's A New Hope. Sure, it's true, but chronologically in the story, Episode I: The Phantom Menace is the first. This was the movie that was the most anticipated of all time; after all, it was 16 years since the previous Star Wars film. I'll never forget the people camping out and waiting in line hours before tickets were sold for this movie back in 1999.
Coming into this film (back in '99), I had only seen A New Hope, but I did know what mostly happened in the other two movies (Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi). I also knew this was the beginning of the rise of Darth Vader, but he went by his given name, Anakin Skywalker. He would be not only the main villain, but the father of Luke and Princess Leia as well as the husband of Queen Amidala. This was our first look at how he became the madman he was.
Of course, in the first one, he's a nice boy. He is a slave who lives with his mother, Shmi, on the planet Tatooine, the only planet on the galaxy where slavery still exists. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his mentor (Liam Neeson), both Jedi Knights, make a stop on the planet while en route to planet Coruscant from Naboo, to save the Queen. The queen's assistant (or, later the actual one, played by Natalie Portman) joins them. The trio befriend Anakin and try to get him out of his situation. Darth Maul is the main antagonist in the film.
I could go really deep in writing the plot; but as always, I like to keep it short and sweet. This is also not to 'give it away' to those who haven't seen it. So what do I think of it? I thought it was a fresh new beginning of a trilogy story at a time, but it also raised several questions for me. Like, why Jar Jar Binks, being one of them! I did give it a median score since I don't consider this friendly enough for 'the average movie watcher', which is something I fit into. But I do enjoy all the Star Wars movies, so it does get some from me in return. For those who haven't seen the original trilogy, you may feel a bit lost with the names, places and the characters. Still, an enjoyable film. And of course, the only time you'll ever see Darth Vader as innocent as he can be.
My rating: 6 out of 10
Tomatometer: 57%
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