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Watch this 70-minute Video Review of The Phantom Menace


Jeff

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Sounds ridiculous, but it is so worth it. Some random guy has made a video review of Episode I, pointing out what was so wrong with the movie and he really makes some great and hilarious points.

 

Part one:

 

 

I watched the whole thing and I was actually wishing there was more when I got to the last part, it's that good.

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Either this guy ends up rich or in prison. The scenes in his basement were right out of The Silence of the Lambs.

 

"Obviously you've never suffocated a hooker that was trying to escape from your crawlspace before. I recommend spraying Raid™ in there."

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Watched this, great stuff and super hilarious. Shame he's soooooo right about it all.

Its even sad when he puts in that short fragment, when Lucas talks about Special Effects, sometime when he was young and slim.

 

IIRC, he says something like: Special effects should serve the story, not dominate it. Oh, boy, guess he had a knock on the head or something... o_Q

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Well, people are still upset about them for the reason Over-or-maybe-Under-Medicated-Psycho-Killer-with-skeletal-remains-and-captive-babe-in-his-basement pointed out. While his son committed suicide, the PT is going to be around forever. And ever.

 

Thanks, George! :thumbsup:

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I tried to watch some of this, but I couldn't stand that horribly grating, gurgling, monotone, mumbling voice of his. I've heard that it's intentional (supposed to be a "clever" metaphor for the Prequels or some ****), but if it is, I don't think it was worth it. He's probably mostly right, but in any case, I stopped caring about whether this movie is good or not at least a few years ago.

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I've heard that it's intentional (supposed to be a "clever" metaphor for the Prequels or some ****), but if it is, I don't think it was worth it.

Or the character put his voice through digital distortion because of the many and obvious signs that he's a serial killer.

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bleh.... the world is plagued by movie whiners. TPM was freakin 10 years ago. Maybe he should get some cream for what George has done to his delicate little a$$.

 

In the grand scheme of things, GL has contributed more to the American film culture and film making than any whiny sod with a YT account ever has.

 

It has become fashionable to become focused on the negative, which is a sorry state to be in. Whatever flops there have been > there is simply no one else that can match these achievements:

 

The Empire Strikes Back

Raiders of The Lost Ark

Lucasarts (just think about the hours of great gameplay XWing/XWA/Tie Fighter/DF/JK/JA/KOTOR)

Increased rights for Directors/Decreased power of Studios for final cut

No opening Credits requirement (as per Screen Actors Guild)

ILM - who essentially spawned every other major modern FX company

PIXAR

Influencing young directors and film technicians for 3 decades -- from Ridley Scott to Joss Whedon

Support of Akira Kurosawa to complete Ran and Kagemusha

Uncredited Director of a famous scene in the Godfather :p

 

Until someone comes up with a new 'space fantasy' movie saga that can best SW, or similarly influence the movie making process, GL will still be king.

 

mtfbwya

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I remember Star Wars when there was no such thing as the Empire Strikes Back. I remember the excitement and anticipation over the production of Return of the Jedi (at the time the name was pegged to be Return of the Sith and I remember being suprised by the initial preview trailers having the new name).

 

Then there was nothing for a very long time, but speculation for further sequels. About this time GL was running around telling people that he had originally planned 9 movies but this is complete and utter BS. He conceived more backstory and greater scope when writing Star Wars than was ever seen in the screenplay/novelisation but this is always the case with any fantasy trilogy. But the trilogy itself was shortened to the one story, which was Star Wars (the original conception was this story from Luke on Tattooine to the destruction of the Death Star would span three tales and be a classic trilogy, then about midway GL decided to pour everything into a single earthshattering tale and movie production that became Star Wars). This is something GL said back when he first started working on ESB, and that he recreated the story to now include two further sequels after the release and success of Star Wars, it is true when he wrote ESB that he planned on RotS(J), although it was an abstract (Darth was originally lying about being Luke's father for example, to manipulate him).

 

Most people who loved SW and the newer fans attracted by ESB hated RotJ since it abandoned classical fantasy trilogy status or the space-western of the second movie to become a fully committed childrens movie complete with teddy bears and a sissy Han Solo, who went from the gunslinger to comedic relief. Or the fact Vader loses all his scary eminence to become the worn out victim of an Oedipus complex. Luke becomes the footy jock turned space nerd swashbuckler turned gay, threepio got less gay and more sarcastic and artoo became really annoying and totally pointless. Great space battle though.

 

By the time the Prequels came out I'd been playing tabletop SW:RPG for a few years and it actually suited the themes of EU for a Republic era depiction of Jedi Knights fairly well. Cinematically speaking the opening scenes of Ep1 are pretty much what I had imagined of the Jedi in the Republic era, albeit the production and theatre was extremely childish, as Star Wars industry had long since become suitable only for ages 4-12.

 

But cinematically the Jedi Knights, peacekeepers of the galaxy, running around on diplomatic assignments where conflict is at stake, capable of handling any dangers should things turn for the worst. If you took the whole Ep1 and cut out all of Tattooine and forgot the whole tale of Anakin since this was complete and utter tripe, condensed the rest it would be pretty good when making allowances for the fact GL has completely lost the plot and decided to say "goochie goo" to children instead of write a proper fantasy trilogy script.

 

But overall I have to agree with the reviewer on all his points. Particularly the idea to combine Qui Gon and Obi Wan into the same character. I'd add to then dump baby Anakin the Annoying Craptastic nothing played by an actor who cannot even child-act, and instead introduce Anakin as a teenage student to Obi Wan, who gives the appearance of being sincere but is really only out to join the Jedi Order for narcissism.

 

This then shows an interesting subplot that the Skywalker family, whilst among the most talented Jedi who ever lived are also apparently genetically prone to psychiatric disorders, from the Nero complex of the father to the Oedipus complex of the son.

 

This would also make the general statement about the Jedi Order and offer the perfectly valid reason it did not succeed and why the Empire was formed. When you make everyday human beings that powerful, you get all their psychosis along with all their values. And the result ranges from chaotic to psychotic.

 

As a final epilogue we are pointed then back to RotJ wherein the Emperor Palpatine as it turns out, was a powerful Force user himself. And hence the Empire was corrupt.

 

So the very final conclusion of the trilogy is that you get the bad with the good, but you get that anyway no matter what you put in power, be it Jedi adventurers with democratic freedom and more than a little stupidity, or dictatorial governments invariably run by megalomanic Sith Lords.

 

The point and moral of the story is how do you want to live as a citizen, democratically or dominated in terms of government? Either leave you democratic and dominated as a person, just different rules to play the game.

 

Well at least it would be if GL didn't totally lose his own plot.

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Watched the whole thing. TPM felt odd, but im no critic. (i was also 11 at the time i saw it) This review defines what was wrong with the movie: it made no sense.

 

Come to think of it, its been years since ive seen any sw movie. I wonder what itll be like to come back after watching a lot of other movies and not be wowed by the pretty lightsaber fighting (which was the sole reason i liked the prequels, except for RotS).

 

That said, i think hating and moaning about this so much is just sad. as in, pathetic.

 

@ videos: they got kind of monotone and the inherent senselessness of the topic matter was draining to watch. But i made it through, only because i had started watching it, and i was very bored at the time.

 

Good. Now I dont feel so old I was only 2 when ANH came out, so dont have lucid recollections of a pre ESB era. It would have been great though... to be at that premiere in 1977.

 

mtfbwya

I wonder... why does Vanir's status say "junior member"? :confused:

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Thought the entire thing was hilarious all the way through, and should be a required watch for anyone desiring to be a director or writer.

 

Showed this to all my friends and some of my family and they loved it too. Best movie review I've seen in awhile, and I spend most of my time watching reviews.

 

I wonder... why does Vanir's status say "junior member"? :confused:

Its a post count thing. It goes away and you can make your own tag at 1000 posts.

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