HTF REVIEW: Star Wars - Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (1 Viewer)

[TedT]

Newsflash: Tuskin Raiders are NOT people.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

Just what the colonists said about the Native Americans...and so on and so forth.

Take care,
Chuck

 

[Richard Kim]

Agreed. The Tuskens are not human, but are sentient enough to have their own society and customs.

 

[Tom Brennan]

How dare they get someone to review a movie that has a different opinion than yours!

 

[Kain_C]

No, I don't think that's right. The focus of the OT IS indeed Luke, and he is the Jedi 'returning' from the many losses and defeats of the previous episode (ESB) to help defeat the Empire.

 

[Adam_ME]

That was another problem I had with Episode III. I felt like I had to study for the movie before watching it. Watch Clone Wars so you can understand who Grievous is. Read Labyrinth of Evil so you know what really happened with Syfo-Dias.

I don't recall needing a book or animated series to fill in any gaps during the original trilogy. About the only thing we had to figure out on our own between Star Wars and Empire is that Han knew Leia had feelings for him and Vader discovered that Luke was his son.

 

[GuruAskew]

Newsflash: they are first referred to as "sand people" on-screen.

 

[DavidPla]

I think it's more to do with the fact that its supposed to be a DVD Review and not a movie review.

 

[TravisR]

I don't think you need to read any books or watch any cartoons to 'understand' Episode III. They're just there as supplementary material. If you want to know, you can find out. Plus, Lucas likes to just drop the audience into the movie without them really knowing exactly who's who or what's what. It's easy to see who are the good guys and who are the bad guys.

Just to give an example of the same thing in the OT, you don't see Princess Leia get her bounty hunter disguise in Return Of The Jedi but you can roll with it. You didn't need to see it.

 

[GuruAskew]

I agree, there's just as much "necessary" information divulged in "Shadows of the Empire" (which takes place between "Empire" and "Jedi") as there is in "Clone Wars". Off the top of my head, there's the aformentioned Boushh bounty hunter costume, the Empire allowing the Bothans to get the Death Star II plans, Chewie's different haircut and Luke's new lightsaber. Those "questions" were flat-out unanswered for 13 years. The "questions" left between "Clone Wars" and "Revenge of the Sith" were all reflections of the film itself. Volume 2 simply portrayed the events of the opening crawl and Grievous's cough wasn't a "result" of the events of the cartoon, the cartoon was an opportunity to explain the discrepency between the non-coughing Grievous that appears towards the end of Volume 1 and the cinematic Grievous.

 

[Kevin Lamb]

I certainly was able to follow ROTS just fine. What do the Clone Wars cartoons say about Grievous? He's the new Separatist general who kills Jedi and collects their lightsabers. ROTS covers that in the opening scroll and the very first scene Grievous appears in.

What you're saying is kind of like someone claiming that the animated introduction to Boba Fett in the Star Wars Holiday Special was necessary to understand who he was in The Empire Strikes Back. Its not like ESB the movie even mentioned his name (for that you needed an action figure or trading card.)

The original trilogy also never made mention of Palpatine's name or Darth Vader as "Dark Lord of the Sith."

Not knowing the specifics of Syfo-Dyas is like not knowing the details of who the Bothans were in ROTJ and how they specifically acquired the plans for the second Death Star. We know Palpatine was ultimately responsible for both of those events, the details are left to our imaginations or additional mediums but aren't crucial to follow and enjoy the films themselves.

 

[Cees Alons]

True, but the focus of the whole epos is Anakin Skywalker, tragic hero (in the true Greek sense): his life and deaths.


Cees

 

[GuruAskew]

Also, the title "The Empire Strikes Back" would be invalidated by this line of reasoning. Luke may be the "focus of the OT" but that doesn't mean that the title has to refer to him. I still maintain that the Jedi that returns in "Return of the Jedi" is Anakin Skywalker.

 

[Cees Alons]

Bill,

For many years I've been of the same opinion as you and the PT has only confirmed this opinion. (I hardly discuss it anymore, though.)

Anakin is also the other in "no there is another". (IMO)


Cees

 

[Kevin Lamb]

I've always believed that "the bounty hunter on Ord Mandell" was Anakin. Then there's "yeah that's what you said when Biggs and Tank left." Biggs and Tank both, of course, referring to Anakin.

 

[GuruAskew]

Real funny. How can you compare those (obviously intentionally) absurd theories with the belief that the title "Return of the Jedi" actually refers to a Jedi character (the one that Lucas considers the main character of the entire saga) that could be considered absent prior to that film, as opposed to the common belief that it refers to a character that was present at the end of the previous episode and still present at the beginning of the one in question?

 

[TravisR]

I never really thought of that interpretation of that line until I saw Episode III and I love looking at it that way now.

 

[TedT]

Ahhh... good point. But the books (esp "Attack Of The Clones") paints them as not being human at all and being more like savage, brutal, creatures (who certainly did not fight fair when ravaging the surrounding areas). I would've done the same thing as Anakin when it came to the Raiders.

Can't wait for the DVD. Got the day off from work (more due to going out for Halloween the night before than anything else). Wondering if I should finally buy a widescreen TV to watch this on.

 

[Bryan X]

YES!

 

[Chuck Mayer]

Anakin was never a true Jedi. So how can he return? He had murdered Sand People as a Padawan. The ignorance of the council doesn't change the fact. Unless Jedi is just a title, not a standard.

Return of the Jedi was about the return of the "true" Jedi, through Luke. Anakin and Luke reconciled. Anakin didn't find cosmic redemption.

IMO,
Chuck