Plinkett's Episode 3 review!!!!!

[a-dev]

His last 2 reviews really make me appreciate The Phantom Menace even more.

Yeah, it's crappy but other than an annoying child Anakin, it really didn't butcher the Original Trilogy stories like Clones and Sith did.

The narrative was piss poor, but I can still watch it out of nostalgia. It didn't really rely too heavily on CGI environments either. They actually went out on location (Naboo, Tatooine, etc.) to film the movie.

I don't remember too many, sit down, talk, sit down talk moments either. In fact, where it makes the most sense for Amidala to "sit on a couch all the time" considering she's a Queen, she really doesn't. She probably participates in the action more than she does in the other films.

That said, I still think The Phantom Menace is terrible, but out of the three films I feel it's the best. That's not saying much, but whatever.

Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back all the way.

I agree completely Difabio. Haven't watched the ROTS review yet but I can hardly wait, I've always felt that, far from redeeming Star Wars as some people think it did, it was actually the worst of the prequels.

 

[OSCORP]

He's totally dead on about the Phantom Menace trailer.. It was and still is the bomb!

That said, I still think The Phantom Menace is terrible, but out of the three films I feel it's the best. That's not saying much, but whatever.

But let's leave it at that, otherwise accusations of fanboyism and such will start erupting all over the place and I've had enough of that...

Don't worry a certain someone isn't here to start shyyt slinging. I disagree with you, but that's your opinion and you're entitled to it without backlash.


I like his reviews a lot, they're funny, on the mark, and well done. On the other hand it always makes me sad to watch them cause it reminds me of how good the prequels could've been. But don't wanna go down that road anymore.

(i basically just agree with Nolocke's user title. SW 1977-1983)

 

[Starkiller]

If you disagree with him, you will eat anything Lucas throws at us with the Star wars name slapped on it.

I'm looking at these films as if you like them, then truly you are not a star wars fan because they take a dump on the name and the legacy. They are forgettable garbage, that shame the Star Wars name.

Plinkett's reviews are just, they are spot on, and cite very strong arguments (which aren't really arguments because he's right) With the twinge of humor he throws in it has you dying from laughing and sad because the prequels sucked so bad.

Lucas did totally loose his filmmakers touch. There's so much wrong with these films you can make another trilogy dissecting them all.

 

[Nolocke]

Plinkett raping his cat was more real then anything in the prequels and thats just sad.

 

[Starkiller]

Plinkett raping his cat was more real then anything in the prequels and thats just sad.

And more disturbing?

 

[plasmid303]

I just watched this earlier. What was most noticeably different about this review compared tothe previous two was the toning down of the weird bits involving kidnapping/implied rape/torture/misogyny/murder (well, there's a scene containing cat rape. Call PETA! haha). I'm glad he excised those elements, it was the only thing that really kept me from enjoying his reviews.

I couldn't understand why some here would defend those scenes, and the lack of them here shows that there really wasn't a need for them to begin with (and thus the defenders only spoke out due to the need to adamantly defend what they love. Sounds familiar).

The one positive thing that grew out of it was that the girl from the second review gets a revenge plot, although I had the feeling that he wrote that bit most likely in response to a lot of backlash to those aforementioned scenes.

 

[Starkiller]

I just watched this earlier. What was most noticeably different about this review compared tothe previous two was the toning down of the weird bits involving kidnapping/implied rape/torture/misogyny/murder (well, there's a scene containing cat rape. Call PETA! haha). I'm glad he excised those elements, it was the only thing that really kept me from enjoying his reviews.

I couldn't understand why some here would defend those scenes, and the lack of them here shows that there really wasn't a need for them to begin with (and thus the defenders only spoke out due to the need to adamantly defend what they love. Sounds familiar).

The one positive thing that grew out of it was that the girl from the second review gets a revenge plot, although I had the feeling that he wrote that bit most likely in response to a lot of backlash to those aforementioned scenes.

Is anyone really paying attention to them though? I'm watching for the richness and cohesive clairvoyance review. Not these underlying scenes and plots.

 

[Azrael23]

Is anyone really paying attention to them though? I'm watching for the richness and cohesive clairvoyance review. Not these underlying scenes and plots.

Precisely. the underlying scenes and plots are beside the point.
I watched it purely for the reviews.

 

[plasmid303]

Is anyone really paying attention to them though? I'm watching for the richness and cohesive clairvoyance review. Not these underlying scenes and plots.

Obviously the focus should be on the review segment of the videos, but the ubiquity and effort put into the skits and dark 'humour' make ignoring them impossible for the first-time viewer. He constantly peppers references to that crap during his discourse of the prequel movies.

I agree that the review portions are what we're supposed to focus on, but the twisted patter in the interstices of the review segments exist and are frequent and obtrusive, no matter how rich, effective or educational the review is. It's still there, and it's still pointless. I don't see the subtext.

I watched it purely for the reviews.

Of course you do. Nobody in their right mind would say they watch it for the misogyny. But if there are, I don't want to know them.

The point Im trying to make is that the Ep. III review is better for not having it.

 

[icruise]

His last 2 reviews really make me appreciate The Phantom Menace even more.

I agree. It's always been my favorite of the prequels, and the only one that I wouldn't mind watching again now. That's not to say that there isn't plenty wrong with it, but I can still enjoy it. The other two... Not so much. Although they certainly have quite a few good moments.

And I must say that while I don't really enjoy the prequels as movies, I do think the overall world they created was pretty cool. The special effects were amazing, and there were a lot of great actors. I just prefer not to rewatch the actual movies, and pretend that they were better than they actually were.

Anyone who thinks Plinkett is just lashing out at Lucas for no reason is fooling themselves. I think it's very difficult to refute his points. The only thing you can really accuse him of is not focusing on the good parts of the films enough.

 

[CelticPredator]

If you disagree with any of his points, you're wrong.


Love this review. Totally shows why this movie is utterly terrible. I swear, I loved this movie when it came out...but everytime I watched it on TV, everything got stupider, and stupider...and stupider. I ____ing hate Anakin, he is really one of the worst characters of all time.

 

[abake]

Ok, I'll just give a couple of examples on things I disagree with just for the sake of argument:

- His constant harping on the motives behind the Chancellor's actions and whether Grievous or Dooku where in on it, or how much they knew. He goes out of his way to make it sound confusing with some good editing and a rationale that goes in circles, but he always (willingly) misses the point that Palpatine was simply using everybody to his advantage. It didn't really matter whether Dooku won or Anakin won. Palpatine was just looking for the best apprentice/ally he could get and if others died in the way to that, well tough luck. It was elimination process. I never had any problems with it.

- His "lack of setting the tone" tirade. Wait a minute, so silly slapstick mixed together with confusing battles and brutal deaths wasn't used in ANH's famous opening sequence? Let's see: space battle that nobody really knows why is happening, ship that gets boarded and ensuing chaos as white "robots" storm in and start shooting at everything in sight, a golden humanoid robot that makes silly comments to a little round robot that speaks in noises walk through the middle of a fire-fight and remain unscathed, a big dude in black armor breaks somebody's neck while asking about some plans and accuses a Princess of being part of a rebellion. Right, that really set a "tone"...

- The opening sequence. So the fact that it is CGI makes it less impressive than if it were real camerawork? So there's no thinking process, no planning, no artistry involved in CGI? He just picks on it because it's CGI.

- Bad acting, bad dialogue. Please. All SW films are rife with it. OT fans just pick on the prequel because they are seeing it as adults and not as kids anymore. My kids saw the prequel films at roughly the same age as I was when I first saw Star Wars (it wasn't Ep. IV back then) and they love it and see it with the same sense of wonder and awe. And BTW, all SW films have their moments of great acting and dialogue as well.

And that's just a couple of things I noticed in the first twenty minutes of the review.

I mean seriously, it's just a guy who seemingly has some understanding of movie-making tearing the movies apart by trying to point out every single defect he sees through his very biased point of view.
I'm sure you can do that to most movies if you really put your effort into it.

I'm not saying the prequel movies are fantastic works of art. But neither are the OT movies. All have their cringe-worthy moments and their great moments.
But that's just my opinion.

 

[OT Freak]

The OT had cringe-worthy moments? Sure in the SE's and maybe when Fett just falls into the pit. The PT was a huge cringe fest for me.

 

[CelticPredator]

The thing is, the actors MADE that bad dialogue work. You CARED for them. You cared for no one in these movies.

It annoys me when people try and say "Oh....the OT had some silly lines, so what if every ROTS line sounded as if it was written by a 12 year old! The OT HAD A FEW LINES THAT SOUNDED POOPY TOOOO!"

Yeah no.....fine if you like it...but the movies are terrible. No matter how you put it.

 

[Starkiller]

- The opening sequence. So the fact that it is CGI makes it less impressive than if it were real camerawork? So there's no thinking process, no planning, no artistry involved in CGI? He just picks on it because it's CGI.

The OT is far more art than the PT will ever be. I can counter every one of your weak arguments.

But I want to address this one the most, the CGI was lackluster, no artistry. CGI doesn't wow me the same way models and built sets do. The fact that you can do everything and anything with CGI takes away the magic and believability. The simple opening shot in every OT is still impressive today. The PT opening shots?...forgettable. More isn't always better.


And at least we had a grasp on what was going on in the OT, you cared about characters, you knew who was bad and who was good. The PT I have no attachment to these cardboard characters because they are always talking never showing us anything. Everything is always coldly and calmly explained...like he said while sitting or walking. It was boring, and there was no character development. There was no one character we should relate to or cared enough about. For example: Anakin was a whiny kid that became a jerk who became a self-righteous prick.

 

[icruise]

As you say, I think the main problem with the PT is that we don't care about most of the characters. And I think Lucas was overreaching by trying to pull off such a wide-ranging story full of political intrigue and so forth. If he directed the OT today, it would be full of scenes of the rebel leaders discussing strategy (on couches).

 

[Boba Ben]

Well even though I posted it, I didn't get to watch the review until today. I loved it just as I did the Episode 1 and 2 ones. He really has a way of putting into words the feelings of disappointment that I experience when I watched the films. You can also tell how much of a fan of Star Wars the man is, so even though he's got a creepy notebook, I really appreciate the guy.

 

[a-dev]

I love the way he cuts himself off at the angry crescendo of some of his arguments as though hes resigning himself to the ultimate futility of it all - its exactly how I feel. Yes its all true, the PT is very poorly conceived and executed.....sigh...and theres just nothing to be done about it.

 

[Starkiller]

As you say, I think the main problem with the PT is that we don't care about most of the characters. And I think Lucas was overreaching by trying to pull off such a wide-ranging story full of political intrigue and so forth. If he directed the OT today, it would be full of scenes of the rebel leaders discussing strategy (on couches).

I agree. I really like the points he made about letting the OT dictate too much here. And I'm not saying that the OT shouldn't already set what the Pt will be like, it's the dumb things. Like all Jedi's wearing robes, or Yoda and Obi-Wan just hiding for 20 years instead of being proactive. They split up instead of both going to defeat the Empire and then Taking on Vader together. Granted then the OT wouldn't happen. It's the dumb characters and the dumb way they go about things.

Or the way every sith apprentice is a "darth" whatever and has a red saber. The emperor even refers to the lightsaber as a jedi weapon. And it was as if Vader clutched to it and turned it red just to mock the jedi. And perhaps all sith just used lighting and force powers without any weapons. It's the little things the PT let the OT dictate that ruins some of the magic from the OT as well. It's best to pretend the PT never happened.

I also as a kid and growing up liked to think that Yoda was a regular guy 800 years ago. And just from becoming so old and so attuned to the force he just started to shrink and the end result of him being so old was he looked like that, but he was strong with the force in return.








The audience is smarter than the movie, and the movie pretends like we need everything spelled out for us. Along with meaningless political banter about trades and treaties.

 

[Azrael23]

Ok, I'll just give a couple of examples on things I disagree with just for the sake of argument:

- His constant harping on the motives behind the Chancellor's actions and whether Grievous or Dooku where in on it, or how much they knew. He goes out of his way to make it sound confusing with some good editing and a rationale that goes in circles, but he always (willingly) misses the point that Palpatine was simply using everybody to his advantage. It didn't really matter whether Dooku won or Anakin won. Palpatine was just looking for the best apprentice/ally he could get and if others died in the way to that, well tough luck. It was elimination process. I never had any problems with it.

How can he possibly miss a point thats evident from the onset? The audience is clearly aware that Palpatine is the puppetmaster, but to what extent does his co-conspirators know? He hit on a few questions as to whether or not Dooku was aware that Sidious was going to betray him. I highly doubt that Dooku would willfully sacrifice himself all so Sidious can gain an entirely new apprentice.

- The opening sequence. So the fact that it is CGI makes it less impressive than if it were real camerawork? So there's no thinking process, no planning, no artistry involved in CGI? He just picks on it because it's CGI.

I believed it stemmed from an over indulgence in the use of CGI, I don't necessarily believe RLM has something against CGI.

Bad acting, bad dialogue. Please. All SW films are rife with it. OT fans just pick on the prequel because they are seeing it as adults and not as kids anymore

.

I highly doubt that disdain for the PT and reverence for the OT has anything to do with an adult/child mentality, otherwise those that are now adults wouldn't hold the OT in any higher esteem. If anything those who are now adults respect it even more.

While the OT does have its moments of bad acting/dialogue its nowhere as wooden as what we're given in the PT. The OT also contains things that the PT severely lacks, likable and relatable characters. Even if you were to argue that the OT was just as bad as the PT acting and dialogue-wise that still wouldn't excuse the PT.

I mean seriously, it's just a guy who seemingly has some understanding of movie-making tearing the movies apart by trying to point out every single defect he sees through his very biased point of view.
I'm sure you can do that to most movies if you really put your effort into it.

RLM gave a more objective assessment of the film than you give credit for. The thing is, it doesn't require much effort to point out the flaws in the PT, he merely elaborated in great detail on many things that fans have been citing for years. He also provided constructive criticism regarding the OT and gave credit where credit was due in his remarks about the PT. No offense, but RLM wouldn't be anymore or any less bias than you or I. Can you honestly say you're being objective? not likely.

I'm not saying the prequel movies are fantastic works of art. But neither are the OT movies.

Many would argue to the contrary, many would argue that the OT is a work of art, although not perfect, yet that still doesn't excuse the fact that the PT could have been much better. In the hands of a better writer they could have possibly surpassed the OT.