Author	Topic:   Why are Episode I & II so dumb?
Darth Tine	posted 3/12/03 0:37 AM     Well, I closed one topic so I am going to open another. So here's my question...why are Episodes IV,V,& VI so cool, and Episodes I & II so dumb? Or maybe some of you think that Episode I & II are just as good as the first three? I know that lots of you have opinions on this subject so lets here 'em!
Dark Death Dude	posted 3/15/03 7:30 PM     I think The original Trilogy is better that I or II, but compared to the majority of the movies I've seen lately, they rock.
Da Wookie	posted 3/16/03 4:14 AM     My theory is that lucas made them bad intentionally. he just wanted to make the first three look so much bett. (and he's succeding
Dark Death Dude	posted 3/16/03 4:03 PM     Yeah. That could be. Or possibly Skywalker ranch is running low on money, and the quality of their movies is dropping.
Grand Moff Andy	posted 3/17/03 1:14 PM       George Lucas has the tortured mind of a genius, which means he shoudl never, I repeat, NEVER!!! be allowed to direct the films. He seems obsessed with making the films look like they undoubtedly do in his head. This has lead to an unholy covenant with the dark forces of CGI! In the original trilogy the special effects were limited to some large paper mache star destroyers now there's all kinds of computer-generated nonsense. Not to mention the increasingly benal script, very attractive but essentially wooden actors (especially Hayden Christiansen or whatever his name was). In fact, event he good actors in these films (Portman, McGregor, Neeson, L. Jackson, etc.) seem compelled to really ham it up. Also, some Hollywood producer thought comic relief would be a nice touch (enter Jar-Jar Binks!). The gymnastic lightsabre duelling is the ONLY worthy addition. The rest is all vasilating rubbish.
Aims	posted 3/17/03 6:02 PM       hhhmmm... i don't know, i thought EII was okay, i mean - i saw it twice so it can't have been that bad, maybe not as good as the origionals but it didn't stop me from liking it. EI however, i saw a pirate copy of it before i saw it at the cinema, there was this little "Z" that keep wushing across the screen, and playing spot the "Z" seemed more interesting than watching the film, although i must say it was an exceedingly bad copy. But i was like, the LAST person i know to see that at the cinema, (appart from my best mate who saw it with me) I just lost the "get up and go" to see it after the incident with the "Z." Personally, i think there was too much hype, we all expected them to be the best thing since sliced bread. And to be honest, neither were pertik bad films as films go, they just weren't what all the hyped up star wars fan expected them to be.
Dark Death Dude	posted 3/17/03 7:53 PM     I agree with Aims (for the most part) And we're probably going to get all hyped up about Episode III as well, But there is that chance that it'll be almost as good as the originals.
iloveyouiknow	posted 3/19/03 5:57 AM       I agree with Andy, George Lucas should NEVER direct.
Da Wookie	posted 3/19/03 7:21 PM     But don't Episode I and II just make you appreciate the other three even more?
Dark Death Dude	posted 3/19/03 11:22 PM     I agree, George Lucas should not direct.
Da Wookie	posted 3/21/03 7:29 PM     But is that the only reason that Episode I & II are dumb. maybe it also has to do with the whole production and casting crew. They know how popular Star Wars is and are trying to make it bigger and better, but are failling because it's to big.
Dark Death Dude	posted 3/22/03 4:48 PM     Yeah, they need something better in Episode III. Like add me in!
HRT	posted 3/26/03 0:03 AM     I don't think Episode I and II are dumb at all. I thouroughly enjoy watching both of them, over and over, just as much as I enjoy watching the original trilogy. I think the problem that some fans are having is that they grew up with the originals or became fans before the prequels had started. I didn't become a big star wars fan until shortly before Episode I came out. So, maybe that's why I don't hold a particular preference to the classics. As to Lucas' directing and writing, I'd have to agree that it's not that great. And that goes for all five movies, not just the ones that Lucas directed. They cannot really be considered oscar-calibur. But I don't see why that's a problem. Just because critics don't like something, doesn't mean that everyone else has to start hating it, too. Just sit back and watch the cool lightsaber action and be happy. That's my philosophy. http://militarygenius.cjb.net The Last Grand Admiral
iloveyouiknow	posted 3/26/03 1:12 AM     I think I have to agree that the lightsaber action is better, but the acting in the ESB and ROTJ was fantastic! Hammil was OK, Harrison and Fisher were fantastic, and the backup cast were decent.
Grand Moff Andy	posted 3/26/03 1:50 PM       There was some superb acting in the original trilogy, sadly in short supply in the prequals. Of course you have some sterling performances from the back-up cast in the prequals (Americans might not realise, but a lot are little-known British TV stars) but some of the main characters are poorly cast. Ewan McGregor, though a good actor, is no Alec Guinness. Liam Neeson was good but he's gone now. Christopher Lee is a welcome addition but he's hamming it up a lot and doesn't have quite the same impact as Peter Cushing's Grand Moff Tarkin. Natalie Portman is a nice prop but, unusually for her, her acting is rather wooden in these films. Moreover, it's the silly over-dramatic additions, such as Anakin Skywaker jumping out of that car/speeder-thing and falling hrough the traffic (you guys know the bit I mean). You'd never have caught Sir Alec doing something like that. It's positively undignified.
iloveyouiknow	posted 3/26/03 6:47 PM     What you failed to mention is that Anakin is NOT Sir Alec!
Grand Moff Andy	posted 3/26/03 8:31 PM       I am aware of that. I was referring to them in terms of them both being Jedi knights rather than specific characters. I would have thought that was obvious.
Dark Death Dude	posted 3/27/03 11:25 PM     Well, some Jedi are just smarter than others.
Da Wookie	posted 4/16/03 4:14 PM     It is true, though. the movie going public are looking for action films with ACTION. the original trilogy had action, but for the most part it was dialogue and stuff like that. I think that the action comes more readily in the prequels, maybe to satisfy the new generation of movie goers. or maybe they just dont know how the heck they made such good movies in the past.
Grand Moff Andy	posted 4/17/03 1:45 PM       The style and sophistication of film is in sad decline. One of the biggest failures of the more recent films, as well, has been the calibre of the acting talent. In the originals you had the late greats, Sir Alec Guinness and Peter Cushing, and the hot, raw new talent of Harrison Ford. Mark Hamil and Carrie Fisher also give sterling performances, which they have since never topped. In the new films the best acting talent came from Liam Neeson. The legendary Christopher Lee gets away with a very hammy performance solely due to his sheer presence on the screen. The usually very good Ewan McGregor is proving a poor example of a young Sir Alec and Natalie Portman is also uncharacteristically poor. Couple that with really rather bad performances from the two young actors who have successively played Anakin Skywalker and all this focus on action sequences and special effects, instead of the brilliant storyline, it's a recipe for total tripe. As with the old film, and in the new ones, I have always thought the best performances come from the extras and smaller bit-parts, many of them British. A number of talented actors, who Britons might recognise from TV but who are probably unknown to many Americans, absolutely chew up the scenery. However, as I've said before, I pin this one totally on the tormented genius of George Lucas. He should never be allowed in the director's chair for a Star Wars film! His obsessiveness and perfectionism over his precious creation smother the project and result in the all too evident overloading of the screen!
DarthTine	posted 4/19/03 4:28 PM       Yeah, I agree with the bad acting part, I also think that the prequels had terrible characters. The lines are despicable! "I've died a little every day since you came back to my life". Please!! That is so pathetic!!!
Dark Death Dude	posted 4/19/03 10:03 PM     If they made the I and II better than the original trilogy, we would look down on IV V and VI. I think it was actually pretty smart of them to do that.
Da Wookie	posted 5/5/03 4:13 PM     How in the world does one who makes such great characters (i.e. Han Solo, Chewbacca, Darth Vader) makes such bad ones(jar-jar, the new c3p-o) so many years later?
Darth Tine	posted 5/7/03 9:23 PM       He lost his touch. Must be from living in California.
Grand Moff Andy	posted 5/8/03 1:48 AM       We should just be thankful that Lucas has resisted the urge to fill the screen with high-profile American Hollywood superstars. He's taken a couple of risks with Samuel L. Jackson, Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, etc., but, by and large, has resisted. In most of these cases he's got away with it, but he must be careful. In the first films the main characters were played by actors such as Mark Hamil, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford - at that time all relative unknowns. Then he had a few good unopposing actors, like Peter Cushing, to eat up the scenary. His only big name was the Oscar-winning Sir Alec Guinness. In the new films Lucas has introduced Christopher Lee, in my opinion a fine choice and a welcome addition to the saga with quite a compelling character. Big Hollywood names will only detract from the storyline. Audiences will spend too much time face-spotting. It is one of the bad things about watching these films when you're British because many of the extras and smaller characters are, of course, in the same tradition as the original films, recognisable to Britons from popular television shows, although not really recognisable to our cousins across the Pond.
iloveyouiknow	posted 5/12/03 8:26 PM     Your getting to technical. it kinda takes the fun out of it.
Grand Moff Andy	posted 5/12/03 11:19 PM       Well pardon me for breathing.
Dark Death Dude	posted 5/14/03 2:19 AM     Um, I think the Atlantic Ocean is a little more than just a "pond."
Grand Moff Andy	posted 5/14/03 7:46 PM       Hmm, yeh [raises eyebrow], it's a figure of speech. Geez, I heard that you yanks had a tendency to take things literally but this is ridiculous!
iloveyouiknow	posted 5/16/03 3:19 AM     Bob's not a yank. He's just a yooper.
Grand Moff Andy	posted 5/16/03 10:35 PM       What the heck is a "yooper"?
Darth Tine	posted 5/19/03 2:43 AM     Bob is not a yooper! bob's just a dork. A yooper is someone (Usually from Minnosota, Wisconsin, or Michigan), who lives in a log cabin, has a big bushy beard, listens to polka, carries around axes, wears plaid flannel shirts, and talks with a swedish, polish or norwegain accent. Or a combination of all three. They are usually considered to be a bit dim. I think that the term "yooper" comes from Michigan's UP (upper pennisula). But that's just my opinion.
Dark Death Dude	posted 5/19/03 4:49 PM     I resent that comment about me, Darth Tine. I am actually quite respected among the lower forms of life.
iloveyouiknow	posted 5/20/03 3:27 AM     Bob was born in Michigan in case you dont remember....
Darth Tine	posted 5/21/03 10:02 PM     And your point is.....? Are you by chance, bashing Michigan residents? And those who happen to have the good fortune of being born in Michigan? Did it escape your notice that both Tom and I ,in addition to Bob, were born in the ever great state of Michigan? Did you even read my definition of a yooper? None of my family could ever be a yooper, we don't fit any of the requirements. The first requirment being that we have to be desendent from Scandinavians, which none of us are, being from (almost) pure German blood. We don't live in a log cabin, carry axes, drink a lot of beer, listen to polka, wear flannel etc. We are also not dim. Or anyway.... I'm not. Bob and Tom i'm not so sure about.
iloveyouiknow	posted 5/22/03 0:13 AM     You don't listen to polka?
Darth Tine	posted 5/27/03 10:34 PM     (a disgusted look) And you do?
Dark Death Dude	posted 5/28/03 2:32 AM     Hey, Maybe I listen to Polka. What are you going to do about that?
Derris	posted 5/28/03 3:38 AM     Of course ILYIK likes Polka. He a Green Bay Packers fan for crying out loud! Hmm...doesn't he like fishing too? For some reason, a song by Da Yoopers comes to mind.
Darth Tine	posted 5/28/03 10:42 PM     Good point... Can't expect anything to even resemble good sence to come from the mouth of a packers fan. Its like... being from Chicago and hating the Cubs but loving the....(it's so terrible I can barely say it) YANKEES! Such a person is on the same level as the French.
iloveyouiknow	posted 5/28/03 11:07 PM     I'd watch it if I were you or you can expect to end up like all the other Darths- dead.
Darth Tine	posted 5/29/03 8:14 PM     Everyone dies sometime, I could get killed by crossing the airways and getting hit by some speeder or something. Might as well make a splash when I die.
iloveyouiknow	posted 5/29/03 10:45 PM     If you did, you would be a much more colorful person than you are now....
Darth Tine	posted 5/30/03 9:45 PM     (raises eyebrows slightly) Excuse me?
Dark Death dude	posted 6/5/03 4:43 PM     ILYIK, that was cold.
Darth Tine	posted 6/12/03 4:19 AM     He's right buddy. Now, have you got something that you would like to say to me?
iloveyouiknow	posted 6/12/03 5:07 PM     what? you want me to say that I'll buy you a thermal blanket?
Darth Tine	posted 6/12/03 9:51 PM     Ha.Ha. Your sense of humor is astonishing. But, now that I think of it, a thermal blanket would be nice as well.
Da Wookie	posted 6/16/03 0:23 AM     well, I bet I could loan you one, 'cause I'm always so cool!
Darth Tine	posted 7/10/03 4:22 AM     Umm...right. Well, due to several reason that I won't go into because i'm sure that you all would find it boring, My famly is getting our cable connection to the internet cancled. Dad got a dial up, but we can only use it for checking e-mail. Don't fall into despair now! I'm sure that you'll all miss us, but I'll try to get on the internet at the library accasionally. So all of us, Da Wookiee, Derris, DDD, and I, will be on a lot less often. See ya! Sorry about this. :(
Darth Tine	posted 7/10/03 4:22 AM     Umm...right. Well, due to several reason that I won't go into because i'm sure that you all would find it boring, My famly is getting our cable connection to the internet cancled. Dad got a dial up, but we can only use it for checking e-mail. Don't fall into despair now! I'm sure that you'll all miss us, but I'll try to get on the internet at the library accasionally. So all of us, Da Wookiee, Derris, DDD, and I, will be on a lot less often. See ya! Sorry about this. :(

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