Episode III
Another weekend sans family, another trip to the movies. Figuring that I'd never get to see it with Jennifer and since I wanted to have the "DLP Theater Experience" I went and saw Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith (yeah, that whole thing is the title) with Dale at the Galaxy Highland 10. That was a couple of hours I'll never get back again...
While I thought I had managed my expectations (after the two other prequels), I still expected something better. The dialog wasn't actually any worse than what I expected but the story line was disjointed, Anakin's and Padme's relationship completely uninspiring and Anakin's move to the Dark Side just not very epic - he still came across as a spoiled kid acting out becouse his mommy wouldn't buy him the Jadi Master Badge in the checkout lane at the grocery store.
I think my expectations were too high because Jennifer and I had recently finished watching the Firefly series on DVD. Now there is something with engaging characters, great dialog, and interesting cinematography. Heck, even the CG in Firefly looks much more realistic than the plasticky look of SW.
Star Wars just has a B-movie feel to it -- expensive looking CGI not withstanding. The plot, the dialog, the acting (by great actors, none the less) still feels like it's a low-budget movie shot in the '70s. It takes itself too seriously but feels cartoonish (though not on purpose). This worked in Episode 4 because it was fresh and had a certain amount of camp, but it doesn't work in a self-important movie a couple of decades later. And what was up with Natalie Portman's look in some of the scenes (the balcony scene comes to mind)? Feed that girl some food, for crying out loud, I hardly recognized her!
Well, for anyone who has not yet seen the movie, I say don't bother. It might have been fun during the opening weekends when the theatres were energized by throngs of SW geeks, but it's way past that time. Instead watch the Firefly DVDs or wait until Sept. 30 when Serenity opens at a theater near you.
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That's great you guys liked the Firefly series. It's never a sure thing when you suggest something--the others aren't guaranteed to like it. So now the four of us have something to look forward to with the impending release of the movie Serenity (based on the Firefly series) in September. Maybe we can get Archie & Jessica to babysit our 3 kids while we go see it !