Footage From Star Wars: Episode III

An anonymous reader writes "Leaked footage of Star Wars: Episode III is now online! Included in the 2-minute and 37-second clip are shots of the Australian set, George Lucas behind the camera, Chewbacca looking cooler than ever, and even a quick peek at Hayden Christensen (in Vader get-up!) and Ewan McGregor duking it out, all being played to AC/DC's 'Back in Black.' I've downloaded it, but am undecided as if I should watch it or not, lest it spoil something (here's hoping that it's good)."

what?

[arcadia]

You can't spoil it, we already now the ending, eps 4-5-6. Can you really spoil a middle?

Re:Use the force, George

[interiot]

It didn't do THAT badly, did it? Wikipedia notes [wikipedia.org] that it was the first time in the series that a Star Wars movie wasn't the highest-grossing of the year. It may have been a let down for Lucas and perhaps not worthy of spending so much money on production of future films, but it was still a commercial success, no?

Not true, not true at all

[freeweed]

My parents were well over 8 years old when the original Star Wars' came out. More like 38 (+6 for Jedi). They still loved them.

Most people that never saw the first trilogy (yes, they exist) who have seen the new ones as adults don't think they're all that great. My folks can't stand them.

It has dick all to do with childhood memories, really, contrary to what every karma whore has posted to every single Star Wars story on Slashdot for the past 4 years. Kids will eat anything up and call it candy, that is correct. But Star Wars (ep 4-6) stood the test of time because more than just pre-pubescents thought it was good. Same can't be said for the new stuff, sorry.

If you're going after the historical angle, at least point out the fact that in 1977 no one had even attempted the special affects Lucas did, whereas the new ones could really have been made by anyone. That at least is an acceptable excuse. Star Wars WAS something special, for all ages seeing it. Ep 1/2 might as well have been Matrix sequels, really.

hahaha

[TubeSteak]

Sorry, thats not funny. You ever read the book Starship Troopers? Mediocre movie which was very remotely based on the book. I have two copies of the book floating around, the original and the same book, but with a "movie cover". Guess which one looks better? If i walked into a store today, i wouldn't look twice at the new cover. Its sad how a derivitive work can tarnish the original (or in SCO's case, the original tarnishing the alleged derivitive)

Re:what?

[azuretek]

I think we're gonna have another matrix3 on our hands where there was far too much that had to be shoved into the movie, so the good stuff off every part was taken out, leaving distilled suckness.

actually I think the reason matrix 2-3 sucked was because there wasn't enough content so they distilled it to create 3 movies intstead of just 2 and I think that's what caused me heartache.. it could have been really good as two movies instead of good then horrible as 3

hopefully with this movie we get to see stuff that matters, this one has potential to be pretty good since we get to see alot of the things that kept us wondering in the previous 4-6, no one really cared to hear about jarjar binks but they did like the info about the Jedi in 1-2.

In number 2 I think a big problem was, when the Jedi were fighting and dying we didn't really care because they lacked any emotional attachment we didn't even know who they were so it was hard to make their loss seem important to the progression of the story... anyway enough of my rambling, it looks like there are more fights in this one so I hope it's better :D

Re:Skeptical

[Ieshan]

As a past fencer, one simple question: Have you ever SEEN a sabre fencing match?

The dynamics are relatively the same. A single touch from either weapon ends the fight. Moving in "3-D" doesn't really help the Jedi, as unless he's fighting off lots of other things, the closest thing to his opponent is still a straight line, and he's only got to touch him once to win.

Here's how it goes. People scurry back and forth. Wildly. Points last a couple of seconds. Since we can assume that the Jedi are weighing far more heavily the chance that they'll be hit, they'll be relatively more cautious. The stop cut or a hand-touch would probably be used all over the place. Battles would last seconds, maybe less, since they're mind force wielding jedi with precognition.

Want to know how exciting it would be? None at all. If the Darth Vader - Luke Skywalker fight lasted 15 seconds, you'd be pissed, and so would I. People like the spinning moves. They're fun to watch. :)

TFN Episode III "Review from the future"!

[TheMysteriousFuture]

The Force.Net's Review of Episode III [theforce.net] is interesting. TFN Editor Joshua Griffin wrote a review from the point of view of a month from now. Apparently Lucasfilm let a select (him included..wonder if they knew he wrote for TFN) few screen Episode III and give their feedback.

"I'm just returning from something Lucasfilm has never done before and quite frankly something I never thought they would do. Although there is still a month before the release of the film worldwide, they showed a select group of people the movie. [snip] But even in it's nearly finished form you can see the soul of Star Wars in this one."

"You won't want to miss today's new editorial where TFN Editor Joshua Griffin posts a "review from the future" - an article that takes a hypothetical look at a finished film that is actually no where near complete. There are many points of discussion written within the editorial itself which will be expounded on in regular articles, the point is not to show a predetermined bias to loving the unseen final film but to simply believe that Star Wars can be great again.

[theforce.net]

• click here

for the editorial"

Re:what?

[stickb0y]

Actually, I'm thinking (and hoping, but probably in vain) that maybe we don't know what we think we know.

For example, everyone is expecting Anakin to become Vader. What if he's not? Perhaps Vader is a clone of Anakin. This could explain a few things:

• The stupid midochlorian plot element of Episode I. It could have been written in as a (lame) way to get a blood sample from Anakin sent off to Coruscant.
• How Vader was unaware that he had children. Perhaps they weren't his but instead were the original Anakin's.
• Obi-Wan's lies and half-truths from different points of views. Maybe Vader really did kill Luke's father.

Or it could be the other way around, and a clone of Anakin sires Luke and Leia.

I doubt that any of this is the case. I bet Episode III is going to be a boring piece of trash with nothing substantial to add. I can dream, though...

Re:Why does anyone give Lucas any more chances?

[JabberWokky]

Bull. You say that, but you know you're going to see it, eventually.

I haven't seen Ep. II. And I am a hardcore SF geek, catching just about every SF and Fantasy movie as it is released. We did a expanded edition marathon of LotR before we went and saw Return on opening night. I stood in line for three days with a friend and bought 24 tickets for Phantom Menace. We were on the national NBC feed... he was singing "Luke be a Jedi tonight", I was next to him with the digeredoo (sp?).

But I haven't seen Episode II. And unless I hear good things about Episode III, I won't see that either (although if Ep. III gets rave reviews, I'll likely watch II and then see III in the theater).

Lucas lost me. When Rohan rode into battle to answer Gondor's call during RotK, I turned to my SO and said "Suck it Lucas, suck it long, suck it hard". That moment had thrill, which Lucas (at least in Phantom Menace) had utterly lost. Pretty much sums it up. I don't think any movie that Lucas has had full control over turned out well. He's a good producer, and has been a fairly capable director, especially when it comes to visuals. He really broke ground with the original trilogy, assembling an excellent team. As a writer, he sucks. And his ego won't let him see that.

I'm not adverse to seeing it... I just don't care enough to go. And I went to see Paycheck at the Metreon because it was SF... my standards are pretty low when it comes to giving a flick a chance.

--
Evan

Re:Impending sense of doom

[Jugalator]

I know I'm getting for a head of myself but I think that the main reason that we'll all be disappointed in this movie is that we're no longer five to eight years old-- the age range Lucas says he's targeting.

Sounds strange when he's putting all this about politics and trade blockades into the movie. The problem I have with especially the prequels is partly what you say -- they may seem too childish for adults, but also that children might miss out so much when key moments in the movies deal with the senate and Palpatine. I think this is one of the largest problems with the Star Wars prequels. Most of us don't really think a Jar-Jar talking funny and stepping in poo is very funny, and most children are probably bored by the old man rambling on about politics.

Memorable line counts

[ianscot]

One of the ways to measure a pop movie is to think of the memorable lines from it. Dialog doesn't have to be all that great to stick in your head. ("This was no boating accident!" isn't great literature.)

Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back had the same ham-fisted Lucas dialog, but they were fun and you remember a lot of little lines from them. Heck, I can still hear the exact intonation of Luke's lines as he reacts to Ben Kenobi being cut down. "These aren't the droids we're looking for" and a bunch of other quotes have stuck with me forever. "Empire..." I recall a little less from, though I've probably seen it more. Some of the drippingly sarcastic "Your worship" stuff, and lots of Threepio's banter with R2D2, but not tons of it.

By the time we get to Return of the Jedi, though, I recall nothing to speak of. And for the last/first two movies, all, I can come up with is "Mee-sa." Seriously. And maybe, if I reach, "Around the survivors a perimeter create," but that I'm remembering because it was so stoo-pid. (The entire plot point, not just the line.)

Anyway, does anyone remember any lines from Episodes I or II? For good reasons? Try it out.

Re: MOD PARENT UP

[babbage]

Responding to your .sig...

How come Homer and Krusty look like clones

Matt Groening did a Fresh Air interview [npr.org] in which he said that the resemblance between Homer & Krusty isn't a coincidence. Originally, the joke was that Bart had absolutely no respect for his own father, but he completely idolized this television clown that in many ways is exactly like Homer -- including the uncanny resemblance between the two.

The interview was really interesting stuff. If you have a RealAudio player available, you can listen to the show from the above link.

Holy Christ

[bonch]

Did you see the footage? 90% of it was blue/green screens.

If George Lucas had filmed Lord of the Rings, all of Bag-End would have been blue-screened. Compare to WETA who actually builds a small-scale set, a large-scale set, and an outdoor real location. Guess what, it makes it look like the actors are really there!

Attack of the Clones was endless, flat, eye-level camera shots. It looked like everyone was acting on a theater stage (in a bad way), and it was shot that way. The reason? They WERE on a stage, and the rest of the movie was created in post-production. So we get zillions of little CG elements whizzing around all the time.

Meanwhile, WETA takes the time to build a real Fangorn forest in their warehouse, and a real Dead Marshes in their parking lot.