"Star Wars" On Blu-Ray: The PT
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars finally arrives on blu-ray, and it gives me another chance to revisit that galaxy far, far away. I haven't seen the PT, or the OT, in quite a whole, so it was fun to watch it again, with somewhat fresh eyes. I started off with TPM, which came out in 1999. I was in 8th grade at the time, and I remember watching it with one of my best friends at our local theater. There were a few people dressed up, and I remember being shocked at Qui-Gon's demise. And equally surprised that my friend had to go use the bathroom as soon as he died!
AOTC I saw during high school, after an AP test. I saw it with another close friend from high school, who's currently doing some government work in Russia. For that one, I went to the Ziegfield theater in Manhattan, dressed up in a flowing cloak. There were more people dressed up there, and a stronger fan base, including some media outlets. I knew a bit about AOTC before going in, from watching all but the last trailer. It was good experience, but it only increased the anticipation for the third chapter.
ROTS was highly anticipated for me. I didn't see a film in theaters, to my knowledge, between AOTC and ROTS, and I also avoided watching trailers or any other promotional material for the film, aside from the poster. I went to Maryland to see it, with my best friend who I saw TPM with. Why Maryland? That's where the head of the message board I frequented at the time, COWD, was located. Another board member also came down for the trip. ROTS was more than I expected, and totally became my favorite SW episode. I remember being impressed that the final duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin took place over such a vast area, and GK, the head of COWD, said something to the effect of, "that's why Lucas makes the big bucks."
Revisiting the PT was an interesting experience. I had a lot of random rituals associated with SW, such as watching the end credits all the way through, among others. After a big life change in 2009, those rituals sort of died down, and with SW theatrically completed (for now), my fandom for SW also went down a bit.
Rewatching TPM, I can see why there was disappointment and criticism. I feel like TPM provided a good, solid foundation for the rest of the PT. However, it certainly didn't start off very interesting. A trade boycott on an outer rim planet? A galactic government tied up in bureaucracy? A set of bargains and deals to have a random kid with a race on another outer rim planet? The sense of importance was not there in TPM. However, the film is part of a whole, not a standalone. In real life, huge conflicts such as World War I didn't start off with a bang. Well, I guess that war did start after a gunshot, but in a more figurative sense, it takes time to build the stage for an epic war to begin. That's what TPM was. It set the stage for Palpatine to gain control of the republic. It brought Anakin Skywalker to the center of the galaxy. It set up the sith's return as a threat to the Jedi. And it introduced us to the workings of the galactic senate, the structure of the jedi order, and the general state of the galaxy at the time. TPM works well in the grand picture, but as an introduction to that galaxy far, far away, I think ANH is still the best entry point. And as for Jar Jar, I still think he's not as bad as people made him out to be. But, he's still largely annoying and a pointless character that could have been better served by a different type of character.
AOTC remains a strong film, while the acting still is rather wooden. Maybe we favor a different type of acting today, with the gritty realism of "Batman Begins." The acting here gets the job done, but sometimes the characters feel a bit distant. AOTC and ROTS work well together, and are just as good as I remember them being. They look fantastic in HD, and the beauty of the locales, especially Naboo, is wonderful.
TPM is a bit hazier in HD. I read that TPM was not shot in HD, which could explain the blurriness of the film. Overall, I see why people were not a fan of the PT, and I really think it stems from the disappointment of TPM. It's hard to disagree with them back in 1999, when we had no idea how good or bad AOTC and ROTS would be, and all we had as an indication was TPM. Still, TPM had some deeper themes, which I don't think people realized, and which I wish were fully explored. Namely, Qui-Gon's view of the force and the jedi, and his insistence on the living force over the unifying force. It's something alluded to in ROTS, when Yoda tells Obi-wan that Qui-Gon is sort of still alive. It's a shame that the PT didn't investigate this more, but I suppose with the grand story to be told, it would have been hard to fit it all in.
I'm looking forward to revisiting the OT, and see how it looks in HD!
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars finally arrives on blu-ray, and it gives me another chance to revisit that galaxy far, far away. I haven't seen the PT, or the OT, in quite a whole, so it was fun to watch it again, with somewhat fresh eyes. I started off with TPM, which came out in 1999. I was in 8th grade at the time, and I remember watching it with one of my best friends at our local theater. There were a few people dressed up, and I remember being shocked at Qui-Gon's demise. And equally surprised that my friend had to go use the bathroom as soon as he died!
AOTC I saw during high school, after an AP test. I saw it with another close friend from high school, who's currently doing some government work in Russia. For that one, I went to the Ziegfield theater in Manhattan, dressed up in a flowing cloak. There were more people dressed up there, and a stronger fan base, including some media outlets. I knew a bit about AOTC before going in, from watching all but the last trailer. It was good experience, but it only increased the anticipation for the third chapter.
ROTS was highly anticipated for me. I didn't see a film in theaters, to my knowledge, between AOTC and ROTS, and I also avoided watching trailers or any other promotional material for the film, aside from the poster. I went to Maryland to see it, with my best friend who I saw TPM with. Why Maryland? That's where the head of the message board I frequented at the time, COWD, was located. Another board member also came down for the trip. ROTS was more than I expected, and totally became my favorite SW episode. I remember being impressed that the final duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin took place over such a vast area, and GK, the head of COWD, said something to the effect of, "that's why Lucas makes the big bucks."
Revisiting the PT was an interesting experience. I had a lot of random rituals associated with SW, such as watching the end credits all the way through, among others. After a big life change in 2009, those rituals sort of died down, and with SW theatrically completed (for now), my fandom for SW also went down a bit.
Rewatching TPM, I can see why there was disappointment and criticism. I feel like TPM provided a good, solid foundation for the rest of the PT. However, it certainly didn't start off very interesting. A trade boycott on an outer rim planet? A galactic government tied up in bureaucracy? A set of bargains and deals to have a random kid with a race on another outer rim planet? The sense of importance was not there in TPM. However, the film is part of a whole, not a standalone. In real life, huge conflicts such as World War I didn't start off with a bang. Well, I guess that war did start after a gunshot, but in a more figurative sense, it takes time to build the stage for an epic war to begin. That's what TPM was. It set the stage for Palpatine to gain control of the republic. It brought Anakin Skywalker to the center of the galaxy. It set up the sith's return as a threat to the Jedi. And it introduced us to the workings of the galactic senate, the structure of the jedi order, and the general state of the galaxy at the time. TPM works well in the grand picture, but as an introduction to that galaxy far, far away, I think ANH is still the best entry point. And as for Jar Jar, I still think he's not as bad as people made him out to be. But, he's still largely annoying and a pointless character that could have been better served by a different type of character.
AOTC remains a strong film, while the acting still is rather wooden. Maybe we favor a different type of acting today, with the gritty realism of "Batman Begins." The acting here gets the job done, but sometimes the characters feel a bit distant. AOTC and ROTS work well together, and are just as good as I remember them being. They look fantastic in HD, and the beauty of the locales, especially Naboo, is wonderful.
TPM is a bit hazier in HD. I read that TPM was not shot in HD, which could explain the blurriness of the film. Overall, I see why people were not a fan of the PT, and I really think it stems from the disappointment of TPM. It's hard to disagree with them back in 1999, when we had no idea how good or bad AOTC and ROTS would be, and all we had as an indication was TPM. Still, TPM had some deeper themes, which I don't think people realized, and which I wish were fully explored. Namely, Qui-Gon's view of the force and the jedi, and his insistence on the living force over the unifying force. It's something alluded to in ROTS, when Yoda tells Obi-wan that Qui-Gon is sort of still alive. It's a shame that the PT didn't investigate this more, but I suppose with the grand story to be told, it would have been hard to fit it all in.
I'm looking forward to revisiting the OT, and see how it looks in HD!
posted by DarthDooku at
2:39 PM
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