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Star Wars Prequels Media Movies

Star Wars Episode 3 PG-13? 563

geekboxjockey writes "This story hints at the next Star Wars being a bit more of a mature themed movie: "[The film] is much more dark...more emotional. It's much more of a tragedy," adds Lucas. "...it will be the first Star Wars that's a PG-13.""There's also a new trailer airing during tonight's The O.C., so you can use that as an excuse to watch FOX teen drama. Fortunately for me, Summer is the only excuse I need. And maybe Captain Oats.
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Star Wars Episode 3 PG-13?

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  • by kin_korn_karn ( 466864 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:22PM (#11905177) Homepage
    Lucas lost me completely with Attack of the Clones. The only Star Wars material worth the time these days is the expanded universe stuff.
    • by The Amazing Fish Boy ( 863897 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:26PM (#11905207) Homepage Journal
      But how will you know how it ends??
    • I think that maybe the third one will be better. George Lucas can't be oblivious to the fact that the public opinion of his last two films was not so favorable. I doubt he would want to be forever remembered of ruining a potentially good saga.
      • by spideyct ( 250045 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:44PM (#11905351)
        How well did that logic work for you after Episode I?
        • by SomeGuyFromCA ( 197979 ) on Friday March 11, 2005 @01:34AM (#11907497) Journal
          if memory serves, someone in the lucas camp did say re: episode 1: "you'll have to wait six years to really appreciate this movie".

          having been throughly spoiled on ep 3, i now know what he meant.

          you had to see the galaxy (and anakin) as they were before the darkness to see how major the changes were:

          you had to see the bureaucratically hobbled, glacially slow to act republic to understand why it was even possible for the empire to be born.

          you had to see the "whee! now this is podracing!" anakin to truly see how far the fall was to the "i don't 'fear' the dark side... i embrace it" vader. `

          episode 1 really cannot stand alone. it is the prologue both to its own trilogy and to the overall saga. the events in it seem minor and unimportant... except that you know what things like 'chancellor palpatine' will lead to. or when qui-gon said, "anakin skywalker... meet obi-wan kenobi"; the entire theater collectively draws a breath at that point because they know where and how these two men will end their friendship and their lives. and that was just with knowing what would happen in 4-6. now that we (are about to) have seen all of it (obi-wan crying out in frustration "you were the chosen one!" from the new trailer sticks in one's head) we can go back to ep 1 and see the shadows forming.

          yes, jar-jar is annoying. what, the universe of long ago and far away doesn't have annoying critters? besides, that's the irony - that jar-jar helped palpatine to power. yes, anakin's annoying, whiny, selfish, and clunky in "love scenes" with padme. that's part of his story and part of the reason he could fall to the dark side - palpy plays on his desire to be more powerful and his fear of losing/failing those he cares about.

          if anakin were the uber-cool, suave, humble-yet-powerful jedi people seem to want, what could palps offer him to tempt him to the dark side? moreover, why would he accept? the great irony of the star wars story is that anakin falls to evil because of love. because he wants that power so he can keep those he loves with him. and then once he knows he's lost padme forever, he fully accepts his role as darth vader, taking the only power and control he can, in bitterness, guilt and probably not a little self-hatred.

          and this is why luke was able to redeem vader. anakin was finally able to save someone - his own son - and not with the dark side of the force, and not even with the force at all, but by merely making a choice, a choice that he probably thought was lost to him forever.
      • by dswensen ( 252552 ) * on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:48PM (#11905393) Homepage
        Good one! Well, actually, you're right. He's not oblivious. He just doesn't care.

        He's made it abundantly clear in interviews that the fans don't mean shit to him. In an interview with CNN, his response to fans wanting an un-screwed with DVD of the OT was, "I'm sorry you fell in love with a half-finished film, but get over it."

        George Lucas doesn't give a tin shit for his fans or how they (or film history) see him, and moreover, because so many of them pay him money regardless of what he does, he doesn't have to.

        So yeah.
        • by SeattleGameboy ( 641456 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @08:55PM (#11905892) Journal
          Why should he care???

          This is his art. He should be able to create/modify whatever he pleases. This is how he expresses himself (how much money he makes off of it should not matter).

          Let's say you wrote a novel. After your friend reads the draft, you decide that the ending sucked and changed it, which you like MUCH better. However, then your friend comes back and says the old ending was better and you should produce that novel instead of the new version that YOU, the author, like better.

          What business is of your friend to dictate what your novel should be? It is not a collaborative effort (unless YOU wanted it to be). Most artist would demand the same.

          If the public likes the new version, great. If they don't, that's fine too. At least you published what YOU, the artist, wanted.

          Why is that so hard to understand?
          • by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 10, 2005 @10:19PM (#11906457)
            First, these were major motion pictures that were released, not a rough draft of a novel shown to a few friends.

            Second, Lucas wasn't the artist who made Empire Strikes Back - the best of the Star Wars films. So your argument has no merit with that movie.

            Third, there is no reason to not release the original versions. Given that Lucas hasn't written or directed a good film in decades, any pretense of this being to prevent embarrassment at seeing the old versions has no merit.

            Fourth, by not preserving the original version for posterity he is destroying a small piece of modern history and culture. If he were verifiably insane instead of simply losing his talents and abilities, I doubt anyone would agree with this destruction.

            Fifth, the original movies would be public domain by now if not for the government-corporate corruption of copyright law.
          • Who owns an idea? This isn't a facile question, it's actually the root of the issue. A book/movie/song/painting/artistic expression is just a set of ideas fixed in a tangible medium. When you view a creation, you experience those ideas and make them your own. In other words, your thoughts and feelings filter your perceptions to create a unique personal experience.

            Subsequent alterations of a work can never replace your experience of the original. Ideas can't be "undone". At best, changes to a work

      • It has been many years since Lucas had any sense of perspective. Return of the Jedi was arguably his first steps in his long journey towards Craptown, Oblivia where he has decided to take up permanent residence.

        If Lucas really wanted to win back the fans, he wouldn't have propagated new and existing defacements of the original trilogy, such as not returning the Greedo scene to the original narrative, or replacing Darth Vader in the Return of the Jedi celebration scene with that mullet-wearing, no-talent ha
      • I don't think Lucas hears his critics. He's only listening to people who fill in "Jedi" on the religion question on census forms.

        I thought SW was cool when I was a kid, and that persisted into my mid-20s, but now I really have a hard time watching them, save for The Empire Strikes Back, which is still a damn good story that easily survives the meteorically bad talents of Carrey Fisher and Mark Hamell. It's also likely that it's the best because it had an actual SF writer with a good deal of work under her

  • by grub ( 11606 ) <slashdot@grub.net> on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:22PM (#11905179) Homepage Journal

    "This story hints at the next Star Wars being a bit more of a mature themed movie

    We wouldn't want pre-teens emulating the movie and killing themselves trying to surf on lava, would we? Good plan!
  • by Neil Blender ( 555885 ) <neilblender@gmail.com> on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:23PM (#11905181)
    Just make it good.
  • Here's to hope (Score:5, Insightful)

    by BWJones ( 18351 ) * on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:23PM (#11905186) Homepage Journal
    "[The film] is much more dark...more emotional. It's much more of a tragedy," adds Lucas. ".

    Great. Will the story be any better than the last two? Will the acting be any better? BUT.....I ^H^H^H LOVE HER SO MUCH!!!!!! Please. I hope I am wrong as I thought that Empire Strikes Back was the best of the three original Star Wars films principally because it was dark and did not have Ewoks or (Exsqueeze me?) Jar Jar and the acting was much better. Star Wars had its appeal, but they started dropping off in Return of the Jedi and buying into the Hollywoodification and hype.
    There's also a new trailer airing during tonight's The O.C., so you can use that as an excuse to watch FOX teen drama.

    This is where they are choosing to premier this trailer? Oh man, all hope is lost. Seriously though, why? What is the demographic that they are appealing to for this film? Are Anakin and Padme going to develop into some soap opera? This is soooo disappointing. Perhaps I will see the trailer once it hits the Internet, but given the fact that I have not yet seen the last Star Wars film, I don't have much hope.

    • You do know, don't you, that Episode 6 was originally titled Revenge of the Jedi, but Lucas changed it before release because "Jedi don't take revenge."
    • Re:Here's to hope (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      About why it's premiering during the OC:

      Star Wars is under Fox, and the OC airs on Fox...it probably had nothing at all to do with Lucas and all to do with what show Fox wanted to bolster some ratings for.
    • Re:Here's to hope (Score:2, Insightful)

      by iowannaski ( 766150 )
      This is where they are choosing to premier this trailer? Oh man, all hope is lost. Seriously though, why? What is the demographic that they are appealing to for this film?

      I am a 26 year old male. The Star Wars trilogy have been my favorite movies since I was 5 years old. The O.C. is the only show on television that I watch every week.

      If The Returning Revenge of the Darth Sith or whatever it is called is half as good as The O.C. it will be a huge and welcome improvement over the last two installments

    • Re:Here's to hope (Score:5, Insightful)

      by riptide_dot ( 759229 ) * on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:52PM (#11905424)
      This is where they are choosing to premier this trailer? Oh man, all hope is lost. Seriously though, why? What is the demographic that they are appealing to for this film? Are Anakin and Padme going to develop into some soap opera? This is soooo disappointing. Perhaps I will see the trailer once it hits the Internet, but given the fact that I have not yet seen the last Star Wars film, I don't have much hope.

      Seriously, is this really a surprise to anyone? Lucas (and the rest of Hollywood for that matter) KNOWS that geeks (more specifically, 20-30 something MALE geeks) are salivating to get any glimpse of the new trailer and will sit through this chick-flick show just to see it early. This show's appeal is mosly to women, so they are attempting to (at least temporarily) expand their viewing audience to include the 20-30 something males that normally wouldn't think twice about flipping past it...

      I'm glad I have a Tivo though - that fast forward button will come in REAL handy tonight...:)
      • Re:Here's to hope (Score:5, Interesting)

        by quandrum ( 652868 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @09:11PM (#11906009)
        As a member of three member household who doesn't have cable, spends 5+ hours a week gaming together, goes to the Comic book store on new comic book day, and generally geeks out everyday, I think you're dismissing The OC prematurely.

        We have someone tape it for us every week and we all love it. It generally has material relevant to geeks in every show, and it's a great way to start conversations with those women you so easily disdain. It may in fact not be for you, but I think more geeks than you realize are regulars.

        Now, as for the Spiderman-inspired kiss... *groan*
      • "I'm glad I have a Tivo though - that fast forward button will come in REAL handy tonight...:)"

        I'm glad Slashdot warned me not to watch OC tonight!
    • Re:Here's to hope (Score:3, Insightful)

      by jeblucas ( 560748 )

      Empire Strikes Back was the best of the three original Star Wars films principally because it was dark and did not have Ewoks or (Exsqueeze me?) Jar Jar and the acting was much better

      I think the telling thing is that Empire was not written nor directed by George Lucas; credit there to Brackett & Kasdan and Kershner respectively. Lucas' writing is sophomoric and his direction is pretty damn bad to say the least. Even good actors become crappy in his milquetoast hands. My friend had the best summary crit

  • I assure you (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Sheetrock ( 152993 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:23PM (#11905187) Homepage Journal
    The first two were a far bigger tragedy than the third will ever be. Eclipsed only by all those people waiting in line for months every time a new Star Wars is churned out.
    • Re:I assure you (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Auckerman ( 223266 )
      In all honesty, I really don't understand all of this bickering about the new movies. Have you seen Return of the Jedi, Ewoks, annoying little sh*ts, with their stupid little feel good dancing. How about the predicable way everyone gets out of a bad situation in the old movies, time and time again. If people re-watched the originals with the same critical eye they had for the new ones, they would hate them too.

      They are just movies, a lot of fun to watch, fun plot, and cult classics in their own right, b
    • Is your sig some sort of inside joke? You've got a Yoda quote and call Spock "Dr" (Mr. Spock is the Trek guy, Dr. Spock is the baby guy).
  • by CyberBill ( 526285 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:24PM (#11905188)
    Captain Oats and Princess Sparkle are totally gonna hook up and do it. Last episode Seth and Summer kissed, so now its only a matter of time before they bring their plastic companions into the mix :)
  • What like, plot and character development?

    I find that hard to believe. More likely it's a warning that JarJar features heavily in the movie.

    shudder
    • Re:more mature? (Score:3, Insightful)

      by gl4ss ( 559668 )
      somehow pg13 doesn't strike me into believing it has any of those.

      it might have a semi cruel execution or something.
  • by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:25PM (#11905198)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • by Anonymous Coward
      Does this mean we will be seeing the cut scene from Natalie Portman's movie "Closer" where she does a full nudity scene. I am sure they can work it into the movie somehow.

      But if she's not petrified, what's the point?
    • Re:More mature? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by cgenman ( 325138 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @08:02PM (#11905485) Homepage
      I'm personally amazed that you can film a child watching his father be beheaded, walk over, pick it up, and still get a G rating.

      Bambi was bad an all, but at least she didn't crawl inside of her mother for warmpth.

      • Re:More mature? (Score:3, Insightful)

        by RsG ( 809189 )
        Well, if they had shown Jango's cauterized neck and lifeless face, then yeah, they would have gotten a higher rating. But all we saw was the mandalorian helmet...

        Which raises the question: is showing a horrible fate without any actual, you know, _horror_, really something suitable for children? I'm generally anti-censorship, and in favour of the rating system, but we seem to have some rather odd priorities when blood gore and nipples (gah! evil corrupting nipples!) get all the ire of parent groups and wa
        • epic stories (Score:3, Insightful)

          is showing a horrible fate without any actual, you know, _horror_, really something suitable for children?

          Remember that Lucas has pretensions of telling an epic story suitable for being the basis of mythology for centuries to come. (Or at least that's how he comes off in interviews.)

          We tell our kids about the Spartans at Thermopylae, and The Trojan Horse, The Sack of Troy and so on. We tell them about valiant men who put whole civilisations being put to the sword.

          We do this so that when we want them to
  • by tepples ( 727027 ) <tepplesNO@SPAMgmail.com> on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:25PM (#11905200) Homepage Journal

    The PG-13® film rating did not exist when the first three Star Wars movies (Episodes IV through VI) came out. Return of the Jedi (Ep VI) came out in 1983; PG-13 didn't start until July 1984 [filmratings.com], apparently because Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was right smack between PG and R. In fact, some believe that The Empire Strikes Back (Ep V) could have been PG-13 had that rating existed.

  • by fembots ( 753724 )
    I thought, since NP is onboard, SW is always R18 in a geek's eyes ?d
  • by l33t-gu3lph1t3 ( 567059 ) <arch_angel16.hotmail@com> on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:25PM (#11905206) Homepage
    Am I the only one not holding his breath on this one? Seriously...who cares what the rating is.

    Dear George Lucas:

    Please, PLEASE don't screw this one up.
  • by TheGuano ( 851573 )
    Well then, if we're going to have one of those Leia-in-a-bikini scenes in Ep3, PG-13 means we get to lose one piece of clothing, right?
  • by jbarr ( 2233 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:26PM (#11905210) Homepage
    ...that they are caving in just like everyone else to modern pop culture pressures. No doubt, they'll try to spice it up ala the Matrix, and the gratuitous violence will no doubt abound. I'm certainly no prude or anti-violence-in-movies proponent, but it's a shame that they can't come up with truely stunning and excellent stories without having to resort to all the typical gratuitous stuff. I guess I'm just getting old...
  • Am I the only one that thinks his last few movies showed be restricted to those 13 and under? These movies are lifeless, poorly written, sparkly eye candy. Ihey're the filmmaking equivalent of dangling a shiny keychain in front of a monkey.
  • by ackthpt ( 218170 ) * on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:26PM (#11905213) Homepage Journal
    Way back when Jurassic Park came out, all these brilliant parents took their anklebiters to the local Bijou and to see the interesting dinosaurs. Whenever something graphic or loud happened the kids would scream, some bursting into crying fits. I could just hear these parents being roused from sleep for the next month by kids having nightmares. What could be so disturbing in this film? "Aaauugghhh! Mommy! Daddy! The Jar Jar has invited me to a sleepover with Jedi Juice!"
  • by GPLDAN ( 732269 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:27PM (#11905220)
    I'm gonna kill your motherfuckin pasty white ass! Lightin bolt sendin motherfucker. Yo' bitch, you ever think of gettin new dentures? {ZZZZZZZap} God DAMN that hurt! Shit, your ass is mine now. With my blue Yoda saber, when you absolutely postively have to kill every last Sith motherfucker in the room...
  • "It's much more of a tragedy," adds Lucas

    We know that the first two movies were tragedies, so does the 'tragedy' here refer to aspects of the story line, the movie itself (as in it will be following in the footsteps of the first two), the box office revenue or the fact that it will be rated PG13?
  • Karma mod + (Score:5, Funny)

    by novakane007 ( 154885 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:28PM (#11905227) Homepage Journal
    Instant Karma to the first person to get the torrent to us here at ./
  • Some Star Wars nut out there can probably find it faster than I can, but I thought I remember reading somewhere that the contract Lucas signed with Fox stipulated that he was to deliver three PG rated movies by 2005. So either what I read was wrong, or Lucas has renegotiated, or the movie will really be PG.

    I think the comment is supposed to be read "I see this movie as more of a PG-13 rating" whether or not it really gets that or has to be pared down, instead of "yeah we got it reviewed and it's getting a

  • by pete-classic ( 75983 ) <hutnick@gmail.com> on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:28PM (#11905230) Homepage Journal
    Weesa really fucked nowsa.

    -Peter
  • by The_Rippa ( 181699 ) * on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:28PM (#11905232)
    I really hope it's because of a Natalie Portman nipple slip.
  • If you hate The O.C. (Score:3, Informative)

    by BloggerErrant ( 828365 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:28PM (#11905233)
    The trailer is viewable on my blog. Yeah, it's a bootleg. No, I don't give a damn about movie piracy.

    Quicktime required:

    http://geekfactor.uni.cc/vids/episode3trailer.mov [geekfactor.uni.cc]
  • PG-13! (Score:2, Funny)

    by MrMiyagi ( 141580 )
    You will probably mod me down, but...

    Finally, Nathalie Portman in a Hot Gritz scene!
  • by geoff313 ( 718010 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:30PM (#11905250) Journal
    For those of you who don't want to tune into the OC but want your Star Wars fix this week, I just noticed this over at starwars.com:

    Tune in to "60 Minutes" Sunday, March 13 on CBS for a special in-depth interview with George Lucas. The show previously profiled Lucas in 1999 during the release of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace to document the beginning of the prequels. Now that Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith heads into the final stages of post-production, "60 Minutes" correspondent Lesley Stahl returns to Skywalker Ranch to chat with Lucas about his family, his technological innovations and his plans after Episode III.........

    You can find the rest of the article here:

    http://www.starwars.com/episode-iii/release/public ity/news20050310.html [starwars.com]

    -geoff313

  • by SuperKendall ( 25149 ) * on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:30PM (#11905251)
    This movie will be better than the first two. Why? Because as Lucas moves closer to the source material, he has less wiggle-room to screw up the story.

    The acting better? Who knows. Special effects? Undoubtedly similar to before. But the story at least will probably be better, and that's what I'm really looking forward to.
    • I really doubt he will be moving closer to his real source material. If you'd like to see what he orignally wanted to do, check out The Lensman Series, [barnesandnoble.com] by Doc Smith. Ignore the crap vidio, and the three by David Kyle. He ended up making Star Wars because Smith's daughter didn't understand what he wanted and wouldn't give premission.
    • by STrinity ( 723872 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @09:00PM (#11905930) Homepage
      Because as Lucas moves closer to the source material, he has less wiggle-room to screw up the story.

      This is the guy who reinterpreted "the greatest star pilot in the galaxy" to mean a seven year old kid who goes "yippie!" He doesn't have to stick to anything that he said in the previous films. He could quite easily decide that Luke is Anakin's clone, Amidala is Mon Mothma, and that Chewie is Jabba's son.
  • by Le Marteau ( 206396 ) * on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:30PM (#11905257) Journal
    What is Beck and Star Wars doing on the O.C.? [freep.com]

    Never saw the O.C., but I will tonight. Beck will be premiering 4 or 5 cuts from his unreleased new albums.

    Off topic, I know, but I don't give a damn. This one should be worth watching.
  • does this mean we get to see Carrie Fisher in a bikini AGAIN?
  • Having seen and enjoyed all of the Star Wars movies, I'm surprised by this. The nature of the epic does require a betral by Anakin and a hunting down of the Jedis, I assume it's this part that makes it a higher rating. Perhaps Lucas decided to show a little more than the misty red that Darth Maul got when he was chopped in half as Anakin begins his move to the Dark Side. I really don't seen it being necissary for the story line.
  • by ccharles ( 799761 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:33PM (#11905281)
    "It's much more of a tragedy," adds Lucas.
    Hey, he said it :P
  • My cynical opinion (Score:3, Insightful)

    by techno-vampire ( 666512 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:46PM (#11905372) Homepage
    If this does get a PG-13 rating, it will be so that all the parents will want to go to it on their own first, to see if it's OK for their kids, then back to see it again with them. Just a marketing ploy.
  • by dasunt ( 249686 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:47PM (#11905384)

    We all remember Episodes I - III with fond memories from our childhood, and they seemed to have stood up well to the test of time. The slowly building arc of Anakin's fall from the dark side against the backdrop of the crumbling republic made for some good cinema. Sure, there were a few mistakes (Jar Jar), but none as annoying as the new trilogy (Episode IV-VI) that Lucas started producing a few years ago.

    Compare: The multi-facetted Anakin vs the rather shallow Luke who has the depth of the average parking lot puddle. Or what about this 'Han Solo' character which seems right out of a John Wayne western? Instead of political intrigue, we have straight shoot-em-up space battles. And don't get me started on the third movie -- according to the leaks, not only is it going to have Luke blowing up the Death Star yet again, but it will have these cute cuddly teddy bear aliens that are an obvious ploy to appeal to the youngsters.

    Lucas! Stop raping my childhood! Ugh, you should have stopped with Episode III back in the 80s. How dare you ruin all that was good in your quest for more money!

    (This post brought to you by an alternative-timeline slashdot)

    • Sure, there were a few mistakes (Jar Jar)

      And we haven't yet seen him in episodes 4-6, have we? In fact there's not a single representative of his race to be found anywhere.

      That must by why Episode 3 is going to get a PG-13 rating -- due to the scenes of the entire Gungan civilization getting demolished, disemboweled, and defenestrated in graphic detail.

      BEST. STARWARS. MOVIE. EVER.
    • Er, how come you got moderated as 'Funny' rather than the 'Insightful' you so richly deserved?

      Anyway, just what I was thinking. People have extremely rose-coloured memories. It's only natural! It's almost impossible to objectively judge something that you've known and loved (or hated) for so long.

      Okay, so Jar-Jar was an annoying twat. But then C3PO was also an annoying twat, just a slightly different sort of annoying twat, one who's overlaid by years of warm fuzzy feelings. I wish I could compare the two of them fairly, but I can't. Like a lot of people, I see the former as execrable, and the latter as loveable; however, if I were coming fresh to them both, would I still see them that way round? I don't know. But maybe it's a useful exercise trying to guess.

  • we'll get to see Padmé's boobies!
  • by buckhead_buddy ( 186384 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @08:26PM (#11905659)
    Though I'm tempted, I think I'll avoid seeing this movie in the theatres for at least a month (if not completely). Why?
    • It'll do well enough without my money. LucasFilm doesn't pay attention to customers today; giving them more money on opening weekend won't change that.
    • There's almost no chance that the theatre version will be the same version released to DVD or in any other form in the future. Why become attached to an unfinished version of the film?
    • Hear the true reviews. I don't mean shills like my local newspaper reviewer, but the sci-fi fan sites that have similar values in film as mine. Will seeing the movie further ruin my appreciation of Star Wars and Empire? That's a bigger concern than whether this episode is any good.
    • Inevitability of Boredom or Disappointment. We know what will happen in the sequels, yet after two attempts no plots or characters have been developed in the first two prequels that I really care about. More than likely any "surprises" will undermine the movies that follow.
    I'm posting this on slashdot in case enough disappointed fans and geeks will join me in waiting at least a month after the debut to go see the film. I can't deny there's a curiousity about how this story will be finished, but my expectations are set very low and really only amount to knowing whether it will expectorate, urinate, or defecate on Episodes 4-6.
  • by leereyno ( 32197 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @08:47PM (#11905815) Homepage Journal
    Movie ratings are based upon the dubious assumption that children will be adversely affected by seeing certain things when these same things are considered harmless to adults.

    If you believe that I've got a really nice bridge I need to get rid of and I'm willing to sell it to you on the cheap.

    I'm 32 years old and I don't think I've ever seen anything as a child or teenager in any movie or television program that ever warped my psyche or damaged my character. Yet the superstition persists that children need to be "protected" from seeing two people have sex, or from seeing violence, hearing certain words uttered, or any other number of other things that parents and society in general have irrational fears about. What I find most absurd is that things like movies are presumed to have an almost magical hypnotic influence over the young, while their real life experinces are not nearly so obessed about. If you're going to worry about your kids, worry about the example that you set for them, the things that they see YOU do, not whether they listen to Britney Spears, Howard Stern, or see an R rated movie.

    When I was younger I believed that society's treatment of the young was a case of intentional malice. As I grew older I came to realize that society was not out to oppress anyone per se, rather people are as a general rule really, really stupid and have a memory about as long as their little finger. The ludicrous myths and superstititons about what it means to be a child that get passed around as fact by those who only 20 or 30 years ago were children themselves would be hilarious if everyone didn't actually believe them.

    It is becoming more and more clear to me that civilization is carried on the backs of the relative handful who aren't tragically dumb. Everyone else is merely along for the ride.

    Lee
  • by spideyct ( 250045 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @09:06PM (#11905975)
    This is a shame.

    I think the largest demographic that enjoyed Ep 1 and 2 are under 13. I know my 7 year old nephew enjoyed them a lot more than I did.

    The older generation (that enjoyed Ep 4-6 when they were 30 years younger) has been alienated by the new movies.

    I was able to accept the new movies, knowing that they weren't meant for me, they were meant for the kids to enjoy, just like I enjoyed the others.

    It is disappointing that the new generation that DID enjoy Ep 1 & 2, and eagerly await Ep 3, will not (or rather, should not) get to see it for a while.
  • by bytor4232 ( 304582 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @10:30PM (#11906538) Homepage Journal
    Yeah sure, IV to VI are far better than I and II, but its still far better than most of the crap that gets realeased nowadays. Lets have a look at the box office shall we?
    1. The Pacifier
    2. Be Cool
    3. Hitch
    4. Diary of a Mad Black Woman
    5. Million Dollar Baby
    6. Constantine
    7. Cursed
    8. Man of the House
    9. Because of Winn-Dixie
    10. The Jacket
    I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd rather see any of the prequels over any of these movies any day.
  • The torrent: (Score:5, Informative)

    by AIX-Hood ( 682681 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @11:43PM (#11906983)
    The torrent: heres the video [filerush.com]
  • The high quality trailer is already available for download [sequentialpictures.com]. It seems as though Lucas has had to switch actors, though. Of course, that can only be a good thing.:)

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