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Star Wars Prequels Media Movies

Episode II Gets Rave Review 272

Posted by timothy from the at-least-if-that's-what-this-is dept.
Astin writes: "Dark Horizons has obtained a copy of what it believes is the script for Attack of the Clones, and has posted a review. Apparently they got this one right, with epic battles, lots of action, and that sense of adventure that was missing from Episode I. Canoe.ca is also carrying a synopsis from the site."
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Episode II Gets Rave Review More

Episode II Gets Rave Review

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  • I'd be surprised a movie with such a horribly bad title actually turns out to be a decent production. It kinda tarnishes the whole thing from the beginning.

    I bet the 'queuers' are happy right now.

    "Hey bill, according to this, the film we're queuing for doesn't suck!"

  • I don't think so. (Score:2, Informative)

    by BadDoggie ( 145310 )
    Jar-Jar's not dead? I ain't watching.

    woof.

  • Epic Battles? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Thnurg ( 457568 )
    Epic Battles eh? I hope so, since from the trailer that is currnetly doing the rounds at the cinema it looks like an over blown love / teenage angst story.

  • (Star Wars) history repeating itself? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Zocalo ( 252965 ) on Wednesday January 30, 2002 @06:13AM (#2924238) Homepage
    Hmm. Cheesy first film, somewhat like Star Wars (be honest), and what looks like a cracking second film (just like ESB). Just what is it with Lucas and trilogies anyway? It always seems to take him a film to get upto speed, then he makes another that rocks, and then runs out of steam for the third and throws in things like Ewoks.
    • Nothing wrong with Return of the Jedi in my book.
    • Maybe Lucas is doing it backwards this time. After all, it's Episode I that has the smarmy character thrown in to appeal to children, blatant "let's throw this in so we can base a video game on it" stuff, etc. So...we can expects a "cracking second film" and then a cheesy third. (After all, it will in the SW chronology be closest to the cheesy first film, right?)
    • Except for the whole Temple of Doom sucking thing, that is.

      The Indy trilogy stands in sharp contrast to your theory. 1st movie - top flight, didn't think it could get any better. 2nd movie - suspicions re: not getting any better confirmed. 3rd movie - a pleasant surprise, almost as good as the first, except for the (slightly) annoying series featuring River Phoenix. Explains his chin scar and the fedora, but did it have to be so bloody annoying in doing so?

    • Trilogy Theory (Score:2, Informative)

      by lostboy2 ( 194153 )
      Cheesy first film, somewhat like Star Wars (be honest), and what looks like a cracking second film (just like ESB). Just what is it with Lucas and trilogies anyway?

      In the "Special Edition" VHS series of the original Star Wars movies (not the remastered versions), Leonard Maltin interviews G.Lucas. Among other things, Lucas describes the first Star Wars trilogy as a "three-act play". He goes on to say that, in a three-act play, you introduce the characters in the first act (Star Wars), put them in the worst possible situation in the second act (Empire Strikes Back), and then get them out of it in the third (Return of the Jedi).

      So, I guess if Lucas stays true to this formula, then Ep2 will be a dark cliffhanger. Anyway, I'll be there, if only to see Natalie Portman and Ewan McGregor. :-)

      -- D

      "The Bastards have landed!" -- Peter Jackson, Bad Taste
    • Hmm. Cheesy first film, somewhat like Star Wars (be honest), and what looks like a cracking second film (just like ESB). Just what is it with Lucas and trilogies anyway?

      I'll reserve judgment until I see the film. BTW, ESB was probably helped out by the fact that it was NOT directed by Lucas, whereas ANH WAS directed by Lucas!

      You do the math.
  • From Variety:

    Clones are IN!
    Hollywood Loves Clones!
    Clones Boom, Phantoms Bust!
    Everyone loves a Clone!

    then 50 movies come out with "clones" in the title, or some derivitave of the word (Clone-o-saur, Clone Stampede, The Clone I Loved). They will all flop. Then, in Variety...

    Clones are DEAD!
    Clones Bad, Non-Clones GOOD!

    Remember kids, just because the title is a giant pile of fuck doesn't mean the movie will be (Just look at Cybercity... errr... wait, don't. that movie sucks donkey dong).
  • From the link:

    "Jar Jar Binks represents the Gungans in the Senate. "

  • !Scoop (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Rogerborg ( 306625 ) on Wednesday January 30, 2002 @06:32AM (#2924271) Homepage

    A short, shallow review of something that might be the script for Episode II hardly qualifies stopping th presses.

    A decent script is neither a guarantee of quality, nor necessary for it. The script for Episode IV looks like a fourth grader wrote it, and yet it produced a film that both children and adults loved. The magic happens in the casting, sets, costume, makeup, acting, lighting, camerawork, direction, FX and post production editing. Even if it's a genuine script (what reason have we to believe that? There must be dozens of fan scripts doing the rounds) then the final product might be almost unrecognisable.

    It's an interesting bit of speculation, but I'm giving it no more credence nor weight than any other fan generated hype.

    • Re:!Scoop (Score:3, Interesting)

      by chancycat ( 104884 )
      ...casting, sets, costume, makeup, acting, lighting, camerawork, direction, FX and post production editing...


      And **Music*** - It makes IV, V, and VI work, and I hang in there.

  • Its not the battles, it's not the action... (Score:5, Funny)

    by xxSOUL_EATERxx ( 549142 ) on Wednesday January 30, 2002 @06:35AM (#2924280)
    What made STAR WARS a great film is that it was a synthesis of all the aspects of moviemaking, not only special effects space battles, but polt, acting, a great script, and even the details like music (try to imagine STAR WARS witout that glorious theme!), and even the credits: think about the famous screen crawl at the start of the film.

    But the heart and soul of STAR WARS is undeniably the characters: rakish Han Solo the rogue with a heart of gold, trading insults with spunky Princess Leia, so beautiful and so brave; gung-ho Luke Skywalker, the hero right out of Joseph Campbell, who manages to be annoying and inspiring at the same time; even characters like R2-D2 and Chewbacca, who don't have a coherent line in the script, are developed as recognizable personalities! A cast straight out of Shakespeare or Dickens is what makes Lucas' film an immortal classic. [context.org]

    Don't get me wrong, Space battles and lightsaber duels are great, but let's hope Lucas is able to inject some life into the two-dimensional caricatures who pranced around onscreen during Episode I (name three differences between Obi-Wan and Kwi-Gon-Jinn's personalities, or for that matter, between Obi-Wan and Queen Amidiala [epinions.com]), otherwise those of us for whom the STAR WARS flame burns bright in our hearts may be in for another ho-hum prequel.

    • Re:Its not the battles, it's not the action... (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Milalwi ( 134223 ) on Wednesday January 30, 2002 @08:54AM (#2924590)

      ...and even the credits: think about the famous screen crawl at the start of the film.

      I'm no Lucas lover, but the opening credit crawl is brilliant! And Lucas had to fight [imdb.com] the directors guild to get it in there:

      The Director's Guild of America (DGA) didn't like the fact that there were no specific credits at the beginning of the film. They "ordered" Lucas to re-cut the film and put some credits at the beginning. Lucas refused, claiming that this would destroy the opening of the film. The DGA fined Lucas, who paid up, and promptly quit the DGA.

      Milalwi

    • Acting??? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Mr. Neutron ( 3115 ) on Wednesday January 30, 2002 @12:23PM (#2925551) Homepage Journal
      Sure, Harrison Ford was great as usual, but Mark Hamill whined his way through the trilogy, and Carrie Fisher was too wasted to put on a decent performance.

      What made the original trilogy great was the "human" aspect of the characters. Han's scoundrel-turned-reluctant hero. Leia calling Han a "scruffy-looking nerfherder" and Chewy a "walking carpet." While the fate of the galaxy hung in the balance, the main characters were really just a bunch of crazy kids having a good time. It was light-hearted in the face of impending doom.

      That element was utterly missing from TPM. Qui-Gon was serious and dour. Obi-Wan was serious and dour. There was no sense of fun in the face of grave danger, but rather a sense of solemness in the face of bland political intrigue and trade embargoes. Jar-Jar was an attempt to inject the needed element into the movie, but it was forced and stale. If Jar-Jar had been a human, or at least a live actor, it might have worked.

      I also have a great fear about AOTC: the trailers clearly are geared towards the "WB crowd." A cheezy romance story (unlike the childish and subdued Luke-Leia-Han triangle that was not the focus but rather a "fleshing out") isn't going to fit well into the arc of the Star Wars saga in general. I fear it's going to be forced, stale, and drag down a trilogy that already shows deep flaws.

  • Probably a hoax. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by netsharc ( 195805 ) on Wednesday January 30, 2002 @06:35AM (#2924281)
    I doubt the script is real.. and seeing how much of a freaking lunatic George Lucas can be, he'd probably decide to change the script if the real one that got leaked out were the real one.

    I saw the trailer of Episode 2, and I can't believe how fucking cheesy the dialog is. "Anakin, you have grown."; "So have you, Princess. In more ways than one.", or "What if something you want is really here.", said while they're holding hands before Anakin has to go fight some aliens. fffUUUCCCKKK!!! In contrast, Dawson's Creek may not have realistic dialog, but at least it's better than watching a dialog that looks like it was stolen from a conversation between a Britney Spears-listening, boyband-loving bimbo teenager and his duh football-jock boyfriend.

    Stupid Hollywood shit, I can't stand watching most films nowadays, goddamn unrealistic plot development and fucked-up acting of unrealistic dialogs...

    • Re:Probably a hoax. (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Tryfen ( 216209 ) on Wednesday January 30, 2002 @07:36AM (#2924423) Homepage
      Stupid Hollywood shit, I can't stand watching most films nowadays

      Then don't watch films from Hollywood! There are pleanty of films from Britain, France, India etc. etc.

      Broaden your horizons - don't just eat what the commercials force feed you.

    • Re:Probably a hoax. (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Tomster ( 5075 ) on Wednesday January 30, 2002 @11:31AM (#2925283) Homepage Journal
      Advantages of watching older movies:

      1. No trailers or commercials to fast forward through. Just a few seconds of the FBI's you-better-not-copy-this-tape.

      2. A storyline developed by someone over the age of 10.

      3. Characters who act like human beings, instead of ludicrous puppets being jacked around by plot devices and ridiculous situations.

      4. A soundtrack that supports the movie, instead of screaming "here's what you should be feeling".

      5. Less makeup and other artifices to create the "perfect" visual image.

      6. Characters who show good principles and morals, instead of "oh, well, I just felt like it" ethics.

      I could go on. The point's been made.

      Are there still good films being made? Sure. Are all older films better than today's? No. But the quality of the "average" film has IMO declined considerably.

      -Thomas
    • between a Britney Spears-listening, boyband-loving bimbo teenager and his duh football-jock boyfriend
      ummm...isn't that who is saying it?
      Harrison Foir said it best "George, this stuff reads great on paper, but its shit to say."
  • The review for EpII is quite informative from a storyline perspective. Anyone interested in viewing the final script (which ties in with this review) should go to www.supershadow.com [supershadow.com] where there are also (preliminary) scripts for episodes III and VII.

    What is interesting from looking around the supershadow site and reading reviews such as this one is that Lucas is, if nothing else, a very smart business man. EpI was designed to attract a new generation of fans and epII was designed to build on this base and reinvigorate the older generations. This is obviously contrary to the utopian desires of the older generation, but if this movie is as much of a success within that demographic as it could be, would you have done anything different?

    While it is fair to give Lucas respect for being such a astute profiteer, it is a great disappointment that a man with such wealth would feel the need to have to use characters like JaJa to make more quick bucks. Surely there is a line to be drawn between a new ivory back-scratcher and a creative legacy?

    • SuperShadow's site is known to be fake (Score:5, Informative)

      by Jugalator ( 259273 ) on Wednesday January 30, 2002 @07:49AM (#2924456) Journal
      SuperShadow's site is known to be 100% bogus. Do a search at Google on "supershadow" to find out for yourself.

      1. SuperShadow doesn't personally know Lucas.

      2. SuperShadow doesn't work at LucasFilm.

      3. The "script" for Episode II he says he got himself, was actually made by TheForce.net fans and others collecting spoilers/leaks from various sites and compiling them into a speculative "script".

      • Well, according to supershadow's site he has a small role in 'Attack of the Clones' (alien in 'Dexter's Diner'?). So if he's not in it, then you know it's bogus for sure.

        But, I've been visiting the site since before ep.1 came out, and the script summary he posted way back for then ep.1 was accurate. So, who really knows...uh...the shadow i suppose.

  • What about all the dead boy band members we were promised earlier?

  • Can we take this seriously when.... (Score:3, Informative)

    by AntipodesTroll ( 552543 ) on Wednesday January 30, 2002 @07:25AM (#2924393) Homepage
    The "review" seems to be written to so obviously make Ep2 everything people wanted Ep1 to be? "This time, its great, fantastic, its perfect!" Bit too obvious.

    They havent seen the movie, even if the script is fine, it dosent guarentee a good movie. This has to be a hoax, and even if its not, you should take it with a grain of salt. Its not a review of the movie, its a review of a questionably-authentic script, of unknown revision.

  • Post predictions for this story (Score:5, Funny)

    by karmma ( 105156 ) on Wednesday January 30, 2002 @08:05AM (#2924487)

    14 posts about Natalie Portman (petrified or otherwise)

    23 posts calling for the death of Jar Jar

    18 posts wondering if CG was done on Linux boxen, and if not, why not

    12 posts arguing whether or not Boba Fett is the coolest Star Wars character of all time

    Written the way Yoda speaks, 9 posts there will be

    6 links to fan fic that are remarkably similar to the plot in the affore-mentioned script

  • Not so fast (Score:3, Interesting)

    by kentrel ( 526003 ) on Wednesday January 30, 2002 @08:31AM (#2924529) Journal
    Bear in mind everybody that when I read Phantom Menace script I too thought it was going to be a great movie because it was such a great script. The two things that ruined Phantom Menace were Jake Lloyd's bad acting and Jar Jar Binks irritating voice. On paper, it would be impossible to tell what they were like. I thought Binks was going to be a Chewbacca type character, loveable without being too Disney. I was wrong. Not even Disney would associate themselves with that guy! Attack of the Clones has a terrible name. That was a bad choice on Lucas' part. It just seems like he's jumping on the cloning bandwagon we've been seeing lately in sciencefiction. However, Hayden Christian looks good in the role of Anakin, and Natalie Portman looks well...fabulous as she always does. It's a pity that this looks like it's going to be romance heavy, so I really hope there's a good twist in there somewhere, a la Empire Strikes Back.

    • Re:Not so fast (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Geek In Training ( 12075 ) <.moc.liamtoh. .ta. .893bc.> on Wednesday January 30, 2002 @09:43AM (#2924775) Homepage
      It just seems like he's jumping on the cloning bandwagon we've been seeing lately in sciencefiction.

      Perhaps you've heard of a little movie from 1977, called "Star Wars?" Later retitled "Star Wars - A New Hope?"

      There's this little plot piece in there that goes soemthing like this:

      Luke: "You fought with my father in the Clone Wars?!?"

      Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi: "Yes, your father was one of the best fighter pilots in the Galaxy..."

      I'd hardly think that coming up with a premise twenty-five years ago qualifies as "jumping on the cloning bandwagon" of today.

      :P

    • Re:Not so fast (Score:3, Insightful)

      by sphealey ( 2855 )
      The two things that ruined Phantom Menace were Jake Lloyd's bad acting
      Jake Lloyd may not be the best actor in the universe, but he had at least the potential to do the job right. The failure there was 100% one of directing. Using children in movies/plays is always difficult. There are a number of reasons for this, but the primary one is that childen with the traits you are trying to portray won't sit still on a movie set 6 days a week for 12 months. Children who will sit still and take direction must be directed so that they appear right for the character. 101% the adults fault.

      I would have forgiven TPM everything, even two fart jokes, if it had just included an adult conversation between Qui-Gon and Anniken's mother about how she came to be in that prediciment. Oh well.

      sPh

  • JarJar binks. Groan. (Score:4, Funny)

    by Alsee ( 515537 ) on Wednesday January 30, 2002 @08:43AM (#2924550) Homepage
    Ok, JarJar's going to be a main character again. May as well put the 'nSync footage back in. Expand it even. Write Briteny Spears into the script. Perhaps even petrify her. And what the heck, why not re-unite Menudo and give them a role too.

    -
    • You know, whenI heard N'Sync was going to be in Episode II I was pissed off. However, once I heard what part they play in the movie I didn't care anymore. They play a group of jedi knights in the backgroudn and they die quickly. I believe their onscreen time is about 15 seconds. Big fucking deal. If you get all worked up ovr this little bit of news then you need to seek therapy. Did I happen to mention the good news? George Lucas gets to kill N'Sync.
    • Britney Spears is in some schlop called "Crossroads" - a movie about growing up as a teen.

      *yawn*

      Of course, I'll go see it as a matinee, hoping for the swimsuit scene. :P
  • The media (and /.ers) have been suckered again. Obviously, this is an INTENTIONAL leak of false information, either just to stir up interest, or to simply gauge public reaction to some elements of the plots, in order to re-adjust it according to responses.

    Tinseltown has shown remarkable ability in playing with people's brains, and this is yet another example of it.

  • Still might hurt.... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Nagash ( 6945 ) on Wednesday January 30, 2002 @09:58AM (#2924817)
    Even if the script is good, we're still gonna get clubbed over the head with wooden acting on this one, if the trailers are any indication.

    I saw Life As A House [imdb.com] with Hayden Christensen. He can act. Here's to hoping Lucas remembered how to direct on this one.

    Woz

  • "Mystery" Trailer (Score:3, Interesting)

    by count_dooku ( 448992 ) on Wednesday January 30, 2002 @09:58AM (#2924818) Homepage

    Even if this script isn't the real one, pretty much everyone involved in Episode II has remarked that this one has the potential for greatness. Ewan McGregor, not exactly silent on how bad Episode I was, remarked early on that this script was great. In fact, last week on the Today show, while promoting Black Hawk Down, Ewan again remarked how good he thought Episode II was going to be. There was genuine sincerity in his voice, not the usual Hollywood bullshit.

    If you really want to see the promise in Episode II, you'll need to view the "Mystery" trailer. Yeah yeah, I know, only available to Phantom Menace DVD owners, only available to Windows users, whatever. It's a good trailer, and shows the sense of adventure much better than the "Forbidden Love" trailer.

    • There was genuine sincerity in his voice,

      Ewan McGregor? He's that actor bloke isn't he?
    • Psst. If he wasn't exactly silent about how bad Episode I was, then what makes you think he hasn't been chastisized by Lucas & co., and is just making it up to them by praising this film?
    • There was genuine sincerity in his voice, not the usual Hollywood bullshit.

      Um, that's called "acting". ;-) Seriously, who in their right mind is going to pan a potential cash cow?! I'm sure the stars from "Big Mommas House" and "Dude, Where's my Car?" were all pitching raves before their respective releases.

      Ewan and the rest of the cast stand to make in the 10^7 US$ range off this one, especially if they help pump up the public with good tidings that the script will be better than EpisodeI, even if it truly isn't.

      Good or bad, you won't be making any money off this movie, but lots of people will be getting very, very rich off your dollar. To me, this reaffirms the message to hollywood that as a society, we're OK with their bad movies. But if you like movies like this, than I guess it is a good thing.

      However, I recently noticed that my local Tower Video rental store has all three "Porky's" movies, but not a single Otto Preminger film. I consider that a bad thing.

  • Stupid assassins (Score:3, Funny)

    by Internet Stranger ( 230580 ) on Wednesday January 30, 2002 @10:40AM (#2925019) Homepage
    ""Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) and the animated character Jar Jar Binks are both members of the Senate, representing their respective planets, while Obi Wan (Ewan McGregor) and the now-adolescent Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) have been off training and becoming involved in a variety of adventures.

    Anakin and Obi Wan are called upon to act as bodyguards for Amidala after she is the subject of a foiled assassination.""

    Stupid Assassins, they never aim for the right one.
    • "Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) and the animated character Jar Jar Binks are both members of the Senate, representing their respective planets..."

      Arent they on the same planet? I mean, i only
      saw TPM once, but im pretty sure!

  • Big deal (Score:3, Insightful)

    by cnkeller ( 181482 ) <cnkeller@[ ]il.com ['gma' in gap]> on Wednesday January 30, 2002 @11:45AM (#2925335) Homepage
    This is the same script that has been out for months here [aldera.net]. What's new about it? From what I've read and seen, it's dead on accurate with the officially released trailers, and was posted long before they were released.

  • repeat of history? I hope not (long) (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Stalcair ( 116043 ) <stalcair.charter@net> on Wednesday January 30, 2002 @11:50AM (#2925363)
    if you know of the story of Ultima: Ascension, then skip down, the next section is about the setup and a little history lesson


    back around the time when Episode I was about to be released, was still the time when another 'Epic' (touted by the creators) entertainment event was unfolding. That event was the conclusion of the Ultima series. For just under 6 years, fans and even new initiates to the series had eagerly awaited not just the release but any snippet of news, screenshots, story, etc. The excitement built up this mere game both amazed and scared some who did not understand the game (hey, what do THEY know). Literally hundreds of sites devoted themselves to this next epic conclusion known as Ultima IX, and then Ascension later. Many fan sites had a ton of fiction and story lines, many a serious (and often very nasty) discussion on forums was held about what the origin of blackrock, the guardian and this whole mess really was. There where even rumors of published books. (I for one never saw them) In a stated attempt by Origin|EA to not scare off potential new customers they would stealthily release tidbits of information to select organizations (usually in other countries than most of the fan sites, but that is merely a demographic issue). It was touted as just another action adventure game, and the title changed to reflect that no player had to have any existing experience with the series.

    However, things began to go sour. Long time devoted fans (made obvious by their volunteer time and effort given so generously to the community) found that they where THE ONLY source of information about the upcoming game. Questions about why they, the fans, must volunteer their time (as in free) to promote and advocate the game, ask questions that never where answered, be put off by EA|Origin staff, yet not get paid or compensated for it. (In case you don't know, free is not accurate. The fans in fact take a loss from the costs to bandwidth and hardware, not to mention loss of real life productivity) EA|Origin obviously did not care about this issue, and could not seem to spend the money to either help out some sites, through direct assistance or just providing a few hours here and there for knowledgable employees to act as liasons. Soon, many web sites began to disappear, feeling dejected that they would not only be denied any information, but where often lied to. (as evidenced by answers from staff that where directly contradicting a press release that would be released a day later to a gaming magazine, usually in a foreign language) It soon became apparent that EA|Origin either where taking the existing fan base for granted (in a VERY extreme case), or simply did not wish to make a game that appealed to them and thus felt some sort of guilt or shame, leading to the alienation treatment of the fans.

    While the term 'understand' can be used to describe how the vast majority of fans felt in relation to the game appealing to a larger market, many where worried that if the development/producing team did not have the integrity necessary to first produce a game that answers the call of the fan base (regardless of whether they dress it up later a bit to appeal to others) then it would manifest as a bad game that appeals to none (neither the new crowd or the existing fans). This was warrented not only because of this situation happening so many times in other games and even non entertainment and/or computer industries... but more importantly, was the fact that when it had been tried with Ultima 8, it only ended in disaster. No one liked the game (by no one and none used earlier I mean a significant enough sized group to justify expenses, much less keep people interested in later releases). Like a restaruant that serves fecal matter and wonders why no one ever comes back and why negative word of mouth travels faster than positive word, EA|Origin proved that they refused to comprehend this basic lesson of life and business (on any level) by releasing Ascension as a... well... it didn't seem like an "Ultima" at all to me and many others. Some will argue pro or con of its merits as a stand alone game, that is not my concern here. The fact was, it not only continued a series and a story line, but was a very eagerly anticipated final wrap up of the entire series. Just looking back at that time period, you see how eagerly people where to once again travel to Britania and face its perils. Fan art, fan fiction, fan news sites, fan organizations of real life events and sub-press conferences... all of this translated to a very easy market for Origin and EA. They could have layed off their marketers for this. Or in efficiency and logical terms, they could have better applied their resources to the tasks that most made sense. Put that marketing (including marketing management, oversite, corporate interaction, overhead, etc) into development of code, art and story. (not to mention QA) Not to go into a rant on the futility of and inefficiency of corporate/bureaucratic mentality and processes... they simply did not prioritize correctly. End result was yet another game and public relation status that angered many and alienated many more.

    But wait, theres more... if you order now we include this guide, "How to take your one saving grace and flush it down the toilet". One of the most devestating (now seen in hindsite and admited by many ex employees including Garriot himself) was the mistake that trully relates to the Star Wars issue here. First, the comparison. Obviously many had awaited a long and often frustrating yet exciting time for Episode I to come out. Any news was lapped up like a marooned man in the Saharra laps up the dew off of a blade of grass if he finds it. Fans dressed up in silly costumes and acted out there favorite scenes from books and movies alike. Like with Ultima, fans devoted huge amounts of time, bandwidth, hardware and good ol fashion brain power to present news, art, rumors, facts and even fan based fiction. Even more than Ultima, Star Wars spawned an entire (and sometimes frightening) sub-culture of its own.

    However, some began to see signs of impending doom in the commercials, trailers, interviews and art. I for one remember a particular ad on TV that scared the bones from my body... it was narrated by this woman who's inflections, voice tenor and choice and timing of words where obviously of the sort used by advertising agencies to appeal to small children. Complete with the choicest tidbits of scenes that all featured everyone's favorite CGI loon, Jar Jar. If no one had ever hear of Star Wars, then they would have been left with the impression that this 'new movie' was merely a fun and cute childrens flick, much like a Disney animated film (well, not just animated, and no that is not necesarilly a bad thing on its own). This seemed to contrast the existing movies, books, story, etc that made up the fantasy universe of Star Wars.

    Now back to Ultima... the biggest single issue that destroyed the game and its effect on fans and newbies alike was the botched PR of the leak of the original game plot/script. (no, it is not ironic, at least not from a historical and 'Big Picture' perspective) Due to most likely a lack of consistent (or I should really say, just a sheer lack of PR in the first place) PR policy, growing tensions within the Origin camp and against its 'overlords', EA... a very large mistake happened. Besides the first mistake of leaking the script, the real issue was how they handled it. First they denied it, in an attempt to (as a prankster would perform if his joke was beginning to be suspected) turn the tide away from the discovery of the plot, Origin (whether directed or not) decided to redo the story. The result was a simplistic story with no real substance, much less any tie in with past releases and 'unanswered questions'. Very much less than any 'Epic' feel to the grand conclusion of one of the most popular and succesful (by various definitions) game series of all times.

    Now fast forward to the present... now we hear of a release/leak of the plot. Should we be concerned at all that they would change it, not really. I doubt any film studio would ever throw away its existing film already recorded, not to mention the CGI already in place in most parts. Even though it has happened in the past (like when an actor/actress dies before completion), I doubt personally anything major COULD be changed. However, I just hope (as in 'New Hope'?) that this next movie will break the 'cycle'. I look forward to it, and hope that it returns to the Episode 5 look and feel.

    Note that this was meant to really be silly to a large degree, so this does not necessarily reflect the internal ramblings of my rational mind... I know it is around here somewhere.

  • more creative, more interesting characters, better acted, better plot and allegory, uses technology to enhance the story instead of technology *being* most of the story.
    Watch Star Wars again and youll see that even it was cheesy and sucky--it just sucked less that most Hollywood drivel.

    Me, I'll wait for the DVD on Netflix like I do for most dogs. LOTR was worth a trip to the theater.

  • Amazing (Score:4, Funny)

    by NiftyNews ( 537829 ) on Wednesday January 30, 2002 @02:06PM (#2926098) Homepage
    A Star Wars fan site is psyched about an upcoming Star Wars movie?

    Color me amazed.
  • Why can't we have N'Synch singing at a cantina bar when Jar Jar Binks walks in - Hears the music and has his big floppy ears explode from the sonic disodence...

    Oh well maybe it is just time to go back to alt.ensign.crusher.die.die.die and read about the klingon rape fantasies...

  • The most amazing thing I saw in the plot synopsis (Score:3, Funny)

    by alumshubby ( 5517 ) on Wednesday January 30, 2002 @03:31PM (#2926537)
    Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) and the animated character Jar Jar Binks are both members of the Senate, representing their respective planets, while... [emphasis mine]

    I thought Jar Jar was fine for comic relief, but I can't buy him as an Imperial Senator. But then, I've found Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to be a succession of entertaining US Presidents, so anything's possible.
  • The only reason the were able to give the advance review is so that they could give a positive one.

    They wouldn't have seen the script if their opinion hadn't been determined before seeing it.
  • And make it painful... --Richard
  • Is this character based on a real person? [senate.gov]

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