Revenge of the Sith

[bhchao]

Any Star Wars fans out here?

George Lucas's final installment of the prequel trilogy is finally arriving to theaters worldwide on May 19th. There are already people lining up outside theaters here in LA. After the widespread bashing of the previous two prequels, Revenge of the Sith is being bombarded with rave reviews, with numerous newspaper and magazine articles (including Time and Newsweek) saying how it is "darker, better, and scarier"

I remember watching the very first Star Wars in a theater with my parents and sister back when I was a kid in Taiwan. Of course everyone had to stand up before the start of the movie while the ROC anthem was being blasted inside the theater. While the anthem was playing, the movie screen in front of you would show images, and towards the very last notes, the screen would show an image of Sun Yat-sen. Then everyone would sit down and the movie will start.

The Empire Strikes Back is by far the best in my opinion (that may change after I watch this final installment). I have not watched a movie in a theater for a long time since last December, and will watch Revenge of the Sith on opening day this Thursday.

If you grew up watching the original trilogy back in the late 70's and early 80's, George Lucas's final episode will bring out the kid in you.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050517/ap_en_mo/film_star_wars_worldwide_premiere

http://movies2.nytimes.com/2005/05/16/movies/16star.html?

"...This is by far the best film in the more recent trilogy, and also the best of the four episodes Mr. Lucas has directed. That's right (and my inner 11-year-old shudders as I type this): it's better than "Star Wars."

"Revenge of the Sith," which had its premiere here yesterday at the Cannes International Film Festival, ranks with "The Empire Strikes Back" (directed by Irvin Kershner in 1980) as the richest and most challenging movie in the cycle. It comes closer than any of the other episodes to realizing Mr. Lucas's frequently reiterated dream of bringing the combination of vigorous spectacle and mythic resonance he found in the films of Akira Kurosawa into American commercial cinema....

"This is how liberty dies - to thunderous applause," Padmé observes as senators, their fears and dreams of glory deftly manipulated by Palpatine, vote to give him sweeping new powers. "Revenge of the Sith" is about how a republic dismantles its own democratic principles, about how politics becomes militarized, about how a Manichaean ideology undermines the rational exercise of power. Mr. Lucas is clearly jabbing his light saber in the direction of some real-world political leaders. At one point, Darth Vader, already deep in the thrall of the dark side and echoing the words of George W. Bush, hisses at Obi-Wan, "If you're not with me, you're my enemy." Obi-Wan's response is likely to surface as a bumper sticker during the next election campaign: "Only a Sith thinks in absolutes." You may applaud this editorializing, or you may find it overwrought, but give Mr. Lucas his due. For decades he has been blamed (unjustly) for helping to lead American movies away from their early-70's engagement with political matters, and he deserves credit for trying to bring them back.

But of course the rise of the Empire and the perdition of Anakin Skywalker are not the end of the story, and the inverted chronology turns out to be the most profound thing about the "Star Wars" epic. Taken together, and watched in the order they were made, the films reveal the cyclical nature of history, which seems to repeat itself even as it moves forward. Democracies swell into empires, empires are toppled by revolutions, fathers abandon their sons and sons find their fathers. Movies end. Life goes on."

Short preview of Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen's lightsaber battle:

[trevelyan]

"Revenge of the Sith" is about how a republic dismantles its own democratic principles, about how politics becomes militarized, about how a Manichaean ideology undermines the rational exercise of power. Mr. Lucas is clearly jabbing his light saber in the direction of some real-world political leaders. At one point, Darth Vader, already deep in the thrall of the dark side and echoing the words of George W. Bush, hisses at Obi-Wan, "If you're not with me, you're my enemy."

I'm looking forward to seeing the film, and am curious when its going to hit the theaters here. I'd prefer to see it there than on a bootleg DVD, but also don't want to wait months for a release....

Ironic that the press is picking up on this aspect of the saga now, given that the same political elements have been prominent in the last two films. Good article here that talks about some of it:

www.brightlightsfilm.com/38/clones1.htm

[roddy]

In cinemas in Beijing from the 19th / 20th

[LFCLOUDS]

I aint goin to no crappy small town cinema in my end of nowhere....I'll get the dvd I guess

My tv's ok, and my sound systems pretty good so I'll have to settle.

I may go to Guiyang to see it, though I dont know what Chinese audiences are like....in Ireland I always went to see them on the opening day so the crowd were all fans and didnt talk through the film.

Being the anal bastard that I am, I find it impossible to watch films with Chinese people as they never shut-up during the film.

[smalldog]

Can't wait! Any advice on where to see it in Beijing? Doesn't seem to be on at the Wudaokou cinema.

[smalldog]

I'll answer my own question.

http://www.bjume.com/news/news_detail.asp?id=882

[skylee]

RMB 70 is quite expensive. As usual I plan to spend HKD 25-30 on a morning screening this Sunday. Usually I would go to Palace IFC, but if I can't get a ticket there I would go to 皇室 in Causeway Bay or the UA at Queensway.

http://www.cinema.com.hk/revamp/html/list_detail.php?lang=c&movie_id=2006

http://www.cityline.com.hk/chi/movie/byMovieStep2.jsp?eventKey=23734

bhchao, I like that gif file a lot. Thanks.

[sui.generis]

I hope it's in theaters here. Do they dub or sub?

[Lu]

I was a fan... until part I and II came out. Bad movies. If part III is really that good I guess I'll go and see it.

Also used to love the lightsaber duels, but now I watch and can only think: 不如李連杰...

[bhchao]

I just watched Revenge of the Sith, and it ranks with Empire Strikes Back as the two best Star Wars movies. Empire is still the best in my opinion, followed by ROTS. The reason why those two are the best in the series is because they are the most emotionally mature, melancholic, and meaningful in terms of their message for real-life experiences.

For example in ROTS, the beloved Yoda (who kills a lot of baddies in this film) tells Anakin "Train yourself to let go. Loved ones come and go." Not being able to let go of attachments is dangerous because you insist on wanting the object of your desire, and eventually you become greedy and self-destructive. Anakin is not able to do that. He craves lust and power. There is no love on the Dark Side because Siths only care about power.

I was not excited after watching ROTS, but wasn't disappointed either. Ian McDiarmid and Ewan McGregor had the best acting performances. I didn't like Samuel Jackson's death scene. He died like a "bit--" (Pardon my French)

Also used to love the lightsaber duels, but now I watch and can only think: 不如李連杰

George Lucas should have hired Yuen Wo Ping to choreograph Obi-Wan and Anakin's lightsaber duel.

[Lu]

That would have been sooo cool.

[paul62tiger]

picked up the dvd in KL yesterday - can't wait to watch it

[skylee]

Poor Anakin. His story reminds me of this line, "忘情棄愛世上有真英雄，常人只許讓愛恨纏心中。" Anakin is a 常人, despite his power.

I think Episode III is the most interesting of the three prequels, although it is a bit too wordy, and the plot is not unlike a soap opera.

The opening of the film brought back some childhood memories (I have decided to use the title theme as my ringtone). And I am so glad that Ewan McGregor is in it.

Probably I will see it a second time.

[skylee]

Names of all the characters and places in the Chinese subtitles in HK are not translated. The five other movies of the series are being shown on HK TV on five consecutive sundays, and all the names in the subtitles and even the Cantonese dubbing are also not translated. Is this a copyright thing?

In the past, Obi-wan was 奧比溫. And years ago, people liked to call Skywalker "天行者".

BTW, I like the translation of this line -

"If you have warriors, now is the time."

"如果你有養兵，現在是用兵之時。"

[shibo77]

It gave me a headache...

-Shibo

[skylee]

I've seen the film a second time and get to like the subtitles even more -

Evil is everywhere. -> 邪惡當道。

Do what must be done, Lord Vader. -> Lord Vader, 無毒不丈夫。

This is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause. -> 自由就這樣淪亡，在掌聲雷動之中。

[geraldc]

How do they translate Yoda's curious grammar patterns?

[skylee]

Failed, I have. -> 輸了，我已經。

[sui.generis]

That opening scene rocked. I don't remember anything comprable in I or II.

Names of all the characters and places in the Chinese subtitles in HK are not translated. The five other movies of the series are being shown on HK TV on five consecutive sundays' date=' and all the names in the subtitles and even the Cantonese dubbing are also not translated. Is this a copyright thing?

In the past, Obi-wan was 奧比溫. And years ago, people liked to call Skywalker "天行者".

[/quote']

Here in Kunming names in the subs were translated or transliterated. I don't remember Obi-wan, but Skywalker was as you wrote it.

I can't imagine how copyright would come into play in this instance.

[gato]

Here's a brilliant Flash film, based on "Star Wars."

"Grocery Store Wars"

http://www.storewars.org/flash/index.html