Star Wars: The Phantom Menace - Reviewed!

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a_lost_packet_

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OK, if you hate this movie as much as I do, you're going to love the following vids. These total 70 minutes, altogether, and comprise one of the most astounding, astute, intelligent and hilarious "reviews" of the Star Wars prequel. This guy is right on the money, every single time.

Yeah, so, what's so great about some guy droning on for 70 minutes concerning a movie everyone loves to hate? Well.. sit back and watch. You can't buy this stuff in stores, people... It's too awesome for the shelf.

(I haven't seen them all yet but, I plan on it. I also plan on seeing his other reviews of movies. This guy really knows his stuff. He's not a hack.)

Content Warning - There are a few dirty words. But, they're a lot less of them than the ones I uttered in the theater while bemoaning the fate of the cash I wasted paying for a ticket. But, the Snocaps were decent.. You can't horribly screw up Snocaps and murder whatever possible chances they had of being entertaining. Or, it could have been Reese's Pieces. You can't screw them up either.. Whattya gonna do, put the peanut butter outside of the candy? So what, it still works...

Anyway, on to the review:

1- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxKtZmQgxrI
2- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG1AWVLnl48
3- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdQwKPVGQsY
4- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOlG4T1S2lU
5- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBvp1r2UpiQ
6- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORWPCCzSgu0
7- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIWKMgJs_Gs

The Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/RedLetterMedia

Enjoy! I guarantee you'll at least get a chuckle or two. There are some good storytelling tips in there as well.
 
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brandbll

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I'll have to check them out when i get home, sounds promising.
 
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a_lost_packet_

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brandbll":lbcsvc6x said:
I'll have to check them out when i get home, sounds promising.

I watched them all and was thoroughly entertained the entire time. :) I plan on watching his other reviews as well.
 
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ZenGalacticore

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Should we waste our time, Alp? I'm assuming this is comedy.

After all, the last three SWs films were a waste of time and celluloid.
 
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ZenGalacticore

Guest
Okay, Alp. I went and watched 'Part I'. Well done and effing hilarious! :lol:

The guy who did it must have read our minds!

'preciate it!
 
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brandbll

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a_lost_packet_":1msa4b9l said:
brandbll":1msa4b9l said:
I'll have to check them out when i get home, sounds promising.

I watched them all and was thoroughly entertained the entire time. :) I plan on watching his other reviews as well.

Oh man, owe you big time! This thing was freaking hillarious! I watched all seven of them and they were brilliant! How sad is it that a film is so crappy that someone can make 70 minutes of film dissecting just how crappy it is. Some of the real dark stuff where he had the woman tied up in his basement wasn't my kind of humor; but the rest was brialliant!
 
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brandbll

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By the way, the mere fact taht when he did an "unless you're a director like segment" included Wes Anderson...well i was sold after that. Wes Anderson is the freaking man!
 
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JasonChapman

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I just watched the first 10 mins. This guy is very entertaining and he does make a lot of interesting points. I have all the Star Wars films on DVD, no I'm not Particularly of owning the new trilogy. I'll waych the rest when I get time.
 
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OleNewt

Guest
What was wrong with the story? I honestly don't know, but then again I did read the books that came before/between. Is everyone just pissed off because a movie company decided to branch out into multiple media (ie, to get the complete story you need to buy the DVD with the deleted scenes, read the preceding/interim novels that bridge the gaps between movies, and play the video games)?
 
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kelvinzero

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Funny, but also interesting.

That was a very good test: "Describe this character without mentioning what they look like or their profession" etc. Anyone writing a movie script should do that of course, and I'm sure they usually do.

The phantom menace characters did have some character, but I had to really think about it. Jah Jah was the only easy to describe one which is probably why he catches so much flack. With other characters being jedi who apparently never get worked up and a queen who deliberately masks all character, of course he sticks out.

I personally didnt like c3po, but with strong characters like Leia and Han Solo he was clearly put into in the background.
 
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a_lost_packet_

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OleNewt":20i7g6wa said:
What was wrong with the story?

Watch the videos. :)

I honestly don't know, but then again I did read the books that came before/between. Is everyone just pissed off because a movie company decided to branch out into multiple media (ie, to get the complete story you need to buy the DVD with the deleted scenes, read the preceding/interim novels that bridge the gaps between movies, and play the video games)?

And, that's exactly what one of the problems is with the movie and one of the points the critic brings up.

That movie was terrible, all the way through. Even Lucas didn't like it when he finally saw it put together.

A good story doesn't need thirty pounds of supporting material for the audience to understand it. Anyone, even those unfamiliar with Star Wars, should be able to go into that theater, understand the plot, understand the storyline behind the characters and, somewhere along the line, become personally involved in the telling of the story. The Phantom Menace (presumably referring to the oppressive lack of any quality entertainment) had none of that. Nobody cared about any of the characters. They were two dimensional figures moving on the screen that had a bunch of explosions and robots on it. There was no plot that made any sense at all. Most importantly, there was NO story.

What's the story of The Phantom Menace? Who are the characters? What drives them? Why should we care? None of those questions can be adequately answered simply from viewing the movie.

There's a few segments in the videos where The Phantom Menace is contrasted with the first Star Wars movie. The critic makes some truly excellent comparisons. He also makes a few well noted comments regarding the first Star Wars - A lot of Lucas' ideas for the story were changed before they'd let him touch the director's chair in the first movie. In The Phantom Menace, he had a completely free hand and was god of all he surveyed. The critic implies that this was probably one of the faults that led to the movie's shortcomings. The synergy necessary and the collective creativity was simply lacking because of Lucas' dominating presence.
 
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a_lost_packet_

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kelvinzero":33coz3k4 said:
Funny, but also interesting.

That was a very good test: "Describe this character without mentioning what they look like or their profession" etc. Anyone writing a movie script should do that of course, and I'm sure they usually do.

Exactly. I think that was an awesome way to demonstrate the lack of concern the audience had for the characters. Nobody could identify "who" they were.

The phantom menace characters did have some character, but I had to really think about it. Jah Jah was the only easy to describe one which is probably why he catches so much flack. With other characters being jedi who apparently never get worked up and a queen who deliberately masks all character, of course he sticks out.

You know why he sticks out? It's because he's the only character that inspires any emotion at all. Unfortunately for the film, that's negative emotion... He's too darn irritating. Nobody cared enough about any of the other characters to invest any emotional energy in them. But, Jar Jar... oh.. we can love hating Jar Jar...

I personally didnt like c3po, but with strong characters like Leia and Han Solo he was clearly put into in the background.

I wasn't a big fan of C3PO. Obviously, he was "comic relief." He served his purpose there. However, all of the characters are firmly grounded in classic archetypes that the audience can immediately identify with. That's one of the original Star Wars' greatest strengths. It's classic. You can find any number of articles, papers and books written on Star Wars and the classic characters and storyline. People will go to great lengths to explain why the audience became so involved with the story. I don't think anyone has written any such thing about The Phantom Menace that is fit to be printed on anything other than surfaces you may commonly find in a truckstop restroom.
 
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brandbll

Guest
I'd have to say one of my favorite lines fo the review was when he said, "Qui Gon Gin and Obi Wan Kenobi should have been formed together to form a single character...Obi Wan Kenobi." The guy basically sheds the light on how bad the storyline is right out of the gate. The fact that the Trade Federation army landed on the other side of Naboo for the sole purpose that the jedi could have this underwater adventure through the core of the planet with Jar Jar Binks really shows how carelessly the film was put together from the get-go. I also liked the part where Qui Booze Gin was basically using his jedi mind tricking ability throughout the entire movie with no problems and then when they need it most towards the end he insists that can't use it because "it's not right." WTH?!

BTW, coincidentally this guy released the review for second star wars prequel a few days ago IIRC. It's a ten parter. I watched probably half of it. It's pretty good, but there is a lot more of his morbid humor parts i found myself skipping. He makes some pretty good points about what he coins as "the most akward love story ever cinematically created." Tons of times throughout the movie Padme keeps saying, "We can't do this, i'm a Senator."

He's also got a two parter for Avatar that wasn't too bad.
 
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ZenGalacticore

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I liked it when he said, "If you're under 20 and you think 'The Empire Strikes Back' is the most boring of the Star Wars movies then you're effing stupid." :lol:

It was just the way he was talking and the way he said it.
 
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strandedonearth

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a_lost_packet_":263aifjv said:
- A lot of Lucas' ideas for the story were changed before they'd let him touch the director's chair in the first movie. In The Phantom Menace, he had a completely free hand and was god of all he surveyed. The critic implies that this was probably one of the faults that led to the movie's shortcomings. The synergy necessary and the collective creativity was simply lacking because of Lucas' dominating presence.

I read somewhere, can't remember where and haven't found a reference yet, that there was a producer (can't recall the name either) or some such that worked on the first two films (ANH and ESB) but not the rest. He kept Lucas honest and steered the script down the winning road. For instance, Lucas wanted Chewie to be more Ewok sized, but was convinced Wookie size would be better. Lucas was on his own for ROtJ, and we ended up with .... Ewoks.
 
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a_lost_packet_

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strandedonearth":24q3mvof said:
...I read somewhere, can't remember where and haven't found a reference yet, that there was a producer (can't recall the name either) or some such that worked on the first two films (ANH and ESB) but not the rest. He kept Lucas honest and steered the script down the winning road. For instance, Lucas wanted Chewie to be more Ewok sized, but was convinced Wookie size would be better. Lucas was on his own for ROtJ, and we ended up with .... Ewoks.

IIRC, the critic mentions the producers constrained Lucus on those films. But, he didn't mention a particular producer outright that I can recall. He might have, though. IIRC, he did drop several names. I just don't remember what they were in relation to.

It'd be interesting to find out. I'd like to make sure I catch the movies that producer has worked on. :)
 
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ZenGalacticore

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Alp- Okay. I've seen all seven. Very funny. I hope George Lucas saw it. It should teach him a lesson about being a dictator.

The guy actually made some good points about how making a decent movie is an artistic collaboration, not a one man show. (At least, most of the time.) "The Gods Must Be Crazy" is one exception I can think of, written, filmed, and directed by Jamie Uys.
 
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kelvinzero

Guest
I think his response to midichlorians was absolutely to the point. He certainly put his finger on it for me. I think we should all make a gesture of support for that fine upstanding member.
 
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brandbll

Guest
kelvinzero":1zoednru said:
I think his response to midichlorians was absolutely to the point. He certainly put his finger on it for me. I think we should all make a gesture of support for that fine upstanding member.

Yeah the midichlorians thing really took the cake. I've read a few star wars books, played a couple of star wars video games; and none of them mentioned midichlorians. And as the guy pointed out, they're never mentioned again outside of Phantom Menace.
 
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robotical

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brandbll":dginfnra said:
kelvinzero":dginfnra said:
I think his response to midichlorians was absolutely to the point. He certainly put his finger on it for me. I think we should all make a gesture of support for that fine upstanding member.

Yeah the midichlorians thing really took the cake. I've read a few star wars books, played a couple of star wars video games; and none of them mentioned midichlorians. And as the guy pointed out, they're never mentioned again outside of Phantom Menace.

The midichlorians were definitely one of the biggest mistakes of the Star Wars universe in terms of its effect on the universe. It really damaged the mystical element of the Force.

Incidentally, the book adaptation of Revenge of the Sith does an extremely good job filling in some of the plot holes and explaining the weirder elements in the movie.
 
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kelvinzero

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Hehe.. the reviewer mentions people like you.. :)

But seriously, yeah I probably should not shy away from the books because of the movie. The clutter of the movie would not be nearly such a problem in a book, often that is exactly what you want since you are absorbing it at your own pace.

Also on the midichlorians thing, I agree absolutely: it should be mystical. "Do.. or do not.. there is no try.. unless you have a low midichlorian count"

It isnt even just the force that should be mystical. If they mentioned DNA or Mitochondria that would also have broken the illusion for me. Im sure that starwars humans are still going to have all those things, but it isn't a level at which I wish to examine it, any more than I want to imagine how storm troopers do number twos. I can. I don't want to.
 
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