Author Topic: Movies Should be able to stand alone!  (Read 4224 times)

Offline dafoo

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Movies Should be able to stand alone!
« on: July 3, 2005, 05:12 PM »
I noticed comments about how RotS relies on other sources to rely information that just accepted in the movie.  I completely agree. 

they never provide needed details about Greivous, Syfo Dius, or Lord Tyrannus.  They just are there and you should know about it already.

It is one thing to bring in EU elements to the movies, as long as they aren't just dropped in like a white elephant, but to rely on EU to explain things in the movies is just bad.

I'm reminded of the NJO books and how they made a couple of ebooks for it, that is then just accepted as having been known in the next real book.  Sure I hate ebooks, but I don't want to have to search around in other media and product types to find information.


Think about the trading cards too.  you can't be a completist anymore, cuz they hide promo/special/bonus cards all over the place.  In toys, games, books, mazagines.  Even Box and Case chase cards.  When they issues TWO sets of Special Edition cards (same cards with different borders) that's when I gave up collecting cards.

They just keep squeezing the turnip (us) for more cash. =(
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Offline Darth_Anton

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Re: Movies Should be able to stand alone!
« Reply #1 on: July 3, 2005, 11:15 PM »
I can't believe I'm going to do this, but I dissagree to an extent. In a way, the movies work well as stand alone films. Infact, each one is quite good on it's own to varying degrees. I mean, Greivous, Syfo Dius, Lord Tyrannus, what do we really want to know? Who really care's who Syfo Dius is? The fact that we don't know adds to the mythology. Greivious was just a pooly executed character, no amount of back story could have fixed what was on screen. Tyrannus, he's just the bad guy, that's all we need to know and he was handled adequately, but not great (in ROTS.)

The problem I have is that when the movies are connected togeather, they fall apart. Concepts are introduced and then contradicted or not consistant in theme, mood or rythum.
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Offline Darth Broem

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Re: Movies Should be able to stand alone!
« Reply #2 on: July 4, 2005, 09:37 AM »
I am not going to really get into an arguement about ROTS and it's characters.  Howver, a comment about the chase cards above was interesting to me.  That is the main reason I quit buying Star Wars card sets.  I hate all the chase cards and junk that I could not get without jumping through a bunch of hoops.  To bad but it sucks to have a set of cards but not really have the entire set.  Annoying as hell for me.

Offline Bob Crane

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Re: Movies Should be able to stand alone!
« Reply #3 on: July 4, 2005, 01:33 PM »
Quote
Movies Should be able to stand alone!

I think so too, that's why ANH is the best. ;)
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Offline dafoo

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Re: Movies Should be able to stand alone!
« Reply #4 on: July 4, 2005, 08:54 PM »
I'm fine with a character just being, but they have action taking place elsewhere that when you start RotS you are supposed to know.

Like Windu crushing the General's chest in Clone Wars.  If you didn't see that, the General's behavior in the movie is odd. All the gasping and coughing like he can't stand up...then blam he's all the sudden healthy and vigorous.

I wished they'd explained more definitely about Syfo Dius and Tyrannus and how that worked.  I know they let you know Dooku is Tyrannus in AotC.

Leaving things open ended from the moive for the EU to take up is fine, I don't think they should do it backwards.


As to Topps and their incessant evilness, Yeah I've got like 8 sets I'll never complete thanks to case chase cards.  I didn't even know they existed till years later.  It just isn't fun anymore.  No fun of the hunt as they just keep blind siding you with extras.
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Offline Darth_Anton

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Re: Movies Should be able to stand alone!
« Reply #5 on: July 4, 2005, 09:48 PM »

 All the gasping and coughing like he can't stand up...then blam he's all the sudden healthy and vigorous.

Do you have the same problem with Yoda?

I wished they'd explained more definitely about Syfo Dius and Tyrannus and how that worked.  I know they let you know Dooku is Tyrannus in AotC.

Leaving things open ended from the moive for the EU to take up is fine, I don't think they should do it backwards.

I don't think they went backwards at all. In fact they couldn't because Lucas certailny doesn't consider anything in the EU as fodder, having the blue jedi girl was a miracle. Lucas had no idea that the CW series was going to add the origin of the cough. He just told the creators that he has this cough. Sounds like you're just frustrated that these things didn't get explained. That's why I don't pay attention to the EU.

With all the problems that ROTS from a craftmanship POV, these aren't even issues.
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Offline Nathan

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Re: Movies Should be able to stand alone!
« Reply #6 on: July 5, 2005, 01:45 AM »
It's my understanding that George always intended Grievous to cough--his life-support equipment is supposed to be an older, crappier version of Vader's. But then the Clone Wars cartoonists took the coughing and ran with it.
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Offline dafoo

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Re: Movies Should be able to stand alone!
« Reply #7 on: July 5, 2005, 01:52 AM »
He only coughs for a while and then is fine.  Clone wars shows were that came from, just a little blurb in the text scroll at the start would have been fine.

General injured by Windu alighting with the Chancellor
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Offline Nathan

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Re: Movies Should be able to stand alone!
« Reply #8 on: July 5, 2005, 12:45 PM »
Not needed, because from Lucas' point of view he had always been coughing.

And the opening scroll was probably written long before the cartoon.
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Offline Darth Broem

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Re: Movies Should be able to stand alone!
« Reply #9 on: July 5, 2005, 04:13 PM »
He only coughs for a while and then is fine.  Clone wars shows were that came from, just a little blurb in the text scroll at the start would have been fine.

General injured by Windu alighting with the Chancellor

Nah!  It's funner to bug the hell out of the audience.  LOL!  I am one of the few that did not mind his cough at all.  Then again I knew where it came from going into the film.  I just assumed Lucas put in there to foreshadow Vader's heavy breathing apparatus.  That and to show the audience in the Star Wars world apparently most living things can survive some really wild medical treatments.  Anakin surviving is easier to take if you can have a cyborg running around with just a few organs still operating.

Offline dafoo

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Re: Movies Should be able to stand alone!
« Reply #10 on: July 5, 2005, 09:35 PM »
heh, but the General isn't coughing and gasping the whole time. It is just a temporary thing.
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Offline Darth_Anton

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Re: Movies Should be able to stand alone!
« Reply #11 on: July 6, 2005, 10:33 AM »
Not needed, because from Lucas' point of view he had always been coughing.

And the opening scroll was probably written long before the cartoon.

It was. He suggested to the CW creators that season two should be based on the opening scroll.

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Offline Darth Broem

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Re: Movies Should be able to stand alone!
« Reply #12 on: July 8, 2005, 05:25 PM »
heh, but the General isn't coughing and gasping the whole time. It is just a temporary thing.

Well yeah Lucas takes it one step further with Anakin.

Offline dafoo

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Re: Movies Should be able to stand alone!
« Reply #13 on: July 8, 2005, 05:32 PM »
not following, what to you refer to?
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