Cameras roll on final Star Wars movie

The Herald-Sun ^ | 30jun03 | MICHAEL OWEN-BROWN

[yankeedame]

Cameras roll on final Star Wars

By MICHAEL OWEN-BROWN
30jun03

THE republic is crumbling, the forces of evil are massing and a legion of science-fiction fans are quivering in anticipation.

The last chapter of Star Wars starts filming today at Sydney's Fox Studios.

Almost 1000 crew will work on the $173 million production, which stars about about 60 Australian actors. Fans can watch parts of the filming on webcam.

The film, due for release in 2005, will focus on young Jedi warrior Anakin Skywalker being seduced by the dark side of the Force on his way to becoming Darth Vader.

Also, Senator Palpatine orders the destruction of the Jedi order on his way to becoming emperor.

Lucas said the film was darker than the others.

"Let's face it, all the bad guys win in the end, all the good guys are dead except for a couple, so it doesn't have a happy ending," he said.

The film stars Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen. Australians Joel Edgerton, Jay Laga'aia, Genevieve O'Reilly, Bruce Spence, Kristy Wright and Warren Owens also feature.

[LanPB01]

It takes a brave man to mock Star Wars fans while his own screen name sounds like he should be at a flea market buying blackmarket "Hell Yeah!" and "Austin 3:16" shirts.

Oh yeah, it's true; it's damn true.

[labowski]

Xena, you can have Brendan Fraser if I can have Rachel Weisz. Having said that, the "clumsy" bit was a little much, she's still a hottie though. Then again, there was The Mummies woman ,hubba hubba......

[ewing]

Kelly Hu?

[marajade]

over here

[marajade]

"I haven't seen either of them outside of a Lucas film so I can't say."

Hayden was nominated for a golden globe for Life As A House and was really good.

Natalie was exceptional in Beautiful Girls and Leon.

[marajade]

Babylon 5 third season will be released on DVD in August... Better getting buying those first two seasons...

[Skywalk]

Agreed.

Lucas also has gone out of his way to introduce "this-world" slang and catchphrases, and even parodies his own creation by inserting phrases from the originals that have no context(ex. the droid telling R2 that droids aren't allowed in the bar. uhhh)

Whatever bad lines the originals had were more than made up for, by the abundance of GREAT and MEMORABLE lines. The actors, even the PRINCESS Leia, spoke Standard MODERN English. Lucas cannot write formal dialogue, this is clear from his lame attempts in TPM and AOTC. THe movies don't lack the emotional core due to formality. LotR proves that you can write in elevated English and still have incredible depth and feeling to each character and his lines.

CGI is not terrible, but why were the clone troopers all-CGI? Why are entire backgrounds CGI, so the real-world feel of teh old movies is gone? The genius of the Carbonite Chamber in ESB is that it's all real. The lighting, the structures, the design, it's all real. That's what makes it so special.

Anyone want to guess what stands out 50 years from now between ESB's Cloud City or that, uh, hangar? on Geonosis in AOTC? Which duel will be remembered for all time? Luke/Vader or Dooku/Yoda?(well the Yoda fight will be remembered like we look back on some embarrassing thing we did as kids)

Lucas has upped the pacing at TIMES in these films but has forgotten to keep it NATURAL. We feel NO pull for deaths in these films. Even Vader's choking victims evoked more sympathy.

The lines often don't make sense either. Why would the double for Padme say she failed after the assassination attempt? She SUCCEEDED, that's why she's there as a double, to draw fire. But if you're a hack writer, saying "I failed you" may sound more dramatic. A GOOD writer would realize that it doesn't fit. A GREAT writer would have made SW just as successful for a new generation and a worthy competitor to LotR, on the level of significance if nothing else.

[exit82]

"...could sedate the Gadarene Demoniac."

I laughed out loud at that comparison. May I use it also?

[Skywalk]

Nah, he's talking about Patricia Velasquez.

Kelly Hu(who is quite hypnotic in X2, visually) is the sorceress chick in the execrable Scorpion King.

[strela]

She does nada for me either, I just don't get it.

If you can watch that scene in "Enemy At The Gates" and still say that, then there is no hope for you, I'm afraid ;)

[oncebitten]

Please, you made me spit ice cream on my monitor.

[Thoro]

I heard that Lucas wrote in extra characters so the toy makers could have more toys to sell.

TPM was incredibily guilty where this was concerned, to the point that Pepsi is probably still reeling. However, the trend is still continuing with AotC being another case in point. Here's the scene. Our heroes, Amidala, Kenobi, and Anakin, are in a gladiator arena for a reason that is explained pretty poorly, and really is primarly just to have a gladiator scene. Instead of being attacked by one creature, three creatures, or three types of one style of creature, they're attacked by three completely different types of creatures that are not natural to the environment nor similar in any way to each other except for being pure cgi. The reason our heroes(and I use this term lightly) were there was already weak, and the introduction of these monsters was obviously just for the sake of a toy.

[Dr. Frank fan]

If you can watch that scene in "Enemy At The Gates" and still say that, then there is no hope for you, I'm afraid ;)

Enemy At The Gates was what I was basing my opinion on. She looked like a dirty little mouse in that film. The photos others have posted of her do her infinitely more justice...

[Thorondir]

What I want to know is why does George Mucus think all Star Wars fans are perpetually three years old?

--a very former Star Wars fan.

[BradyLS]

I know Lucas said he wouldn't continue, but that could change, or perhaps he could pass the torch to someone else while remaining the final say. It always seemed at the end of "Return of the Jedi" that there was more to be told.

Here's hoping it'll be anything but the path charted by licensed franchisers.

[BradyLS]

I need to check those out, though I must admit that the titles don't roll off the toungue as Episode titles.

[BradyLS]

I have to wonder: Will they remake the entire series in 25 years? Will they just license new movies like they do with James Bond? Or will the lessons learned with this series and others (like LOTR) herald the birth of an even better, and more fantastic, series of sci-fi/fantasy films?

[BradyLS]

And yet, I have to say, I still like these movies.

AGreed. And I actually Phantom Menace than Attock of the Clones. Not sure why. Maybe because the soundtrack is better, the saber duels cooler, and a real actor (however thin the material) in Neeson.

[BradyLS]

If you can watch that scene in "Enemy At The Gates" and still say that, then there is no hope for you, I'm afraid ;)

Rachel Weisz is hot, but I was embarrased for everyone in that scene in Enemy at the Gates.