Star Wars New Trilogy Information

On May 15th, 1999 THE PHANTOM MENACE was unleashed. Feverish fans who has been waiting in front of theaters were let in (some waiting for a month or more!) and witness the first new Star Wars movie since 1983. The screaming was deafening as the immortal crawl stretched across the screen.

Judging by the amount of money it has made so far, The Phantom Menace has not disappointed the fans. I for one was impressed, and actually liked it more the second time around.

The biggest comments I have heard about this episode is that the storyline was weak, or that the movie was too slow at times. George Lucas stated several years ago that the reason why he made Episodes 4-6 first is because there was more action in that segment of his huge plot. In a recent interview for The Insiders Guide CD-ROM, Lucas admits that Episode One is mainly used to "set up" Episodes 2 and 3 - they will be where the true action unfolds.

The first episode concentrated around the young Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan, and Queen Amidala. The main story arc that it produces is the rise in power of Senator Palpitine. The Phantom Menace is a fitting title for this movie - The Trade Federation and its Droid Army are not the true enemy here. Darth Maul, for obvious reasons, is not either. It is a plan set in motion by the mysterious Darth Sideous which will have the greatest consequence on the characters. Senator Palpitine is now Grand Chancellor of the divided Republic, and well on his way to his future destiny as Emperor.

In the course of the trilogy, we will discover how Anakin is swayed to the Dark Side by The Emperor (and Senator) Palpitine. Anakin will be a young boy meeting his future wife in Episode One. He will also meet Obi-Wan, and Yoda. The enemies will be the Sith Lords, including Darth Maul and Darth Sideous. In Episode Two, an older Anakin will learn about the Force, and fall in love. In Episode Three, Anakin will fall from grace, and Darth Vader will be "born".

The DVD release of Episode One is jammed packed with features. It was released in September 2001. It features 40 minutes of deleted scenes, a number of documentaries, the trailers, audio commentary by Lucas and other, fully animated menus and much more. A must have, even if you are not a huge fan of the film. George Lucas has been quoted as saying that the original 3 movies are planned for DVD , but will not be released until after Episode 3 hits theaters. He has said it will take this long to complete the supplemental materials, as well as add in new footage. That is correct - Lucas confirmed the "Ultimate Edition" rumor. Imagine actually seeing the Emperor dissolve the Senate in Episode 4, as well as Bail Organa on Alderan. Now you will, as Lucas has already begun filming the footage!

George Lucas made his big return to directing for Episode One. Seems he had a great experience working on Episode One. Lucas has been very active during the making of the new trilogy: he wrote the stories and screenplays for all three, as well as edited all of them!

Rick McCallum produced the new trilogy. He has produced "Young Indiana Jones" for Lucas. John Williams also scored all three..

Attack of the Clones - May 2002

Reviews for the film were mixed, with most critics panning the movie, and most loyalists praising it. As of 2005 it is probably my least favorite of the new trilogy. Too many bad lines, and acting that sends shudders up my spine...

Great things about Episode Two:

Any scene with Jango Fett
Count Dooku
Most Yoda scenes
Obi-Wan and Anakin
The action sequences at the end of the movie
The Kamino Cloners
Mace Windu

Disturbing things about Episode Two:

Yoda's line "It brings warm feelings to my heart..."
Padme's line "I've been dying a little every day..."
Zam Wessel and the chase sequence (SWAT in space)
The droids, especially C3PO.
"This is such a drag" " I'm beside myself" uggg!!!
Anakin whining (a bit too much)

Episode Two showcases two new major breakthrough technologies: Dolby Digital EX (also used for Ep.1), and Digital Cinema. Dolby Digital EX expands the usual 5.1 surround system with an addition "rear center" speaker. This will bring true positional surround. The big change is digital cinema: It is shot on Digital Video, not film, and in some theaters, projected with a special non-film unit. It is equal to a very high-resolution DVD. Lucas will shoot Episodes 2 and 3 entirely with digital cameras from Sony. This will change the way films are distributed as well as edited.

Revenge of the Sith - May 2005

The final Star Wars movie perhaps ever has been released into theaters. As with Episodes One and Two, the lines were long, and the buildup was huge. Marketing was everywhere, including a large number of items in the grocery store. I saw Episode 3 at its first midnight screening at the local Pacific Theaters (I have since seen it again). Finally, my Star Wars movie experience is complete.

I left my first screening of Episode 3 with mixed emotions. I knew this: it was indeed better than Episodes One and Two. But was it this amazing piece of cinema that most reviews were making it out to be? I didn't believe so. All I could see was missed potential everywhere, which saddened me. As I did with Episode 2, here is the good and bad:.

Great things about Episode Three:

Any scene with Paliptine
The beginning action scene (once the starfighters enter the hangar)
Mace Windu and Yoda
The Lightsaber battles
R2D2
Obi-Wan rocked
Anakin (for the most part)
The Clones

Disturbing things about Episode Three:

Grevious' coughing and terrible voice
Padme' and Anakin exchanging love lines on the balcony
The beginning space battle didn't come close to the one in ROTJ
C3PO and Padme very "2 dimensional"
No Darth Vader in suit action
The Death Star shot
The corny Beru, Owen and Luke in front of the twin suns
The lame last second semi-explanation of Jedi ghosts
"Frankenstein" Vader
The creature Obi-Wan rode on

Although my list of good things seems very short, let me say that Episode 3 has a ton of great moments in it. Many moments are actually brilliant. I wish this movie would have delivered the goods as "Return of the King" did. The fall of Anakin to the dark side seemed pushed and artificial (but then again, it had to deal with the movies that proceeded it).

There was one huge void missing in this movie: Not once do you see Darth Vader (in human or suit-clad form) kill a Jedi in this movie. It is inferred, but never seen. As a matter of fact, besides Obi-Wan, the only "good guy" we see Anakin fight with a light saber is a Jedi on a hologram playback. To make matters worse, the only characters we see Darth Vader kill are most of the bad guys of this trilogy (Dooku, Nute Gunray, etc). It is inferred that he killed the Jedi younglings, but we never see it. Nor is it fully explained why he would kill virtually harmless children when he is trying so hard to save his own wife and child. This would not have been such a big deal if the Darth Vader we know and love at the end of Episode 3 was seen igniting his light saber and seen hacking away at Jedi survivors. But, no. All we get is the Frankenstein monster and Vader crossing his arms on the bridge of a Star Destroyer. I don't want to get into how long it takes to build a Death Star (20+ years for the first, 4 years for the second???), or the throwaway explanation of Jedi's communicating from beyond the grave.

So for the reasons mentioned above, I am happy this new trilogy has come to a close. All in all, many great moments in-between too many irritating scenes. Mr. Lucas, next time I hope you decide to pass the reigns to a younger and truly inspired director. The saga is complete. I can finally stop squirming. If you want to see Star Wars films in a whole new light, you need to know about Star Wars Fan films - click here to find out more!

Phantom Menace - May 1999

Attack of the Clones - May 2002

Revenge of the Sith - May 2005

BEWARE - EPISODE 3 SPOILERS BELOW

Phantom Menace - May 1999

Attack of the Clones - May 2002

Revenge of the Sith - May 2005

*BEWARE - EPISODE 3 SPOILERS BELOW*

BEWARE - EPISODE 3 SPOILERS BELOW