Jim says:

Same drawing style used in the tv version I think, just fluffed out into 3D-ish and texturized. Donno, can’t say I’m enamored with it. Sort of the same way I felt about the final fantasy movie — it was good visuals but they still felt “not-real”.

I’d be much more impressed if Lucas put money into real-time photo-realistic textures on 3D actor models and give us fifteen minutes of something that looks like he worm-holed over and talked the Jedi into filming a short story for him.

Chris Mac says:

jar jar binks cost george a couple billion.

Gasparrini says:

Actually, I think the animation is either being farmed out to Korea or Lucasfilm setup an animation studio in Korea.

Jim B says:

Looks a bit cartoony, World of StarWarsCraft. Good for older system game play, but as a movie I’ve seen better hand drawn animie. Unless this allows ILM to pump out a film or two every year not worth the effort.

JPV says:

[Duplicate comment deleted. – ed.]

Personality says:

#12 nailed it. The last 4 movies were aimed at the kiddies. I don’t think Lucas can make a grown up movie.

apeguero says:

But didn’t we already see this in Episodes 2 and 3? I don’t get it. Why didn’t they at least continue where Episode 3 left us and lead us to Episode 4 or at least continue after Episode 6, Return of the Jedi and lead us into a new Saga? Why would Lucas just re-do Clone Wars? He probably wasn’t happy with Episodes 2 and 3.

Is this supposed to play in theaters? I don’t think I’ll be paying to see it. Also, That Yoda is over-kill both in his appearance and in his vocabulary.

natefrog says:

Acting and character animation looked better than the live actors from Episodes I-III.

Lucas is a great producer, not a great director…

Myself, I’m not sure if I like the animation style, just for the fact that the 2D animation from the cartoon series was excellent and unique. Why mess with a good thing and make it 3D?

OhForTheLoveOf says:

#3 – To me Star Wars is like the Highlander franchise.
There should have only been one and that’s it.

But Empire is the good one.

#12 – People can stop acting like these aren’t kid’s movies now?

Sure, original Star Wars seems so much better to all the geeks… because maybe they were 12 when they first saw it? Everybody hating them probably would have loved the newer ones if they were aimed at adults, but come on–the originals were just as bad, ewoks and all that. Kids movies. All they ever were.

Apologetic bullshit.

The first Star Wars, called Star Wars, you know, the real episode one, before the mythology of the 9 (slash that, 6) scripts was invented of whole cloth to fuel hype, succeeded because FX was its limitation. Cutting edge at the time, the state of the art still had to play along side real actors, real sets, real costumes, and real action, and people tend to grok on people.

When were were 12, we loved the idea of the young farmboy hero who believed in an idea and dedicated himself to a a goal. He harnessed the power of “The Force” and defeated evil… and we all had reason to cheer…

Then a generation passes and Lucas comes back with his new Kenner Toy Marketing Plan, and he’s got wisecracking robots, rastafarian frogs, and he seems compelled to fill every last square inch of frame with a digital effect until you feel like Timothy Leary’s head exploded.

But then, as if that isn’t enough, we have midiclorines, so The Force is no longer a matter of will and faith and is demoted to a parasitic infection.

You are right that we all like Star Wars at 12… and we like it today. I also liked Masters Of The Universe and Battle Beyond The Stars.

And yes, 12 year olds liked Phantom Menace, but they will not cherish the new product through adulthood. The new stuff has no magic or charm.

And one last thing… Don’t write off movies because you think its a kids movie. Of course it is accessible to kids, but there is nothing wrong with that. Pixar makes nothing but kid’s movies… and a few of Pixar’s releases are worthy contenders for any number of all time great lists, and all of them are exceptional against any other films released in their years.

Kid’s movies operate by, and should be judged by the same criteria as any other movie. I don’t understand why people write off movies as “just a kid’s movie.”

People used to come into my PC store and say “you got any cheap used computers… it’s just for a kid…”

I always used to wonder if they went into grocery stores and said “you got any old milk for cheap… it’s just for a kid.”

peter_m says:

Unimpressive, most unimpressive!

My guess is the animation was aimed at a much much younger crowd. Also it looks like it could be easily ported to the Nintendo Wii for some more games and merchandising aimed at children. No more, no less.

Peter

natefrog says:

#18;

ESB is the best Star Wars movie because Lucas didn’t direct it.

gmknobl says:

As a geek, I only have one comment about the film:
“Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha… HA… Hahahahahaha!”

OhForTheLoveOf says:

#25 – I don’t even know wtf that is.

And yet, you still feel that strange tingle of arousal deep within your…

Alex says:

Actually, at some point Lucas came to the realization that the future of filmmaking lay not in intrinsic storytelling and design but in gee-whizz boom-bam special effects; hence the prequels. This wasn’t a malicious understanding on his part; he really did think that what people wanted was just big pretty lights.

And Lucas is *not* a one trick pony. Raiders of the Lost Ark was an awesome movie. Empire was an awesome movie, New Hope and Jedi were pretty effing good by the standards of their time (and Episode IV is still pretty good by the standards of *our* time). In the end, he’s a good producer… but a terrible writer and/or director. The most memorable lines from any of the Star Wars were either ad-libbed or rewritten by other people.

# 6 is right says:

Yup. The animation and rendering were farmed out to Asia but produced at Skywalker Ranch (I believe).