One still can’t beat the feel of a scene properly filmed “on location” using the ultimate Creator’s natural gifts that took billions of years to arrive in ready to film glory. Even George Lucas will corroborate this…on location sets, however, create film expense problems even greater than investing in CGI…
I think this is true! There is also great usage of real-life volcano footage and other real-life locations (Vietnam live-action plates being supplemented for Kashyyyk). To be fair, the original films were around 80% shot on indoor stages (with Tatooine and Endor being the largest exceptions).
There are so many excellent points you make that I would like to comment on but I will focus on how you say this movie feels like a "retelling of history." That's exactly how I felt when I saw it for the first time 20 years ago. Movie critic Ty Burr described it as watching the creation of a dictator "unfold in real time." I wish I could pull out his article and exact quote but it doesn't exist anymore 😞. I talk about all this in my upcoming entry on Order 66, which I will be posting later on this year when I get to my Honorable Mentions. (Just so you know, I wrote my list and my thoughts about these scenes a few years ago, so if you ever read it, please don't think I am ripping you off 😉.) Coincidentally, or maybe providentially, I am currently posting some of my entries on Revenge of the Sith: https://christopherwilbur.substack.com/. Ok, selfish ad over 🥴. Thank you so much for this essay! May the Force be with you!
I haven't seen RotS for years, all I remember is how put off I was by all the cheesy scenes - especially the whole duel scene of Anakin and Obi-Wan, which broke my suspension of belief multiple times and ended in a complete fiasco with the "high ground" moment. I don't know if I would be more lenient now. I have some fan edit, I might watch that and maybe it would be more palatable to me and I could enjoy the underlying themes without the jarring cheddar.
I've always felt that Revenge of the Sith has a great story that's poorly told, but with a genuinely great sense of spectacle. The novelization especially proves how compelling Anakin's fall to the Dark Side could have been.
My husband and I went to the theater to rewatch this movie on its 20th anniversary, and I was struck by how impactful the cinematography is an the big screen. Seeing it in theaters gave me a whole new appreciation for this film, particularly the CGI and costuming.
One still can’t beat the feel of a scene properly filmed “on location” using the ultimate Creator’s natural gifts that took billions of years to arrive in ready to film glory. Even George Lucas will corroborate this…on location sets, however, create film expense problems even greater than investing in CGI…
I think this is true! There is also great usage of real-life volcano footage and other real-life locations (Vietnam live-action plates being supplemented for Kashyyyk). To be fair, the original films were around 80% shot on indoor stages (with Tatooine and Endor being the largest exceptions).
There are so many excellent points you make that I would like to comment on but I will focus on how you say this movie feels like a "retelling of history." That's exactly how I felt when I saw it for the first time 20 years ago. Movie critic Ty Burr described it as watching the creation of a dictator "unfold in real time." I wish I could pull out his article and exact quote but it doesn't exist anymore 😞. I talk about all this in my upcoming entry on Order 66, which I will be posting later on this year when I get to my Honorable Mentions. (Just so you know, I wrote my list and my thoughts about these scenes a few years ago, so if you ever read it, please don't think I am ripping you off 😉.) Coincidentally, or maybe providentially, I am currently posting some of my entries on Revenge of the Sith: https://christopherwilbur.substack.com/. Ok, selfish ad over 🥴. Thank you so much for this essay! May the Force be with you!
Great stuff! As a kid, I thought (and still think) that I and II are both pretty bad but that III is legitimately great.
I haven't seen RotS for years, all I remember is how put off I was by all the cheesy scenes - especially the whole duel scene of Anakin and Obi-Wan, which broke my suspension of belief multiple times and ended in a complete fiasco with the "high ground" moment. I don't know if I would be more lenient now. I have some fan edit, I might watch that and maybe it would be more palatable to me and I could enjoy the underlying themes without the jarring cheddar.
I've always felt that Revenge of the Sith has a great story that's poorly told, but with a genuinely great sense of spectacle. The novelization especially proves how compelling Anakin's fall to the Dark Side could have been.
My husband and I went to the theater to rewatch this movie on its 20th anniversary, and I was struck by how impactful the cinematography is an the big screen. Seeing it in theaters gave me a whole new appreciation for this film, particularly the CGI and costuming.