Episode 2 Trailer
 

For those on the west coast I won't spoil the specifics yet. But I thought it was really well put together. It looks to have that darker edge like Empire did. At least it can't get much worse than Phantom. But seriously, the huge battle scenes look spectacular!

It's on Apple.com if you want to see it right now.

They should rename this one "Attack of CG Overload". It seriously looked like 70% of what was shown was computer generated. And some of it looked like complete ass. I'm talking about that sh itty blue screen effect. There are quite a few scenes where there are like 4 actors, and everything else is CG, and it looks completely fake. I don't like the look of the movie...it looks fake. Parts of it looked bad ass (my man Jango Fett!). I'm looking foward to Spider-man more.

Holy crap!

I'm pretty enthused about this one, actually. It's funny to see how people are reacting, because they're seeing things that they *know* are fake, but look so friggin' convincing that they actually feel the need to remind themselves that these things are fake. The visual effects in this film are at an incredibly high level, and I can't wait to see it in a digitally-projected theater (which is how it was intended to be seen). Everything looks super-clean.

I think what's most jarring about these prequels is how sparkly new and colorful everything is. In the latter 3 movies everything was battle-scarred, broken down and barely working. All whites, greys and blacks. In these prequels, there are tons of vibrant colors...pastels, even. It just doesn't "feel" like Star Wars. But maybe that's why...we're meant to see what a huge decline the galaxy underwent after the clone wars, how it went from being peaceful and prosperous to war-torn and cutthroat in only 20 years or so.

These prequels cover a lot of the nobility, the politics and whatnot...the latter three movies cover the scrappy Rebels trying to overthrow the Empire, it shows a lot of the "seedy underbelly" of the galaxy, which we're not privy to yet in the prequels.

There are a couple of composited shots in the trailer where the contrast is off between the background plate and the green-screened actors, but that's easy to fix (they often rush these shots for a trailer - I remember how bad the Jean Grey bottle levitation looked in the X-Men trailer compared to the final film version). I dunno though, this is looking pretty tight to me, so far.

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Kevin, the erstwhile "Hi-Fi"
www.videowrestling.com

[This message has been edited by kdeselms (edited March 10, 2002).]

I looked at the trailer again, and I kept findingn myself looking at it and nit picking. So I watched it again, and just WATCHED it. By the end, I was excited about it. Alot of what you said Kev are valid points, and I have hope for this film as well. But from what I saw, I hope to god they clean up some shots. There is one near the beginning where there are 2 guys in black cloaks who are standing in an *office* with a big long window. It's all screwed up looking. The shadows look wrong, the color looks funny, and then the camera jumps back to a wide shot of the room...which looks like a CG set with 2 people standing in it. But, a lot of it looks real pretty (the city as they fly by in the car, parts of that big ass fight scene near the end...oh love seeing Mace charging into a fight, sabre blazing).

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--Life is full of tasks to be completed, but right now I am so far behind I will never die

From where I'm standing, it's just SSDD.

"Here comes 2!"

Oh yeah, anyone else think this summer is going to kick all sorts of ass in the entertainment world? A whole lot of kick ass movies and games are coming our way.

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--Life is full of tasks to be completed, but right now I am so far behind I will never die

From where I'm standing, it's just SSDD.

"Here comes 2!"

This IS going to be a really good year for films, and it's about time...we had a nice little dry spell there for a while. But Blade 2, Spider-Man, LOTR:TT, Clone Wars, there's some good stuff coming.

I went to the website listed at the end of the trailer - kind of a cool fictional site that ties into the movie. I like those kinds of promotional websites, that actually entertain and give away some side-story type content.

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Kevin, the erstwhile "Hi-Fi"
www.videowrestling.com

Well...HOTDAMN! that trailer looked spectacular and very promising. Didnt set my world on fire like the first Episode 1 trailers but still...things are looking good.

There's some valid points...my opinion about the look of the new Star Wars films is that it's been like 15 years since the last movies, things have changed a lot. So I dont mind the strong colors and lots of CGI in the new movies, i'm pretty sure that's what Lucas wanted in the first place. Moviemaking and style have changed so much in the last years that there's just no point or way to make the new films look like the old ones. That's not to say that I didnt like the old flicks style a bit bitter, especially when it came to characters...CGI characters still feel CGI and I really think the problem is that you know that ther'e snow way that is possible if it would not be CGI...and that keeps nagging your mind when you watch these CGI-heavy flicks these days.

Interestingly Lucas has said in several interviews that's he's far more interested in getting 800 good effect shots than 400 brilliant ones..that's his words. Looking at the amount of effects in the Episode 2, there's bound to be some that have been rushed but I didnt think there was anything unconvincing in the trailer.

May 16..just before E3..damn, I would have loved to see this movie in the US with everyone, guess it'll be worth multiple views...I hope so.

Did you notice that this trailer didn't have much of Anakin in it? I found him grating in that first trailer, and I've read reports that his performance is about on par with Jake Lloyd's.

Regardless, I enjoyed the trailer. I know some of the effects will be cleaned up. However, it does look a little too plastic-y and cartoon-y in spots--something I noticed during the blitz of Spider-Man trailers during Fox programming tonight.

Also, hooray for Christopher Lee. I think he's one of the coolest looking old guys in movies today. I was watching Lord of the Rings and found myself thinking during the showdown between Sauron and Gandalf: Damn, I hope I look like these dudes when I'm old.

I saw this tv-drama where Christensen was first spotted and he was mighty fine there, so I have high hopes.

However...Lucas isnt much of a director. It's not like Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson or Pernilla August had to much good dialogue in the first place in Phanton Menace. Of course, Jake Loyd was rather annoying after repeated viewings of the film..actually so was the entire film.

Didn't see the trailer, haven't read this thread. I am waiting to see it before Ice Age. Heard it is pretty cool. I'll post more after I see the trailer. late.

Yeah, I think Obi-Wan was almost like an afterthought in the Phantom Menace - he wasn't given much of anything to do. This film looks like it focuses on him and his relationship with Anakin, which is cool...after all, that's the story everyone wants to see. "How did Anakin get seduced by the dark side?" Looks like that's the movie George is delivering, which is why I have high hopes for it. Plus, even if Anakin isn't strong, the rest of the cast kicks all kinds of ass.

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Kevin, the erstwhile "Hi-Fi"
www.videowrestling.com

Apparently that tool at Aint it Cool News got to see a rough cut of Episode 2. He loved it. I'd laugh so hard if it turns out he lied. Then we would get a big apology letter. Heh.

I can't stand that guy...I got one paragraph into his Blade 2 rant and had to log off. This guy is so thrilled with himself and how "inside" he thinks he is - "Hey, my 'brother' Guillermo Del Toro and my bestest little hobbit buddy in the world, Elijah Wood (who, by the way, owes me his whole career) were having a lovely picnic the other day on the New Line lot, blah blah blah..." The guy is so in love with himself and SO does not have any right to this level of narcissism. Then he writes a full-length rant full of "dick joke" immaturity that would make ANY of the film critics he claims to idolize deny any association with the profession. Hahaha...being potty mouthed is funny and clever...Hahaha...I'm Harry Knowles...abuser of elipses...you love it...buy my book!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Kevin, the erstwhile "Hi-Fi"
www.videowrestling.com

Now that is a rant. A very well deserved rant.

Kevo, I was reading a review of Harry's book. Of course it was a complete pan, but not just because it is a poorly written series of missives from a glory hound. I guess he engages in a little character assassination in the book that might seriously come back and bite him in the ass. Of course, provided whoever wants to bite his ass can get past Elijah Wood, who should be busy kissing it in return for Harry's making him.

Yeah, I heard about that...I think Entertainment Weekly alluded to it a bit. Of course, I won't be buying nor cracking a page of that tripe, but it wouldn't shock me a bit to learn that this self-ingratiating egomaniac bad-mouthed one too many people in positions of power in the "Big H." He's lulled himself into a false sense of security on the Internet - these studio heads weild more power than Knowles could ever HOPE to. I don't think he understands that his site only exists because they have collectively CHOSEN not to snuff him out of existence. But it could easily happen...even hiding behind pseudonyms, you can rest assured that these people know who every one of his "informants" are. It's a very small business.

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Kevin, the erstwhile "Hi-Fi"
www.videowrestling.com