Exactly. Compare that to the scene in Bespin where they think they're just going for a nice dinner with Lando and then he opens the door and BOOM, Darth Vader is there! Then Han draws his blaster and shoots without even thinking about it but Vader easily deflects the blasts and the whole thing is over seconds after it…

They had more interesting angles in the dialogue scenes. "Shot/reverse-shot" isn't the best term to use in this case, that's just basic film language. For instance, almost all of "Inherent Vice" is "shot/reverse shot", that doesn't mean it's not a well directed movie. Problem with the prequels is the bland blocking…

That's also my favorite part, at least in the Attack of the Clones review. There's no reason Padme should be attracted to that guy outside his looks.

Let us hope that number gets bumped up next month.

They are also right about the tonal mess that is that whole opening sequence. It goes from broad comedy to decapitation in a matter of seconds.

Yeah, that's the one case where I disagree with them. That opening shot was pretty exciting, in a purely visceral way (they are right in that there's no reason to care about what's happening because it's not that clear who's fighting who if you're not a nerd and know the difference between the republic and separatist…

Yeah, I like that scene too. Pity it's followd by that stupid asteroid chase.

Scenic Routes is pretty great.

I get the broad strokes; the problem is, it's almost all broad strokes. Most of it is pretty vague and a lot of the things he does seem to depend on pieces he had no way of knowing would fall into place (and sometimes they seem downright counterproductive).

I'm not trying to be an asshole or anything, and I appreciate you taking the time to respond, but I honestly think Episodes IV and V are pretty well-crafted movies and nostalgia's got nothing to do with it. Like, I used to love Goonies when I was a kid, now I think it's a pretty shitty movie.

It's been 10 years and I still haven't seen someone explain Palpatine's plan in a way that makes sense to me. Give me a timeline of the things he did and explain them in a cause-and-effect way.

Yes, they are products, but they are competent products. They are tight (well, at least the first two). They move at a crisp pace. They MAKE SENSE.

I dunno, I'm not even able to consider Prometheus an Alien movie. Lucky me, I guess.

Prometheus is okay if you can get past everybody acting in ways that make no sense. Visually, it's quite stunning.

What if I don't want a real life? You're not the boss of me.

Also, they didn't keep cutting to C3PO Buster Keatoning his way through a battle during a tense climatic sequence.

Maybe the article should've argued for Lucas as some kind of misunderstood avant-garde genius. Like, he made those movies like an alien would, or something.

Thank you for that image.

"Stern..?"

I personally consider the first one pretty great. It's clunky in parts, but the editing is pretty tight. Almost not a single second wasted.