If it's not as imaginative, revealing, or surprising as some of us had hoped it would be, at least it provides us with everything we expected, and that's still plenty good enough.
Then, there is the matter of the picture quality. Lucas continues to be a big supporter of digital video, and while the process has admittedly improved over the last few years, it remains imperfect. Digital video still hasn't the resolution of conventional movie film, and at the theater where I first saw this latest "Star Wars" showed the digital image from regular film stock. While the definition was about 100% better in this theater than in the one where I'd seen Episode II, which looked totally blurred and out-of-focus to me, there remain in the new effort the same flat backgrounds and the same slightly hazy, glassy appearance. I suspect this has something to do with the digital image's relative lack of grain as well as its lack of ultimate resolution. (Any small visible grain in the picture is undoubtedly the result of the digital-to-film-stock transfer.) Certainly, you could say that shooting practically everything against a blue screen, with CGI backgrounds and effects added later, had a lot to do with the flat aspect as well. In something like "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow," also filmed almost entirely against blue screens, the flatness of the image and its monotone appearance worked well with its 1930s' retro style; but in "Star Wars," the imagery cries out for a depth and dimension it never gets. So the screen looks like one of those ancient tapestries that are busy with people and trees and castles and such, all presented in the same plane.
None of which will prevent the "Star Wars" fan, like me, from enjoying this final installment any the less. If it's not as imaginative, revealing, or surprising as some of us had hoped it would be, at least it provides us with everything we expected, and that's still plenty good enough.
Video:
In reviewing "Attack of the Clones," I dared to suggest that the digital photography might not have been as absolutely faultless as some people claimed. A small storm of viewer protest met my comments, several readers saying I was obviously blind and that "Clones" was the most visually perfect film ever made. I may again receive such criticism, but I have to say that while "Sith" is better than its predecessor, it still doesn't strike me as better than, say, Episodes 4-6 filmed on regular photographic stock.
What we see in "Sith" on DVD is a splendid transfer of an imperfect visual image that still doesn't look as good to me as the best conventional photography. That said, Fox and Lucasfilm have done everything to bring the movie to disc as well as possible. The transfer is anamorphic, of course; its THX certified, of course; it's done up at a high bit rate, of course; and it retains most of its 2.35:1 widescreen theatrical ratio...of course. Yet, as I say, digital photography and blue screens somewhat compromise the film's dimensionality, and there is a small, soft, glassy haze covering some scenes. Moiré effects? A few. Grain? Zero.
Audio:
If one could legitimately complain about some details of the video or the movie itself, one could hardly find anything to criticize about the sound. In Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, it's simply spectacular. The stereo spread is as wide as any movie soundtrack made; the bass is thunderously deep; the dynamic impact will raise your roof, or it'll raise your rent if you're forced by your landlord to move because of the noise; and, naturally, the directionality of the aural effects brings the listening area alive like nothing you've heard, short of another "Star Wars" movie. In brief, the audio on "Revenge of the Sith" sets the gold standard for sound reproduction. Beware, however: Played too loudly it could affect your hearing.
Extras:
As always, Fox and Lucasfilm offer the movie in a special-edition, two-disc set. Disc one contains the feature film; a generous fifty scene selections, plus a chapter insert; a THX Optimizer suite of audiovisual calibration tests; English, French, and Spanish spoken languages; and English subtitles. As with the other "Star Wars" DVDs, you get different groups of menu graphics each time you boot up the disc. Also of interest, this is the first DVD I can remember that allows you to skip through the FBI warning and other such screens at the press of a button.
In addition to watching the movie, you can hear an audio commentary by director Lucas, producer Rick McCallum, animation director Rob Coleman, and visual effects supervisors John Knoll and Roger Guyett. Because this is a team effort, we get more information than usual, but unlike many other team commentaries, this time the participants don't try to be cute, clown around, or one-up each other. Lucas explains more of his philosophy behind the movies, saying that viewers should think of the six installments in the series as one long movie focusing on the tragedy of Darth Vader. Meanwhile, the other men comment on various technical aspects of the filmmaking. For instance, they note that they created the big lava sequence at the end of the movie using computer graphics, miniatures, and a real volcano. By coincidence, Mt. Etna in Italy erupted at the time of filming, and Lucas sent a team of photographers there to capture the explosions. Fascinating stuff.
Now, what do you mean are there Easter eggs? Of course, there are Easter eggs, one of the cleverest being a specially animated scene with Master Yoda getting down and boogying to hip-hop music. You should find the eggs for yourself or you miss their value, but DVD Town publishes clues from time to time.
Among the hallmarks of the "Star Wars" DVD sets are their celebrated documentaries, and disc two of "Sith" makes a two-hour doc the centerpiece of its many extras. This time out, Lucas decided to give credit to all of the many craftspeople who work behind the scenes to produce the tiniest bit of film. The documentary, called "Within a Minute," takes us through the multitude of talent necessary to produce even a minute of footage. Watch this one in its entirety for an explanation of what all those folks in the closing credits actually do to make a movie work. Additionally, there are two featurettes of eleven and fourteen minutes each: "It's all for Real: The Stunts of Episode III" and "The Chosen One," an examination of "connecting the dots," as Lucas puts it. This second featurette follows Anakin's progress from hero to Vader to "the pinnacle of all evil."
Next up, we have six widescreen deleted scenes with optional introductions by Lucas and MacCallum. They include "Grievous Slaughters a Jedi" and "Escape from the General"; "A Stirring in the Senate"; "Seeds of Rebellion"; "Confronting the Chancellor"; "A Plot to Destroy the Jedi?" and "Exiled to Dagobah." This latter scene is particularly touching.
Following the deleted scenes are a music video, "A Hero Falls," by John Williams; a nostalgia teaser; an epic trailer; and over a dozen TV spots. After that are fifteen Web documentaries of four-to-eight minutes each, covering every aspect of the filmmaking process you can think of related to the six "Star Wars" movies. I wish there were a "Play All" function, though, but I couldn't find one.
Lastly, there is a section for production photos, with text notes; one-sheet posters and various other print campaigns; a playable demo of two levels of the Xbox "Star Wars Battlefront II" video game, complete with its own trailer; a "Star Wars Empire at War" game trailer; and a DVD-ROM Web link to further "Star Wars" materials.
"Star Wars" Press Junket:
On a side note, to help publicize the release of "Sith," George Lucas graciously opened the doors of his Skywalker Ranch to the press, and I had the opportunity to attend. The highlight of a full day of activities was the appearance of several of the stars and filmmakers for a lengthy question-and-answer session. Actors Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, and Frank Oz were in attendance, as was producer Rick McCallum and others. They were all most cordial with their time and responses, providing a good deal of personal feedback not contained in the documentaries. Just a couple of notes: McCallum said there would be no VHS release of "Sith" because the market just wasn't there anymore for tape, but that there would definitely be a high-definition transfer in the near future. He also mentioned that Lucas was finishing up a script for the new Indiana Jones movie, so that project seems finally on track. Oh, and there will never, ever, be a CGI Yoda replacing the puppet Yoda in the early "Star Wars" movies. The audience seemed relieved by this news. Finally, in the opening space-combat scene, keep an eye out for the kitchen sink. Lucas told the animators he wanted everything thrown in, "including the kitchen sink," so the animators took him at his word.
Parting Thoughts:
In the end, I enjoyed Episode III, "Revenge of the Sith," more than Episodes I or II, but it hardly compares to Episodes IV and V in the original trilogy. Part of this is nostalgia, naturally, but much of it is Lucas. In Episode I he created a kind of comedic kiddie cartoon for children, complete with cartoony computer creatures. This seemed appropriate since the main character was a child. In Episode II he created his intergalactic version of a chick flick, an outer-space romantic adventure. Again, this seemed fitting as Anakin was now a young adult; and, after all, the filmmaker had to explain Luke and Leia's eventual entrance into the series.
In "Revenge of the Sith" Lucas created the out-and-out tragedy we were all waiting for. Anakin's fatal flaw, his selfishness from which the Sith draw their power, leads him to his downfall. Padme dies in childbirth. Obi-Wan and Yoda go into semiretirement. The baby Leia is taken away by Jimmy Smits to be raised in secret. And baby Luke is whisked off to live in the farthest reaches of the galaxy, Modesto.
They are Lucas's movies. He has every right to tell them any way he chooses. And we have every right to criticize. Seems fair enough.
None of which will prevent the "Star Wars" fan, like me, from enjoying this final installment any the less. If it's not as imaginative, revealing, or surprising as some of us had hoped it would be, at least it provides us with everything we expected, and that's still plenty good enough.
Video:
In reviewing "Attack of the Clones," I dared to suggest that the digital photography might not have been as absolutely faultless as some people claimed. A small storm of viewer protest met my comments, several readers saying I was obviously blind and that "Clones" was the most visually perfect film ever made. I may again receive such criticism, but I have to say that while "Sith" is better than its predecessor, it still doesn't strike me as better than, say, Episodes 4-6 filmed on regular photographic stock.
What we see in "Sith" on DVD is a splendid transfer of an imperfect visual image that still doesn't look as good to me as the best conventional photography. That said, Fox and Lucasfilm have done everything to bring the movie to disc as well as possible. The transfer is anamorphic, of course; its THX certified, of course; it's done up at a high bit rate, of course; and it retains most of its 2.35:1 widescreen theatrical ratio...of course. Yet, as I say, digital photography and blue screens somewhat compromise the film's dimensionality, and there is a small, soft, glassy haze covering some scenes. Moiré effects? A few. Grain? Zero.
Audio:
If one could legitimately complain about some details of the video or the movie itself, one could hardly find anything to criticize about the sound. In Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, it's simply spectacular. The stereo spread is as wide as any movie soundtrack made; the bass is thunderously deep; the dynamic impact will raise your roof, or it'll raise your rent if you're forced by your landlord to move because of the noise; and, naturally, the directionality of the aural effects brings the listening area alive like nothing you've heard, short of another "Star Wars" movie. In brief, the audio on "Revenge of the Sith" sets the gold standard for sound reproduction. Beware, however: Played too loudly it could affect your hearing.
Extras:
As always, Fox and Lucasfilm offer the movie in a special-edition, two-disc set. Disc one contains the feature film; a generous fifty scene selections, plus a chapter insert; a THX Optimizer suite of audiovisual calibration tests; English, French, and Spanish spoken languages; and English subtitles. As with the other "Star Wars" DVDs, you get different groups of menu graphics each time you boot up the disc. Also of interest, this is the first DVD I can remember that allows you to skip through the FBI warning and other such screens at the press of a button.
In addition to watching the movie, you can hear an audio commentary by director Lucas, producer Rick McCallum, animation director Rob Coleman, and visual effects supervisors John Knoll and Roger Guyett. Because this is a team effort, we get more information than usual, but unlike many other team commentaries, this time the participants don't try to be cute, clown around, or one-up each other. Lucas explains more of his philosophy behind the movies, saying that viewers should think of the six installments in the series as one long movie focusing on the tragedy of Darth Vader. Meanwhile, the other men comment on various technical aspects of the filmmaking. For instance, they note that they created the big lava sequence at the end of the movie using computer graphics, miniatures, and a real volcano. By coincidence, Mt. Etna in Italy erupted at the time of filming, and Lucas sent a team of photographers there to capture the explosions. Fascinating stuff.
Now, what do you mean are there Easter eggs? Of course, there are Easter eggs, one of the cleverest being a specially animated scene with Master Yoda getting down and boogying to hip-hop music. You should find the eggs for yourself or you miss their value, but DVD Town publishes clues from time to time.
Among the hallmarks of the "Star Wars" DVD sets are their celebrated documentaries, and disc two of "Sith" makes a two-hour doc the centerpiece of its many extras. This time out, Lucas decided to give credit to all of the many craftspeople who work behind the scenes to produce the tiniest bit of film. The documentary, called "Within a Minute," takes us through the multitude of talent necessary to produce even a minute of footage. Watch this one in its entirety for an explanation of what all those folks in the closing credits actually do to make a movie work. Additionally, there are two featurettes of eleven and fourteen minutes each: "It's all for Real: The Stunts of Episode III" and "The Chosen One," an examination of "connecting the dots," as Lucas puts it. This second featurette follows Anakin's progress from hero to Vader to "the pinnacle of all evil."
Next up, we have six widescreen deleted scenes with optional introductions by Lucas and MacCallum. They include "Grievous Slaughters a Jedi" and "Escape from the General"; "A Stirring in the Senate"; "Seeds of Rebellion"; "Confronting the Chancellor"; "A Plot to Destroy the Jedi?" and "Exiled to Dagobah." This latter scene is particularly touching.
Following the deleted scenes are a music video, "A Hero Falls," by John Williams; a nostalgia teaser; an epic trailer; and over a dozen TV spots. After that are fifteen Web documentaries of four-to-eight minutes each, covering every aspect of the filmmaking process you can think of related to the six "Star Wars" movies. I wish there were a "Play All" function, though, but I couldn't find one.
Lastly, there is a section for production photos, with text notes; one-sheet posters and various other print campaigns; a playable demo of two levels of the Xbox "Star Wars Battlefront II" video game, complete with its own trailer; a "Star Wars Empire at War" game trailer; and a DVD-ROM Web link to further "Star Wars" materials.
"Star Wars" Press Junket:
On a side note, to help publicize the release of "Sith," George Lucas graciously opened the doors of his Skywalker Ranch to the press, and I had the opportunity to attend. The highlight of a full day of activities was the appearance of several of the stars and filmmakers for a lengthy question-and-answer session. Actors Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, and Frank Oz were in attendance, as was producer Rick McCallum and others. They were all most cordial with their time and responses, providing a good deal of personal feedback not contained in the documentaries. Just a couple of notes: McCallum said there would be no VHS release of "Sith" because the market just wasn't there anymore for tape, but that there would definitely be a high-definition transfer in the near future. He also mentioned that Lucas was finishing up a script for the new Indiana Jones movie, so that project seems finally on track. Oh, and there will never, ever, be a CGI Yoda replacing the puppet Yoda in the early "Star Wars" movies. The audience seemed relieved by this news. Finally, in the opening space-combat scene, keep an eye out for the kitchen sink. Lucas told the animators he wanted everything thrown in, "including the kitchen sink," so the animators took him at his word.
Parting Thoughts:
In the end, I enjoyed Episode III, "Revenge of the Sith," more than Episodes I or II, but it hardly compares to Episodes IV and V in the original trilogy. Part of this is nostalgia, naturally, but much of it is Lucas. In Episode I he created a kind of comedic kiddie cartoon for children, complete with cartoony computer creatures. This seemed appropriate since the main character was a child. In Episode II he created his intergalactic version of a chick flick, an outer-space romantic adventure. Again, this seemed fitting as Anakin was now a young adult; and, after all, the filmmaker had to explain Luke and Leia's eventual entrance into the series.
In "Revenge of the Sith" Lucas created the out-and-out tragedy we were all waiting for. Anakin's fatal flaw, his selfishness from which the Sith draw their power, leads him to his downfall. Padme dies in childbirth. Obi-Wan and Yoda go into semiretirement. The baby Leia is taken away by Jimmy Smits to be raised in secret. And baby Luke is whisked off to live in the farthest reaches of the galaxy, Modesto.
They are Lucas's movies. He has every right to tell them any way he chooses. And we have every right to criticize. Seems fair enough.
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[release]16543[/release]