I finally got to see the movie last night, but was unable to post when I got home because a thunderstorm was brewing on the horizon and I don't turn on my computer for long when it does that. I managed one post in my own group and it was short. :)

My first initial reaction was --- WOW. That was all I could say, throughout the movie and after it ended. It left me breathless, shaking and tearful. Powerful, it was.

I do want to add here that the violence depicted was not as graphic as expected. There was little blood, and many of the various killings were so quick and not detailed that you could miss them if you blinked. Some others were implied, but there are still scenes that could be disturbing for young children under 10 or so, but until the last the scenes are mostly quick and not bad. The last part however... well, I don't know that I'd take a child to see that part. Maybe you could cover their eyes. ;)

Now I'll try and take it apart piece by piece and give my opinion as well as ask questions: Warning, this is long... AND SPOILERS BELOW:

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The opening sequence was awesome, but I didn't see Anakin fly his ship upside down like in the book above Obi-Wan's. Did he do that or not? I could have missed it as well, because everything went so fast. I also wished for more of the banter in the novel but I realize it was really not the place for it. The novel though, really entertains during this scene. The buzzdroids and Artoo were great. I loved the way Artoo zapped them.

I was also wishing for more of Obi-Wan's comments to Anakin about how Artoo is almost human, but this is explained beautifully in the novel, and implied some by the way Obi-Wan throws Artoo the comlink and treats him like a "person" not a droid.

The elevator scenes were awesome. I loved it! "Artoo, start up the elevator... Artoo, wrong way, we want to go up, not down, Artoo!" That was great!!!!! And talking to Artoo when he was trying to hide and flipping out the battle droids was too funny!

I noticed that they don't show you in the movie that Dooku truly DOES know Palpatine is Sidious, but that's all fleshed out wonderfully in the novel. Also they set up in the novel very well how Palpatine/Sidious and Dooku lay the trap for Anakin and Obi-Wan, and how Dooku believes he'll be spared and locked up, but Palpatine betrays him and orders Anakin to kill him. In the book, Dooku reveals he knows by saying to Palpatine, "Chancellor, please! You promised me immunity! We had a deal! Help me!" And Palpatine replies cooly, "A deal only if you released me... not if you used me as bait to kill my friends." So Dooku is lost, and Palpatine has even managed to cover the fact that he and Dooku were in league all along... and Anakin listens and kills him.

There is less of the "leave him", "Drop him", "let go of him" instances where Palpatine urges Anakin to leave Obi-Wan, or drop him in the shaft, or let go of him to expedite their escape that were in the novel, but the implication that Palpatine wants nothing more than to separate Anakin from Obi-Wan or kill Obi-Wan does come across nicely. Reading the novel will heighten that for you. And it makes you understand why Obi-Wan is sent to Utapau alone, it's to separate them. Palpatine manipulates that brilliantly by suggesting something they will never accept, Anakin to lead it, so they ultimately do what Palpatine/Sidious wants, and do just that, refuse to send Anakin and choose Obi-Wan.

The fight on the bridge with Grievous is awesome, Artoo is awesome also as he fights the battle droids both there and elsewhere. Igniting them was a great trick! And Anakin's landing of the almost-doomed ship is truly spectacular... especially when they have it come RIGHT AT YOU on the screen. I think that was the first time my heart really began to pound.

Interestingly enough, Lucas cut out every single scene where Padme is in league with the other council members to try and convince Palpatine to give up some of his powers and such. They even cut out the scene where Palpatine tells Anakin that Padme is none other than the leader of the disgruntled senators. This is major in some ways, because it shows you that he also starts to wonder if he can trust Padme, long before the incident on Mustafar. But it's fleshed out nicely in the novel. And Padme repeatedly says she's sorry to Anakin out loud to herself in the novel, because she KNOWS she is going against his friend and mentor, the chancellor. So even SHE knows she is going against Anakin, in a way. Maybe these will be deleted scenes, but knowing they are in the novel is enough for me.

The council appointment for Anakin and his resulting reaction were right on, they matched the book and were powerful scenes. As was the scene where Obi-Wan has to tell him to spy on Palpatine. It's clear that Obi-Wan is aware things are beginning to go badly, and Anakin is feeling the pressure. They cut out the scene were he visits Padme privately about Anakin but that's in the novel, and they do imply it beautifully on screen, when Anakin asks her if he was there... but they show none of the extreme suspicion that the book sets up, as to why.

The opera house scene was done beautifully. Palpatine was brilliant in that scene, and he fed Anakin just enough information to confuse him completely and give him a new hope (no pun intended), for saving Padme. One has to wonder though, if this Darth Plagueis ever really DID have the power to preserve life, or if Palpatine\\Sidious made it all up knowing it was what Anakin needed and wanted to hear. (more on this later).

Utapau was awesome, all of it. The structure of the sinkhole city was just beautifully done, and I finally understood why Boga the lizard was able to climb up and down so many levels, based on how it all looked. It was a lot less steep and smooth as I had imagined in the novel. Boga herself was awesome and may become my second favorite critter in the saga, if not the first. :) And I loved the fact that she wasn't shown dying in the movie, even though in the novel it is clear that she does, and in fact gives her life to save Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan losing his lightsaber was priceless and Commander Cody finding it was even better, but they left out the line of dialogue that made me chuckle in the book... After Sidious contacts Commander Cody and executes order 66, Cody groans, "Would it have been too much to ask for the order to have come through BEFORE I gave him back the bloody lightsaber?" That was priceless in the novel, but I see it wouldn't have been as appropriate in the movie.

Anakin learning from Palpatine that he was indeed Sidious, (although not as directly as in the novel) was also a powerful scene. I thought it was indicative of how Anakin was torn when he ignited his lightsaber and even admitted he WANTED to kill Palpatine right then. It shows he knew the "right" thing to do, but yet he was torn by his need to learn what Palpatine knew. They left out of the movie his desire to search the Jedi Archives about this "dark-side power to sustain life" but was denied because he wasn't a Master. This illustrated more directly why being denied mastership upon being appointed to the council was so important to him. Had he been made a Master, he might have sought that information and learned possibly that it was a lie, (provided it was). That is really explained well in the novel.

Then when Anakin turns him in to Mace, it is also omitted that he begs Mace not to kill Palpatine/Sidious, not to hurt him, only arrest him. The anguish he feels and the torment he is facing is beautifully laid out in those few paragraphs in the novel. You see the conflict and emotion Skywalker is in more than ever right there, and it helps you to understand his choice when faced with Mace about to kill Palpatine.

One thing I wished they had done, but of course I understand why they didn't, was the way Palpatine/Sidious retrieved his lightsaber and produced it in the novel. It had been hidden for many years inside of a huge statue in his office area, and he activates it with his mind (after Skywalker leaves to turn him in), and has it burn itself an exit hole in the statue. Then he simply pulls it to himself with the force and hides it in his sleeve, and waits. Awesome, that would have been cool to see.

I also didn't notice if Palpatine actually threw his blade to kill the other three Jedi in the Chancellor's Office, or if he used it. It all happened way too fast for me to notice clearly. In the novel he seems to have thrown it, but it is written so vaguely it's hard to tell. Did anyone see that better?

And Anakin ignites his lightsaber in the novel before he even enters the Chancellor's Office, not at the last minute as he does in the movie. But the final battle with Mace and Sidious was awesome, it was done much better than I expected. Mace goes into Vaapad in the novel, and I couldn't tell if he did that in the movie, but probably. But I didn't remember Mace asking Anakin to help him in the movie either. I only remember Mace saying not to listen to Palpatine/Sidious. And I still think Palpatine was faking a lot of his helplessness, when Mace appeared to be winning, but I do think Mace was winning, and had Anakin not intervened, Sidious might have been destroyed then.

The exchange between Mace and Anakin during this time is left out of the movie, but it helps highlight Anakin's decision in the novel. Anakin asks Mace if he is going to kill all the senators as well (a lie that Palpatine had told him), and Mace asks Anakin if he could have taken Dooku alive, would he have? Anakin claims that was different, and he needs Sidious alive to save Padme. Mace wonders about that for a moment, then as he is about to kill Sidious, that is when Anakin acts and cuts off his arm. In my opinion it is a much more powerful and believable scene in the novel, but I understand there wasn't a lot of time for talking and it wouldn't have seemed in place during the fight like it did in the novel.

Anakin pledging himself to Sidious was really emotional, and almost seemed like he now knew he had no choice, and could not turn back. His "What have I done???" was cried with just enough anguish and pain to make it so clear he was trapped by the actions he had just taken. His hesitation to pledge himself to the Sith though, is outlined much better in the novel than in the movie. Instead of saying he will do whatever Sidious asks, he says "yes, I want your knowledge, I want your power. I want the power to stop death."

What I wish though, was when Sidious told him only his Master had ever achieved that, but together they might find a way, that Anakin would realize Sidious did NOT know that power for certain, and would have lashed out, "you lied, you told me you knew... you told me you learned everything from him!" and turned on Sidious, realizing he'd been set up. But alas, Anakin does not. He never even registers that it wasn't an absolute, not even in the novel. Not until he is in the suit does he realize that it was all a setup.

The naming scene was powerful, but not as wordy as in the book, and the temple scene was just as powerful. I'm glad they didn't show him killing the child directly, only in the holograms later. And I didn't see any tears in his eyes when he looked at the child in the temple, so if anyone saw those, I missed them. Did anyone else see him crying in the temple before killing the younglings?

Order 66 was chilling even though I expected it. To see the Jedi's slaughtered like that was emotional, but I still hadn't cried yet, I'll tell you when I cried. ;) Obi-Wan's escape and Yoda's escape were great though. I could tell Yoda must have felt the order being executed elsewhere and was ready to defend himself when it started on Kashyyyk. Bail's brilliant move of going to the temple and discovering what was happening was well done, and the Jedi Youngling (I assume he was one, right?), who was fighting the clones was dramatic. Wonder how he survived the massacre in the temple? (In the novel he was about ten years old). But in the novel, the clones try to shoot Bail, because he witnesses the child's death, and they say, "No witnesses, kill him." and Bail runs.

Yoda's realization of how wrong the Jedi have been is much more fleshed out in the novel, and the discussion about Qui-Gon is also more detailed. Qui-Gon talks to Yoda in the novel, and you get a better understanding of why Yoda lost against Sidious. It was because the Sith had changed to adapt to new ways and the Jedi had not. Yoda then realizes that the Jedi have to learn new ways.

Obi-Wan's emotion when he first learns of the Jedi Trap that has been set, and think Anakin was executed along WITH the others, is powerful in the novel. This make his discovery that Anakin was the one who was RESPONSIBLE for the slaughters in the temple even more powerful. It's less evident in the movie, but the shock he feels is well portrayed. However his anguish is more clear in the book, when he wishes he had died before ever even bringing Anakin to the council as a child.

Anakin's fleeting visit with Padme and arrival on Mustafar are well done, and the slaughter of the Neimoidians is powerful as well. I missed the line in the novel where Vader enters and one of them gasps, "You're Anakin Skywalker!" and Vader replies, "The resemblance is deceptive." and again where Shu Mai begs for her life and tells Vader that they were promised a handsome reward, and Vader says, "I am your reward, you don't find me handsome?" before he kills her. But again, I understand the humor wasn't appropriate in those scenes when actually seeing them. But it's wonderful in the novel.

And what can I say of the final scenes but WOW! It was so wonderfully done. From the moment Padme lands and asks Anakin if it's true, to her realization that Anakin DID do all those things, to Obi-Wan's sudden appearance on her ship... (although I still have to wonder why Obi-Wan didn't yell to Anakin that he stowed away and Padme had no idea... probably because he figured Anakin wouldn't believe him), to her crashing to the ground, they were powerful scenes. When they were pacing around and talking at the first, (it reminded me of the earlier scene when Anakin and the Chancellor were also circling one another and talking), up to the moment where they knew they would fight... just powerful.

And the fight itself? Breathtaking, exciting, exhilarating... my heart pounded the entire time and I shook like a leaf. They were both so intense, so good, and so determined. The force pushes were awesome, and the way they kicked and threw one another around, WOW! Then when they broke the force field that held the lava lake back, it was beyond unbelievable... because they now had a common enemy, the lava lake. I had read the book, but was still completely unprepared for how dramatic the station crashing into the lava lake was. Wow...

And towards the end, when they are on the floating debris, and Obi-Wan gains the high ground, it was better than in the novel, because he tells Anakin NOT to try it. In the novel, Anakin just leaps. Obi-Wan knows what he is going to do, in the novel it explains frequently about their styles. Will Anakin win with his sheer raw power or will Obi-Wan win with his cleverness and trickiness... and Obi-Wan wins... because he doesn't plan ever to meet Anakin's blade... when Anakin jumps. He always planned to meet Anakin's knees, and he does... and in the same motion, he swings back in an arc and takes off the lightsaber arm. Breathtaking... spectacular, and well done. You can barely even tell what he does, till it's done. And no, I still didn't cry here. And in the novel, Anakin even realizes he was suckered... and lost.

I am so glad though, that Anakin does not ask Obi-Wan to help him, and Obi-Wan refuses. This was a spoiler that was around, and might even have been a deleted scene, for all I know, but it just wasn't workable. Because if Anakin had asked Obi-Wan to help him then, and Obi-Wan didn't, I wouldn't have handled that well. So Anakin's last words of "I hate you!" were far better. And in the novel, Obi-Wan considers finishing Anakin off, because it would be merciful, but he senses Palpatine coming, and he isn't really feeling merciful... and doesn't have time to waste, so he leaves his former Padawan to blaze.

This is when I cried. When Anakin burst into flame, that was when I cried. And somehow, I didn't expect him to scream. Stupid, I know, but in the book, he doesn't scream, or they don't imply it. But of course he would scream, why wouldn't he? Anyway, that was when I cried...

Anakin's clawing himself up the bank, burnt to a crisp was also powerful, and the makeup was awesome. I had seen the pictures in my various books so I knew what to expect, but man, that was what earned the PG-13 rating for sure, the burning alive and aftermath. And the operating table was more powerful than I dreamed. I thought they would have anesthetized him... but he was awake... and in pain... and screaming.... wow.....

And you saw the mask go on, saw his eyes, saw his face... heard that first "breath" truly powerful stuff. And even though Palpatine doesn't really say RISE at the end, it wasn't all that missed, just noted it wasn't there. Besides, I always wondered how the heck he would rise while shackled to the table?

And I thought his reaction to Padme's death was right on. Nothing missing there... but the insight in the novel in his mind is far better. Read the novel, you will know and understand all.

Padme's funeral was well done, and silent, as was the babies being placed in their respective homes. Threepio's having the last word was priceless, as he opened the saga years ago with the first ones, but I also missed the comment "I can't wait to tell her all about her parents" (where he is talking to Artoo about Baby Leia), and then the comment, "Have the protocol Droid's mind wiped." Oh Dear indeed.

The Death Star didn't surprise me, as I figured Palpatine might have been trying to build it for some time, with a secret group of people. Also bear in mind that we don't know the passage of time. Padme wouldn't have been buried the day she died, and Vader wouldn't likely have been on a Star Destroyer the day he was transformed either. And I agree, the structure isn't much to put up. It's all the complicated stuff that takes the time.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. I can't urge people enough to go READ THE NOVEL. It really fills a number of the gaps for you.

Powerful movie.

Brenda

And here I was thinking Rcareaga would at least be surprised, if not impressed by the fact that I do know what Brideshead Revisited is and love it. ;)

Brenda