At present, how do you think you'll feel about Episode 3?

[El Chuxter]

I think, unless it's a huge epic film that dwarfs the extended cuts of the LOTR films, there are too many things we want to see that simply won't fit. I'm trying to stay somewhat spoiler-free, but here's what I want to see in this movie:

The birth of the twins
The revelation of Darth Sidious
The death of Count Dooku
The exile of Obi-Wan and Yoda
The Jedi Purge, including fitting deaths for my favorite doomed Jedi (Mace, Kit, Saessee, Plo, Aayla, and Ki-Adi)
A swordfight to end all swordfights, set above the swirling magma of a lava planet
The death of Jar Jar Binks
Enough background info on Bail so not just us hardcore fans will know exactly who he is
Mon Mothma, Jan Dodonna, Garm bel Iblis, Sate Pestage, and possibly Wilhuff Tarkin
A concrete answer as to why the droids know nothing in ANH and beyond
Whether Stormtroopers are clones or recruits
A scene involving Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Sidious that reveals why they're so scared of him
Lots of Teek, most likely fighting mouse droids
What are midichlorions?
Why did Qui-Gon speak in AOTC?
Why can some Jedi vanish?
What does "Balance to the Force" mean?
What is the prophecy?
What is the Son of Suns?
What species is Yoda? Are there more?
Why was Luke considered safe with Anakin's stepbrother?
What was the final straw to turn Anakin against his friends?
Sidious kidnapping a red-haired baby girl to act as his "Hand" certainly wouldn't hurt

If it answers all these (and more, I'm sure), it can be the best. But I doubt it will. I'm voting "on par with the prequels," since I expect it to be better than TPM but I doubt it will match AOTC.

Edit: Tycho, I've got to disagree with you about how much TPM set up. Everything that was revealed in that movie could have been worked in as dialogue in AOTC, particularly when Anakin and Obi-Wan first appear in the movie.

[Tycho]

Movies are about showing, not telling. It's a visual medium. So I disagree.

There is a movie out there, it's like a philosophy movie, that's actually really good. Where these scholars (they're real scholars, not movie stars I believe) walk around an old castle that has torture rooms and servant quarters, and all they do is talk about the human condition and society's evolution.

I mean that's all dialogue.

Now Phantom had a lot of politics and dialogue and fans complained. The majority consensus around here that I'd noted was the fans want ACTION.

So Lucas merely showed, instead of told, how a 9 year old had an overconfidence issue, a knack for doing things only his way, a kindness that motivated him to do things like start the N-1 fighter up to help save those he cared for, and Lucas worked all his visual effects around that idea.

If you're really interested in an extended dialogue movie, I'm serious when I say that the discussion held by these 4 philosophers walking around this old medeival castle is actually a fascinating movie. Star Wars is just an action-effects medium, and things are shown, not told. That's the way it's always been.

[El Chuxter]

I'm not saying TPM is bad or shouldn't have been made (like I'm sure a lot of folks will). I simply think that there was a lot of talking in TPM to set up things that probably should've been shown. It's the only SW movie that I actually fast-forward through sometimes, and I think stillakid had an excellent point a while ago that the entire (rather convoluted) creation of midichlorions to explain Anakin is strong in the Force could've been solved by a simple shot of Anakin using the Force for something mundane like reaching for a wrench.

Since a lot of TPM is talking heads, the same info (and the basic plot of TPM) could've been worked into AOTC in just a handful of lines worked into AOTC.

Like:
OBI-WAN: Be mindful of your feelings, my young apprentice.
ANAKIN: I try, Master. But I feel as if I'm a nine-year-old slave boy again. I can't explain exactly what I felt when I first saw her, and I can't help feeling that same way now.

or

RUNE: I want Senator Amidala's head on my desk! She and the Jedi ruined my business.
DOOKU: Patience, my friend. After all, you will not be doing anything quite so clumsy and overt as blockading an entire planet this time.

Okay, those are pretty rough, but I guess they're some pretty basic examples of what I'm getting at. Some minor script changes, and Lucas could've started with AOTC and had two movies to finish the saga.

[jad]

I've actually been looking forward to episode III the most since GL started working on the Prequels. I always thought that episode III really would be the best because it would be the final wrap up and everything by that time would be explained, atleast all the important stuff that is. I absolutely love ep I and II, not as much as Empire ( my favorite of all sw films), but I really do enjoy these new films. I can understand why some people don't like the new movies, but I just can't understand why, even after 3 or 4 years, they still have to be so overly negative, loud, and abnoxious in their viewpoints. I try to accept and respect the fact that people have the right to their opinion, but it's come to a point where they just need to stop freaking out about movies they don't enjoy and just shut up. It does ruin some of the enjoyment for fans who do love the new films. Not to mention 4 years later, hearing the statement "Lucas raped my childhood" has to be the most tired and unfunny statement ever. Just my two cents...

[jpc1193]

Episode II was pretty lame, especially with regard to some of the special effects.
Some were just awful!
Anakin and Padme looked rediculous riding the Reek.
The special effects in Lord of the Rings blows it away.
George better get a bit more realistic here.
Story line: How could Padme possible fall in love with a jerk like Anakin?
If this stuff continues in Ep.III, I will be highly disappointed!
Don't get me wrong, I'm a dedicated SW fan, with better than $12,000.
in merchandise. Nevertheless, I expect better results from the originator of one of the greatest sagas of all time.
I think he needs some new employees with fresh ideas.
It's probably too late for that.
Oh, well............

[plo koon 200]

That scene with Anakin riding the Reek is the one thing that made me dislike AOTC more than any film. The movie was good until that point and then after that I noticed how fake the movie looked. I bet if it was not for that scene I would have care less how video-game like the Clone Wars battle was like or how horrible Jango looks like in the Droid Factory Chase. I probably could care less about the rest of the love story but this scene made it awful, and I mean it made AOTC awful. There is no excuse for that scenes existence.

[plo koon 200]

One more thing I 100% disagree that LOTR special effects blow away SW's. They both look the same and are equally crappy. Like the Balrog in TTT. Gandalf is a CGI looking man. I hate to say it but LOTR does not stack much higher, CGI wise. What makes CGI good or bad is the way it is used.

Bad CGI
Ani riding Reek

Good CGI
Kamino

If you need more examples I will gladly provide them.

[Mad Slanted Powers]

So now instead of an appealing hero, we've got a little kid who demonstrates his tremendous potential for using the Force by destroying the Droid Control ship...BY ACCIDENT! "Oops! Uh-Oh! It's on automatic pilot!" You bet it is! At least Luke had to TRY to use the Force. There was trial and error and the sense that Luke was on a difficult journey. Anakin is a bystander to his own destiny.

No. Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.

[stillakid]

why did stillakid register two new user names to post the above two replies? ...........just joking stilla!

For months and months I've posted similar thoughts in a torrent of opposition here at SSG. But as I've said all along, the only staunch defenders of the Prequels I've ever "met" have been here. There is literally no one on the "outside" that I know who believes that the Prequels deserve a first look much less continued discussion. This isn't just me and, as those first couple posts prove, it hasn't been all along. Diehard fans will love whatever is released and that's just great. Really. More power to them. But in my experience, this amounts to a relatively small handful of people.

As for Episode 3, I never believe any spoilers mainly because there's no reason to. But aside from that, Lucasfilm has given no indication that the Episode III script was penned by anyone other than Lucas, so there is no reason to suspect that this finale will be any better (or worse) than the other two. When George writes and directs, he has his own unique style. We've now seen it 3 times from him (THX, TPM, AOTC). Those three left something to be desired and being that the situation is the exact same, it would be folly to expect anything different.

I am curious to see if he has the imagination to write his way out of the numerous holes he's dug for himself. It'll be worth the price of the ticket to see the result of that alone.

[Darth Knight]

How i feel.

Episode 1 (ok)

Episode 2 (better)

Episode 3 (?)