Reviews

Admittedly the most racist (and at that best produced given the limitations of its time), this move captivates from the first time it talks about the 'observations of Jews taken in their burrows in Poland'. This movie is in German and I am not aware of a subtitled version in English (and even the German version needs technical improvement to be comprehensible).

This is a historical document, no doubt. It is not a document of the Jews of the time but of the producers and the powers to be of that time. As such it is more than a tad enlightening.

The Nazis were masters at mass-manipulation without so much as an agenda, but when they latched onto something they sure wouldn't let go. It seems almost by chance that the Jews became victims of their bizarre ideology; but then anti-semitism had quite a breeding gound in Eastern Europe for half a decade before Hitler's time.

What makes this movie so chilling is that it *does* have an emotional impact on you - whether you like it or not. When the movie goes to ridicule Einstein as a Zionist (which he never was) I was (almost) taken by it.

This movie is dangerous. It is the quintessential counterpart to the 'Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion' (a book/novel produced apparently in Russia at a time beforehand to discredit the Jew). It is evil propaganda at its best.

Its not Hollywood, its bad quality, its German only (although I understand a subtitled DVD copy will enter circulation) but when you hear Hitler end his Reichstagssitzung with the words that 'if Jewry will not join civilized nations instead of bringing about WW II they will be exterminated' you sure know which way the wind blows.

Wait for the subtitled copy if you don't speak German and wait to see hatred, insanity and bizarre politpropaganda come to life. This movie is intense (some truly disturbing scenes) but much more at what it says about the (unfocused) ideology of the holocaust than any statement it might make about Jewish lifestyle, tradition and culture.

Being an avid Star Wars fan (I actually liked Episode I) I can only describe this movie as the worst Star Wars ever. From the really confusing story line, never quite knowing which political faction is who, over the worst dialogs imaginable, to Britney Spears (oops - Padme Amidala) - this movie disappoints at all levels.

The Jedi and in particular Yoda are reduced to mere space cowboys, the pseudo-religious mysticism no longer existent. While episodes 4-6 had a profound Universe to it, Episode I was visually well done, funny and marked by a convincing Anakin, this is the destruction of the Star Wars Universe. Nothing fits.

George Lucas delivers the epitome of every Star Wars video game I have ever played, action scene after action scene, without meaning and a repeat of anything someone thought might have worked in the other episodes. Down to the severing of Anakin's arm, telekinetic light-sabre maneuvres, dazzling asteroid dodging and industrial iron stompers.

Queen Amidala, the young but wise character from Episode one, turns into every boy's dream at the height of his puberty, showing off more hip costumes, belly button and hair-dos (this time not alien but goldi-locks) than one can fit in a dozen suitcases - And that while she is traveling. Gone are her days of the peace-loving sage. Now she is a teenager that really digs some 'forceful negotiations' as the fight scenes are euphemistically titled. This hormone-crazed teenager a senator?

Her stand-in Jar-Jar Binks while traveling declaring Darth Vader de-facto emperor? Who came up with this nonsense plot?

The platitude of conversations between Anakin and her are just too horrible to even mention. A sheer neverending sequence of cliches, that's what the movie is altogether.

Who is this actor playing Anakin? Where did Lucas dig him up? He definitely delivers the worst acting I have seen in a long time. Maybe he really didn't have anything to work with in the first place.

Special effects is what this movie is all about. More hair-raising action than you can shake a stick at. Thrown together from 'Lord of the rings' and 'The mummy'.

George - get a clue. Simply because you CAN show it on the screen it doesn't mean you HAVE to. Digital effects are all nice and good and the makeover of the original episodes actually worked - This one is one big video game.

But the worst is that the Star Wars universe has been destroyed -ironically while trying to establish it, characters altered beyond recognition and factions established in the most obscure and illogical manner.

If you love Star Wars (like me) do not watch this movie. I may never look at Star Wars the same way again.

I liked it - with reservations.

The show is not quite true to the original Babylon 5 universe. Some details are outright ridiculous such as the operations of weapons/tactical (The weapons officer is floating around in some sort of holographic representation of the space surrounding the ship and boxes/throws charges towards the attackers - It took me a while to get over this nonsense). A more down-to-earth approach (pun intended) would have done just fine.

Another thing that rubbed me the wrong way was at least one not-so-subtle sexual innuendo that would have never made it into a B5 script.

The visuals were often impressive although the blue-screening seemed to be a shoddy job. I guess the budget was a little tight although other areas seemed rather lavish. Not sure what was going on there.

The crew is younger and the captain a definite pretty boy - A poor choice if you ask me. A Sinclair type would have done better and raising the average age would have lent more credibility to the characters.

The martial arts side-plot was ok but slightly overdone. Mimbari are more the Buddhist type and B5 ain't no Western. They are not as easily antagonized as we were led to believe.

Nevertheless, there was a certain spin to the show that was definitely reminiscent of B5 which was clearly enhanced by the presence of the (only surviving) G'Kar character. The plot had the air of the mystical, something I had always enjoyed on B5 and that was never achieved by the successor.

The dynamics between the characters worked, the Mimbari seemed true to life, Tannier made a good follow-up character and Gus Lynch's character was a great idea. Funny and warm.

The special quality of the spaceship that is destined to be (at least originally) the focus of the story also added to the makeup that set B5 apart from other space epics. And an epic this can clearly become if, and that remains to be seen, the writers will have as much of the original vision as necessary in order to *not* turn this into a series of independent episodes without evolving storyline.

I think the pilot holds more promise than the misguided Crusade. Replace Dylan Neal, possibly Myriam Sirois, and go with it, I'd say.