Star Wars: Revelations

Since there is no data when I write this, I guess I should add something.

This is a fan-produced movie with professional production values, currently downloadable from the produces.

The story takes place in the time between Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith, and Episode 4: Star Wars - A New Hope. It is based around fugitive Jedi being hunted down by Darth Vader and other Imperial agents.

The video is available in a number of file sizes and formats, and as a 3.5GB DVD image that can be burned to DVD and played on a normal DVD player.

I spent the 2 days downloading the DVD image and burning it to disk, and was well worth the time.

The DVD looks as professional as any I've bought at the store, with a full (and perfectly animated) menu, choice of directors or SFX commentary tracks, and even subtitles for all three.

The video effects and CGI are as good as many professional movies. The space scenes are flawless and fit into the Star Wars universe perfectly, and the landscapes, cityscapes and interior shots are equally well done. Many of the CGI sets look completely convincing, nd even when the director's commentary tells you what is real and what is not, you feel like arguing.

The acting ranges from good to fair, for the main cast. Some of the extras are not up to par. The voice acting for Darth Vader does not compare well, and the Emporor is unconvincing both in voice and costume. Fortunately there are only a few scenes with that issue, and the acting for the main part is good enough for most 40-minute big-budget TV shows.

I hope they fill the details out here soon. In the mean time, start up your BitTorrent and grab the DVD image. You'll not regret it, so long as you don't pay for internet by the minute!

If you judge this by the standards of a professional film, you're doing it a disservice. If you judge this to most fan films -- then it is an excellent film.

While some of the acting is stiff, and the dialogue is clumsy, there is the feeling of emotional bonds here between the characters. Some original thought went into creating "Revelations" and the plot shows it.

The special effects are very good (especially for a fan film.) Could it been tighter? Yes. Should it have been longer? Probably not. But is it worth the 47 minute download? I think so if only to see what might be coming in the future from such dedicated filmmakers and Star Wars fans.

I wouldn't underestimate the team behind "Revelations." They probably have a future in film-making.

I'm trying real hard to judge this movie based on the fact that's it's fan-film and had virtually no budget, but it's tough.

Impressive special effects, the story is OK i guess, and plenty of cool costumes. But trying to watch this movie amidst the horrible acting and dialogue is definitely a test of patience. If I were making a film like this, I wouldn't be in it - because I know i suck at acting. I would find some friend or family member who at least semi-decent and cast them. I'm sure the fame and fortune would be enough to make up for the non-existent salary ;) But seriously, I appreciate the film for what it is - but I can't give it more than 5/10 stars.....

Well, first off I would just like to say that it was a very good effort. I hope they continue and improve. Things look very promising.

First, the good.

I loved the special effects. Not quite Lucas, but very few professionals ever are! Light saber duels looked convincing enough, though not as fast as in the professional movies.

Declan's ship. Nice design. It was a cool looking space vessel, even Lucas should take notes on this one.

The city, party scenes, storm troopers, all well done. Some quick clips obviously borrowed from the movies, with the tie fighters and pilots, but the whole layout had the look and feel of a professional movie. The sets, backdrops, and locations all looked professional.

The plot, I thought, was also well written. The names nicely thought out. The sophistication was there and the ideas interesting.

Very well done.

Now the bad.

The first thing I noticed was the actors. Now, I am no actor, and I am no Harrison Ford or Ewan Mcgreggor, but the actors and actresses just did not look convincing or anywhere close to professional. Now, don't get me wrong, I know this is an amateur production, but if they spent all that effort with the set designs, CGI, artwork, and realistic light saber duels and ship to ship combat, they should have also perhaps thought about better actors.

OK, I know I'll get flamed for this, but the actors were a little pudgy and not as attractive. The first scene cuts to Taryn in her ship. I am sorry, and I apologize to the actress, but she is just not visually stimulating. In fact, she looks so amateur in appearance that I shut off the clip and came back to it later after deciding to give it another chance. The make-up looked amateur, and she was just not .... charismatic. Yeah, I know, they are amateurs. But surely in the Stars Wars fan base there are better looking people and better actors who would jump at the chance for recognition. Of course, if it were just a garage project for fun, I could understand casting friends and neighbors, and I could accept that ... but, then there are those awesome special effects, CGI, space battles, space ships, so to even it out, they really needed attractive and charismatic actors. Maybe I am asking too much, but I thought that was what it lacked. There were extras who certainly looked more attractive.

Also, the main actors all looked a little flabby or less muscular than I believe a Jedi would look. I envision Jedi knights, or warriors, to be in a little more shape. Declan's beer gut was bulging, but then again perhaps this was realistic for a space smuggler type, though Harrison Ford was certainly the opposite.

The acting, at times was fair, and could pass as a low budget movie, but I have seen better acting in college plays and acting school productions.

I don't want to be two harsh, but what I see is a great effort with the look and feel, but a let down with the main characters due to their visibly amateurish abilities.

I compare this to Troops and IMPS where I thought the acting was definitely a step up, but then again they all wore armor and helmets! But, with better trained actors, this could turn into something! Looking forward to more from these people.

I didn't expect much from this film, because I understood it to be a low-budget fan film, created by amateurs. I must also note that I liked the first three films, but haven't really enjoyed the last two all that much.

Revelations was a hell of a lot better than I expected. The fight scenes were fun to watch, the pacing was tight (it's only forty minutes long, but they pack a lot of action into that time frame), and the special effects were jaw-droppingly good. I was very impressed with the cityscapes, chase scenes, and CGI/actor interaction. Later, while watching with commentary, I learned that a number of elements that I'd assumed were real-world were, in fact, computer-generated.

The acting? Well, what the hell, it's not like the last couple of movies set the bar really high... But I thought it was okay. Oscar-worthy? Well, what do you think? Come on, it was shot on weekends for thirty grand. By volunteers. But, I got to confess, the characters grew on me. Some of the performances were obviously done in front of static screens, but some of them were really effective. And Christ, that one guy sounded just like Vader.

Costumes were astounding, the banter had some really good ANH-style one-liners in it, and the DVD was laid out professionally. The full-size MOV download is about 350 megs, but it's so worth getting the DVD version and watching it on a big TV with the sound turned up (sound design was excellent -- the lightsabers sounded perfect, and the music was well done).

Few low-budget movies cause people to pound the arm rest and laughingly yell obscenities at their friends, then shake their heads. This was one of them. Impressive!