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Film
First Reactions to "Sith"Posted by Joel Martinsen on Saturday, May 21, 2005 at 9:02 PM
![]() While I have not heard of anyone here waiting for weeks in a ticket line, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith is nevertheless an event movie in China. Major newspapers have run special Star Wars inserts detailing the mythology and the characters for new viewers, and the premiere brought out all the big stars. Here are some quick results from the first day of Sith screenings in Beijing. Sina's Entertainment channel, in cooperation with The Beijing News, conducted a survey yesterday of Sith viewers. The article announcing the results doesn't mention the form of the survey - it may have been an online poll. In any case, take the numbers with a grain of salt. Audience Response: Respondents were generally satisfied with the film. They liked the special effects and didn't really mind the dialogue and characterization. For the most part they understood the plot, although many were not satisfied with it. Series Ranking: Despite the prequels taking spots 2, 3, and 4 in the rankings of favorite Star Wars episodes, it's comforting to know Chinese audiences recognize the supremacy of Empire. The Beijing News ascribes the low standing of New Hope (which placed 5th) to the desire of young audiences for special effects - for 61% of respondents, SFX were the top attraction of Sith. Eps. 7, 8, & 9: The final survey question concerned directors: "If the chance existed for further sequels to Star Wars, who would you wish to be director?" Nearly half (46%) of respondents chose George Lucas, followed by Spielberg at 24%. The prospect of Tsui Hark (10%) or Quentin Tarantino (3%) doing Star Wars is intriguing. A translation of the survey results is in the full article.
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