Star Wars
SPOILER ALERT!!!
I am about to discuss various things about the latest Star Wars film. If you have not seen it yet and don't want things spoiled for you, then skip this post til after you've seen it.
Spoilers begin here:
Ok, so as I said in the post after I saw Revenge of the Sith (from here on now referred to as RotS) I thought it kicked ass. Was it perfect? No, but it had enough cool stuff in it to make up for the things it was lacking.
I guess I'll start with complaints first though (since there are fewer of those). The main thing was the acting. Some of it was pretty bad, especially some of the scenes with Anakin and Padme.
I'm thinking specifically the balcony scene- Anakin "You're so beautiful." Padme: "Only b/c I'm so in love." Anakin: "No, only b/c I'm so in love with you." Padme: "So then love has blinded you?"
BLEH! So bad...
But then again, George Lucas has never been know for his brilliant dialogue. Even the original trilogy had it's share of pretty terribly acted lines of dialogue. B/c everyone should realize, Lucas isn't the greatest writer or director. He's got a great mind for inventing characters and story ideas but guiding actors in how to deliver certain lines isn't his forte. He's more "big picture" than "subtle detail."
But other than that, not too much to complain about actually. I've heard lots of people bitch over how Anakin's turn to the dark side after he helps Palpatine kill Mace Windu was way too quick and forced. I can see those people's points, but since I've been reading the comics, novels and seen the cartoon I know that Anakin had been struggling for a long time and had seen many things throughout the war that made him question the Jedi ways, so seeing Windu trying to kill Palpatine who he not only considered a father figure but also a means to an end (keeping his love Padme alive) he just snapped. And even though he immediately questioned his actions, in the end his actions were so extreme he knew that his only choice was to either be severely punished and live with the guilt or just go all out to the dark side and just fully change to hide the hurt. I found this realistic b/c this happens to people in real life all the time. They hurt someone they love and instead of asking for forgiveness just push themselves more and more away.
Now for the cool things:
- All the battle scenes were pretty cool, especially all the lightsaber duels (Anakin vs Dooku, Windu vs Palpatine, Obi-Wan vs Grievous, Yoda vs Palpatine, and of course Anakin vs Obi-Wan).
- R2-D2, Yoda and the Emperor were the true stars of this movie. R2-D2 stole the show during the first half hour. Then Yoda kicked ass throughout the movie (c'mon, who didn't cheer when he decapitated the clones who tried to sneak up on him on Kashyyk or when he used the force to knock the Emperor's Royal Guards unconscious as soon as he entered Palpatine's chambers to face off with him)? Finally, Ian McDirmid was awesome as Emperor Palpatine. He truly made everyone believe he was both evil and insane. Props to him. Oh and honorable mention also goes to Ewan McGregor for doing a great job of channeling Sir Alec Guiness in his portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi. He truly got better with his role as each movie progressed.
- I was happy to have gotten all the minor references throughout the movie about stuff that happened in the novels, comics and cartoon. Like right after Obi-Wan and Anakin save the Chancellor and return him to Coruscant and they joke over how many times Anakin has saved Obi-Wan's life (ten times) and Obi-Wan retorts "No, it was nine. That business on Cato Neimodia doesn't, doesn't count." I actually know what the hell they're talking about! Same with the very quick mention of Master Vos (the main character of the comic series). One thing I was surprised they put in the movie- especially since it would probably throw off a lot of people who ONLY watch the movies and not any of the expanded universe stuff was the whole thing with why General Grievous was constantly coughing and hacking and wheezing. First off, let me say that he was not normally like that. He was coughing b/c in the last episode of the cartoon (which is the DIRECT prequel into the movie- with the kidnapping of Palpatine and everything), Mace Windu uses the force to crush in that chest cavity thing that houses his heart, lungs and other vital organs. So to those of you who may say the comics, novels and cartoons don't really mean anything in the "official" Star Wars universe (aka the canon of JUST the movies), I say that's not true b/c these few references prove that the expanded universe means something- cuz otherwise they wouldn't mention them in the movies at all.
-Was also happy that they tied up pretty much all the loose ends. We got to see Chewbacca help Yoda (which shows how Obi-Wan knew to look up Chewie at Mos Eisley in the original Star Wars. It's subtle but there). C-3PO had his mind wiped, which explains why he doesn't remember in the original trilogy that freakin Darth Vader built him. And we got to see all the Jedi wiped out (which sucks b/c I had grown attached to some of them due to the novels and such, but oh well...).
-One loose end that was both good and bad was when they tried to tie it up was the whole thing with Yoda telling Obi-Wan that Qui-Gon found out how to contact the living from beyond the realms of death and that he was gonna teach him how to do it. So it's cool they actually explained how there are Jedi ghosts of Obi-Wan and Yoda running around in the original trilogy, but I wasn't thrilled with the way they went around it. It seemed to come up out of nowhere. I wish they had actually showed the ghost, or at the very least shown Yoda hearing Qui-Gon speaking to him (if they didn't want to pay Liam Neeson to actually show up in the film). That's a minor detail though- the bigger thing left out is then how the Hell does Anakin know how to do the force ghost thing at the end of Return of the Jedi? Hmm...
****
Oh one thing I HAVE to mention b/c I kept reading all about it in reviews and crap. To the people who think the movie is some kind of social commentary on the Bush Administration (with all the evil empire stuff), you are freakin retarded.
Now don't get me wrong, you all know I can't stand Bush, but this movie was not trying to point out anything. First off the seeds for the corruption in the Senate and Palpatine coming to power were first shown back in Episode I- in 1999, before Bush was even President. This story was gonna happen this way whether Bush was President and doing the things he is doing or not. It's just kind of a creepy coincidence it worked out that way, that's ALL. 'Nuff said on that subject.
-But one theory that may have SOME merit as to a point George Lucas was trying to bring across was that Anakin Skywalker is an example of what would have happened had Jesus Gone Bad?
Think about it- Episode I- Anakin's mother claims she had him as a virgin birth. The Jedi also constantly talk of a prophesy of Anakin as the "Chosen One" throughout all the movies (and even the books and stuff). So, right then and there he's shown as a Savior figure.
So then jump ahead to Episode III- Anakin is tempted by the dark side by Palpatine (mirror that with Satan tempting Jesus on the mountain- and hey, wasn't Anakin in the tallest building in all of Coruscant when he pledged his allegience to Palpatine)? This is where the split happens. While obviously we all know that Jesus was able to fend off Satan, in this story the savior figure succumbs and that's when everything goes to Hell- literally. Then just listen to the pain in Obi-Wan's voice at the end of the movie after he's defeated Anakin. He's devastated to learn that everything he believed in came crashing down on him. He cries in anguish over how Anakin was the "chosen one" and was supposed to bring balance to the force and peace to the galaxy but instead became evil and destroyed everything.
So yeah I just found that an interesting theory, and one that I did think of on my own as I watched the movie. What does everyone else think?
In the end it may not matter though, b/c there was another VERY subtle thing thrown out there in the movie- that might not mean anything at all, BUT just might be a very huge hidden plot point. When Palpatine tells Anakin the story of Darth Plagueous the Wise, he mentions to Anakin how Plagueous learned how to sustain and even create life (by influencing the midi-chlorians). Could it be that Plagueous is somehow responsible for Anakin's birth? And maybe that explains why Palpatine was so interested in Anakin from the moment they met- maybe he knew of him, b/c if it wasn't obvious to you during the movie- I'll tell you right now that Palpatine was Plagueous apprentice- the one who killed him as he slept. So maybe he knew that Plagueous created a life and that that person would be the key to power over the universe... just a little theory I thought of. I might be reaching too far, and in the end it doesn't really matter, but just thought I'd throw the idea out there and see what you all thought about it.
And so yeah those are pretty much my thoughts on the movie (at least all the ones I can think of right now). The only thing left is to rank it in what I think are the best Star Wars movies. That is REALLY freakin tough, b/c I'm weird and I liked certain movies more than others and some people might think my choices are blasphemous. But then again it's just hard to choose b/c not only are the prequel and original trilogy's very different, there is also the whole nostalgia thing working against the new movies. In the end I still say Empire Strikes Back is the best Star Wars movie- and I would rank Revenge of the Sith as a tie for second with Return of the Jedi. The reason I have RotJ so high is PURELY nostalgic. Mostly due to the fact that my very first memory as a child is being like 2-3 years old and going to the movies to see Return of the Jedi... so while other people may dislike many things about Jedi, it holds a special place in my heart for that reason.
So for now my list would look something like this (and hey my opinion may change in a few years).
1. Empire Strikes Back
2. Revenge of the Sith (tie)
2. Return of the Jedi (tie)
3. Attack of the Clones (I really don't understand why people trash this movie so much...)
4. Star Wars- A New Hope
5. The Phantom Menace
Feel free to argue with my choices, it might be amusing, lol. And with that, I'm out. May the Force by with you (I just HAD to end it with that, hehe).
I am about to discuss various things about the latest Star Wars film. If you have not seen it yet and don't want things spoiled for you, then skip this post til after you've seen it.
Spoilers begin here:
Ok, so as I said in the post after I saw Revenge of the Sith (from here on now referred to as RotS) I thought it kicked ass. Was it perfect? No, but it had enough cool stuff in it to make up for the things it was lacking.
I guess I'll start with complaints first though (since there are fewer of those). The main thing was the acting. Some of it was pretty bad, especially some of the scenes with Anakin and Padme.
I'm thinking specifically the balcony scene- Anakin "You're so beautiful." Padme: "Only b/c I'm so in love." Anakin: "No, only b/c I'm so in love with you." Padme: "So then love has blinded you?"
BLEH! So bad...
But then again, George Lucas has never been know for his brilliant dialogue. Even the original trilogy had it's share of pretty terribly acted lines of dialogue. B/c everyone should realize, Lucas isn't the greatest writer or director. He's got a great mind for inventing characters and story ideas but guiding actors in how to deliver certain lines isn't his forte. He's more "big picture" than "subtle detail."
But other than that, not too much to complain about actually. I've heard lots of people bitch over how Anakin's turn to the dark side after he helps Palpatine kill Mace Windu was way too quick and forced. I can see those people's points, but since I've been reading the comics, novels and seen the cartoon I know that Anakin had been struggling for a long time and had seen many things throughout the war that made him question the Jedi ways, so seeing Windu trying to kill Palpatine who he not only considered a father figure but also a means to an end (keeping his love Padme alive) he just snapped. And even though he immediately questioned his actions, in the end his actions were so extreme he knew that his only choice was to either be severely punished and live with the guilt or just go all out to the dark side and just fully change to hide the hurt. I found this realistic b/c this happens to people in real life all the time. They hurt someone they love and instead of asking for forgiveness just push themselves more and more away.
Now for the cool things:
- All the battle scenes were pretty cool, especially all the lightsaber duels (Anakin vs Dooku, Windu vs Palpatine, Obi-Wan vs Grievous, Yoda vs Palpatine, and of course Anakin vs Obi-Wan).
- R2-D2, Yoda and the Emperor were the true stars of this movie. R2-D2 stole the show during the first half hour. Then Yoda kicked ass throughout the movie (c'mon, who didn't cheer when he decapitated the clones who tried to sneak up on him on Kashyyk or when he used the force to knock the Emperor's Royal Guards unconscious as soon as he entered Palpatine's chambers to face off with him)? Finally, Ian McDirmid was awesome as Emperor Palpatine. He truly made everyone believe he was both evil and insane. Props to him. Oh and honorable mention also goes to Ewan McGregor for doing a great job of channeling Sir Alec Guiness in his portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi. He truly got better with his role as each movie progressed.
- I was happy to have gotten all the minor references throughout the movie about stuff that happened in the novels, comics and cartoon. Like right after Obi-Wan and Anakin save the Chancellor and return him to Coruscant and they joke over how many times Anakin has saved Obi-Wan's life (ten times) and Obi-Wan retorts "No, it was nine. That business on Cato Neimodia doesn't, doesn't count." I actually know what the hell they're talking about! Same with the very quick mention of Master Vos (the main character of the comic series). One thing I was surprised they put in the movie- especially since it would probably throw off a lot of people who ONLY watch the movies and not any of the expanded universe stuff was the whole thing with why General Grievous was constantly coughing and hacking and wheezing. First off, let me say that he was not normally like that. He was coughing b/c in the last episode of the cartoon (which is the DIRECT prequel into the movie- with the kidnapping of Palpatine and everything), Mace Windu uses the force to crush in that chest cavity thing that houses his heart, lungs and other vital organs. So to those of you who may say the comics, novels and cartoons don't really mean anything in the "official" Star Wars universe (aka the canon of JUST the movies), I say that's not true b/c these few references prove that the expanded universe means something- cuz otherwise they wouldn't mention them in the movies at all.
-Was also happy that they tied up pretty much all the loose ends. We got to see Chewbacca help Yoda (which shows how Obi-Wan knew to look up Chewie at Mos Eisley in the original Star Wars. It's subtle but there). C-3PO had his mind wiped, which explains why he doesn't remember in the original trilogy that freakin Darth Vader built him. And we got to see all the Jedi wiped out (which sucks b/c I had grown attached to some of them due to the novels and such, but oh well...).
-One loose end that was both good and bad was when they tried to tie it up was the whole thing with Yoda telling Obi-Wan that Qui-Gon found out how to contact the living from beyond the realms of death and that he was gonna teach him how to do it. So it's cool they actually explained how there are Jedi ghosts of Obi-Wan and Yoda running around in the original trilogy, but I wasn't thrilled with the way they went around it. It seemed to come up out of nowhere. I wish they had actually showed the ghost, or at the very least shown Yoda hearing Qui-Gon speaking to him (if they didn't want to pay Liam Neeson to actually show up in the film). That's a minor detail though- the bigger thing left out is then how the Hell does Anakin know how to do the force ghost thing at the end of Return of the Jedi? Hmm...
****
Oh one thing I HAVE to mention b/c I kept reading all about it in reviews and crap. To the people who think the movie is some kind of social commentary on the Bush Administration (with all the evil empire stuff), you are freakin retarded.
Now don't get me wrong, you all know I can't stand Bush, but this movie was not trying to point out anything. First off the seeds for the corruption in the Senate and Palpatine coming to power were first shown back in Episode I- in 1999, before Bush was even President. This story was gonna happen this way whether Bush was President and doing the things he is doing or not. It's just kind of a creepy coincidence it worked out that way, that's ALL. 'Nuff said on that subject.
-But one theory that may have SOME merit as to a point George Lucas was trying to bring across was that Anakin Skywalker is an example of what would have happened had Jesus Gone Bad?
Think about it- Episode I- Anakin's mother claims she had him as a virgin birth. The Jedi also constantly talk of a prophesy of Anakin as the "Chosen One" throughout all the movies (and even the books and stuff). So, right then and there he's shown as a Savior figure.
So then jump ahead to Episode III- Anakin is tempted by the dark side by Palpatine (mirror that with Satan tempting Jesus on the mountain- and hey, wasn't Anakin in the tallest building in all of Coruscant when he pledged his allegience to Palpatine)? This is where the split happens. While obviously we all know that Jesus was able to fend off Satan, in this story the savior figure succumbs and that's when everything goes to Hell- literally. Then just listen to the pain in Obi-Wan's voice at the end of the movie after he's defeated Anakin. He's devastated to learn that everything he believed in came crashing down on him. He cries in anguish over how Anakin was the "chosen one" and was supposed to bring balance to the force and peace to the galaxy but instead became evil and destroyed everything.
So yeah I just found that an interesting theory, and one that I did think of on my own as I watched the movie. What does everyone else think?
In the end it may not matter though, b/c there was another VERY subtle thing thrown out there in the movie- that might not mean anything at all, BUT just might be a very huge hidden plot point. When Palpatine tells Anakin the story of Darth Plagueous the Wise, he mentions to Anakin how Plagueous learned how to sustain and even create life (by influencing the midi-chlorians). Could it be that Plagueous is somehow responsible for Anakin's birth? And maybe that explains why Palpatine was so interested in Anakin from the moment they met- maybe he knew of him, b/c if it wasn't obvious to you during the movie- I'll tell you right now that Palpatine was Plagueous apprentice- the one who killed him as he slept. So maybe he knew that Plagueous created a life and that that person would be the key to power over the universe... just a little theory I thought of. I might be reaching too far, and in the end it doesn't really matter, but just thought I'd throw the idea out there and see what you all thought about it.
And so yeah those are pretty much my thoughts on the movie (at least all the ones I can think of right now). The only thing left is to rank it in what I think are the best Star Wars movies. That is REALLY freakin tough, b/c I'm weird and I liked certain movies more than others and some people might think my choices are blasphemous. But then again it's just hard to choose b/c not only are the prequel and original trilogy's very different, there is also the whole nostalgia thing working against the new movies. In the end I still say Empire Strikes Back is the best Star Wars movie- and I would rank Revenge of the Sith as a tie for second with Return of the Jedi. The reason I have RotJ so high is PURELY nostalgic. Mostly due to the fact that my very first memory as a child is being like 2-3 years old and going to the movies to see Return of the Jedi... so while other people may dislike many things about Jedi, it holds a special place in my heart for that reason.
So for now my list would look something like this (and hey my opinion may change in a few years).
1. Empire Strikes Back
2. Revenge of the Sith (tie)
2. Return of the Jedi (tie)
3. Attack of the Clones (I really don't understand why people trash this movie so much...)
4. Star Wars- A New Hope
5. The Phantom Menace
Feel free to argue with my choices, it might be amusing, lol. And with that, I'm out. May the Force by with you (I just HAD to end it with that, hehe).
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