The Force is shaky with this one
While it's still fresh in my mind, I've decided to crank out a thorough examination of George Lucas's latest (and final) Star Wars project.
Episode III is hard to describe in terms of "good" or "bad." I was certainly entertained by the barrage of outstanding special effects (not to mention a plethora of fancy lightsaber duels) that are constant throughout the film, however, it is hard for me to say that it fully lived up to my expectations. While it was definitely darker and more emotional than its two predecessors, I found that I was having a hard time believing Anakin's turn to the dark side was truly genuine. We all grew up with Darth Vader having that "all-time worst villain" status, but something about the way it was played out in Episode III really bothered me, which is sad because this is supposed to be the real focal point of the movie. Palpatine's seduction of Anakin starts off well, with actor Ian McDiarmid actually doing an exceptional job with the dialogue provided. Yet there are a number of pivotal scenes (one in particular but I don't want to spoil anything) where Anakin fails to convince us that he has fulfilled the role of the classic Greek tragedy, in which the hero falls from grace, never to return to the good side.
It was moments like that that, for me at least, really holds me back from saying that the movie was everything I had hoped for. Anakin acts more as if he is a child having an immature fit than a truly corrupted man, rebelling against the Jedi Council for such selfish reasons as they refuse to give him the title Master. "They don't trust you, Anakin," as Palpatine exclaims to him. Anakin is also frustrated that he does not have the power to save Padme from "certain" death during childbirth (oh yeah, the whole pregnancy thing is revealed to Anakin in the beginning of the movie and then somehow by the end, Padme is already nine months pregnant and ready to deliver Luke and Leia...sloppy?), so of course, the logical move would be to submit one's life to the Sith Order. Talk about hasty decision making.
Overall, the movie held its own, but often times only by a thread. The acting was a mix between dreadful and hardly believable (the confrontation between Anakin and Obi-Wan towards the end is a tad gutwrenching, but that is really one of the only moments that stood out). Despite all that, it was good to hear that breathing mask come alive again while the voice of James Earl Jones echoed through the theater.
To try and end on a positive note, did I mention that the special effects were good? Yeah, they were pretty darn amazing. Although in some ways, I do have an issue with all the insane lightsaber dueling. Sure, most of the time frequency and duration of lightsaber duels equals a more exciting movie, but in many cases I think the producers went a little overboard. I mean, come on, General Grievous with four lightsabers spinning around at Mach 3? I have to say I felt the "art" of the lightsaber duel was a bit degraded with instances like that. Even with the final duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan, which was supposed to be the mother of them all, something about the lack of emotion just didn't do it for me. In other words, mere hacking away at each other is mostly what it seemed like they were doing. I didn't feel myself being sucked into it the same way I did when Darth Vader told Luke in Return of the Jedi that perhaps he could turn Leia to the dark side, which was immediately followed by a torrent of fury and anger combined with a stirring score by John Williams. Or who can forget the confrontation on Cloud City in Empire Strikes Back, in which Vader proclaims, "No, I am your father." Brilliance.
So after all of this reminiscing, really, what have we learned? The prequel trilogy, all and all, doesn't quite cut it. Try as Lucas might have to bring it all home at the end (which I'll give him a little credit and say he accomplished it to a certain extent), Episodes IV through VI is where the real magic lies. Maybe it's the actors or the screenplays or even the lack of over-the-top special effects. Maybe it was the mystery surrounding the fall of Anakin Skywalker that kept it interesting (and now that we know how it all happened, it's hard not to think of whiny Hayden Christensen under that damn suit). In any case, we can truthfully say now that there is closure to that conflict in a galaxy far far away, which continues to captivate audiences since its inception almost three decades ago.
May the Force be with you, Mr. Lucas, as you continue to double and re-double your retirement fund.
Episode III is hard to describe in terms of "good" or "bad." I was certainly entertained by the barrage of outstanding special effects (not to mention a plethora of fancy lightsaber duels) that are constant throughout the film, however, it is hard for me to say that it fully lived up to my expectations. While it was definitely darker and more emotional than its two predecessors, I found that I was having a hard time believing Anakin's turn to the dark side was truly genuine. We all grew up with Darth Vader having that "all-time worst villain" status, but something about the way it was played out in Episode III really bothered me, which is sad because this is supposed to be the real focal point of the movie. Palpatine's seduction of Anakin starts off well, with actor Ian McDiarmid actually doing an exceptional job with the dialogue provided. Yet there are a number of pivotal scenes (one in particular but I don't want to spoil anything) where Anakin fails to convince us that he has fulfilled the role of the classic Greek tragedy, in which the hero falls from grace, never to return to the good side.
It was moments like that that, for me at least, really holds me back from saying that the movie was everything I had hoped for. Anakin acts more as if he is a child having an immature fit than a truly corrupted man, rebelling against the Jedi Council for such selfish reasons as they refuse to give him the title Master. "They don't trust you, Anakin," as Palpatine exclaims to him. Anakin is also frustrated that he does not have the power to save Padme from "certain" death during childbirth (oh yeah, the whole pregnancy thing is revealed to Anakin in the beginning of the movie and then somehow by the end, Padme is already nine months pregnant and ready to deliver Luke and Leia...sloppy?), so of course, the logical move would be to submit one's life to the Sith Order. Talk about hasty decision making.
Overall, the movie held its own, but often times only by a thread. The acting was a mix between dreadful and hardly believable (the confrontation between Anakin and Obi-Wan towards the end is a tad gutwrenching, but that is really one of the only moments that stood out). Despite all that, it was good to hear that breathing mask come alive again while the voice of James Earl Jones echoed through the theater.
To try and end on a positive note, did I mention that the special effects were good? Yeah, they were pretty darn amazing. Although in some ways, I do have an issue with all the insane lightsaber dueling. Sure, most of the time frequency and duration of lightsaber duels equals a more exciting movie, but in many cases I think the producers went a little overboard. I mean, come on, General Grievous with four lightsabers spinning around at Mach 3? I have to say I felt the "art" of the lightsaber duel was a bit degraded with instances like that. Even with the final duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan, which was supposed to be the mother of them all, something about the lack of emotion just didn't do it for me. In other words, mere hacking away at each other is mostly what it seemed like they were doing. I didn't feel myself being sucked into it the same way I did when Darth Vader told Luke in Return of the Jedi that perhaps he could turn Leia to the dark side, which was immediately followed by a torrent of fury and anger combined with a stirring score by John Williams. Or who can forget the confrontation on Cloud City in Empire Strikes Back, in which Vader proclaims, "No, I am your father." Brilliance.
So after all of this reminiscing, really, what have we learned? The prequel trilogy, all and all, doesn't quite cut it. Try as Lucas might have to bring it all home at the end (which I'll give him a little credit and say he accomplished it to a certain extent), Episodes IV through VI is where the real magic lies. Maybe it's the actors or the screenplays or even the lack of over-the-top special effects. Maybe it was the mystery surrounding the fall of Anakin Skywalker that kept it interesting (and now that we know how it all happened, it's hard not to think of whiny Hayden Christensen under that damn suit). In any case, we can truthfully say now that there is closure to that conflict in a galaxy far far away, which continues to captivate audiences since its inception almost three decades ago.
May the Force be with you, Mr. Lucas, as you continue to double and re-double your retirement fund.
posted by Remz Pokorny @ 10:49 PM
2 Comments:
At 12:39 AM,
Robert Taylor said…
So many questions arise with the end of this trilogy.
1.)Who's the better bad actor? Hayden Christiansen or Mark Hammil?
2.)Are they going to make a Wookie Adventure, like those 2 movies based on the Ewoks in the 80's?
3.)Do the actors even care about making the movie believable? I'll refer you to the scene where Amidala starts crying, fakest shit ever.
The truth is people like the first trilogy, because of Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. And those weren't directed by Lucas. Lucas ripped off every movie he ever made, with the exception of Howard the Duck. Our worst fears have now been realized. He's a fraud.
At 7:57 AM,
Remz Pokorny said…
Haha, I may have to agree with you on pretty much all accounts. And I would probably say that Mark Hamill is still the better bad actor.
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