Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith
So, I went to see RotS yesterday.
There were two things in the movie that bugged me, one old and one new.
Bad Thing One: Lucas is not a master of dialogue (is it so hard to give someone else the story and let them write the words? is it so hard to admit that you aren't the right person for the job?... okay, it totally is, especially when the story in question is 'your baby', but, damn it, Lucas, this film could have been great). "From my point of view, the Jedi are evil." It's just... clunky. I'm really looking forward to seeing Serenity, because when Joss is 'on' (and from non-spoilery comments on the film, I gather that he is), his dialogue sings.
Bad Thing Two: Oh, my poor Padme, what did you do to deserve only one non-wimpy line in the whole film? I'm so sorry, sweetheart.
Those were the bad things.
The good things, on the other hand, were more numerous (though Bad Things One and Two do permeate the entirety of the film).
Good Thing One: Obi-Wan Kenobi. Always one of the coolest parts of the entire series. Plus, he's Ewan, who is just... such a damn good actor. I could watch him read a phone book, because he'd be able to make it interesting. And I adored him in this movie, the imperfectness of him. Obi-Wan is not a simple Jedi. He's a man of strong passions carefully tapped down. His reaction to Qui-Gon's death is rage and grief. His reaction to Anakin's betrayal has more than a touch of revenge and spite in it (he left the man to burn, assuming that Anakin would burn to death -- that is cold). Anakin hurt him ("You were my brother. I loved you.") and so he wanted Anakin to hurt, too. That's very Sith of him. Of course, he immediately goes and turns that anger and grief into guilt and into a dedication to watch over and protect Luke (and Leia). Which is the difference between himself and Anakin, who feels that once he's stepped over the edge to the Dark Side, it's hopeless to try to go back. Which leads us to...
Good Thing Two: Anakin Skywalker. Kick-ass. They did pretty much a great job of showing what Anakin fell, and why, in the end, he would also rise again once he found out that he has a son. Anakin let his passions and his fear of loss guide him. He refused to leave Obi-Wan, he refused to just watch as Padme died (since he believed there was no doubt that she would). His fear did lead to anger, and to hate. So, he loses everything -- any hope of pleasing Obi-Wan, any hope of seeing his wife again, any hope of a future. He has only his mentor, who's looking a lot less like a nice guy and more like a trap.
Good Thing Three: Anakin and Obi-Wan. This movie was very slashy (or, you know, filled with brotherly love. whatever). Anakin and Obi-Wan fight together and banter and are all kinds of tragic cuteness. And now that I've seen first-hand what a kick-ass actor Hayden is (you hear stories, but until you see it yourself), I really want to rewatch AotC. Though part of me is very attracted to the idea that he subconsciously used the Force to make Padme love him (thus turning her into a shell of her former self). And the last scene they had together was amazing (except for the occasional really bad dialogue, but the actors did a good job at trying to make it, well, not suck). Each of them feels that the other has betrayed them and then we get to see the difference between the way a Jedi thinks and the way a Sith thinks -- Anakin's last words to Obi-Wan are "I hate you" while Obi-Wan's last words to Anakin are "I loved you". Anakin allowed his anger to completely swallow up himself -- Obi-Wan felt that same anger, yet it did not turn to hate. We went home and watched ANH right after the movie, and Obi-Wan is so... fond, in his memories of Anakin. He has not allowed what Anakin has become to affect what Anakin was to him. Anakin, though, is still trapped in his anger and grief.
Good Thing Four: The betrayal from the Clone Army totally broke my heart. Seeing the Jedi murdered broke my heart. Seeing Anakin kill children because he thought that meant he'd become strong enough to save Padme was... again, heart-breaking. Those poor children.
There were two things in the movie that bugged me, one old and one new.
Bad Thing One: Lucas is not a master of dialogue (is it so hard to give someone else the story and let them write the words? is it so hard to admit that you aren't the right person for the job?... okay, it totally is, especially when the story in question is 'your baby', but, damn it, Lucas, this film could have been great). "From my point of view, the Jedi are evil." It's just... clunky. I'm really looking forward to seeing Serenity, because when Joss is 'on' (and from non-spoilery comments on the film, I gather that he is), his dialogue sings.
Bad Thing Two: Oh, my poor Padme, what did you do to deserve only one non-wimpy line in the whole film? I'm so sorry, sweetheart.
Those were the bad things.
The good things, on the other hand, were more numerous (though Bad Things One and Two do permeate the entirety of the film).
Good Thing One: Obi-Wan Kenobi. Always one of the coolest parts of the entire series. Plus, he's Ewan, who is just... such a damn good actor. I could watch him read a phone book, because he'd be able to make it interesting. And I adored him in this movie, the imperfectness of him. Obi-Wan is not a simple Jedi. He's a man of strong passions carefully tapped down. His reaction to Qui-Gon's death is rage and grief. His reaction to Anakin's betrayal has more than a touch of revenge and spite in it (he left the man to burn, assuming that Anakin would burn to death -- that is cold). Anakin hurt him ("You were my brother. I loved you.") and so he wanted Anakin to hurt, too. That's very Sith of him. Of course, he immediately goes and turns that anger and grief into guilt and into a dedication to watch over and protect Luke (and Leia). Which is the difference between himself and Anakin, who feels that once he's stepped over the edge to the Dark Side, it's hopeless to try to go back. Which leads us to...
Good Thing Two: Anakin Skywalker. Kick-ass. They did pretty much a great job of showing what Anakin fell, and why, in the end, he would also rise again once he found out that he has a son. Anakin let his passions and his fear of loss guide him. He refused to leave Obi-Wan, he refused to just watch as Padme died (since he believed there was no doubt that she would). His fear did lead to anger, and to hate. So, he loses everything -- any hope of pleasing Obi-Wan, any hope of seeing his wife again, any hope of a future. He has only his mentor, who's looking a lot less like a nice guy and more like a trap.
Good Thing Three: Anakin and Obi-Wan. This movie was very slashy (or, you know, filled with brotherly love. whatever). Anakin and Obi-Wan fight together and banter and are all kinds of tragic cuteness. And now that I've seen first-hand what a kick-ass actor Hayden is (you hear stories, but until you see it yourself), I really want to rewatch AotC. Though part of me is very attracted to the idea that he subconsciously used the Force to make Padme love him (thus turning her into a shell of her former self). And the last scene they had together was amazing (except for the occasional really bad dialogue, but the actors did a good job at trying to make it, well, not suck). Each of them feels that the other has betrayed them and then we get to see the difference between the way a Jedi thinks and the way a Sith thinks -- Anakin's last words to Obi-Wan are "I hate you" while Obi-Wan's last words to Anakin are "I loved you". Anakin allowed his anger to completely swallow up himself -- Obi-Wan felt that same anger, yet it did not turn to hate. We went home and watched ANH right after the movie, and Obi-Wan is so... fond, in his memories of Anakin. He has not allowed what Anakin has become to affect what Anakin was to him. Anakin, though, is still trapped in his anger and grief.
Good Thing Four: The betrayal from the Clone Army totally broke my heart. Seeing the Jedi murdered broke my heart. Seeing Anakin kill children because he thought that meant he'd become strong enough to save Padme was... again, heart-breaking. Those poor children.