(no subject)
Had another nightmare last night. Not as bad as the others, but honestly, I'm kind of sick of all these nightmares. My dad suggested I start my relaxation tapes before bed to help me sleep better. Best to get to it, really, when I can.
Also, because this has been bugging me for quite a while, I thought that I'd get it out. A while ago, I wrote a bit of a rebuttal to Nilbog's essay regarding rebutting the anti-PT arguments he's heard a lot. While he made some good points, there were still some things that bugged me. On the other hand, it doesn't mean that there aren't anti-PT (or anti-STAR WARS in general) that really bug me. I thought at least I'd blog about them; it's not an attack on anyone specifically or even the fact people dislike the PT. I mean, opinions are wonderful things. I just want to talk about some things that bug me a little. And really? I could be wrong.
Also, they aren't in any particular order. They all bug me, really. Some more than others, but they're all equally...bug-worthy, for lack of a better word.
11. "Han shot first!"
Okay, chalk this one up to something I simply didn't get at first. After all, for me, it was just a scene; a Rodian walks up to a smuggler. He threatens him. The Rodian...well, he doesn't get out alive, really. I'll admit I didn't really get what the fuss was about at first. Although I'll admit that I'm starting to understand their complaints a bit. I mean, it's just unnecessary, and I heavily disagree with why Lucas changed it. Honestly, Lucas, I've said it before and I'll say it again: self-defense is not murder. If someone is about to shoot you, wouldn't it be the smart thing to, you know, defend yourself? Smuggling isn't an easy business. I mean, I'm not a smuggler, but I can imagine it's a profession where you have to think on your feet.
And saying that the "Han shot first" crowd wanted Han to be a cold-blooded killer is just so many levels of "Hell no" that it's enough to make me angry. So honestly, in hindsight, it's not really the decision to make Han shoot first that bugs me. It's the mentality behind it. I mean, Greedo wasn't some poor defenseless hellspawn, Lucas. Han was doing the best he could in the situation. 'Nuff said.
10. "Padme was weak in ROTS."
Okay, it's not the argument itself I have issues with, but some of the ways it's executed. Mostly in regards to some off-LJ, e.g. some on TV Tropes, acting like pregnancy made Padme weak instead of, say, a slip up in the writing. But saying that pregnancy makes Padme weak...it's just insulting, and a different set of misogynistic in the sense of "once you become pregnant, you lose any worth you had previously. It's one thing to say that Padme's characterization suffered a bit (or a lot, YMMV) in ROTS, but saying that pregnancy itself made her weak is not only misogynistic, but it's really stupid.
Granted, this sort of mindset is few and far between (at least here), but...yeah. It's kind of why I loathe Real Women Never Wear Dresses so much; you take awesome women and decry them for having feminine traits, which, IMHO, defeats the purpose of feminism, at least in the sense that femininity = bad. Thankfully, this mindset is actually kind of part of the Vocal Minority, but it still bugs me a bit.
9. "A fourteen year old can't be Queen of Naboo!"
Okay, first, it's a way different galaxy than our own. Of course there are going to be different customs than our own. Second off, there's the matter of history -- I mean, looking through history and everything, there's been some pretty damn young queens (from what I saw/heard) and rulers in general. And finally...well, this was on Twitter, but I ran into a comment that basically said that Padme couldn't be Queen because she was a fourteen year old girl and would thus be thinking about Justin Bieber all the time. I mean, seriously? I mean, when I was fourteen, I wasn't like that (then again, I can't really remember how big Bieber really was until later). Then again, I was the girl who was really obsessed with reading, STAR WARS, LOTR and whatnot, so even if Bieber was big, he would have slipped under my radar.
Not to mention that most fourteen year old girls are smarter than you give them credit for. I mean...seriously, that comment? Can we just retire every sexist stereotype in existence? Thank you.
Thankfully, I doubt most people think that (I think they'd mostly be WTF-ing at a fourteen year old being made queen, which I suppose is more understandable), but it was one comment that just really bugged me. (Why am I suddenly sensing some of pattern?)
8. "The Senate scenes were boring and served no purpose!"
Okay, I can see where the Senate scenes in TPM may have dragged for some people, or seemed redundant or what have you. I mean, Lucas is a wonderful filmmaker, but pacing is not his strong suit. I know C-3PO and R2-D2 wandering through the desert in ANH...I always fast-forwarded past that part when I watched ANH. And the Jabba's palace scene in ROTJ -- then again, it might have been a bit of the personal DNW factor regarding Jabba's palace and, "Can we please leave?" I mean, I actually like ROTJ (ironic, I know), but if Lucas could have cut the Jabba's palace scene a bit, it would have helped, IMHO.
But that said, I think the Senate scenes in TPM were actually pretty neat to watch. I liked seeing Amidala in action, and Palpatine manipulating the course of things to suit his own ends. I guess it all comes down to YMMV in the end, but that at least was pretty cool. And it gave us a glimpse of how corrupt the Republic had become, instead of simply saying it, so that's a plus.
7. "The relationship between Anakin and Padme in TPM was creepy!"
Okay, some have made some valid points, but I'll admit I disagree somewhat. Just because of the fact that in TPM, despite Anakin's little boy crush on her, it was mostly friendship between them. Nothing more. And I quite liked their friendship in TPM; I thought it was cute, for what it's worth. I guess it's really up to YMMV, but for me, it's at least not as bad as, say, an older man getting into a relationship with a preteen, e.g. Marion Ravenwood previously having a relationship with Indiana Jones at eleven years old. (Seriously, George, what the hell?)
6. "There's too much CGI!"
This is actually kind of something that bugs me, because it's used to lambast films over and over again, even when most of the time, practical effects were used (e.g. LORD OF THE RINGS), as well as claiming that CGI has ruined films and that films have lost sight of the story even when they haven't and yadda yadda yadda...while some have valid points, most seem to be just complaining about CGI for the sake of sounding more intelligent or rebellious, not because of any legitimate complaints. While I have no doubt that CGI can be misused (e.g. MIRROR MIRROR, THE CAVERN, etc), most of the time, it's a very beneficial technique that can usually enhance film, and can occasionally be used irresponsibly -- but that's usually the fault of the film itself, not the device itself. Think of it like the Genesis project from STAR TREK -- when used correctly, it can produce miracles, but when misused, it can be a disaster. It really falls to the person who's using it, not the device.
As for the PT in general, one can argue they went overboard on the CGI/blue screen/green screen/etc., but I think they did okay with it, for what it's worth. There are still some practical effects in there, and location shots, and I think they handled the CGI well. Then again, I guess it's just a case of YMMV.
5. "Anakin was too whiny."
Okay, first off, I'm going to say that I really don't mind if people found Anakin a bit whiny. I mean, different levels of angst, different thresholds. But I'll be honest, reading the books for the first time, I didn't mind Anakin. I guess it was because he reminded me a bit of myself -- not quite fitting in, etc. Not to mention, most of the things he complained about were at least understandable, e.g. mentor issues, etc. I guess that was Anakin's problem in the end -- being frustrated with the world around him. I know I can identify with that. I guess for me, it's also mixed with a bit of Donna Noble, what with this line from "Turn Left":
WILF: You're not going to make the world any better by shouting at it.
DONNA: I can try.
And I suppose it's the same with Anakin. As put by Ten 2.0 in "Journey's End" (basically), "shouting at the world because nobody's listening." And I guess that's what makes me ultimately identify with Anakin -- because in a way, I wonder if I'm really worth it. I want to at least be good enough, but like Anakin, I fear that I'm not worth it. And I suppose that's why Vader didn't leave Palpatine (at least one reason) -- he thought he wasn't worth it, that he couldn't be redeemed. At least I can respect Luke for showing him that, yes, yes he is. Not because he's "just that good" per se (although I think I first got that impression when I first saw ROTJ -- ah, those were the days. :), but because he's a very sheltered (quite honestly) young man with a lot of empathy. And because, in a way, because I guess he wanted to know how the good man Obi-Wan described fell -- and if a shred of that man was still in there. And maybe a desire to be loved -- if his reaction near the end of ESB with Vader touching his mind is any indication. A desire for the father he never had. Which makes the end of ROTJ all the more bittersweet, really.
Speaking of things Obi-Wan says...
4. "What was described in the PT has nothing to do with what was in the OT!"
In regards to the Jedi and Anakin, I think it was Obi-Wan trying to use the good things to keep him company, in a sense. Remembering Anakin's virtues, rather than his faults (I know there are some that say, "They were friends?!" in regards to Obi-Wan and Anakin, but I think it says volumes about their relationship that he chose to remember Anakin's virtues, and not his faults), same with the Jedi and the Republic. So I think Obi-Wan was in a bit of grieving mode there when he spoke to Luke; it's probably why he couldn't acknowledge that Anakin and Vader were the same person. All these years and he still couldn't bear associating
the image of the man he cared about most with the monster who wiped out almost all the Jedi and all those other things. So I think Obi-Wan was heavily in Heroic BSOD mode by the time of A NEW HOPE -- even if he was somewhat less obvious about it than Vader.
I guess it's a lesson one can take away from STAR WARS: age is no measure of wisdom. Even adults and older adults can be fallible. And considering that it's a coming of age story for Luke as well as a redemption story for Vader (I would call Luke a deuteragonist, at least), it's a pretty damn valuable lesson to learn. Contrary to the popular trope, adults are far from useless, but it doesn't mean they can't slip up and make mistakes. After all, that's a part of what being human is. And that's not a terrible thing.
There's also the matter of Leia and Padme. I can understand it somewhat, but at the same time, it doesn't mean that Leia didn't dream about her. Or hear it from Bail and Breha. It could be consistent with the OT, at least from a certain point of view.
3. "The portrayal of Anakin in the PT ruined Vader in the OT!"
Okay , maybe I should chalk this one up to a matter of personal taste. I mean, maybe people already had their preconceptions regarding Vader in the OT and what he was like before he fell. But at the same time, stuff like "Vader shouldn't say 'yippee!'" and "he's too nice" -- seriously, guys, this isn't THE OMEN or THE BAD SEED or THE GOOD SON or what-have-you. Vader actually was a good man before he fell. Hell, Obi-Wan said it himself, and for everything else he may have twisted slightly, I don't think he was lying about that. Hell, if Vader was evil-coated evil with evil filling, he wouldn't have said, "It's too late for me" (which I think ties into Vader having the inverted equivalent of a Heroic BSOD. I don't mean Villainous. Breakdown, but being in a major state of anger and depression after REVENGE OF THE SITH. Just being completely numb until he heard about Luke), nor would he have saved Luke at the end. Hell, Luke would have looked a bit like an idiot for trying to save him. Maybe it was different for those who were in the theater when Vader made the infamous reveal of ESB, but honestly? DOCTOR WHO would have got there first (there was a story that was ultimately replaced with "Planet of the Spiders" after Roger Delgado's untimely death that involved the Master sacrificing himself to save the Doctor's life (after which the Doctor would have regenerated), during which the Doctor and the Master would have been revealed to be either brothers, or two halves of the same person. So STAR WARS didn't exactly invent the trope. It just pulled it off in a very intriguing and powerful way. And really? Vader isn't just the mask anymore. He's a lot more than that. What Lucas was trying to do, ultimately, was show us a life -- how a good man turns to evil. And yes, Anakin was a good man. Brave, determined, loving, devoted, perceptive -- things like that. And not everyone likes him just because of "zomgHaydenChristensen!" Hell, some of us loved him from the beginning. Hell, I read the books first, so I ultimately fell in love with him for his personality, not his looks. And really? There's nothing wrong with finding him handsome. Not to mention that true, perhaps sympathy isn't always needed for villains (although I say "why not?" I mean, I say anyone who can make me hate, fear and pity a villain at the same time -- e.g. Bane -- definitely deserves some kudos), but it shouldn't be said that portraying a villain as sympathetic makes them wimpy. Just look at Noatak and Tarrlok from LEGEND OF KORRA, and Rameses from THE PRINCE OF EGYPT, and Mr. Freeze from BTAS. Sometimes, the villains who break your heart in one way or another are the best ones.
2. "George Lucas raped my childhood!"
Sadly, this isn't really played for laughs very much. I know on Twitter, I ran across someone who told Lucas to, and I quote, "get your cock out of my childhood's ass", all over, of all things, a poster for one of the Celebrations that crossed over STAR WARS and CARS. Which is a bit odd, perhaps, but there are worse things to get upset over. Besides, the phrase is demeaning to people who have been through actual rape experiences. Rape is a horrific act that no one should have to go through, and comparing you not getting your way to the horror of rape is so many levels of disgusting that I can't count them. Being upset with some of LucasArts' decisions...fine. Opinions and all. But comparing it to rape is absolutely disgusting, and something that, IMHO, needs to be retired, preferably immediately. Because honestly? You're better than this. You really are.
1. "Anyone who liked the PT was so starved for anything STAR WARS that they lowered their expectations."
Okay, this one absolutely pisses me off just because, honestly, someone's moral character shouldn't be measured by what they love. Perhaps some people liked the PT because they found them decent/entertaining movies. And honestly? I really don't get how some can criticize the PT for some problems it shared with the OT. Perhaps what flew over in the OT wouldn't fly today. Perhaps it was how the PT was presented. Whatever it is, you have your opinions, and that's fine. But being a complete and utter dick to people who actually liked them is not helping your case. Everyone has different tastes, and that's fine. But forcing them on other people is not the way to go. At least write up what you think. It doesn't have to be RLM-worthy; just show us your problems with the films. Just show me, show us -- perhaps I can learn something new. Because you know what? Everything has flaws and faults. I'm not going to begrudge people for pointing them out. As long as they're smart and tactful about it, I say that's a good thing. And if they don't insult people who liked the films, so much the better. Because we need more of those on the Internet. We really do.
And those are my thoughts. I apologize if I offended anyone, or wasted anyone's time, or whined, but I had to get them out. Feel free to disagree with me. Also hope it didn't come across as hypocritical or anything.
Thoughts? Comments? Objections? I'll take them. :)
Also, because this has been bugging me for quite a while, I thought that I'd get it out. A while ago, I wrote a bit of a rebuttal to Nilbog's essay regarding rebutting the anti-PT arguments he's heard a lot. While he made some good points, there were still some things that bugged me. On the other hand, it doesn't mean that there aren't anti-PT (or anti-STAR WARS in general) that really bug me. I thought at least I'd blog about them; it's not an attack on anyone specifically or even the fact people dislike the PT. I mean, opinions are wonderful things. I just want to talk about some things that bug me a little. And really? I could be wrong.
Also, they aren't in any particular order. They all bug me, really. Some more than others, but they're all equally...bug-worthy, for lack of a better word.
11. "Han shot first!"
Okay, chalk this one up to something I simply didn't get at first. After all, for me, it was just a scene; a Rodian walks up to a smuggler. He threatens him. The Rodian...well, he doesn't get out alive, really. I'll admit I didn't really get what the fuss was about at first. Although I'll admit that I'm starting to understand their complaints a bit. I mean, it's just unnecessary, and I heavily disagree with why Lucas changed it. Honestly, Lucas, I've said it before and I'll say it again: self-defense is not murder. If someone is about to shoot you, wouldn't it be the smart thing to, you know, defend yourself? Smuggling isn't an easy business. I mean, I'm not a smuggler, but I can imagine it's a profession where you have to think on your feet.
And saying that the "Han shot first" crowd wanted Han to be a cold-blooded killer is just so many levels of "Hell no" that it's enough to make me angry. So honestly, in hindsight, it's not really the decision to make Han shoot first that bugs me. It's the mentality behind it. I mean, Greedo wasn't some poor defenseless hellspawn, Lucas. Han was doing the best he could in the situation. 'Nuff said.
10. "Padme was weak in ROTS."
Okay, it's not the argument itself I have issues with, but some of the ways it's executed. Mostly in regards to some off-LJ, e.g. some on TV Tropes, acting like pregnancy made Padme weak instead of, say, a slip up in the writing. But saying that pregnancy makes Padme weak...it's just insulting, and a different set of misogynistic in the sense of "once you become pregnant, you lose any worth you had previously. It's one thing to say that Padme's characterization suffered a bit (or a lot, YMMV) in ROTS, but saying that pregnancy itself made her weak is not only misogynistic, but it's really stupid.
Granted, this sort of mindset is few and far between (at least here), but...yeah. It's kind of why I loathe Real Women Never Wear Dresses so much; you take awesome women and decry them for having feminine traits, which, IMHO, defeats the purpose of feminism, at least in the sense that femininity = bad. Thankfully, this mindset is actually kind of part of the Vocal Minority, but it still bugs me a bit.
9. "A fourteen year old can't be Queen of Naboo!"
Okay, first, it's a way different galaxy than our own. Of course there are going to be different customs than our own. Second off, there's the matter of history -- I mean, looking through history and everything, there's been some pretty damn young queens (from what I saw/heard) and rulers in general. And finally...well, this was on Twitter, but I ran into a comment that basically said that Padme couldn't be Queen because she was a fourteen year old girl and would thus be thinking about Justin Bieber all the time. I mean, seriously? I mean, when I was fourteen, I wasn't like that (then again, I can't really remember how big Bieber really was until later). Then again, I was the girl who was really obsessed with reading, STAR WARS, LOTR and whatnot, so even if Bieber was big, he would have slipped under my radar.
Not to mention that most fourteen year old girls are smarter than you give them credit for. I mean...seriously, that comment? Can we just retire every sexist stereotype in existence? Thank you.
Thankfully, I doubt most people think that (I think they'd mostly be WTF-ing at a fourteen year old being made queen, which I suppose is more understandable), but it was one comment that just really bugged me. (Why am I suddenly sensing some of pattern?)
8. "The Senate scenes were boring and served no purpose!"
Okay, I can see where the Senate scenes in TPM may have dragged for some people, or seemed redundant or what have you. I mean, Lucas is a wonderful filmmaker, but pacing is not his strong suit. I know C-3PO and R2-D2 wandering through the desert in ANH...I always fast-forwarded past that part when I watched ANH. And the Jabba's palace scene in ROTJ -- then again, it might have been a bit of the personal DNW factor regarding Jabba's palace and, "Can we please leave?" I mean, I actually like ROTJ (ironic, I know), but if Lucas could have cut the Jabba's palace scene a bit, it would have helped, IMHO.
But that said, I think the Senate scenes in TPM were actually pretty neat to watch. I liked seeing Amidala in action, and Palpatine manipulating the course of things to suit his own ends. I guess it all comes down to YMMV in the end, but that at least was pretty cool. And it gave us a glimpse of how corrupt the Republic had become, instead of simply saying it, so that's a plus.
7. "The relationship between Anakin and Padme in TPM was creepy!"
Okay, some have made some valid points, but I'll admit I disagree somewhat. Just because of the fact that in TPM, despite Anakin's little boy crush on her, it was mostly friendship between them. Nothing more. And I quite liked their friendship in TPM; I thought it was cute, for what it's worth. I guess it's really up to YMMV, but for me, it's at least not as bad as, say, an older man getting into a relationship with a preteen, e.g. Marion Ravenwood previously having a relationship with Indiana Jones at eleven years old. (Seriously, George, what the hell?)
6. "There's too much CGI!"
This is actually kind of something that bugs me, because it's used to lambast films over and over again, even when most of the time, practical effects were used (e.g. LORD OF THE RINGS), as well as claiming that CGI has ruined films and that films have lost sight of the story even when they haven't and yadda yadda yadda...while some have valid points, most seem to be just complaining about CGI for the sake of sounding more intelligent or rebellious, not because of any legitimate complaints. While I have no doubt that CGI can be misused (e.g. MIRROR MIRROR, THE CAVERN, etc), most of the time, it's a very beneficial technique that can usually enhance film, and can occasionally be used irresponsibly -- but that's usually the fault of the film itself, not the device itself. Think of it like the Genesis project from STAR TREK -- when used correctly, it can produce miracles, but when misused, it can be a disaster. It really falls to the person who's using it, not the device.
As for the PT in general, one can argue they went overboard on the CGI/blue screen/green screen/etc., but I think they did okay with it, for what it's worth. There are still some practical effects in there, and location shots, and I think they handled the CGI well. Then again, I guess it's just a case of YMMV.
5. "Anakin was too whiny."
Okay, first off, I'm going to say that I really don't mind if people found Anakin a bit whiny. I mean, different levels of angst, different thresholds. But I'll be honest, reading the books for the first time, I didn't mind Anakin. I guess it was because he reminded me a bit of myself -- not quite fitting in, etc. Not to mention, most of the things he complained about were at least understandable, e.g. mentor issues, etc. I guess that was Anakin's problem in the end -- being frustrated with the world around him. I know I can identify with that. I guess for me, it's also mixed with a bit of Donna Noble, what with this line from "Turn Left":
WILF: You're not going to make the world any better by shouting at it.
DONNA: I can try.
And I suppose it's the same with Anakin. As put by Ten 2.0 in "Journey's End" (basically), "shouting at the world because nobody's listening." And I guess that's what makes me ultimately identify with Anakin -- because in a way, I wonder if I'm really worth it. I want to at least be good enough, but like Anakin, I fear that I'm not worth it. And I suppose that's why Vader didn't leave Palpatine (at least one reason) -- he thought he wasn't worth it, that he couldn't be redeemed. At least I can respect Luke for showing him that, yes, yes he is. Not because he's "just that good" per se (although I think I first got that impression when I first saw ROTJ -- ah, those were the days. :), but because he's a very sheltered (quite honestly) young man with a lot of empathy. And because, in a way, because I guess he wanted to know how the good man Obi-Wan described fell -- and if a shred of that man was still in there. And maybe a desire to be loved -- if his reaction near the end of ESB with Vader touching his mind is any indication. A desire for the father he never had. Which makes the end of ROTJ all the more bittersweet, really.
Speaking of things Obi-Wan says...
4. "What was described in the PT has nothing to do with what was in the OT!"
In regards to the Jedi and Anakin, I think it was Obi-Wan trying to use the good things to keep him company, in a sense. Remembering Anakin's virtues, rather than his faults (I know there are some that say, "They were friends?!" in regards to Obi-Wan and Anakin, but I think it says volumes about their relationship that he chose to remember Anakin's virtues, and not his faults), same with the Jedi and the Republic. So I think Obi-Wan was in a bit of grieving mode there when he spoke to Luke; it's probably why he couldn't acknowledge that Anakin and Vader were the same person. All these years and he still couldn't bear associating
the image of the man he cared about most with the monster who wiped out almost all the Jedi and all those other things. So I think Obi-Wan was heavily in Heroic BSOD mode by the time of A NEW HOPE -- even if he was somewhat less obvious about it than Vader.
I guess it's a lesson one can take away from STAR WARS: age is no measure of wisdom. Even adults and older adults can be fallible. And considering that it's a coming of age story for Luke as well as a redemption story for Vader (I would call Luke a deuteragonist, at least), it's a pretty damn valuable lesson to learn. Contrary to the popular trope, adults are far from useless, but it doesn't mean they can't slip up and make mistakes. After all, that's a part of what being human is. And that's not a terrible thing.
There's also the matter of Leia and Padme. I can understand it somewhat, but at the same time, it doesn't mean that Leia didn't dream about her. Or hear it from Bail and Breha. It could be consistent with the OT, at least from a certain point of view.
3. "The portrayal of Anakin in the PT ruined Vader in the OT!"
Okay , maybe I should chalk this one up to a matter of personal taste. I mean, maybe people already had their preconceptions regarding Vader in the OT and what he was like before he fell. But at the same time, stuff like "Vader shouldn't say 'yippee!'" and "he's too nice" -- seriously, guys, this isn't THE OMEN or THE BAD SEED or THE GOOD SON or what-have-you. Vader actually was a good man before he fell. Hell, Obi-Wan said it himself, and for everything else he may have twisted slightly, I don't think he was lying about that. Hell, if Vader was evil-coated evil with evil filling, he wouldn't have said, "It's too late for me" (which I think ties into Vader having the inverted equivalent of a Heroic BSOD. I don't mean Villainous. Breakdown, but being in a major state of anger and depression after REVENGE OF THE SITH. Just being completely numb until he heard about Luke), nor would he have saved Luke at the end. Hell, Luke would have looked a bit like an idiot for trying to save him. Maybe it was different for those who were in the theater when Vader made the infamous reveal of ESB, but honestly? DOCTOR WHO would have got there first (there was a story that was ultimately replaced with "Planet of the Spiders" after Roger Delgado's untimely death that involved the Master sacrificing himself to save the Doctor's life (after which the Doctor would have regenerated), during which the Doctor and the Master would have been revealed to be either brothers, or two halves of the same person. So STAR WARS didn't exactly invent the trope. It just pulled it off in a very intriguing and powerful way. And really? Vader isn't just the mask anymore. He's a lot more than that. What Lucas was trying to do, ultimately, was show us a life -- how a good man turns to evil. And yes, Anakin was a good man. Brave, determined, loving, devoted, perceptive -- things like that. And not everyone likes him just because of "zomgHaydenChristensen!" Hell, some of us loved him from the beginning. Hell, I read the books first, so I ultimately fell in love with him for his personality, not his looks. And really? There's nothing wrong with finding him handsome. Not to mention that true, perhaps sympathy isn't always needed for villains (although I say "why not?" I mean, I say anyone who can make me hate, fear and pity a villain at the same time -- e.g. Bane -- definitely deserves some kudos), but it shouldn't be said that portraying a villain as sympathetic makes them wimpy. Just look at Noatak and Tarrlok from LEGEND OF KORRA, and Rameses from THE PRINCE OF EGYPT, and Mr. Freeze from BTAS. Sometimes, the villains who break your heart in one way or another are the best ones.
2. "George Lucas raped my childhood!"
Sadly, this isn't really played for laughs very much. I know on Twitter, I ran across someone who told Lucas to, and I quote, "get your cock out of my childhood's ass", all over, of all things, a poster for one of the Celebrations that crossed over STAR WARS and CARS. Which is a bit odd, perhaps, but there are worse things to get upset over. Besides, the phrase is demeaning to people who have been through actual rape experiences. Rape is a horrific act that no one should have to go through, and comparing you not getting your way to the horror of rape is so many levels of disgusting that I can't count them. Being upset with some of LucasArts' decisions...fine. Opinions and all. But comparing it to rape is absolutely disgusting, and something that, IMHO, needs to be retired, preferably immediately. Because honestly? You're better than this. You really are.
1. "Anyone who liked the PT was so starved for anything STAR WARS that they lowered their expectations."
Okay, this one absolutely pisses me off just because, honestly, someone's moral character shouldn't be measured by what they love. Perhaps some people liked the PT because they found them decent/entertaining movies. And honestly? I really don't get how some can criticize the PT for some problems it shared with the OT. Perhaps what flew over in the OT wouldn't fly today. Perhaps it was how the PT was presented. Whatever it is, you have your opinions, and that's fine. But being a complete and utter dick to people who actually liked them is not helping your case. Everyone has different tastes, and that's fine. But forcing them on other people is not the way to go. At least write up what you think. It doesn't have to be RLM-worthy; just show us your problems with the films. Just show me, show us -- perhaps I can learn something new. Because you know what? Everything has flaws and faults. I'm not going to begrudge people for pointing them out. As long as they're smart and tactful about it, I say that's a good thing. And if they don't insult people who liked the films, so much the better. Because we need more of those on the Internet. We really do.
And those are my thoughts. I apologize if I offended anyone, or wasted anyone's time, or whined, but I had to get them out. Feel free to disagree with me. Also hope it didn't come across as hypocritical or anything.
Thoughts? Comments? Objections? I'll take them. :)