We Have Achieved...
...Darth Vader!
UPDATE: The movie was excellent. Not better than Empire, but definitely better than Return of the Jedi. The lack of fighting teddy bears didn't hurt. Obviously it was better than the last two atrocities. The film did live up to my expectations.
I had read that people were hoping that somehow Anakin would not to turn into Darth Vader, even though they knew it was a vain hope. I was not amongst those people. I was happy when the transformation to Vader finally occurred. The breathing. James Earl Jones' voice. I wish there had been even more.
Only venture below if you don't mind spoilers.
They did tie up some loose ends. They off-handedly explained why the ghosts of Anakin and Obi Wan were able to appear in Return of the Jedi, even though according to the first two movies, dead Jedis became one with the Force.
They also explain why C3P0 has no memory of Anakin/Vader in the original trilogy, even though Anakin built him.
I don't quite grasp why in one sentence Yoda suggested they had to hide the children somewhere the Sith couldn't find them, but several sentences later thought it would be a really good idea to send Luke to Tatooine to live with his aunt and uncle (aka Anakin's stepbrother and sister-in-law). I'm just thinking there was the possibility that Vader might actually keep tabs on his family. I realize this is probably why Vader knew he had a son, but did not know he had a daughter until Luke told him. But why the lapse in Yoda's thought process?
After this film, I understood a bit more the casting of Ewan McGregor as Obi Wan. He does actually physically look like he might turn into Alec Guinness when he's 70. Although he still lacks the acting chops. Either that or he was very poorly directed.
Hayden Christensen - So not becoming James Earl Jones when he grows up. Yes, they explained how Anakin became seduced by the Dark Side. But the kid lacks the presence to believably become the Darth Vader.
Natalie Portman - I know she can actually act, as I've seen her do so in other films. So she must have been hideously directed. Like a stick of wood wearing danishes on the side of her head, she was (okay, the danishes only appeared in one scene).
Yoda? Well, Yoda still rocks.
Comments
Well??
Posted by: Solonor | May 21, 2005 08:50 PM
Empire wasn't a movie. It had no closure, and the bad guys won in the end so it was dramatically unsatisfying. From what I hear Revenge of the Sith is much the same. I think I'll pass.
Posted by: Elayne Riggs | May 22, 2005 05:47 AM
That's an interesting comment. It never seemed to me that a movie had to have closure and the good guys winning in the end to be satisfying. But you're right about Revenge of the Sith. It does not have closure, in and of itself. Only in the context of the six movies. And the bad guys do triumph in the end.
However, it is meant to be taken as part of a whole, much like the three books of Lord of the Rings. You see this movie knowing that in the end, the good guys do win. Anakin fulfills his destiny as The Chosen One, destroying the Sith and restoring balance to the Force. This was just one part of his journey. A journey, given how fatalistic this movie was in other respects, that I'd venture to say couldn't have been avoided for him to finally destroy the Sith.
Posted by: Lesley | May 22, 2005 11:04 AM
I had a couple of problems with the movie.
The gap between III and IV begs to be filled. Yes Lucas ties the series together, and that seems to be his main motivation.
How does Luke get to his relatives on Tatooine? How come C3PO has no memory? As you point out Vader would look to family to find his son.
Okay george why does R2D2 get to keep its memory? Was C3PO's OS by microsoft, hence it needed wiped for a new owner, but R2D2 had a different OS so a fresh instal was not required? the two 'bots were right there, why the order to wipe ne, not the other? My guess is R2 had a killer selection of mp3's that were no longer available for download.
I did not see a transformation from caring soon to be father to child killer. (kid behind me broke out crying when that happened - parents be forewarned it may be emotionally too much for young kids) That was not believable acting, or storytelling.
Yes Yoda rocks. His fight in the senate chamber, where the vehicle of democracy is literally torn down is the best fight scene.
Posted by: Justin | May 23, 2005 12:02 PM
Because C3P0 speaks English and is a blabbermouth, whereas no one can understand R2D2 but C3PO and R2's good at keeping secrets?
Posted by: Lesley | May 23, 2005 01:26 PM
Yep, C3PO has an easily compromised Microsoft OS - It will spill its secrets at the hint of a query, in spite of programing directions that say "shut the hell up" DSO expoits allow any and all access to information stored there.
R2 is a safe and secure OS with an encrypted uncompromised database. All the better for storage of pirated music and rebel plans.
I think I just had my geek card validated. :-(
Posted by: Justin | May 23, 2005 03:13 PM
Ok, I have now seen Episode III. It's a good movie, the third best in the series, but it took a long time before I began to enjoy it. The first half hour was misery. The fight scene where they rescue Palpatine was like watching an extended video game. The diaglogue and acting are more wooden than a petrified tree, especially the ludicrious scenes between Anakin and Padme. George Lucas simply cannot write a multi-dimensional script. The best dialogue is veiled, where the characters don't say explicitly what they mean, but where it comes across anyway. No crap like "You're so beautiful" to express love for your paramour. Contrast to Notorious and the scene at the race track with Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. They don't come anywhere close to expressing a loving emotion, yet is clear that they're desperately in love. That's powerful and meaningful stuff. Oy, was that a rant.
One more rant. I don't agree that Anakin's switch to the dark side is believable. He does it for Padame, never once believing that Palpatine has any good intentions or that the Jedis are traitors, but yet somehow during the later scenes, he says his motivation is because of those dirty Jedis. Then there's the whole "What have I done" thing followed immediately by his getting down on his knees and calling Palpatine his master. Shortcuts don't work in movies. I would rather have had another 15 minutes or so that would have given Anakin the time to brood on his betrayal, try to come to grips with what he did, and only at the end after something dramatic, bending at the feet of Palpatine.
Posted by: Jon | May 27, 2005 03:19 PM