Meh
Burn me at the stake if you need to, but ick. My ranking for the six films remains:
1. Episode V
2. Episode IV
Tied for last place: all the others
In fact I'm not going to spend much energy analyzing/organizing my thoughts; I'll just scatter 'em around.
(Spoilers Ahead)
-Little or no context for the "political" developments ... I never figured out what was at risk in the Republic's slide into empire/tyranny. "Separatists" are mentioned a couple time ... who are they and what do they want? Do they eventually become the Rebel Alliance? That would be good to know/see. Also: who exactly are the Sith again? Just that one guy? And what are they avenging?
-You will read in many places that Anakin's seduction by the dark side is gradual and believable. It is not. True, if I thought my wife were in danger there's a lot I'd do to protect her. But murdering a dozen or so 8-year-olds in my religion's holiest site would require a little extra somethin'-somethin', as they say.
-I found the allusions to contemporary (real-world) geopolitics & attitudes heavy-handed and incoherent. Obi-Wan to Anakin: "Only a Sith Lord deals in absolutes" ... shortly thereafter (or therebefore, I forget) Anakin to Obi-Wan "From my point of view, the Jedi are evil". So which one is the relativist? And is that bad?
It's now a moot point, but if someone wants to remake the last 3 films, here's two words that could Drastically Improve your Mileage:
Han Solo
I don't mean that we need to see the 10-year-old Solo applying to pilot school, or whatever. I mean that Solo's character provided many of the things that made 4,5, and 6 "work" so much better than 1,2, and 3. Wherever and however you can get them in there, you need:
-Skepticism: everyone in the pre-trilogy is so damn sincere that it's almost impossible to listen to them. Solo provided balance, and an onscreen voice for that part of the viewer that thinks the Force sounds likea a bunch of mumbo-jumbo.
-Arrogance: a cocky bastard onscreen does a tremendous amount for what they call "chemistry" ... Solo making passes at Leia, shooting Greedo, bragging about the Mill. Falcon ... these bits engage the audience with recognizable human behavior.
-Moral Ambivalence: If I remember correctly, Solo was a smuggler, thoroughly egocentric, but intensely loyal. A pirate and a good man, as Johnny Depp would say. I'd rather have him on my side than Mace Windu any day.
What did you think?
1. Episode V
2. Episode IV
Tied for last place: all the others
In fact I'm not going to spend much energy analyzing/organizing my thoughts; I'll just scatter 'em around.
(Spoilers Ahead)
-Little or no context for the "political" developments ... I never figured out what was at risk in the Republic's slide into empire/tyranny. "Separatists" are mentioned a couple time ... who are they and what do they want? Do they eventually become the Rebel Alliance? That would be good to know/see. Also: who exactly are the Sith again? Just that one guy? And what are they avenging?
-You will read in many places that Anakin's seduction by the dark side is gradual and believable. It is not. True, if I thought my wife were in danger there's a lot I'd do to protect her. But murdering a dozen or so 8-year-olds in my religion's holiest site would require a little extra somethin'-somethin', as they say.
-I found the allusions to contemporary (real-world) geopolitics & attitudes heavy-handed and incoherent. Obi-Wan to Anakin: "Only a Sith Lord deals in absolutes" ... shortly thereafter (or therebefore, I forget) Anakin to Obi-Wan "From my point of view, the Jedi are evil". So which one is the relativist? And is that bad?
It's now a moot point, but if someone wants to remake the last 3 films, here's two words that could Drastically Improve your Mileage:
Han Solo
I don't mean that we need to see the 10-year-old Solo applying to pilot school, or whatever. I mean that Solo's character provided many of the things that made 4,5, and 6 "work" so much better than 1,2, and 3. Wherever and however you can get them in there, you need:
-Skepticism: everyone in the pre-trilogy is so damn sincere that it's almost impossible to listen to them. Solo provided balance, and an onscreen voice for that part of the viewer that thinks the Force sounds likea a bunch of mumbo-jumbo.
-Arrogance: a cocky bastard onscreen does a tremendous amount for what they call "chemistry" ... Solo making passes at Leia, shooting Greedo, bragging about the Mill. Falcon ... these bits engage the audience with recognizable human behavior.
-Moral Ambivalence: If I remember correctly, Solo was a smuggler, thoroughly egocentric, but intensely loyal. A pirate and a good man, as Johnny Depp would say. I'd rather have him on my side than Mace Windu any day.
What did you think?
posted by Matt C at
5:39 AM
5 Comments:
I agree completely with your rankings and your analysis, especially about all the HanSoloesque stuff that was missing from episodes 1-3.
I must say I wasn't smacked-in-the-face by the current-affiars allusions, because I honestly didn't catch any of those word-for-word lines. perhaps it's because I've gone on a media diet for almost a year now - only getting news that I actively seek out (via Google Alerts, mostly).
I did happen to see a commercial for an O'Reilly show that had him questioning whether there was an "Anti-Bush Message" in the film, though I didn't hear Bush's name in any of the horrible dialogue.
By
luke, at 10:40 AM
hehe... yeah i think they just barely managed not to accidentally freudianly say "Bush" instead of "Palpatine" in a couple of parts.
By
Matt C, at 3:04 PM
this could be interesting though...
(Bush == Palpatine && Rove == Anakin) || (Bush == Anakin && Rove == Palpatine)
?
By
luke, at 8:31 AM
oh yeah...
I think Bush == Anakin. started out with good intentions, but became just a powerful puppet.
By
luke, at 8:34 AM
Bush = Palpatine + Anakin rolled into one. Rove = Dooku (when he had a head)
By
Matt C, at 7:50 AM
Post a Comment
<< Home