Star Wars Talk
May. 21st, 2005 10:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
akeyoftime*sporks the appropriate parties in frustration*
In other news, I saw George Lucas' latest offering today. Behind a cut, because it's all the rage!
All in all, not a bad movie. There, I've said it. I liked it and I don't care who knows. Some parts of the movie were trash (Lucas should not be allowed to write people-in-love dialogue, ugh). Some parts made me cry (Don't kill the Younglings, damn you!) Did anyone get why Yoda's eyes turned yellow for a moment? And was I the only incapable of understanding Padme's last words? And why did C3PO's mind have to be wiped, but not R2D2's?
My chief complaint about this movie is the last half hour or so: the treatment of Padme's death, Darth Vader's rise and the birth of the twins. I think Lucas fell into the usual trap of "Women in love are weak without their men!" (See Robert Jordan for further elaboration) and did her character a disservice by killing her off because she "lost the will to live". She had a baby - two, as it turned out - to live for. Yes, her continued life would have been a pain in the ass to write, but I see no problems with dying from labour itself, or the injuries Anakin did/could have inflected on her. Luckily for Lucas, he did give her one of the best lines of the movie, regarding the fall of democracy. Frankly, that was the only scene in the movie where she seemed herself: strong, smart and capable.
Regarding Anakin's visual transformation into Vader, I think a well placed "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!11!!!!11one" sums it up.
As for ickle!Luke and ickle!Leia, I have no problems with the babies. Great, fine, two of them, just like there are supposed to be. But the naming of them felt like a plot device, Lucas giving that not-so-subtle push to make sure beyond any shadow of a doubt, tha we know who those kids are. She couldn't have had one or two lines earlier, talking about baby names (Leia if it's a girl, Luke if it's a boy)? Wouldn't it have been all the more interesting if Anakin had suggested one of those names?
But I digress. I can live with the baby naming, I can live with no one being aware they were twins (not to mention her ability to run so easily while pregnant)... but the way they were separated is just so banal. Yoda makes a valid point in suggesting they should be split up and kept away from the Sith, and then it all goes to hell. A former politician of the old Republic, relatively high profile for random Storm Troopers to know who he is, and a "Your Highness" to boot, thinks Leia will be safe from the Sith and it's current political influence with him? And they all agree? And why is no one worried about Luke going to Tattooine. Yes, I understand that Obi Wan will be nearby, but my God people, does no one think that maybe, just maybe, putting Anakin's baby with family he knows exist might be a bad idea? Just the fact that they all nod and go along with it is what irks me: it's really not that bad an idea, but Lucas, come on. Stop prepping us for the next trilogy and finish this one off with all the grace it should have.
Really though, I did enjoy it. The flow was infinitely better in this movie than the last, and Chancellor Palpatine gets my vote for Teh Awesome. As he manipulated Anakin so easily I giving him props.I was not thinking that he's Slytherin through and through. I have not also decided that Anakin is a Gryffindor, nor that Padme is a Ravenclaw. The lightsaber effects were, as always, a delight to watch and baring the opening sequence, I quite enjoyed all the battles. Watching Anakin become Vader was an eerie process, and while perhaps not as well acted as it could have been, the last battle between Obi Wan and Anakin was chilling. A little over done, maybe? But I got all nice and swept up in the moment, so I'm happy with it.
Chewwie's cameo was not only delightful, it also featured a Yoda-piggyback, which was adorable. On other random notes, knowing Mace Windu was going to die was a sad thing (though perhaps more so because he's played by Samuel L Jackson), Obi Wan's actor (who's name escapes me) gave a great performance, the application of JarJar was tasteful and I loved the nod to the Death Star and the hollow-cheeked general in the next trilogy.
In other news, it was wickledly windy tonight and we drove all about the coast-line to watch the waves crash. It was absolutely spectacular. I wanted to cheer on the windsurfers braving the elements - it must have been a real rush to be out there tonight.
In other news, I saw George Lucas' latest offering today. Behind a cut, because it's all the rage!
All in all, not a bad movie. There, I've said it. I liked it and I don't care who knows. Some parts of the movie were trash (Lucas should not be allowed to write people-in-love dialogue, ugh). Some parts made me cry (Don't kill the Younglings, damn you!) Did anyone get why Yoda's eyes turned yellow for a moment? And was I the only incapable of understanding Padme's last words? And why did C3PO's mind have to be wiped, but not R2D2's?
My chief complaint about this movie is the last half hour or so: the treatment of Padme's death, Darth Vader's rise and the birth of the twins. I think Lucas fell into the usual trap of "Women in love are weak without their men!" (See Robert Jordan for further elaboration) and did her character a disservice by killing her off because she "lost the will to live". She had a baby - two, as it turned out - to live for. Yes, her continued life would have been a pain in the ass to write, but I see no problems with dying from labour itself, or the injuries Anakin did/could have inflected on her. Luckily for Lucas, he did give her one of the best lines of the movie, regarding the fall of democracy. Frankly, that was the only scene in the movie where she seemed herself: strong, smart and capable.
Regarding Anakin's visual transformation into Vader, I think a well placed "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!11!!!!11one" sums it up.
As for ickle!Luke and ickle!Leia, I have no problems with the babies. Great, fine, two of them, just like there are supposed to be. But the naming of them felt like a plot device, Lucas giving that not-so-subtle push to make sure beyond any shadow of a doubt, tha we know who those kids are. She couldn't have had one or two lines earlier, talking about baby names (Leia if it's a girl, Luke if it's a boy)? Wouldn't it have been all the more interesting if Anakin had suggested one of those names?
But I digress. I can live with the baby naming, I can live with no one being aware they were twins (not to mention her ability to run so easily while pregnant)... but the way they were separated is just so banal. Yoda makes a valid point in suggesting they should be split up and kept away from the Sith, and then it all goes to hell. A former politician of the old Republic, relatively high profile for random Storm Troopers to know who he is, and a "Your Highness" to boot, thinks Leia will be safe from the Sith and it's current political influence with him? And they all agree? And why is no one worried about Luke going to Tattooine. Yes, I understand that Obi Wan will be nearby, but my God people, does no one think that maybe, just maybe, putting Anakin's baby with family he knows exist might be a bad idea? Just the fact that they all nod and go along with it is what irks me: it's really not that bad an idea, but Lucas, come on. Stop prepping us for the next trilogy and finish this one off with all the grace it should have.
Really though, I did enjoy it. The flow was infinitely better in this movie than the last, and Chancellor Palpatine gets my vote for Teh Awesome. As he manipulated Anakin so easily I giving him props.
Chewwie's cameo was not only delightful, it also featured a Yoda-piggyback, which was adorable. On other random notes, knowing Mace Windu was going to die was a sad thing (though perhaps more so because he's played by Samuel L Jackson), Obi Wan's actor (who's name escapes me) gave a great performance, the application of JarJar was tasteful and I loved the nod to the Death Star and the hollow-cheeked general in the next trilogy.
In other news, it was wickledly windy tonight and we drove all about the coast-line to watch the waves crash. It was absolutely spectacular. I wanted to cheer on the windsurfers braving the elements - it must have been a real rush to be out there tonight.
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Date: 2005-05-23 08:30 am (UTC)