Revenge of the Sith
May. 27th, 2005 08:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
redfiona99Dear George Lucas, I officially forgive you for 'The Phantom Menace' and 'Attack of the Clones'.
Because it was good. Not great but good nonetheless. Admittedly there is a quick way of avoiding the bad scenes, any scene where Natalie Portman speaks is a bad scene. I swear she used to be able to act, but apparently she has lost it somewhere along the line. Actually that's not true, when she wasn't speaking she was fine but since everyone else did so much better with the lines this time round I'm not sure if I can blame a lousy script.
Opening scene was well filmed. There was Christopher Lee, it's all good. Since I have no other place to put this - the droids done good. R2D2 especially but C3PO as well, and I loved the random cameos from Chewie and Wedge.
Obi-Wan and Anakin seem to be getting along better, being a Knight suits Anakin. Or rather not having to take Obi-Wan's orders suits him, and not having to cope with the Padawan from hell suits Obi-Wan.
General Grevious is just not evil enough.
Meanwhile Darth Sideous/Chancellor Palpatine/the Emperor is exactly the right kind of evil. Damn his is evil. Or EVIL!!! to be more exact. Ian McDiarmid rocks. Even if I spent the film declaiming that he needed to be dead. He's a very good bad guy though, he played Anakin and the council like a flute. Everytime they did anything it played right into his hands.
I actually liked Anakin for once. He was rather horribly understandable. Admittedly there were a few occasions where I wanted to smack him and tell him to stop being so either conceited or dumb, but this is Anakin, what did I expect? It was obvious that really, until right at the end, the rest of the universe could go to hell as far as he was concerned as long as Padme was all right. And while it may make him crazy and obsessed, it is at least sweet. Plus it finally meant there was a reason for the 'Jedi should not fall in love' rule, which while I may think is stupid, because really, would you want these incredibly powerful people making decisions based on powerful emotions like love.
Although really Yoda, advice beyond 'she's going to die, learn to live with that knowledge' would have been handy.
But yeah, given that I have mocked him before, Hayden Christiansen does well with his transformation. You can see the moment where he gives up, and it's when he kills Mace Windu, and there's just this 'okay trying to convince myself that I'm doing the right thing, and whoops, my brain is breaking' moment and then he's a Sith, not because he's about to do bad things, but because he's not questioning the order to do bad things.
BTW for an knowledgable bunch and supposedly the upholders of law the Jedi Counsel are kind of thick. I mean really. Yoda at least was reasonable, Mace Windu meanwhile seemed to be helping evil at every turn by being stupid. Dear Mace, it says in your sodding code no stabbing of downed, unarmed opponents, don't do it in front of an incredibly powerful kid who you know has wavering loyalties. Really, how difficult is it to do?! (And yes I know that the Emperor would probably have zapped him but it might have shown Anakin that the Emperor was not to be trusted.
Actually this is where the film actually gets good from the point where the Emperor reveals himself as a Sith Lord to the end. There are good scenes before that, noticibly Obi-Wan at the Separatist's Hideout and any scene with the Emperor, but this is where it really kicks into gear. Because you've got the music going and the Jedi finally doing something (also while it hurt to see him go, at least Kit Fisto got to unleash his lightsabre before being smashed, plus, given how good he is with a lightsabre (as evidenced by Episode II) it shows how good the Emperor is), and Natalie Portman acting not talking. And the music. Did I mention the music? So good. I shall also summerarily forgive John Williams Harry Potter I and II because this one was so good.
Then comes Anakin going psycho and the entrance into the Temple which is cool and ouch at the same time, because the Younglings, they stand no chance. PS to those cranky-pants who don't like Younglings as a term, come up with something better because I happen to think it works.
I really like how they had Captain Coney (well that's what I heard) being nice one moment, and all the moments leading up to it, and then suddenly trying to kill Obi-Wan. And the same thing happening to all the Jedi who had clone troopers with them (even if I was thinking bad, wrong, silly Firefly thoughts at the time).
I'd love to know how you work a clone army. Do they have the same name or what? Numbers? The mechanics of their individual lives intrigues me.
Love how the Wookies actually helped Yoda out. Go team Wookie. Yoda's reaction shots when he could feel the Jedi dying were great too.
Bail Organa actually got something to do this time. It wasn't much, and was quite ineffective in one scene outside the Temple, but I like how he at least had the brains to try and find Yoda and save any other Jedi who he could find. Not that there were many but still he tried. And you could see where Leia got her resourcefulness from.
Best/Worst thing ever - Yoda telling Obi-Wan not to look at the security video because it will only upset him and Obi-Wan just having to look. Closely followed by Obi-Wan's 'I'm so sorry' when leaving Padme. Because it was this wonderful mix of 'I'm so sorry your husband has turned out to be a Sith', 'I'm so sorry to be the one who had to tell you', 'I'm sorry I'm going to have to kill him' and 'Yes, really you stupid cow Anakin is a Sith and I have to kill him, I'm no happier about it than you are but I'm doing this for the good of the Republic, so don't be all "no, I can't" with me'.
What do you think the chances of Padme convincing Anakin not to go all dark-side would have been if Obi-Wan hadn't turned up? Just wondering.
Loved how Anakin lost the tar-pit fight through not listening to Obi-Wan's good advice, because I never wanted Obi-Wan to win clean. That was my only major problem with the film, they didn't have Obi-Wan being beaten black and blue by Anakin, because really this is supposed to be one of the best lightsabre fighters in the galaxy against Obi-Wan who is only very, very, very good.
It would also have been better if they hadn't inter-cut it with Yoda's fight. Thing I loved most about it, other than the little green menace in general, was the way when Yoda realised he was going to lose he also realised that no, this wasn't the time for grand, dramatic sacrifice of life. He was one of the last two Jedis left. He might be needed in future. Death would be pointless. Yoda I love indeed.
That scene where they're putting together Darth Vader was spine-tingling. Plus it kind of put an extra seal of evil on the Emperor, telling Anakin that he'd killed Padme, making it sound like he had really rather than metaphorically, which is what probably happened (so glad Leia doesn't take after her mother).
Really liked the ending because it set up 'A New Hope' and in the way it was hopeful. Alderaan is very pretty.
And now
Because yes, the poor boy does deserve his own cut-tag. Because ouch, I'm actually trying to think of a character than fate spits on quite as much as him, and the only names I'm coming up with are Wesley and Faramir.
Ewan McGregor acted his socks off. He made some stinkers of lines sound good. And he nailed yet another transition. Because really Ewan McGregor has had to go from
1) Young Obi-Wan - sarcastic little blighter who loves and adores his Master despite knowing that he does some stupid things sometimes.
to
2) Jedi-Knight with padawan Obi-Wan - who is still sarcastic and just does not gel with Anakin because Anakin is a brat and Obi-Wan is doing his best but Anakin never listens, which is kind of Obi-Wan's fault for never ever complimenting him and the constant sarcasm
to
3) Jedi-Master Obi-Wan - who finally gets on with Anakin because they've got basically the same status so there's no power-issues between them and has therefore mellowed somewhat.
And he manages more or less. By the end of the film you could see Ben Kenobi could come from him.
Obi-Wan is actually the only speaking Jedi who isn't Yoda who's actions make sense both in film and actual sense. I know various people are all grrr argh about him not helping Anakin out of the tar-pit but hello, Anakin has 1) helped in the killing of the Jedi order, 2)utterly betrayed Obi-Wan's teaching, 3) utterly betrayed the hope the Jedis put in him, and more particularly the hope Qui-Gon put in him and 4) killed the younglings. Most of those are particularly unforgivable. I actually think that Obi-Wan could have forgiven Anakin everything but 4. But Obi-Wan still can't kill him, and while leaving someone to die is still as bad, I can see why Obi-Wan can see it as being not as bad but still serving the purpose.
BTW is anyone in doubt that 'you were the chosen one!' sound of betrayal had as much to do with Qui-Gon saying Anakin was the chosen one and how could Anakin therefore not be as with the rest of the council saying it. Even though Yoda totally called it and asked 'what did the prophecy mean by balance?'.
And Yoda telling Obi-Wan that Qui-Gon has figured out how to be a Force-ghost (even if he doesn't say Qui-Gon we, and Obi-Wan, know who he means) might be pure fan-service, even if it explains how Obi-Wan and Yoda could do it automatically when no one else in the prequels has, but damn it's the kind of fan-service I'm in favour of. Because well after that trauma I'm kind of glad that he gets something that resembles a happy ending.
It has to be said the Obi-Wan/Qui-Gon is my 'what do you mean it's not canon' pairing. Or at least the fact that Obi-Wan is in love with Qui-Gon. Which kind of makes me love him more because Anakin fell to pieces with the threat of his loved one dying while Obi-Wan keeps it together when his does. I'm greatly in favour of people who keep it together in trying circumstances.
In many ways Obi-Wan, along with Yoda and Qui-Gon, are the perfect Jedis because they're constant. They're not brilliant, Obi-Wan most definitely isn't and is more than willing to admit that (see my other reason for loving him, it's not modesty or compliment fishing, it's the truth as he sees it) but he tries and does his best and obeys the rules and does not futz-up when things go bad.
I <3 Obi-Wan and did even in the originals.
Because it was good. Not great but good nonetheless. Admittedly there is a quick way of avoiding the bad scenes, any scene where Natalie Portman speaks is a bad scene. I swear she used to be able to act, but apparently she has lost it somewhere along the line. Actually that's not true, when she wasn't speaking she was fine but since everyone else did so much better with the lines this time round I'm not sure if I can blame a lousy script.
Opening scene was well filmed. There was Christopher Lee, it's all good. Since I have no other place to put this - the droids done good. R2D2 especially but C3PO as well, and I loved the random cameos from Chewie and Wedge.
Obi-Wan and Anakin seem to be getting along better, being a Knight suits Anakin. Or rather not having to take Obi-Wan's orders suits him, and not having to cope with the Padawan from hell suits Obi-Wan.
General Grevious is just not evil enough.
Meanwhile Darth Sideous/Chancellor Palpatine/the Emperor is exactly the right kind of evil. Damn his is evil. Or EVIL!!! to be more exact. Ian McDiarmid rocks. Even if I spent the film declaiming that he needed to be dead. He's a very good bad guy though, he played Anakin and the council like a flute. Everytime they did anything it played right into his hands.
I actually liked Anakin for once. He was rather horribly understandable. Admittedly there were a few occasions where I wanted to smack him and tell him to stop being so either conceited or dumb, but this is Anakin, what did I expect? It was obvious that really, until right at the end, the rest of the universe could go to hell as far as he was concerned as long as Padme was all right. And while it may make him crazy and obsessed, it is at least sweet. Plus it finally meant there was a reason for the 'Jedi should not fall in love' rule, which while I may think is stupid, because really, would you want these incredibly powerful people making decisions based on powerful emotions like love.
Although really Yoda, advice beyond 'she's going to die, learn to live with that knowledge' would have been handy.
But yeah, given that I have mocked him before, Hayden Christiansen does well with his transformation. You can see the moment where he gives up, and it's when he kills Mace Windu, and there's just this 'okay trying to convince myself that I'm doing the right thing, and whoops, my brain is breaking' moment and then he's a Sith, not because he's about to do bad things, but because he's not questioning the order to do bad things.
BTW for an knowledgable bunch and supposedly the upholders of law the Jedi Counsel are kind of thick. I mean really. Yoda at least was reasonable, Mace Windu meanwhile seemed to be helping evil at every turn by being stupid. Dear Mace, it says in your sodding code no stabbing of downed, unarmed opponents, don't do it in front of an incredibly powerful kid who you know has wavering loyalties. Really, how difficult is it to do?! (And yes I know that the Emperor would probably have zapped him but it might have shown Anakin that the Emperor was not to be trusted.
Actually this is where the film actually gets good from the point where the Emperor reveals himself as a Sith Lord to the end. There are good scenes before that, noticibly Obi-Wan at the Separatist's Hideout and any scene with the Emperor, but this is where it really kicks into gear. Because you've got the music going and the Jedi finally doing something (also while it hurt to see him go, at least Kit Fisto got to unleash his lightsabre before being smashed, plus, given how good he is with a lightsabre (as evidenced by Episode II) it shows how good the Emperor is), and Natalie Portman acting not talking. And the music. Did I mention the music? So good. I shall also summerarily forgive John Williams Harry Potter I and II because this one was so good.
Then comes Anakin going psycho and the entrance into the Temple which is cool and ouch at the same time, because the Younglings, they stand no chance. PS to those cranky-pants who don't like Younglings as a term, come up with something better because I happen to think it works.
I really like how they had Captain Coney (well that's what I heard) being nice one moment, and all the moments leading up to it, and then suddenly trying to kill Obi-Wan. And the same thing happening to all the Jedi who had clone troopers with them (even if I was thinking bad, wrong, silly Firefly thoughts at the time).
I'd love to know how you work a clone army. Do they have the same name or what? Numbers? The mechanics of their individual lives intrigues me.
Love how the Wookies actually helped Yoda out. Go team Wookie. Yoda's reaction shots when he could feel the Jedi dying were great too.
Bail Organa actually got something to do this time. It wasn't much, and was quite ineffective in one scene outside the Temple, but I like how he at least had the brains to try and find Yoda and save any other Jedi who he could find. Not that there were many but still he tried. And you could see where Leia got her resourcefulness from.
Best/Worst thing ever - Yoda telling Obi-Wan not to look at the security video because it will only upset him and Obi-Wan just having to look. Closely followed by Obi-Wan's 'I'm so sorry' when leaving Padme. Because it was this wonderful mix of 'I'm so sorry your husband has turned out to be a Sith', 'I'm so sorry to be the one who had to tell you', 'I'm sorry I'm going to have to kill him' and 'Yes, really you stupid cow Anakin is a Sith and I have to kill him, I'm no happier about it than you are but I'm doing this for the good of the Republic, so don't be all "no, I can't" with me'.
What do you think the chances of Padme convincing Anakin not to go all dark-side would have been if Obi-Wan hadn't turned up? Just wondering.
Loved how Anakin lost the tar-pit fight through not listening to Obi-Wan's good advice, because I never wanted Obi-Wan to win clean. That was my only major problem with the film, they didn't have Obi-Wan being beaten black and blue by Anakin, because really this is supposed to be one of the best lightsabre fighters in the galaxy against Obi-Wan who is only very, very, very good.
It would also have been better if they hadn't inter-cut it with Yoda's fight. Thing I loved most about it, other than the little green menace in general, was the way when Yoda realised he was going to lose he also realised that no, this wasn't the time for grand, dramatic sacrifice of life. He was one of the last two Jedis left. He might be needed in future. Death would be pointless. Yoda I love indeed.
That scene where they're putting together Darth Vader was spine-tingling. Plus it kind of put an extra seal of evil on the Emperor, telling Anakin that he'd killed Padme, making it sound like he had really rather than metaphorically, which is what probably happened (so glad Leia doesn't take after her mother).
Really liked the ending because it set up 'A New Hope' and in the way it was hopeful. Alderaan is very pretty.
And now
Because yes, the poor boy does deserve his own cut-tag. Because ouch, I'm actually trying to think of a character than fate spits on quite as much as him, and the only names I'm coming up with are Wesley and Faramir.
Ewan McGregor acted his socks off. He made some stinkers of lines sound good. And he nailed yet another transition. Because really Ewan McGregor has had to go from
1) Young Obi-Wan - sarcastic little blighter who loves and adores his Master despite knowing that he does some stupid things sometimes.
to
2) Jedi-Knight with padawan Obi-Wan - who is still sarcastic and just does not gel with Anakin because Anakin is a brat and Obi-Wan is doing his best but Anakin never listens, which is kind of Obi-Wan's fault for never ever complimenting him and the constant sarcasm
to
3) Jedi-Master Obi-Wan - who finally gets on with Anakin because they've got basically the same status so there's no power-issues between them and has therefore mellowed somewhat.
And he manages more or less. By the end of the film you could see Ben Kenobi could come from him.
Obi-Wan is actually the only speaking Jedi who isn't Yoda who's actions make sense both in film and actual sense. I know various people are all grrr argh about him not helping Anakin out of the tar-pit but hello, Anakin has 1) helped in the killing of the Jedi order, 2)utterly betrayed Obi-Wan's teaching, 3) utterly betrayed the hope the Jedis put in him, and more particularly the hope Qui-Gon put in him and 4) killed the younglings. Most of those are particularly unforgivable. I actually think that Obi-Wan could have forgiven Anakin everything but 4. But Obi-Wan still can't kill him, and while leaving someone to die is still as bad, I can see why Obi-Wan can see it as being not as bad but still serving the purpose.
BTW is anyone in doubt that 'you were the chosen one!' sound of betrayal had as much to do with Qui-Gon saying Anakin was the chosen one and how could Anakin therefore not be as with the rest of the council saying it. Even though Yoda totally called it and asked 'what did the prophecy mean by balance?'.
And Yoda telling Obi-Wan that Qui-Gon has figured out how to be a Force-ghost (even if he doesn't say Qui-Gon we, and Obi-Wan, know who he means) might be pure fan-service, even if it explains how Obi-Wan and Yoda could do it automatically when no one else in the prequels has, but damn it's the kind of fan-service I'm in favour of. Because well after that trauma I'm kind of glad that he gets something that resembles a happy ending.
It has to be said the Obi-Wan/Qui-Gon is my 'what do you mean it's not canon' pairing. Or at least the fact that Obi-Wan is in love with Qui-Gon. Which kind of makes me love him more because Anakin fell to pieces with the threat of his loved one dying while Obi-Wan keeps it together when his does. I'm greatly in favour of people who keep it together in trying circumstances.
In many ways Obi-Wan, along with Yoda and Qui-Gon, are the perfect Jedis because they're constant. They're not brilliant, Obi-Wan most definitely isn't and is more than willing to admit that (see my other reason for loving him, it's not modesty or compliment fishing, it's the truth as he sees it) but he tries and does his best and obeys the rules and does not futz-up when things go bad.
I <3 Obi-Wan and did even in the originals.
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no subject
Date: 2005-05-28 06:23 am (UTC)I want to read the Jedi Apprentice books *______* But yesh, OMG you are stealing the OTPs out of my head.
...I marked out for Bail Organa.
no subject
Date: 2005-05-28 11:02 am (UTC)Bail Organa rocks. Leia takes after him far more than her natural parents and him appearing just makes me go squeak.
no subject
Date: 2005-05-28 11:59 am (UTC)Luckily...Leia just kicks much ass, even though, if Star Wars was fanfic, she would be such a Mary Sue.
Jimmy <3