Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi was supposed to be the final (chronological) chapter. Ever since its release exactly 34 years ago today, George Lucas maintained that the story was over, and if he made any more Star Wars films, they would be prequels. Obviously this changed in 2012, but since I'm no expert in that era of Star Wars, Return of the Jedi is still, in my mind, the final chapter. How does it hold up long after its 1983 release?
Return of the Jedi is the Star Wars film that I've had the hardest relationship with. After I had seen all six episodes, I decided Return of the Jedi was my fifth favorite of the six. Later it became fourth, and it became sixth even later. While my favorites ranking of the other five in relation to each other has always been the same, Return of the Jedi has jumped around the board a lot. Now, however, I can solidly say that it's my fifth favorite of the six episodes that I've seen, exactly where it was in my initial assessment.
From a filmmaking and directing standpoint, however, Return of the Jedi is easily the weakest of the saga in my book. I still think it's good, don't get me wrong, but the pressure that Lucas felt to make this the final chapter (which was not his original plan) is really evident here, much more so than in the other "final chapter", Revenge of the Sith. For those of you who don't know, Lucas did originally plan to make a total of nine episodes, and that was still his plan after The Empire Strikes Back was released. However, when he got around to starting the third Star Wars film, he was just... done. Gary Kurtz, his producer for A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, left after disagreements about how the story should continue, and Lucas's wife divorced him in 1983 because of how much time he was spending on this silly space opera. At this point in time, Star Wars had drained George Lucas, but he needed to make at least one more film, given the cliffhanger that The Empire Strikes Back ended on.
I'm inclined to believe Lucas when he says that the overall themes and general story of the Star Wars saga were part of his original plan when he was drafting what eventually became A New Hope. Filmmaking evidence, however, points to the more specific details being added as the movies were written and filmed. Return of the Jedi is the only Star Wars film where this really shows, namely because of the revelation that Luke and Leia are brother and sister. When the ghost of Obi-Wan tells Luke that he has a sister, Luke very quickly realizes that it's Leia, without any hints. That feels really rushed to me, but it's Leia's reaction to the news that I really have a problem with. Luke tells Leia that they're twins, and Leia's response? "I know. Somehow... I've always known."
If that's true, then I highly doubt she would have kissed Luke on the lips in The Empire Strikes Back. I don't have a problem with her kissing him on the cheek on multiple occasions throughout the trilogy. I mean, I'm a heterosexual male, and I've kissed my brother on the cheek a few times. It's a very natural family kind of kiss. But Leia displaying zero type of a shock reaction to this revelation just feels like a major cop-out.
This is one of the reasons why for a time, Return of the Jedi was my least favorite Star Wars film. I went without watching it once for two years, not because I didn't like it, but because I was a lot more excited about finally owning Revenge of the Sith on DVD. It was only when I bought the Blu-Ray set of the complete saga in 2011 that I watched Return of the Jedi for the first time in more than two years... and was reminded of how much there is to love in it.
The opening sequence where the gang rescues Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt is still really fun to watch. The Jabba puppet is wonderfully grotesque, and the battle over the Sarlacc Pit is a well sequenced action scene. Even the added song "Jedi Rocks", which is admittedly quite silly, isn't enough to take away the rest of this very well done sequence. The death of Yoda is emotional and tragic, and the speeder bike chase on Endor is pretty darn groovy.
Then, of course, we have the Ewoks. I'm not their biggest fan, by any means, but I love what their presence represents: nature overcoming the unnatural (the Imperial invaders). They're cute, but very smart and resourceful, especially when they use multiple fun methods to take down AT-STs. The Ewoks may not be my favorite Star Wars creatures, but I've got nothing against them.
My favorite moments in Return of the Jedi, however, are the sequences of the final battle focusing on Luke, Darth Vader, and Darth Sidious. While my favorite Sidious moments are in the second half of Revenge of the Sith, he has some very well-delivered and chilling lines in this film also. The way he just gradually pushes Luke's buttons until things get physical is masterful, and Luke's fight against Vader is definitely one of my favorite lightsaber battles in the saga, because of how much weight is behind it. After seeing all the previous five chapters, one really gets the sense that it all comes down to this.
The payoff is great. Luke defeats Vader, but then has that moment of silence where he realizes that hate is not the answer, and he's able to back off from the dark side. From a certain point of view, this adds more meaning to Sidious's line from Revenge of the Sith: "If one is to understand the great mystery, one must study all its aspects, not just the dogmatic narrow view of the Jedi." And when Luke gives up the fight and lets Sidious torture him, he finally reaches his father through love, the very love that drove Anakin mad because he lacked proper guidance on how to deal with it. The silent shots of Vader watching Luke get electrocuted add some nice tension, and especially after watching all five previous episodes, it's so satisfying to watch Anakin Skywalker return and finally defeat that shadow that has haunted him since he was nine years old. Even in the Blu-Ray edition of the film, which adds Vader saying "No!" twice while killing Sidious, the silent moments aren't taken away, and it's tactfully added. I really don't think it makes the film any worse, and it's a nice callback to Anakin saying the same word in Revenge of the Sith, when he stops Mace Windu from killing Sidious out of anger.
Anakin's final words out of the mask are positively touching, and when I watched the film last night, I said "Be at peace, Chosen One" when he died. After that, the film (and saga, in my eyes) ends on a very satisfying note as Lando Calrissian blows up the second Death Star, the galaxy is shown celebrating its freedom, and the surviving Rebels have their celebration on Endor, ready to return the galaxy to its glory days. As a side note, like George Lucas, I'm in favor of having Anakin's ghost reappear as Hayden Christensen. Lucas himself said it was done to signify that Anakin returned and overthrew the Vader persona that took over him when he swore himself to the dark side, which makes sense to me.
While its mishandling of the Luke and Leia relationship makes Return of the Jedi the weakest Star Wars episode in terms of filmmaking and directing, it does what every good final chapter should do: gives the story a climactic and very satisfying ending. It's only my fifth favorite, simply because aside from the ending, there are moments in the other four films that I like more, but it's still a very worthy Star Wars movie and a great conclusion to an epic saga.
That's all my Anniversary XL reviews, right in time for the official 40th anniversary of Star Wars. Special thanks to my parents for introducing me to half of the story, my grandparents for introducing me to the second half, and a very special thanks to George Lucas for, you know... everything.
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Anniversary XL: Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith was supposed to be it. The final chapter, promoted with the tagline "the saga is complete." When it was released 12 years and 5 days ago, the world understood that the time of the theatrical Star Wars episodes was over. Revenge of the Sith certainly feels like it knows it's the last theatrically released Star Wars movie. John Williams's score contains only two new leitmotivs, but brings back practically all the major ones from the previous five films, ending with the themes of Luke and Leia from A New Hope in the final scenes. The last lines are spoken by C-3PO and R2-D2 aboard Bail Organa's blockade runner, which is a nice callback to the first lines of A New Hope being spoken by the same characters in the same location. The saga truly felt "complete."
For reasons discussed in previous posts, Revenge of the Sith ended up being the final chapter for me even after George Lucas sold to Disney. Although this one received considerably more praise than the first two films, once again the spread of anonymous sources has made sure Revenge of the Sith has "fallen from grace", if you will, and is now hated by a lot of people. That's a real shame, because, much like The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, this chapter is a heartfelt and above all brutally human movie. Revenge of the Sith was the first Star Wars film I was able to see in theaters, an experience that I won't forget any time soon. Now, around this time, all the media surrounding it had come out, and I knew a lot of what would happen in the movie. But I was still so amazed by Revenge of the Sith that it quickly became not only my favorite Star Wars movie, but my favorite movie of all time, and it remains my favorite to this day. There were so many memorable moments I found just in that first viewing, and there is so much more I've come to appreciate about the movie after countless viewings.
Second memorable moment? The introduction of General Grievous. This guy was, both literally and figuratively, the most complicated character ever built. He may have a cowardly nature, but I still thought he was a complete bad-ass. It may be the sinister cough, it may be the really well done voice by Matthew Wood, it may be the four lightsabers, or it may be all of them, but General Grievous was one of the most memorable characters in a Star Wars movie for me.
And when the movie returns to Coruscant, we have another memorable phase: the tragedy of the Jedi Order. Anakin's words "The Jedi are selfless. They only care about others," are only too true. We can see that the Jedi have become so selfless throughout the Clone Wars that they not only don't care about themselves, they have also forgotten to care about each other. Let's be honest, the advice Yoda gives Anakin for solving his "premonition problem" is pretty vague, and practically impossible for a conflicted guy like Anakin to execute. Obi-Wan's words to Anakin "I am on your side, I didn't want to put you in this situation" imply that the Jedi barely took his request into consideration. What the Jedi do care about is the survival and future of the Republic, yet they fail to realize that they are the ones who need help. Their stubborn refusal to trust Anakin is a major factor in their downfall, as they become so arrogant they forget that if you don't trust someone, he has a harder time trusting you. At the end of the day, I really do pity the Jedi. Pretty much from the moment they allow Anakin onto the Council but don't make him a master, when they could have fully accepted him or fully denied him, they doom themselves through their selflessness. Instead, they drive home Anakin's feeling that he's "being excluded from the council", and essentially tell him, "You're still not one of us."
And of course, in the middle of all this, we have the internal struggle of Anakin. Despite all the protests to the contrary, I have to give Hayden Christensen a lot of praise for his performance in this movie. He's full of so many different kinds of pain, and he does an excellent job at showing us that. First, there are the nightmares. Many have said that a random bad dream was all it took for Anakin to turn to the dark side. But that's not the only reason he has for turning, although he has good reason to be worried about the nightmares. All of Anakin's dreams that the audience learns about end up coming true: in The Phantom Menace, he mentions dreaming that he was a Jedi, and he ends up becoming one, and we are clearly shown that his visions of his mother dying in Attack of the Clones also come true. It's perfectly natural for Anakin to worry over his visions of Padmé's death; she is the closest thing to family he has. But Anakin also ends up turning to the dark side because he genuinely starts to believe that the Jedi want control of the Republic. The Jedi refuse to trust him enough to tell him why they are suspicious of Palpatine and want to use him as a spy, which, for all of Palpatine's faults, is still legally considered treason, while Palpatine seems more welcoming to him than the Jedi ever have, so consequently Anakin has little trouble trusting Palpatine more and the Jedi less. He openly says he feels "excluded from the Council", and he knows that there are things going on that the Jedi won't tell him. Although it isn't the truth, it's very logical for Anakin to assume that the Jedi are plotting against the Republic, and not involving him because he trusts Palpatine. And when Anakin reports the truth about Palpatine to Mace Windu, the only sort of thanks he receives is open confirmation that Windu still doesn't trust him. And the line between what's right and what's wrong, what's treason and what's not treason, is blurred when Anakin walks in on Mace preparing to kill Palpatine instead of the arrest he promised earlier. All these factors, when thought about logically, give Anakin a very good reason to assume that the Jedi are taking over. Anakin's turn to the dark side is really a lot more complicated than the desire to prevent a random nightmare, and although all of the logic I presented could have been articulated more clearly in the movie, you can still see it if you watch closely enough.
This is where the objective part of the review comes in. I understand that the rough cut of Revenge of the Sith was 4 hours long, and there was some significant work to be done in the editing room. Much like the episode I have yet to review, this one does suffer from feeling rushed, given that it's supposed to be the final chapter and tie up all the loose ends. I wish the subplot involving Padmé, Bail, and Mon Mothma sewing the seeds of the Rebellion wasn't deleted, but the film still works well enough without it. I also feel Lucas could have shown Anakin's distrust of the Jedi a little more clearly. What's in the film is done well enough though, especially with Mace justifying the murder of Palpatine with the same words Palpatine used to justify Anakin's murder of Count Dooku. Because of these flaws, I'd be hard-pressed to call Revenge of the Sith the best directed Star Wars episode, but I think it's in close contention for the best, as it still has its highlights in that field. The lighting choices are the most obvious example. In three separate conversations between Anakin and Obi-Wan on Coruscant, Obi-Wan is standing in sunlight while Anakin is in a more shaded part of the room. The fact that this lighting isn't natural due to the mostly CG environments makes this touch extra impressive. Revenge of the Sith also features, in my personal opinion, the best shot scene in the saga: Anakin and Palpatine's discussion about good and evil, eventually leading to the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise, in the opera house. Lucas uses multiple angles and shows individual close-ups on both characters at critical moments in this scene, making it one of the most compelling ones to rewatch.
While we're on the subject of Palpatine, Darth Sidious is just wonderfully wicked in Revenge of the Sith; his disguise as a kindly old chancellor is played so well, he knows exactly what to say to turn Anakin towards his side, and boy, is his enthusiasm at finally slaying Jedi chilling. Although Sidious is pure evil, I have to admire his extreme patience in his slow but very effective plot to destroy the Jedi Order. Once he gets those nasty scars on his face, he becomes so sinister in his orders to Anakin and his declaration of the Empire. He's a guy who has so much fun in doing what he does: being a very sneaky and cold villain. I love him, purely because he's so good at being so evil, and the fact that Ian McDiarmid wasn't nominated for Best Supporting Actor still boggles my mind.
While I'm at it, I'm even more shocked that Revenge of the Sith was the only Star Wars movie not to be nominated for Best Visual Effects. If all of the other five are worthy of this nomination, then Revenge of the Sith must be. The visuals are downright breathtaking in this movie; from the detailed opening space battle to the amazing shots of Coruscant by night to the lava world of Mustafar, so much work and attention to detail was put into the design of this movie, and although they were (unfairly) not nominated for it, all visual artists who worked on Revenge of the Sith can be justifiably proud of their work.
And of course, we have the fight scenes. Five lightsaber battles in one movie, all with really good choreography, make for some great emotion and entertainment. Anakin's rematch with Count Dooku at the beginning is an important step towards his dark destiny; Dooku's taunt "I sense great fear in you, Skywalker, you have hate, you have anger, but you don't use them," persuades Anakin to use those feelings as a weapon and ultimately commit his first cold-blooded murder. Obi-Wan's fight with Grievous is pretty cool, and it's very fun to see the resourcefulness of both combatants after they lose their primary weapons. Sidious's battles against Mace Windu and Yoda are both great; the dark lord's intense desire for more Jedi blood is clearly present in both fights, and the unfortunate realization Yoda comes to that he just doesn't have what it takes to beat the "next generation" of the Sith is tragic.
But one battle gets its own paragraph. Seeing Anakin and Obi-Wan lay it down with each other after so many years spent fighting alongside one another is certainly exciting, as each can all but predict what the other will do, but it's also very sad. You can see both of them struggling with the other's betrayal, real or perceived, and my favorite piece of Star Wars music ever, played over this fight, adds to the very personal nature of the battle. We see Obi-Wan struggling with his failure to understand Anakin's pain and be there for him when he needed to be, and we see Anakin's will to sever all ties to his Jedi past. The fight itself is beyond unpredictable, the lava effects are top-notch, and all of this adds up to my favorite scene in a Star Wars movie, ever.
Revenge of the Sith has an impressive score that contains a lot of familiar motifs from the other five films, and a lot of dramatic tracks rich with choir vocals. All pluses in my opinion. And the ending is very well done. Certainly there is a tragic tone as Padmé does indeed die in childbirth and Anakin is forced to fully embrace the dark side as the last remnants of his old family vanish, but the film's final, nonverbal scenes raise a glimmer of hope for the future. While only one Jedi lives, the Order survives. As the familiar themes of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia are heard during their delivery to their guardians, the audience knows that they will ultimately set things right, and we now can fully appreciate why the original film is now called A New Hope.
Since its release in 2005, Revenge of the Sith has been my personal favorite film, even if I think two other episodes have a slight leg up on it in terms of direction. It was as fitting an end to a saga as I could have hoped for. In fact, the reason why I was initially reluctant to see Episode VII when it was announced was because Revenge of the Sith provided such good closure, especially with its ending. As I have discussed previously, later events turned me away from the sequel trilogy for good.
But I still have to go back in time and talk about the final film of the original trilogy, and the chronological way the saga ended for me. Stay tuned tomorrow for my final review...
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Anniversary XL: Attack of the Clones
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones broke new ground when it was released 15 years and 7 days ago, in terms of effects. It was the first Star Wars film to be shot with digital HD cameras, and ultimately led to most theaters switching to digital projection. George Lucas was one of the first filmmakers to experiment with digital filmmaking. It was a gamble, but I think it was a gamble that paid off immensely. For 2002, the visual and CG effects are incredible, even if their age is starting to show. But that's understandable, given that Attack of the Clones was one of the first movies ever to be shot in HD.
Attack of the Clones also shines in its direction. While Lucas may not be the best actors' director out there, his visual direction skills are on full display here, and they're my favorite subtle element of this film. Look at the evolution of how Anakin uses his hands. He uses them for casual Force tricks in the first half, then looks at them in shock after murdering the Tusken Raider colony, then gets his right hand stuck in a robotic shoulder in the droid factory... the same hand that will become robotic by the time the credits roll. Look at the darkened forms of Anakin and Padmé as they kiss before being led into the execution arena, and the way that they lighten up as they're dragged into the sun. This love may lead to a dark future, but it will also eventually defeat Darth Sidious once and for all, and I think that's a really nice tool of visual storytelling. Look at the clouds of Naboo forming a yin-yang after Anakin has his nightmare, just before his darker side is put to its first true test. Look at Anakin's battle with Count Dooku at the end of the film, where the only light sources are the red and blue glow of their lightsabers lighting up their faces. It's only fitting that both of these characters' stories when it comes to the Force have elements of both the Jedi and the Sith.
Add in Attack of the Clones's expert pacing, keeping the viewer involved from start to finish, and I think it ties with The Empire Strikes Back as the best directed Star Wars saga episode. It's my second favorite film, but only slightly.
Its story in terms of reception was, unfortunately, basically a carbon copy of The Phantom Menace's; generally positive reviews were quickly outshone by an enormous stream of negativity from other Internet sources. My aforementioned views on its groundbreaking effects and direction already make Attack of the Clones a film that is very worthwhile. There is so much more that I love about this episode, however.
Before I get to that, let's get to the objective part, because there's no such thing as a perfect movie. This film contains the two most glaring Star Wars continuity errors, in my book. The first is in the form of Padmé using the same button on her ship to do two different things: first to retransmit Obi-Wan's message to Coruscant, and then to find out how close Geonosis is to Tatooine. The second occurs during the final lightsaber duel with Count Dooku: After Anakin intercepts Dooku's blow before it kills Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan tosses him his lightsaber to help out. Anakin takes his left hand off of his own lightsaber and catches Obi-Wan's. As soon as he does that, however, we cut to the next shot, and in that shot and for the rest of the fight, Anakin has Obi-Wan's lightsaber in his right hand, and his original one in his left hand. I'm given to understand that a portion of the duel that resulted in Anakin switching the weapons between his hands was cut from the film, and I think Lucas wanted to make sure he would still be able to include the aforementioned darkened part of the battle with a blue lightsaber for Anakin, but all the same, once I noticed this error, I knew I wasn't going to be able to un-notice it.
Another scene that could have been improved was Anakin having his nightmare. We see him shaking in bed muttering "no," and he takes a deep breath when he wakes up, covered in sweat. When I turned 18, I celebrated by marathoning all six Star Wars episodes, and one of my friends who had never seen any of them chuckled a lot when watching Anakin's nightmare, and jokingly asked what our English teacher, who was fond of making innuendo jokes when analyzing literature, would say about that scene... you see what I'm saying here? The Blu-Ray cut of the film did improve this scene by adding in the sound of Anakin's mother crying for help, but I feel it could still be handled better.
Enough of that, time to talk about what I love! The main highlights for me after the first viewing of Attack of the Clones were the downright amazing action scenes, finally seeing a whole army of Jedi in battle, and the two new villains. Now, the countless viewings of Attack of the Clones only bring me more to love, and my main praise of the movie is about its main character: Anakin. Admittedly, I found Hayden Christensen's portrayal of the twenty-year-old Chosen One a little stiff at first, but I quickly grew to see the true greatness in his performance. His whole problem with the Jedi ways can be attributed to only one fact: He started training at an age at which it is practically impossible to control one's emotions without prior training. Whatever the critics and haters may say, I hear a lot of emotion in Anakin's lines; the resentment at having his ideas constantly rejected by the Jedi, the agony that his love for Padmé is forbidden, and especially the fear and anger at losing his mother all deliver for me. Although Anakin's personality has certainly darkened from its status in The Phantom Menace, parts of that cute nine-year-old boy are still there, namely the fierce loyalty to his friends, more often than not at the cost of violating orders. Heck, Anakin is even willing to let a known enemy escape capture just to make sure a friend is safe.
Then there's Padmé, who applies the lesson she learned in The Phantom Menace about taking matters into her own hands throughout this movie: she agrees to leave Naboo, where she was supposed to stay, to help Anakin find his mother, she has the idea to travel to Geonosis despite being told not to, and she doesn't rely on the Jedi to save her skin during the final battle. But Attack of the Clones also shows us a new side of Padmé: her personal thoughts. Throughout The Phantom Menace and a lot of this movie, she thought and acted for the good of her people and the Republic. But we see her personal feelings when she's around Anakin.
Now, like many people, I found the love story of this movie a little bland at first. But I was only ten years old when I first saw the film, and the more I see it, and the more I mature and age, the more I realize that the love story is actually very realistic. In most real-life love, at least one participant often doesn't know what to say, and words exchanged between the two frequently come out awkward. Attack of the Clones is a case in point: some of the lines are awkward, and yet despite this, I see and hear the feelings that Anakin and Padmé have for each other, the attempts to deny it from both of them, and the precarious position the two of them are in. I also found their actions completely logical: Falling in love is forbidden for a Jedi and a major distraction for a politician, but love isn't exactly something people can control. I still do get a little teary-eyed as, when they are sure of their death, Anakin and Padmé finally give in to their feelings, accept them, and ultimately marry after surviving an epic battle.
Obi-Wan's role in Attack of the Clones is much stronger than it was in the first film. His by-the-book nature has relaxed a little bit, as is evident when he takes some risks that are likely inspired from work with Anakin, namely when he jumps out a window that's goodness-knows-how many stories high. The relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin is also very well done; Obi-Wan cares for Anakin and tries to make decisions that are in both of their best interests, yet he is still very wary of his Padawan. On the other side, Anakin clearly respects Obi-Wan, but feels he can do more than Obi-Wan will allow. Although they both have made discouraging comments about each other, Anakin and Obi-Wan do have a clear brotherly friendship, which is highlighted by their witty banter in the middle of battles, and Anakin's equating Obi-Wan to his father. Yet when the two are apart, we see that the one barrier between them is lack of complete trust. I love the great team that Obi-Wan and Anakin make together, and I regret that this barrier exists.
As for the other Jedi, their role is also expanded in Attack of the Clones. Yoda as a CGI model is very impressive, his mouth now forms his lines exactly, and of course, I was amazed to see him fight at the film's climax. His fellow senior council member, Mace Windu, also becomes a pretty cool character in this movie: The purple lightsaber and pure Samuel L. Jackson bad-assery in his action scene in the arena really stand out. In the scenes between the two senior members, we can see that they are very apprehensive for what the future holds, but are still arrogant enough not to admit that they carry some of the blame for the peril the Jedi Order finds itself in.
And then there are the villains. I thought Jango Fett was just so cool the first time I saw Attack of the Clones, and I still do. The paint job on his armor is really sleek (I actually painted the helmet on my face in 2012, as a way of celebrating the movie's 10th anniversary), that blaster flip he does in the arena scene is plain bad-ass, and his fight with Obi-Wan on Kamino shows some pretty incredible bounty hunter resourcefulness and is a great example of the motto: "Always be prepared." The new Sith in the galaxy, Count Dooku, is also a well-written character; he's a very smart politician who leads by power, and he's very good at disguising his embrace of the dark side during his interrogation of Obi-Wan. I always enjoy a slick, sly, and subtle villain in a movie, and Count Dooku certainly qualifies.
Finally, we have Attack of the Clones's amazing action. The opening speeder chase scene, despite being 15 years old, still looks as brilliant as a lot of modern sci-fi movies. The constant bantering between Anakin and Obi-Wan in that scene never fails to keep me thoroughly entertained, and both of their approaches to action are nicely defined here: Anakin has a flair for the dramatic, Obi-Wan has a more cautious and patient approach. The asteroid field chase scene above Geonosis shows off some undeniably cool weapons (the seismic charges). The droid factory scene may be a little extreme, but it was edited and sequenced very well, not to mention it added to the Anakin hand symbol I mentioned earlier, and I admire that in such a complex battle scene.
The arena. First off, the monsters in that scene are wonderfully deadly, and it's great entertainment to see the resourcefulness of the Jedi (and a senator) even without their lightsabers. They can get some very clever ideas. And when the Jedi show up, the inner child's appetite for mass action and destruction in almost everyone should be be brought out with little trouble. I was blown away when I first saw this scene. I had fantasized about armies of Jedi in battle before, but never had I imagined anything even close to what I saw in Attack of the Clones. It may have been that there were more Jedi in this scene than I ever had imagined, but I was pleasantly surprised by this scene. A lot of Jedi get to show their skills here, the witty banter between Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padmé is used in a few spots ("You call this a diplomatic solution?" "No, I call it aggressive negotiations."), and the antics with C-3PO kept me thoroughly entertained the first time I saw this movie. Admittedly I find them a little less funny now. All this makes the arena scene the best ground battle scene in the entire saga for me: It feeds everyone's inner desire for epic action and isn't interrupted by jumps to other battles, as is the case with most of the saga's large-scale fights. Then the clones arrive, and they are easily the most superior army force I've seen throughout the Star Wars movies. I enjoyed seeing them in action as well. Finally, we have the lightsaber duel. Obi-Wan's and Anakin's different fighting styles are nicely shown in this scene, and I've said my piece on how much meaning Anakin's portion of the fight has thanks to the visual direction already. And seeing Yoda fight... it's really cool. Enough said.
Attack of the Clones also has a strong score; the melody of the new love theme "Across the Stars" is a perfect representation of the relationship it stands for. The new battle themes aren't quite as memorable as "Duel of the Fates" but they still do their job well when they are used. All in all, the strong characters, amazing visuals for 2002, and stunning action scenes make Attack of the Clones a movie well worth remembering in my book.
Attack of the Clones also shines in its direction. While Lucas may not be the best actors' director out there, his visual direction skills are on full display here, and they're my favorite subtle element of this film. Look at the evolution of how Anakin uses his hands. He uses them for casual Force tricks in the first half, then looks at them in shock after murdering the Tusken Raider colony, then gets his right hand stuck in a robotic shoulder in the droid factory... the same hand that will become robotic by the time the credits roll. Look at the darkened forms of Anakin and Padmé as they kiss before being led into the execution arena, and the way that they lighten up as they're dragged into the sun. This love may lead to a dark future, but it will also eventually defeat Darth Sidious once and for all, and I think that's a really nice tool of visual storytelling. Look at the clouds of Naboo forming a yin-yang after Anakin has his nightmare, just before his darker side is put to its first true test. Look at Anakin's battle with Count Dooku at the end of the film, where the only light sources are the red and blue glow of their lightsabers lighting up their faces. It's only fitting that both of these characters' stories when it comes to the Force have elements of both the Jedi and the Sith.
Add in Attack of the Clones's expert pacing, keeping the viewer involved from start to finish, and I think it ties with The Empire Strikes Back as the best directed Star Wars saga episode. It's my second favorite film, but only slightly.
Its story in terms of reception was, unfortunately, basically a carbon copy of The Phantom Menace's; generally positive reviews were quickly outshone by an enormous stream of negativity from other Internet sources. My aforementioned views on its groundbreaking effects and direction already make Attack of the Clones a film that is very worthwhile. There is so much more that I love about this episode, however.
Before I get to that, let's get to the objective part, because there's no such thing as a perfect movie. This film contains the two most glaring Star Wars continuity errors, in my book. The first is in the form of Padmé using the same button on her ship to do two different things: first to retransmit Obi-Wan's message to Coruscant, and then to find out how close Geonosis is to Tatooine. The second occurs during the final lightsaber duel with Count Dooku: After Anakin intercepts Dooku's blow before it kills Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan tosses him his lightsaber to help out. Anakin takes his left hand off of his own lightsaber and catches Obi-Wan's. As soon as he does that, however, we cut to the next shot, and in that shot and for the rest of the fight, Anakin has Obi-Wan's lightsaber in his right hand, and his original one in his left hand. I'm given to understand that a portion of the duel that resulted in Anakin switching the weapons between his hands was cut from the film, and I think Lucas wanted to make sure he would still be able to include the aforementioned darkened part of the battle with a blue lightsaber for Anakin, but all the same, once I noticed this error, I knew I wasn't going to be able to un-notice it.
Another scene that could have been improved was Anakin having his nightmare. We see him shaking in bed muttering "no," and he takes a deep breath when he wakes up, covered in sweat. When I turned 18, I celebrated by marathoning all six Star Wars episodes, and one of my friends who had never seen any of them chuckled a lot when watching Anakin's nightmare, and jokingly asked what our English teacher, who was fond of making innuendo jokes when analyzing literature, would say about that scene... you see what I'm saying here? The Blu-Ray cut of the film did improve this scene by adding in the sound of Anakin's mother crying for help, but I feel it could still be handled better.
Enough of that, time to talk about what I love! The main highlights for me after the first viewing of Attack of the Clones were the downright amazing action scenes, finally seeing a whole army of Jedi in battle, and the two new villains. Now, the countless viewings of Attack of the Clones only bring me more to love, and my main praise of the movie is about its main character: Anakin. Admittedly, I found Hayden Christensen's portrayal of the twenty-year-old Chosen One a little stiff at first, but I quickly grew to see the true greatness in his performance. His whole problem with the Jedi ways can be attributed to only one fact: He started training at an age at which it is practically impossible to control one's emotions without prior training. Whatever the critics and haters may say, I hear a lot of emotion in Anakin's lines; the resentment at having his ideas constantly rejected by the Jedi, the agony that his love for Padmé is forbidden, and especially the fear and anger at losing his mother all deliver for me. Although Anakin's personality has certainly darkened from its status in The Phantom Menace, parts of that cute nine-year-old boy are still there, namely the fierce loyalty to his friends, more often than not at the cost of violating orders. Heck, Anakin is even willing to let a known enemy escape capture just to make sure a friend is safe.
Then there's Padmé, who applies the lesson she learned in The Phantom Menace about taking matters into her own hands throughout this movie: she agrees to leave Naboo, where she was supposed to stay, to help Anakin find his mother, she has the idea to travel to Geonosis despite being told not to, and she doesn't rely on the Jedi to save her skin during the final battle. But Attack of the Clones also shows us a new side of Padmé: her personal thoughts. Throughout The Phantom Menace and a lot of this movie, she thought and acted for the good of her people and the Republic. But we see her personal feelings when she's around Anakin.
Now, like many people, I found the love story of this movie a little bland at first. But I was only ten years old when I first saw the film, and the more I see it, and the more I mature and age, the more I realize that the love story is actually very realistic. In most real-life love, at least one participant often doesn't know what to say, and words exchanged between the two frequently come out awkward. Attack of the Clones is a case in point: some of the lines are awkward, and yet despite this, I see and hear the feelings that Anakin and Padmé have for each other, the attempts to deny it from both of them, and the precarious position the two of them are in. I also found their actions completely logical: Falling in love is forbidden for a Jedi and a major distraction for a politician, but love isn't exactly something people can control. I still do get a little teary-eyed as, when they are sure of their death, Anakin and Padmé finally give in to their feelings, accept them, and ultimately marry after surviving an epic battle.
Obi-Wan's role in Attack of the Clones is much stronger than it was in the first film. His by-the-book nature has relaxed a little bit, as is evident when he takes some risks that are likely inspired from work with Anakin, namely when he jumps out a window that's goodness-knows-how many stories high. The relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin is also very well done; Obi-Wan cares for Anakin and tries to make decisions that are in both of their best interests, yet he is still very wary of his Padawan. On the other side, Anakin clearly respects Obi-Wan, but feels he can do more than Obi-Wan will allow. Although they both have made discouraging comments about each other, Anakin and Obi-Wan do have a clear brotherly friendship, which is highlighted by their witty banter in the middle of battles, and Anakin's equating Obi-Wan to his father. Yet when the two are apart, we see that the one barrier between them is lack of complete trust. I love the great team that Obi-Wan and Anakin make together, and I regret that this barrier exists.
As for the other Jedi, their role is also expanded in Attack of the Clones. Yoda as a CGI model is very impressive, his mouth now forms his lines exactly, and of course, I was amazed to see him fight at the film's climax. His fellow senior council member, Mace Windu, also becomes a pretty cool character in this movie: The purple lightsaber and pure Samuel L. Jackson bad-assery in his action scene in the arena really stand out. In the scenes between the two senior members, we can see that they are very apprehensive for what the future holds, but are still arrogant enough not to admit that they carry some of the blame for the peril the Jedi Order finds itself in.
And then there are the villains. I thought Jango Fett was just so cool the first time I saw Attack of the Clones, and I still do. The paint job on his armor is really sleek (I actually painted the helmet on my face in 2012, as a way of celebrating the movie's 10th anniversary), that blaster flip he does in the arena scene is plain bad-ass, and his fight with Obi-Wan on Kamino shows some pretty incredible bounty hunter resourcefulness and is a great example of the motto: "Always be prepared." The new Sith in the galaxy, Count Dooku, is also a well-written character; he's a very smart politician who leads by power, and he's very good at disguising his embrace of the dark side during his interrogation of Obi-Wan. I always enjoy a slick, sly, and subtle villain in a movie, and Count Dooku certainly qualifies.
Finally, we have Attack of the Clones's amazing action. The opening speeder chase scene, despite being 15 years old, still looks as brilliant as a lot of modern sci-fi movies. The constant bantering between Anakin and Obi-Wan in that scene never fails to keep me thoroughly entertained, and both of their approaches to action are nicely defined here: Anakin has a flair for the dramatic, Obi-Wan has a more cautious and patient approach. The asteroid field chase scene above Geonosis shows off some undeniably cool weapons (the seismic charges). The droid factory scene may be a little extreme, but it was edited and sequenced very well, not to mention it added to the Anakin hand symbol I mentioned earlier, and I admire that in such a complex battle scene.
The arena. First off, the monsters in that scene are wonderfully deadly, and it's great entertainment to see the resourcefulness of the Jedi (and a senator) even without their lightsabers. They can get some very clever ideas. And when the Jedi show up, the inner child's appetite for mass action and destruction in almost everyone should be be brought out with little trouble. I was blown away when I first saw this scene. I had fantasized about armies of Jedi in battle before, but never had I imagined anything even close to what I saw in Attack of the Clones. It may have been that there were more Jedi in this scene than I ever had imagined, but I was pleasantly surprised by this scene. A lot of Jedi get to show their skills here, the witty banter between Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padmé is used in a few spots ("You call this a diplomatic solution?" "No, I call it aggressive negotiations."), and the antics with C-3PO kept me thoroughly entertained the first time I saw this movie. Admittedly I find them a little less funny now. All this makes the arena scene the best ground battle scene in the entire saga for me: It feeds everyone's inner desire for epic action and isn't interrupted by jumps to other battles, as is the case with most of the saga's large-scale fights. Then the clones arrive, and they are easily the most superior army force I've seen throughout the Star Wars movies. I enjoyed seeing them in action as well. Finally, we have the lightsaber duel. Obi-Wan's and Anakin's different fighting styles are nicely shown in this scene, and I've said my piece on how much meaning Anakin's portion of the fight has thanks to the visual direction already. And seeing Yoda fight... it's really cool. Enough said.
Attack of the Clones also has a strong score; the melody of the new love theme "Across the Stars" is a perfect representation of the relationship it stands for. The new battle themes aren't quite as memorable as "Duel of the Fates" but they still do their job well when they are used. All in all, the strong characters, amazing visuals for 2002, and stunning action scenes make Attack of the Clones a movie well worth remembering in my book.
Monday, May 22, 2017
Anniversary XL: The Phantom Menace
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Probably not the Star Wars episode you were expecting me to review today, but in keeping with the "flashback" order I'm revisiting the saga in, it's the review you're getting.
I was only four years old when The Phantom Menace came out, and although I didn't see it until 2005, I do remember getting a small taste of the huge anticipation and hype it received at the time. My fellow pre-school classmates started playing Star Wars at recess, and that was probably the first time I heard the words Star Wars. From what I've heard, the hype for George Lucas's return to Star Wars after sixteen years was unbelievably huge; fans were setting high and near impossible expectations. I experienced a similar wave of hype for Episode VII two years ago, although I did my best to distance myself from it, seeing as I had already resolved to not see the sequel. But back to the prequel: Did The Phantom Menace live up to all the hype?
A quick scan of the Internet today would lead you to think the answer is "no", but it's easy to forget that when The Phantom Menace was released 18 years and 3 days ago, it got a generally positive reception. It was only the launch of various anonymous Internet sources that quickly turned it into a candidate for the most hated film of all time (and it remains one to this day).
I remember my first viewing of The Phantom Menace very well. It was in the summer of 2005, after having spent the preceding academic year being introduced to Star Wars through the DVDs of the original trilogy. Before I saw the prequels, my parents had told me that they weren't very good; I sometimes wonder if they ever planned on showing the prequels to me and my brother (I saw all three prequels for the first time while I was on vacation without my parental units) at all. I, however, did what I doubt many of the fans and haters were able to do in 1999 when the movie came out: I approached it without a preconceived notion of how it should play out. I knew that my opinion could end up matching that of my elders, as it usually did in those days when it came to movies, but I also knew that the movie could surprise me and I could end up liking it.
As it turned out, I more than liked The Phantom Menace. I loved it. After that first viewing, my love and appreciation for the Star Wars saga that had already been fairly high in the eight months since I'd been introduced to it increased drastically. At the time, my favorite element of the movie was not the increased amount of Jedi action time, the Podrace, or even Darth Maul, but... Jar Jar Binks. Yes, you read that right. I saw nothing racial in his character (but considering that I was only ten years old and racism wasn't even in my vocabulary, that's not surprising) and thought he was very funny. Beyond just providing humor, I also easily identified with his character: someone who just wants to help his friends despite his accident-prone nature. Although I've read multiple proclamations that Jar Jar Binks does nothing at all for the plot of the movie, I firmly disagree. In the words of Boss Nass, "Jar Jar bring ussen and da Naboo together." He's the one responsible for the meeting, and subsequent peace, between Naboo's two great societies, and that's a pretty significant element of the plot. Speaking of Boss Nass, I also found him very entertaining, mainly because of the constant mouth gargling.
But if my only praise for The Phantom Menace was Gungan-related, that would be a pretty weak argument, as there is so much more I've come to love and appreciate about the movie after having sat through it probably more times than any other film. I'll start with the movie's main character: Qui-Gon Jinn. He is hands down the most important Star Wars character to only appear in one movie. He has power, wisdom, and compassion in a pretty much perfect combination; he is the living example of what the Jedi Order should have been like. Qui-Gon was the one Jedi in existence at the time to realize the importance of trusting one's feelings over the rather strict Jedi Code. Throughout the trilogy, we never see anyone show the same sort of care and understanding towards Anakin Skywalker that he does; I think any child's ideal father figure would be Qui-Gon. His relationship with his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, also deserves mention, as although the two of them do have their disagreements, they are always settled without either of them having to even raise his voice; Qui-Gon even sends a compliment Obi-Wan's way in their final quiet moment together. This sort of behavior and calm, patient approach towards teaching is never seen in any other Jedi throughout the trilogy. Qui-Gon is probably the most top-notch mentor out of the many that have been played by Liam Neeson, and I truly think that if he had survived The Phantom Menace and been able to train Anakin, he would have been able to prevent the tragedy of the Chosen One.
Speaking of Anakin, the young Chosen One is also one of my favorite elements of The Phantom Menace. Jake Lloyd was widely criticized for his performance, but I fail to see him being bad at all. (Gotta support my hometown! Seriously, I thought he was fine.) After I first saw the movie, I couldn't quite believe the large contrast between Anakin and the relentless killing machine I knew he was destined to become. Anakin was another character I was quick to identify with; he is always quick to find some way to help his friends, even if that involves putting his life on the line. I'm in awe of those nerves of steel he shows while piloting even at a very young age, and at the time when I first saw The Phantom Menace, I shared Anakin's fear of being separated from one's guardian for a long period of time. After several viewings of the film, I do see some very subtle elements of darkness in the young Anakin, namely his expression during his scene with the Jedi Council. I think the movie does a very good job of establishing Anakin as a skilled pilot, great mechanic, and aspiring adventurer.
Obi-Wan Kenobi's part in The Phantom Menace is not that large compared to the next two films, but he does still have his enjoyable moments. I still do chuckle at his sarcasm ("The negotiations were short."), and I find meaning in his conversations with Qui-Gon: they establish Obi-Wan is a by-the-book Jedi who takes as little risk as possible. Like Anakin's, Obi-Wan's personality also ends up significantly evolving from the first (chronological) chapter.
Completing the puzzle of main characters is Queen Amidala, who I've come to appreciate more and more through my many viewings of The Phantom Menace. People have criticized her odd voice in the queen makeup, but I think that's part of her character: she is truly free to be herself when she takes off the crown and goes by her birth name Padmé. Like her, I truly feel free when I don't have to take responsibilities for everything I do, and I admire her resourcefulness in the final battle.
As for the movie's villains, they're quite memorable too. The battle droids may not be terribly effective (the making of superior army forces is a sort of theme throughout the saga), but they are still amusing. I love their voices and their confused dialogue during the escape scene. ("Coruscant? Uh, that doesn't compute. Uh, wait, uh... you're under arrest!") Darth Sidious has a brilliantly evil voice and appearance and is a very good example of a ruler through fear, which not only leads to the dark side of the Force, but is used by it. And of course, there's Darth Maul. I admittedly wish he had more than three lines, but that face tattoo job is still completely bad-ass, the three lines alone combined with those intense eyes are enough to show his extreme desire for the taste of Jedi blood, and I'm a little in awe of his skill with the double lightsaber. It's beyond cool. The side characters in Watto and Sebulba also deserve mention, as they each exhibit a popular state of mind among people these days. Watto represents the common view of only being in the world for the money while being indifferent to events happening around him in the world (or galaxy), and Sebulba's Podracing strategy represents another type of indifferent attitude: "As long as it's not me."
Other highlights of The Phantom Menace for me are the visual effects, which include some very impressive exterior shots for 1999, and the absolutely stunning action scenes. The Podrace was a very well-choreographed scene, and I seem to notice something new every time I see it; the intense attention to detail is clearly there. The four-phase final battle is also structured very well, particularly the impressive choreography for the duel between Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and Darth Maul. John Williams also delivers a great score, highlighted by the theme for the young Anakin, which contains a subtle hint of the darkness that will dominate his destiny, the Podrace fanfare, the Trade Federation march, and of course the catchy and intense action theme "Duel of the Fates."
Now, while I love this film, it isn't perfect. One of Lucas's flaws is that he frequently doesn't refer to side characters by name in his films. Governor Tarkin is only referred to by name twice in A New Hope, and Boba Fett's name is never mentioned in The Empire Strikes Back, but this flaw really shows here. Nute Gunray's name is not mentioned once, despite the fact that his part in this film is bigger than in the next two. Shmi Skywalker and Mace Windu receive a similar treatment, and even Qui-Gon's name isn't mentioned until he introduces himself to Shmi. Also, I wasn't the biggest fan of the Yoda puppet used in The Phantom Menace. I understand Lucas was trying to make Yoda look younger, but the puppet still looked a lot more rubber than the one for the original trilogy. Thankfully, in the latest incarnation of The Phantom Menace, Lucas corrected this flaw by using the CGI Yoda model from the next two films.
But these are pretty minor gripes, and do nothing to sway my opinion on The Phantom Menace, which is a great beginning to an epic story and easily my third favorite Star Wars episode. Whatever people may say, I have always loved The Phantom Menace's story of the unity between two societies and the rise of the Chosen One and the Sith Lords. Highlighted by all of the above aspects, this movie will always hold a special place in my heart.
I was only four years old when The Phantom Menace came out, and although I didn't see it until 2005, I do remember getting a small taste of the huge anticipation and hype it received at the time. My fellow pre-school classmates started playing Star Wars at recess, and that was probably the first time I heard the words Star Wars. From what I've heard, the hype for George Lucas's return to Star Wars after sixteen years was unbelievably huge; fans were setting high and near impossible expectations. I experienced a similar wave of hype for Episode VII two years ago, although I did my best to distance myself from it, seeing as I had already resolved to not see the sequel. But back to the prequel: Did The Phantom Menace live up to all the hype?
A quick scan of the Internet today would lead you to think the answer is "no", but it's easy to forget that when The Phantom Menace was released 18 years and 3 days ago, it got a generally positive reception. It was only the launch of various anonymous Internet sources that quickly turned it into a candidate for the most hated film of all time (and it remains one to this day).
I remember my first viewing of The Phantom Menace very well. It was in the summer of 2005, after having spent the preceding academic year being introduced to Star Wars through the DVDs of the original trilogy. Before I saw the prequels, my parents had told me that they weren't very good; I sometimes wonder if they ever planned on showing the prequels to me and my brother (I saw all three prequels for the first time while I was on vacation without my parental units) at all. I, however, did what I doubt many of the fans and haters were able to do in 1999 when the movie came out: I approached it without a preconceived notion of how it should play out. I knew that my opinion could end up matching that of my elders, as it usually did in those days when it came to movies, but I also knew that the movie could surprise me and I could end up liking it.
As it turned out, I more than liked The Phantom Menace. I loved it. After that first viewing, my love and appreciation for the Star Wars saga that had already been fairly high in the eight months since I'd been introduced to it increased drastically. At the time, my favorite element of the movie was not the increased amount of Jedi action time, the Podrace, or even Darth Maul, but... Jar Jar Binks. Yes, you read that right. I saw nothing racial in his character (but considering that I was only ten years old and racism wasn't even in my vocabulary, that's not surprising) and thought he was very funny. Beyond just providing humor, I also easily identified with his character: someone who just wants to help his friends despite his accident-prone nature. Although I've read multiple proclamations that Jar Jar Binks does nothing at all for the plot of the movie, I firmly disagree. In the words of Boss Nass, "Jar Jar bring ussen and da Naboo together." He's the one responsible for the meeting, and subsequent peace, between Naboo's two great societies, and that's a pretty significant element of the plot. Speaking of Boss Nass, I also found him very entertaining, mainly because of the constant mouth gargling.
But if my only praise for The Phantom Menace was Gungan-related, that would be a pretty weak argument, as there is so much more I've come to love and appreciate about the movie after having sat through it probably more times than any other film. I'll start with the movie's main character: Qui-Gon Jinn. He is hands down the most important Star Wars character to only appear in one movie. He has power, wisdom, and compassion in a pretty much perfect combination; he is the living example of what the Jedi Order should have been like. Qui-Gon was the one Jedi in existence at the time to realize the importance of trusting one's feelings over the rather strict Jedi Code. Throughout the trilogy, we never see anyone show the same sort of care and understanding towards Anakin Skywalker that he does; I think any child's ideal father figure would be Qui-Gon. His relationship with his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, also deserves mention, as although the two of them do have their disagreements, they are always settled without either of them having to even raise his voice; Qui-Gon even sends a compliment Obi-Wan's way in their final quiet moment together. This sort of behavior and calm, patient approach towards teaching is never seen in any other Jedi throughout the trilogy. Qui-Gon is probably the most top-notch mentor out of the many that have been played by Liam Neeson, and I truly think that if he had survived The Phantom Menace and been able to train Anakin, he would have been able to prevent the tragedy of the Chosen One.
Speaking of Anakin, the young Chosen One is also one of my favorite elements of The Phantom Menace. Jake Lloyd was widely criticized for his performance, but I fail to see him being bad at all. (Gotta support my hometown! Seriously, I thought he was fine.) After I first saw the movie, I couldn't quite believe the large contrast between Anakin and the relentless killing machine I knew he was destined to become. Anakin was another character I was quick to identify with; he is always quick to find some way to help his friends, even if that involves putting his life on the line. I'm in awe of those nerves of steel he shows while piloting even at a very young age, and at the time when I first saw The Phantom Menace, I shared Anakin's fear of being separated from one's guardian for a long period of time. After several viewings of the film, I do see some very subtle elements of darkness in the young Anakin, namely his expression during his scene with the Jedi Council. I think the movie does a very good job of establishing Anakin as a skilled pilot, great mechanic, and aspiring adventurer.
Obi-Wan Kenobi's part in The Phantom Menace is not that large compared to the next two films, but he does still have his enjoyable moments. I still do chuckle at his sarcasm ("The negotiations were short."), and I find meaning in his conversations with Qui-Gon: they establish Obi-Wan is a by-the-book Jedi who takes as little risk as possible. Like Anakin's, Obi-Wan's personality also ends up significantly evolving from the first (chronological) chapter.
Completing the puzzle of main characters is Queen Amidala, who I've come to appreciate more and more through my many viewings of The Phantom Menace. People have criticized her odd voice in the queen makeup, but I think that's part of her character: she is truly free to be herself when she takes off the crown and goes by her birth name Padmé. Like her, I truly feel free when I don't have to take responsibilities for everything I do, and I admire her resourcefulness in the final battle.
As for the movie's villains, they're quite memorable too. The battle droids may not be terribly effective (the making of superior army forces is a sort of theme throughout the saga), but they are still amusing. I love their voices and their confused dialogue during the escape scene. ("Coruscant? Uh, that doesn't compute. Uh, wait, uh... you're under arrest!") Darth Sidious has a brilliantly evil voice and appearance and is a very good example of a ruler through fear, which not only leads to the dark side of the Force, but is used by it. And of course, there's Darth Maul. I admittedly wish he had more than three lines, but that face tattoo job is still completely bad-ass, the three lines alone combined with those intense eyes are enough to show his extreme desire for the taste of Jedi blood, and I'm a little in awe of his skill with the double lightsaber. It's beyond cool. The side characters in Watto and Sebulba also deserve mention, as they each exhibit a popular state of mind among people these days. Watto represents the common view of only being in the world for the money while being indifferent to events happening around him in the world (or galaxy), and Sebulba's Podracing strategy represents another type of indifferent attitude: "As long as it's not me."
Other highlights of The Phantom Menace for me are the visual effects, which include some very impressive exterior shots for 1999, and the absolutely stunning action scenes. The Podrace was a very well-choreographed scene, and I seem to notice something new every time I see it; the intense attention to detail is clearly there. The four-phase final battle is also structured very well, particularly the impressive choreography for the duel between Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and Darth Maul. John Williams also delivers a great score, highlighted by the theme for the young Anakin, which contains a subtle hint of the darkness that will dominate his destiny, the Podrace fanfare, the Trade Federation march, and of course the catchy and intense action theme "Duel of the Fates."
Now, while I love this film, it isn't perfect. One of Lucas's flaws is that he frequently doesn't refer to side characters by name in his films. Governor Tarkin is only referred to by name twice in A New Hope, and Boba Fett's name is never mentioned in The Empire Strikes Back, but this flaw really shows here. Nute Gunray's name is not mentioned once, despite the fact that his part in this film is bigger than in the next two. Shmi Skywalker and Mace Windu receive a similar treatment, and even Qui-Gon's name isn't mentioned until he introduces himself to Shmi. Also, I wasn't the biggest fan of the Yoda puppet used in The Phantom Menace. I understand Lucas was trying to make Yoda look younger, but the puppet still looked a lot more rubber than the one for the original trilogy. Thankfully, in the latest incarnation of The Phantom Menace, Lucas corrected this flaw by using the CGI Yoda model from the next two films.
But these are pretty minor gripes, and do nothing to sway my opinion on The Phantom Menace, which is a great beginning to an epic story and easily my third favorite Star Wars episode. Whatever people may say, I have always loved The Phantom Menace's story of the unity between two societies and the rise of the Chosen One and the Sith Lords. Highlighted by all of the above aspects, this movie will always hold a special place in my heart.
Sunday, May 21, 2017
Anniversary XL: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back was, as far as sequels go, quite a gamble when it was released exactly 37 years ago today (May 21, 1980). The adventure it took the heroes and villains of the galaxy far, far away on was completely different from A New Hope, it took a considerably more serious tone than the original film, and this did not sit well with all critics and filmgoers at the time. Nowadays, however, The Empire Strikes Back is widely hailed as the best Star Wars film by far. Do I agree with that assessment?
Partially.
The Empire Strikes Back was directed by Irvin Kershner, not George Lucas. Many fans point to his direction as the pinnacle example of why Star Wars works better without Lucas at the helm. This is also the only Star Wars saga film in which Lucas is not credited as a screenwriter. Because of this, several online fans believe the reason The Empire Strikes Back is the best Star Wars film is simply because it was neither written nor directed by Lucas.
I have to disagree with that assessment. Leigh Brackett, the first credited screenwriter, died shortly after finishing the first draft of the script, which Lucas found unfaithful to his characters and vision of Star Wars. Practically none of Brackett's draft made it in to the final film. I have mad respect for Lucas for still crediting her. Lucas actually modified the script himself before hiring Lawrence Kasdan, the other credited writer, to complete the final draft. Lucas may not be credited as a screenwriter, but The Empire Strikes Back is still 100% his story, and still contains lines (mainly from Han Solo) that sound right at home in a script he's credited with.
As for Kershner's direction, I think it is very good. He uses a variety of angles and lighting during critical moments in the film, and they pay off quite well as a method of visual storytelling. I wouldn't go so far as to call The Empire Strikes Back the best-directed film in the saga. I think it shares this distinction with another Star Wars film. Don't expect me to tell you which one, though. You'll have to wait until I get around to reviewing it to find out.
Is The Empire Strikes Back my favorite Star Wars episode? There I can solidly say no. It clocks in as my fourth favorite of the six that I've seen. There are some issues I have with it that are small in scale, but still there.
A New Hope, as I mentioned yesterday, is my least favorite episode mainly because it feels much more small-scale and self-contained than any of the others. Given the circumstances, that's completely understandable, but it still feels off compared to the other five.
The Empire Strikes Back, on the other hand, loses a few points on my scale mainly due to Han Solo and his romance with Princess Leia. I get that Han's way of "flirting" with Leia is pretty in keeping with his established character, but it's really hard for me to consider his behavior of forcing himself on Leia when leading up to their first kiss as a touching moment. Leia tells him to stop touching her, and he doesn't. I may be male, but I'm pretty confident when i say that by today's standards, this would not hold well with most women.
Another minor complaint: for me the most distracting "blue screen" moment in the entire saga is in this film. In the carbon freezing chamber, during the scene where Han is put out of commission for the rest of the film, two people are seen standing in the background at the top of the stairs where Darth Vader later waits for Luke. They're as dark as shadows, but it's painfully obvious to me that those two people are part of the matte painting used as the background for this scene, because they never move at all.
But enough with the criticism, because The Empire Strikes Back has a lot of memorable moments and characters that deserve all the praise they've gotten over 37 years. The effects, while showing their age, still work well, and the sound is especially impressive on Blu-Ray. The opening act of the film on Hoth is executed very well, and the battle against the Imperial AT-ATs (one of my favorite Star Wars vehicles) is always a blast to watch. In the middle portion, when the main heroes split up from each other, the asteroid field chase scene is equally entertaining, but the real scene-stealer is Yoda. The Yoda puppet in this film is so well designed; he's easily the best movie puppet I've ever seen, and the only thing that reminds me he isn't real is the fact that he can't accurately mouth his lines. Beyond that, though, his explanations of how a Jedi's strength flows from the force are superbly written and delivered.
In the final act in Cloud City, we're introduced to Lando Calrissian, who is sadly underused. His decision to overthrow the pressure the Empire has put on him and abandon the city he's led for a long time is a very courageous act, earning him loads of respect from me. Boba Fett also makes his first appearance in this film. He looks cool and is silent and mysterious, but there's really not much else about him that interests me (at least, not yet). Clearly, many fans feel the opposite way.
Of course, I can't talk about The Empire Strikes Back without mentioning the famous misquoted line: "No. I am your father." This twist actually was a twist for me; nobody I was growing up with mentioned it before I first saw the film in 2004. I was surprised. But I was also intrigued to find out if he was telling the truth or not, and that whole scene has become the quintessential Star Wars scene for the same reasons. James Earl Jones's awesome voice delivers that line and every other one in that scene so powerfully, which only adds to the intensity. Hats off to Lucas, Kershner, Jones, and Mark Hamill for keeping that line a tight secret until the films release. Even David Prowse, the actor inside the Darth Vader suit, didn't know that Vader would claim to be Luke's father.
John Williams delivers another home run of a score here. "The Imperial March," introduced in this film, is so catchy and menacing, and I really like Yoda's theme as well. Another highlight in the score comes in the final chase as the Millennium Falcon's crew struggles (yet again) to fix the hyperdrive before being caught in the Imperial Star Destroyer's tractor beam. A steady and tense ostinato punctuates all but the most surprising and most personal moments, specifically Vader making one last attempt to convince Luke to join him through the Force before he escapes.
While The Empire Strikes Back is not my favorite Star Wars episode, it is definitely one of the best directed and paced. The praise it has gotten is (mostly) well deserved, and it's a very worthy Star Wars chapter.
Partially.
The Empire Strikes Back was directed by Irvin Kershner, not George Lucas. Many fans point to his direction as the pinnacle example of why Star Wars works better without Lucas at the helm. This is also the only Star Wars saga film in which Lucas is not credited as a screenwriter. Because of this, several online fans believe the reason The Empire Strikes Back is the best Star Wars film is simply because it was neither written nor directed by Lucas.
I have to disagree with that assessment. Leigh Brackett, the first credited screenwriter, died shortly after finishing the first draft of the script, which Lucas found unfaithful to his characters and vision of Star Wars. Practically none of Brackett's draft made it in to the final film. I have mad respect for Lucas for still crediting her. Lucas actually modified the script himself before hiring Lawrence Kasdan, the other credited writer, to complete the final draft. Lucas may not be credited as a screenwriter, but The Empire Strikes Back is still 100% his story, and still contains lines (mainly from Han Solo) that sound right at home in a script he's credited with.
As for Kershner's direction, I think it is very good. He uses a variety of angles and lighting during critical moments in the film, and they pay off quite well as a method of visual storytelling. I wouldn't go so far as to call The Empire Strikes Back the best-directed film in the saga. I think it shares this distinction with another Star Wars film. Don't expect me to tell you which one, though. You'll have to wait until I get around to reviewing it to find out.
Is The Empire Strikes Back my favorite Star Wars episode? There I can solidly say no. It clocks in as my fourth favorite of the six that I've seen. There are some issues I have with it that are small in scale, but still there.
A New Hope, as I mentioned yesterday, is my least favorite episode mainly because it feels much more small-scale and self-contained than any of the others. Given the circumstances, that's completely understandable, but it still feels off compared to the other five.
The Empire Strikes Back, on the other hand, loses a few points on my scale mainly due to Han Solo and his romance with Princess Leia. I get that Han's way of "flirting" with Leia is pretty in keeping with his established character, but it's really hard for me to consider his behavior of forcing himself on Leia when leading up to their first kiss as a touching moment. Leia tells him to stop touching her, and he doesn't. I may be male, but I'm pretty confident when i say that by today's standards, this would not hold well with most women.
Another minor complaint: for me the most distracting "blue screen" moment in the entire saga is in this film. In the carbon freezing chamber, during the scene where Han is put out of commission for the rest of the film, two people are seen standing in the background at the top of the stairs where Darth Vader later waits for Luke. They're as dark as shadows, but it's painfully obvious to me that those two people are part of the matte painting used as the background for this scene, because they never move at all.
But enough with the criticism, because The Empire Strikes Back has a lot of memorable moments and characters that deserve all the praise they've gotten over 37 years. The effects, while showing their age, still work well, and the sound is especially impressive on Blu-Ray. The opening act of the film on Hoth is executed very well, and the battle against the Imperial AT-ATs (one of my favorite Star Wars vehicles) is always a blast to watch. In the middle portion, when the main heroes split up from each other, the asteroid field chase scene is equally entertaining, but the real scene-stealer is Yoda. The Yoda puppet in this film is so well designed; he's easily the best movie puppet I've ever seen, and the only thing that reminds me he isn't real is the fact that he can't accurately mouth his lines. Beyond that, though, his explanations of how a Jedi's strength flows from the force are superbly written and delivered.
In the final act in Cloud City, we're introduced to Lando Calrissian, who is sadly underused. His decision to overthrow the pressure the Empire has put on him and abandon the city he's led for a long time is a very courageous act, earning him loads of respect from me. Boba Fett also makes his first appearance in this film. He looks cool and is silent and mysterious, but there's really not much else about him that interests me (at least, not yet). Clearly, many fans feel the opposite way.
Of course, I can't talk about The Empire Strikes Back without mentioning the famous misquoted line: "No. I am your father." This twist actually was a twist for me; nobody I was growing up with mentioned it before I first saw the film in 2004. I was surprised. But I was also intrigued to find out if he was telling the truth or not, and that whole scene has become the quintessential Star Wars scene for the same reasons. James Earl Jones's awesome voice delivers that line and every other one in that scene so powerfully, which only adds to the intensity. Hats off to Lucas, Kershner, Jones, and Mark Hamill for keeping that line a tight secret until the films release. Even David Prowse, the actor inside the Darth Vader suit, didn't know that Vader would claim to be Luke's father.
John Williams delivers another home run of a score here. "The Imperial March," introduced in this film, is so catchy and menacing, and I really like Yoda's theme as well. Another highlight in the score comes in the final chase as the Millennium Falcon's crew struggles (yet again) to fix the hyperdrive before being caught in the Imperial Star Destroyer's tractor beam. A steady and tense ostinato punctuates all but the most surprising and most personal moments, specifically Vader making one last attempt to convince Luke to join him through the Force before he escapes.
While The Empire Strikes Back is not my favorite Star Wars episode, it is definitely one of the best directed and paced. The praise it has gotten is (mostly) well deserved, and it's a very worthy Star Wars chapter.
Saturday, May 20, 2017
Anniversary XL: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. A film that made cinematic history since its release almost 40 years ago. (Wow, that's insane.) When George Lucas decided to make a space fantasy film, he ended up writing several drafts of this story, eventually realizing that his biggest idea was much too large for one movie. Considering how much trouble he'd had with getting a studio to distribute the film before 20th Century Fox finally agreed, Lucas wasn't sure he could make more than one movie, and settled on the simplest portion of his overlarge idea that could be seen as a stand-alone film if it ended up being all he did.
The result of all this was Star Wars. It was Flash Gordon for a new generation, it revolutionized science-fiction space adventures, and it has a reputation as one of the best films ever made. I was introduced to Star Wars in 2004 with this film. I was nine years old, and I remember getting absolutely hooked on the characters, the ships, the droids, and the lightsabers. A New Hope was the film that let me take my first step into a larger world, the film that made me a Star Wars fan, and the film that led to me learning as much as I could about this galaxy far, far away. This film had such a huge impact on me that it feels a little... wrong to type the following paragraph.
Because now, quite honestly, this is my least favorite episode in the saga. (that I've seen)
Don't get me wrong. I love A New Hope. I think it well deserves the praise it's received, and it's a great way to introduce the Star Wars universe. I just love its two sequels and its three prequels even more.
A New Hope, while quite sizable on its own, feels a lot more closed and small-scale than the other five films. While this is understandable, given that Lucas wasn't sure he'd be able to make any more films at the time, it still does leave me a bit underwhelmed compared to the other five.
Still, there's a lot for me to love in the movie that started it all. The opening shot of Princess Leia's blockade runner being chased but the Imperial Star Destroyer is really iconic, and C-3PO and R2-D2 never fail to make me laugh with their back-and-forths throughout the film, even though I can only understand one half of their arguments. Luke Skywalker's aspirations for a greater life than moisture farming are well conveyed, and the famous shot of him staring at Tatooine's twin suns is one of my favorites in the saga. I'm echoing several others when I say that Alec Guinness was brilliant as Obi-Wan Kenobi; he delivers my favorite performance in this film. His patience with Luke when he believes he has no chance of becoming a Jedi and his never-ending encouragement towards the young Jedi are traits that make him one of the most ideal mentors in this galaxy far, far away. Han Solo's sarcastic remarks are quite entertaining, and Princess Leia's counter remarks are just as entertaining. Darth Vader, from the black suit to the menacing breathing to James Earl Jones's awesome voice, steals every scene he's in.
As for the effects, well... even on Blu-Ray their age does show, but they still hold up quite well. A few aliens in the Mos Eisley Cantina are obviously models, and some of the blaster shots look out of place compared to the others, but I still have no problems believing everything I see in A New Hope. Even the added CG effects blend in pretty well by my reckoning. Han's conversation with Jabba the Hutt in Docking Bay 94 is quite impressive when you consider that when that scene was filmed, Lucas's vision for Jabba's look was nowhere near the giant slug we know him as today. The CG Jabba makes good eye contact with Han and follows his gestures quite well that I don't even care that he looks a little out of place compared to the rest of the scene.
Also, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I don't care who shoots first. Whether Han shot Greedo first or not, the intentions of both characters in the scene are quite clear. I like the scene best in its latest Blu-Ray incarnation, where the smoke makes it really hard to tell who shot first.
In the action field, Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewbacca's shootouts with stormtroopers throughout their Death Star adventure are quite amusing and still fun to watch 13 years later, but the real action stealer is the Battle of Yavin at the end of the film. It's sequenced very well, showing multiple failed trench runs before Luke finally uses the Force and pulls off that lucky shot to destroy the station. John Williams's score is a classic, even if it's missing several of the iconic Star Wars leitmotivs that were introduced in later films.
As Lucas himself said in 1977, the key word for this movie is "fun." 40 years later, that statement holds true. The sarcastic and silly dialogue, the ridiculously clumsy stormtroopers, and all the cool alien and vehicle designs all contribute to making A New Hope a very fun and highly memorable science-fiction classic. It may be my least favorite Star Wars film, but I love it immensely.
The result of all this was Star Wars. It was Flash Gordon for a new generation, it revolutionized science-fiction space adventures, and it has a reputation as one of the best films ever made. I was introduced to Star Wars in 2004 with this film. I was nine years old, and I remember getting absolutely hooked on the characters, the ships, the droids, and the lightsabers. A New Hope was the film that let me take my first step into a larger world, the film that made me a Star Wars fan, and the film that led to me learning as much as I could about this galaxy far, far away. This film had such a huge impact on me that it feels a little... wrong to type the following paragraph.
Because now, quite honestly, this is my least favorite episode in the saga. (that I've seen)
Don't get me wrong. I love A New Hope. I think it well deserves the praise it's received, and it's a great way to introduce the Star Wars universe. I just love its two sequels and its three prequels even more.
A New Hope, while quite sizable on its own, feels a lot more closed and small-scale than the other five films. While this is understandable, given that Lucas wasn't sure he'd be able to make any more films at the time, it still does leave me a bit underwhelmed compared to the other five.
Still, there's a lot for me to love in the movie that started it all. The opening shot of Princess Leia's blockade runner being chased but the Imperial Star Destroyer is really iconic, and C-3PO and R2-D2 never fail to make me laugh with their back-and-forths throughout the film, even though I can only understand one half of their arguments. Luke Skywalker's aspirations for a greater life than moisture farming are well conveyed, and the famous shot of him staring at Tatooine's twin suns is one of my favorites in the saga. I'm echoing several others when I say that Alec Guinness was brilliant as Obi-Wan Kenobi; he delivers my favorite performance in this film. His patience with Luke when he believes he has no chance of becoming a Jedi and his never-ending encouragement towards the young Jedi are traits that make him one of the most ideal mentors in this galaxy far, far away. Han Solo's sarcastic remarks are quite entertaining, and Princess Leia's counter remarks are just as entertaining. Darth Vader, from the black suit to the menacing breathing to James Earl Jones's awesome voice, steals every scene he's in.
As for the effects, well... even on Blu-Ray their age does show, but they still hold up quite well. A few aliens in the Mos Eisley Cantina are obviously models, and some of the blaster shots look out of place compared to the others, but I still have no problems believing everything I see in A New Hope. Even the added CG effects blend in pretty well by my reckoning. Han's conversation with Jabba the Hutt in Docking Bay 94 is quite impressive when you consider that when that scene was filmed, Lucas's vision for Jabba's look was nowhere near the giant slug we know him as today. The CG Jabba makes good eye contact with Han and follows his gestures quite well that I don't even care that he looks a little out of place compared to the rest of the scene.
Also, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I don't care who shoots first. Whether Han shot Greedo first or not, the intentions of both characters in the scene are quite clear. I like the scene best in its latest Blu-Ray incarnation, where the smoke makes it really hard to tell who shot first.
In the action field, Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewbacca's shootouts with stormtroopers throughout their Death Star adventure are quite amusing and still fun to watch 13 years later, but the real action stealer is the Battle of Yavin at the end of the film. It's sequenced very well, showing multiple failed trench runs before Luke finally uses the Force and pulls off that lucky shot to destroy the station. John Williams's score is a classic, even if it's missing several of the iconic Star Wars leitmotivs that were introduced in later films.
As Lucas himself said in 1977, the key word for this movie is "fun." 40 years later, that statement holds true. The sarcastic and silly dialogue, the ridiculously clumsy stormtroopers, and all the cool alien and vehicle designs all contribute to making A New Hope a very fun and highly memorable science-fiction classic. It may be my least favorite Star Wars film, but I love it immensely.
Friday, May 19, 2017
Anniversary XL Reviews Ahead!
Yeah, I haven't posted a thing on here in six months. For the few of you who are still following me, I have a series of posts planned for the next six days leading up to the 40th anniversary of Star Wars. For the next six days, I will write a reflective review on each of George Lucas's Star Wars episodes (so, not Episode VII or Rogue One, which I haven't seen), talking about what I love about each one, some of my favorite moments and elements from the film, and how I like it in comparison to the other five. These are my top 6 favorite movies of all time, so don't expect me to blast my least favorite episode just because I happen to like the other five more.
I will be going in "flashback" order, that is: IV-V-I-II-III-VI. I believe this is the best order to view Lucas's saga in a full movie marathon (I'll just be watching one a night and write my review of it the following day), as it combines the perks of chronological order (I-II-III-IV-V-VI) and release date order (IV-V-VI-I-II-III) while avoiding the major drawbacks to both "obvious" orders. The best proof I can offer as to why this method works best is in the form Drew McWeeny's series of essays on introducing the saga to his kids in this order. If you haven't read them, they are well worth your time.
Also, I will be using the 2011 Blu-Ray versions of all six films for these reviews. They are the current version of the saga that the creator is most satisfied with, so I think it only fair that I discuss these versions. This will mostly be irrelevant, except when I'm briefly talking about the major changes from the theatrical and DVD cuts. I mentioned in an earlier post that I don't think any change takes away the heart of what made Star Wars what it is, so don't expect to see me blast George Lucas for "ruining my childhood."
Hope you enjoy reading these reviews! I'm looking forward to writing them.
I will be going in "flashback" order, that is: IV-V-I-II-III-VI. I believe this is the best order to view Lucas's saga in a full movie marathon (I'll just be watching one a night and write my review of it the following day), as it combines the perks of chronological order (I-II-III-IV-V-VI) and release date order (IV-V-VI-I-II-III) while avoiding the major drawbacks to both "obvious" orders. The best proof I can offer as to why this method works best is in the form Drew McWeeny's series of essays on introducing the saga to his kids in this order. If you haven't read them, they are well worth your time.
Also, I will be using the 2011 Blu-Ray versions of all six films for these reviews. They are the current version of the saga that the creator is most satisfied with, so I think it only fair that I discuss these versions. This will mostly be irrelevant, except when I'm briefly talking about the major changes from the theatrical and DVD cuts. I mentioned in an earlier post that I don't think any change takes away the heart of what made Star Wars what it is, so don't expect to see me blast George Lucas for "ruining my childhood."
Hope you enjoy reading these reviews! I'm looking forward to writing them.
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