ella_menno (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ella_menno) wrote2005-11-02 05:25 pm
ella_menno) wrote2005-11-02 05:25 pm
Entry tags:
slacking jedi-style
yeah, yeah, i know...not what i'm supposed to be doing. pfft.
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much love for Revenge of the Sith.
I know there are people who were disappointed in this one, but I am not among those people. I thought this was far and away the best of the prequel trilogy; I don't like to compare PT to OT, since they are so different, but RotS may well come out of this as my favorite of the six.
(pauses for shocked gasping)
It worked for me on so many levels. I was afraid that my love for the film was just a side-effect of my anticipatory frenzy before it opened in theaters, but that seems not to be the case - after watching it again (once all the way through, once just skipping from highlight to highlight), I realize that I am very satisfied with the way it played out.
For one thing, I think HC really stepped up to the bat with his portrayal of Anakin. I know that he (and a large part of the fan base) was displeased with his character in AotC, snotty!teenage!Anakin not being what they signed up for. But having had that foundation laid out already, the existing rage and immaturity that he'd never - what, conquered? integrated? let's say 'dealt with' - it's all there. He's desperate to keep Padme safe; he's torn between the Jedi council (who do kind of come across as smug and superior minded, IMO) who he's pledged himself to, and the Chancellor, who's been one of the only constant positive influences in his life.
For those who are chiming in "what about Obi-Wan," I'd remind you that he's got a hard job as Anakin's mentor/teacher/father/brother, and that he has to be tough on the kid - or he thinks he does, anyway. I know there was a post, once upon a time, about the crux of the problem between Obi and Ani resting in the failure of their relationship to be clearly defined as "brotherly" or "father/son," a theory I absolutely love. Wish I could find that....
Anyway. There are so many scenes that still just gut me - when Anakin has to decide between Mace and Palpidious (and how much do I love that amalgamation of names?). When he's made that choice and he collapses, going so far as to drop his lightsaber next to him - the anguish in his voice! Gah! And it's so clear that he knows he's doing a bad thing - for all his posturing later on that "from (his) point of view, the Jedi are evil," you know that he doesn't believe that at that precise moment; he talks himself into believing that in order to do what Palpidious is requiring of him.
A subtlet little touch I missed on first viewing: when Anakin shows up at the Jedi temple and walks in to the council room, and that passel of younglings comes out from behind the chairs, and the little-bitty one pipes up with "there are so many of them, what should we do?" and Anakin lights up the saber - the wee!Jedi flinches, and oh my gosh here I thought I'd exhausted all the opportunities for tearing up. Gah.
Oh, and for the record, I'd like to put this out there, for all those who think that Padme was "weak" in RotS - GRRRR! No, really, there's more than that. I don't think her character 'became' weak as much as it was a failure to show her part of the story. S, space/time limitations, blah blah blah, I get that. But when you reflect on everything that had happened to her in a very short amount of time, and when you take into consideration all that stress, and that even the best of us sometimes make really, really lousy decisions, and that it's not like she spent a whole bunch of time considering her options - well. I'm just saying, I don't see her actions as being as much "out of character" as many have posited. (That, and I just can't cope with the fact that Padme would've suddenly flaked out; perhaps I'm fanwanking this a bit so that I can sleep better at night.)
OH MY GOSH I LOVE THIS MOVIE. Gah. How do people write up coherent reviews of things they've enjoyed without turning into huge piles of squee??
Then there's the final Obi/Ani battle, and thetortured dialogue (hey, I never said I had NO complaints!), but the dual meaning when Obi says "I have the high ground!" And how he just looks at Anakin laying there, and how he has to turn away when Anakin's mangled body catches fire, and how he doesn't go over there to help him OR to finish him off - gah. Thank you for, in one moment, adding about A HUNDRED THOUSAND LAYERS of complexity to the character.
Oddly, I find that I like Yoda less and less each time I watch the films. Not the CGI-ness or puppet-ness of him, but his intrinsic Yoda-ness; honestly, you could search the galaxy for eons and not find a worse teacher. Come on...I'm a child-led homeschooler, but there comes a point you actually need to, you know, TEACH a person, and not just leave him hanging all alone with gentle platitudes about "difficult, things are" and "pervasive, the dark side is." Heck, even Dumbledore steps in and takes ACTION every once in a while.
My moment would not be complete without a moment of love for good old Ian McDiarmid. Good old scenery-chewing, voice-changing, wavy-delivery, preening-diva Ian McDiarmid. If he were any more over the top in his portrayal, we'd need an entire army of mops to wipe up the overage.
*looks at metaphor*
*is unsure of its effectiveness*
*leaves it anyway*
Oh gosh. Oh oh oh. SO MUCH LOVE FOR THIS MOVIE. Have I mentioned that? So, now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go watch the disc with all the extras on it.
all this AND we just got 'batman begins,' too!! life is SOOO good!
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much love for Revenge of the Sith.
I know there are people who were disappointed in this one, but I am not among those people. I thought this was far and away the best of the prequel trilogy; I don't like to compare PT to OT, since they are so different, but RotS may well come out of this as my favorite of the six.
(pauses for shocked gasping)
It worked for me on so many levels. I was afraid that my love for the film was just a side-effect of my anticipatory frenzy before it opened in theaters, but that seems not to be the case - after watching it again (once all the way through, once just skipping from highlight to highlight), I realize that I am very satisfied with the way it played out.
For one thing, I think HC really stepped up to the bat with his portrayal of Anakin. I know that he (and a large part of the fan base) was displeased with his character in AotC, snotty!teenage!Anakin not being what they signed up for. But having had that foundation laid out already, the existing rage and immaturity that he'd never - what, conquered? integrated? let's say 'dealt with' - it's all there. He's desperate to keep Padme safe; he's torn between the Jedi council (who do kind of come across as smug and superior minded, IMO) who he's pledged himself to, and the Chancellor, who's been one of the only constant positive influences in his life.
For those who are chiming in "what about Obi-Wan," I'd remind you that he's got a hard job as Anakin's mentor/teacher/father/brother, and that he has to be tough on the kid - or he thinks he does, anyway. I know there was a post, once upon a time, about the crux of the problem between Obi and Ani resting in the failure of their relationship to be clearly defined as "brotherly" or "father/son," a theory I absolutely love. Wish I could find that....
Anyway. There are so many scenes that still just gut me - when Anakin has to decide between Mace and Palpidious (and how much do I love that amalgamation of names?). When he's made that choice and he collapses, going so far as to drop his lightsaber next to him - the anguish in his voice! Gah! And it's so clear that he knows he's doing a bad thing - for all his posturing later on that "from (his) point of view, the Jedi are evil," you know that he doesn't believe that at that precise moment; he talks himself into believing that in order to do what Palpidious is requiring of him.
A subtlet little touch I missed on first viewing: when Anakin shows up at the Jedi temple and walks in to the council room, and that passel of younglings comes out from behind the chairs, and the little-bitty one pipes up with "there are so many of them, what should we do?" and Anakin lights up the saber - the wee!Jedi flinches, and oh my gosh here I thought I'd exhausted all the opportunities for tearing up. Gah.
Oh, and for the record, I'd like to put this out there, for all those who think that Padme was "weak" in RotS - GRRRR! No, really, there's more than that. I don't think her character 'became' weak as much as it was a failure to show her part of the story. S, space/time limitations, blah blah blah, I get that. But when you reflect on everything that had happened to her in a very short amount of time, and when you take into consideration all that stress, and that even the best of us sometimes make really, really lousy decisions, and that it's not like she spent a whole bunch of time considering her options - well. I'm just saying, I don't see her actions as being as much "out of character" as many have posited. (That, and I just can't cope with the fact that Padme would've suddenly flaked out; perhaps I'm fanwanking this a bit so that I can sleep better at night.)
OH MY GOSH I LOVE THIS MOVIE. Gah. How do people write up coherent reviews of things they've enjoyed without turning into huge piles of squee??
Then there's the final Obi/Ani battle, and the
Oddly, I find that I like Yoda less and less each time I watch the films. Not the CGI-ness or puppet-ness of him, but his intrinsic Yoda-ness; honestly, you could search the galaxy for eons and not find a worse teacher. Come on...I'm a child-led homeschooler, but there comes a point you actually need to, you know, TEACH a person, and not just leave him hanging all alone with gentle platitudes about "difficult, things are" and "pervasive, the dark side is." Heck, even Dumbledore steps in and takes ACTION every once in a while.
My moment would not be complete without a moment of love for good old Ian McDiarmid. Good old scenery-chewing, voice-changing, wavy-delivery, preening-diva Ian McDiarmid. If he were any more over the top in his portrayal, we'd need an entire army of mops to wipe up the overage.
*looks at metaphor*
*is unsure of its effectiveness*
*leaves it anyway*
Oh gosh. Oh oh oh. SO MUCH LOVE FOR THIS MOVIE. Have I mentioned that? So, now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go watch the disc with all the extras on it.
all this AND we just got 'batman begins,' too!! life is SOOO good!
no subject
Is this what you were looking for? After I read your post, it suddenly struck me that
Also, I think in your next RotS post, you ponder on Anakin's discovery of his daughter and how he felt about it. If you haven't read her SW fic already,