Wednesday, July 25, 2007

You're as pretty as Princess Leia, and as smart as Yoda.



Loved Sith. Loved it, loved it, loved it.I think a major problem with the first two films was the lack of connection to the original trilogy. There were all these new characters that no one cared about. But in this film, we saw the true origins of our space saga.It's been a long time since I've seen any Star Wars movies. The other prequels were never a huge disappointment for me because I knew that Episode III was gonna be the big one. I didn't really care about Anakin's childhood. I was much more interested in his turn to the dark side. I mean, who wasn't? I was not too disappointed.Anakin: Okay, I have a vague recollection of not liking teenaged Anakin in Episode II. I just remember thinking, "Why did Lucas cast this guy?" But in this one, I loved him. The transformation from Skywalker to Vader was done so gradually, it was chilling. And how creepy was it for him to be called "Darth Vader" for the first time, as a man? I know when I think of Vader, I think of the scary black armor. And how kick ass was the scene of them putting it on him? It was sad and terrifying. And then when he found out Padme was dead, and everything starting shaking and shattering. Oh yeah, that's the stuff.I think this film had more emotional resonance than any of the other films because this is the last one, and it ties up so much of the story. We finally see the origins of Darth Vader, and not only is he a tragic figure, he's a sympathetic one as well. At least to me, he was. First you have Yoda tell him that Jedi shouldn't form attachments and that he should let go of the one he loves. Then you have Palpatine telling him that the dark side can give him the power to save his loved ones. Who would you think of as the bad guy? The one telling you he could save your wife, or the one telling you to just let her die? I could totally understand why Anakin made himself believe that the Jedi were evil. But Yoda was right - by trying to save Padme, he just ensured that she would die, and doomed the galaxy while he was at it. Poor kid.Obi-Wan and Anakin: It was nice to see them as friends. I didn't remember them liking each other much in Episode II. So no wonder Anakin turns to the dark side. But they did a great job here of showing how close they had grown, and that made the betrayal that much more painful. "You were my brother! I loved you" Oy! Slash is not typically my thing, but I know the slashiness when I see it.Anakin and Padme: I still have to rely on my own imagination to really see the passion and intensity of their love. I've heard so many people who like the movie complain about Natalie Portman's performance. Just like people who liked Closer criticized her performance in that, and people who adored Garden State... well you get the idea. I agree that she got some of the cheesier dialogue, but it was still workable. The thing is, I was totally feeling the intensity of devotion from Hayden, but not her. Hmm... It was the same problem I had with Spiderman 2. I loved the whole movie, except for the central love story that was supposed to be the driving point. But unlike MJ, I actually liked Padme in the previous films. So let's just blame it all on Lucas' inability to direct actors, shall we? I did love their last scene together though. And he did the Vader choke-hold on her! Damn, that was really brave of Lucas.I love the way Vader's transformation was juxtaposed with Padme giving birth to Luke and Leia. That was just perfect. Just as Padme's last words, "There is still good in him, I feel it." was echoed by Luke in Return of the Jedi. I was seriously near tears.Yoda: Yoda da man. And how cool is it that Chewbacca was friends with Yoda?! They're like, buddies! Aw... I felt so bad for Yoda when all the Jedi were being killed. "Failed, I have." Aw, now here come the waterworks again.Basically, I loved the movie. I brought my nephew and two nieces to see it, and they loved it, even though they had never seen any of the Star Wars movies. At several points, Samantha told me "this movie is *so* *cool*!" Unfortunately, even that wasn't enough to make them stop getting up and buying snacks constantly. Next time I go to see a movie I really wanna see, I'm not taking the whole lot of younglings with me.ETA: Please forgive all the typos. Too excited for proper English!

2 comments:

noncywarrisrayahoocom said...

There you are! I knew you were having phone problems (and believe me, I can sympathize), but earlier this week I was wondering when you would be back. Reading romance novelsAnything particularly good?Watching Daria It comes on so late at night, but I don't care. I love this show.Two o'clock in the morning. Why?? Why?? If only it came on earlier, I would watch it every night. As it is, I catch it about once a week.

upstairsfortihnking35yahoocom said...

I know how you can feel about this. I'm often a rooter for the underdog, so I'm often climbing up on my soapbox to make my voice heard over the masses.And in regards to Coldplay, I'm in agreement with alot of the recent criticisms, however, this does not take away from the fact that i have enjoyed their music and though I haven't liked the recent single, I have enjoyed other cuts I've heard. I don't see how the band can really be faulted for being overexposed, if they are popular, they are. They don't seem to be a band that pumps out the CDs for sheer volume and lack of quality, so... I've not dismissed them completely, as some have. They're a band. They have some great music and some not so great music. And that's...that.