PT Revisiting the prequels

I really don't see much difference between in the style of the OT and the PT, both are equally hammy. Laser brain, what a corny line.

 

Hence, 'it didnt take it take itself too seriously'

 

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I agree. At least we never heard Anakin or Padme saying: "It's not you. It's me." That is one of the biggest cliches there is when it comes to TV or film love/break-up scenes.

 

I don't think people are disappointed with the movies because the story is different actually the story/idea behind the PT is more interesting than the OT story but the movies are so poorly executed people fail to see that.

 

The PT doesn't have a serious tone it has no tone

 

Many of us DO like the PT - the less worn look exterior in contrast to the slowly decaying interior of a republic being undermined from within. Good stuff.

 

I guess we all take away different things from a move. Some people enjoy the PT. I can understand that. Just as I understand that some people enjoyed the propaganda films that the Nazis produced. Or the fourth Jaws movie.

 

Quoting Wikipedia here, as they put it rather succinctly:

"falling afoul of Godwin's law tends to cause the individual making the comparison to lose their argument or credibility"

Just sayin'. Stay classy Chainmail_Jedi.

 

LOL
You're telling a guy who lists his occupation as Sith Pimp to keep it classy?
You're...something else if you think comparing the PT to Nazi films was anything short of hyperbole. A hyperbole is still a comparison though, and if it's made on purpose it's really not falling afoul in any sense.

 

Yours is broken. Might want to look into that.

Yeah...because comparing the propaganda films of a regime responsible for the deaths of millions to a bunch of space wizard movies that you happen to dislike is "sensible." As my earlier quote indicated, though, if you have to start with the Nazi comparisons, your argument is in trouble.

 

so you're implying that a hyperbole is sensible? You're an odd one.

 

And there is no argument at all, so nothing is really in trouble.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scare_quotes

Please don't double post.

Anyway, I agree with Val -- there's good stuff in the PT.

 

Anyway, I disagree with Val. There's not good stuff int he PT.

 

I agree with Val.

 

The word you're looking for is heart. The acting is sort of lacking in heart, especially the first two.

 

I agree. While Lucas maybe a visionary when it comes to aesthetics and a sense of spectacle, the meat and bones of conveying dramatic storytelling to film is a good, solid, intelligent script. And no matter how good an actor, they need a director who knows how to get the audience to connect with the characters of the story. Not a director who says,'that'll do' after 3 takes and who doesn't give the actors some proper direction. He, after all, is the one telling the story.

 

I'd love to see a movie with "no tone". Maybe that would be one with a blank screen and music played through noise-cancelling hardware?

Lucas almost gave the world a "no tone" movie -- more of a "two-tone" movie, ultimately (close, but no cigar) -- with "THX-1138". If only he'd thought to leave everything white.

Anyway, some of the OT's more derisive critics might demur, popularity aside, that *it* has "no tone", and that all of Star Wars is the kind of cinematic junk food you wouldn't even feed your dog.

What about GREAT stuff?

It depends on what the basic aim is:

An examination of mental illness marked by heavy drama, a family comedy, a piece of social-realism, a ponderous work of science-fiction, et al.

All these demand their own approaches to characterization and drama.

The prequels are a big blend of disparate film genres, experimental art stylings, and possess a sort of muggy, grim characteristic to some of the performances one might expect to find in some of the earlier, underground films that inspired Lucas, and which he played with in his own debut feature film (THX).

In this sense, they're clearly not your regular piece of blockbuster cinema; nor are they imbued with the snappy, happy wrecking-crew quality of the originals. I mean, in ANH, it's pretty hard to imagine any place where a scene like the one that takes place between Amidala and Palpatine in Palpatine's apartment, in terms of basic look and tone, might fit. Even with an echo of it in the Death Star conference scene.

It's clear that the prequels do go about things a little differently. On the other hand, to declaim them for having no intelligence or intrigue -- or personality -- in the scripting or characters is, in my opinion, a great disservice to what's there. Yes, they're different, but not so different, not so chilly or austere, that there are no moments of warmth, wit, great heft, or humour. Within this digital temple, wildebeest still roam.

Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padme, Jar Jar, Palpatine, Watto, Shmi, Yoda, and the droids are all pretty memorable and distinctive characters, in my view. And the screenplays, while less ebullient than those of the OT, have a certain starchy elegance -- a careful cadence -- to them. And at times, if not endlessly, there is a suggestion of a complexity alien to the OT. Take the scene(s) in which Anakin and Obi-Wan are guarding Padme in AOTC before the next attack. "Quiet as a tomb" and "Dreams pass in time" are about as stark in their casual morbidity as fifty lines of dialogue uttered from the mouth of TESB-Yoda. It's a different landscape: tragic, desultory, sad ... and unapologetically placed in comic-book wrapping paper.

The prequels are very tinsel-y in a way, but also quite probing and weighty. I think there's an interesting friction there that it's hard to dish out from the OT. If anything, Lucas developed a far more poetic sensibility, then compressed down till he was left with basic words with blunted corners, and sparser, behavioural acting to go with them. In this way, a major gulf is created between the words and the visuals, with the words acting like haiku droplets suspended over infinite vanishing points. If nothing else, it's a wonderful expression of how degraded and trite spoken language is, or can be, when played against a continuity of light and sound.

"Human speech is like a cracked kettle on which we tap crude rhythms for bears to dance to, while we long to make music that will melt the stars" -- Gustave Flaubert

 

None of that in the PT either.

 

I see. I'll go on enjoying whatever's actually there, then.

 

Yes, that's exactly how it felt after seeing it for the first time. At least to me it did. It felt almost like a TV movie. The acting (pretty much everyone's guilty of it, too) seemed insincere and lacking in true emotion — Lloyd's and Christensen's performances being the worst of them.

 

There's a select few who survived with there reputations in tact. Lloyd was just a kid, who was picked because he 'looked the part' and that's all. Christensen was bad but for me, Portman was apocalyptically terrible!

 

Things I liked in the PT.
Qui-Gon, Shmi, Anakin in ROTS, the double-sided lightsaber, the Execution Arena, Padme in TPM, Anakin and Obi-Wan's starfighters in ROTS, Duel of the Fates, Watto, Dex, the seismic charges, The Clone Army assembled-Kamino and Coruscant, The Battle of Coruscant, Order 66, The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise, Palpatine/Sidious

 

Ah, I've just rewatched TPM. I haven't seen it in it's entirety for 5-6 years, and it was a rather fun ride. Many things that I thought would bother me, actually didn't. The biggest surprise was that I didn't cringe at Jar Jar's constant idiocy. Far from it that I like him, it all simply flew right over my head and I guess I subconciously filtered it all out. Overall, it was a way more positive experience than it was the last time I saw it, but...I'll say that's largely due to the tolerant mood I'm in today, hah. It has many redeeming qualities but still...I can't help but sigh and think "What a missed opportunity." Oh and the random plot holes...oh, you random plot holes...

The massive planetary blockade that the whole damn fuss was about simply disappears and is reduced to one lone ship. Guess if they waited long enough the droid invasion would've sorted itself out as well... the randomly placed child sized helmet in a fighter... oh the training... the boy can't be trained, he's too dangerous. We'll see after this potentially suicidal mission we're sending you on that has little chance of success, oh and the kid's coming too. On second thought, let's train him. But no, not you Obi-Wan, you've literally just been Knighted, the boy is dangerous and many more experienced Masters can take care of him...you'll do it against our will? Oh, pray tell, how do you intend to do that? Why do you even want to train him? You said he was a pathetic life form and a dangerous one at that! Oh, right. Gave a promise. Acutally, y'know what, nevermind. **** it. You train him. You did give your word, after all.

Oh and seriously, Maul...what the ****, Maul? He's just...hanging there, by his fingernails! What, why...why are you cutting the floor? Why don't you just--OH **** he jumped, he's coming around, come on come on come on, Maul, man, you literally just have to ignite your lightsaber and you'll kill him! Just...turn it on, stick your hand out a few inches and he'll land right on it you don't even have to-- well, **** your 15 seconds are up and you're dead.

Well, at least all you folks have ended years of racism, prejudice, intolerance and friction between you and the Gungans, learned to work together, forged a strong bond, formed a lasting alliance that will...oh come on, really? Planetary peace and liberation from oppression and you bought them a frickin plasma ball sphere?!

Ah, but I am slightly exaggerating. I had fun, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
It has many, many problems but tonight I was in the mood and yeah. That was it.
Next up - Attack of the Clones!



- The universal symbol of peace, prosperity, tolerance and justice.

 

1. since the TF conquered the Naboo, there was no need to continue blockading a planet they now controlled.

2. it was Qui-Gon's final wish for Obi-Wan to train Anakin which is why the council allowed it. From the council's reactions, they seemed to not believe Anakin was the choosen one in TPM.

3. Obi-Wan is hanging on below Maul's reach with his lightsaber, so he is just trying to startle Obi-Wan to make him lose his grip. Also Maul, like many movie villans is toying with the hero stuck in a perilous predicament.

4. what is wrong with a sign of peace?