Full Series Anakin & OB1

Couldn't have put it better myself.

 

Nice to see ya around again fanboy!

 

It's a meme. Starting at 1 rather than 0 is also called an Obi-Wan error.

 

I actually think Matt Lanter holds back and doesn't do as convincing of an acting job as he could to stay true to Christensen's version of the character.

 

If there's one thing Later doesn't do it's holding back. I like how he handled the character in the first three seasons, but now he instantly turns into the Hulk whenever he's upset. Especially during the Slave Arc. It's can be quite jarring. But I guess this might as well be the writer's fault. Or the animators for not giving the character enough time to develop the momentum for an outburst.

I don't want to turn this into a PT Anakin vs. TCW Anakin (vs. CW Anakin) discussion, though. That part of his performance just irks me. Also, IMO HC's "Nooo!" was more genuine than ML's during the future vision scene in the Mortis episode.
And you gotta have a good "nooo". I mean, that's basically in any SW actor's contract now, isn't it? Right next to the "I have a bad feeling about this." line agreement.

 

I wasn't saying that seriously. Just bashing Christensen. I can't help it.

 

When Lanter starts raging, that's when it goes south for me. I can't stand when he turns into Christian Bale's batman (with mask on).

Sorry, that's how I interpret his voice.

 

I can see similarities, but it's no where near as bad. That kind of ruined the new Batman films for me.

 

I swear, at one point, Lanter said "Where are they?!?!" a la Christian Bale batman style in an episode. Took me right out of the episode.

 

I remember that. I think it was in one of the Zygerria episodes.

It reminded me of this.

However, Anakin's anger in the Rako Hardeen arc wasn't done badly, IMO. It was cold and venomous, often violent but less like the Incredible Darth Hulk than the films' Anakin after his mother dies or after he gets sliced up and left to burn.

 

I remember that, and I didn't think that but I can see where you're coming from. To me the difference is that was at talking volume or maybe a little louder and the reason Bale's thing gets so annoying is that it's a whisper. They're both restrained but Bale sounds extreme. Also, Anakin is angry, so it's rational to sound like that, Batman is...trying to sound like a bat or maybe trying to sound scary? So more differences than similarities, I think.

 

Lanter does a good job playing Anakin.

 

Lanter does a terrible job playing Anakin.

I mean: Seriously, who is that guy who's training Ahsoka? Anakin in AotC and RotS is soooooooooooooooo different, it's not even funny. Even when Hayden's Anakin was lighthearted, there was always this undertone of misery... he was never this kind of cheerful. It's not just Lanter though, it's also the animation.

As far as developing Anakin & Obi-Wan's relationship goes, I blame 'The Phantom Menace'. Not to bash the movie, but in my honest opinion there's just nothing really important happening in that movie, not in the scope of the saga. None of it matters, really. And the couple of things that do, could have been easily handled elsewhere. Prequels should have started with Anakin as Obi-Wan's padawan, AotC timeframe. Then they could have focused on the actual war, and then RotS.

 

This has been repeated ad nauseum, but I guess must be repeated again: Lanter has made Anakin into the hero he was meant to be, despite best efforts of Hayden Christiansen to make him not so.

 

^ I for one actually really liked Hayden's portrayal of Anakin. Any shortcomings are more due to the way the prequels were written than anything else. I don't think his acting is as terrible as people generally make it out to be. I thought he was particularly great in RotS.

That's all fine and dandy, and I can understand their intentions, but IMO they just took it a little too far, and there is too little connection with the Anakin I'm used to. Ah well. There are worse things about this series.

 

Not sure where this thread is going because we had an old one on the same theme, but I agree with rumble, Tarkas, et al.

Lanter does a pretty decent job. Hayden was absolutely terrible, minus a couple of scenes in ROTS. Blame him, blame Lucas' direction, blame Lucas' script, blame all of the above.

My wife likes SW but can barely stand to watch AOTC and ROTS because of him.

Lucas gives us a little kid in TPM who says "Yippee!", a whiny teenager in AOTC, and finally in ROTS when he is getting to be interesting, he has to turn to the Dark Side in approximately 45 minutes.

But now I'm getting on another PT rant and we know where that leads.

 

Jake Lloyd is terrible

Matt Lanter is terrible

I don't mind Mat Lucas

I've seen Hayden act well and that was in Shattered Glass. I mostly blame the script and Lucas's directing.

 

The thing is that Hayden's Anakin is the definitive prequel Anakin. Lanter does an OK job, at best, at VAing but he is terrible at playing Anakin. Although I suspect a lot of that also has to do with the writing and direction of TCW, by casting Anakin as the charismatic, suave action hero figure that he just isn't.

 

The only other movies I've seen with Hayden Christiansen in are "Life is a House" and "Jumper". I don't mind Hayden to much. I do think Matt Lanter does a great job in TCW most of the time. Lol totally irrelevant but besides that Matt Lanter is hot IRL. Over time I've gotten to where I kinda like his Anakin better. Anakin sounded funny and boring to me when I watch half of ROTS on Spike a while ago. But it'd been a long time since I'd seen any of the prequels at that point. I had that experience with a few characters vs their TCW counterparts. I've never been a big fan of Mat Lucas who really sounds flat and emotionless to me in the old Genndy series. He really doesn't sound much like Hayden at all to me despite being some kinda voice double. I think the problem there lies in the fact there isn't much dialogue in the old Genndy cartoon and he was still in the company of really good veteran voice actors. That's kinda like how a feel about Steve Blum. The guys a decent voice actor but when they put him in a show next to really good voice actors I really start to realize how overrated he is.

 

I dislike both for different reasons. But Prequel Anakin will always be Hayden's depiction, as shoddy as it was.