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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

PT Did Hayden do a good job as Anakin?

Discussion in 'Prequel Trilogy' started by Rotticus, Oct 25, 2012.

  1. Fensbane

    Fensbane Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Nov 18, 2012
    While I realize that it all comes down to personal preference, I have a hard time believing that there are people who consider his acting in AOTC to be good. Granted, the fact that he shared many scenes with Portman, who was equally bad and whom he had clearly no chemistry with, didnt help, and neither did the fact that Ewan McGregor is a considerable better actor and had the easier role. However, I cringed one time too often during AOTC to consider his acting even remotely good.

    I dont have any problems with him in ROTS, even though McDiarmid overshadowed him to a certain degree.
     
  2. JTShiro

    JTShiro Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2012
    He is a middle of the road actor, the dialogue in AOTC was just cringe worthy which made his performance look a lot worse than it probably was. ROTS had far less cringe worthy dialogue but he was just mediocre for the most part imo.
     
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  3. Jedi Master Kenobi

    Jedi Master Kenobi Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Nov 17, 2012
    No problem at all with Hayden. I never had a problem with the dialogue either, I've always viewed it as they spoke differently because it was a different time, just like if you had a conversation with an Old Timey 1920's guy in the present day, you'd think he sounded "Like a fag" (quoting Idiocracy :) ) .


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  4. CaptainRegor

    CaptainRegor Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2012
    He did a great job, many of the people on set really give him huge credit too the reason for all his bashing has really nothing to do with his acting skills (well mostly) it is because he wasn't, GL's Anakin wasn't what people thought he was. Ask most of the people growing up with the Prequels (or clone wars for that matter) even if they've seen the original first they most commonly say they liked his portrayal of Anakin
     
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  5. TheFoot

    TheFoot Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Dec 5, 2011
    I don't like sand.
     
  6. Veloz

    Veloz Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 30, 2004
    I think Hayden did a good job. Granted, there were a few cringe-worthy scenes and bad lines, but those can be found in the OT.

    I really like the bolded bit, i do think that's an issue.
     
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  7. -NaTaLie-

    -NaTaLie- Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 5, 2001
    Yeah, at first I was upset that I wasn't very fond of Anakin until I realized he's not supposed to be likable in the same way that Luke was. I still think GL went a tad overboard with: less bickering and more friendly banter with Obi-Wan (similar to ROTS) would go a long way to make him more likable.
     
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  8. Count Yubnub

    Count Yubnub Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 1, 2012
    I thought he was excellent, for the most part.
     
  9. Attariel

    Attariel Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2012
    I found both actors for Anakin and Obi Wan to be very convincing. What I found most awkward was the fact that the first Anakin from PM seemed like a 7 year old kid and then he is suddenly 16ish in the next film.
     
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  10. -NaTaLie-

    -NaTaLie- Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 5, 2001
    Well, yeah, I'm not the one to bash Jake but overall having a big gap between I and II hurt the prequel trilogy (especially AOTC - ROTS would have been the same).
     
  11. Cantina Bassist

    Cantina Bassist Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 5, 2012
    Brilliant move. An unlikable lead character. (is he the lead character? It's hard to tell in these cluster***** films). Kinda reduces the impact of his so-called "fall", doesn't it? (was it really a "fall"? He was an insufferable jerk in the first place, where did he "fall" from? It's hard to tell in these cluster**** films).
     
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  12. PiettsHat

    PiettsHat Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 1, 2011
    I think, to be honest, it's more of a question of how you approach the films. Obviously, people's opinions will vary on whether they find Anakin likable or not, but I also think it depends on whether you hold likable characters in greater esteem or interesting characters (regardless of their likability factor). For me, if it's a choice between making a character interesting or likable, I will always choose interesting (although that's not to say they can't successfully be both).

    Anakin does both likable and unlikable things and he has both good and bad personality traits, but that only makes him a more complex and interesting character for me. I also think that he works better as such given that his story is about progression to villainy.

    Plus, I don't think being a "nice" person is necessarily the same thing as being a "good" person. There are many villains (and people in real life), who are exceedingly pleasant and polite but that does not prevent them from being evil.
     
  13. King Terak

    King Terak Jedi Knight star 1

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    Nov 22, 2012
    Well look at Ep:IV, Lukes constant complaining didn't help at all, but he also had his moments of greatness.
     
  14. Cantina Bassist

    Cantina Bassist Jedi Knight star 2

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    Nov 5, 2012
    I don't think it's a secret that if he had been a much more sympathetic character throughout the trilogy, his plight at the end of ROTS would have had more impact. As it is, it almost has no emotional impact at all. Which pretty much makes the entire PT pointless. He basically does nothing to endear himself to the audience the entire time. What the heck is the point of telling his story then?
     
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  15. PiettsHat

    PiettsHat Force Ghost star 4

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    Jan 1, 2011
    Personally, I never understood why the "whining" of either character bothered some members of the audience so much. Both Anakin and Luke do eventually move beyond it and it's more reflective of their youth and inexperience (which I've always found makes them easier to sympathize with). And, like you said, they also have their moments of greatness as well.
     
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  16. King Terak

    King Terak Jedi Knight star 1

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    Nov 22, 2012
    I didn't have a problem with either of them. As you stated, it helped the charecters grow. In fact it's the PT Anakin that helps the OT Anakin seem more tragic and human, he also shares similarites with Luke in regards to personality.
     
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  17. PiettsHat

    PiettsHat Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 1, 2011
    Again, I think it's a matter of personal opinion to some extent, because I did find Anakin endearing -- I found the dichotomy of his character very well done. And I also find him easy to sympathize with -- mainly because I can very easily identify with his greatest fears, of losing loved ones while at the same time, I found his obsession with control to be very understandable, given his history. So for me, there is definitely an emotional impact.

    But there's also the tragedy of looking at it from the perspective of "what might have been" -- I don't think many people see Anakin through this lens because they are so eager for him to become Vader or having gotten so used to picturing Vader as his future that they have more difficulty imagining different endings. His story, though, is primarily one of wasted potential -- he could have been so much more than he became and that's the tragedy of it. And he was on the path too -- his relationships and personality were much more mature by ROTS and I think this, more than anything, lets you see the kind of man he could have become had he not succumbed to Palpatine. For me, the emotional impact really stems from watching someone try so desperately to be good but eventually fail so miserably.

    I think you also have to consider this quote from Winston Churchill:

    "Good and great are seldom the same man."

    Which I've always interpreted as meaning that, for many, greatness is often achieved at the cost of our "goodness."
     
  18. Sistros

    Sistros Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 24, 2010
    the thing with Hayden is that as an actor he is inconsistent in his performances

    sometimes you think "wow he's a actually a good actor" and at other times you think "what on earth? that is crap"

    he's a mixed bag for me and thats why i can't really get into his characters turmoil,

    the scene that sticks out to me is the scene where Padme tells him she's pregnant it was like she's told him she burnt his sausages and he's a little peeved but then says "don't worry, we'll just make more" he didn't act like it was the best moment of his life.
     
  19. Cantina Bassist

    Cantina Bassist Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 5, 2012
    All right. I can't relate at all to what you're saying, because I don't see anything genuine about this character at all, good, bad, or whatever, but I can respect that you do.
     
  20. Cantina Bassist

    Cantina Bassist Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 5, 2012
    Luke seemed genuine. You could identify with him. You believed his relationships with those he cared about. He carried an emotional weight. Anakin had none of these things.
     
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  21. CT-867-5309

    CT-867-5309 Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Jan 5, 2011
    On top of all that he wasn't even entertaining.

    smh

    Anakin never moves beyond it, he's whining all the way through ROTS.

    Except Anakin didn't achieve greatness.

    The character of Anakin Skywalker is a failure on every level, imo.
     
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  22. PiettsHat

    PiettsHat Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 1, 2011
    I actually always really loved the scene you mentioned -- it just worked for me I suppose. The initial shock being replaced by overwhelming joy. I think what really sells it is how he smiles -- his face just splits into this 100-watt smile that I've always found very genuine, along with how he says "we're not going to worry about anything right now."

    I believe it was the most legitimate reaction he could have had given the circumstances, but different strokes for different folks, I guess. It's that scene in question that always sells the tragedy of ROTS for me because, just for a moment, I can believe that they're going to be okay, regardless of how many times I've seen the film.

    Just out of curiosity what did you find unbelievable about it? Did you find it underacted?

    That's cool - I can respect that.
     
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  23. PiettsHat

    PiettsHat Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 1, 2011
    To be honest, the only scene I really found could in any way be interpreted as whining in ROTS was during the assignment to the Council. And even then, Anakin quickly apologizes. That, and it's always come across much more as frustration and anger rather than whining.

    Luke has a moment of this too, such as when he whines to Leia to wait for him in ROTJ, but it's a rather small moment that passes quickly and I don't think it hurts his character.

    I think you misunderstand what I meant by that quote. I've always seen Anakin as a weaker person than, say, someone like Luke. Thus, in order for him to become a "great" man, I think he only saw becoming Darth Vader as an option and that meant sacrificing his goodness. And therein lies the tragedy. For me, anyway.

    Darth Vader was a "great" man (in terms of the influence he wielded in the galaxy), but he wasn't a good one by any stretch of the imagination.
     
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  24. Cantina Bassist

    Cantina Bassist Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 5, 2012
    Their whole relationship is unbelievable. There isn't a true note about the whole thing. there is zero chemstry between the two of them. "Talk is cheap" has never been so true.
     
  25. PiettsHat

    PiettsHat Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 1, 2011
    I'll just say I disagree and leave it at that. I will say though, that in terms of chemistry, I didn't read a great deal sexual tension between them, but I don't think that's a negative necessarily. Theirs was more of a relationship based on emotional dependence in my view. I will say that I'm happy with the direction Lucas took their story in, though, and the fissures in their relationship that developed as a results Anakin's fall.
     
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