Does the Prequel Trilogy do justice to Anakin Skywalker?

Why am I not surprised to see the "Whiny Brat" cliché? Did Anakin whine any more than Luke?
And the "whiny brat" is the teenage Anakin, not the innocent little boy of TPM nor the "Hero without Fear of ROTS." We never hear Anakin whine in ROTS. The scene in which discovers Kenobi's having visited Padme could be offered as an example of whining, but I would disagree. He is mature enough to calm down and even confess that he knows he should not want more.

GL really created a powerful character with Anakin Skywalker. We do get the cute little kid in TPM who left me cold when I first saw TPM, a movie that initially disappointed me. I have changed since then about TPM and TPM Annie thanks first to AOTC and ROTS. Then we get the James Dean Anakin in AOTC. Then we get a more mature, though obviously not mature enough Anakin in ROTS, a warrior concerned for peace, his wife, his father, and divided between loyalty to the Jedi and Kenobi on the one hand and to Palps and the Republic on the other hand.

And I love ROTS Darth Vader. In fact, while maybe we see Luke shed tears in ANH after he discovers the remains of Owen and Beru (I'm not sure as it's been a while), we see the future Lord Vader shed tears in TPM when he leaves his mother in TPM, his mother leaves him in AOTC, when he realizes he might not be able to save Padme and again when he realizes that his murdering spree is wrong in ROTS.

GL gives us a very complex hero turned tragic hero turned greatest villain in film history. In doing so, he creates a hero à la Campbell and tragic hero à la Aristotle and Shakespeare, while also undermining the black-and-white hero/villain dichotomy that the early Hollywood, including that of Flash Gordon, that GL reveres and that we expect in Hollywood films, especially in children's films. With Anakin Skywalker, GL transforms OT Vader, origianlly a James Bond-like henchman villain at the leash of Tarkin in ANH who became the greatest villain in history into someone more human and ultimately emotionally and physically crippled.

 

Well, we were all able to come up with our own image and story since there wasn't one. All we knew was that he wasn't always evil, was a great pilot and was seduced by the emperor. That's not much to go on. All 3 of those things were witnessed in the PT. So in that way yes. It's more of "did it live up to our imagined ideas?"

I'm surprised luke's "whinyness" like his father is usually overlooked in these discussions. In ANH, he's all high pitched, complaining in the first half. Come on "i was going to toche station" power converters thing isn't super whimpy and whiny? That's the character and he changes. ESB has it's moments on dagobah where he's very impatient. Not to the same degree because his character is stronger. But he still behaves similar. Luke also didn't have as many of the same troubles. He lost his aunt and uncle but anakin lost his mother and he had nightmares about it for how long and has to carry the guilt of not saving her by acting earlier on it. Luke didn't have all the rigid rules of the the jedi to deal with like anakin. He was the only jedi. He had powers that none of his peers had and was allowed to lead and follow his own path. Anakin wasn't allowed the same respect as older masters and obi wan and felt slighted by his peers and friend. and he could blame the jedi for not being able to leave and find his mother. He was told they were just dreams and they would pass. Anakin felt trapped because being a jedi, which he wanted to be also kept from doing the things he wanted. He wasn't able to willingly make the sacrifices. Luke didn't have the same trappings. He was brought up in a completely different environment. Similar for a while but they went down different forks in the road.

Anyway, this might have gone off topic a bit but that's my 2 cents.

 

I think the story told in the PT is great, the way palpatine fulfills his plans by manipulating a great Jedi,etc. George did a great job there
...but direction could have been LOTS better, IMO the PT could have been perfect if george was the producer and somebody else directing. We would have the same plot but with better acting , dialog and action.

As far as anakin goes ROTS was great but they should put at least 1 adult Jedi being hunted by Ani

 

hit the nail on the head!

 

We're definitely on the same page.