PT Was Grievous a good villain?

And there's nothing wrong with that. In the OT, this is exactly what Tarkin and Boba Fett are. I don't know why it's suddenly so important in the PT that the henchmen be given elaborate introductions and character development when that's never been the case in Star Wars. Even Jabba fits into this scheme, to an extent. Sure, he was namedropped in the preceding two movies and even showed up in the SE version of Episode IV, but do we really know anything about him other than that he's a loathsome slug of a gangster? No. Hell, this problem was even "rectified" for Boba Fett in the PT, and people complained about that.

There's a double standard at play here.

 

I don't recall attempting to exempt the OT from this criticism. Boba Fett is probably the worst offender of all (despite featuring in more than one film).

 

Oh well I apologize. I didn't mean to imply that everyone was applying a double standard. If you feel the same way about all these types of villains, it's a valid opinion. I mostly disagree, but I won't argue.

edit: But I'm curious....what are everyone's thoughts on Nute Gunray? He's introduced in Episode I as a formidable villain, reappears in Episode II as one of the main causes of the peril our heroes are in, and then finally meets his end in Episode III with a pretty memorable final line. He's really the only consistently recurring secondary villain in the prequels.

 

Yes. Thought he was a good villian, but overshadowed by Palpatin and Anakin.

But would have prefered more of Count Dooku though...

 

I think that he had such great potential in the PT. They could have used him for so much more than just some random General they found just in time in ROTS. I really like Grievous, but the ruined his story.

 

I never liked Grievous. I got the feeling that his presence was built up considerably. And when I finally saw him, he came off as a one-note villain. On the other hand, I think too much was made of Boba Fett in the OT.

 

He was just a lightsaber wielding toy, underdeveloped and utterly boring.

 

He was more of a pawn than a villain TBH. I didn't really like him and his fake accent.

 

Grevious was a good villain, however his back-story needed to be explained more in the movie/s

 

He was overshadowed by the main hero and the main villain of the saga? You don't say...

And Grand Moff Tarkin was just a one-note mustache-twirling villain with a big laser.

 

You've done it again.

 

No, Tarkin is not a one note anything it is simply what many choose to see him as.

Grievous had the potential to be a good grey character but like most characters in SW suffers from poor execution and presentation.

 

Because the movie doesn't really give him "other notes".

The EU does - but then, the EU also showcases his malevolence as well.

 

Tarkin himself would take offence to calling him "mustache-twirling"

 

And Grand Moff Tarkin was just a one-note mustache-twirling villain with a big laser.
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comparing Tarkin with Grievous...

does not compute.

It's like comparing Han Solo with...

Lobot.

 

Iron Lord: You choosing to see the film Tarkin as one note doesn't mean anyone else has to. I ignore the EU when it comes to Tarkin so that means nothing to me.

General Grievous on the other hand is pretty one note and poorly done. Unlike Cushing's Tarkin.

 

The question is - if there are other notes to be seen in the movie - what are they?

 

Several but most simply choose to be blind to them.

 

Or, simply would like to be told what notes you are seeing, so we can try and see them for ourselves.

 

Iron Lord: Nice try but no. Besides this isn't the place for this and I don't need to defend liking Tarkin. I do and you won't change that.

 

Grievous is an under-developed, under-used yet also flat and pretty pointless character. Just imho, of course.

 

Wow… defending the PT by attacking the OT… how original. LOL.

 

Comparing Tarkin and GG is fine by me.

Both are moustache twirlers (note to the literal minded - this is a figurative phrase describing their personalities).
Both appear in one SW film and meet a sticky end.
Both answer to Sidious.
Neither are provided with a back story.
Both are in command during massive military blunders.
...

There are a few interesting divergences in characters. Tarkin is shown to be the face of the empire at its most powerful and is arguably the main antagonist of Ep4. He commands both 'ultimate powers' in the universe - the Death Star and Darth Vader, his henchman.

GG is said to be (rather than shown to be) the face of the CIS at its most desperate and least powerful. His empire is in decline and he's a tertiary antagonist at best. He commands mindless robot troops that are used as comic relief, his henchmen, such as they are, serve as mere distraction for his repeated attempts at retreat.

I think you can judge the value of a villain by the quality of his henchmen. The Monarch in Venture Bros describes the perfect henchmen as a mix of being invulnerable and expendable. ANH Stormtroopers and Vader have it, GG's army and personal guards just don't. GG is really only Dooku's henchman anyway...

I also think you can judge the value of a villain by his relationship to the protagonists. Tarkin emotionally imposes himself on Leia and the rebellion by blowing up Leia's entire planet. The rebels (and the audience) are given genuine reason to hate and fear Tarkin and the Death Star and empire he represents. GG merely helps Dooku pretend to kidnap Palpatine, who the audience already knows is the Big Bad. We see him fail again and again, there's no show of strength or influence that commands the protagonists (or audience's) respect.

 

Ya. Grievous is more of a sideshow than Tarkin, but I don't know why they can't be compared.

The OT-PT divide gets to be pretty annoying at times. Particularly when one fan uses it to complain that another is "bashing" the OT to "elevate" the PT.

I didn't see that happening in the example above. Rather, as you seem to have picked up on, they have quite a few things in common, and the poster seemed, to me, to be parodying the churlish tactic of gross reductionism.

 

Both Grievous and Tarkin are "mustache twirling villians." Neither has a mustache...

...DOES NOT COMUTE