What if Hayden Christensen had played Anakin as a 16 year old in TPM?

How would this have changed the movie? I think it realistically could have had the same plot and just had an older Anakin no problem. What do you think?

 

Naw. He had to be 10 in TPM. If he was 16, he would have already been in puberty, and he wouldnt have had that same emotional attachment to his mother.

 

Anakin's youth in TPM allowed Lucas to show that his turn to the Dark Side was deep rooted and the reasons were deeply rooted even into his childhood. Example: Being seperated from his mother at such a young age.

 

Neh, innocence can be executed through writing and portrayed by an actor good enough to be convincing. Lucas resorted to using a cheap gimmick in conveying innocence and sympathy, it shows a weakness in writing and characterization. The story would have benefitted much more from a sixteen year old Anakin.

 

The ten years of dreaming about Padme in AOTC would have seemed a bit odd if there were only 3 years between the films.

 

GL claims that he had a 9 year old Anakin in TPM to have the emotional attachment to his mother be so much more powerful.

That's all well and good, but then watch the audio commentary on the TPM DVD-- GL talks about how he filmed several different takes on the scene where Anakin leaves his mother. The version he selected for the final cut, however, was one of the least emotional of the takes-- he says so himself.

I just think that kind of defeats to purpose of making Anakin 9 years old so he'll be more attached to his mother.

 

That's all well and good, but then watch the audio commentary on the TPM DVD-- GL talks about how he filmed several different takes on the scene where Anakin leaves his mother. The version he selected for the final cut, however, was one of the least emotional of the takes-- he says so himself.

I don't remember this in the TPM docs? [face_shocked]. Is it in the "The Beginning" documentary? And more importantly, why did he intentionally choose the least-emotional take? Actually, this is George, so why am I asking...

I just think that kind of defeats to purpose of making Anakin 9 years old so he'll be more attached to his mother.

I think so too. And in the realm myths and literature (which Lucas purports to be looking for inspiriation), innocence and tragedy are themes represented in all sorts of characters, at all sorts of ages. Anakin didn't have to be 9 years old. I think it's just the ever-present pictures you keep seeing of the cute, button-nosed Jake Lloyd that has ingrained itself into your minds so much that you can't imagine anyone else. But if we go back in time to 1999, the day TPM opened, and then saw a 16 year old Anakin step onto the screen for the first time, I don't think any of us would've cared. The moment could've been just as "magical". Any writer/storyteller really worth their salt can show the drastic change of a character at any age.

I would've backed the whole 9 year old Anakin had it worked out much better than it did, but I don't think the character of Anakin had to be limited to that age to work well.

 

"What if Hayden Christensen had played Anakin as a 16 year old in TPM?"

It would have been alot better.

 

>>>>>>>>>I don't remember this in the TPM docs? . Is it in the "The Beginning" documentary? And more importantly, why did he intentionally choose the least-emotional take? Actually, this is George, so why am I asking... <<<<<<<<<<<<<<



Because the takes he had were too emotionaly over the top, like LOTR. Apparently, Anakin was crying a little, and it was just too much and didnt fit with the type of emotion that you see in the rest of the saga. IN my opinion, it was the right move. Its still emotional, but it is emotional without being over the top. Not like when you have Hobbits crying every 15 minutes (which alienates the hell out of me and is why I cant stand LOTR). It was on the commentary.

 

Because the takes he had were too emotionaly over the top, like LOTR. Apparently, Anakin was crying a little, and it was just too much and didnt fit with the type of emotion that you see in the rest of the saga. IN my opinion, it was the right move. Its still emotional, but it is emotional without being over the top. Not like when you have Hobbits crying every 15 minutes (which alienates the hell out of me and is why I cant stand LOTR). It was on the commentary.

But aren't little kids supposed to cry when being torn from their mothers? That was the point of making him nine years old then, wasn't it? It was "to illustrate how traumatic a child being separated from it's mother would be." That decision just completely defeats the purpose.

 

Teenagers have issues that small children don't, and vice-versa. Teen Anakin is the point of Episode II, not Episode I.

 

Once again, a 16 year old leaving his mother is not remotely traumatizing. It's NORMAL for cryin' out loud. He had to be young. Period.

 

No he didn't. Exclamation point.

Didn't make Luke a 9 year old in ANH did they Question mark.

 

rpeugh, I can't agree with you more about the LOTR crying-hobbits thing.

Don't get me wrong, I like the LOTR movies. But Peter Jackson is such a freakin' hack sometimes. "My characters are sad! You should feel sad too now! Let's have a closeup of sad eyes. Excellent. See what an emotional film I have made."
HACK!
It's even worse than the gratutitious celebrations, cheering and hugging in SW. I can't freakin' watch that random "We did it!" Leia-Chewie hug in ANH.
Yes, Lucas, you have your hack moments too.


I love the Anakin-goodbye scene in TPM. It's emotional in a quiet, unobtrusive way (though the big sweeping music at the end throws it off a bit, if I remember the score correctly).
Lucas is telling his story, not trying to score cheap points with the audience. And for once in his life, he's actually doing a good job directing a scene. And it moves me.


Rick McCallum loves you!

 

The version he selected for the final cut, however, was one of the least emotional of the takes-- he says so himself.

Actully I just watched TPM the other day. GL picked the scene he did because the 1st one was way to emotional. The 2nd one was not emotional enough. He wanted to show the emotional stuff. But he did not want it to be way over the top.

 

>>>>>>>>>I love the Anakin-goodbye scene in TPM. It's emotional in a quiet, unobtrusive way (though the big sweeping music at the end throws it off a bit, if I remember the score correctly).
Lucas is telling his story, not trying to score cheap points with the audience<<<<<<<<

I couldnt have said it any better Adam. But I did like that big sweeping score at the end of it.

 

Pay close attention and look at Anakin's face of fear when he asks "What about mom? Is she coming too?" Then Quigon gives him that bad look, and Jake's head goes down in despair. Terrific. Nice and subtle, and he doesnt rely on cheap crying.

 

Pay close attention and look at Anakin's face of fear when he asks "What about mom? Is she coming too?" Then Quigon gives him that bad look, and Jake's head goes down in despair. Terrific. Nice and subtle, and he doesnt rely on cheap crying.

Which makes is sad but not over the top sad.

 

Once again, a 16 year old leaving his mother is not remotely traumatizing. It's NORMAL for cryin' out loud. He had to be young. Period.

What kind of teenager would leave his mother behind on a dangerous planet like Tatooine as a slave to a desperate owner that just lost everything, and STILL have a clear conscience? That's trivializing Shmi's situation to justify one of Lucas's many whims.

 

No he didn't. Exclamation point.

Didn't make Luke a 9 year old in ANH did they Question mark.

Luke was not leaving his MOTHER. And Luke was not traumatized by that. He also did not fall to the Dark Side.

 

Had Hayden been in TPM, I would have enjoyed that episode a million times more! At least he can act, unlike Jake Lloyd!

 

>>>>>>>>Luke was not leaving his MOTHER. And Luke was not traumatized by that. He also did not fall to the Dark Side<<<<<<<

Exactly. Plus, the OT is more about the path from adolescence to adulthood. The PT is more about the path from childhood to adolescence. Besides, I didnt think Luke's near turn was handled all that well in ROTJ. Luckily, Anakin's is being handled a lot better so far, and if what I here about it in episode 3 is true, it will be handled A LOT better than it was in ROTJ with Luke.

 

I think it would have been a lot better. No matter Anakin's age he would still feel pain and sadness by leaving his mother behind. She is the only thing he ever had and she was the one light in the middle of all the darkness Anakin grew up with; however, I don't believe Watto is as bad as some people think. In my opinion having a teenage having to make the choice between leaving his mother behind and becoming a Jedi becomes more powerful and strong than a 9 year old. Anakin is 9 by the time he leaves his mother and he is sad by it, but he does not yet fully understand the consequences of his actions. Only when he returns to Tatooine does he realize it. Now if Anakin was 16 he could understand a lot better his decision and it would become a heavier burden than it already was in ATOC. Not that it matters because what is done cannot be undone, but I still believe Anakin being older would have been better.


Luke Skywalker didn't get to choose between his family and the Jedi/Rebellion. Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru were murdered for getting in contact with C3PO and R2D2, so Luke decided to join Kenobi's cause and fight for the rebellion. Luke didn't even want to leave them; though that is because of Owen's thinking.

 

Ok, for those of you that beleive it wouldnt have been less emotional if he was older, let me ask you this. Are you telling me that you still feel the same strong emotional need for your mother that you felt before you started liking girls? Even though I still love my mother, I sure as hell dont feel it. I dont show her anywhere near the kind of affection that I showed her when I was 6 or 7. Sometimes I feel bad about that, but that's just the way it is. But its the same way with Anakin in AOTC. He wishes he dreamt about Padme instead of his mother. Notice that he says that he doesnt know why he keeps dreaming about Shmi. He doesnt realize that subconciously he still fears for her.

That's what I love about SW. It really allows you to meet your subconciousness and meta physical psyche in a way only alcahol can.

 

For someone who is constantly talking about how the "story is more important than FX" Lucas ALWAYS cuts scenes which have *more emotion* or more humanity (like the scenes with Padme's family, the only reason he cut all of that was to simply make the movie go by faster, whatever your opinion of the family scenes that is lame).

Anakin leaving his mom was too dry an unemotional. Tears should have been shed. Fortunately his taste of the dark side in AoTC due to his mother's death makes up for it plenty IMHO. I think Anakin being a kid separated from her (then not seeing her for ten years) in TPM works very well as others mentioned because it really shows how wrong the Jedi are for isolating themselves and keeping kids from their parents which comes back to bite them.