PT Who Doesn't Hate Jar Jar anymore?..

I, for one, do not hate Jar Jar Binks. If you take into account that Jar Jar was intended to be the buddy sidekick in the mold of Chewbacca for the prequels he really is not that bad. Yes, he's a little annoying and clumsy but if you keep in mind that he's just a sidekick then he's really not that bad.

 

The Phantom Menace is a movie ABOUT happy accidents. Will of the Force. All that jazz.

 

I think Jar Jar's OK in TPM. In Clone Wars though I think he's awesome.

 

As a kid, I loved Jar Jar. I guess I never outgrew it, because I still love Jar Jar at 18 yrs old.

 

Hated Jar-Jar when I saw TPM as a 9 year-old, hate him now as a 22 year old.



"Meesa go caca and peepee all over meesa selfs!"



No thanks.

 

Speaking of happy accidents...

 

I've never hated Jar Jar, but I do find his TPM antics tiresome. I enjoy about 30% of his hijinx, but his voice and the sheer number of would-be schticks begin to wear thin.

In summer 1999 I couldn't help but notice that only little kids laughed at about 60% of his lines.

I do think he's funny physically; the gag at Watto's shop where he walks out, turns around and gets clapped in the face by his own ear is probably his best moment IMO. But the otherwise awe-inspiring climax of TPM is deeply undermined, I think, by his Warner Bros. toon-like tomfoolery.

Also, he sounds better in the French-language track on the DVD. Give it a whirl if, like me, you find Best's voice grating.

 

Jar Jar and all of his many antics represent the nadir of the juvenile "humor" thhat began in ROTJ and re-appeared in the PT, forever tainting the Star Wars legacy. The character's inclusion in Episode I made the film almost unwatchable. I can think of nothing further to add.

 

Yet you've watched TPM over 40 times, IIRC.

 

That's correct. It's an awesomely bad film, though not entirely unwatchable.

 

For me, one of the worst Jar Jar moments was when the Clone Wars cartoon replaced Best with someone else, who was even worse.

 

They're ALL awesomely bad films. That's a big part of why I love them.

 

Why would you watch what is (in your opinion only) a bad film over 40 times? Isn't that hypocrite?

 

Tres amusing. Only on a Star Wars forum will you find someone who will watch a film that they claim is bad 40 times.

Besides, I thought this thread was called Who Doesn't Hate Jar Jar Anymore, not Who Still Hates Jar Jar.

 

I would post more in a thread called "Who Is Mildly Irritated By Some Of Jar Jar's Antics But Thinks 'Hate' Is Too Strong?"

 

lol.

Isn't he supposed to be irritating, though? I thought it was a Buddhist thing. He tests the patience of everyone - Obi-wan alludes to him being a "pathetic lifeform" - but Qui Gon and Padme realise his worth and are vindicated.

 

Yeah. For all their sweep, the SW films are, basically, well... "Chintzy" is one word. "Stilted" is another. "Silly" is yet one more. It is like you are stepping through a portal, entering a magical multiverse of extremes: a whole different language. I think that's also a big part of why I love them, too. There's something endlessly contrived -- yet unremittingly wonderful -- about the whole thing. SW is satisfying on multiple levels. In my opinion.

 

I mean, another movie I watch religiously is Disney's Babes in Toyland. From the 60's. Christmas flicks in general. Mostly pretty stupid, but altogether fun. You can't be a hard-nosed critic when watching Star Wars. Kinda defeats the purpose IMO.

 

Heres something Ive been thinking about with regard to people hating Jar Jar.

How many alien life forms had we seen speaking English? I believe there were none in ANH and then Yoda only in ESB and then Bib Fortuna sort of, Yoda and Admiral Ackbar for just a quick second or two.

We had this to shape our view of star wars for 20ish years. The first 20 minutes of TPM we have Nemoidians and Gungans, higlighted by Jar Jar Binks and his over the top speak. Add to that Watto, Crazy Two-Headead announcer guy and then several Senate delegates. I think in general, that was kind of jarring. It seems that a lot of the english speaking aliens are often labeled annoying, but not so much the ones that are subtitled.

FWIW Jar Jar somewhat annoyed me early on and then I grew to quite like him.

If you got rid of "Exqueeze me" "Icky Icky Goo" And that Giant Camel Fart moment. I think it would make a ton of difference in how he is perceived.

Also, when he's cracking on the Jedis underwater that rules.

oh, Maxi Big da force. Well that smells Stinkawiff. Ha ha.

 

That's a pretty profound observation, Thomas. Add to that the CG angle, Jar Jar's babyish speech and mannerisms, and the alleged "black" stereotyping that some people claim to see, season with all the screen-time Jar Jar has, add a dash of "slapstick versus seriousness" (i.e., the other characters are very serious, by and large, and the acting, in the words of JFP, displays a "muted realism", so Jar Jar really stands out), marinate in twenty years of hardcore fan expectation, combine with the general touchiness that always seems to accompany fanaticism (reminds me of a quotation by H.L. Mencken: "A sense of humour always withers in the presence of the messianic delusion, like justice and truth in front of patriotic passions"), and it seems you have a perfect recipe for global hatred.

Those broad moments, though, I would argue, add immeasurably to the aura of Jar Jar, and the singular nature of his personality. For my part, I think there's something surreal, you might say, about that shot of Jar Jar with his Gungan feet propped up on the table on Padme's ship: it is very much like some kind of whirling dervish of a cartoon character has invaded the story and is now improbably napping, yet even when Jar Jar is not moving (or barely moving), there's something elemental about his presence (something a little exotic; something a little off -- "Hmm... Outlanders!"). Seeing Jar Jar in such a basic, almost "naked" moment, and having him still resonate in the film at even his most sedate (as he does, for me), is oddly enriching. I see the genius of George Lucas writ large in that moment: how he's able to thread even an otherwise stoic and deeply serious scene with a hint of the outlandish and absurd. It's the hint of eccentricity that's so beguiling. It's there, but it almost isn't. And yet, IT IS! I love that. Plus, I think it's a powerful reminder (again, to me) of how Lucas is able to summon up these extremes of human perception so strikingly. The shininess of the droids (brass and plastic), Chewie's fur, Han's holster, Yoda's ears, Vader's mask, Maul's facepaint, Jar Jar's feet: each of these evokes something child-like, almost primal. Star Wars is done in very broad strokes, but (paradoxically) with great specificity.

* * *

I'd just like to briefly go over a couple of remarks in that quoted essay of JFP's (a brilliant read, to be sure)...

 

That post truly moved me, Cryogenic

 

"Move along... move along..."

"Always on the move!"

"We must move quickly if the Jedi Order is to serrr-vihve!"

* * *

First, a quick amendment (nothing too "radical" ) :

In the next film, Obi-Wan, of course, has longer hair, and in the one after, this passes down to Anakin. Though, Obi-Wan and Anakin have "mullets", while Qui-Gon remains the true "hippie" -- visually and otherwise -- of the Jedi Order.

Second, one thing I forgot to work in:

Source: http://www.forcecast.net/story/blog/The_Case_For_Jar_Jar_134218.asp

Two things to add to that:

1) When Jar Jar is talking Padme in Palpatine's apartment, the characters are stood near to a sculpture/artwork that is, from the looks of it, reminiscent of pearls (large pearls, displayed on matching stands); and pearls, or a "golden ball", are an essential part of the

 

Yousa point is well seen.

 

It's been 12 years since TPM and I'm still irritated by the clumsy gungan. Sorry. You can attempt to read into symbols, themes and motifs all you want, but to me Jar Jar was simply a failed attempt at comic relief. The filmmakers realized their horrible mistake and (thankfully) reduced his role in the subsequent films.

 

Source?