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

PT Why Hayden Christensen Played Anakin PERFECTLY

Discussion in 'Prequel Trilogy' started by PadawanGussin, Jun 27, 2018.

  1. PadawanGussin

    PadawanGussin Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Sep 6, 2017
    I know this has been discussed before but I really enjoyed this vid and wanted to share it. It really sums up my view on the subject in a way that I never could.
    Hope you Enjoy !

     
  2. Lady_Skywalker87

    Lady_Skywalker87 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 4, 2008
    I love the channel..and wholeheartedly agree with the video, thanks for sharing!
     
    IHeartKenobi89 and crapiola like this.
  3. wobbits

    wobbits Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 12, 2017
    Thank you for sharing this video. I don't normally watch youtube channels or follow podcasts but this is one of the best takes on Anakin I have seen in a long time. This is how I have taken his story since the PT was released.

    Fans complain about Anakin being "whiny" but here we are 13 years later and they love 30 year old whiny, emo Kylo who doesn't have a story even a portion this compelling.

    Hayden's facial expressions are perfect and telling. One of my favorite scenes is the one from the video where Padme tells him he is about to be a father. In just a couple seconds you can see joy, nervousness and fear all cross his face as he processes her news.
     
  4. Lady_Skywalker87

    Lady_Skywalker87 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 4, 2008
    I will never understand this..half the reason I despise Ren.
     
  5. PadawanGussin

    PadawanGussin Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Sep 6, 2017
    I think Anakins life would have turned out much differently if the Jedi had adapted his training to refect his very unique circumstances.
    I also suspect that Anakin felt a certain comfort in having his Jedi "programming " so quickly replaced by Palpitine.
    The confusion and fear Anakun felt after attacking Mace was so telling in his voice and expression and made him willing to very quickly accept a diametrically opposed worldview.
     
  6. wobbits

    wobbits Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 12, 2017
    I don't think it was the worldview he was thinking of. At that point he was still trying to save Palpatine for the knowledge to save Padme that Palps dangled in front of his nose like a carrot. He was so desperate to save her he didn't see the manipulation.
     
    Lady_Skywalker87 likes this.
  7. PadawanGussin

    PadawanGussin Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Sep 6, 2017
    No question at all that his primary motivation was Padme.
    It was shocking though just how quickly Anakin was able to murder his fellew Jedi including children.
     
  8. Lady_Skywalker87

    Lady_Skywalker87 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 4, 2008
    I agree with you a 100% here...and this is where I believe the Prophecy was misread. I believe Anakin was meant bring change to TJO,
    and because the Jedi were resistant to Anakin in a great number of ways..the Force forged another tragic path to force THEM all to change. So in-universe-wise Anakin is a tragedy that could've been prevented.

    To
    me
    it wasn't...
    Anakin did not consider TJO his family or did not consider the Temple his home at very least..despite the fact that he may have held respect for the institution he grew up with in his own way.

    "I never really had a home...home was always where my mom was."

    Replace mom with Padmè who the mother of HIS child at said moment, and his choice is painfully clear...what I always found creepy though is that Sidious seems to open the flood gates for Anakin's resentments and anger to be freed the moment he's knighted Vader.
     
    Last edited: Jun 28, 2018
  9. wobbits

    wobbits Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 12, 2017
    I think he definitely felt free in those moments to take a deep breath and just exhale all the emotions he had been struggling to conceal. The good and the bad.

    But since we are talking about Hayden as Anakin I forgot to mention earlier that along with the video mentioning Hayden studying JEJ Vader speaking cadence, he also bulked up quite a bit for the role in order to wear the suit. He busted his butt on the physicality of the part both for the lightsaber duels and other stunts.
     
    Last edited: Jun 28, 2018
    Tonyg, ami-padme, crapiola and 3 others like this.
  10. Lady_Skywalker87

    Lady_Skywalker87 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 4, 2008
    Definitely!! Its a powerful scene...but I understand the people who claim that he was possessed by Sidious.

    @PadawanGussin I forgot to say, there's no indication movie wise that Anakin took pleasure in wiping out The Order unlike the sepis.[face_devil]
     
    Last edited: Jun 28, 2018
    crapiola likes this.
  11. PadawanGussin

    PadawanGussin Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Sep 6, 2017
    I dont think it was pleasure he felt destroying the Jedi, it was rage aganst everyone and everything that had hurt him his entire life.
    I have wondered if Padme would have been able to talk him down if Obi Wan had not appeared on the ramp. I think it was an error on Obi Wans part to not give Padme an opportunity to work with Anakin a while longer.
    Once his rage was spent and he might have been thinking more clearly he and Obi Wan might have formulated a plan to defeat Palp.

    I do think it really cheapens Anakins story to just say Palp possessed him.
     
    jc1138, wobbits, Tonyg and 2 others like this.
  12. themoth

    themoth Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 5, 2015
    I’m a Hayden fan. You have to remember that Anakin is an emotional character forced into hiding and suppressing those emotions by the Jedi Order and Code.
     
    jc1138, Tonyg, wobbits and 3 others like this.
  13. ezekiel22x

    ezekiel22x Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 9, 2002
    Haha, I had the same thought. I always thought Anakin as a "whiner" was overstated given there's only two real scenes where I think he comes across that way, and one comes as a result of the trauma of witnessing his mother's brutal death. The other is the packing scene with Padme, the same scene during which she initially remarks how Anakin has grown up. There's an effective irony at play here given how Anakin takes the compliment as a license to unburden himself, thus going too far and coming across as the frustrated 19-20 year old that he is. Also, Christensen's age and slightly boyish AOTC look aid the "organic" feeling of these scenes.

    Comparatively, Kylo comes across as a tantrum-prone man child who literally smashes things when he doesn't get his way. And it doesn't help that Driver is in his 30s, and could pretty easily pass for playing characters older than that. Worse, there's no real contextual evidence for his adult persona, as we saw firsthand with Anakin, seeing his slave's life as a child and the rigid tutelage of the Jedi Order.

    So yeah, Anakin by way of a confused youth mold is one of the more interesting character arcs in the series, and Christensen did a great job of bringing that writing to life.
     
  14. PadawanGussin

    PadawanGussin Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Sep 6, 2017
    But we have to keep in mind that Ben Solo was brainwashed himself , just in a different way.

    Anakin by years of slavery followed by ridged Jedi training and the death of his mother. Ben, by having his mind brutally invaded by Snoke.

    Both become torn apart internally by two opposing sides and were prone to acting out due to the emotional stress of attempting to reconcile what was happening to them.

    As they were both children growing up with almost insane expectations, Anakin the Chosen One that would balance nature itself and Ben attempting to live up to the mighty Skywalker legacy, it would shock me if ether of them did not act out in some way.

    Now take Ben, with all of this on his head and being slowly rewired by Snoke, whom I drought made it a painless process, toss in having his uncle almost murder him and fits of uncontrolled rage are not far fetched at all no matter what his age.

    I do hope that Bens childhood will be fleshed out more in novels or Epi 9, however I find him to be a deep and interesting person.
     
    Mostly Handless likes this.
  15. ezekiel22x

    ezekiel22x Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 9, 2002
    I need more than the basic idea. The PT showed firsthand how Palpatine seduced Anakin toward the Dark side over a considerable period of time. Snoke is barely developed in the ST, and barring one Luke flashback (told from dueling perspectives), Kylo's life as Ben Skywalker is non-existent. Way too many blanks for me to fill on my own if I'm supposed to see the two arcs working on the same level.
     
  16. Deliveranze

    Deliveranze Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2015
    SW Theory is one of the few SW channels I really enjoy. He GETS it.

    Hayden Christensen had one of the hardest jobs in a SW movie since his character has an arc that is the opposite of what is wanted in our fantasy films. Anakin doesn't become an anti-hero, he becomes the villain of the movie he's also a hero in. The way he expresses his emotions through his eyes, through the way he is perceived by the Jedi, the way he sees himself, is absolutely incredible. Hayden gave a lot of leverage to a character who doesn't feel like a vessel for a 12-year old to live their heroic fantasies like most SW protagonists. Instead, Anakin feels like a living character in the universe he's a product of. His faults aren't sugar-coated. He represents the darkest parts and the conscious parts of human nature.

    What makes Anakin and Obi-Wan such interesting characters is their roles in the Republic they swore to serve. Anakin has no reason to serve the Republic. They had nothing to do with his childhood in slavery, yet he fights wars for the government. As someone said before me, even Obi-Wan is cynical towards the Senate and Palpatine, yet serves the interests of the Chancellor out of loyalty and duty.

    The films show characters who are unsure where to put their trust (which leads to their fallout) and how good people with good intentions enable bad things to happen to others.
     
  17. heels1785

    heels1785 Skywalker Saga + JCC Manager / Finally Won A Draft star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Dec 10, 2003
    del, you said it right.
     
    Mostly Handless and Deliveranze like this.
  18. PadawanGussin

    PadawanGussin Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Sep 6, 2017
    I think one of the difficulties was that many people really wanted to see Anakin become Vader and would have been happy to just have one movie about this. For true fans, the backstory and evolution of the Saga was great to see despite the flaws TPM and AOTC might or might not have had. But for the average person the first two of the prequels were just not needed.
     
  19. crapiola

    crapiola Jedi Knight

    Registered:
    Apr 7, 2016
    To paraphrase someone, "the masses are asses."
    I'm sure I'm speaking for many Star Wars fans when I say I really needed TPM and ATOC because of the Palpatine arc, but mostly because of the progression from the Hero's Journey to high fantasy. High or epic fantasy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_fantasy in case someone wants a definition) is what elevated Star Wars to Lord of the Rings level of worldbuilding. Obviously Star Wars was already beloved and expanded upon enormously after the OT concluded, especially in the 90's with the novels. But the prequels exploded that world into an insanely detailed and diverse universe. The lovers of lore and compendiums who had a copy of The Silmarillion with a broken spine had received a huge gift from Lucas.
    I grew up on the OT, but when this mid-twenties kid walked into TPM in 1999, my mind was blown. Coruscant, the Jedi Order, the myriad worlds represented in the Republic... And the allusions to our own world. One of my favorite moments in the movie is when Palpatine whispers in Amidala's ear "Enter the bureaucrat" and Padme's face falls. I love TPM very, very much. It feels the most like the OT to me, and at the same time, it is so depressing to see politics fail in a way so much like in many Western democracies.
     
    Last edited: Jul 2, 2018
  20. wobbits

    wobbits Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 12, 2017
    One of my favorite pieces is the Chosen One featurette from ROTS. Hayden is very articulate and during his interview parts I got the sense that he definitely understood George's vision for Anakin's story while at the same time seeing what might have been some frustration with some of the direction and the scene rewrite during filming.

    I truly appreciate his willingness to run the stunt and not have a stunt double take his place during the final duel scene where he loses his limbs. He definitely understood the importance of George getting the face close up shots after he lands.

    Like @Deliveranze mentioned, Hayden's expression of emotion was spot on. No matter how many times I watch this film he made me care about the character to the extent that there are times when I wish Anakin had gotten a different ending. That is something I can't say for Driver and Kylo.
     
  21. PadawanGussin

    PadawanGussin Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Sep 6, 2017
    I sometimes wonder how much we really knew about Vader and the Emperor at the time the OT was released.
    By the time of the Prequels ww had a long time to absorb and reflect on who they were and why thier story arcs evolved.
    I am willing to wait and see how Kylo / Bens story will be told before I compare him to Vader in a literary context.
    I do think that he may wind up being just as complex as Anakin / Vader and hope his childhood gets more attention. There is an interesting start to this in the new novel " the last shot and hope it continues with further novels.
     
  22. wobbits

    wobbits Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 12, 2017
    I was not comparing them in a literary context. I was simply comparing the way I felt Hayden's facial expressions and emotions provide more for me than Adam Driver does.
     
    Sith Lord 2015 likes this.
  23. Skywalker Family

    Skywalker Family Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Mar 15, 2017
    It's nice to see the love and praise he has been getting over time. It is still not great but I feel the last year or two has brought a small change.
     
    Deliveranze, Tonyg and wobbits like this.
  24. wobbits

    wobbits Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 12, 2017
    Agreed! He got a great reception Celebration last year and his rare appearance at the Rhode Island Comic Con last month sold out very fast.
     
    ami-padme and Tonyg like this.
  25. Skywalker Family

    Skywalker Family Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Mar 15, 2017
    Yes I heard the Rhode Island Con was a hit as well. That brings warm feelings to my heart.
     
    ami-padme and Tonyg like this.