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lotesseNever as good as the first three, but close. Maybe. Sort of.
Anakin was unbelievably better. For the first time I actually cared. And that made the whole thing. The Emperor was, as always, excellent. Some of his work...the fight between Anakin and Dooku (god I hate that name)...the echoes with the OT were there but subtle, chilling, elegant. Force Lightning remains one of the most terrifying weapons I can conceive of.
Bad Points:
Padme. The whole character. Portman just doesn't quite pull it together. She seems vapid and brainless. Padme's lack of presence hurts the whole story. They can't make Anakin's love for her the pivot of his downfall if we can't seee why on earth she has his love. There's just nothing there, and that renders the entire relationship flat and without intensity. And the Inner Feminist doesn't think much of the fact that the only girl in the damn movies just hangs around and looks pretty and has peoples' babies. Yeah, she's supposed to be a Queen and a Senator, but I don't believe it. Girl don't have the brains or the passion for anything like that. Padme is supposed to be a freedom fighter, a diplomat, a good, strong woman. Lucas and Portman between them have reduced her to arm candy. And her nightie has pearls all over it. Big ropy ones. Ouch. (Also, not so much with the sleeping in full makeup. No lipgloss in bed. Or eyeshadow. Ug.)
Ewan seems like he's trying too hard to be Guiness. Thing is, Guiness was playing the old man who had it all together. Ewan should have been playing the young and unsure man that would become Guiness. I wanted more from him, more reaction, more pain and betrayal and grief and uncertainty. He hit it with "You were the Chosen One!", but I wanted it on before that.
The Emperor's makeup. Freakshow much? Ug.
The technology. It's all so sleek and shiny that when they pull out the Vadersuit, it's like bzuh? the Vadersuit should be cutting-edge tech, and it's very obviously about thirty years older than anything else in the flick.
PADME CAN'T DIE IN CHILDBIRTH LEIA REMEMBERS HER MOTHER. kthnx.
And Lucas's ongoing superfluous villain issues. With Sith, you're allowed two. Master and apprentice. With three mini-baddies in three movies, you don't get time to develop anything with them. Collapse Darth Maul (sp?) and Count Dooku into one character, and less with the General Grievous. It just introduces unnecessary plottiness. And for god's sake give your characters decent names!
But in general, this was so much better. The letdown here came for two reasons. The first is that, like it or not, these characters effectively have no background, due to the utter shittiness of the last two. There's no previous emotional investment. The second reason ties into this--it's clear that it could have been so much better. The story is a dream. It's got everything. And with a good director and truly first-class acting, this could have been the most devastating film trilogy ever made. And I mourn the loss of that possibility. The story in my head was so much better.
Oh, and one more thing. Obi-wan delivers the most beautiful knockout to our beloved leader imaginable. It's gorgeous. And sparkletastic. And made me very, very happy.
And Michael Moore was in the theater with me at midnight. Northern Michigan represent!
Anakin was unbelievably better. For the first time I actually cared. And that made the whole thing. The Emperor was, as always, excellent. Some of his work...the fight between Anakin and Dooku (god I hate that name)...the echoes with the OT were there but subtle, chilling, elegant. Force Lightning remains one of the most terrifying weapons I can conceive of.
Bad Points:
Padme. The whole character. Portman just doesn't quite pull it together. She seems vapid and brainless. Padme's lack of presence hurts the whole story. They can't make Anakin's love for her the pivot of his downfall if we can't seee why on earth she has his love. There's just nothing there, and that renders the entire relationship flat and without intensity. And the Inner Feminist doesn't think much of the fact that the only girl in the damn movies just hangs around and looks pretty and has peoples' babies. Yeah, she's supposed to be a Queen and a Senator, but I don't believe it. Girl don't have the brains or the passion for anything like that. Padme is supposed to be a freedom fighter, a diplomat, a good, strong woman. Lucas and Portman between them have reduced her to arm candy. And her nightie has pearls all over it. Big ropy ones. Ouch. (Also, not so much with the sleeping in full makeup. No lipgloss in bed. Or eyeshadow. Ug.)
Ewan seems like he's trying too hard to be Guiness. Thing is, Guiness was playing the old man who had it all together. Ewan should have been playing the young and unsure man that would become Guiness. I wanted more from him, more reaction, more pain and betrayal and grief and uncertainty. He hit it with "You were the Chosen One!", but I wanted it on before that.
The Emperor's makeup. Freakshow much? Ug.
The technology. It's all so sleek and shiny that when they pull out the Vadersuit, it's like bzuh? the Vadersuit should be cutting-edge tech, and it's very obviously about thirty years older than anything else in the flick.
PADME CAN'T DIE IN CHILDBIRTH LEIA REMEMBERS HER MOTHER. kthnx.
And Lucas's ongoing superfluous villain issues. With Sith, you're allowed two. Master and apprentice. With three mini-baddies in three movies, you don't get time to develop anything with them. Collapse Darth Maul (sp?) and Count Dooku into one character, and less with the General Grievous. It just introduces unnecessary plottiness. And for god's sake give your characters decent names!
But in general, this was so much better. The letdown here came for two reasons. The first is that, like it or not, these characters effectively have no background, due to the utter shittiness of the last two. There's no previous emotional investment. The second reason ties into this--it's clear that it could have been so much better. The story is a dream. It's got everything. And with a good director and truly first-class acting, this could have been the most devastating film trilogy ever made. And I mourn the loss of that possibility. The story in my head was so much better.
Oh, and one more thing. Obi-wan delivers the most beautiful knockout to our beloved leader imaginable. It's gorgeous. And sparkletastic. And made me very, very happy.
And Michael Moore was in the theater with me at midnight. Northern Michigan represent!
no subject
Date: 2005-05-19 11:24 pm (UTC)Carina-awesomeness!!
~Ali
no subject
Date: 2005-05-20 12:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-20 02:57 am (UTC)I bet your resemblance to Leia was impeccable.
~Ali
no subject
Date: 2005-08-27 08:11 pm (UTC)