Day 96: August 4th, 2010

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith



The saga is complete...hopefully.

The final Star Wars film to hit theatres (or at least we thought). The one that showed us the fall of the Jedi, the rise of the Empire and the creation of Darth Vader. It had a lot to deliver, people had high expectations, even after two lackluster and disappointing films before it. Revenge of the Sith is the best of the prequels, but just how much does that say about the films in general?

Revenge of the Sith has the best visual effects, the best story and the best acting of the three films. It has the most emotion, the more impressive fight sequences and a lot more connection with the original trilogy than the others. That's not to say that the film has some pretty cringe worthy moments. The introduction of the useless character General Grievous was a waste of time. His four lightsaber dual was not exciting in the least. Vader's Frankenstein like scream and movements after hearing the about the death of Padme is more humourous than anything.

Anakin and Obi-Wan's final fight is impressive and the most emotionally fueled battle any of the prequels have, it lived up to the expectations of those waiting to see the two duke it out. It's interesting to see Episode I play delightfully to the kids and then have Episode III be so dark and brooding.

Sith has it's problems, it far from perfect. Yet finally it's assets outweigh the problems. Christensen is still wooden, but this time he shows that he has some bit of emotion in him. The role called for something he couldn't really deliver, but here he tries more than ever. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith delivers to the fans.

7/10

Day 95: August 3rd, 2010

Star Wars: Attack of the Clones



A Jedi Shall Not Know Anger. Nor Hatred. Nor Love.

Can Mr. Lucas redeem himself from the horrid attempt at re-starting a trilogy that should have been left alone? The answer is awkwardly yes and no. Attack of the Clones is better than The Phantom Menace, but it has some of the worst written dialogue I have ever heard, even for a Star Wars film.

Attack of the Clones first suffers from a lame title and it hypes itself up to be the big battle film. Well, the battle sequence are really on the gentle side and never really engage the viewer in any sense of danger for the characters. We see more jedi use their weapon of choice and it's exciting at first, but it quickly fades away.

Anakin has transformed from an annoying Jake Lloyd, to a wooden Hayden Christensen. He of course looks totally different, but Portman of course appears the same. smile gripe but one I always had. Ewan McGregor seems more confident in his role, it helps that he is no longer the Padawan and instead has taken Anakin under his wing. The troubled dynamic between the two of them isn't that troubled. Anakin just acts like a whiney little brat.

The apparent love between Anakin and Padme is totally forced. Lucas tries to take his time in exploring the relationship that is forbidden, but it strains the viewer in useless scenes of wanting to kiss but not. The biggest problem with this film is the poorly written complicated relationship between Anakin and Padme.

Dooku versus Yoda was something that many people wanted to see. Yoda finally in a fight scene? That's awesome and it pleased the dreams of many fans. I still dig it to this day as I did in the theatre. AOTC has few highlights and many detractors. It gave some people hopes that the series could get better, but crushed others as their favourite little film series was slowly dying.

6/10

Day 94: August 2nd, 2010

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace



The Saga Begins....Again.

The most anticipated film of our generation? Before the release of what is now considered the worst film out of all six Star Wars films, everyone was going mad over Star Wars. I was in elementary school, grade 5 or 6 when this came out and even I knew that after watching it in the theatres that I could have directed a better Episode I. Why is it that so many people hated this film when it first came out, then came to simply dislike it years later?

The biggest problem I have with this film is that it's too complicated for it's own good. What the original had was a plot that was easy to follow, good guys versus bad guys. The Phantom Menace has Trade Federations, Tax Talk and they inexcusably try to explain the force.

When I was a kid I loved the pod racing scene, now it bores me to death. George Lucas seems to have forfeited any sense of a good story with characters we like and try to create a film that would be marketable for toys and kids. The Phantom Menace out of all three films is the most kid friendly one, despite the plot that would normally go over their heads.

Darth Maul is one of my favourite characters in the series and it was disappointing to see him die at the end of this film. Other than Palpatine, this film needed a more central villain. Darth Maul should have filled this role. His light saber duel with Obi-Wan is one of the best in the series, it's fast paced and well choreographed. How many people had a smile on their face when the double edged light saber came out? I did. That's when the film became entertaining, the Duel of Fates. The rest of it is a jumbled mess of ideas that go nowhere.

Han Solo, that is what this film and all three prequels needed. Not that character, but a Han Solo type. Instead we got Qui Gon Jinn, who is more boring than a plank of wood. Jake Lloyd is just as annoying, if not more, than Jar Jar Binks. A character that created such controversy that he was excessively trimmed down for the two films to follow. Darth Vader is this little kid? No, it's not a harrowing story of a child deluded and brought to the dark side, it's a sad pathetic attempt to give more humanity to one of the greatest villain ever. He got that in Jedi, here he is annoying. As far as I'm concerned, Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker are not related in anyway what so ever.

The Phantom Menace is more fancy than fun, more colourful than bright and boring than entertaining. It's a weak and slow start to some prequels that (to some) ruined a great trilogy.

5/10