Post by kivaanzion on May 7, 2006 9:54:31 GMT -5
While browsing through my Word files, I found a little essay I wrote just after Ep III came out.
Tolif, you should enjoy this.
Why didn’t Attack of the Clones work?
A lot of people did not like Attack of the Clones. For me, it was my least favourite of the 6 Star Wars films (not to say that it was unenjoyable). In this I will explore the reasons the other five films did work, and compare this to AOTC.
Sacrifices:
In every Star Wars film one main character is killed or sacrificed. In A New Hope it is Obi-Wan Kenobi; who allows himself to be struck down by Darth Vader, in order for our heroes to escape (there is also the larger reason of him merging with the Force, but I will not discuss that here).
In The Empire Strikes Back it is Han Solo. Knowing that escape from Bespin is impossible without one or all of the group being killed, he allows himself to be frozen in carbonite, and taken away by the bounty hunter Boba Fett. He is not rescued until the next film.
In Return of the Jedi it is Darth Vader; who is mortally wounded while throwing the Emperor down the reactor shaft. His subsequent death scene is on par with Spock’s death from Star Trek II (which I consider to be the greatest "death of a hero" scene of all time). The original script of ROTJ also called for Lando Calrissian to be killed by the Death Star explosion, which would have also fulfilled this formula, but was changed as Lucas wanted the film to end on a great high note.
In The Phantom Menace it is Qui-Gon who is struck down by Darth Maul during the climactic lightsaber battle.
In Revenge of the Sith there are several (perhaps dozens) of beloved characters who are killed. We witness several Jedi that are killed by Order 66, the Emperor slays three Jedi himself, and with the help of Anakin, destroys Mace Windu. But the most poignant scenes by far are Padme’s death (and funeral) and Anakin’s immolation.
AOTC had no great death or sacrifice. Shmi Skywalker dies in the film (in Anakin’s arms) however we feel no real loss. She was not an intricate character in the series having limited screen time in Phantom Menace, and only appearing in Clones for her death scene. Her character, although benign, was not very charismatic. Shmi’s death did not satisfy the requirement of a great sacrifice or loss.
Too much exposition:
The original trilogy had very straight forward plots; there was an evil Empire that ruled the galaxy with an iron fist, and a small but determine group of rebels struggling to defeat the Empire in order to restore freedom to the galaxy.
Phantom Menace had a bit of a complex storyline. In the end the entire point of the film was to show how a senator from the small planet Naboo (who is secretly an evil Sith Lord) is elected into office as Supreme Chancellor of the Republic.
The plot of Clones is very intricate. There are attempts to assassinate Senator Amidala (former Queen of Naboo), there is a war brewing between the Republic and the Separatist forces, and there is discussion of a vote for the production of a Clone army. Meanwhile a Clone army has already been secretly built and is ready for delivery. What’s going on?! Who wants Amidala dead and why? Why were the clones created? Why do the Separatists want to go to war with the Republic? None of these questions are clearly explained by the end of the film.
After watching the film several times, it can be seen why these events occur, however for a first time moviegoer (even one who has watched all the previous films) this is too convoluted a storyline to follow. This greatly diminishes the sense of mystery and peril.
Bad humour:
In the Original Trilogy, much of the humour was subtle, and most of it was centered around C-3PO. Things would happen to him that we would find funny (a classic example occurs in ANH after the Millennium Falcon escapes the Death Star- everyone is celebrating and C-3PO is lying on the floor, covered in wires saying his favourite line: "This is all your fault!").
Phantom Menace introduced Star Wars' first truly comical character in Jar Jar Binks- many hardcore fans did not appreciate this, but in retrospect the humour was very well done- he was a clumsy idiot that could not help getting into trouble. It was very much like the classic slap-stick comedy of Laurel and Hardy or Buster Keaton.
In AOTC, the humour again revolves around C-3PO, however the humour seemed to be very over the top and forced. The droid factory and switched heads was just not funny.
Poor lines/ bad acting/film pacing:
Unfortunately two of the main characters of the movie also have the most difficult lines/scenes to make genuine.
George Lucas is not at his best when writing romance. The dialogue between Padme and Anakin can be truly painful at times.
And the relationship between Anakin and Padme seemed to move just a little too fast: They have not seen each other in ten years. The last time they did, Anakin was approximately 9 years old, and Padme 14 (?). Now they are adults. It kind of makes sense that Anakin had a childhood crush on Padme which he still carried 10 years later during AOTC, but would it be the same for Padme?
Anakin (in AOTC) is a very attractive man, so it is possible that she became enamored with him at first sight, however she seemed to quickly dismiss this by saying "Ani you will always be that little boy on Tatooine to me" (not exactly something you want to hear from the woman you are in love with).
Fast forward to the second act of the film- Anakin and Padme must hide on Naboo (providing "alone time"). They chat. They tease each other. Anakin falls off a riding beast and Padme "runs to his rescue" (which turns out to be a fun ruse on Anakin’s part). They share an illicit kiss. Anakin proclaims his love. Padme dispels his advances.
In act three they are about to be executed, and Padme reciprocates her love for Anakin. Huh? We seemed to be just as confused as Anakin was. This could be an overflowing of emotion on her part (she did say that their lives were about to be destroyed- so in essence it made no difference to say that she loves him). But by the end of the film they are getting married in a secret ceremony. Isn’t this all a bit quick?
Of course courtships in the Star Wars universe might be much shorter than we are used to, and the point is to tell the story and move along. But by dramatically quickening the pace, it dilutes the relationship between Anakin and Padme.
Thoughts?
Tolif, you should enjoy this.
Why didn’t Attack of the Clones work?
A lot of people did not like Attack of the Clones. For me, it was my least favourite of the 6 Star Wars films (not to say that it was unenjoyable). In this I will explore the reasons the other five films did work, and compare this to AOTC.
Sacrifices:
In every Star Wars film one main character is killed or sacrificed. In A New Hope it is Obi-Wan Kenobi; who allows himself to be struck down by Darth Vader, in order for our heroes to escape (there is also the larger reason of him merging with the Force, but I will not discuss that here).
In The Empire Strikes Back it is Han Solo. Knowing that escape from Bespin is impossible without one or all of the group being killed, he allows himself to be frozen in carbonite, and taken away by the bounty hunter Boba Fett. He is not rescued until the next film.
In Return of the Jedi it is Darth Vader; who is mortally wounded while throwing the Emperor down the reactor shaft. His subsequent death scene is on par with Spock’s death from Star Trek II (which I consider to be the greatest "death of a hero" scene of all time). The original script of ROTJ also called for Lando Calrissian to be killed by the Death Star explosion, which would have also fulfilled this formula, but was changed as Lucas wanted the film to end on a great high note.
In The Phantom Menace it is Qui-Gon who is struck down by Darth Maul during the climactic lightsaber battle.
In Revenge of the Sith there are several (perhaps dozens) of beloved characters who are killed. We witness several Jedi that are killed by Order 66, the Emperor slays three Jedi himself, and with the help of Anakin, destroys Mace Windu. But the most poignant scenes by far are Padme’s death (and funeral) and Anakin’s immolation.
AOTC had no great death or sacrifice. Shmi Skywalker dies in the film (in Anakin’s arms) however we feel no real loss. She was not an intricate character in the series having limited screen time in Phantom Menace, and only appearing in Clones for her death scene. Her character, although benign, was not very charismatic. Shmi’s death did not satisfy the requirement of a great sacrifice or loss.
Too much exposition:
The original trilogy had very straight forward plots; there was an evil Empire that ruled the galaxy with an iron fist, and a small but determine group of rebels struggling to defeat the Empire in order to restore freedom to the galaxy.
Phantom Menace had a bit of a complex storyline. In the end the entire point of the film was to show how a senator from the small planet Naboo (who is secretly an evil Sith Lord) is elected into office as Supreme Chancellor of the Republic.
The plot of Clones is very intricate. There are attempts to assassinate Senator Amidala (former Queen of Naboo), there is a war brewing between the Republic and the Separatist forces, and there is discussion of a vote for the production of a Clone army. Meanwhile a Clone army has already been secretly built and is ready for delivery. What’s going on?! Who wants Amidala dead and why? Why were the clones created? Why do the Separatists want to go to war with the Republic? None of these questions are clearly explained by the end of the film.
After watching the film several times, it can be seen why these events occur, however for a first time moviegoer (even one who has watched all the previous films) this is too convoluted a storyline to follow. This greatly diminishes the sense of mystery and peril.
Bad humour:
In the Original Trilogy, much of the humour was subtle, and most of it was centered around C-3PO. Things would happen to him that we would find funny (a classic example occurs in ANH after the Millennium Falcon escapes the Death Star- everyone is celebrating and C-3PO is lying on the floor, covered in wires saying his favourite line: "This is all your fault!").
Phantom Menace introduced Star Wars' first truly comical character in Jar Jar Binks- many hardcore fans did not appreciate this, but in retrospect the humour was very well done- he was a clumsy idiot that could not help getting into trouble. It was very much like the classic slap-stick comedy of Laurel and Hardy or Buster Keaton.
In AOTC, the humour again revolves around C-3PO, however the humour seemed to be very over the top and forced. The droid factory and switched heads was just not funny.
Poor lines/ bad acting/film pacing:
Unfortunately two of the main characters of the movie also have the most difficult lines/scenes to make genuine.
George Lucas is not at his best when writing romance. The dialogue between Padme and Anakin can be truly painful at times.
And the relationship between Anakin and Padme seemed to move just a little too fast: They have not seen each other in ten years. The last time they did, Anakin was approximately 9 years old, and Padme 14 (?). Now they are adults. It kind of makes sense that Anakin had a childhood crush on Padme which he still carried 10 years later during AOTC, but would it be the same for Padme?
Anakin (in AOTC) is a very attractive man, so it is possible that she became enamored with him at first sight, however she seemed to quickly dismiss this by saying "Ani you will always be that little boy on Tatooine to me" (not exactly something you want to hear from the woman you are in love with).
Fast forward to the second act of the film- Anakin and Padme must hide on Naboo (providing "alone time"). They chat. They tease each other. Anakin falls off a riding beast and Padme "runs to his rescue" (which turns out to be a fun ruse on Anakin’s part). They share an illicit kiss. Anakin proclaims his love. Padme dispels his advances.
In act three they are about to be executed, and Padme reciprocates her love for Anakin. Huh? We seemed to be just as confused as Anakin was. This could be an overflowing of emotion on her part (she did say that their lives were about to be destroyed- so in essence it made no difference to say that she loves him). But by the end of the film they are getting married in a secret ceremony. Isn’t this all a bit quick?
Of course courtships in the Star Wars universe might be much shorter than we are used to, and the point is to tell the story and move along. But by dramatically quickening the pace, it dilutes the relationship between Anakin and Padme.
Thoughts?
