The other week I decided to pop in the original trilogy and watch them again while I worked on some costuming projects. This is the first time I have watched them in a while.
I had really forgotten how great Star Wars and Empire really are. The lead up to the battle against the first Death Star, even though I have seen it many times, is filled with tension and excitement. Just brilliantly edited. Luke's decision to leave Tatooine and learn the ways of the Force, Han showing up at the end to save his bacon, are all as thrilling as ever.
And funny, too! Star Wars has allot of humor. The endless banter between Han and Leia in both films is really funny. Threepio's moment where he thinks Luke is getting crushed in the trash compactor is hilarious.
Han is so cool, so badass. Even when he's in love with Leia he's still a cocky, arrogant, *******.
And Empire, wow. Star Wars is a great film, but Empire is a masterpiece of cinema. Yoda is such a compelling and interesting character. Luke's struggle with the Dark Side is so well done here. There is a great deal of suspense when he leaves to go rescue his friends with his training and skills still incomplete. His final decision to choose death rather than join his father is by far the most powerful moment in the entire saga.
The end of Empire, with all the cliffhangers; Han's fate, the identity of "the other" that Yoda mentioned, the truth of Luke's parentage and what that meant for him. So compelling, so epic.
On the third evening of mold making I watched Return of the Jedi. Over the years I have grown less and less fond of this film. It's a bit too cute, much of it feels like a Disney version of the earlier films, and most of the main characters have nothing to do except participate in the battle and lack any dramatic responsibilities.
Jedi has a few moments here and there, but is overwhelmingly a bad film. It runs just like a season premiere of a TV show, where they wrap up the epic cliffhanger from the previous season finale in the first act, then it's back to business as usual.
Boba Fett was a pretty interesting character in Empire; he was the only guy that could talk back to Vader and get away with it. He had allot of potential. Here he is reduced to background scenery and is casually killed off for laughs.
That's another problem. In Empire of Dreams, Irvin Kershner said he knew he needed humor in Empire, but not gags. Jedi doesn't have much humor, but has lots of gags (mostly not funny, like the lame jokes in the prequels). Whether it's Fett's death or almost every scene with the Ewoks, or Chewie doing the Tarzan as he takes over a walker, this film has lots of lame gags.
Do I even need to mention the Ewoks? Threepio being worshiped as a god? Han and Chewie on the barbecue? A tribe of cudly teddy bears with nothing more than bows and arrows overcoming an Empire with galactic civilization and the capability to build planet-destroying, moon-sized space craft in secret? Really?
Yoda is also killed off early in the film, and "the other" turns out to be Leia who is really his sister. What a disappointment. Earlier drafts had the search for Luke's sister be a major plot point.
Luke finding out that he is Vader's son created a serious continuity issue with the first film, so Obi-Wan explains it with the most trite and ridiculous retcon of all time; the "certain point of view" speech.
The rest of the film essentially follows standard Hollywood sequel formula; do what you did list time, but bigger, better, and louder. The original Death Star battle was exhilarating and dramatic, so they repeat it here but on a much larger scale.
The first Death Star battle worked so well not only because it was visually exciting, but because it was driven by the characters and the story. In the end, the DS battle was crucial to completing both Luke and Han's dramatic arcs. Luke relies on the Force and destroys the Death Star; realizing his potential and becoming the hero he had always dreamed of. Han has his change of heart and becomes a good guy in the end.
In Jedi, Han, Chewie, Leia, Lando, and the droids are just fighting and participating in action scenes. There isn't any real character development or drama going on for them anymore.
For Luke, we have another duel with Darth Vader and a rehash of his struggle with the Dark Side, but it lacks the dramatic tension of the duel in Empire because there is less at stake here. Luke already faced the Dark Side and chose to fall to his death rather than turn. You can't top that with another lightsaber fight. In Empire Luke was still wet behind the ears and Vader was very powerful. By Jedi Luke's skills have surpassed those of his father to the point that he can quite fighting when he wants to, and when he finally attacks, he quickly overpowers and defeats Vader.
Jedi has it's moments. Luke emerging from the desert like a badass and just kicking everyone's ass and saving his friends single handedly is pretty exciting. And when he stands up to the Emperor and declares that he will never turn to the Dark Side, it really gives me goose bumps, as does Vader's decision to save Luke and kill the Emperor.
But overall, Jed is pretty weak, and you can easily see all the problems that so many had with the Prequels starting here.
Thoughts? Am the only that is bothered with Jedi seems to get a free pass as a "great movie" when comparing the holy trilogy to the prequels?
I had really forgotten how great Star Wars and Empire really are. The lead up to the battle against the first Death Star, even though I have seen it many times, is filled with tension and excitement. Just brilliantly edited. Luke's decision to leave Tatooine and learn the ways of the Force, Han showing up at the end to save his bacon, are all as thrilling as ever.
And funny, too! Star Wars has allot of humor. The endless banter between Han and Leia in both films is really funny. Threepio's moment where he thinks Luke is getting crushed in the trash compactor is hilarious.
Han is so cool, so badass. Even when he's in love with Leia he's still a cocky, arrogant, *******.
And Empire, wow. Star Wars is a great film, but Empire is a masterpiece of cinema. Yoda is such a compelling and interesting character. Luke's struggle with the Dark Side is so well done here. There is a great deal of suspense when he leaves to go rescue his friends with his training and skills still incomplete. His final decision to choose death rather than join his father is by far the most powerful moment in the entire saga.
The end of Empire, with all the cliffhangers; Han's fate, the identity of "the other" that Yoda mentioned, the truth of Luke's parentage and what that meant for him. So compelling, so epic.
On the third evening of mold making I watched Return of the Jedi. Over the years I have grown less and less fond of this film. It's a bit too cute, much of it feels like a Disney version of the earlier films, and most of the main characters have nothing to do except participate in the battle and lack any dramatic responsibilities.
Jedi has a few moments here and there, but is overwhelmingly a bad film. It runs just like a season premiere of a TV show, where they wrap up the epic cliffhanger from the previous season finale in the first act, then it's back to business as usual.
Boba Fett was a pretty interesting character in Empire; he was the only guy that could talk back to Vader and get away with it. He had allot of potential. Here he is reduced to background scenery and is casually killed off for laughs.
That's another problem. In Empire of Dreams, Irvin Kershner said he knew he needed humor in Empire, but not gags. Jedi doesn't have much humor, but has lots of gags (mostly not funny, like the lame jokes in the prequels). Whether it's Fett's death or almost every scene with the Ewoks, or Chewie doing the Tarzan as he takes over a walker, this film has lots of lame gags.
Do I even need to mention the Ewoks? Threepio being worshiped as a god? Han and Chewie on the barbecue? A tribe of cudly teddy bears with nothing more than bows and arrows overcoming an Empire with galactic civilization and the capability to build planet-destroying, moon-sized space craft in secret? Really?
Yoda is also killed off early in the film, and "the other" turns out to be Leia who is really his sister. What a disappointment. Earlier drafts had the search for Luke's sister be a major plot point.
Luke finding out that he is Vader's son created a serious continuity issue with the first film, so Obi-Wan explains it with the most trite and ridiculous retcon of all time; the "certain point of view" speech.
The rest of the film essentially follows standard Hollywood sequel formula; do what you did list time, but bigger, better, and louder. The original Death Star battle was exhilarating and dramatic, so they repeat it here but on a much larger scale.
The first Death Star battle worked so well not only because it was visually exciting, but because it was driven by the characters and the story. In the end, the DS battle was crucial to completing both Luke and Han's dramatic arcs. Luke relies on the Force and destroys the Death Star; realizing his potential and becoming the hero he had always dreamed of. Han has his change of heart and becomes a good guy in the end.
In Jedi, Han, Chewie, Leia, Lando, and the droids are just fighting and participating in action scenes. There isn't any real character development or drama going on for them anymore.
For Luke, we have another duel with Darth Vader and a rehash of his struggle with the Dark Side, but it lacks the dramatic tension of the duel in Empire because there is less at stake here. Luke already faced the Dark Side and chose to fall to his death rather than turn. You can't top that with another lightsaber fight. In Empire Luke was still wet behind the ears and Vader was very powerful. By Jedi Luke's skills have surpassed those of his father to the point that he can quite fighting when he wants to, and when he finally attacks, he quickly overpowers and defeats Vader.
Jedi has it's moments. Luke emerging from the desert like a badass and just kicking everyone's ass and saving his friends single handedly is pretty exciting. And when he stands up to the Emperor and declares that he will never turn to the Dark Side, it really gives me goose bumps, as does Vader's decision to save Luke and kill the Emperor.
But overall, Jed is pretty weak, and you can easily see all the problems that so many had with the Prequels starting here.
Thoughts? Am the only that is bothered with Jedi seems to get a free pass as a "great movie" when comparing the holy trilogy to the prequels?
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