A few minutes ago I was replying to the thread about the best order in which to watch the Star Wars movies. I posted that while I'm not a prequel hater, I think they're kinda cool in parts--especially III--but to me they just ain't 'Star Wars'. (Of course, neither is VI, but that's irrelevant to this thread.)
The main reason the prequels fall short in my mind is because Anakin, as played by Hayden Christensen, is nothing like I imagined a young adult Anakin to be. He doesn't behave like the Anakin I imagined, nor does he look like the Anakin I imagined. And when I say "looks" I'm not talking whether or not he resembled Sebastian Shaw, but rather the sorta vague but sorta clear image I had in my mind while watching IV and V all those pre-prequels years.
Hayden Christensen looked too wimpy in body and face, and was too short. Not good. But worse than his physical shortcomings, his voice bugged, especially when whining, which was often. That's obviously not all the actor's fault, he was given a script and he followed it. But not once during II or III did I watch him and listen to him and think, "Oh yeah, that's the young man who'll become Darth Vader!". This thread isn't about bashing Hayden or the prequels, however, so let's keep it positive, and answer these 2 questions:
If there was just 1 Star Wars prequel, say three+ hours long, starting out showing his brilliance as the best star pilot in the galaxy, and ending with his turn to the dark side of the Force...
1) Who would you cast as Anakin? (Post a pic since some of us may not be familiar with your choice.)
2) Why would he turn? (Would it be the sorta-noble prequel storyline of coveting the power to save Padme's life? Or would it be related to some temptation other than a girl, and if so, what?")
I'll chime in later with my opinions.
The Wook
The main reason the prequels fall short in my mind is because Anakin, as played by Hayden Christensen, is nothing like I imagined a young adult Anakin to be. He doesn't behave like the Anakin I imagined, nor does he look like the Anakin I imagined. And when I say "looks" I'm not talking whether or not he resembled Sebastian Shaw, but rather the sorta vague but sorta clear image I had in my mind while watching IV and V all those pre-prequels years.
Hayden Christensen looked too wimpy in body and face, and was too short. Not good. But worse than his physical shortcomings, his voice bugged, especially when whining, which was often. That's obviously not all the actor's fault, he was given a script and he followed it. But not once during II or III did I watch him and listen to him and think, "Oh yeah, that's the young man who'll become Darth Vader!". This thread isn't about bashing Hayden or the prequels, however, so let's keep it positive, and answer these 2 questions:
If there was just 1 Star Wars prequel, say three+ hours long, starting out showing his brilliance as the best star pilot in the galaxy, and ending with his turn to the dark side of the Force...
1) Who would you cast as Anakin? (Post a pic since some of us may not be familiar with your choice.)
2) Why would he turn? (Would it be the sorta-noble prequel storyline of coveting the power to save Padme's life? Or would it be related to some temptation other than a girl, and if so, what?")
I'll chime in later with my opinions.
The Wook
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