Intro
The world of Star Wars has been a major part of our entertainment landscape ever since the first Star Wars movie was released in 1977. It has spawned a massive chain of literature and merchandise; it's even given birth to animated platforms. There is no doubt that the announced Episodes VII-IX will only further the foothold the Star Wars franchise has on the entertainment industry.
I should say that in no way am I a Star Wars fiend. I am a fan and gravitated toward it rather than Star Trek as a child, yet I could not tell you what species Yoda is.* But I've watched the original trilogy probably fifteen times over the years. So I do enjoy it.
With this in mind, I wanted to do a two-post "series" on my interaction with Star Wars. Part I will detail my most recent encounter with Episodes I-VI, particularly the prequel trilogy and its status. Part II will detail my thoughts regarding the upcoming trilogy.
Part I
I should say that in no way am I a Star Wars fiend. I am a fan and gravitated toward it rather than Star Trek as a child, yet I could not tell you what species Yoda is.* But I've watched the original trilogy probably fifteen times over the years. So I do enjoy it.
*Note: Upon further (albeit brief) examination, it appears that information is unknown.
I recently watched the prequel trilogy for the first time in almost a decade. I had seen The Phantom Menace
I recently watched the prequel trilogy for the first time in almost a decade. I had seen The Phantom Menace
multiple times since it's release, but I had not seen Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith since they opened.
I remember my initial reactions to the prequel trilogy as such:
- Episode I was annoying because too much time was spent on Tatooine. I didn't like the performance of the actor playing child Anakin, and the podracing scene was too long.
- Episode II was my least favorite. Hayden Christensen was awful and in way over his head. Considering the tone of Episodes II & III, he seemed doomed to fail. I also thought the first act was way too slow-developing.
-Episode III was my favorite, if only for the insane amount of action going on (there's something about the Mustafar duel when viewed at the theatre). Plus, we finally got to see the prequel trilogy link up with the original trilogy.
When I revisited these movies this time around, I tried my best to eliminate my old thoughts/expectations; after all, I have changed a lot in a decade. So let me just jump into my main thoughts.
1. I think the prequel trilogy has inherent limitations and/or challenges since it is written to an ending. The rule of good screenwriting is that endings should feel surprising yet inevitable. I don't know if surprising is the right word, but whatever word I pick will still make the rule sound contradictory. A great example of this rule is found in Chinatown.
Anyone who's familiar with the original prequel knows that the Anakin/Obi-Wan duel at the end of Revenge of the Sith can only end one way. The filmmakers are then tasked with a difficult burden: how to make it interesting enough (beyond the choreography) to keep the audience engaged. That's why the death of Qui-Gon Jinn is so effective; there exists nothing that tells us beforehand that he must live or must die.
I think the filmmakers manage these challenges much better than I initially appreciated. The story logic is very tight from prequel trilogy to original trilogy. And the story that gets us from prequel trilogy to original trilogy is told interestingly enough. The one exception--and perhaps it is the most critical one--is the character evolution of Anakin Skywalker.
2. I just don't buy the Anakin arc over the prequel trilogy. Perhaps its because my opinion of Hayden Christensen remains unchanged. He just isn't up to task for this role. Given the tone George Lucas takes with Episodes II & III, it's vital that Anakin's shift from the Jedi to the Dark Side not be trivial. At one moment, Anakin's motivation is protecting Padme. Then it becomes protecting the Republic. And neither is necessary condition for the other. It seems the only justification for this discrepancy is Anakin's obvious emotional immaturity or confusion.
If that's the case, then I feel more annoyance than tragedy. I get that the death of Shmi is supposed to serve as the foundation for his instability, but he brought it upon himself. If he had been forced into the Jedi order, then I'd get that this loss is what ultimately leads him to betray the Jedi. (Think about it: he wants to keep Padme from the same fate as his mother, which happened because of his absence, which happened because of the Jedi. Now we get another facet of "revenge" from the title.) So maybe Hayden Christensen's performance fails because his character's arc just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me... just a thought.
3. I want to lend some balance to the negativity of the last point, so let me just say that George Lucas really knows how to frame action. The space scenes stand out as being particularly strong. There is always a bearing for the audience, which is important unless you are trying to instill into the viewers the sense of chaos and confusion that might accompany such events. However, there is none of that here (which is consistent with the prequel trilogy's overall style).
One of the concerns I have with the upcoming sequel trilogy is that J.J. Abrams' framing style differs from Lucas'. I don't know ::lens flare:: what kind of story to expect ::lens flare:: from the upcoming trilogy, but I bet the action ::lens flare:: won't be framed quite as clearly as that of the prequel trilogy.
Overall, I have a greater sense of appreciation for Episodes I-III. While the prequel trilogy is weighted with the feeling of "Oh, here's how we get from Point A to Point B," it is usually done so interestingly enough. In fact, if it weren't for the poorly written arc of Anakin, I'd say the prequel trilogy's identity is on a par with that of the original trilogy. Instead, we are left with an effective but relatively inferior entry into the Star Wars saga.
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Look for Part II in the upcoming days. In the meantime, what do you think of the prequel trilogy? How does it stand on its own? How fair are comparisons to the original trilogy? (If they aren't, then perhaps a bulk of my post is misguided.) I look forward to reading your comments!
- Jordan
