Faded Boxers

Just came from watching Episode III, and I just wanted to post my initial reaction before going to bed:

MEH!

Will post a more detailed review on Sunday or Monday—depending on how much work I get done this weekend.

Meantime, I’m posting a review I wrote a few years ago on Episode II which never saw the light of day:

Star Wars - Episode II: Attack of the Clones

The original Star Wars trilogy was a successful franchise because George Lucas gave people something relatively new yet still recognizable. We have the classic tale of good’s triumph over evil set against the backdrop of a world of droids, lightsabers, speeders and THE FORCE. Lucas was able to successfully integrate a very human story with the galaxy far far away.

Twenty – five years later, it appears that although Lucas can still astonish audiences with the worlds and action sequences he can create; he failed to deliver the whole package. In Episode II: Attack Of The Clones, we still have the same basic ingredients that we love about the Star Wars movies. We have the good guys, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala, Yoda, Mace Windu and the rest of the Jedi Order against the rising threat created by the Sith Lords – Jango Fett, Count Dooku and the Mysterious Darth Sidious. The same attention to detail is exhibited in the different worlds that George Lucas has created: Tatooine, Coruscant, etc. However, after all the explosions and lightsaber fights and the speeder chases, we have to face the fact that George Lucas has forgotten to give us a reason to care about what happens next.

One would think that the latest (at least in terms of the release date) chapter in the Star Wars saga is a guaranteed hit, and one that would exhibit Lucas’s competence as a storyteller and redeem the disappointment that was The Phantom Menace. Unfortunately, this movie turned out to be an even bigger disappointment than both Return Of The Jedi and The Phantom Menace. Three years of criticism that was generated by Episode I and around twenty – odd years because of Return Of The Jedi should have given Lucas reason to believe that maybe he wasn’t the perfect choice to handle the new movies. Or it should have made him think about how to improve his craft. At least, that would have been a safe assumption if we were talking about any normal person.

Unfortunately, George Lucas is so far removed from the rest of civilization that the word “normal� hardly applies to him anymore. This is shown by the lack of attention given to the characters in the Star Wars films (Empire Strikes Back being the exception). This lack of regard for the human component of the Star Wars movies was evident as early as Episode IV: A New Hope (the only other movie apart from the prequels that Lucas directed). However, it was much more tolerable probably because the technology back then didn’t allow The Plaid One the freedom he required to execute the scenes in his head. Now that technology has reached a point where nothing is impossible, Lucas is free to let his imagination run wild, and focus less on a task that he apparently is quite uncomfortable with: dealing with human emotions.

Episode II had a lot of potential going for it among the three prequels. This should have been the turning point in the Star Wars history. This is when Anakin and Padmé realize their feelings for one another and struggle with their duties and their emotions. This is when Anakin Skywalker begins his descent to the darkside and a time when the Jedi Knights are introduced to the event that would lead to their decimation: The Clone Wars. In the hands of a more competent director and a more adept scriptwriter, this would have been a grand epic that could have rivaled Empire Strikes Back in terms of scope and depth of its characters. Unfortunately, this is George Lucas we’re talking about; a man so enclosed in a world that he has created, he does not believe in sharing the reins even if his chariot is obviously out of control.

Anakin Skywalker’s seduction to the dark side deserves a much more complex treatment than the one given in the movie: He got angry because his mother was killed and he cannot be with his girlfriend. The transition from good to evil should have been a more turbulent one. When Luke Skywalker confronted Darth Vader in Episode VI: The Return Of The Jedi, he said that he felt the conflict that was going on inside Vader. Episode II made no mention of this conflict whatsoever. Anakin wanted to disobey orders, he was impatient to finish his training so he can show everyone that he was better then them and he was never inclined to controlling his emotions. What could have been a very interesting character became a caricature based on the legend of a hero who would eventually become the villain. Everyone knows that Anakin Skywalker would turn to the darkside and become Vader. The least George Lucas could have done was create a character so believable and complete that the audience can sympathize with him. That way, even though it won’t come as a surprise, the audience would still feel a great loss when he falls. All we got was an annoying kid who’s going to get what’s coming to him.

As with most things wrong with this movie, the love story between the two lead characters was forced and contrived. It is very painful to watch an actor as inadequate as Hayden Chritensen try to display the wide range of emotions that Anakin is supposed to feel when faced with the situation of having to choose between his obligations and the woman he loves. Natalie Portman, who although is capable of giving a soulful performance (Leon:The Professional, Beautiful Girls), appears lost and is unable to find the foothold she needs to connect with her character. The two have no onscreen chemistry whatsoever, and the audience feels like they’re watching two complete strangers out on a blind date.

As demonstrated by Episode I, Ewan McGregor is perfect for the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi. He gives life to the role popularized by Sir Alec Guinness while still adding his own flavor to the mix. He did not so much as copy Guinness’s Kenobi as he was able to transform it into something based on Guinness yet somehow distinctly McGregor. McGregor is a very talented actor and it is a shame that he was not used to his full potential in this movie. In Episode I, he had the role of a headstrong apprentice to Qui-Gon Jinn. This time, he has gone full circle. He is now the master and Anakin Skywalker is the headstrong padawan learner. Lucas played around with this new dynamic between Kenobi and Skywalker, but he was only scratching the surface.

When he’s not being the strict instructor reigning in Anakin, he’s chasing Jango Fett around the galaxy. All work and no play makes Obi-Wan a very dull boy. If Lucas had any respect for the character at all, he could have given him something more to do. An example would be to make Obi-Wan Kenobi fall in love with Senator Amidala. This could have made for a very interesting arc for the three characters. Anakin loves Padmé and respects Obi-Wan. Padmé is in love with Anakin but fears for their future so she approaches Obi-Wan for advice who in turn is also in love with her but controlls his emotions out of respect for the Jedi Order and Anakin Skywalker. This soap opera-ish situation would have been very enjoyable to watch as well very useful in setting up the greater conflict that would occur in Episode III. Apparently, that would be too much human emotion for Lucas to be dealing with.

The original Star Wars movies were B-movies. With cheesy special effects and campy dialogue, they were easily accessible to the masses. However, The longevity of the series cannot only be attributed to its mass appeal. People kept going back to the story twenty years after they were released because if you look past the droids, space stations and battle cruisers; you’ll find a human story—a story with heart. With what we have seen so far, I cannot say the same for the new trilogy. If Episode II has a heart, then it has to depend on a machine to keep it pumping.

George Lucas may have created the Star Wars universe, but he didn’t live in it as much as the fans have. We deserve more.