I debated for a while, given the reputation Ive gotten (and often been ribbed for) on this board as the Film Fop, whether or not to share my opinion of Star Wars AOTC (a big reason Im posting this not in the Fops Forum but here). Im the one who cheered for In The Bedroom over Lord of the Rings, the one who loved the understated performance of Tom Wilkinson, so unless I just loved it, no one will really listen to my opinion, chalking it up as film snobbery, saying Well Frants doesnt like any film whose budget is over a ten bucks.
This is not true, though. I love a good event picture. And needless to say, I am a child of Star Wars. The first three still fill me with wonder. More than childhood nostalgia, these first three films are great FILMS. Sure, campy at times, bad dialogue at times, but the actors and the story held up, and in the end, the bad parts are so few and far between that they themselves have become part of the legend (I was going to Tashi station to pick up some power converters!). So as I said before, I entered Clones not as the Fop, but as Brantley, looking for, simply, more Star Wars.
Let me preface by saying how much harder these three films have it. As a trilogy prequel to a trilogy that supplies much reference to the past but never expands on it, these three films (I-III) have a lot to do. They have to show the origins of everything. So in that, a lot of talking is necessary (or is it?). But what I think can doom these 3 films is that we already know what happens. We KNOW Anakin lives to become Darth Vader. We know he and Natalie will get together and get it on. We KNOW Yoda will live. We KNOW Obi Wan will live. We KNOW even that young Boba Fett wont die with his daddy. Because we KNOW all this, the films have to try even harder to keep it all interesting, because now its not what happens, but how. And also, who were these people that they met whatever end they will eventually meet?
To sum up my thoughts on AOTC: In a two and a half hour long film, I liked about 25 minutes of it, and 10 of those minutes seemed mere superfluous fan fulfillment. Nows when the anti-Film Fop comments will come from those of you on the board, but let me say just how badly I wanted to love this film. When Anakin first opened his mouth and blurted the horrible dialogue, I said, Its okay. Hamill wasnt the greatest, either. But even as a Star Wars fan, there is only so much of that banal, terrible crap one can take. Next to his young Daddy, Mark Hamill IS Olivier.
Through half of the film, myself and about 90% of the sold-out Ziegfeld audience were laughing out loud at how bad it was. Laughing, and yet I realized, sometime between the rolling-thru-the-grass love romp and the fireside love scene, that there was disappointment behind that laughter, at least in my mind. I hate sand. Its rough, irritating, and it gets everywhere. Not like you. Youre everything soft and smooth. I found myself actually dreading, DREADING that the next scene would be an Anakin scene (even without the love interests, he was bad. After years and years without seeing his mother, good thing he got there 45 seconds before she died. I know I know, she could let herself die now that he came for her, but it didnt play that way). And I wasnt just dreading it because it was so unbearably bad; I didnt want them in there because I didnt want something that crappy to be associated with the Star Wars name. But it was there, nonetheless.
Theres lots of talking, and when its talking, its not interesting. Its story that most of us know. The action scenes are fast, quick cut, lots of explosions and loudness, but in the end, I didnt really care. I knew the people Im supposed to care about were going to make it out alright. Padme fell in the sand, and appears to be unconscious (until a trooper asks, Are you alright? after which she immediately gets up, as if she were merely looking at the shapes of the clouds, and says, Yes, lets go!), but shell be fine. No worries.
As for my comment about fan fulfillment. Seeing Yoda fight was cool and all. Seeing young Boba Fett is kinda eerie and fun. All the Jedi in the arena (in which thousands of droid troopers apparently can shoot the side of a barn) with their sabers was kinda cool. But in the end, it feels as if Lucas is just hitting his marks, trying to give whats expected of him.
I go back to the original trilogy. Was it this bad? Not by a longshot. Theres a basic story there, and plot twists that are jaw-dropping (No, there is another. I am your father.). And its all surprises. Theres a love story between Han and Leia, but most of it is subtext. Theres no clich overly-mushy love lines every single time theyre onscreen. Ford and Fisher had chemistry, when they argued, or when they swallowed their pride and admitted something, but they didnt need the crap wooing lines. How do I know this? Because right before Hans to get frozen, Leia says, I love you. And Han says, I know. And its meaningful, and heartfelt, and a surprise because they actually said it to each other, but not a surprise because it only confirmed what weve known for a long time. Luke is our hero, Han is our Everyman, Leia our princess, Darth our enemy. Theres one goal, to defeat the Empire, and the films came out of how they did that, and who they became along the way. They told a story, and they wowed us not just with the Death Star battle, but with how tense we were during that battle, because we didnt want Luke, or Han, or even Wedge, to die. Because we cared about them.
I feel that Lucas has lost the idea of the movies. Heres the same man who gave us the first trilogy, and American Graffiti, for crying out loud, and yet he gives us this script, this FX-laden flick? Hes become a really good FX supervisor, and a big time producer. But as a director and a writer, hes not too good at all. The best of all of them, Empire, wasnt directed nor written by Lucas. He retains the story credit, but the script and direction is someone else entirely. I think that shows, even more so now, and I can only hope that the rumors Ive heard about getting someone (other than YOUNG INDIANA JONES writer Hale) to co-write the next on are true.
After Clones, I was in a state of shock. The last 30 minutes were indeed the most fun, but it seemed as if they were intentionally so, so that youd leave the theater revved up after that half-hour literally blasted the crappiness of the first 2 hours out of your memory. But it didnt mine. The story was bad, the acting was terrible, the script was horrid, and most of the action scenes, while fun at time, seemed only to be there in recognition that there are certain expectations that come with the Star Wars name. While discussing what there is to do in Ep III with the others who were with me that day, we discovered a lot of loopholes and plot holes that would keep it from matching up factually with the IV-VI. If Lucas keeps this style up, then Ep III could very well be 3 hours of fact after fact, followed by 45 minutes of everyone dying.
I wanted it very much to be great, or at least mostly good. It was only partly good, and even that seemed uninspired.
Let the board attacks begin..
Brantley
This is not true, though. I love a good event picture. And needless to say, I am a child of Star Wars. The first three still fill me with wonder. More than childhood nostalgia, these first three films are great FILMS. Sure, campy at times, bad dialogue at times, but the actors and the story held up, and in the end, the bad parts are so few and far between that they themselves have become part of the legend (I was going to Tashi station to pick up some power converters!). So as I said before, I entered Clones not as the Fop, but as Brantley, looking for, simply, more Star Wars.
Let me preface by saying how much harder these three films have it. As a trilogy prequel to a trilogy that supplies much reference to the past but never expands on it, these three films (I-III) have a lot to do. They have to show the origins of everything. So in that, a lot of talking is necessary (or is it?). But what I think can doom these 3 films is that we already know what happens. We KNOW Anakin lives to become Darth Vader. We know he and Natalie will get together and get it on. We KNOW Yoda will live. We KNOW Obi Wan will live. We KNOW even that young Boba Fett wont die with his daddy. Because we KNOW all this, the films have to try even harder to keep it all interesting, because now its not what happens, but how. And also, who were these people that they met whatever end they will eventually meet?
To sum up my thoughts on AOTC: In a two and a half hour long film, I liked about 25 minutes of it, and 10 of those minutes seemed mere superfluous fan fulfillment. Nows when the anti-Film Fop comments will come from those of you on the board, but let me say just how badly I wanted to love this film. When Anakin first opened his mouth and blurted the horrible dialogue, I said, Its okay. Hamill wasnt the greatest, either. But even as a Star Wars fan, there is only so much of that banal, terrible crap one can take. Next to his young Daddy, Mark Hamill IS Olivier.
Through half of the film, myself and about 90% of the sold-out Ziegfeld audience were laughing out loud at how bad it was. Laughing, and yet I realized, sometime between the rolling-thru-the-grass love romp and the fireside love scene, that there was disappointment behind that laughter, at least in my mind. I hate sand. Its rough, irritating, and it gets everywhere. Not like you. Youre everything soft and smooth. I found myself actually dreading, DREADING that the next scene would be an Anakin scene (even without the love interests, he was bad. After years and years without seeing his mother, good thing he got there 45 seconds before she died. I know I know, she could let herself die now that he came for her, but it didnt play that way). And I wasnt just dreading it because it was so unbearably bad; I didnt want them in there because I didnt want something that crappy to be associated with the Star Wars name. But it was there, nonetheless.
Theres lots of talking, and when its talking, its not interesting. Its story that most of us know. The action scenes are fast, quick cut, lots of explosions and loudness, but in the end, I didnt really care. I knew the people Im supposed to care about were going to make it out alright. Padme fell in the sand, and appears to be unconscious (until a trooper asks, Are you alright? after which she immediately gets up, as if she were merely looking at the shapes of the clouds, and says, Yes, lets go!), but shell be fine. No worries.
As for my comment about fan fulfillment. Seeing Yoda fight was cool and all. Seeing young Boba Fett is kinda eerie and fun. All the Jedi in the arena (in which thousands of droid troopers apparently can shoot the side of a barn) with their sabers was kinda cool. But in the end, it feels as if Lucas is just hitting his marks, trying to give whats expected of him.
I go back to the original trilogy. Was it this bad? Not by a longshot. Theres a basic story there, and plot twists that are jaw-dropping (No, there is another. I am your father.). And its all surprises. Theres a love story between Han and Leia, but most of it is subtext. Theres no clich overly-mushy love lines every single time theyre onscreen. Ford and Fisher had chemistry, when they argued, or when they swallowed their pride and admitted something, but they didnt need the crap wooing lines. How do I know this? Because right before Hans to get frozen, Leia says, I love you. And Han says, I know. And its meaningful, and heartfelt, and a surprise because they actually said it to each other, but not a surprise because it only confirmed what weve known for a long time. Luke is our hero, Han is our Everyman, Leia our princess, Darth our enemy. Theres one goal, to defeat the Empire, and the films came out of how they did that, and who they became along the way. They told a story, and they wowed us not just with the Death Star battle, but with how tense we were during that battle, because we didnt want Luke, or Han, or even Wedge, to die. Because we cared about them.
I feel that Lucas has lost the idea of the movies. Heres the same man who gave us the first trilogy, and American Graffiti, for crying out loud, and yet he gives us this script, this FX-laden flick? Hes become a really good FX supervisor, and a big time producer. But as a director and a writer, hes not too good at all. The best of all of them, Empire, wasnt directed nor written by Lucas. He retains the story credit, but the script and direction is someone else entirely. I think that shows, even more so now, and I can only hope that the rumors Ive heard about getting someone (other than YOUNG INDIANA JONES writer Hale) to co-write the next on are true.
After Clones, I was in a state of shock. The last 30 minutes were indeed the most fun, but it seemed as if they were intentionally so, so that youd leave the theater revved up after that half-hour literally blasted the crappiness of the first 2 hours out of your memory. But it didnt mine. The story was bad, the acting was terrible, the script was horrid, and most of the action scenes, while fun at time, seemed only to be there in recognition that there are certain expectations that come with the Star Wars name. While discussing what there is to do in Ep III with the others who were with me that day, we discovered a lot of loopholes and plot holes that would keep it from matching up factually with the IV-VI. If Lucas keeps this style up, then Ep III could very well be 3 hours of fact after fact, followed by 45 minutes of everyone dying.
I wanted it very much to be great, or at least mostly good. It was only partly good, and even that seemed uninspired.
Let the board attacks begin..
Brantley
