A confession

[quesarah]

Okay, I know that I've guffawed, criticized, and generally pooh-poohed the last two Star Wars movies. But god help me, I'm actually excited about Revenge of the Sith. I've ooohed and ahhed over the advance reviews, watched the trailer, and secretly been just been giddy about its release. I haven't had a rational explanation for it until now:

It's Darth Vader.

The 7 year old in me who was wide-eyed over the first movie back in '77 is breathless with the anticipation of seeing The Villain of my childhood back onscreen. I want to see Anakin's final fall to the Dark Side and his transformation into Vader. The sight of that suit of armor, the helmet, and James Earl Jones' voice. Dooooode.

Comments

[zazuomgwtf.livejournal.com]

ME TOO ME TOO ME TOO!
*bounce*

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

whee! *bounce*

[king-ghidorah.livejournal.com]

Frankly, Vader has always been my favorite character in all the SW films (until he wimped out in RotJ), so his return to the screen this summer will be quite sweet to me.

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Me too. My second-favorite character was Chewbacca ('cause you just know he was giving everyone lip) so I'm doubly excited that he will be in this episode.

[king-ghidorah.livejournal.com]

Nice to know we will be treated to both Scary and Hairy in one film.

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Indeed. Now we just need to have some Snarky and we'll be all set.

[madenglishbloke.livejournal.com]

sod the snark - id settle for jar jar having a light sabre shoved up his arse, then turned on...

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

You forget to whom you're speaking. There's always room for snark.

[madenglishbloke.livejournal.com]

oh yeah - i agree totally.
i just want to see jar jar die, as painfully and horribly as possible.
whisper is that the huys over at ILM also hate the guy, and even before shooting started on ep3, they had created some rather grisly death scenes for him - just on the off chance they were required...

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

Don't get excited. It will just betray you like the other two.

The UK press is not being allowed preview screenings for review purposes. And, I flicked through the novelisation of the 3rd movie in the supermarket a couple of weeks ago, and I would haev said like most novelisations, the dialogue has been lifted direct from the script. And ye gods. The horror.

'Anakin looked upset. 'I'm upset.' Said Anakin.'

That sort of level.

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Ah, you always know how to cheer me up, Sime.

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

Ah, sorry. Just back from counselling.

Still, I think it probably is a good idea to go into the new star wars film with low expectations, that way more entertainment shall surely be derived.

But then, clearly I still carry around a lot of bitterness about the first two movies.

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Oh that reminds me, gotta call to confirm my appointment. Thanks!

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

You're welcome.

[king-ghidorah.livejournal.com]

As opposed to the sparkling dialogue of the original?

"Lord Vader? Only you could be so bold!"

"You scruff-looking nerf-herder!"

"But Uncle Owen... you prooommmised!" (delivered in whiny drone)

Dialogue has never been Lucas' strong point (stealing set pieces from other films is, really.) Nor has characterization. In fact, the smartest thing Lucas did in the original trilogy was to get others involved in writing scripts and doing directing. His hand in this trilogy has amplified what fans forget about him-- his better eye for the visual than for the human (American Graffiti not withstanding).

[madenglishbloke.livejournal.com]

i could never reconcile the rather dire dialouge ihn the original film (all 22 minutes of it!! its hardly dialogue heavy!!) with the almost acceptable writing of the novelisation GL did of the first film.
it was only years later that i found out it was actually written by ben bova...

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Lucas is a techie, and that's been his contribution to film. I can only imagine what all the Star Wars movies would've been like had someone else written the scripts and directed them...

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

I'm not even that convinced by the strength of the visuals in Phantom and whatsitcalled.

[juanitadark.livejournal.com]

I don't have the Vader thing, more the Anakin thing but I get where you're coming from. I'm getting excited about it.

I'm aware that there'll be flaws but dude - there's the duel and they're trying to kill each other and there's trauma, and lots of ugly death.

What's not to be happy about - if the acting sucks they'll still all die :D Well nearly all of them.

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

LOL that's a good thing to keep in mind.

Does Padme know she's pregnant by the end of the movie? She has to be pregnant before Anakin's final fall. But the timing is such that he doesn't know -- or at least, doesn't know about Leia.

[juanitadark.livejournal.com]

Wait, I'm not going to totally spoil you by telling you the outcome but how much do you want to know?

I'll just answer what you asked me:

1. Padme knows she's pregnant well into the film, not just at the end.
2. Anakin knows she's pregnant too (He apparently thinks it's a girl).
3. Anakin... well by his fall and after The Duel things get...confused for him. And well... I don't want to spoil that one.

(ps - feel free to squee away with me. I'm starting to get all into these films and such).

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Oooh. OOOOH.

*thinks*

In Episode V, Vader knows he is Luke's father. Presumably he's kept tabs on the family back on Tatooine? But he doesn't know about Leia until Luke's thoughts give him away...

Am I on the right track?

[juanitadark.livejournal.com]

Yep.

You'll find out. It's kind of sad.

I suspect most people will be simultaneously thrilled and disappointed with this film.

ps - I'm aware that the dark side seems to cloud or at least limit the jedi's ability to 'read' the force. So when Luke's on Tatooine, Obi-Wan is also there, so I'm not sure if he's in some respect 'cloaked' Luke's presence. But then it's interesting to not that Qui-Gon Jinn noticed Anakin's potential only because of his preternatural piloting skills and then by quantitively measuring it (that whole midi-chlorians thing that most SW fans revile - but which I actually have no problem with, really).

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

I read some of the spoilery bits from the novelisation that you posted on your journal. About, erm, after the duel. Is that for real?

[woe2you.livejournal.com]

No problem with? It killed the mysticism of the Jedi as warrior-monk. Some things should be left unsaid.

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

I agree. The midi-chlorians thing really bothered me. The Force shouldn't be quantifiable, it should be beyond reckoning.

[juanitadark.livejournal.com]

What I said was: (that whole midi-chlorians thing that most SW fans revile - but which I actually have no problem with, really)

To reiterate, I still have no problem with it. I'm not happening to change my mind because a lot of people disagree with me.

To me a symbiotic relationship with another organism (or organisms) doesn't touch upon the spirituality of the Jedi in question. For me, that mysticism is still there but I simply have to look harder to pinpoint it. And it definitely seems to be in the spirit of each character rather than their special abilities. Which to me makes sense given that the new trilogy is basically showing the flaws of the Jedi order as it stood during Anakin's training.

The responsibility of the mysticism is therefore with the people. Not to mention that their perception of what they call the Force is still pretty much a mystery.

So I maintain that it still does not kill it for me, at this time.

[woe2you.livejournal.com]

The responsibility of storytelling, however, is with the storyteller, be it on paper or in film. And one of the responsibilities of the storyteller is not ruining the mystique they've built up by explaining too much of the machinery.
If you'd like to pursue this further, be warned: like the real Han Solo, I shoot first. :P

[juanitadark.livejournal.com]

Yes but this is like saying the mystique of a beautiful sunrise is ruined by that fact that man now knows what outer space looks like. I don't see that revealing 'the machinery' has ruined the mystique just changed it.

The 'responsibility' of the storyteller is maintaining continuity and consistency. That point, here, is one to be argued, and it's still ultimately a matter of opinion. I still maintain mine for the time being.

And no, Han Solo, I don't wish to persue it further (see the above). Arguing the semantics of what's in conclusion, somebody else's fictional 'vision' seems a bit pointless in the scheme of things. I'm just saying that I'm one of the few Star Wars viewers that doesn't mind that plot addition.

I'm sure that's allowed, though you don't have to like it.

[woe2you.livejournal.com]

one of the few Star Wars viewers that doesn't mind that plot addition

They're called "infidels", and are doomed to burn for all eternity for their heresy. Really. Would I lie to you?

[madenglishbloke.livejournal.com]

ive been saying for years now that one of the major plot points in this is going to be dooku holding padme prisoner, and anakin having to make a choice between serving seeing her die, or killing dooku and taking his place at the emporers right hand (in a rather bizarre future-echo of return of the jedi) - ive a funny feeling that the revalation that she is pregnant is what pushes anakin over the edge.
just a pity that no-one bothers to point out that its twins shes having...
oh - and one small point - if vader was looking for his son for all these years - why didnt he go and check on his family on tattoine?? surely that would have been the most logical place to hide him??

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Vader knew he was Luke's father in Episode V. He didn't know about Leia though, until he reads it in Luke's thoughts. I assume that Vader did keep track of the family back on Tatooine but never knew about Leia.

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

Do you think they'll get James Earl Jones to voice him again?

I heard a scary rumour a whiel back that Lucas was going to redo all of the dialogue from the original trilogy so that he could dub out James Earl, and replace Vaders voice with whatsisface Christians.

I think it was just a rumour though.

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

I think so too. The trailer I saw had a final scene of Vader on some sort of procedure table, with dialogue overdubbed of the Emporer saying Lord Vader, arise! And it was JEJ's voice saying "Yes, Master."

[king-ghidorah.livejournal.com]

Months ago they made a big deal of having JEJ do the voice of Vader. I like the idea that when Anakin becomes Vader he becomes a different person.

[juanitadark.livejournal.com]

You know, in a way... the minute he's in the suit - he has become a different man.

*sniffles at the tragedy of it*

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Well, he literally sacrifices himself up on the altar of power, giving up the last vestiges of his humanity to become the physical embodiment of the Dark Side. You need a voice like JEJ's.

[juanitadark.livejournal.com]

LOL, dude, Lucas may be in his own little world but he's not that crazy.

No one's that crazy.

I mean you can't lose Mace Windu and JEJ in the same film.

Nope.

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

You've seen what he did to the Han Solo / Greedo scene in the revamped version of the original star wars right?

He ~is~ that crazy. :)

[woe2you.livejournal.com]

Yup.

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Solo shot first. Period.

[madenglishbloke.livejournal.com]

finally, we get the film ive been waiting since - 1984?? - to see - the fall and rise of darth vader...
although i was disapointed with the first 2 parts of the prequel trilogy, they arent too bad if you go into them with an open mind - well, apart from the midichlorians, and jar jar fucking binks!! - but ive a horrible feeling that too many vital plotlines will be left undealt with - for instance, will they show c3po having his memory wiped??
and re: the rumours about GL editing james earl jones out of the original trilogy - i seem to recall george actually edited empire to include JEJs voice, due to him not being availible for the original version - his voice was added to the re-release.
last i heard, george is planning to go back to the original triology to re-do them in 3d - there wont be any re-filming done, just using a new process to produce a 3d image using lightweight glasses.
theres also a rumour been flying around for a long time that the lightsaber combat scenes in the original trilogy (especially ben vs vader in a new hope) will be re-created on computer, to match up with the high-flying, fast-moving combat from the prequels.
geek??
me??
noooo...

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

I could deal with re-making the duel scenes to match Episode I-III. In New Hope, the Jedi seem remarkably quaint fighting with their sabers. The technology just wasn't there to create the kind of superhuman combat ability the Jedi were supposed to possess.

I suspect there will be a lot of loose ends. As I mentioned above, I'd love to see when exactly Padme knew she was pregnant, and when she decided to hide it from Anakin. Was it after he became Vader? Or, was it before, hinting that even she had her doubts about him. And of course, a scene where Luke is sent back to Tatooine and Leia's entrusted to Bail Organa. Will we see it? Doubtful.

finally, we get the film ive been waiting since - 1984?? - to see - the fall and rise of darth vader...

You got it. Exactly.

[juanitadark.livejournal.com]

for instance, will they show c3po having his memory wiped??

As far as I know, yes.

[blankbadge.livejournal.com]

I know exactly how you feel. I swore repeatedly that I wouldn't get excited about the third one. The first two were bad enough that it was just another film to me. I'd watch it but I wouldn't care too much.

Then the damn trailer started showing. And the excitement was impossible to resist.

The trailer should end with George Lucas making an appearance and laughing maniacally shouting "You're all my bitches!"

[madenglishbloke.livejournal.com]

the movie itself should end with GL standing up and making a public apology for jar jar binks and the fucking midichlorians!!
woah - now THERES a decent name for a band!!

[blankbadge.livejournal.com]

And now here's 'Jar jar binks and the fucking midichlorians' with their new hit 'bend over and take it, bitch.'

Yeah, that works.

[madenglishbloke.livejournal.com]

**snort**

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

True dat. The little fucker.