The Episode III spoiler-filled reviews and impressions thread

[OB1]

As they have been to the bestselling novelist in American history, if not the entire world.

Well, not the entire world. That's a ridiculous claim, don't you think?

But to have none. At all. You keep seeing things in the extremes. For you, it's all or nothing.

I'm afraid that it is you who is seeing things in opposite extremes. I believe in several different methods of storytelling and have a good understanding of different ways that work in different contexts, while you have a very narrow view of just one way.

Funny that you should mention Shakespear before, since he wasn't a one-trick pony like you want all writers to be, and used different methods of storytelling. Romeo and Juliet can never match the depth of characterization of King Lear, and it didn't need to. You did not need to gain great insight into the main characters' backgrounds in order to enjoy Romeo and Juliet.

I read quite a bit more than Stephen King. And I know poor, one-dimensional characters when I see them.

You know only one type of storytelling, obviously. And don't understand the concept or importance of archetypes in fantastical settings.

Anakin Skywalker's reasons for turning bad are inherently personal, pushed along by outside interference. And everyone remembers his character. He's the best the series has to offer, by far. He has motives.

Anakin had no more motive than Luke did. In fact, the two trilogies are meant to parallel each other and show how two different generations of Skywalkers lived their lives and how the decisions they made determined their fates. Anakin's motives are an important element to his character, no doubt, but they are detemined by his defining characteristics and not the other way around.

That I was able to describe them so well in so short a turn only proves my point. If a character is merchandised well enough, people will remember them, but they're remembered for their image, not their character. Star Wars characters are to the last remembered for their image. Especially Vader, which is sad as there was actual effort put into his character.

There are many more interesting-looking characters out there than in SW, yet they don't endure nearly as well as these SW characters do. And this is because people remember the story, they remember the characters. They associate these things with the actual images of the characters, since movies are a visual medium. If people did not care for the stories or characters then their look would be completely meaningless.

History destroyed this argument of yours before you even thought it up, Ryan.