27th May 2005, 7:28 PM
Yeah, I finally saw it, pretty good. About what I'd expect... a good Star Wars movie. Perfect? No, but good... I wouldn't say far better than the other two original trilogy films, though. I liked them too... do people like this one more because it's got more action? Because it certainly does... but that's because that's what the story demands. But I don't think that TPM or AotC are much worse at all than RotS.
Anyway... what didn't I like about it? A few things.
-Anakin's motivations: I thought it was okay. It was a little fast, but looked at in the context of him being poisoned by Palpatine's words for several years, it makes more sense... there was a lot of time for him to be corrupted to be predisposed to believe Palpatine. And his motivations for why were consistent with why he had done evil things in the past (to protect people he loves)... so, while a bit fast, it was alright.
-Padme -- her dying like that was just stupid... 'dies of a broken heart'? Oh come on... ridiculous.
-I wanted to hear Imperial March more. :)
He realized that once he'd chosen a path (and that was what that scene was, forcing Anakin to choose a side once and for all -- just like how, at the end of RotJ, the Emperor forces him into a somewhat similar situation again...), he had to stick to it. He wanted to stop Mace... and realized that the only way to do that was to go all the way and turn on the Jedi. He did it in the heat of the moment, yes, because of his feelings... but once done, he realized that there was no going back. His only choice at that time was to bow as the new Darth.
Also, I suspect that Palpatine lost on purpose... I'm not sure, but it's the kind of thing he'd do -- to force Anakin to go over to his side. It was obvious that all of his cries, 'oh no he's going to kill me' stuff, etc was fake and purely for Anakin's benefit (though Anakin didn't notice that, in that state)... so why not take the extra step and say 'he knew Anakin was coming and so he lost so that he could force him to turn on the Jedi'? It makes a lot of sense. ... now that I think about it, that's what I think happened. He needed to turn Anakin for good.
Weltall: I'm not surprised your opinion on Palpatine hasn't changed. The full, complete, and quite believable explanation we knew before RotS wasn't enough for you, so why should the additional tidbits we learn this time help? You've demonstrated a complete lack of ability to understand the concept of what a Sith is this far, so I'm not surprised at all that you continue to do so... what part of "thousands of years of ingrained and trained hatred", "diametrically opposing philosophies", etc. don't you understand?
The Sith are the antithesis of the Jedi. They exist for the glorification of personal power. What is the ultimate in personal power? Well, ruling the galaxy is a pretty good start... and destroying your eons-old rivals the Jedi probably an even better one. Doing both at the same time? Even better.
Really, it's simple. Palpatine bacame a Sith. I've said it before as all the motivation you need and I'll say it again, because it's really all you need to know. Why did he become one? That's really unimportant... there could be many believable reasons for why a Sith would pick up such an apprentice. Which one it is really doesn't matter at all. What matters is the result, and that result is a power-hungry being thirsting to destroy his bitter enemies the Jedi.
Look, it's a sci-fi movie... you need a villain! And the Sith are as good a villain as any. Better than some, really... at least they have a good reason for why they are doing what they are doing and a well-defined philosophy of beliefs that explains their thought!
Anyway... what didn't I like about it? A few things.
-Anakin's motivations: I thought it was okay. It was a little fast, but looked at in the context of him being poisoned by Palpatine's words for several years, it makes more sense... there was a lot of time for him to be corrupted to be predisposed to believe Palpatine. And his motivations for why were consistent with why he had done evil things in the past (to protect people he loves)... so, while a bit fast, it was alright.
-Padme -- her dying like that was just stupid... 'dies of a broken heart'? Oh come on... ridiculous.
-I wanted to hear Imperial March more. :)
Quote:Basically, that scene consisted of Anakin saying "this isn't the way of a Jedi" even though deep down it was about protecting the one he loves. He, at least the way the scene was designed, clearly only wanted to STOP Mace from killing Palpy (as if he could right?), and he actually was all distraught over what he just did. And yet, RIGHT after that, 10 seconds later, he SWEARS HIMSELF to the frickin' dark side and agrees to kill every single jedi in existance. What the hell? There's no way any real person would EVER make a decision that quickly.
He realized that once he'd chosen a path (and that was what that scene was, forcing Anakin to choose a side once and for all -- just like how, at the end of RotJ, the Emperor forces him into a somewhat similar situation again...), he had to stick to it. He wanted to stop Mace... and realized that the only way to do that was to go all the way and turn on the Jedi. He did it in the heat of the moment, yes, because of his feelings... but once done, he realized that there was no going back. His only choice at that time was to bow as the new Darth.
Also, I suspect that Palpatine lost on purpose... I'm not sure, but it's the kind of thing he'd do -- to force Anakin to go over to his side. It was obvious that all of his cries, 'oh no he's going to kill me' stuff, etc was fake and purely for Anakin's benefit (though Anakin didn't notice that, in that state)... so why not take the extra step and say 'he knew Anakin was coming and so he lost so that he could force him to turn on the Jedi'? It makes a lot of sense. ... now that I think about it, that's what I think happened. He needed to turn Anakin for good.
Weltall: I'm not surprised your opinion on Palpatine hasn't changed. The full, complete, and quite believable explanation we knew before RotS wasn't enough for you, so why should the additional tidbits we learn this time help? You've demonstrated a complete lack of ability to understand the concept of what a Sith is this far, so I'm not surprised at all that you continue to do so... what part of "thousands of years of ingrained and trained hatred", "diametrically opposing philosophies", etc. don't you understand?
The Sith are the antithesis of the Jedi. They exist for the glorification of personal power. What is the ultimate in personal power? Well, ruling the galaxy is a pretty good start... and destroying your eons-old rivals the Jedi probably an even better one. Doing both at the same time? Even better.
Really, it's simple. Palpatine bacame a Sith. I've said it before as all the motivation you need and I'll say it again, because it's really all you need to know. Why did he become one? That's really unimportant... there could be many believable reasons for why a Sith would pick up such an apprentice. Which one it is really doesn't matter at all. What matters is the result, and that result is a power-hungry being thirsting to destroy his bitter enemies the Jedi.
Look, it's a sci-fi movie... you need a villain! And the Sith are as good a villain as any. Better than some, really... at least they have a good reason for why they are doing what they are doing and a well-defined philosophy of beliefs that explains their thought!