"Adventure. Excitement. A Jedi Craves Not These Things"

So I just got done watching Episode II (I think I have some sort of deep-seated self-loathing thing going on), and it occurred to me while I was watching it that the so-called Prequel Trilogy really does have a great story behind it. No, the movies themselves have not turned out to be great (Jar Jar still makes me cringe, as does most of the stilted dialogue), but you can see moments and flashes of brilliance amidst the drech and garbage.

The biggest complaints I have with the prequels as movies are:

(1) The Dialogue. It is too stiff, too dry, and tries too hard. It tries too hard to do many things--be deep, be foreboding, be serious, be funny, etc. There's an unnaturalness to the way characters speak, a sense of hyper-formality that does not fit most of the characters. Anakin especially suffers from this, as does Padme (though in her case it's almost acceptable and to be expected--she was a queen, after all). A couple of bright spots appear in the characters of Obi-Wan and Palpatine, who both seem to exist in a believable sense. But the jokes usually always seem forced (unlike the stuff from, say, Han Solo, or the banter of C-3PO from the original trilogy) and aren't that funny.

(2) Characterization. Anakin is entirely too one dimensional; wooden, flat, lifeless, unbelievable. Padme is barely any better; I think Natalie Portman was sleepwalking through this role. Obi-Wan is fairly consistant and well-done, as is Palpatine. Like I said earlier, they are believable characters. My biggest complaint is actually with Yoda. Yoda from Empire (and even Jedi) is a very different character than is presented here. The climactic lightsaber duel, while looking really neat, does not fit Yoda's character, behavior, or general demeanor at all. Yes, I can accept the idea that Yoda is an amazing swordsman, one of the best there ever was. That idea I can come to grips with. However, he's also a small being of around 900 years of age, and I don't care how much mystical Force one can channel (especially when, as is alluded to in the movie, the Jedi's ability to touch the Force is actually dwindling), Yoda shouldn't be able to bounce around like a five year old in need of Ritalin. Old sword masters tend to develop a very fluid, minimalist style that takes advantage of knowledge, wisdom, and years of practice; only the young leap about like idiots. Obi-Wan's sword style exibited a bit of change from Episode I to Episode II: fewer flourishes, less grandstanding, more economy of effort and movement. Take that idea, and expound upon it: that's how Yoda's sword style ought to be. He would concentrate on using a minimum of effort and energy, focus on using his opponent's movement and strike against them. What happened in the movie was someone decided they could do really cool things with CGI, and thus they had to find a way to toss it in there, whether it fit or not.

But beyond those major complaints (and they do make for a terribly flawed movie), the idea of the prequels is solid. The story is interesting, and in the hands of capable writers and a capable director, Episode II could have been the equal of any of the original films. There are clever concepts in the movie--the idea of the Jedi losing touch with the force, the decay of the Republic, galactic war afoot, the idea of a single being who can bring balance and rejuvenation. The seeds of a great film are in place. But Lucas is still batshit crazy, and he messed it all up. It's a testament to how much I like the story that I'm able to forgive the huge problems with the new flicks.

Like many, I still hold hope for the third film. I still hope and pray that Lucas will get it right this time, that he'll end it on a good note, not a sour one. However, optimistic as I may be, I still recognize that this is the man who refuses to leave his already excellent accidental masterpieces alone, so I go in knowing there's a very good chance I'll be sorely disappointed with Episode III. Maybe someone with talent will come along after Lucas passes, remake the prequels, return the Holy Trilogy to its original glory, and make amends with the geeks. But I doubt it.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Radiohead, "Karma Police"