Subject:
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Re: Ep1 peeves (includes spoilers)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.starwars
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Date:
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Tue, 25 May 1999 07:39:24 GMT
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Viewed:
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592 times
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In lugnet.starwars, Todd Lehman writes:
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> Speaking of criticism, here are my top 10 peeves for the movie -- and don't
> get me wrong -- I *loved* it indelibly -- but it couldda been a lot better.
>
> SPOILERS below if you haven't seen it yet!
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> My top 10 peeves:
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> 10. First 15 minutes of the movie are goofy -- even Jedi ought to show some
> fear or sense of urgency once in a while. It was like the characters
> had read the script and knew exactly where things were headed.
Well, I dunno. I think they just didn't take Battle Droids too seriously. I
mean, they did beat feet *awful* quick when they were faced with the Destroyer
Droids- complete with Obi-Wan's exclaimation "Master! Daestoyers!" You can't
say he sounded too calm about that.
> And
> Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan just happened to be carrying underwater-breathing
> apparatus in their pockets in case they wound up in the waters of
> Naboo? Hmm, seems a bit too convenient. :o|
Well, if you knew you were going into a situation where you needed to be as
prepared as possible- especially to be stealthy- and had access to a breather
like that, wouldn't you carry it? Who knows what else they have? I liked it,
actually, because it showed them being prepared. Almost like a Jedi Utility
Belt.
> 9. Why does Boss Nass have to shake his head and cast spittle everywhere
> twice? (once was enough) :*]
I actually found this one pretty annoying the first time I saw it. I heard all
about how great Brian Blessed's improvised battle cry was supposed to be...
well, I hope that wasn't it, and it got cut or something.
> 8. Obi-Wan defeated Maul a bit too easily after he recovered (although
> it's possible that the expression on Maul's face before Obi-Wan jumped
> up was Maul Force-sensing his own demise...hmm). (:-|
Or, perhaps, he was in some way feeding on the fear and hopelessness Obi-Wan
was feeling, dangling there. And when Obi-Wan realised he had an out, and that
went away a bit, Maul sensed it- hence his surprise- and was stymied by Obi-Wan
grabbing back the upper hand.
> 7. Not enough screen time or dialogue for Darth Maul! >:^E
Heh. I realised (after the second time I saw it) that Darth Maul says more in
his 30-second TV spot than in the movie. :D And what he says is a LOT cooler,
too. "Fear is my ally...."
> 6. TC-14 reminded me of Joan Rivers, and that Quadrofoofoo podracer guy
> reminded me of a flat, bendy McDonald's happy meal toy. =[B^p
Yeah, a lot of the podracers looked kind of goofy. I also really don't like
Lucas' tendancy to name folks after something distinctive about them in the
movie- Ree Yees (three-eyes, the guy in Jabba's palace in RotJ), Quadrinaros'
pod has four engines, etc.
> 5. This business about Anakin's immaculate conception was really
> disappointing. Hopefully it will end up being a lie, with either
> Palpatine or Maul being Anakin's real father. :'I
I would hope not one of them, but... well, Shmi never says it was a sexless
conception (not to be too nit-picky, but immaculate conception and virgin birth
are two different things). She merely says that she carried him, gave birth,
and raised him, and that there is no father. Obviously, there was no father
around- but there are a lot of things that she might not be able to explain.
The father died, or left, or she was raped... An almost endless sea of
possibilities. Qui-GOn latched onto what he wanted to hear, in my opinion.
> 4. I love Samuel L. Jackson, but he under-acted the role of Mace Windu,
> soundeding stilted and uninspiring. This ended up diminishing Yoda's
> role rather than adding to it. (:^/
I dunno. I think he played perfectly the part of someone who is powerful and
wise, but is a bit mired down in bureaucracy.
> 3. What's up with those cheesy 50's-Japanese-sci-fi-movie-dubbed voices
> on the Trade Federation moguls? I guess it was kind of funny if it
> was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek or a tip-o'-the hat, but it sure
> was distracting. >X'I
Heh. I liked them. I can see how one might not, though...
Although, they do have my favorite line from the movie: "Are you brain-dead?
I'm not going in there alone with two Jedi! Send the Droid!"
> 2. It was disappointing whenever the battle droids said retarded things
> like "Roger Roger" and sounded like Cylons from Battlestar Galactica.
> :-/
Apparently, they tweaked them up at the last minute. I didn't mind the "Roger
roger" bit. They had to have some eccentricity in their speech, in my mind...
although I'd have liked it if they had one that spoke somehow more to their
nature as remote-CPU'ed droids.
And while we're talking about that, did anyone else notice that at the end of
the big battle, there were little droids salvaging bits of the Battle Droids in
a big pile? I was so very worried that my biggest peeve was going to be the
"Independance Day" factor of destroying the droids by taking out the
mothership... but, apparently, it's all part of the cheapness/efficiency of the
Trade Federation. The BDs have no internal CPU's, no expensive delicate bits.
So, after a battle, little droids scramble around and patch together new ones
out of the remains of the other troopers. And the whole army is controlled
from on high.
> 1. Jar-Jar and his doofus voice nearly ruin the movie! The only thing he
> added to the movie was a couple minutes of cuss-bonding for 3P0 & R2.
> JJB is far, far, far, more annoying than any Ewok ever was... >X^o
> In fact, none of the Gungans in the battle at the end added anything to
> the story...it was Anakin alone who destroyed all of the battle droids
> (albeit indirectly and somewhat fortuitously). :-I
Hmm. This I really don't know about. While I didn't like Jar Jar as a
character, really, I do think the Gungans added to the film.
First of all, they *did* accomplish something in the final scenes- they
distracted the main battle forces away from the capital city, making it viable
for a small force to distract the remaining troops and allow an even smaller
force to enter the Palace. Without their help, that just wouldn't have
happened.
And in a larger scope, they added to the theme of the movie, or part of it.
The whole symbient circle thing that Obi-Wan talked about. Only by working
together could they defeat the enemy. The Senate squabbles and bickers among
itself, allowing the Dark Side to use that against them and gain power. The
Jedi Council itself is mired in the same kind of problems- they don't listen to
what their own people tell them, and while they seem to be in agreement with
themselves, they're at odds with their own agents (Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan). So
from the perspective of the overarcing point of the movie, they add too.
And as for Anakin's luck, I'm more than willing to chalk it up to the Force.
In fact, I bet that's what it was, almost completely.
eric
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Ep1 peeves (includes spoilers)
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| (...) Speaking of criticism, here are my top 10 peeves for the movie -- and don't get me wrong -- I *loved* it indelibly -- but it couldda been a lot better. SPOILERS below if you haven't seen it yet! : : : : : : : : : My top 10 peeves: 10. First 15 (...) (25 years ago, 23-May-99, to lugnet.starwars)
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