Subject:
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Re: TPM RULES (long reply, skip if you're in a hurry...:)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.starwars
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Date:
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Thu, 1 Jun 2000 16:28:58 GMT
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Viewed:
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455 times
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In lugnet.starwars, Bryan Hodges writes:
> > 2) The even more oft-mentioned JarJar, about whom enough bad things cannot be
> > said. Did he have any dramatically redeeming characteristics?
>
> hmmm... Did C3PO?
Aside from serving in several (admittedly small) moments as translator, no,
not really. Other than with the Ewoks, of course, where his translation was
instrumental. Neither was 3PO an actively negative force working against the
texture of the film.
Further, the weak presence of one character cannot be used to justify the
weak presence of another.
> > 4) The characters. None, with the possible exceptions of Shmi and Palpatine,
> > showed any depth or dimension. Obi-Wan got close toward the end, when Ewan • was actually allowed to convey some emotion, but for me it was too little, too
> > late.
>
> I don't remember much emotion in ANH...
Same as above--if anything, TPM is worse for its lack of emotion because
Lucas should have learned from his previous errors and developed the
characters more in the later film.
> > 5) Journey to the Center of the Sea: What purpose did this underwater
> > sequence serve, other than to allow ILM to wow us with nifty effects? None,
> > as far as I can see, beyond giving JarJar further time to be annoying
> > onscreen.
>
> hmmm... I recall a certain asteroid field in ESB that didn't further the plot
> any... accept that it gave Han and Leia the chance to "park."
I disagree, for a small but very significant reason. Vader at one point
announces "asteroids do not concern me, Admiral; I want that ship," even
though the various destroyers are getting brutally pummelled by the field.
Then later, when Vader is informed that the Emperor wishes to speak with him,
Vader immediately orders his ship to leave the field; the implication is that
Vader's devotion to/respect for/fear of the Emperor outweighs any concern for
the condition of his own vessel. A subtle but--in my view--very cool
character point!
> > 6) Ham-fisted "comic" relief.
> Ah... I guess the Ewok hitting himself in the head with a rock in ROTJ
> was "brilliant comedy," and the "let the Wookie win" dialogue in ANH was
> worthy of a Shakespearean satire. The point of comic relief in the SW movies
> isn't to make you laugh... it's not a comedy after all. The point is to break
> up the seriousness with a bit of whimsy.
Once more, the bad elements of one film cannot justify the bad elements of
another. On the other hand, anything bad you care to say about the Ewoks and
their inclusion in the story is fine with me!
> Besides, I liked the two-headed announcer.
Are you silly?
> > 8) Ineptitude = Valor
> Well... Luke was able to drop the missles down the port in ANH, even though
> several other pilots died trying... besides, pitting the strong against the
> strong and having the strongest win isn't very entertaining. It doesn't have
> that "David and Goliath" effect.
Luke wasn't as inept as JarJar or as inexperienced as Anakin; he was (by his
own assertion, at least) a pretty fair pilot who could bullseye womp rats.
> The "heros" have to be placed in
> escapeable situations, otherwise they can't escape. Besides, these things
> happen in real life... take for instance some actions taken in WWII...
No, let's not. Real life is no excuse for bad drama, because Lucas was in
full command of the script from day one and could avoid these "oops I didn't
think of that" situations. History abounds with retrospectively poor choices,
but TPM isn't a history lesson--it's a work of fiction which should have been
constructed to maximize its dramatic value.
> There's alot of things in alot of films that could bother me... but I try not
> to analyze them that way. It's not my job after all, I'm not a movie critic.
Actually, since you're one of the people funding George's billions, you
*are* a critic, especially since you've entered thoughtful discussion of the
film.
> Just remember that Lucas is just a man, he's not a god... he
> does make mistakes. I know that people build up a lot of expectations for SW
> movies, and when it doesn't turn out just the way they expect it's
> dissappointing... but all in all TPM is a good movie, and is a good addition
> to the SW Saga. Now that I've seen it so many times, I can't really imagine
> it being any different.
Let me say for the record that I preferred TPM to Jedi. I don't buy the
"high expectations" argument, because I've gotten pretty good at suspending
final judgment on works until I've seen or read them.
Dave!
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