Pete's Episode II Review (Spoilers)

[DemonKing]

Pete’s Episode II Review (Contains Spoilers)

 

It was with incredible anticipation that I arrived at the midnight screening of the latest Star Wars epic, resplendent in my new stormtrooper gear, that I had loving polished to pristine whiteness. I could feel the admiring gaze of the assembled masses as I took my place in the line, but this is all par for the course when you’re a dedicated trooper (If you’re interested in finding out more, about 30 something nerds dressing up in play clothes: http://www.scgarrison.com/homebase/content.html). My best girl was by my side, her token mouth-eaten Yoda ears contrasting starkly to the time-consuming perfect detail of my own outfit - but then what do you expect from a Lord of the Rings fan? I finally got to the front of the queue and greeted the usher through my helmet mike: "THX 1138 reporting for duty sir". With a cross between confusion, hesitation and sheer terror at the awesome might of the Galactic Empire on his pimply face, he tentatively took our tickets and ushered us in to the darkened cinema to MEET OUR DESTINY...

 

Ok…Ok…so that’s not how it happened.

 

I only saw token efforts at costuming like girls with hair ala Leia in Episode IV and some guy with an 80s mullet and matching Empire Strikes Back T-shirt featuring Luke in his Hoth outfit on a tauntaun, but still the atmosphere was good. The crowd was psyched. Even after they made us sit through about half a dozen trailers ("Eight Legged Freaks" looks quite good, but "Scooby Doo" likes like pure doggy doo – although I guess that’s probably the point). There’s something about a Star Wars film when the beginning credits roll that fills you with an incredible sense of excitement...although the crowd on this occasion was a little quiet. Perhaps fearing another Episode I. Perhaps they were just stupid (this is Redcliffe, after all...).

 

Anyway, whatever their irrational fears, they need not have worried. The force is with this one.

 

OK...let’s get the bad out of the way.

 

1. The love schlock between Anakin and Padme bites the big one. How the hell did Lucas ever get laid? Surely not with the lines he puts in Anakin’s mouth. He and Padme spend a great deal of the first half of the film eating romantic dinners, frolicking in fields and admiring sunsets, all the while exchanging puerile banter about their hearts beating and the danger that their love might become a scar if not consummated…bleehh. Surely it would have been better to see them face a series of dangers together and grow closer through shared experience then Anakin blubbing about fancying her since the age of 9 (I’m sorry - I did not fancy girls at the age of 9 - or at least, I had certainly forgot about them 10 years later if I did). Still, I did enjoy their marriage at the end (I won’t spoil it for you...) and the scene as they enter the arena where they finally decide to give into their FOBIDDEN LOVE, is quite well handled.

 

2. Yes – the archnemesis Jar Jar is in it. However most of the other characters treat him like the annoying git he is and quickly make excuses to leave his presence, so the viewer is spared any extended dialogue. Also, he actually is responsible for accidentally handing the galaxy to the bad guys on a plate, so that kind of redeems him in my book. Kind of...

 

3. It’s a little slow-paced in the middle, mainly bogged down with the Anakin-Padme Return to the Blue Naboo-style love junk, and Obiwan playing Sam Spade, Jedi Supersleuth, but it sure picks up at the end...

 

4. I actually found Obiwan kind of annoying. Always lecturing Anakin and behaving like he knows best - and then stumbling into more trouble then he can handle. On reflection however, maybe this was because I could just associate more with Anakin whining about his father-figure holding him back then I could with the father-figure Obiwan himself. Hey - I never said I didn’t have issues.

 

5. Plenty of B-movie moments. The mysterious assassin being silenced at the last moment just before she spills the beans on her employer. Anakin rushing across space to save his mother only arriving it just the right time for her to die in his arms. Yoda gesturing like some kind of miniature green Bruce Lee. At least George openly admits his films are not meant to be high art, I guess.

 

6. Kiwi accents in Star Wars.

 

OK...now for the good.

 

1. Yoda. I never thought I would say this, but I like Yoda in this film. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate that little green goblin muppet. Passionately. I actually like Return of the Jedi better than the Empire Strikes Back solely because Yoda dies in the last film and his extended presence completely ruins Empire for me. The only time he really pisses me off in this film is when he patronises the hell out of Obiwan about how embarrassing it is to lose a planet. If I was Obiwan, I would have slapped him one. With my lightsaber. Anyway, suffice to say that the end scene where Yoda hobbles in to confront Count Dooku after the Count has just laid waste to both Anakin and Obiwan, supposedly two of the better Jedi in the galaxy, had me in stitches. I think I uttered the words "HOLY SH***TT!" when that damn muppet actually started to fight. The funniest thing for me was after the battle, where he has just been bouncing around like a jumping jack on speed, Yoda picks up his cane and hobbles at a snail’s pace towards his fallen friends with his back stooped...Jeezus, if George can make even Yoda look cool then what’s next? A cool Dark Side Jar Jar with a double-bladed lightsaber?

 

2. The CG was pretty good. There’s only one scene where Anakin is riding some wild beast around the plains of Naboo to impress Padme that it really looks fake (although, maybe that’s just because the whole romance came off that way). The huge battle scenes at the end rock big time. In fact I would have been happy to watch two and a half hours of those...but I guess George had to make some concessions to people that like plot, dialogue and structure. Although let’s face it...at least he’s never made BIG concessions in that direction. I thought the droid foundry scene was probably the most imaginative in the film and led to some great action and comedy as well.

 

3. The sound was awesome. The sound of Slave I’s seismic mines going off gets my vote for best all-time movie sound effect. The silence...then...the BOOM! It perfectly complemented the on screen action and I thought the pacing and placement of the incidental music was spot on. John William is god.

 

4.There were lots of moments that harkened back to the original series for the "Old Skool" fans. Phrases were repeated in different contexts – for instance, Obiwan calls Anakin "My young apprentice" just like the Emperor calls Luke in Return of the Jedi. Plus there are a lot of scenes that pay tribute to scenes in the earlier films: Obiwan, for instance, using a Jedi mind trick on a drug pusher and using Han Solo’s trick in Empire to escape the wrath of Jango and Boba’s ship. Hell, Jango even bumps is head on the door going into Slave I after his fight with Obiwan in homage to the "clumsy trooper" of Episode IV.

 

5. Jango is cool. Played by Temura Morrison of "Once Were Warriors" fame he looks good - especially flying around with his backpack, and has an amazing arsenal of stuff. Too bad he bites the bullet a bit too easily. Oh well, at least Dooku got away. Christopher Lee is good as Dooku - I thought called him Count Dooku harkens back nicely to his Hammer horror days as Dracula. I think I preferred him slightly as Saruman in LOTR...but maybe that was just that amazing prosthetic nose they gave him? Still, his force lightning ruled. Now all I want to see his Sideous wield the blade and my life will be complete (whoops...I just realised who sad that sounds).

 

6. Australian Actors all made a decent effort to cover their accents. Unlike the Kiwis.

 

 

OK. Bottom line.

 

Star Wars is back. Episode I is a distant memory. Evil is one more step closer to victory (this is a good thing, in my book). Episode III is now THREE whole years away (this is a bad thing, in my book). If you are in any way interested in Sci-fi you will not want to miss this film. George has well and truly worn off the rust of years of inactivity. Now all we can do is wait and see what he makes of Indiana Jones IV, and of course Episode III, tentatively titled "Death to the Gungans" (rumours are that all actors will be fully computer-generated for the first time ("synthespians"). George is banking on no one noticing - and with the scripts he kicks up, he just might be right).

 

Till next time. Probably "The Two Towers".

 

Incidentally if you have a good internet connection and are a fan of Star Wars and/or Fight Club you should check this out:

 

http://atomfilms.shockwave.com/af/content/figure_club

 

I must be cool. I already take mine out of the packages.

 

Regards,

 

Aps

[Crazy_dog no.3]

I think Yoda was cool anyway.

[Arthorus]

I agree with almost everything you have here, except for two points.

 

1. While the romance between Anakin and Padme did bite during some of the film, I must say that once Anakin hit Tatooine, Christensen (sp?) seemed to get really comfortable with the role. Once that happened, all of his parts, including the romance seemed to get a lot better. I thought the moment before the arena was really touching (as opposed to the canned lines he was spouting on Naboo), and I bought them getting married in the end.

 

2. I thought all of the Jedi did a great job. Watching Liam Neeson and Ewen McGregor (I'm not sure if any of these are spelled right, so I'm just going to roll with it) in Phantom was painful. They were restricted to the point of being automotons (how many times can we put the word "sense" in a scene), and it just felt like they were completely outmatched by the effects. Clones was great--the actors seemed a lot more comfortable, interacted really believably with the effects, and seemed to have an all around better time making the film.

 

I say kudos to Mr. Lucas...this film is a true page for the mythology.

[Swoosh]

Arthorus....I agree whole-heartedly with your first remark. The love development was awkward and even comical at times (the kiss and instant stop by Padme)...but I really attached with Anakin when he returned to Tatooine. You could see that Anakin is a man driven by love, not just for Padme, but for his mother as well. I felt very connected at this time, finally feeling the emotions that never even crossed my mind during Episode I.

 

As far as the lack of story I'm hearing people complain of...you must realize that this is episode II, not episodes I-VI...there can't be the character development and encompassing story when this is only 1/6th of the story. I think George did an excellent job of developing the love story and laying the groundwork for the rest of the series. I honestly believe that I may cry after watching episode III...seeing all that Anakin has going for him and how he throws it all away. I think this bold statement is the reason George left episode III as the final one to be completed....maybe people will finally realize that Star Wars has a deep and very meaningful narrative and that George Lucas is truly an artist.

 

I'm sure you'll be hearing from me more about this, I'm going to see it again in digital in about 9 hrs....must sleep now!

 

Swoosh

[Alien426]

Originally posted by DemonKing

...Anakin rushing across space to save his mother only arriving it just the right time for her to die in his arms.

 

She didn't die just in time, she died because he saved her. All the time she hoped and resisted and tried to keep alive to see her son again. Then when he was there she felt safe and gave up.

[Perniciosus]

Originally posted by Alien426

She didn't die just in time, she died because he saved her. All the time she hoped and resisted and tried to keep alive to see her son again. Then when he was there she felt safe and gave up.

 

Yes, but I can understand why some could be led to believe otherwise. It wasn't exactly made that clear in the movie - in the movie, it just seems like she dies at the exact same moment that he got to her whereas in the book, it goes through great detail about how the only thing keeping her alive is hoping she gets to see Anakin again.

 

Alas, I'm starting to prefer the novelization over the movie, after having seen the movie twice, but I'm really rather glad I read it before seeing the movie at all, as it made it infinately more enjoyable by making some parts much more understandable.

[StuBeck]

I think the best part (well not THE best part, but an appealing part for most) is the humor that is back in this movie. Obi Wan in the passanger seat of the speeder, is just like ALL FATHERS when they are teaching their kids how to drive. The guy with the "death sticks" was hilarious, and I did find some of anakins advances (where he gets shot down) funny too. EP1 did not have this, and it made you want more from the movie, now, you get a funny moment, and then an action moment, and the differences between them makes both better.

-Stuart Becktell