Mood: Pretty good.
Music: For The Love of Big Brother, Eurythmics
Game: World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, Guild Wars.
Book: Watching House of Flying Daggers on the PSP...
Muffin: Was closed when I passed by at 7am.
Punchline: Only a Sith thinks in absolutes.
So, I took off early from work yesterday, and saw Star Wars with my mom.
I don't really consider myself superstitious. I don't worry about black cats or the number 13, or anything. (I don't walk under ladders...but there's some pretty sound reasoning in that. Take it from a guy who walks construction sites.) But there was something in my head and gut that said that I really should see Star Wars on opening day with my mom...and I did. It's kind of odd that I felt that way...but it was important, and it was good to pull mom out of work and take off and see a matinee mid day.
Anyway, I'm not going to fill this blog with spoilers and such, but I will comment in general.
I have always been impressed with directors who are able to make a movie interesting to watch, even though you know the outcome and most of the story before the first frame comes up. My prime example has always been Apollo 13, directed by Ron Howard.
Howard somehow took a very well documented historical event, and made it not only compelling...but nerve racking. That was no mean feat, because you KNEW they got home OK. The ability of the director and writer to hold that suspense and make you worry and care about characters you knew in your head were going to be OK is no easy task.
And this pretty much explains why George Lucas is a horrific director.
You know what happens to Anakin Skywalker. You know what happens to Amidala. You know what happens to Kenobi...and every other character in the movie. You know their arc. You know where they'll end up. But instead of worrying, caring, being upset that it happens, you just watch it unfold, and think "Yup. That's what happens."
The unfortunate part of this whole thing is that as attractive as Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen might be to the world at large, they cannot act to save themselves. And this is truly unfortunate...because this story is as rich as any of the Star Wars storylines. The passion between Solo and Leia is obvious...you can feel it. There is no passion between these two. They might as well be carved of wood. "OK...Natalie, you cry now." "OK, Hayden, give me your conflicted look." Not a thing they did was believable...it all felt hollow.
The true disappointment is that the fall of Anakin Skywalker could have been a glorious conflicted slide from light to dark...it could have been an illustration of how a good man becomes bad...and all through the best intentions. But instead, it becomes some hollow facial expressions and some inexplicable actions and behaviors.
None of this takes away from the great fights...(and I mean epic lightsaber duels...) and the movie is eminently watchable for that reason alone.
But what a missed opportunity due to insipid acting, and some teeth-gritting dialogue. Truly unfortunate. No CGI is going to change this...because if it could have, Lucas would have done it.
Go see it. With your mom, if you can.
Posted by Glenn at May 20, 2005 01:41 PM