Tag Archives: Story Bones

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The Bones of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

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Today we’re talking about what most people feel is the best film in the Skywalker Star Wars Saga!

Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

If you missed any of the previous installments of Good Bones, you can find them here:
Episode I
Episode II
Episode III
Episode IV

Let’s dive right in!

Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

I honestly wasn’t ready for this film. I was only 5 years old when it came out, and I think I was only six or seven the first time I saw it.

Back then I was idealistic, and didn’t understand a flawed hero or the second act of a story. Yoda was mean, Degobah was icky, something bad happened in the cave, Han Solo ends up frozen, Luke got his hand cut off, and he didn’t win!

To tell you the truth, I mostly tolerated this film until I was in my early teens, when I suppose the hormones kicked in and I finally “got it.”

The Bones:
What happened to the rebellion after they blew up the Death Star?
How is the Empire taking this?
What’s Darth Vader up to?
Where is Luke at with the Force?
Are Han and Leia flirting?
Jedi Training?
Luke…I am your father…

What happened to the rebellion after they blew up the Death Star?

They’re hiding. Again. They seem to be low on resources and places to run.

I noticed something in the opening scroll the other week when we watched this movie. It states that “a group of freedom fighters led by Luke Skywalker has established a base…” I’m not usually sensitive about this stuff, but Like is far from in charge. Maybe the fighters are led by him, but I didn’t see that in the film either. Don’t get me wrong, Luke is my hero in these movies, but give credit where it’s due!

Leia is clearly in charge, which is awesome. I’d never noticed that she doesn’t get credit for that in the opening scroll.

How is the Empire taking this?

The Empire is hunting the rebellion, and considering the Empire has an endless array of assets to throw at the search, it’s only a matter of time before they find them.

Can I just say how much I like Admiral Piett? The fact that he makes a few mistakes and personally apologizes to Vader for them, knowing full well how that might end, makes him one of the biggest bad a**es in the film!

What is Darth Vader up to?

He seems to be heading up the hunt for the rebels. However, he’s really after Luke. He strangles one of his commanders to death, then assaults at least two more in this movie.

As a kid I was terrified of Vader! For good reason, mind you, but after seeing the prequels, this is just Anakin’s impatient, whiny side coming out. Now instead of not getting his way, he kills people who hold him back. Not cool, man.

Although it is a great way to show us how crazy he is at this point.

If you look through the eyes of the prequels, this is the son of the woman he thought he’d killed. Luke is his hope to defeat the Emperor, and bring the kind of order to the galaxy he’s always wanted. Vader is genuinely desperate in this film.

Where is Luke at with the Force?

At first we see Luke doing a mundane patrol. Then he gets attacked and taken by the Wampa. So far no Force stuff.

Then Luke wakes up hanging from the ceiling and sees his lightsaber nearby but out of reach. The Wampa is coming for him, and he takes a moment to calm down and uses the force to cut himself free and chop the Wampa’s arm off.

This gives us the sense that Luke has been exploring his powers.

Then Obi Wan’s force ghost appears to him, giving him orders to find Yoda.

The battle of Hoth ensues, the rebels get clear by the skin of their teeth, and Luke goes off to find Yoda.

Alone.

He doesn’t tell anyone.

This has always irked me. Han Solo and Luke are clearly good friends by this point, but Luke keeps his secret from everyone. As Yoda later says, Luke doesn’t think before he acts. Sometimes that’s good and sometimes that’s bad.

Are Han and Leia…flirting?

Yes, yes they are.

Leia even kisses Luke to make Han jealous.

The banter between Han and Leia is hilarious in this film.

Han : You want me to stay because of the way you feel about me.
Leia tries to hide her feelings. Yes, you’re great help to us. You’re a natural leader.
Han Solo : No! That’s not it. Come on. Come on!
Princess Leia : You’re imagining things.
Han Solo : Am I? Then why are you following me? Afraid I was gonna leave without giving you a goodbye kiss?
Princess Leia : I’d just as soon kiss a Wookiee.
Han Solo : I can arrange that.
[Leia walks away]
Han Solo : You could use a good kiss!

What is that? Maybe ten lines of dialogue? The romance is already better than the prequels. The fact that several people walk between the arguing couple tells me they’ve been at it for quite some time.

Oh George Lucas, why didn’t you let this writer create the dialogue for Episode II?

And let’s not forget
Leia : I love you
Han : I know
Right before he gets frozen in carbonite. That’s pretty awesome.

Luke, I am you Father…

I won’t get into everything on Degobah. Luke starts his Jedi training and leaves before it’s complete.

Pfft. He was there what, maybe a week? The prequels showed us that Jedi training takes a lifetime. What could Luke possibly lean in a week?

I give Yoda props here for thinking outside the box. He knows he won’t have much time, and has probably seen the outcome of Luke and Vader’s first meeting already. Still, he decides to forego the ancient ways and try something different. Darth Sidious blind-sided him and I’m sure he’s been thinking about that for the past twenty years. Luke can’t be a traditional Jedi.

Luke once again reminds us that he’s related to Anakin when he runs off to save his friends without listening to his elders. Still, Han came back for him at the end of the last movie, and I’ve always liked the fact that Luke held his friends in such high regard. Maybe the Jedi were weak because they had no ties. Love does make you stronger.

Vader is clearly toying with Luke in their fight. Trying to provoke him into doing something stupid. Luke’s ideals—his friends and the fact that he sees the Empire, along with Vader, as evil—keep him on the right track. Even when Vader reveals that he’s Luke’s father.

Which, by the way, was quite a shock to those of us who only had Episode IV before this. Luke’s response is overly emotional, but that actually works. Instead of allowing his emotions to carry him to the dark side, he instead decides he’d rather end his life than let Vader have him.

It’s hard to pick at these bones. There is a reason a huge amount of fans count this as their favorite film. It’s well written and works as the perfect second act to the original trilogy.

What are your thoughts on the matter?


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The Bones of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

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Now that we got the prequels out of the way, we’re on to the original trilogy of the Skywalker Star Wars Saga!

This week we’re delving into Episode IV: A New Hope

If you missed any of the previous installments of Good Bones, you can find them here:
Episode I
Episode II
Episode III

And now, for one of my favorite films of all time!

Episode IV: A New Hope

I will offer transparency when I say that I love the next three films in the saga. I grew up on them. At one point we rented a VCR as well as the movie to watch this one at my birthday party. I think I was six.

I’ll try to be unbiased…but we all know there is no try.

The Bones:
Where are the Skywalkers now?
Anakin
Leia
Luke
Hello Obi Wan
Show us the growth of the Empire
Show us the rebels
Bring on the Swagger

Where are the Skywalkers Now?

Anakin

Now called Darth Vader. He’s terrorizing the rebels, strangling people left and right and torturing his own daughter. He’s a bad guy. This is why we love him so much!
Leia
Political activist, running plans for the rebellion and not being intimidated by Darth Vader, whom she does not know is her father. Neither did the rest of oldie moldies us until episode VI. She’s doing Padmé’s legacy proud. (The before Episode III Padmé.)
Luke
Typical teenager. Wants out of the boring farm life and go to the Academy. Or, as we find out in a cut scene, he actually wants to join the rebellion. Whines when he doesn’t get his way. Seems to be a competent mechanic and is dumb enough to trust Artoo. Yup, he’s Anakin’s son alright.

Hello Obi Wan
We all thought he was a crazy old man with some fizzled out powers. We had no idea how bad a** he was back in the day.
He’s the one who opens Luke’s mind to the Force. Then he takes one for the team and lets Darth Vader kill him.

These bones are hard to pick, because these movies were actually made first. Luke never suggests he has special abilities, but if he’s so powerful, and his dad was unwittingly showing off his force abilities at ten, then unless Obi Wan had been stifling him, Luke should have felt something before this. All other force users have. Also, Leia. But, since we didn’t have the foundation of the first three movies to build on, the characters were in square one and we didn’t know any better.
The fight between Obi Wan and Vader should have been much more intense. So. Much. More. Intense. But again, we don’t get it because Lucas didn’t really know the power of that moment. Check out this fan made film that beefs up their fight. It’s kind of awesome!

Show us the Growth of the Empire
Well, they’re clearly in control, and they’re not very nice. We don’t see the Emperor in the original cut of this film, but Darth Vader is enough.

Show us the Rebels
The rebels are small, but encapsulate being the underdog. The Empire has a space station the size of a moon, along with Vader. They seem to be numberless and can get whatever they want. The rebels are few, and they pull us in because they hold to the hope that what they’re doing is right and that it will matter.
The rebellion brings Luke and Leia together, which is key for the rest of the films.

Bring on the Swagger
Let’s be honest. Who’s the real deal in this film? Han Solo. Yes, he shot first. Yes, he’s a scoundrel. Yes, he charges Luke and arm and a leg to get off of Tatooine. Yes, it looks like he’s going to take his money and run. But who gives Luke the chance to take down the Death Star?
Han Solo, that’s who.
He brings the fun, he brings the experience that Luke is sorely lacking, and in the end it’s him who has the biggest change of heart. He didn’t have to come back, he wanted to. For Luke. For Leia. Probably for himself.
Sure, Luke relies on the Force and takes out the Death Star without his targeting computer, his first real step in becoming a Jedi, but without Han Luke would have been blown up a moment before that. By his own father. What is it with Skywalkers killing their own family??

Without the prequels, this movie gives us a glimpse into what the Force can do. With them we see that Luke is his father’s son.

The bones of this movie are solid. Most of the movie is solid. Luke is pretty whiny, but look at his dad. Sheesh, it could have been much worse. Leia is a strong female character when there weren’t too many in science fiction. Han Solo is the guy we all want to watch our backs. And don’t forget Chewie, who is the one who watches Han’s back, and for that we love him.
Vader is great in this film.

I warned you I was biased about this one. It’s stood the test of time for more than 40 years, and will continue to pull viewers in for years to come.

What are your thoughts on Episode IV?


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The Bones of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

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Welcome back to the Good Bones of the Skywalker Star Wars Saga!

This week we’re diving head first into Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

If you missed the first two installments of Good Bones, you can find the first one HERE.

And now, for the last of the prequels:

Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

I’ve only seen this movie once before…in the theater. It didn’t capture me then, and this time around the only reason I liked it better is because last year we watched the animated Clone Wars Series.

The Clone Wars Series sets up SO MUCH of this movie. I kind of loved it. However, I’m not going to include this series in my assessment of the movies. Movies only.

 

The Bones:

The Jedi Order Must Fall

Palpatine Becomes Emperor and the Empire Emerges

Anakin Completes His Fall to the Dark Side and Becomes Darth Vader

Obi Wan Saves Anakin’s Family

The Jedi Order Must Fall

This movie tried to tell/show us that Palpatine has been working on Anakin for a while. In the opening sequence Anakin and Obi Wan are in the middle of a huge space battle and out to rescue Chancellor Palpatine from Count Dooku.

They do so. Obi Wan gets knocked out and Anakin—after Palpatine’s urging—kills Dooku.

This scene…isn’t all bad. It does show that Anakin is more powerful than Obi Wan. It also shows us that Palpatine’s influence over Anakin is stronger than his Jedi training.

I’m not sure if it’s the acting or the writing that makes the whole thing seem disjointed and lame, but there you go. The bones were there.

We soon find out that Anakin is having dreams about Padmé in pain and dying—reminiscent of his mother. Anakin’s distress gets worse when he finds out she’s pregnant.

Does he go to Obi Wan or even Yoda about this? No. He goes to Palpatine.

The reason for this is apparent when Palpatine asks that Anakin become his special advisor on the Jedi council. The council decides (grudgingly) that Anakin can be on the council, but they don’t make him a Jedi Master.

Anakin is all bent out of shape about this and pouts just like he did in the last episode. Then Obi Wan asks Anakin, on the council’s behalf, if he’ll spy on Palpatine for them.

How. Dumb. Are. The. Jedi?

They know Anakin. They know he has a personal relationship with Palpatine. So yes, it makes sense that he could get information through him, but seriously? You know he’s going to be upset about it. Why not just talk to him like a normal human being when you need to know something? Ask Anakin his opinion and then what the Chancellor is thinking. You’ll attract more flies with honey than vinegar, dummies.

Yoda is 800 years old. He should know better.

Obi Wan is supposedly like a brother to Anakin. He should know better.

Once this crack has appeared, things go downhill. Yes, after Palpatine reveals himself as a Sith, Anakin goes to the council to tattle, but it’s too late. Palpatine already has his claws into Anakin, and when he has to choose between Mace Windu and Palpatine, he chooses the man who has shown him kindness and respect.

Duh.

Palpatine Becomes Emperor and the Empire Emerges

Most of this in the movie works. It is, unfortunately, built on the stupidity of the Jedi, but whatever, bring forth the Empire!

Yoda and Palpatine’s fight is epic. I like that Yoda looses, even after we’ve seen how powerful he is. Good job there.

Having the clones turn against the Jedi is brilliant. Talk about heartbreaking!

Palpatine has been setting pieces in place for this since before Episode I, and it pays off here. Frankly, I’d love to see a vignette of Palpatine’s manipulations. The conversations, the promises made, messing with the Jedi so the force was out of balance. That would be cool.

I mentioned in my review of Episode I that the whole bringing balance to the force thing never actually happens. We still don’t know what that should look like and why it’s out of balance now. It’s probably Palpatine’s fault, but they never show us. This is a huge ball dropped.

Anakin Completes His Fall to the Dark Side and Becomes Darth Vader

This is really what the movie is about, and bits and pieces of it are sprinkled throughout.

The dreams about Padmé are genius. This is his fear and Palpatine plays him like a fiddle.

If you just take the instances in the film where Palpatine breaks Anakin down, it’s not bad. It’s great that he loses control and hurts Padmé. Especially since he turned to the dark side for her. (Remember I said this is the most important relationship in the films?) So he could save her. The execution in the film is a little clumsy, but the bones are totally there.

My biggest beef with Anakin’s fall is at the Jedi Temple.

If he’s so powerful, I want to see him wading through Jedi to get the clones in. Kill a few people we care about. Heck, have the librarian lady be bad a** and give him a run for his money, until he gets irritated and basically squishes her like a bug.

Now for the moment in the film that actually jumped the shark for me.

Killing the Jedi children.

Show them begging. Show them pleading. Show them running toward Anakin in hopes of being saved, then have him turn the clones loose on them with a lazy wave of his hand. He’s too good to be bothered with killing weaklings like them. Show me that he doesn’t care. Give him space to fall farther when he hurts Padmé and fights with Obi Wan.

Obi Wan hides aboard Padmé’s ship when she goes to Anakin on Mustafar. Anakin thinks she betrayed him and he strangles her. This works.

I do like a meme I saw that said a woman who is eight months pregnant wouldn’t be prancing around asking Anakin what was wrong, she’d be like, “What the h*** Anakin? What are you doing??”

Then the fight…

The dueling is awesome. The hubby thinks it’s a bit long, but I disagree. The reason it feels long, is because it’s about the spectacle (cough-Lucas) and not the dark side and the light side. Or the bond of friendship that is supposed to be between these too. No, instead we get a lot of fancy special effects while Anakin tries to chop Obi Wan in half.

When Obi Wan tells Anakin the they were brothers…that he was supposed to be the chosen one…it falls flat. I mean, Ewan McGegor delivers the lines like a pro, but without some build up before that, it isn’t as powerful as it could be.

In my opinion, they should have been talking the entire fight. Obi Wan hardly ever stops talking before this, and he would be trying to slap some sense into Anakin. Every blow should have been a frustration between them, or something Obi Wan thought was awesome but Anakin counters with how he’s been treated and feeling for the past 15 years or whatever. Build up to those last moments and show us why Obi Wan can’t bring himself to kill Anakin. His friend. His brother.

There should have been tears!!!! And instead most of us were just waiting to watch Anakin burn. Which was, I must say, most impressive.

The more I thought about this movie, the better the bones felt to me. Execution was, in true Lucas style, too focused on the spectacle.

Obi Wan Saves Anakin’s Family…well the kids anyway

Okay, Obi Wan and Yoda save the kids. Ish. This had to happen for Episode 4 to happen. So there you go.

Let’s talk about Padmé for a second.

Padmé’s character was totally different than in the other two films. She needed more of a back bone. Strong women like that don’t just roll over when a strong man comes into their life. Especially if they’re hormonal. She probably could have taken the entire senate in a meeting by herself, but no, she sat back and watched.

Also the girl who fought her way back into her palace in episode I and then out of the pit of monsters in episode II is not going to die of a broken heart. Not unless we have a lot more context to work with. Even in the Clone Wars Series (yes, I’m bringing it up) there is plenty of tension between her and Anakin. Without showing us their passion, which doesn’t have to be sexual—this is a Star Wars movie—I can’t fathom giving up on life when you’ve just had two children.

Yes, I know she had to die while Leia was young (ugh on this too), but this could have been executed better.

Other tidbits

General Grievous…ugh…I know they needed someone for Obi Wan to beat up, but seriously? He’s better if you’ve seen the Clone Wars, where they gave the two of them quite a bit of history, but it didn’t work in this film. They should have introduced him in Episode II.

I do have to say that the last two minutes of Rogue One, where Darth Vader is after the stolen plans to the death star, makes him 100% cooler than he was in all three of the prequels combined. Why does it work so well? Because they SHOW us what he can do. They SHOW us how terrified everyone is of him, and then they follow up by having him easily wade through a bunch of fighters to get what he wants. Everyone in the theater cheered during that scene.

That’s what good storytelling can do.

 

Do you have any thoughts? Leave a comment below!


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The Bones of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

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Welcome to week two of the Good Bones of the Skywalker Star Wars Saga!

Last week, we talked about Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Check it out HERE if you missed it.

Quick Recap

The Bones (or basic goals) of Episode I were the following:

Introduce the Jedi Order

Introduce Anakin aka the chosen one

Introduce Senator Palpatine and the galactic republic

Introduce the Sith

With the above accomplished (albeit badly for some) we move on to…

Episide II: Attack of the Clones

This movie was, as Episode I, both better and worse than I remembered.

As we watched it, I started searching for the bones of the story. When I finally got down to them, I almost felt bad for being so judgy about this movie. Lucas didn’t give his writers an easy job. Check this out.

The Bones:

Reintroduce all of the characters ten years later

Get Palpatine one step closer to being a dictator

Cause unrest and confusion in the Jedi Order

Discover the clone army

Anakin:

He’s super powerful!

But also super dumb.

He takes his first step toward the dark side

The love story

First off, that’s a lot of bones to fit into one story! That’s the reason I kind of feel bad for the writers. Getting all of that into one, coherent, less-than-six-hour-movie would be challenging.

Reintroduce all of the characters ten years later:

Was anyone surprised that Padmé  was in the fighter and not the Senator’s ship? Nope. So she hasn’t changed. This opening works okay for her.

Obi-Wan

Every moment Obi Wan is with Anakin he’s berating him. Like a mean older brother who thinks he knows everything. It’s hardly endearing. And I like Obi Wan. Now, the writers did use this as a starting point for his character arc (yes, it’s there…barely), so kudos for them there.

Anakin

Ten years later and he still sounds like a bratty kid trying to impress every one. Oh, that means he hasn’t changed either. Which doesn’t work.

Palpatine

Still playing the wise-old sage and ultimate nice guy. He makes my skin crawl. Good job here.

The Jedi

Ten years after being told there was a Sith Lord and they’re still shrugging the information off? Uh, I though these guys were the smart ones.

Get Palpatine One Step Closer to Becoming a Dictator

As I said, he seems so nice…but he’s playing both sides. Most of us, having seen these movies after the original trilogy, know what the outcome will be, and that makes it even worse! This is an often used writing tool—let the audience understand more than the characters. It stressed the audience out as the characters try to catch up. This is also pretty well done.

Cause Unrest and Confusion in the Jedi Order

Sith Lords, missing planets, a clone army they ordered but have no record of. If there’s one thing this movie does well is shed light on how the Jedi are not the powerhouse we were led to believe.

Discover the Clone Army

Obi Wan is front and center here, and he actually handles it pretty well. Get him away from Anakin and he’s an intelligent man. He’s hunting for the assassin that tried to kill Padmé , and ends up finding the clone army. I bet he never saw that coming. Wait, he’s a Jedi…nevermind.

I do like that this search takes us deeper into the bowels of Coruscant, and then to a distant land.  This felt okay.

Anakin

This is where Episode II falls to pieces.

Again, the writers had a lot of things to cover.

He’s super powerful!

But also super dumb.

He takes his first step toward the dark side…

He and Padmé  fall in love

These are the bones I’m going to pick at the most.

He’s so Powerful!

We’re told that Anakin is super-duper powerful. We hear this multiple times. Obi Wan is always cutting him down to size, and reminding him of his place. I’d probably be pretty ornery at this too.

Unfortunately, the story relies on Anakin chasing the assassin to show us how powerful he is. (A bit too late in the movie in my opinion, but we’ll get to that in a minute.) It comes off cocky. Sure, he’s got a lot of tricks up his sleeves, and doesn’t seem to have any fear, but in the end Obi Wan shows him up (after the writers make him look like a bit of a coward) using patience. This was supposed to be important, but again, comes off as some sort of rivalry that isn’t followed up on well.

He’s also Quite Dumb!

In order to get Anakin from little boy on Tatooine, to Darth Vader (Sorry, spoilers if you haven’t heard about that little ditty) the writers had to keep him a little immature. Or at least that’s what they chose to do with him. Can’t have a perfectly rational dude turning to the dark side, now can we?

Sure, most teenagers think they know everything, but after ten years in the Jedi order, I would imagine Anakin would have learned a thing or two about not being an idiot. That apparently hasn’t happened. They unfortunately use Obi Wan’s constant berating to make the Jedi Order look like they’re bullying Anakin. So we feel bad for him. This did not work for me. Maybe if they would have shown his anger and problems with authority in Episode I, this would have come off better.

Anakin has to take his first real step toward the dark side in this movie.

To be honest, this wasn’t bad. Using his mother’s pain and then death to send him over the edge was a brilliant plan. There were a few things that I thought could have been added or changed to improve this:

They should have added a few lines to another scene, where Anakin sincerely asks Obi Wan about his visions and if they can go and check on his mom. Show me the concerned son. Obi Wan would tell him they’d been over this and the Council won’t allow it. That would give a whole lot more credence to Anakin’s blaming Obi Wan later, and show how much Obi Wan is trying not to be like Qui Gon, which is actually against his character.

Anakin blames Obi Wan for everything, saying he’s jealous of Anakin’s powers. If this had been better shown earlier, this comment would really have cut to the bone. I think Obi Wan is jealous, but we have to really search for it.

When Anakin and Padmé  are in the garage and he freaks out after the attack on the village, the entire planet should have been shaking. Padmé  should have been terrified. Yes, at this point she would go to him, but there should be more uncertainty.

Anakin and Padmé  Fall in Love

Ugh. This is one of the worst love stories ever. It’s written and acted horribly, which I blame George Lucas for.

We’re delving into this one, because it is actually the most important relationship in the first six movies. *cracks knuckles*

I’ve really been harping on Showing and not Telling. It’s a writers thing, but it’s powerful.

For Padmé to fall in love with Anakin, she needs to see him as the man he’s become and not the boy she knew ten years ago, when she was barely in her mid-teens. I’m not going to play-by-play rewrite the whole movie, but this should have happened before Anakin and Obi Wan got assigned to protect her. Padmé should have seen Anakin doing some awesome and noble Jedi thing—preferably rescuing her in some way—and have been seriously impressed. Then she finds out it’s Anakin, and that gives us a foundation for her feelings. It also would have shown the audience just how crazy powerful he’d become.

Having him being such a puppy dog to her is…endearing? I found it annoying. If she would have shown interest first the entire love story would have flowed much better. Even just a flirting comment when they meet after she sees his heroism would have worked. Give the poor kid hope, instead of having him slobbering behind her for the first half of the movie, making us all feel awkward.

“I’m a Jedi. I’m super cool.”

“You’re so pretty.”

“I’m super cool. Look at my parlor tricks.”

This goes back to Episode I, but the age difference between them should have been closer. Or Anakin needed to be acting like the 20 year old he was, instead of a high school student. Relying on him simply being overwhelmed by “love” didn’t do this movie any favors.

I also don’t think the two of them actually agreed about very much. Relationships are built on common ground, and their discussions usually ended on a “we can agree to disagree” tone.

I found this as a summary of four crucial parts of a romance story:

  • A hero and a heroine to fall in love…Stop here. The fact that this wasn’t believable makes the other three points moot.
  • A problem that creates conflict and tension between them and threatens to keep them apart. Do they have anything that isn’t tension?
  • A developing love that is so special it comes about only once in a lifetime. Can I put air quotes around special?
  • A resolution in which the problem is solved and the couple is united. They resolve nothing. They go behind everyone’s back and begin living a lie.

So there you go. The love story needs some serious help. Actually, I think that simplifying it would have been better. In many cases, less is more. Show, don’t tell.

This love story did produce one of my favorite soundtrack songs in the prequels. Their song is so sad! It’s beautifully haunting. Love it.

The climax of the movie is okay. Loads of action, some humor from the droids, and a Yoda light saber fight that is pretty great. We get Obi Wan’s payoff as he tells Anakin that he can’t take Duooku alone, showing that he’s growing as a character.

Fun fact: I watched this movie for the second time, years ago, after I went to Dublin. I was totally flabbergasted that the Jedi Library looks just like the library at Trinity College! Trinity College was so amazing I might have cried. And I felt pretty awesome for having recognized their inspiration.

What are your thoughts on Episode II?


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