However, I'm going to do something a little different this time. Instead of reviewing films that we've seen reviewed over and over, what I'd like to do is more of a "stream of consciousness" style of writing that focuses on things I pick up this time around. It was more fun and hopefully will be less tedious to read.
Also, I mentioned earlier that this was going to be a two-part series, but as I got into it, I realized I had more to say about each film than I thought, so it's now become a four-part article series! Sorry!
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace- It's kind of amusing to see which parts of the CG have held up and which haven't. Like most of the starships and fantastical architecture seems pretty decent, but anything biological really sticks out like a sore thumb!
- Now that I know that Princess Amidala uses a body-double, it's almost a game to see when she's using one or not, and how they interact! Also: Kiera Knightly was the double? Totally missed that before!
- Qui-Gon Jinn is probably my favorite Jedi in the whole series. Liam Neeson's poise and gravitas I think really lend themselves well to a Jedi's philosophy and dedication.
- I don't care what anyone says: Pod-racing is still cool! It makes me remember that N64 game made out of it, which was pretty fun. I'm gonna have to find a way to play that again!
- Man, the location for the big battle between the Gunguns and the Droids is really bland! It's like their fighting on that Microsoft Bliss wallpaper!
- That fight between Qui-Gon, Obi-Won, and Darth Maul really is quite cool! Not only do you have the interesting mechanics of two guys against one with a dual blade, but the verticality and diversity of the fight expands as Maul uses the environment to his advantage.
- Dang, I had totally forgotten there was Darth Vader breath at the end of the credits!
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Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones- After that initial explosion, I had forgotten how quickly the pacing slows down for all the exposition at the beginning. I guess it makes some sense, as the 10 year gap needs to be filled with something
- Okay, Obi-wan diving through the window to get to the droid was cool. I don't remember that at all! In fact, I feel like I've forgotten at least half this movie, like the scene with Obi-Wan in the diner.
- Also, the CG seems worse in this one than Episode I, for some reason. Almost all the locations feel fake and plasticky. Even the cars and spaceships lurch around like they're toys wiggling around in front of a green screen.
- I do like the way Obi-Wan just kinda bluffs his way through Kamino, quickly picking up cues and acting as if he's there for the reason the Kaminoans think he is.
- What I don't like is the jarring cuts back and forth between Obi-Wan's investigation and the dopey romance between Anakin and Amidala. I feel like its causing mood whiplash as it is setting whiplash.
- Ahhhh, Christopher Lee! Clearly having fun as Count Dooku! He hams up every line of dialogue he's given, and it's great!
- I also didn't remember so many callbacks to Empire Strikes Back: a bunch of the lines reference it, a battle in an asteroid field, hiding by attaching their starship to something, Obi-Won is offered to join the villain but he refuses with the same dialogue that Luke used to reject Vader, C3PO falls apart and has to be put together, Anakin looses a hand (well, a whole arm, really).
- Man, I remember that fight between Yoda and Dooku being such a big deal when the movie first came out. It's still decent now, but it's funny to think back how blown away people were (me included) when that happened.
- So many lines of dialogue in this movie are not needed, especially in the action scenes! So much telling, so little showing! This movie is so bad!
- This is the older 2D cartoon by Genndy Tartakovsky. Yes, I'm including this as canon; I don't care what Disney says. I actually haven't seen much of the 3D series, but I understand it's pretty good. Maybe I'll go through it for an article in the future.
- Seriously, though, Tartakovsky has an sense for great visual action, which shouldn't be a surprise given his work with Samurai Jack. While the series does spend plenty of time with the Jedi, there's a whole sequence where we follow a squad of clone troopers on a secret mission, which has the soldiers communication purely through hand-signals, and none of it is confusing. Really amazing work!
- In fact, that could be said for a lot of the action. All of the choreography is very solid and varied. Even the space combat with the ships zipping and looping around each other, it's never too hard to follow. It's pretty amazing how well this all holds up, despite the 15-someodd years its been.
- MACE WINDU!!!!
- Man, General Grievous is such a beast. It's a shame that none of that ferocity made it to the films.
- It's been a while since I've seen these, as there are a number of things I'd forgotten: the underwater sequence with the Aquaman Jedi, the female sith, the Mad-Max-esque biker gang using lances, the temple with the lightsaber crystals, Anakin getting "lunch," the spacewalk to board the enemy's ship, the chase/fight through Coruscant including a section between speeding subway trains.
- In all honesty, this series is probably my favorite part of the prequels. Just letting a fun creator go nuts with the property and do some amazing things in the process.
Well, there's the first part. I know that may seem like a strange place to stop, but I wanted to include Clone Wars and the two spin-off films, and doing three parts per article seemed to keep things even without being too long. Next: Episode III and those spin-offs!
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