I recently had my very first conversation with someone who had some genuinely positive things to say about the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and it got me thinking. Putting aside the crushing disappointment and ugly memories, there were still some solid moments in those movies.
For one, I still love the Darth Maul battle at the end of Phantom Menace, maybe just because Duel of the Fates is crazy awesome.
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Ocarinakid
I think Yoda's fight vs Count Dooku was pretty darn good.
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"To truly live, one must first be born." ~ Evan [aX]
Paper Mario Social: The Safe Haven of GameFAQs. (Board 2000083)
One word: Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
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"…and for other purposes."
I loved Yoda, Obi-Wan, Qui Gon Jihn being explored more, and even Anakin (although his acting was terrible). I thought Natalie Portman's acting wasn't so bad, and boy is she ever attractive too. Luke and Leia having "killed" their mother and the emperor's manipulations of Anakin's fear made Darth Vader more interesting as well.
I think really the Star Wars movies could be best summed up as being the story of Darth Vader. In that vein, as a fall and redemption story, I think it's great.
On that note, I really like the ascetic themes. Jedi aren't supposed to be too attached to other people, and it was Anakin's paranoia about his wife's safety that led to his downfall.
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"…and for other purposes."
I like the Pod Race video game.
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Willis, it seems like every other time you post, I need to look up a word that's in the OED or Urban Dictionary but not both.
-Mimir
That was genuine. I like racers and that was a really, really good racer. It's incidental that after a soul-search I found I couldn't really remember any individual moments in any detail (except for the really awful ones; Yoda walking into the empty senate chamber to be a CGI leaparound, for example, is etched into my brain). I was going to say "Ian McDiarmid was great" and while I wouldn't ever disagree with that, I'm not sure I came by that opinion honestly.
Oh, and I really liked in the second (?) one when Jar Jar Binks was the one to bring a vote on giving the Emperor more emergency powers. It was a nice mea culpa.
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Willis, it seems like every other time you post, I need to look up a word that's in the OED or Urban Dictionary but not both.
-Mimir
The credits.
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"A special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing." - George Lucas