R
Rip Rap
Guest
Dumb movie. Sorry. Just got back from a real forehead-slapper. I left that movie with a bad taste in my mouth.
First, the ending battle scene was kickass, but the politicized banter against George Bush was innapropriate and self-refuting: "Only a Sith deals in absolutes." And, apparently, Lucas, as that is an absolutist statement. Do you think Lucas would want to apologize reasons why the murder of a four-year old is only sometimes wrong? Or to explain why Jesus Himself is apparently a Sith? (Matthew 12:30 and Luke 11:23). I watched it here in Bahstahn and some guidos and their lacrossetitutes down in the front rows started clapping when they heard that, but if you can't be intelligent and form logical statements, it is probably best not to say anthing.
Second, I'm not really sure what the war in the movie is over, a point I realized as I was leaving. The divinization of democracy and the demonization of empire (i.e. dictatorship???) seemed oddly hollow when they never actually addressed how this transition affects the real people of the Star Wars universe. I, for one, find Plato's Republic very compelling, which is a philosophy defending a full-fledged dictatorship. Likewise, I have a hard time saying Constantine, Justinian, Otto, Charlemagne, Frederich II, Napoleon III, or the British kings produced truly undesirable societies. In all honesty, I think they are some of the most interesting figures and admirable leaders in Western history. By extension, I've been reading too much Voegelin and MacIntyre to think liberalism and totalitarianism are anything but the same problematic condition developing from the severance of Church and State into parallel spheres of spiritual and temporal domain at the Protestant Reformation. If the first premise of modernity is fallacious, why does it really matter (from a Christian worldview) if you are in republic or a dictatorship? Collapsing dictatorship into empire was a cheap slight-of-hand that really pissed me off.
Passing comments on the film: The first hour was unwatchable as Anakin and Padme exchange idiotic highshool dating banter that sounded remarkably like a sixteen year-old trying to score a blowjob off his girlfriend. Then you have to put up with over-extended battle scenes and inane special effects (yeah...they can do that nowadays...). R2D2 does a series of comic routines with his little oil-slick trick and thruster rockets and everything else he's only been capable of doing in the last two movies. They tacked-on that dork missa-a-ja-ja at the end and never gave him an ounce of dialog. Chewbacca and some other wookie have the most tedious role, which served no function other than getting wookies in the movie (Yoda has a very good relationship with the wookies, a point they inform you of in the film). The slaughter of the Jedi took all of 30 seconds and was completely uncompelling. The script generally sounded like something I would have written in high-school. Mace Windoo was 'bout to mess up the Emperor hardcore, but he embraced anger to do so, so I guess he was already evil himself.
Too many things happen, and only Padme, Palpantine, and Obi-Wan were portrayed by skilled actors. In two hours Anakin becomes evil, joins the Sith, kills all the Jedi, runs off his galpal, gets mutilated, and is turned into Darth Vader, all while the Republic is transformed into an Empire and the 'revolution' is supposedly crushed. Sound rushed? It was. And Darth Vader isn't a badass in this movie. He's a schmuck who gets tricked-into being the bad guy and yells 'nnnoooooooo!!!!!' in the closing minutes of the film. Cliche, anyone?
Episode I never should have happened. Episode III should have been broken up into two movies.
First, the ending battle scene was kickass, but the politicized banter against George Bush was innapropriate and self-refuting: "Only a Sith deals in absolutes." And, apparently, Lucas, as that is an absolutist statement. Do you think Lucas would want to apologize reasons why the murder of a four-year old is only sometimes wrong? Or to explain why Jesus Himself is apparently a Sith? (Matthew 12:30 and Luke 11:23). I watched it here in Bahstahn and some guidos and their lacrossetitutes down in the front rows started clapping when they heard that, but if you can't be intelligent and form logical statements, it is probably best not to say anthing.
Second, I'm not really sure what the war in the movie is over, a point I realized as I was leaving. The divinization of democracy and the demonization of empire (i.e. dictatorship???) seemed oddly hollow when they never actually addressed how this transition affects the real people of the Star Wars universe. I, for one, find Plato's Republic very compelling, which is a philosophy defending a full-fledged dictatorship. Likewise, I have a hard time saying Constantine, Justinian, Otto, Charlemagne, Frederich II, Napoleon III, or the British kings produced truly undesirable societies. In all honesty, I think they are some of the most interesting figures and admirable leaders in Western history. By extension, I've been reading too much Voegelin and MacIntyre to think liberalism and totalitarianism are anything but the same problematic condition developing from the severance of Church and State into parallel spheres of spiritual and temporal domain at the Protestant Reformation. If the first premise of modernity is fallacious, why does it really matter (from a Christian worldview) if you are in republic or a dictatorship? Collapsing dictatorship into empire was a cheap slight-of-hand that really pissed me off.
Passing comments on the film: The first hour was unwatchable as Anakin and Padme exchange idiotic highshool dating banter that sounded remarkably like a sixteen year-old trying to score a blowjob off his girlfriend. Then you have to put up with over-extended battle scenes and inane special effects (yeah...they can do that nowadays...). R2D2 does a series of comic routines with his little oil-slick trick and thruster rockets and everything else he's only been capable of doing in the last two movies. They tacked-on that dork missa-a-ja-ja at the end and never gave him an ounce of dialog. Chewbacca and some other wookie have the most tedious role, which served no function other than getting wookies in the movie (Yoda has a very good relationship with the wookies, a point they inform you of in the film). The slaughter of the Jedi took all of 30 seconds and was completely uncompelling. The script generally sounded like something I would have written in high-school. Mace Windoo was 'bout to mess up the Emperor hardcore, but he embraced anger to do so, so I guess he was already evil himself.
Too many things happen, and only Padme, Palpantine, and Obi-Wan were portrayed by skilled actors. In two hours Anakin becomes evil, joins the Sith, kills all the Jedi, runs off his galpal, gets mutilated, and is turned into Darth Vader, all while the Republic is transformed into an Empire and the 'revolution' is supposedly crushed. Sound rushed? It was. And Darth Vader isn't a badass in this movie. He's a schmuck who gets tricked-into being the bad guy and yells 'nnnoooooooo!!!!!' in the closing minutes of the film. Cliche, anyone?
Episode I never should have happened. Episode III should have been broken up into two movies.