blake johnson

I saw the final Star Wars movie this weekend and I must say that I enjoyed it. The dialogue was much less painful and the tone of the movie returned to that of the original trilogy. There is even a line which is pretty good in the context of epic stories: “So this is how democracy dies— to thunderderous applause”. (Ok, so it’s a bit trite, but I still like it). The script also finally has elements of things that modern audiences have come to expect from any good story: foreshadowing, mirrored themes, etc. Lucas quite effectively borrows/recasts shots from the original trilogy to remind us of where the story goes.

Hayden Christensen does not redeem himself in this movie— his performance remains unconvincing. In essence, he does not “sell” the conflicting emotions of a tortured man. I read an interview with George Lucas in Vanity Fair that Phyllis sent me in which Lucas says that to him, Anakin Skywalker is really a pathetic character. He was destined to be this almost demi-god (if you remember, episode I reveals that Anakin was a sort of “virgin birth”), but he is manipulated by the emperor and blinded by his love for Padme. In the end, he is nothing but a shadow of what he could have been, and essentially becomes the Emperor’s pawn.

I must admit, I would not have seen this side of the character without reading Lucas’s interview, because Hayden’s performance only displays this power-hungry youth with little wisdom and even less humanity.

Ok, enough criticism… Really, the action, story, music, and visuals are all quite good. So, go see it!

For those that are just dying to know, Geros has reached level 49. He is about to sit unattended for a week while I study for exams. Well, that’s the plan at any rate. Somehow I expect that I’ll check-in on him from time to time.

Sammy’s been posting the results of a couple fun quizes found here. According to that quiz, my inner european is Irish! Phyllis should be amused by that.