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Very well said. I always raise an eyebrow at people who say they hate Jar Jar and that he ruined the film. "What about the REST of the movie?" The new trilogy didn't have that same grit to it, it was to smooth, it flowed, but not...right. It didn't have that HEART that made the original trilogy such a classic, as corny as that sounds. The original trilogy pretty often made you FEEL like you were there. The snow speeder, the speeder bike scene, very well done. You just didn't get that same feeling from the new trilogy. It was very detached.
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Originally Posted by Fade_Spiral
I think it's fair to say that we're splitting hairs here on the term "self-defense." At least, as it's used in a legal capacity. In that scene, Han's life was *not* in danger. He took the initiative and killed Greedo because he knew that Greedo would run him in to Jabba to collect the bounty.
You can reasonably infer that Han's life would be in danger at a later time after that scene (at Jabba's discretion, no doubt), but in the Mos Eisley Cantina there was no mortal threat. He fired first to prevent being caught and turned in. This is not the same thing as self-defense. This was summed up beautifully here: By altering the scene the way Lucas did, he fundamentally altered both of the characters in that scene. This, in turn, made them inconsistent with their own natures. Greedo was collecting a bounty; Unless he's the sloppiest bounty hunter in history, I don't think he'd be in the habit of opening fire on bounties in crowded, public cantinas. Not to mention, being so unprepared as to not anticipate that his target would be armed and willing to fight. These are things he would, as a professional bounty hunter, expect to be just around the corner (so to speak). This is especially true when you consider that he had to know something of Han's reputation, both as a smuggler and as a wanted man, before taking the job in the first place. The original presentation of how this scene unfolded was perfect for the characters involved: Han got the drop on Greedo and killed him. He even used their existing conversation as a distraction while he readied his blaster. That is consistent with what a charismatic scoundrel would do, given those circumstances. End of issue. When this scene took place in the film, Han was (at that point) still very much the mercenary that Leia accused him of being later on. The audience is already given the impression that he's at least somewhat devious. The more important storytelling aspect of this, as it's revealed during the unfolding of the remaining films in the original trilogy, is that we see him gradually change his values and attitude about who he is and where his alliances/loyalties lie. By the end of Episode IV, he's sticking around (despite his initial expression that he wouldn't when he was collecting his reward on Alderaan, just before the assault on the Death Star) and actively helping the Rebel Alliance fight the Empire. It's not an extreme change, or all-encompassing, but it's subtle enough that we see it continue to happen as Episodes V and VI play out. This is an excellent example of characterization. This was supplemented very well by the remainder of the cast, too. The actors' chemistry on-set, and the fact that they had proper direction the entire time, helped shape the dynamic that we've all come to love in the films. There's humor, sadness, seriousness, hope, joy, fear, etc. that surfaces time and time again. Lucas had other directors, and even some of the cast, challenging his decisions on-set at the time. This is, ultimately, why the cast worked so well together in their character portrayals. We didn't see this in Episodes 1 - 3, and the direction was so absent that even seasoned/respected/liked celebrities came off awkward and shallowly-presented. After all, by that point, who's going to say "No" to George Lucas? Don't fall into the trap that Jar Jar is what's wrong with Episodes 1 - 3. That "material" (if it can even be called that) is afflicted by a much deeper problem than an annoying presence on-screen. In fact, I'd even argue that mentioning Jar Jar at all only shows how little attention was a) paid to the value of the original films and b) what is actually wrong with the newer films, as a whole. But I digress. I've prattled on long enough as it is ... |
"I have something to say! It's better to burn out then to fade away!"
Lucas retiring? It's not like he was working very hard in the first place 
Really though, going back to the prequel movies, there's so much more wrong with them outside of the one character Jar-Jar. Most of this is due to the facts that:
1. Lucas had written the script for ep 1 in like a week and called it the first official rough draft - which he soley "revised" throughout shooting.
2. I believe Ep.2 and 3 both had sets being built based on his ideas before he actually had begun writing the scripts.
3. All three had no proper protagonist.
4. The main plot for all 3 films never make sense, have tons of holes, character motivitions are practically nonexistant, all the subplots (what few there were) were even worse.
5. The directing was terrible, most dialogue scenes are exactly the same, with 2 characters talking, walking or sitting, each shot the same way.
6. The over-use of special effects had an effect on the actors, without sets to work on, and non-digital characters to relate / react to, the actors were completely reliant on Lucas' direction to pull off a scene. Also, the lack of realism without the use of whole mood-setting sets is distracting to the human eye. Finally, sfx became the point and stopped supporting the story. The more they could put on the screen the better apparently.
7. The entire point on Lucas' writing for all 3 films was to get Anakin to Mustafar so he could become Vader, whether how and why he got there made any sense what so ever.
8. Lucas may practically be a hack when it comes to writing and directing, but is an excellent idea guy, sadly surrounded by yes men and not people who can take those ideas and pull them off like in the originals (well 1 and 2). But he's unquestionably a genius, he got my dollars on all 3 films even after the first 1 I knew the rest were going to be trainwrecks but I couldn't help myself, it was Star Wars 
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I respectfully disagree. The dialogue from the movie implies that Han's life was in imminent danger...|
Originally Posted by Fade_Spiral
I think it's fair to say that we're splitting hairs here on the term "self-defense." At least, as it's used in a legal capacity. In that scene, Han's life was *not* in danger. He took the initiative and killed Greedo because he knew that Greedo would run him in to Jabba to collect the bounty.
You can reasonably infer that Han's life would be in danger at a later time after that scene (at Jabba's discretion, no doubt), but in the Mos Eisley Cantina there was no mortal threat. He fired first to prevent being caught and turned in. This is not the same thing as self-defense. |
Greedo: You can tell that to Jabba. He may only take your ship.
Han: Over my dead body.
Greedo: That's the idea. I've been looking forward to this for a long time.
That last line, coming from a bounty hunter with a blaster pointed at them, would make any sane person consider what was about to happen.
As for Greedo being too smart to shoot Han in a cantina full of aliens, well, Han didn't get much grief for it. And Greedo was already sloppy if he knew Han's reputation, and knew he was likely to be armed, why did he come alone?
Greedo and Han both knew Greedo's only real hope of collecting the bounty was to kill Han and bring his body to Jabba. As such, Han shooting was self-defense.
If a person breaks into your home and points a gun at you, and you in turn shoot them, is that not considered self defense? Must you let them shoot at you first?
Finally, regarding Jar-Jar - yes the prequels would've still been disappointing without him, after all, they were more about politics than space adventure, and they were poorly written and acted, but they would've been undeniably, if even only slightly, better without Jar-Jar. Which, by the way, is no knock on Ahmed Best, against whom I have nothing.
(Sometimes, I wish there could be a Dev thumbs up button for quality posts, because you pretty much nailed it.) -- Ghost Falcon
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Originally Posted by Dark One
Come on. Howard the Duck is one of those movies that is so bad it loops around to the other side and becomes awesome. Plus, Lea Thompson in her skimpies.
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Go Howard! That duck was epic hooking up with a super sexy Lea Thompson only confirms this statement.
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It was beyond objectionable. It was on the same level as Decker's awful voice over while Batty was dying. Even small children (I know because I subjected them to it) understood what was going through Vader's mind.|
Originally Posted by mousedroid
And Vader saying "Noooo," was objectionable, but Luke screaming like a little girl as he plunged down the reactor shaft in TESB was OK?
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I thought the Luke scream was only in the Special Edition release and removed in subsequent releases?
For reference, I'm using: Theatrical release (77-83) -> Special Edition (97) -> DVD release (04) -> Blu-ray Release (11)
As for the prequel trilogy and general botch-ery, it could be worse. One draft of Revenge had Palpatine reveal to Anakin that he created him via Midi-chlorians, thus was his true father.
Other side note, I don't know if I'm going to Star Wars Weekends this year at Disney World. I've been the last three years (09 was my first time to it, 10 for the 30th anniversary of Empire, and 11 for the relaunching of Star Tours). With only the re-release of the Phantom Menace supporting it, I may wait until next year for the 30th anniversary of Jedi.
Or probably go for both. I'm weak like that.
"I saw my advantage and took it. That's what heroes do." - Homer Simpson.
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Obi Wan: "Mos Eisley spaceport. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."|
Originally Posted by Fade_Spiral
I think it's fair to say that we're splitting hairs here on the term "self-defense." At least, as it's used in a legal capacity. In that scene, Han's life was *not* in danger. He took the initiative and killed Greedo because he knew that Greedo would run him in to Jabba to collect the bounty.
You can reasonably infer that Han's life would be in danger at a later time after that scene (at Jabba's discretion, no doubt), but in the Mos Eisley Cantina there was no mortal threat. He fired first to prevent being caught and turned in. This is not the same thing as self-defense. |
Obi Wan to Luke about the city and cantina: "Watch yourself, this place can be a little rough"
For a city to be referred to as a hive of scum and villainy to me indicates there is no police or sheriff in town to maintain the law. The imperials were there only to find the droids and get the plans.
1. Han at this point is a smuggler, mercenary and a scoundrel but with a good heart wrapped in cynicism for awhile.
2. Han is in debt to Jabba due to losing cargo via imperial boarding his ship.
3. Greedo confronts Han in the cantina, weapon in hand and pointed at Han. At that point, self defense on Han's part becomes quite viable since he had a gun pointed at him and there was no law to get him out of the trouble.
4. Han distracts Greedo, Greedo states Jabba will take the Falcon, Han responds "Over my dead body" and Greedo states "That's the idea, get up Solo! I've been waiting for this a long time!" Han then blasts him. Once Greedo got the drop on Han and agreed that it would all happen over his dead body, Han's life was clearly in danger and he was well within his rights to shoot first.
5. A few cantina folk watched the exchange and the blast but no one blinked an eye or stopped Han. No law to stop Han.
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This was supplemented very well by the remainder of the cast, too. The actors' chemistry on-set, and the fact that they had proper direction the entire time, helped shape the dynamic that we've all come to love in the films. There's humor, sadness, seriousness, hope, joy, fear, etc. that surfaces time and time again. Lucas had other directors, and even some of the cast, challenging his decisions on-set at the time. This is, ultimately, why the cast worked so well together in their character portrayals. We didn't see this in Episodes 1 - 3, and the direction was so absent that even seasoned/respected/liked celebrities came off awkward and shallowly-presented. After all, by that point, who's going to say "No" to George Lucas? Don't fall into the trap that Jar Jar is what's wrong with Episodes 1 - 3. That "material" (if it can even be called that) is afflicted by a much deeper problem than an annoying presence on-screen. In fact, I'd even argue that mentioning Jar Jar at all only shows how little attention said person was paying to the value of the original films. But I digress. I've prattled on long enough as it is ... |
Yes his writing and directing could have been better and yes he let SFX to push Eps 1 and 2. I have no major gripe about Ep 3, a few minor ones such as Padme losing the will to live, but all in all I do enjoy all 6 Star Wars movies to one degree or another despite the flaws in all 6. Yes I just stated the classics had flaws, put the torches and pitchforks away please. Also I do want to thank Lucas for giving us the Wookie homeworld and Wookie army in Ep3, it was a nice way to apologize for the Ewoks from ROTJ....
Also for all that complain about the prequels and their lack of story and screwy direction from Lucas, ask yourself this question: Could the Prequels have been created at all back in the day of the classics in terms of SFX technology?
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Originally Posted by mousedroid
I respectfully disagree. The dialogue from the movie implies that Han's life was in imminent danger...
Greedo: You can tell that to Jabba. He may only take your ship. Han: Over my dead body. Greedo: That's the idea. I've been looking forward to this for a long time. That last line, coming from a bounty hunter with a blaster pointed at them, would make any sane person consider what was about to happen. As for Greedo being too smart to shoot Han in a cantina full of aliens, well, Han didn't get much grief for it. And Greedo was already sloppy if he knew Han's reputation, and knew he was likely to be armed, why did he come alone? Greedo and Han both knew Greedo's only real hope of collecting the bounty was to kill Han and bring his body to Jabba. As such, Han shooting was self-defense. |
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Originally Posted by Nericus
Obi Wan: "Mos Eisley spaceport. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."
Obi Wan to Luke about the city and cantina: "Watch yourself, this place can be a little rough" For a city to be referred to as a hive of scum and villainy to me indicates there is no police or sheriff in town to maintain the law. The imperials were there only to find the droids and get the plans. 1. Han at this point is a smuggler, mercenary and a scoundrel but with a good heart wrapped in cynicism for awhile. 2. Han is in debt to Jabba due to losing cargo via imperial boarding his ship. 3. Greedo confronts Han in the cantina, weapon in hand and pointed at Han. At that point, self defense on Han's part becomes quite viable since he had a gun pointed at him and there was no law to get him out of the trouble. 4. Han distracts Greedo, Greedo states Jabba will take the Falcon, Han responds "Over my dead body" and Greedo states "That's the idea, get up Solo! I've been waiting for this a long time!" Han then blasts him. Once Greedo got the drop on Han and agreed that it would all happen over his dead body, Han's life was clearly in danger and he was well within his rights to shoot first. 5. A few cantina folk watched the exchange and the blast but no one blinked an eye or stopped Han. No law to stop Han. |
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Originally Posted by mousedroid
If a person breaks into your home and points a gun at you, and you in turn shoot them, is that not considered self defense? Must you let them shoot at you first?
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We're not talking about someone breaking into someone else's home; that is an intrusion into another's personal living space. The law recognizes this (differing by state, of course), and affords the homeowner/family a certain amount of leeway, with respect to the use of sanctioned lethal force as a means of defending oneself and one's family. This, by contrast, took place in a public setting that is not Han's residence. There are no expectations of privacy in public settings (generally), although I'm sure an effective legal argument could be made that even in public places, a situation could unfold that fits the criteria for acting in self-defense, even if that means the use of lethal force.
Regardless, the value of your question isn't lost on me. That Han would take the initiative and shoot first, to prevent being hauled in by Greedo (or killed by him), could effectively be argued that it was an act of self-defense. I'd go with calling it self-preservation, but that's just me. All that aside, I think it stands to reason that the following statement is in dire need of correction:
Han shot first
No he didn't. That implies that there was return fire. Han was the only one who fired a shot. Given that, there's no qualifier to justify the use of this phrase. This should read as something along the lines of:
Han only needed one shot.
Han shot Greedo. The end.
Han fired the one and only shot.
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For me, this is the worst thing about the prequel trilogy -- the fact that it's a trilogy!|
Originally Posted by Tannim222
7. The entire point on Lucas' writing for all 3 films was to get Anakin to Mustafar so he could become Vader, whether how and why he got there made any sense what so ever.
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Ideally, Anakin/Vader needed three trilogies to tell his entire story from start to finish: one to introduce him and show his rise to the status of classic fantasy hero, one to show his fall from grace, and the last to show his redemption in death. Luke's story in the original trilogy is paced in such a way that his progression from naive kid to the last Jedi seems organic and is satisfying. Compare this to Anakin's story in the prequel trilogy and you'll find the prequels trying to cram too much stuff into three films. In fact, Lucas wanted so much progression over the three films that the story actually suffered for it. The story is just too compressed to leave an impression, in my opinion.
As a matter of fact, the two Clone Wars animated series have done a better job of giving Anakin's story a natural feel than the prequels did.
Positron: "There are no bugs [in City of Heroes], just varying degrees of features."
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Glad to be of help. I do find it hilarious that now on the DVD and Blu Rays that not only does Greedo fire at all and that Lucas tries to make it look like they shoot at the same time or close to it, but also we can see the magic of CGI giving Han Jedi level reflexes to dodge a laser bolt....
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Originally Posted by Fade_Spiral
and
Excellent points made here. Thank you both for the reminder on the flow of dialogue between Greedo and Han. I'd actually forgotten some of those specific lines (referenced above). Taking that into consideration, I amend my earlier statement about Han's life not being in mortal danger at the time. This isn't a valid comparison. We're not talking about someone breaking into someone else's home; that is an intrusion into another's personal living space. The law recognizes this (differing by state, of course), and affords the homeowner/family a certain amount of leeway, with respect to the use of sanctioned lethal force as a means of defending oneself and one's family. This, by contrast, took place in a public setting that is not Han's residence. There are no expectations of privacy in public settings (generally), although I'm sure an effective legal argument could be made that even in public places, a situation could unfold that fits the criteria for acting in self-defense, even if that means the use of lethal force. Regardless, the value of your question isn't lost on me. That Han would take the initiative and shoot first, to prevent being hauled in by Greedo (or killed by him), could effectively be argued that it was an act of self-defense. I'd go with calling it self-preservation, but that's just me. All that aside, I think it stands to reason that the following statement is in dire need of correction: Han shot first No he didn't. That implies that there was return fire. Han was the only one who fired a shot. Given that, there's no qualifier to justify the use of this phrase. This should read as something along the lines of: Han only needed one shot. Han shot Greedo. The end. Han fired the one and only shot. |
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What Lucasfilm need to so is offer a DVD/Blu-Ray "Screw George" option for ANH.|
Originally Posted by Nericus
Glad to be of help. I do find it hilarious that now on the DVD and Blu Rays that not only does Greedo fire at all and that Lucas tries to make it look like they shoot at the same time or close to it, but also we can see the magic of CGI giving Han Jedi level reflexes to dodge a laser bolt....
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In it, the movie plays with the cantina scene as it originally was. Where Han shot Greedo to show he was a "rogue", and not necessarily a nice guy.
This way, when he comes back at the end of the movie to save Luke's ***, there's actually some character development.
Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.
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Yes, I remember watching the scene over and over again. It took a few process attempts for me to register what had just happened. The effect/editing is not very seamless. I suppose that's to be expected, given that it wasn't part of the source material for the film and added in later. |
Originally Posted by Nericus
Glad to be of help. I do find it hilarious that now on the DVD and Blu Rays that not only does Greedo fire at all and that Lucas tries to make it look like they shoot at the same time or close to it, but also we can see the magic of CGI giving Han Jedi level reflexes to dodge a laser bolt....
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I can only laugh when watching any of the edits to the original films ...
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Kind of a strange question. What does the story and direction have to do with the SFX? If you're trying to say that current SFX couldn't be done 30 years ago, well...yeah, of course not. But that in no way excuses the terrible prequels. I would say that the prequels would probably have been much better had they been made before Lucas became the sole voice of the creation process.|
Originally Posted by Nericus
Also for all that complain about the prequels and their lack of story and screwy direction from Lucas, ask yourself this question: Could the Prequels have been created at all back in the day of the classics in terms of SFX technology?
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As far as the SFX, I have a few opinions, and here they are!
1. The SFX in the first trilogy were wonderful, and I'd say still hold up today. I'm not sure why some people insist they are terrible and the prequels blow it away. CG is CG. When I see a ship flying through space in the original trilogy, I still believe that I am looking at an actual ship flying through space. In the prequels, I can tell that I'm looking at a video game.
2. Even if you want to believe the CG SFX were great in the prequels, how were they used? A vast majority of the effects amounted to nothing more than desktop wallpapers and screensavers for characters to walk in front of, sit in front of and basically have dull, pointless "conversations" in front of. (I say "conversations" because nobody really talked in the prequels, they just relayed information to each other, like robots). My point is, a majority of the time, the SFX were used just to create a room or scenic background, something that could have easily been done 30 years ago with paintings and actual, real set pieces.
3. Watching the making of the original Star Wars trilogy is simply fascinating. In almost every scene they had to come up with new ways to get something done. Models, life size puppets, paintings, costumes, the works. One single scene could use all of the above to get the desired outcome, and it looked great. Watching the making of the prequels was not only boring, but disheartening. I remember hoping the Yoda puppet was back, wondering how many sets were built, etc. In the end, I have yet to see a single "set" for the prequels that wasn't just a green screen. The making of videos for the prequels showed a bunch of guys at their computers.
Anyway, that's just some of what I thought of the SFX. Keep in mind, though, I am not a graphics *****. I like story and characters, the SFX are just icing. So the prequels could have looked dated from the get go, and I still would have liked them just fine if the story was remotely decent. Or even just...fun. Honestly, I've never been a big Star Wars fan. I enjoyed the original trilogy, but I never went beyond that. When the prequels were announced, I thought it would be a fun thing to see. That's it. I didn't arrive at the theater with a notepad to write down any inconsistencies with the original trilogy and ready to nerd rage if anything wasn't up to my lofty expectations. I just assumed I would go and see some explodey space action fun. Too bad the movies sucked so much, in every conceivable way.
As an aside, the micro series that showed on the Cartoon Network was so much better than all of the movies. I find it simultaneously hilarious and incredibly sad that in the few minutes each episode aired I got more characterization, more story and, frankly, a whole lot more fun than all the prequels combined. I wish the writers of the micro series were hired to write the movies.
We often sit and think of you,
We often speak your name;
There is nothing left to answer,
But your photo in the frame.
-Anon.
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I believe it was on H.R. Geiger who said (and I'm paraphrasing here):|
Originally Posted by Ossuary
1. The SFX in the first trilogy were wonderful, and I'd say still hold up today. I'm not sure why some people insist they are terrible and the prequels blow it away. CG is CG. When I see a ship flying through space in the original trilogy, I still believe that I am looking at an actual ship flying through space. In the prequels, I can tell that I'm looking at a video game.
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"Once you remove something from reality and replace it with CG, it becomes inherently less scary because the audiences brain knows such a thing does not exist, it is just CG. With practical effects, especially good practical effects, there is that lingering doubt in the audiences mind that gives a willingness to believe."
Admittedly he was refering to the use of CGI Xenomorphs in Alien Ressurection but it still applies to most other films.
The creature in The Thing prequel is entirely CGI and...it's bloody terrible even when compared to the by now 'ancient' practical effects of the original film but the original films effects were just that, practical. I mean who can ever forget that one scene when the chest opens up as the Doc goes to defib the guy.
CGI has a place but overuse of it, especially when it is at a stage where people can still tell CGI from real life, is jarring at best or just downright horrible at worst.
The original trilogy's practical effects were downright amazing, the Death Star trench run still looks good even today. The POV shots give a real sense of speed as you zoom down that trench.
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A real showstopper!
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That much is true. I still smile if I see a clip of Yoda and Dracula throwing down.
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Originally Posted by BrandX
The prequals had better lightsaber duels!
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Positron: "There are no bugs [in City of Heroes], just varying degrees of features."
I "HIGHLY" recommend that everyone see the new Lucas movie "Red Tails". One of the best movies that you can see this year!
The development team and this community deserved better than this from NC Soft. Best wishes on your search.
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As they should have.|
Originally Posted by BrandX
The prequals had better lightsaber duels!
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I mean, the only exposure we had to saber duels in the original were from 1) an old man who likely hasn't dueled (canon wise) in nearly 20 years 2) a cyborg and 3) an inexperienced kid that never received proper saber training.
"I saw my advantage and took it. That's what heroes do." - Homer Simpson.
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Not to mention the obvious improvement in movie special effects over the decades.|
Originally Posted by terrible_deli
As they should have.
I mean, the only exposure we had to saber duels in the original were from 1) an old man who likely hasn't dueled (canon wise) in nearly 20 years 2) a cyborg and 3) an inexperienced kid that never received proper saber training. |
I sometimes wish Lucas had just decided to only clean up the aging special effects of the original trilogy without changing anything else about them. They did this with the remastered TOS Star Trek and it worked out really well. Instead what Lucas gave us was a handful of updated backgrounds and unnecessarily modified scenes.
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If anything, the duels were the only worthwhile thing in episode 1. But they were a total ****fest in ep 2. Watching Yoda bounce and zip around was bloody stupid, and the fight between anakin, sarum..dooku, and obiwan was underwhelmingly meh-worthy. 3 was good, but over choreographed.
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Originally Posted by BrandX
The prequals had better lightsaber duels!
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When I read the title of this thread I thought it said Lusca was going to retire. o.O
My postings to this forum are not to be used as data in any research study without my express written consent.
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I should hope so, given that |
Originally Posted by BrandX
The prequals had better lightsaber duels!
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Ep 4: Obi-Wan hasn't dueled in 20 years or used his Force powers much in the past 20 years. Plus he's fighting a chicken fried cyborg in heavy battle armor and they are in a tight corridor. Though I do laugh at how Lucas waited until DVD to fix the broken saber FX, I mean seriously....
Ep 5: Luke who is a Padawan at best rushes off to face Vader. Vader is still a chicken fried cyborg in heavy armor but now they are in an area with lots of room to manuever and objects to hurl with the Force, so the fight is overall much better and perhaps the best of the classic trilogy, despite the fact that Vader was holding back to test Luke and see if his son was indeed powerful. It wasn't until Luke wounded Vader that Vader turned it up a notch and then easily "disarmed" Luke. Credit to Luke's skill and some luck that he was able to wound Vader at all.
Ep 6: Luke is now a Jedi, stronger in the Force and clearly was practicing his saber skills between movies. Also Vader was feeling torn about what to do. However Luke now has the edge in terms of youth and that he is NOT a chicken fried cyborg in heavy battle armor.
Also at the time I think Lucas' philosophy about the sabers was that they were heavy and must be used with two hands.
Now come the Prequels:
Ep 1:huge area for the duel so plenty of room to maneuver, all combatants are healthy; abeit Qui-Gon the character was stated in the book to be in his 60's and thus not quite in prime condition due to age to face a Sith Lord. Obi Wan being a Padawan had trouble with Maul due to being a Padawan per the novelization. Also we get the nifty double saber previously only seen in the comics.
Ep 2: ok the saber duel at the end felt like Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat to me. Round one: they attempt to team up against Dooku and Anakin is swatted aside. Obi Wan gets wounded. Round 2: Anakin with two sabers vs. Dooku, a minor challenge to Dooku's superior skills and Anakin is swiftly "Disarmed" and defeated. (the novelization states Dooku uses a style of combat designed to disarm foes that wield sabers). Round 3: was when Yoda stepped in and after the Force duel they switch to sabers and we get Yoda hopping around like a Keebler elf on speed. Great to watch, though.
Ep 3: perhaps a bit over choreographed but then this is the movie where it all hits the fan as it were. The Republic turns Empire, Sidious comes out of hiding and only Yoda can match him in battle so you know the fight with them had to be fantastic in terms of Sabers and the Force. Then we get the Mustafar fight, perhaps one of the greatest sword fights in Hollywood history (one of the greatest I will not say it is the greatest). Again perhaps a bit too choreographed, but again this is the movie where it all hits the fan and the action should be suitably turned up.
Lucas also clearly has forgotten or recanted his idea that sabers can't be used one handed.
So here's a question: should Lucas use CGI and stunt doubles to rebuild the saber fights of Ep 4, 5 and 6 to match the prequels, or should he just leave it alone, or.....should he recreate the classics from scratch?
I actually liked how the politics of the film was running parallel to US politics at the time. If the prequel was penned way back when; then Lucas' timing was deliberate.
Didn't care much for the acting.
The fight choreography in the prequels made the combatants in the original seem old, amateurish and lethargic (sans the Dooku/Skywalker close-ups in EP[2]).
The attention to detail was a dramatic improvement.
Jar Jar wasn't much more annoying than C3-PO (whiny brass wuss).
Apparently, I play "City of Shakespeare"
*Arc #95278-Gathering the Four Winds -3 step arc; challenging - 5 Ratings/3 Stars (still working out the kinks)
*Arc #177826-Lights, Camera, Scream! - 3 step arc, camp horror; try out in 1st person POV - 35 Ratings/4 Stars
...and Howard the Duck kicked asp! (there was even a nude duck scene, lol)
Apparently, I play "City of Shakespeare"
*Arc #95278-Gathering the Four Winds -3 step arc; challenging - 5 Ratings/3 Stars (still working out the kinks)
*Arc #177826-Lights, Camera, Scream! - 3 step arc, camp horror; try out in 1st person POV - 35 Ratings/4 Stars
Go see Red Tails, you will not regret it!
The development team and this community deserved better than this from NC Soft. Best wishes on your search.
You can reasonably infer that Han's life would be in danger at a later time after that scene (at Jabba's discretion, no doubt), but in the Mos Eisley Cantina there was no mortal threat. He fired first to prevent being caught and turned in. This is not the same thing as self-defense.
This was summed up beautifully here:
When this scene took place in the film, Han was still very much the mercenary that Leia accused him of being later on. The audience is already given the impression that he's at least somewhat devious. The more important storytelling aspect of this, as it's revealed during the unfolding of the remaining films in the original trilogy, is that we see him gradually change his values and attitude about who he is and where his alliances/loyalties lie. By the end of Episode IV, he's sticking around (despite his initial expression that he wouldn't when he was collecting his reward on Alderaan, just before the assault on the Death Star) and actively helping the Rebel Alliance fight the Empire. It's not an extreme change, or all-encompassing, but it's subtle enough that we see it continue to happen as Episodes V and VI play out. This is an excellent example of characterization.
This was supplemented very well by the remainder of the cast, too. The actors' chemistry on-set, and the fact that they had proper direction the entire time, helped shape the dynamic that we've all come to love in the films. There's humor, sadness, seriousness, hope, joy, fear, etc. that surfaces time and time again. Lucas had other directors, and even some of the cast, challenging his decisions on-set at the time. This is, ultimately, why the cast worked so well together in their character portrayals. We didn't see this in Episodes 1 - 3, and the direction was so absent that even seasoned/respected/liked celebrities came off awkward and shallowly-presented. After all, by that point, who's going to say "No" to George Lucas?
Don't fall into the trap that Jar Jar is what's wrong with Episodes 1 - 3. That "material" (if it can even be called that) is afflicted by a much deeper problem than an annoying presence on-screen. In fact, I'd even argue that mentioning Jar Jar at all only shows how little attention said person was paying to the value of the original films.
But I digress. I've prattled on long enough as it is ...