Star Wars: Machete Order, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Tolerate the Prequels

As I said in my reaction, I never claimed they wanted to do it. I said it was due to the new public. Again, like I said, if you make a movie now with puppets, while also using more advanced technology people will just start whining. When it comes to that sort of thing, they kind of have to listen to the adience in order not to create any people being annoyed.

As I'm pretty certain, as many people are now complaining they... well I wont say better, but "upgraded" the movies. I'm pretty sure more people would've been upset if they didn't...

And again, I really don't get how you can be against it and complain. If you don't like it, don't watch it.

Right on, Sebaddon.

While funny when used in this new context... what he was talking about was third parties altering existing works. Not the original artists re-editing things.
That was in the heyday of all that terrible colorization going on of black and white movies.
And, since he was the leader of many innovations and advancements to come in that field... he knew, all too well, what more could (and can) be done.

I'll say this. I do not disagree that there were some really poor alterations made on the special editions.
However, there is also a ton of amazing fixing up and improvements on the image quality. People forget just how visible those boxes around the ships flying through space were.
Back in the day... on the big screen on film projectors... it wasn't so obvious. That's not it, of course (and, again, there were some bad decisions made... the music number in Jedi being the worst, in MY opinion... despite the Han and Greedo moment in ANH... on that, what is weird is that, when you look at the original... nothing is really revealed. It's just a big puff of smoke and Greedo is dead. I know what I always assumed and thought I saw... just like most everyone... however, obviously, Lucas had different thoughts and that is likely WHY the original didn't even define, visually, what happened. It's weird, for sure... and another bad edit job in the special edition, in my opinion. I think those special editions were major test beds and experiments and training for making the prequels and not as much care went into them. And, for us, that is indeed a shame... not an egregious offense, in my book though, lol). Anyway... there were a lot of very god quality fixes that they applied to the originals. And, again, this work was further results (and continued experimenting) of Lucas's amazing leadership in innovation and artistic and technological advancements.
George Lucas is a pioneer and an amazing artist. Anyone who doesn't recognize this has missed a major truth in film history. And that history is continuing to be made.
I don't worship idols or blindly follow anyone. Many people just don't understand that he's just an artist that does what he wants to... as one should. That's how he did what he did, accomplished what he has, and continued to accomplish so much more beyond a couple of films.
His accomplishments with ILM are on par with moving from indoor frescoes in plaster on walls to oil painting with canvases and palettes outside that opened the door for expression and impressionists.

*shrug*

Thank the maker!

The Electric-Knight ______ Malfaz _____ Zox'Oculox

@Zethustra

"Now at midnight all the agents and the superhuman crew come out
and round up everyone that knows more than they do"-Dylan

www.pauldamonthomas.com - Original Music

There was zippo for Han/Leia romance in movie one. There was Luke/Leia romantic tease. Pretending otherwise is... well, to my way of thinking a waste of time and not really a valid position to make... any sort of point, really.

It's not rude whatsoever to say that, my friend. The fact that I can choose to say that and you choose to take a more positive opinion of him as as subjective as my choice is.

As for my definitions of movies, characterisations and rationalisations are concerned, these are things that even George Lucas himself would've been taught as a filmmaker. There are ways and techniques that you make films in. These ways are measurable, they are defined and subject to being viewed and more importantly being criticised as any other piece of art can be.

My argument about rationalisation is simple: if you do something that you as a viewer doesn't make sense and the movie doesn't try and explain it to you (and that is the job of the movie, it shouldn't be yours) then it's open to criticism and more importantly subject to scrutiny. To be looked at and asked questions of.

To take my original example: Padme is a warm, compassionate, intelligent young woman. When Anakin confesses that he murdered women and children, and that he is a Jedi with a code against this sort of behavior, she may seem disturbed, but she forgives him. That is going directly against her pre-established behavior. Because if you accept that she does this because she loves him, then that action suggests pretty strongly that what she believes in she can put aside pretty easily for someone she cares about. And that makes her a worse character for that. She doesn't confront him, she condones his actions. And George Lucas himself has told you the viewer that doing these things are extremely bad. Not just something that can be forgiven. And that is bad writing for the sake of a vision.

My friend, just because George Lucas can do a thing, it does not mean he should do a thing. If he continues to 'update' everything (which includes re-editing footage to give you the viewer a different view of events you thought you knew happened, as in the case of Han and Greedo), then are you just going to accept that? Or are you alright with a story that changes so often?

I own all the movies, and I choose to watch them. I may not like what was done to them, but just because I may not like certain things about them doesn't mean I have to hate them and not have anything to do with them at all. If I didn't like a movie and said 'no, I won't watch it, won't tell my friends about it, didn't find it believable and won't watch it,' then I would never watch anything at all. It's very silly to avoid something just because I might not like it. How would I know until I saw it?

If you form an opinion in a vacuum, then people are going to call you out on it.



S.

I agree with GG.

In fairness, it's pretty clear that when Anakin pledges himself to Palpatine in the immediate aftermath of Windu's death, that Palpatine does something with the Force to Anakin. It's subtle and certainly open to interpretation, but it's there.

I suspect that he uses the Force to essentially slightly adjust Anakin's worldview. Certainly Anakin's behavior before that and after was markably different.

There are a number of ways it can be interpreted, for sure. What you say is very possible (and I basically feel like Palpatine is practically always exerting some elements of corruption, hehe. So, I agree).
Even without that though, it's also very possible and believable that, once things have been laid out as they have and once things have been done, Anakin is in for a penny, in for a pound.
He dangerously disobeyed Mace's instructions, he helped kill Mace (inadvertently or not), he'd already been strongly compelled to listen to Palpatine and distrust the Jedi (maybe Mace's intent to kill "defenseless" Palpatine sent that distrust over the edge)... What is likely to happen if Anakin doesn't go along with Palpatine full tilt at this point? The Jedi will be against Palpatine (obviously), clearly Anakin wants Palpatine alive and capable of teaching him how to save Padme and the Jedi are going to punish and/or be against Anakin... he was pushed into a corner and now he's basically made his decision.
Really, beyond making a decision... he has resigned himself to the decisions that have basically been made for him now (that evil ******* Palpatine!). He is a defeated shell of a man, now willing to painfully obey whatever is necessary to get what he wants at the end of it.

So, taking Palpatine's words and lead as truth... The Jedi are now the enemy that will prevent Anakin from what he truly, most wants (to save Padme and now his own freedom is at stake as well).
What must be done? Destroy them all. Prevent them from interfering, as they most certainly will attempt to do.
It is extreme, indeed. And I have little to no doubt that Palpatine exerting influence over him in his speech (and as he had been doing for all those years when they'd meet).

The only reasons I babbled about this right now are:

• I don't think people should believe that someone couldn't reach those changes without mystic evil forces manipulating them. It wasn't really a quick flip of a switch with Anakin... it had been planted and growing for a long time and it involved intense levels of personal power and delusion. Those things can be far more powerful than mystical forces, hehe.
• I'm bored and a bit lonely today and saw your comment and felt like babbling about it, haha.
• And... most importantly... it's fun (for me, anyway).

The Electric-Knight ______ Malfaz _____ Zox'Oculox

@Zethustra

"Now at midnight all the agents and the superhuman crew come out
and round up everyone that knows more than they do"-Dylan

www.pauldamonthomas.com - Original Music

Troof!
I suppose the only difference with what you and I said is that Anakin's inner conflict was still stronger until around the time he knelt before Palpatine/Sidious.
I agree with what you are saying there though. It was a progression of things, absolutely.

The Electric-Knight ______ Malfaz _____ Zox'Oculox

@Zethustra

"Now at midnight all the agents and the superhuman crew come out
and round up everyone that knows more than they do"-Dylan

www.pauldamonthomas.com - Original Music

Funny, this is always how I felt about those scenes in the backwoods of Naboo between Anakin and Padme. THey were so unconvincing that he had to be doing some Force stuff to her mind, whether he was aware of it or not.

No need for the Force - looking like Hayden was enough

That's a pretty well thought out explanation. It would have been great if HC could have actually conveyed any of that through his acting (and I don't think he's a bad actor, overall). His "turning point" was one of the biggest letdowns of the original trilogy for me (I think they are decent, but flawed movies). What should have been one of the biggest emotional points out of the whole series basically turned into "Join the dark side" "Eh... oookay..." I wanted to see that slow build, until Anakin finally hit his breaking point. Be it rage, despair, sadness, fear, any kind of relevant emotional spiral, and the way that scene ended up, Palpatine might as well have just asked him if he wanted to go get a pizza.

I've always felt this way, it's the only one where all the funny/funny interpersonal stuff like one-liners worked. After that, I recall seeing Empire when it came out like 3 times and then, during the fourth time, Luke was running around on Dagoba with Yoda on his back and I suddenly realized I was bored! "Bored with Star Wars?! How can this be?" I asked myself.

Then the third film came out and the spell was broken. I skipped the prequels but my GF is a huge prequels fan, so...