Implied Dissent

Saturday, May 21, 2005

ROTS

Saw Star Wars III last night (possible spoilers ahead). It had some major flaws, but also some great stuff. You'll be shocked to hear that the dialogue and acting were bad, though I think that there were some bright spots. Not many, but a handful. Lucas generally did a good job of tying up loose ends, though he also created a few new ones, and some of the tying up was, frankly, retarded. I think to really appreciate the movie, and the whole 6 together really, you have to realize that the Jedi are not a purely good group. Clearly the Sith are much worse, but in the Jedi council you have an insular, arrogant, unaccountable organization that believes that only they can be trusted. They've been in charge for a thousand years or so, and they've become corrupt and paranoid. Yoda's advice to Anakin is condescending, Mace is a hypocrit, and Obi-Wan is a fool (and we were the greater fools to follow him). The Jedi speak of bringing balance to the Force, but they seem to think this means eliminating the Dark side and elevating the Light side higher, an interesting view of balance. The Jedi are supposedly selfless (yeah right). Jealousy is not unheard of, though it is wrapped up in wise-sounding talk. And oh the lies they tell.
My overall take on the movie is 3 out of 5. There were two scenes in the movie that were absolutely crucial, Anakin deciding to join Palpatine, and the fight between Anakin and Obi-Wan. Nail those two scenes, and the rest is just details for geeks like me to obsess over. Mess them up, and the movie is irredeemable. Both were close to what they should have been, but neither knocked it out of the park.
For more on the Jedi-fascist stuff, David Brin had some great stuff back in '99, here, here, and here. I think his plot ideas (to make it all make sense) are ridiculous and would be far, far more convoluted than what is needed, but everything else he writes is interesting and compelling.

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